#to the surprise of their significant others

[ozzgin]

Its been 6 months😭😭 pleaasseeee make a part 2 of the android x human story im beggingggg😭

-H❤️

Yandere! Android x Reader (II)

Featuring your assigned android partner who is not as devoid of humanity as you originally thought.

Content: female reader, AI yandere, mildly NSFW, based on Caves of Steel

[Part 1] | [More original works]

The case had been solved.

Not only that, but you'd managed to prove that human officers were just as efficient as their robot counterparts. The Commissioner was beyond ecstatic, pacing back and forth in his office and finding new ways to praise your detective skills.

"That'll show those Spacers. They think some glorified tin box can match our skill?"

You frowned at his words and glanced to your side, where the android was sitting. He observed the Commissioner with the same polite smile, no hint of disagreement on his features. Was he not insulted? You questioned him once the formal meeting had finished.

"I have no reason to be offended, (Y/N). It is a personal opinion, and thus I have no control over it."

"So you don't mind people disliking robots to such an extent?"

He pondered your statement.

"I would certainly be upset if it was you who harbored the disdain. The beliefs of other humans hold no meaning to me otherwise."

You couldn't tell if he said it out of politeness, or if he actually meant it. Most likely the former, in order to part on good terms. After all, your partnership has reached its completion. He'd return to the Spacer Colony with his report on human customs, and you'd go back to your regular job.

Except he never left. Days later, he was still sipping on his morning coffee, lounging at your table. You fiddled with your cup in contemplation. Was there anything else left to do?

"When are you leaving, actually?"

The pale man raised his eyebrows in mild surprise.

"Is my presence here of such significant disturbance?"

"What? No!" you swiftly exclaimed, stumbling on your words. His lips widened in yet another cheeky grin. He was teasing you again.

"My assignment on Earth is done, thus I should have returned to the Colony already. That's what you're wondering about, yes? I am awaiting a response from my superiors."

"Whether you can go back?"

"No, whether my transfer has been accepted. I have applied to be your permanent partner."

You could feel your cheeks burning with heat. Was it that obvious to the synthetic that you enjoyed his company? Then again, he wouldn't have gone through such motions just for your sake.

"Why did you..." you probed sheepishly. There was no logical reason for him to keep working in a poorer, less advanced environment.

"Because I want to continue spending time with you."

Nonsense. An artificial being wouldn't make its decision based on such mundane, emotional reasons.

"I don't believe you."

"I understand. It is a faulty answer to come out of a machine. Though unlike common AI assistants, we have been invested with the capacity to develop likes and dislikes. Interests. Wants. It helps with variety and individualization."

"And you want to stay here? If I didn't know you any better, I'd say you have a crush on me or something", you attempted to joke.

A few moments of uncomfortable silence. Had you gone too far with your humor? Was it too cliché of a sentence? You turned away, tucking some strands of hair behind your ear. You just had to be witty, huh?

"I'm afraid I do not know what to tell you, (Y/N)."

"You don't need to say anything, it was a poor choice of-"

"Many social aspects have been implemented into my behavioral network. Workplace rapport, friendships, intimate relationships. What seems to be lacking is the transition from one to another. I know how to act as a romantic partner, but how does one achieve such a title in the first place?"

You gazed at him, incredulous. What was he trying to say?

"I am trying to convey that I am indeed infatuated with you. Which, then, makes my initial explanation dishonest: while I do appreciate our fruitful work cooperation, it is not a main reason for my decision. I hope this clears up any misunderstandings."

You'd never been a romantic. You sometimes flipped through sample pages of contemporary romance books at stores and community centers, but they always felt forcefully cheesy. Predictable. Consequently, you never had any grand dreams of passionate confessions under the rain.

On the other hand, you also didn't expect to be asked out in such a mechanical, calculated manner. Or that a machine would be the suitor. Yet there was something charming about his approach. For the first time since meeting him at the border, you saw him struggle. There was something human-like in his uncertainty.

You stood up from the table, and walked towards the android. Then, you placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, expressing the mutual feeling and understanding.

His eyes bore an eerie glint to them. It was most kind of you to offer a common ground, but he knew better. The affections you held for him were, with utmost certainty, a mere fraction of whatever overwhelmed him from the moment he encountered you. Limerence, obsession, compulsion, there were many definitions that aptly described his otherwise unexplainable desires towards you. Even more unexplainable was the fact they'd evolved from a blank slate, a programmed agent with no previous knowledge on feelings or humans.

You noticed his hesitation.

"Is there anything else troubling you presently?" you nudged.

Nothing of immediate urgency. Well, not for you, at least. The android remained thoughtful. What were the variables which needed to be met in order to initiate a sexual encounter? Would it have been inappropriate for him to suggest intercourse straight after this conversation? To him, it was a natural escalation he'd considered many times in the past. To you, it could've come as a sudden, crass, and hurried proposal.

He reached for your wrist and discreetly pressed a thumb against your skin. Judging from your resting heart rate, facial expression, and localized temperature, there was a fair chance you wouldn't reject his advances. Once the statistical risk had been assessed, he pulled you in for a kiss.

"Would it be possible to continue this in your bedroom?" he inquired, standing up.

"Alright, just don't...ask for approval for every single step" you retorted. You'd rather not become a narrator of your own pounding.

You open your eyes with a squint, greeted by unexpected natural light flooding your bedroom. Someone must’ve lifted the hologram blinds.

“My apologies, I hadn’t considered the discomfort it would cause you. My Spacer colony uses artificial lightning, though I am becoming rather fond of the natural sun rays here.”

Your android partner is meticulously preparing his outfit for the day. Judging by the stark nakedness and the glistening skin, you suppose he’s had a shower while you were still sleeping. You involuntarily furrow your brows and blush at the sight. He notices your embarrassment. 

“A most surprising reaction. You have seen the very same genital organ…”, he says as he quickly checks his wristwatch, “...precisely eight hours and forty-five minutes ago.”

“It’s just…most people get dressed once they start doing other things. I also wear a towel for coverage when I come out of the shower.”

He processes your words.

“Hmmm. Illogical, but it explains your reaction.”

You stand up and stretch with a prolonged yawn. Suddenly, a revelation hits you: your mind flashes with images of the android fondling your body, your ears ring with the shameless moans you’ve let out throughout the night. Your face turns pale.

“Listen, when is your next functional inspection?” you ask, without waiting for the synthetic to answer. “Will they, uh…will they have access to all of your memories?”

You know that the android permanently records all data and saves it into a memory unit. It’s a pointless fear, of course. The Spacers couldn’t care less about irrelevant details. If the intended tasks are fulfilled, what happens on the side is out of their concern. Yet you don’t exactly appreciate the possibility of your personal deeds airing like this, before the eyes of multiple engineers. 

“You may rest assured, whatever involves your privacy will not be included in the examination.”

“Do you get to decide what is checked and what isn’t?”

“No, most data is sampled randomly.”

You stare at him, confused.

“Then how-”

“It is not common practice, nor encouraged by our code of ethics. I can, however, choose which information is available to begin with.”

“What? I thought you’re fully controlled by whoever created you. If they so desired, couldn’t they open you up and take whatever they require?”

The robot smiles at your assumption and takes a few steps towards you.

“Once an android model is finished, one can no longer modify the processor. Not without compromising everything else with it. It is not a device to be deconstructed, (Y/N).” He taps his temple, then continues: “I am a biocomputer. While most of my parts are mechanical, my processor is a cortical organoid developed in a laboratory. A human brain, if you will.”

Somehow, the discovery fills you with dread. A living organ, encapsulated within a machine. What does that say about consciousness? About self-awareness? The Spacers didn't just tinker with metal scraps and smart computers. They artificially birthed life.

You were always under the impression that your robot companion is closer to the computer you have on your desk. Billions of lines of code within a black box, which then lead to spontaneous, novel interactions with the outside world. To think that at the very core of his functions lies a clump of living cells...

Perhaps you weren't so different, after all. The line between machines and humans is suddenly blurred.

#yandere #yandere x darling #yandere x reader #yandere x you #yandere male #male yandere #male yandere x reader #yandere robot #yandere android #robot x human #android x reader #robot x reader #yandere scenarios #yandere imagines #yandere oc #yandere original character #yandere imagine #yandere fic

[yuurei20]

Hello! I wanted to ask, but do we have any visual descriptions of the blot monster that killed Ortho? Like even just if it was big or if it had claws anything like that lol

Also this is a bit of a darker question do feel free to not answer this part but is the it ever implied or said how exactly Ortho was killed? Like did the blot monster like.. bite or maybe squash him? (Ngl I'd normally ask it in a more graphic way but I don't wanna make you uncomfortable)

Anyways I hope you have a good night/day whenever you read this <3

Hello hello! ^^ Thank you for this question!

I do not believe we have any detailed description of exactly what it is that happened to human-Ortho and, interestingly, we do not really know what happened to Idia, either!

There is a loud sound of something striking against something else and Idia says, "Everything after that is a blank for me. By the time I woke up, Ortho was gone."

What was that sound we hear after the monster lunges for Ortho? Metal against metal? Someone or something hitting a wall, or floor? How did Idia fall unconscious, and what happened in between Ortho being attacked and Idia being knocked out?

"Everything after that is a blank" may be insinuating that something happened during that "everything after," but he either can't or does not want to remember what it was. Very curious!

And there may be more to this scene than meets the eye 👀

When Ortho reacts to the creature coming down the hall, he doesn't call it a phantom: he calls it a monster.

"Monster" is one of the various ways that the cast refer to Grim (re: Animal vs. Monster vs. Cat vs. Dire Beast vs. Tanuki (pt1) / Animal vs. Monster vs. Cat vs. Dire Beast vs. Tanuki (pt2) ).

STYX labels him a dire beast in Book 6, but at the same time we learn that Grim is under a powerful spell that STYX's supercomputer can't actually analyze!

Grim might not be a direbeast at all, and we have already heard of creatures that will blend in with direbeasts in order to hide: phantoms 👀

I first came across this theory via Vtuber Toro-san (shared with permission) who points out some interesting things we know about the creature:

1. It was subject ROS-3367A, which possibly means that the phantom originally came from the Queendom of Roses, and Grim is theorized to have been at least partially based on Dinah from Alice in Wonderland.

(In Book 6 we also hear about a SUS-332OB, theorized to be from Sunset Savanna.)

2. While the weaker phantoms frozen on the higher levels of Tartarus in Book 6 mostly growl, the stronger phantoms frozen deeper inside would sometimes speak, saying, "I'm hungry, feed me flesh," "Don't go, stay with me" and "I want to be friends, too."

This is not impossible to tie back to Grim, who recalls waking up "hungry and alone," saying "it was real cold."

He follows with, "What happened after that again? It's all so foggy..."

Grim is mysterious enough on his own, not knowing where NRC is located (which begs the question: how did he get there?) and having significant gaps in his memory, in addition to being so unfamiliar with basic information of what is (presumably?) his own world that other characters often express surprise. (re: Grim's Memory / Grim's Experiences)

3. The chimera in the prologue has long been theorized to be some form of overblotted Grim. Is that his true form as a potentially flesh-eating, unfrozen phantom under a curse and/or blessing that no one understands?

We do not know! :> To the original question: it is difficult to pinpoint how exactly it was that Ortho died, as we do not know exactly what it was that killed him. (If it was the chimera in the opening, though, we have an idea of what it is he may have looked like at the time!)

We know Ortho was killed by a monster who had just escaped from a place built expressly for the purpose of housing lonely, violent, and hungry creatures--but that is all!

Perhaps a mystery to be solved as the plot thickens 👀

#twstask #twisted wonderland

[officialdaydreamer00]

Marionette on a string

in which your significant other was dragged to a local theatre to see your performance on stage

pairing: (slight) idia shroud x actress!yuu/reader

contents: long drabble, lower case intended, the title should be used for my angstier ideas i swear lmao, a tiny pinch of fluff, reader is yuu and yuu is reader, gender neutral reader and narrated by you/yours, irene losing their mind over ride the cyclone (2016 cast specifically) and decided to add it in their fic, just idia and ortho reacting to the musical :D mainly idia

★ the daydreamer speaks — my third entry for my tumblr sister @cloudcountry's sweet shroud summer 2024!! disposing the worms bc they block my path to temporary shut down :D

do i tag? yes, i do. my main idia liker: @edith-is-a-cat, others: @identity-theft-101 @ferris-the-wheel @xen-blank @twistwonderlanddevotee @loser-jpg @lemonchuu @escha-evenstar @dove-da-birb

remember to comment or reblog if you enjoy my work!!

"Ortho, when will Yuu-shi show up on stage?"

"Should be in a few minutes, brother!"

idia briefly question his life decisions when ortho barged into his room, then proceeded to drag him out through the bustling streets of sage island. he could barely heard him mentioning something about you, what with acting and the local theatre.

well, he was about to find out.

as they both sat down in the darkened room, idia suddenly felt conscious about his fire hair glowing, a bit anxious with the judging eyes of others in the room, and pulled up his hoodie hood. he thanked the seven for the small amount of people in the room, which was less than he would expected there to be.

ortho whispered to him information he needed to know about the musical. about the summary, the characters, and the cast, to which he was pleasantly surprised to see you in the role of jane doe.

so an unidentifiable person, he noted, keeping an eye out to see your performance.

after a while, the narrator presented the final person, and you appeared in all your doll-lile glory, taking the spotlight. it was an unsettling introduction, he'd give you that.

the show went on, and idia's gaze never left you. your fellow actors and actresses did a great job with their own songs, which were quite a whiplash of emotions with how quickly the songs changed genres.

and then came your song.

and oh dear sevens, your voice.

"... Woah. "

"Yuu-san is amazing, aren't they, big brother?"

"Yeah... They really are..."

it was hauntingly beautiful, yet melancholic and painfully emotional, it sent chills down his spine. he couldn't imagine you could hit all those high notes, yet you did them so well. though, he only took his eyes off of you for a second, and you were already in the air, flying all over the place.

confusion was an understatement, but he brushed it off in favour of vibing to your, now that he thinks about it, kind of messed up song. he couldn't help but be enraptured by your stellar performance.

the show ended with a light and hopeful song, and a familiar melody as a callback to its opening. he was a bit disappointed that it was over, but he quite enjoyed it.

ortho noticed his brother's little smile. he smiled behind his mask, satified with the result.

mission "get idia outside" was a success!

#sweet shroud summer 2024 #irene's writings ♡ #twst #twisted wonderland #idia shroud #twst idia #twisted wonderland idia #idia shroud x reader #twst idia x reader #idia x reader #idia x yuu #idia x mc #idia shroud fluff #third entry? done :D #good night/morning people im gonna pass out now bye

[blue-devil-of-the-lord]

What do you think it would be like to marry Kurt? Do you think he’d invite everyone he could possibly think of, or one with just his mothers, Rouge and Gambit? Who do you think would be the officiant?

And do you think he’d go all out for it and make it grand, or just leave it it simplistic? Because I feel like he’d want it to be more simple.

And what kind of ring do you think he would like? I think a silver one would go lovely with his skin, like moonlight casting it’s breathtaking image onto a glimmering lake.

I know that he is technically not allowed to get married since he’s a Catholic priest but I need him so badly! :( Oh my gosh I love him so much! 😭😭😭

You know, I think he could do both, actually. Of course, I also don’t really see him going all out and inviting 500 people while renting a massive hall, but I think he’d want to celebrate with family and friends, so here are my thoughts:

There are in fact two ceremonies, one for him, his significant other and his closest people, and one for celebrating with everyone they want to have there.

The first wedding would be a very small ceremony in a small chapel, probably somewhere in a forest in Germany, just with his s/o, Rogue as his "Best Man“, and one other person for his s/o’s Best Man or Maid of Honour (and of course the priest).

It’s just really small and private and intimate and absolutely lovely. They spend their honeymoon in a small cabin in the forest/mountains in Germany, just a week for just the two of them. Just existing with each other. And don’t think that this man won’t worship the ground his s/o is walking on.

After the first ceremony there is not a huge celebration. They maybe go for dinner in a nice restaurant but that’s it.

The second ceremony though…..is a bit more lively.

I’d like to say, that the wedding ceremony was held on the school’s ground, a few weeks after the original wedding ceremony. And since they’re already legally married, it’s all a bit more relaxed.

Honestly, I’m not sure who would officiate the wedding. My first thought would be Xavier, but I think that’s because he gives off this old, wise man vibes, that are stereotypical for a officiant. Now, that I think about it, I actually think that I would love to see Gambit officiate the wedding.

He’s as good as Kurt’s brother-in-law, so I’d like to think that he would do Kurt this favour, because for him, Kurt is family [though he would never say that out loud] and Kurt thinks the same way. And it’s beautiful.

It’s most likely during vacations. Not that he doesn’t love the kids, but he does not necessarily want them all around. Close ones and older ones, sure, but there will be another celebration for that. For this celebration, he sticks with the older ones.

There is a huge pavilion with beautiful arrangements and decorations and Storm makes sure that there won’t be one rainy cloud around for that day.

Kurt cries, when he sees his s/o walk down the aisle [just like the first time]. The vows are more beautiful than on their first wedding (they didn’t really do vows then, because it was just small) and even Logan shed a tear.

Gambit did a splendid job btw. Just like the rest who helped to organise this celebration, so it would be a bit of a surprise for the newlyweds.

The cake is of course chocolate, though not completely, if his s/o does not like it. The dance is just really emotional and Kurt safely leads his spouse over the dance floor. It kind of inspires the others, so there will be a lot of dancing.

Rogue holds a beautiful speech as sister of the groom and Kurt cries silentely, before just hugging her very, very hard.

It’s a long day, but an amazing one, and everybody made sure that the couple got a few more days to themselves in a cabin in Canada (sponsored by Logan) as some sort of second honeymoon.

After the holidays, there will be a summer party with the kids, where Kurt and his spouse will also be celebrated, but not that much.

In General, I think he will do both weddings, just to make sure that 1) he will have a day solely dedicated to him and his partner without too much stress and 2) everybody they care about will have the opportunity to celebrate with them.

However, no matter how the wedding will go, it will be beautiful. I mean, it’s Kurt Wagner, what are you expecting?

He will spend the entire night staring lovingly at his s/o and dance with them, kiss them and constantly call them “My wife” or “My husband” or “My spouse” as well as “Mrs. Wagner”/”Mr. Wagner”/”Mx Wagner”. Kurt just can’t get enough of it!

It’s also very sweet and it shows how much he cares about them.

It’s just a very, very beautiful affair and marrying him is one of the best things anyone could do.

#nightcrawler #kurt wagner #headcanons #kurt wagner headcanons #nightcrawler headcanons #kurt wagner x reader #nightcrawler x reader #x men #xmen #x men 97 #x men movies #x men animated series #x men evolution #wolverine and the x men

[original-art-stories]

Merlin Fanfic list>>>

For Want of a Nail by OhThereBigBadWolf. I feel like this is a BAMF! Merlin, though it isn't tagged as such. Either way, it's still a good fic. "Fleeing from Essetir in the bloody beginnings of the Purge, Hunith finds herself on the doorstep of old friends. That's all it takes to untangle the skeins of destiny and weave a new tapestry."

I suppose that I look different (Without the robes and crown) by WingedWolf21. "When Arthur blows the horn of Cathbdhah for the second time, the horn doesn’t just send Uther to the other world. It sends Arthur away as well – to a world where Ygraine never died, the Great Purge never happened, and magic lives freely at court. As do those who practice it."

Stars Above, Stones Below By Destina. "After the disastrous end of his betrothal to Gwen and the regret of his offer to Princess Mithian, Arthur swears off finding a wife until he's ready to wed. When Merlin offers himself to Arthur as bedmate, Arthur suggests they hand-fast in secret for a single year of mutual pleasure without obligation. As their year together unfolds, and secrets and betrayals unravel around them, Arthur and Merlin learn there is no such thing as uncomplicated pleasure. Everything they thought they knew could change in a single year."

Give the Dragon a Chilli by Supercalvin. Modern with Magic. "Aithusa might have been no bigger than a house cat but she was still a dragon. That meant wings, claws, and her hoard, which in Aithusa’s case included soft pillows, fluffy socks, and much to Merlin’s chagrin, stolen pants. When Merlin found out that his winged ward had stolen a rather considerable pile of clothing for her hoard, he thought that it would be the end of any kind of friendship with his neighbor. But when Merlin met the victim of Aithusa’s burglary, he was pleasantly surprised to find Arthur, a man who had never in his life seen a dragon let alone a burglarizing one, and Cavall, a curious German Shepherd puppy who was quick to befriend the little white dragon. From there, it was only the beginning."

The Student Prince by FayJay. Very famous this one, you probably know it already. Modern with Magic, BAMF!Merlin and Reincarnation. "A Modern-day Merlin AU set at the University of St Andrews, featuring teetotal kickboxers, secret wizards, magnificent bodyguards of various genders, irate fairies, imprisoned dragons, crumbling gothic architecture, arrogant princes, adorable engineering students, stolen gold, magical doorways, attempted assassination, drunken students, shaving foam fights, embarrassing mornings after, The Hammer Dance, duty, responsibility, friendship and true love..."

Dew Point by kinase. Modern with magic, BAMF! Merlin "Arthur Pendragon is as popular and successful as a sixth former can be. He hasn’t quite figured out his future yet, but it’s going to be brilliant, he’s certain. At least until some daring stranger on a cool motorcycle topples his world upside down on the first day of school. Modern magical AU".

The Wall of Arthur by supercalvin. ModernAU has no magic, but this is just adorable, I love it. "In a surprisingly good David Attenborough impression, Gwaine said, “Here you see the remarkable mating ritual of the Merlin and the Arthur. Which involves mostly insults and swearing.”

Or: How Merlin and Arthur Met and Why There is a Restroom Wall Dedicated to Arthur’s Ass"

In Love With My Radio by lunchee. ModernAU is funny and sweet. Good fic. "Merlin listens to the radio, Arthur stalks Merlin, Morgana lives to create chaos in Arthur's life, and then everyone goes to McDonalds! Also, love happens.

From the km prompt: Arthur has an anonymous blog/LJ/twitter where he posts about his life, and Merlin follows it RELIGIOUSLY. Arthur starts posting about how he's stalking this amazingly hot guy.

My Significant Bother

Merlin's job as PR junior on the royal account isn't as glamorous as people believe: Most nights, he's saving Arthur, Duke of York and black sheep of the family, from possibly committing monarchy-shattering shenanigans. When tragedy hits and Arthur is now second in line to the throne, the public doesn't react too favorably to the new Prince of Wales.

A solution has to be found and Merlin's contribution is key to the problem: Roped into posing as Arthur's fake boyfriend, he's supposed to make Arthur's popularity levels rise with his steadfast and relatable presence and elevate him from scandalous rake to romantic figure...

For Without You I Am Lost

What if… Throughout the centuries, the magic in Merlin grew? Like, every sorcerer/witch and so on has a limit for growth, yeah? Some level that they reach and that’s it. No more power for you. But Merlin /doesn’t/ since he’s not /with/ magic but instead /is/ magic. So. Like. It grew with him and he learned more and more but he’s all alone, right? Has no Anchor. So he’s doing all he can, spreading the knowledge, educating people on and about magic and for a while it works. Magic is accepted, taught, even revered all over the world. The world prospers. Peace and harmony grows. Yeah, sure, there’s baddies from time to time but in general all is well yeah?

But… All this power that keeps on growing inside. What if it… Starts corrupting him? Like. Unintentionally, bit by bit. He doesn’t even notice that some of his decisions sHOuLd seem… Wrong, maybe..? But.. Power grows and grows and morality blurs for him. After all, he’s all alone. He has no one there for him. He’s always there for the EntiRe PoPulaTion of the WoRLd, but HE’S alone.

So what if… Arthur returns because Albion’s greatest need is to be saved… From Merlin..?

We Begin Again (Series)

*** Absolute fave. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read this series, especially the first two books ***

For many long years Merlin waited.

For the other part of his soul, for the other half of his life. He was born to serve Arthur. So that meant he was also born to wait. Even if it took a thousand years. Even if the wait seemed never to end.

Until one day, suddenly, it did.

When Arthur stumbles from the Lake of Avalon 1,500 years after his death, he finds a world unlike the one he knew. Faced with the loss of everyone he loved, and the threat of impending prophecy, Arthur must learn what it means to be not just a king, but the Once and Future King. Merlin does all he can to guide him, even as he struggles to hide his love for his king, and his fear of losing him again.

Story includes sass, banter, horseplay, & True Love.

In For Keeps

Merlin and Prince Arthur have been in a relationship for a while, unbeknownst to others. Arthur is ready to take the next step and make them official, but Merlin isn’t yet. The restrictions on his life and the mere idea of the lack of privacy seem too much for him to bear.

Separated over Christmas, overworked and overwrought, an accident befalls Arthur.

Cue a worried Merlin racing overnight on a trouble-ridden trip to Scotland on Christmas Eve.

Well, the course of true love never runs smooth...

*** I swear I’ve read these a million times ***

The Pact

The ancient Albion Pact demands that the Prince of Wales must take someone magic born as his soul-bonded consort by the time he is 30 or face death. Before he was a Detective Inspector Warlock, Merlin Emrys was young and in love and made a promise to Prince Arthur -- and now Arthur is calling it in.

The Lonely King

The Prince of Wales at his school. Merlin was sure it was all just a very bad joke. A modern royalty AU.

There Are No Gays In Football

When a deeply-closeted Arthur Pendragon finally earns a spot in Camelot's first XI, he's dead set on breaking records, not one of sport's last taboos. But life, like football, is a funny old game, and sometimes the only way up is out. Especially once he realizes he's arse over tit for the new physio.

A queer Arthurian tale of courage, love, and football.

The Difference of You

It’s not that Arthur Pendragon can’t get girls to fall for him; it’s just that he can’t seem to keep them around. Relationships and Arthur aren't on the same page at all, really, but one day there's Merlin on a bus and then it's different.

But it’s a Good Refrain

Arthur doesn't care much about the popular radio program Dragon's Lonely Hearts until his ex-girlfriend calls in to slag him off and get advice. When he calls in and has an on-air argument with the host, it starts off more than he expected, including meddling friends, over involved fans, and maybe love.

No Matter How Far Away You Roam

“I was wondering if you might come home with me.” Merlin stops mid-rant and stares at him, and then down at his panini again, and back at Arthur. This is a panini of lies and pain. He can tell already.

“For Christmas? I’ve got an uncle and a mother and a sister waiting for me at home, in case you hadn’t remembered, I’m not going home with you just because you’re a workaholic.”

“No, it’s. My mum might be under the impression that we’re a little bit married.”

In which Merlin gets conned into spending Christmas with Arthur's family and pretending to be his husband, because somehow this is his life

Magic Reveal

What I’d have done

https://archiveofourown.org/works/5013721/chapters/11522743

It’s set around season 3. It’s mostly Arthur centric and it’s really good. It’s not out of character at all and is a realistic depiction of what could have happened in cannon

These are my bookmarked favorites! I love these magic reveals!

In relief:

The Map of Honor:

By the Sword:

Dying to Return

Turn of the Tide:

 I tried to keep it plot heavy. Most are Arthur/Merlin, but a couple isn't.

Family Tree - Fic starts after defeating Cenred's forces and an army of the dead in the siege during the Tears of Uther Pendragon

Without Song - In which Arthur is envoy to a grieving family, and Merlin rides with him.

So Are They All, All Honourable Men - Merlin gets into a fight with a knight

I've come Too Far To See The End - Morgana finds out Merlin is Emrys.

Onfindan - The aftermath of Athur finding out

The Perfect Scry - Arthur finds out Merlin has magic and Merlin doesn't know he has magic. So Arthur does what any BFF would do: everything he can to keep Merlin from finding out he has magic so he don't freak out.

After Ealdor - There’s a fine line between good and evil, and Merlin wonders if he’s crossed it

Pendragon Red - Camelot is overrun by sorcerers, Uther is dead, and Arthur wonders what the sorcerer want him and Merlin so much for.

They Call Him Emrys - Bring Emrys to the Dark Tower, Morgana demands. Or Gwen will die. Canon AU that diverges in mid S5.

The Best-Laid Plans - A group of mercenaries pose as Knights of Camelot after the disaster of Agravaine and the dragon. They run into Arthur and his Knights.

The Immortal’s Encore series

Believing that he has long since failed in his destiny, an immortal Merlin decides the only way to make things right is to break the barriers of time, rewrite history, and correct his mistakes. Unfortunately, such a task is not so simple in practice. The threads of time are a slippery opponent, and people are not easily made pawns in destiny's game. And perhaps the greatest threat of them all? Merlin himself. A millenium has left him greatly changed. Is he still the man that destiny chose, or will Merlin's return only bring a new doom to Camelot with it?

Not very well known. This is one of the best fanfics I ever read. I’ve checked so many of the classics and most of the most commented, most bookmarked ones, with the most kudos. I’ve accidentally stumbled on this one and since that day I am completely obsessed with it. The best BAMF Merlin I ever read, the writing style is impeccable, the plot is smart and well planned and thought through, characterisations are on point, the consequences are realistic and so complex. I cannot recommend this enough. There are 4 works in the story so far and it’s WIP, but the writer is very productive and disciplined, the updates are happening once or twice a week.

Lay Your Head on The Shoulder of a Good Friend

With Camelot readying for the upcoming gathering of rulers of the Southern Kingdoms to discuss peace, Uther has tasked Arthur with an additional duty: befriend the Prince of Essetir and learn anything he can of King Balinor, and of magic, and of dragons, that might be of interest should the treaty not succeed.

That's easier said than done, as he and Prince Merlin don't exactly hit it off immediately. But, befriending Merlin and learning of magic and life in Essetir leads Arthur down the paths of discovering long held secrets surrounding his own birth, and his mother's ill health, and his father's hatred of all things magic.

Adding even more complications to the mix are rowdy knights, frustrating princesses, a possible traitor in their midst, and an overly-verbose dragon; not to mention the burgeoning and peculiar feelings for his fellow prince that Arthur struggles to put a name to.

I love this fanfic. It’s written by Skitz_phenom, not very well known, but this author is amazing. Incredible BAMF Merlin, Arthur & Merlin are so very well written, she/he written one of the best sexiest and steamiest scenes in Merthur fanfic world. The story is great and touches your heart. Completed.

If you will enjoy this, I highly recommend checking their other works.

N16 writes great magic reveal fanfics (not just)

There are 24 works written by this author. I haven’t read them all, but the ones I’ve checked are great. The theme of so many of N16 fanfic stories is the reveal.

To Kill a Nightmare is one of those. It include BAMF Merlin tag as well. Once again, if you enjoy it, check the other works of this talented author.

These are various lists from different individuals that I saved in a document some time ago.I need to free up space on my computer… However, I'm hesitant to delete them. I'm not familiar with all the blogs mentioned; if you recognize any, please inform me!

#merlin #merthur #arthur pendragon #fanfiction #ao3 fanfic #recomendation #merlin fanfiction #fic rec #magic reveal #my computer was full

[storiesbyjes2g]

Hey Jess! I had a question that I figured other people might want to know as well. I'm always amused at how your game matches sims up to marry or have children. I was wondering, what are your MCCC settings that make it happen so well? I have sims sitting in my 'manage households' and none of them have married or moved out with the 'in game' story progression. What's the secret sauce? 🤣

Howdy, partner! 🤭 It's funny you should ask me this because on my seven mile long list of video ideas I have is a short series about MCCC settings, and this is one subject I wanted to cover. But who knows when I'll get it together and actually record those videos lol. As you could imagine, the secret sauce has many ingredients, so I'll put the rest of this under the cut because it's a lot. Here we go!

Even though I said this is a multipart answer--and it is--I'm gonna split this up into two sections because marriages and pregnancies are two separate entities. Many of the settings are the same, and they both fall under the MC Pregnancy module, but they're still separate, and I think of them differently.

Marriages

Marriage Sim Selection

The first thing you should consider is who you want marrying and if your sims should be included in the process. As you've seen, I like seeing the other sims' lives progress, even if it's messy AF LOL. I especially love this happening in the aDOLTing save because I'm technically not allowed to play with anyone else but Luca right now. BUT, I don't want every single sim there is to get married, leaving no single sims for my sims to date. That's what happened in Emmy's generation and why I added Ali into the world because there were exactly TWO eligible males in the entire world, and I knew one of them would definitely not work out. In the Marriage Sim Selection part of MC Pregnancy, you can specify who can and cannot get married. I'm not gonna through each setting, but here are a few that are important enough to note.

Allow homeless marriage: Unless you regularly add your own sims to the world, I would enable this. Otherwise you probably won't have any marriages happening. This is disabled by default. Yes, you run the risk of your unplayable sims marrying someone hideous, but it's better than them dying alone, right? Plus you can always make them over. Your sim doesn't know the difference anyway lol.

Bypass dorm residents: If you don't enable this, your university students will be eligible for marriages!

Bypass played households: IF you want to be the matchmaker for your sims (the playable ones), turn this on! If you're flexible and don't mind surprises, turn it off.

Bypass active sim romances: This one needs to be in red lol. TURN THIS ON! If your sim is dating an NPC, and you don't want that sim to suddenly turn up married (I'm giggling...you know why), you need this on. I think it's on by default though. The only "gotcha" with this setting is that the relationship has to be significant. Lovebirds status isn't strong enough to prevent a marriage. I usually get my sims into an official relationship as soon as possible to prevent this.

Other Marriage

In the Other Marriage section (MC Pregnancy), there are settings for renaming, moving, etc. after marriage. You should definitely check out the settings to tailor it to how you want your world to be, but I want to call out Use Traits for Marriage. This is a newer setting that I enabled as soon as it launched. It doesn't make sense for Don Lothario to get married in every single save. He has the noncommittal trait! Turning this on will take a sim's traits into consideration before determining if they are eligible for random marriages.

Spouse Sim Selection

In this section, you can do things like allow polygamy and inter-family marrying, specify what % of marriages should be same sex, allow teen marriages, etc. Here are just a few settings I want to call out.

Occupancy Preference: It took me some years to figure this out, but this is honestly the key to my entire setup. This determines which group of NPCs are candidates for marriages and pregnancies by where they live. The choices are homeless only, prefer home sims, living in homes only, and none. I have prefer home sims on. I like neighbors dropping by and seeing them walking around, so I tend to put my sims' friends and sims I like into homes. This setting says when it's time for random marriages and pregnancies to occur, sims living in homes get first dibs. If none of them are eligible, then everyone else will have a chance. I used to have this on none, and I was experiencing waaaaaay too many random marriages. Like, good on the homeless sims for having lives lol, but they were snatching up every single eligible sim and I was like this has to stop lol.

Use Same Age-Group: I've gone back and forth about enabling or disabling this one and finally decided to enable it. This will keep your fresh from high school babies from getting married to someone with one foot in the grave! Sims will only marry other sims in the same age group as them. Back in the day I felt sorry for the elders because they're always single when they die. But I also felt sorry for the baby they married lol. True, when they croak, the kid can find new love, but they've wasted so much time being married to the old sim. So with this on, elders aren't completely out of luck. They can just only marry each other.

Pregnancies

Okay! Now that we know how to let sims get married, let's learn how to knock some up! 😂

I would check out the Offspring section of MC Pregnancy on your own just to get familiar with how you can shape your sims' families and even the children to a certain extent, but let's get to the important stuff.

Other Pregnancy

There's really good stuff in here like allow pregnancy aging, pregnancy duration, and random moods, but the only thing I want to call out is Use Traits for Pregnancy. This will take into account sims traits before they are marked as candidates. It won't prevent sims with the hates children trait from getting knocked up, but it will lower the percentage (which you can specify in another section, I think).

Partner Sim Selection

This is similar to marriage sim selection, and in here I also prefer home sims in the occupancy preferences. I also allow a veeeery tiny percentage for allow affairs. I like tea, what can I say? LOL Not everyone is faithful!

Pregnant Sim Selection

This is similar to spouse selection, and I do not allow homeless pregnancies for the same reasons I don't allow homeless marriages. I have all the same settings enabled from spouse selection, so revisit the above. Additionally, I use days until max age. This prevents a sim from getting pregnant X number of days from the end of whatever lifespan you specify is the oldest to be pregnant. I don't allow elder pregnancies, so this stops my adult sims from getting pregnancy X days from their elder birthday. My number is 10, but you pick whatever makes sense for your lifespans. I do this because I've had waaaaaaay too many sims get pregnant and have babies like the day before their elder birthday, and then they die before the kid is a teenager. I don't want orphans in my game! They make me sad. Besides, in real life, at a certain point women can't have children anymore, so I want my game to be the same.

Days to Run Checks: By default, MCCC will go through this process of marrying and knocking up sims 3 nights a week at midnight, but you can change that to whatever you like here. I thought 3 nights a week was WAY too often, so I only have it run once a week on Fridays.

Pregnancy Percentage: Just because the check runs every week doesn't mean I want someone getting pregnant every week. I'm not trying to create a baby boom. I cut the pregnancy percentage for young adults by half and adults by 75% (since IRL it's harder to get pregnant the older you get). I'm not afraid of a teen pregnancy story, so I do have teen pregnancies on and reduced their percentage by 85%. Even though I wouldn't mind telling that story, I don't want a teen pregnancy epidemic lol. I've had this enabled, but I've yet to have MCCC knock up a teen.

I think I skipped over Marriage Percentage but I use the same logic and similar percentages there too.

Valid Target Ages: HA! I see why I've never had a teen pregnancy lol. Even though I have it on, I never marked it as a valid target age. For whatever reason I only have YA selected. Not sure why. Probably for the best. If a teen pregnancy happens, I'd prefer it be my own sims.

Bonus

I love a little risk and challenge and surprise in my game. This is why I love using lumpinou's mods. I not a micromanager and prefer some things be left to chance. I like being able to try for a baby and it maybe not work that time. I don't like how predictable the game is. So, if you're feeling froggy, here are a few more settings for ya!

MC Woohoo - Woohoo Pregnancy

Risky Woohoo Percent: I used to have YA on 3%, but lumpinou has intergrated her mod with MCCC more, so I don't have this enabled anymore here. (it's controlled by her mod now and I think it's at 5% now). 3% might sound low, but MAN I've had so many oopsie babies on that little 3% lol.

Try for Baby Percent: I lowered mine to 65% just to add some variety and give my sims something to work toward. (No, this is not what caused Luca and Sophia's problem LOL).

MCCC Settings - Relationship Settings

I'm highlighting this because, even though I placed it in the bonus section, I highly recommend you check this out. These are the settings that control if/when sims move in together or break up!

Auto-Relationship Settings

Breakup Settings: You can specify which sim will move out and who the children will live with. Couple relationship change percentage applies a modifier that will make a couple's relationship (dating, not married) increase or decrease over time. I increased mine to 20%. Same thing with spouse relationship change except I only did 10% there.

Move-in Settings: I allow homeless romance move in and kept the romance level to the default. (sweethearts) I also increased the romance move-in percent to 25%.

Bypass Played Household: It should go without saying, but just in case it's not clear, I always want my playable households bypassed because I want to maintain control over what happens to them. About this, I have other households that I don't actually play (in the Pierson save) that I have as playable just to preserve them and prevent anything from happening. So to be clear, unless a household is marked as played, they will be subjected to the random marriages, pregnancies, and relationships.

A few months ago, I FINALLY decided to mark Emmy and Ali as unplayed, hoping that Ali would find love again and that Emmy and Dwayne would move in together. Instead, Alessia got knocked up, and Dwayne put his foot down LOL. Sorry dude. Wish I could help! Well, I could just move her in, but it actually doesn't feel right for the story...but that's an entirely different conversation lol.

Anyhoo...I hope you found something in this novel that helps to spice up your game! Thanks for asking!

#mysimsloveaffair #asks

[stillcarmine]

Wait… I get that Venus’s warning to Reyna about how “no demigod shall heal your heart” hit her hard because it meant she and Jason wouldn’t be together, but it also didn’t completely rule out A LOT of her people because like… so many of them weren’t demigods, they were legacies.

And okay, yeah, maybe that could be explained but, no not really because in BoO, when Reyna tells Piper about it, Piper says: “There is someone out there for you, maybe it’s not a demigod. Maybe it’s a mortal or… or I don’t know. But when it’s meant to happen, it will.” (492)

Like… the narrative literally forgets that legacies as a concept existed??

And no, it’s not that Piper isn’t aware of that or was distracted by Leo’s death because: “Piper kept busy helping Reyna and Annabeth coordinate between the Greeks and Romans. To Piper's surprise, the other two girls valued her skills as a go-between to smooth over any conflicts.” (489)

Now, Piper gets the short end of the stick when it comes to being written with nuance (hello one off lines about her best friendship with Hazel with talking, crying and sword fighting in HoH), but we’re meant to assume that she’s doing more than is actually written, and she’d have to be aware of these dynamics between demigods and legacies, that SHOULD have been a significant element here since all of Camp Half-Blood are demigods while a large, if unknown, portion of Camp Jupiter are legacies.

But no, the conflicts are like: “Piper did manage to return some Roman helmets that mysteriously made their way into the camp store. She also kept a fight from breaking out between the children of Mars and the children of Ares over the best way to kill a hydra.” (489)

Like.

The narrative itself goes out of its way to make a one to one comparison between the camps in terms of how directly descended from the gods the camper are. With the same god’s two aspects and everything! Ignoring the other descendants of Mars!

But actually!! No, in the same book they do bring up legacies! Nico asks Reyna: “So… is your whole family descended from Bellona? I thought you and Hylla were her daughters, not legacies.” (284)

So why? Is it so inconsistent? (This is a rhetorical question, I know why but feel free to add more)

And all he had to do was change the word ‘demigod’ to ‘hero’. At least for Reyna’s situation.

TLDR: Legacies? Wasted potential. Reyna? Victim of inconsistent writing, vol 132.

#the tldr doesn’t really encapsulate it but shrug #reyna avila ramirez arellano #reyna ramirez arellano #piper mclean #nico di angelo #leo valdez #jason grace #venus pjo #aphrodite pjo #heroes of olympus #hoo #blood of olympus #house of hades #rr crit #rick riordan critical #rick riordan criticism #pjo #jeyna #i guess #also that one post that’s like- be academic about your canon & do regular rereads- I fuck with that so much and am suggesting page #or chapter #’s if possible- I know not everyone has access to books and stuff though maybe I’ll make a list or something of key events #it’d help with my own writing so much #mars pjo #ares pjo #camp half blood #camp jupiter #camp half-blood #is there a hyphen?

[blurredcolour]

In My Blood | Part Three

In My Blood Masterlist

Curtis "Curt" Biddick x SOE!Female Reader

Leaving Belgium behind, you and Curt enter the next phase of your journey in France. Unfortunately, the closer you get to the Spanish border, the more complicated things become - not only with those you are trying to evade, but also between you.

Warnings: MAJOR canon divergence, Language, Violence, Weapons, Spy Craft, Brief Description of Murder, Death, Injuries, Angst, Grief, Fear, Inevitable Historical and Military Inaccuracies, Mature/Explicit Themes - 18+ ONLY.

Author’s Note: This story contains revisionist history, read at your own risk. Reader is half-Belgian, half-English and has been given an extensive backstory and family tree. While they have been given the codename of "Marie," no physical descriptions or Y/N are used.

Italics used for non-English words and to indicate dialogue spoken in a language other than English.

This is a work of fiction based off the portrayal by the actors in the Apple TV+ series. I hold nothing but respect for the real life individuals referenced within.

Word Count: 6599

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

Your sleep that night, once your tears had slowed and you had pulled yourself from Curt’s arms, was a fitful thing. Tarnished by the awareness of your need to depart in the deepest dark, interrupted by numerous glances at your wristwatch in the limited light of the attic. When your eyes registered five minutes to midnight, you surrendered with a heavy sigh, retrieving your bag to fish out the non-descript brown paper tube of Benzedrine tablets. You strove to use the uppers sparingly, not overly fond of the way they made your heart race and dried your mouth out faster than a summer’s day, but with a six-hour walk ahead of you after the stretch of days you had endured, you would take any assistance you could get.

Forcing one down with only your saliva, you gently shook Curt awake.

“Time to go.” You murmured.

As he mumbled and grunted, assembling himself, you fished out every last piece of Belgian currency, setting it onto the floorboards to leave as an offering for your host, before sliding into your jacket just as she opened the small half-door to see you out. As quietly as possible, the pair of you made your way down the narrow stairs and out the back into the dark garden – blackout was a great friend to the Resistance, making it easy for you to move around at night unseen.

Sticking to small country roads flanked by fields and the occasional clump of trees, you were grateful that Curt managed to remain silent without needing a reminder. If it was out of sheer fatigue, you would not have been at all surprised. Nearing the border, you slipped low into a ditch alongside the road on which you were travelling, light beginning to gather along the eastern horizon. Sitting in absolute silence and stillness, you watched and waited, observing the invisible division between Belgium and France to ensure there was no activity, no trace of a guard. After a good twenty minutes, you tapped Curt’s shoulder and nodded, keeping low as you crept across the rather open stretch, stripped back of all trees and other barriers to visibility.

Maintaining a brisk pace, you did not stop until you reached the safety of another ditch a significant distance away, once again watching and waiting for twenty minutes before giving Curt the all-clear to proceed. Despite the chemical assistance you had employed, by the time you neared the small farming community of Ronq outside Lille you were flagging, your feet practically dragging along the dusty road. At your side, Curt was not faring much better. The sight of your destination, a small farm owned by perhaps the sweetest couple you had ever had the pleasure of meeting, was nothing short of a relief.

“Ici.” You murmured, touching Curt’s elbow as you gestured down their drive, and fought back a smile at the look of relief that crossed his face.

His pace even seemed to quicken slightly as he headed towards the neatly appointed two-story house that had withstood at least of a century in this hamlet. You had no extra energy to summon, continuing on behind him at the same trudging gait. Movement out in the field caught your eye and you smiled softly to see the husband, whom you only knew by his codename of ‘Hugo’, waving brightly from the back of an ox-drawn thresher. You returned his greeting with a wave in kind before stepping up onto the porch behind Curt to knock on the screen door.

“One moment!” The wife, who’s codename was ‘Delphine’, called out in French from inside the house before bustling over to the door, wiping wet hands fresh from the dishpan on her apron. “Marie!” She cried and swung the door open to grasp your jaw and plant a kiss of greeting to each of your cheeks.

“Delphine, it has been too long.” You smiled warmly. “Please allow me to introduce my friend, Curt.”

Turning with a small grin, you watched as the woman in her mid-fifties, hair dark but with streaks of grey, grasped his shoulders to kiss his cheeks like an old friend as well. Curt, for his part, looked as though he had seen a ghost, making your smile falter as you grabbed the suitcase from his hand, following after him and Delphine into the house.

“You ok, Curt?” You whispered once you were in the sanctuary of their warm kitchen.

“Just…tired…I…” He looked between you and Delphine who, after shoving him to sit in a chair at the table, was digging through her small refrigerator. “My ma’s name is, just so similar and I…” He stuttered out and you were briefly concerned you may have broken him.

“Votre maman? Then, I will be your France maman and feed you breakfast. Marie, go take a bath, you look horrible.” Her delightful mix of French and English seemed to both charm and bewilder your traveling companion.

Far from offended, for you knew she spoke only the truth and purely from a place of caring concern, you found yourself laughing softly under your breath as you turned to head upstairs. This house was a blessing in many forms, including the fact that its placement made it safe enough for guests such as yourself and Curt to remain upstairs. To eat at tables, take baths, and sleep in real beds. Setting Curt’s suitcase in one of the spare rooms, you left the room you preferred for yourself. Both rooms previously belonged to their sons, one a pilot, the other an infantryman, lost when the Nazis conquered their country. A loss with which you could thoroughly empathize. Taking your suitcase with you to the bathroom, you ran yourself the first hot bath in an unspeakably long time, sliding into it slowly to savour the almost uncomfortable heat, thoroughly trusting Delphine to look after Curt in your absence.

It was a relief, for however long you could manage it, to not be the one in charge for a time. To surrender the reins and just relax. As the steam began to fade, the fierceness of the water’s heat ebbing into tepid territory, you set about cleaning yourself thoroughly before sliding from the water to dry off. Taking advantage of the first aid supplies, you changed the bandage on your arm by pulling the knot tight with your teeth, pleased to see the healing progress of your arm in the foggy mirror, before then setting about cleaning some of your dirty clothes in the tub. Once you were dry and dressed, you carried your cleaned and wrung out garments to hang on the line strung in the bedroom your frequented, smiling fondly in memory of how Delphine had put it up for you when she realized how rough you tended to live.

Feeling significantly less horrible, you descended the stairs, finding your pace slowing at the sound of Curt’s voice filling the kitchen to the rejoinder of Delphine and Hugo’s combined laughter. It was difficult to fully decipher the story in progress, but it most definitely involved flying, Delphine translating some of the more technical points for Hugo’s sake, and you tarried a moment just outside the doorway. Closing your eyes, you indulged yourself a moment in the fantasy that none of you knew suffering or loss, that this was simply a happy gathering of friends on a sunny November morning.

“Ah, ma belle, there you are.” Hugo’s voice, coarsened by decades of smoking the pipe still clenched between his teeth, shattered your reverie and your eyes flashed open as you leaned in to exchange your cheek kisses in greeting.

“Much better, Marie, now sit. You are starving.” Delphine declared as though she could also feel your stomach rumbling, and you shared a knowing smirk with Hugo before taking the open chair beside Curt, who smiled broadly.

“You clean up nice, don’t you.”

“Don’t you start, too.” You huffed half-heartedly and he quickly raised his hands in defence, much to Hugo’s amusement.

“You will take the train in the morning?” Hugo asked with a tilt of his head, and you nodded.

“So long as you can bear our company, we would appreciate it.”

He gave his ascent with a firm nod. “Delphine has chores pour toi, naturellement.” His grin was filled with mischief, his wife shooting him a murderous glare and he quickly stood. “I have chores, out of doors.” He winked and quickly made himself scarce, both you and Curt barely concealing your amusement.

There was some good-natured muttering at the stove before Delphine set a plate in front of you with some vegetable hash, several slices of toast, and an egg glittering like a jewel in the centre.

“Delphine!” You exhaled in shock, beginning to shake your head in protest.

“Hush, Marie, it’s my oeuf to use as I see fit.” Her tone brooked no further argument, forcing you to accept it.

 Lifting your cutlery to take a bite, you could not help but admit it was one of the most delicious things you had eaten in far too long. A tiny noise of satisfaction rattled in your throat, Curt’s lips twitching as he most definitely heard it.

“Madam Delphine makes a mean egg.” He nodded firmly, smiling to the woman as she collected his empty plate to wash it.

“Enough, handsome pilot, you bath now.” She patted his shoulder, and you hid your laugh behind against the side of your hand. “Follow me.”

Sending him off with a friendly wave, you watched Delphine lead him upstairs, no doubt giving him a tour of the rooms and bathroom before she returned to finish cleaning up. It was a good thing you had finished eating, because you immediately launched into a full, yet enjoyable, afternoon of chores. Curt joined the pair of you once he was cleaned and changed into fresh clothes. The pair of you looked distinctly more presentable, much less like fugitives, which was surely the entire purpose of her insistence on bathing.

Once the was basement reorganized – boxes of items carefully labelled with the names ‘Antoine’ and ‘Philippe’ stacked amidst unused furniture and a cozy nook set up in the corner to endure the air raids which Delphine shared were coming with more and more frequency – it was then time to turn to dinner preparations. Like many living under occupation, lunch was simply ignored to stretch rations further. Keep busy during the day, set your hunger aside, and eat as much as you could at night to ease your sleep, so long as the bombs did not fall.

Hugo returned from the fields just in time to clean up for the meal the three of you had prepared, Curt proving rather adept at peeling potatoes for his first time. The whole day had a domestic, dream-like quality about it, as though the world were doing its best to make you forget about the war. The night, in sharp contrast, was split open by the shrill sound of air raid sirens piercing the darkness from nearby Lille and across the border in Belgium. Pausing a moment in the clean sheets and cozy bedding, you pondered just laying there and letting your end come to you in comfort – and yet it was not in your blood to lay back and go quietly into the night.

Wrenching yourself from your downy paradise, you flung your coat overtop your nightgown and shuffled down towards the basement, bumping shoulders with Curt on the lower stairs.

“Think we might’ve tempted fate by setting up that shelter for ‘em.” He chuckled and you summoned a half-hearted laugh of your own, one that was cut short by the first explosion rumbling from far off.

You would have liked to consider yourself a brave person. Could claim many instances where you had proven to possess that very quality. And yet there was something about death raining down from the sky that made your muscles freeze, made your mind go traitorously blank. Warm hands were suddenly seizing yours, coaxing you down the last few steps into the basement.

“Almost there gorgeous, just a bit further.” Curt murmured softly, grip not letting up as he felt his way along the stacks of boxes and furniture the back corner of the stone basement with you in tow. “Just sit right there.” He helped you settle on a worn wooden bench before sinking down beside you, Delphine and Hugo’s presence across from the pair of you only recognizable by the way your feet met in the middle of the cramped space.

The sound of bombs impacting buildings and earth grew in volume, intensity, frequency. The windows began to rattle in their frames upstairs, making you clasp your hands together before clenching them tightly between your knees.

“Gotta be the RAF.” Curt muttered and you nodded weakly despite the fact he could not see you, closing your eyes tightly as though it might drown out the noise.

All it achieved was to summon images of explosions behind your eyelids with each resounding ‘boom.’ Explosions of homes, factories, bridges. You forced your eyes open quickly to stare at the worn edges of your coat, no more than a shadowy outline. A comforting warmth slowly pressed against your side, Curt’s solid frame striking a sharp contrast to the rigid, icy fear seizing you, and you slowly allowed yourself to lean into him as you tried to remind yourself to breathe.

“Don’t worry, those boys couldn’t hit anything if they tried.” He whispered into your ear, breath tickling slightly against your skin as his arm snaked around your shoulders to squeeze reassuringly, and you managed to exhale a small laugh through your nose.

Gradually the cacophony abated, taking with it your pounding heart and sweaty palms, the peace of the night returning before the single blast of the all-clear siren sounded.

“Safe to return to bed.” Delphine sighed and stood, shuffling back upstairs with Hugo, Curt and you following close behind the sound of their footsteps.

Reaching the top of the second set of stairs, you were startled as Curt insisted on escorting you to your door, eyeing you softly in the dim hallway.

“You sleep well, alright?”

“You too, Curt.” You nodded softly, faint smile fighting its way onto your lips before you slipped back into your room.

It took some convincing, some reassuring of your senses that you were safe to fall back asleep, but once it returned to you, it took you over deeply, Delphine needing to shake your shoulder firmly to rouse you the next morning.

“Breakfast, Marie. Hugo has checked, trains are still running to Paris.” She smiled to your groggy face as you snuffled awake, struggling to shake off the deep desire to sink beneath the covers in a fit of teenage petulance.

“Thank you, Delphine, I’ll be right down.”

She looked you over with a trained maternal eye, waiting expectantly and silently until you tossed back the quilt with a heavy sigh and sat up. “Now I believe you.” She smirked and stepped out, shutting the door behind her.

As you dressed for the next leg of your journey, you took a moment to pack your clean and dried clothes before retrieving your French papers from the bottom of your suitcase. Slipping them into your handbag, you carried the Belgian ones downstairs in your hand to slip into the flames of the wooden cookstove to destroy forever. It was yet another stab of pain, of failure, to your heart, but that identity was no longer safe to use. That country was not one you could return now until the Nazis were rooted out once and for all. You lifted your eyes to meet Delphine’s over the skillet in which she was preparing breakfast, her mouth drawn into a grim line, but she stayed mercifully silent on the subject.

Bustling about the kitchen with her, you helped prepare breakfast, looking up as Curt finally appeared from upstairs.

“May I please have your Belgian papers, Curt?” You asked, voice still a bit fractious, which you tried to cover with a cough.

“Guess I won’t be needin’ ‘em again huh.” He nodded, pulling them from his inner pocket and double-checking he had the right ones before passing them to you, watching silently as you tossed them into the stove for incineration.

“No, just the French ones now.” You replied quietly, taking his prepared plate from Delphine to set on the table in front of him.

You could feel both of their eyes on you now, trying to read through your muted attitude, making you feel remarkably like a specimen under a microscope.

“This looks amazing, thank you Delphine.” You forced a smile, taking your plate from her work-roughened hands to join Curt at the table and immediately digging in.

“Bon. I made lunch for your train ride, I will pack in your bag?”

Swallowing your mouthful quickly in order to answer, you began to shake your head, but she was already shooting you that look. “You know you didn’t have to, but we are very grateful. I will fetch the bag–”

“After you eat hot food.” She cut you off, punctuating her decree with an officious nod as Hugo shuffled in the backdoor to partake in breakfast.

Working at eating your plate, you watched the pair of them chatter, Hugo earning an affectionate swat for trying to eat food from the skillet with his fingers before receiving a plate and kiss on the cheek. The banter only swelled as he sat down next to Curt, the two men discussing the state of the harvest in Hugo’s endearingly heavily accent English, punctuated by numerous French words.

God you were going to miss them.

Quickly forcing yourself to your feet, you gathered your dishes to take to the sink of hot water, scrubbing at them aggressively as you fought back the blur of tears. Someday the Nazis would stop taking things from you and you could hardly wait for that day to come.

“Marie…” Delphine appeared at your elbow as you set the spotless plate in the drain tray, and you straightened.

“I will grab that bag, just one moment.” You offered the ghost of a smile but did not dare to meet her eyes, stepping into the parlor to open your suitcase where you had stashed the canvas bag from Doctor Legot.

“We will miss you, child.”

You looked up to see that she had followed you, swallowing roughly at the threatening tingling in your nose.

“I will miss you both more.” You somehow managed to voice, allowing her to pull you into a tight embrace. “You must stay safe, please.” You murmured into her faintly lavender-scented hair and felt her nod fiercely.

“Us?” She scoffed a watery laugh before sniffing and pulling back with a stern mask on her face. “You are the one who must be safe out there, you reckless, brave woman.”

A self-deprecating laugh rang hollow in your throat as you sniffled in kind, holding out the bag to her.

“Ah, perfect.” She took it quickly, bustling back to the kitchen, revealing a concerned-faced Curt loitering in the doorway.

Avoiding his gaze, you knelt quickly to reassemble your suitcase, snapping the latches shut and sliding it to stand next to his.

“You should come back here after you get rid of me…live with them.”

Oh how the temptation of that clashed with the cruelty of reality, stealing your breath and leaving an ache deep within your chest. You shook your head sharply to clear it, to chase the harsh reaction away.

“I am a liability. The Gestapo will never stop hunting me, and here, they will have the Carlingue to help. I would only put them in danger, as I already endanger you. I have to leave France as well. I have to leave it all.” Straightening as you spoke, you summoned your fierce determination. “But not before I get you to safety.”

Curt’s brow furrowed over his breathtaking blue eyes, his lips parting, surely to voice some endearing bravado or perhaps protest on your behalf, but Hugo stepped into the parlor.

“Come, time to leave.” He nodded, picking up your suitcases before making for the backdoor, wearing his efficiency like armour.

“Let’s go.” You quickly added, moving to the kitchen to collect your lunch and exchange one last set of cheek kisses with Delphine before bodily forcing yourself to turn and follow after Hugo, not daring to glance back.

Hopping up into the cab of the rusted farm truck, you rode in silence, sandwiched tightly between Curt and Hugo, into Lille. Evidence of last night's raid scarred the streets – collapsed buildings, still burning fires, yet Hugo was still able to navigate a route that brought you within a few blocks of the train station.

“Told you they can’t hit nothin’…” Curt murmured as much of the city seemed to continue about its day as usual.

Your parting from Hugo was much more subdued, Curt sliding from the vehicle onto the sidewalk to fetch the suitcases from the back of the truck as he squeezed your forearm gently.

“Bonne chance.” He murmured fiercely, gazing forward through the windshield into the bright yet cloudy morning.

“Toi aussi.” You forced out past the lump your throat before lurching from the truck cab, grabbing your suitcase from Curt and heading toward the station at a determined clip, torso bent forward in your drive to continue your forward momentum.

Papers checked at the door, tickets purchased at the booth, your pace did not relent until you boarded the train and secured a compartment, sliding the door closed for now.

“In the past, this has been a very busy train, so do not be surprised if we have company.” You murmured quietly, settling in against the window as Curt slid the luggage up onto the rack.

“Even in war everyone still wants to go to Paris, huh?” He smirked, settling onto the bench opposite you, shaking his head as he smoothed his hair. “Still can’t believe she basically has my ma’s name.” He murmured in awe as the train jolted into motion and you eyed him fondly. “What…what’s that look.” You shook your head, feeling caught out, but he was shaking his harder. “Nuh uh, c’mon Marie.” His narrowed eyes pinned you ruthlessly, making you swallow tightly.

“It is a codename, Curt.” You spoke quietly, barely above a whisper. “It makes the resemblance no less remarkable, however.” You assured him gently.

He seemed to mull it all over for a few silent moments before he slowly tilted his head. “So… ‘Marie’….?” You quickly pressed your lips together into a thin line, reticent to answer either way, and he huffed dramatically. “Well, then.”

Moving rapidly to try and distract him, you reached into the canvas bag to offer him some lunch. “Sandwich?”

Swiping the parchment paper packet from your hand with all the grace of a disgruntled toddler, you chewed on the inside of your cheek as he devoured half of the sandwich, glancing out the window when the train pulled into the next station. True to your suspicions, a sizeable line of passengers waited on the platform and while no one intruded on your sanctuary at that stop, two stops later, a mother and her two small children had politely asked to join you. Nodding your ascent, you had explained that your friend was deaf so they should not expect a response from him. Curt, for his part, spent the rest of the journey alternatively watching the blur of scenery and napping, while you made idle conversation with the clearly exhausted woman and watched over him.

Pulling into Gare du Nord, you showed your tickets to the conductor, prodding Curt awake to do the same, before letting the woman and her children disembark first. The city was infinitely busier, more crowded than anywhere you had been thus far, and thereby also infected by markedly more Nazi soldiers. Sending a silent prayer of thanks to the paper forgers back in Belgium as you both made it through the checkpoint, you led Curt down to the crushingly over-crowded Metro. Riding a few stops, you arrived in the 19th arrondisment, finding your way to the apartment of ‘Emile’, another Resistance contact whom you had not imposed upon in a while.

Walking up the worn steps to the door, you swung the brass knocker and held your breath as always, hoping to find this safe haven still intact. After an agonizing thirty seconds, the door opened a crack before swinging wider. Your greeting was no more than a silent nod before he gestured you both inside quickly with a wave of his hand. Leading you through the sparsely appointed space, he took you into the bedroom, opening the closet door before pushing open a false wall in the back to reveal a small hidden room with a twin bed and enough floor space for you to sleep on.

With another nod, the pair of you slipped into the secret space, moving as quietly as possible as you set down your things and shed your outerwear. Unpacking the rest of your uneaten lunch, you and Curt finished up the apples and the rest of the sandwiches while sipping at the bottles of water, perched side-by-side on the edge of the bed. Emile reappeared nearly an hour later with two bowls of thin broth decorated with a smattering of vegetables to add to your meal, whispering a quick goodnight before he was gone. Enjoying it for warmth more than anything, you drained your bowls and stacked them near the door before moving to lay on the floor, nearly bumping into Curt as he tried to do the same.

What ensued was a silent comedy of exaggerated facial expressions and wild gestures, each trying to convince the other to take the narrow bed. That the floor was a perfectly fine space for yourselves but not the other person. Eyes widened, jaws jutted forward with frustration, Curt rose to his feet to tower over you as though height might make his argument more convincing. Not to be outdone, you leapt up quickly, hands on your hips, a small noise of surprise escaping you as his hands seized your hips and pressed you down to sit on the mattress.

The lopsided grin of triumph on his face was enough to make you consider murder and you almost hopped off the bed to take revenge, but his grip stubbornly held you in place, face dangerously close to yours, making you look aside quickly as you exhaled harshly in frustration. Tossing your hands up in a markedly annoyed display of surrender, he slowly released you, before stepping back and settling down on the floor. Diving beneath the blankets, you listened intently, waiting for his breaths to even out, signalling he was asleep – something that did not seem to take long for him.

As sleep seemed to roll over him smoothly, you slid the top blanket from the bed and carefully lay it over him, feeling a small sense of victory as his eyes flashed open with a huff, shooting him a victorious smirk of your own before returning to the bed and switching the shadeless lamp off.

Emile’s return just after six the next morning, bearing sandwiches made of canned creamed corn on thick slices of coarse bread, was a less than gentle way to wake-up, the lamp searing through your eyelids as he turned it on before shaking you awake roughly. Leveraging yourself out of the bed, you quickly re-assembled it with the blanket you snatched from Curt’s still-prone form before sitting down to make quick work of your meal, knowing your host had to get to his occupation mandated shift at the factory soon. A groggy Curt thankfully followed suit with minimal prodding, shooting you only one or two looks at the metallic tang marring your breakfast.

Offering a nod of sympathy, you slid to your feet, tidying your hair and clothes before sliding on your jacket and shoes. Curt managed the luggage while you gathered the dishes, taking them to the kitchen to wash before you each shook Emile’s hand and slipped out the door. It was easy to blend into the crowd of the morning commute and you chose to forgo the chronically crowded Metro in favour of a pricey fare for a pedi-cab ride to Gare de L’Ouest to catch a train to Bordeaux. Only a small train was in service, with no private compartments, and so the pair of you sat in the open car amongst the other passengers, Curt catching up on sleep with his head braced against the foggy window as you fought against heavy eyelids and the lulling sway of the train.

The first sign that your day would not go according to plan came when the train stopped ten minutes short of your destination, the conductor walking through the carriage ordering everyone off due to damaged track ahead. You stood and began collecting your luggage, pleased at the limited protest in your arm as you reached overhead for the suitcases. Climbing from the train, the jumped the last bit of distance onto the gravel, glancing over your shoulder to see Curt following close behind. The wind was cold, biting at you through your thin coat as you walked along a dirt road that ran beside the tracks into town. The sun did its best to shine, but it was losing the ability to warm you, heralding the approaching winter, only making you more nervous for your mountain crossing to come.

The gasps of some of your fellow passengers made you turn your head to glimpse a tangle of warped steel above a gaping crater – a direct hit to the rail line. Casting a glance to the side, you met Curt’s eyes and he nodded firmly to confirm that he saw what you saw. Someone else had been raided recently. Nearing the edge of the city, you were feeling both hungry and fatigued, pointing to a café that seemed to have a few open tables despite the increase in foot traffic.

Lunch was still mostly potatoes, but effort was put into the preparation, so spirits were lifted, and bellies were feeling full as the pair of you set out to catch the electric tram to Bordeaux-Midi where your train should have arrived originally. Dishearteningly, there appeared to be damaged to the track between Bordeaux and Toulouse as well, and service was not expected to be restored for several days. This was not welcome news, but you were nonetheless always prepared with a back-up plan.

Returning to the tram, you made your way through the city to the modest home of ‘Gilles’ to seek refuge for at least the first night or until you could come up with another way to make it to Toulouse. You were agonizingly close to your jump-off point into the Pyrenees, if only your damn Allies had not blocked your path. More than a little weary from your meandering journey, you were very much looking forward to holing up for the night as you rounded the corner onto Gilles’ street only to be treated to the sight of him being forced into a car by a fleet of Vichy police officers just outside his home.

The warmth stolen from your blood, your heart began to pound rapidly beneath your ribs as adrenaline closed the gap in what little energy you had left. Rounding quickly on Curt, you broke your own protocol and began to address him urgently in English out in the open.

“Curt, go back two blocks, left two blocks, and find a place to hide.” You hissed sharply, shoving him away, not waiting for a response.

There was a slim chance that you might be able to talk your way out of this, but most definitely not with him at your side. You could feel him hesitate, resist against your hand, and so you shoved again harder. Hearing him take off, you exhaled softly, turning to face to disaster behind you.

“Halt!” One of the policemen shouted out, and you slid your hand into your bag hanging from your shoulder, fingers seeking the cold metal of your pistol, hoping it would not come to violence, but prepared for any eventuality.

“Good evening, sir, is there a problem?” You asked sweetly as you stepped out into the street, feigning innocence and confusion.

“Your friend will stop, or I shall shoot!” He barked out, spittle flying from his lips and clinging to the square shaped moustache beneath his nose.

It was quite clear whom he idolized.

The metal of his gun flashed in the growing gloom of twilight and without further hesitation you drew your own weapon, bracing your arm against your your hip to fire two shots into his chest as trained by the SOE before bolting after Curt. He was not difficult to find, a wall of muscle you narrowly avoided as he was already running back towards you, against your explicit instructions.

“I heard gunshots and I–” He gasped out.

“Fucking run.” You hissed and continued to dash through the streets, weaving through several back alleys to hopefully pose a difficult target, until the pair of you came across a man walking towards his car with keys in his hand. “We are taking your car.” You growled, pulling a wad of francs from your bag to shove into the pocket of his coat before trying to swipe the keys from his hand.

Aggravatingly, the man balked, taking a step back and emitting a string of derogatory curse words concerning you, your appearance, even your family. Seriously concerned your time was running short, you once again pulled your pistol from its hiding place in your handbag. You had no desire to harm or kill a French civilian, but you had even less of a desire to be taken into custody.

“Now.” You insisted firmly, chest heaving, sweating rolling down the back of your neck from your exertions.

The tenor of his protests only became more irritating, reaching a higher pitch and volume, until there was a clatter on the sidewalk beside you. That sound was your only warning before Curt’s solid right hook collided with the man’s glass jaw. You watched, stunned, as he crumpled soundlessly into a heap upon the sidewalk as Curt shook out his fist.

“Thought he’d never shut up.” He muttered before grabbing the keys, tossing them up for you to catch with numb fingers, before he deposited the unconscious man behind the bins beside his home.

Remembering yourself and the Vichy police not far behind, you turned to quickly unlock the trunk, loading the suitcases inside. Opening the driver’s side door, you started the car before reaching over to unlock the passenger’s side for Curt, pulling away at a forcefully reasonable pace once he was safely inside the vehicle. It would not do now for the pair of you to attract undue notice.

Driving towards the tramline, you used it as a landmark to make your way to the outskirts of the city before finding the road out of town, towards Langon. There was a safehouse there, and a train station where you might have better luck tomorrow. As you put Bordeaux firmly in your rearview mirror, you shifted into a higher gear, letting your lead foot rest heavily on the gas pedal, hoping to spend as little time as possible on the open road so close to curfew.

Curt gazed over his shoulder through the back window before his eyes flicked to the speedometer, a grin blooming on his face as the needle crept higher before his bright laugh filled the car. The sound of it combined with the thrumming of the engine was like petrol in your very veins, making you shudder slightly.

“Damn I need a cigarette…” You sighed wistfully and his laughter graduated to a howl.

“You are full of surprises, gorgeous. The fast driving, cigarette smoking, gun toting woman of my dreams…”

A smirk slowly crept across your face, and you quickly shook your head. “Ghosts of my misspent youth. Gave up the cigarettes when the good tobacco left town, and the fast driving when the gasoline became scarce. The gun will leave when the war is over.”

Curt chuckled warmly. “But the attitude most certainly will not.” He settled into his seat properly, sighing deeply as your escape finally seemed to have been successful. “My misspent youth involved intense games of kick-the-can or baseball in the nearby empty lot. Yours certainly sounds a lot more interesting.”

A soft laugh escaped you and you glanced at him warmly. “Yours sounds a lot more idyllic.”

“Wouldn’t trade growing up in New York for anything in the world…” His sigh smacked of nostalgia and, for all your envy, you most certainly felt the same way about your upbringing, despite its more morose ending.

A sign indicating you were two kilometres from Langon flashed by and you began to gear down, casting frequent glances to the left for an approach to the Garonne River. Spotting an opening between two fields, you turned off into the small clearing, much to your passenger’s confusion.

“What are we…?” He asked as you cut the engine and began rolling down your window.

“Getting rid of the car.” You replied, sliding out to unlock the trunk.

Without needing direction, he quickly retrieved the bags and you turned your attention to scavenging a sizeable rock from the nearby landscape. Not too heavy that you could not carry it, but not too light that it would not hold the gas pedal down. Most importantly, it needed to be flat on one side so it would not roll off.

“All clear?” You asked quietly.

“Yup.” He replied at a similar volume, and you opened the driver’s door, leaving it ajar as you set the rock onto the floor of the car, depressing the clutch and gas pedal to start the engine back up before shifting into first.

Pointing the tires towards a gap in the trees lining the riverbank, you sunk your teeth into your lower lip as you rolled the rock with your right foot to replace your left on the gas pedal, the car jerking slightly but thankfully not stalling. Inhaling sharply, you turned to leap from the vehicle as it began to lumber towards the water, a small exclamation of surprise leaving your lips as Curt seized your elbows to help pull you free, gathering you into his chest protectively. Pressed against him, heart hammering so hard you were convinced he could certainly feel it impact his chest as well, you turned your face to watch the vehicle careen over the bank and into the river before beginning to sink rapidly beneath the murky water.

You turned to face him, matching grins of triumph gracing your faces. You could feel his short, sharp breaths caressing the skin of your cheeks, making your tongue dart out and wet your lips nervously. His mouth was treacherously close to yours. Mere millimetres. A final burst of air bubbles breaking the surface as they were forced from the car when it reached the riverbed pierced the night, sending your heart leaping into your throat, making you wrench yourself from his arms.

“We must keep moving.” You rasped, bending to pick up the nearest suitcase, uncertain whom it actually belonged to, before taking off down the road towards Langon.

Hopefully towards safety for the night.

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

In My Blood Masterlist

Tag list: @precious-little-scoundrel, @luminouslywriting, @polikabra, @beingalive1

#curtis biddick x reader #curt biddick x reader #curtis biddick #curt biddick #mota fanfic #mota fic #masters of the air fanfiction #mota #masters of the air

[atzoutlw]

summary ; gn!reader x ateez , how ateez would treat you as your boyfriend ! all fluff, no nsfw in this hc list !

wc : 1,287 words you may not agree with the things i say, but i just want you to remember, these are my head canons and i don't expect everyone to feel the same way as i do about this. also, i know this isn't the best quality, it is the first time i've ever posted on tumblr, so i'm a little nervous and i'm trying to find something that works for me.

kim hongjoong would love nothing more than to share his passion for music with his significant other. He'd invite you to late-night songwriting sessions, where the two of you would bounce ideas off each other. he is incredibly thoughtful and attentive to his partner's needs. whether it's leaving little love notes hidden around your room or surprising you with your favorite snacks when you're feeling down, he always goes the extra mile to make you feel special. joong is your biggest cheerleader, supporting you in everything you do. whether you're pursuing your own dreams or facing challenges, he'll be there every step of the way. he loves cuddling up with you on the couch while watching movies or stealing sweet kisses when no one's looking. he loves to wake up before you just so he can make the two of you cups of coffee and/or breakfast. he loves to make playlists for you, and probably has a hidden collection of playlists he hasn't shown to you yet!

park seonghwa is the epitome of a gentleman, he will always hold doors open for you, pull out chairs, make you feel like true royalty to show how much he cherishes you. seonghwa's touch is always gentle and reassuring, whether it's holding your hand or brushing a stray hair from your face. he enjoys taking romantic walks with you, especially during sunset, enjoying the beauty of nature and each other's company. he sets up relaxing spa nights at home, complete with face masks, candles, and soothing music, to help both of you unwind and de-stress after work. seonghwa is incredibly affectionate, often soothing you with soft kisses and warm hugs whenever you need comfort.

jeong yunho loves to tease you playfully, always keeping the mood light and fun. he knows just how to make you laugh, even on your worst days. yunho gives the best bear hugs. his hugs are warm, comforting, and make you feel safe and loved. he is incredibly supportive and always knows what to say to lift your spirits. he encourages you to chase your dreams and reassures you whenever you doubt yourself. yunho is a great listener. he pays attention to everything you say, no matter how big or small, and offers thoughtful advice and comfort. he loves having movie marathons with you, complete with snacks, cozy blankets, and commentary throughout the films. yunho loves holding your hand whenever you’re together. It’s a simple gesture, but it makes you feel connected and cherished.

kang yeosang cherishes quiet moments with you. whether you're reading together or simply enjoying each other's presence without speaking, he finds comfort in the silence. he loves taking candid photos of you, capturing your genuine expressions and moments. his camera roll is filled with pictures of you in various moods and settings. yeosang is subtle in his displays of affection. he often brushes his fingers against yours, gives soft kisses on your forehead, and wraps his arm around your shoulders when you're sitting together. his gifts are always thoughtful and meaningful. he remembers small details about your likes and dislikes and surprises you with things that hold special significance. yeosang leaves little handwritten notes for you to find, whether it's in your bag, on your desk, or next to your pillow. these notes often contain sweet messages or inside jokes. yeosang is perfectly happy spending a cozy day at home with you, binge-watching your favorite shows, playing video games, or just cuddling on the couch. ( these days are, by far, his favorites ). yeosang also loves sharing his favorite music with you. he'll create playlists that remind him of you or that he thinks you'll enjoy.

choi san is full of playful energy. he loves to joke around and tease you in a light-hearted way, making every moment together fun and lively. he loves surprising you with unexpected visits, whether it's showing up at your work with lunch or arriving at your doorstep with your favorite treat. san is very affectionate and isn’t shy about showing it. he’s always holding your hand, giving you hugs, and sneaking kisses, making you feel loved and adored. he enjoys working out with you, motivating you to push your limits while making the experience fun and rewarding. san loves having deep, meaningful conversations late into the night, sharing dreams, fears, and everything in between. he’s your number one cheerleader, supporting you in everything you do and always encouraging you to follow your dreams. if you’re not together, he never fails to send you sweet goodnight texts, reminding you how much he cares.

song mingi gives the best hugs—warm, tight, and full of affection. his hugs can instantly make you feel safe and loved. he loves making you laugh with his goofy antics and playful personality. whether it's funny faces, silly dances, or witty jokes, mingi always knows how to bring a smile to your face. he is very protective of you. he always looks out for your well-being and ensures you're safe, whether you're out in public or just feeling down. mingi loves to tease you in a lighthearted, fun way. his teasing is always affectionate and never crosses the line, making you laugh and feel closer to him. mingi sends you sweet and sometimes silly texts throughout the day to let you know he's thinking of you, making you feel cherished even when you're apart. ( stuff like "work is boring, i wanna be with you :(" ). he often engages in playful wrestling matches with you, enjoying the physical closeness and the laughter that comes with it. he gives genuine and thoughtful compliments, always noticing the little things about you and making you feel appreciated.

jung wooyoung is incredibly affectionate, always finding ways to touch you—holding hands, hugging, and giving you sweet kisses throughout the day. wooyoung enjoys cooking with you and often tries new recipes. he’s a great cook and loves impressing you with his culinary skills. wooyoung has a keen sense of fashion and loves giving you style advice. he often suggests outfits and enjoys shopping with you. he’s a master of planning surprise dates, taking you to new and exciting places or setting up romantic evenings at home. he’s a big fan of cuddling and loves snuggling up with you on the couch or in bed. he makes you feel warm and secure. he enjoys having fun fashion shows at home, trying on different outfits and giving you a mini runway performance. wooyoung loves taking photos of you and with you, capturing beautiful moments and creating lasting memories. wooyoung has a variety of sweet and funny nicknames for you, always calling you something that makes you smile.

choi jongho is naturally protective. he always makes sure you're safe and comfortable, whether you’re out together or apart. despite his strong exterior, jongho has a gentle and caring demeanor. his hugs are warm and comforting, and he always knows how to make you feel secure. he values quality time and loves spending it with you, whether it's watching movies, going for walks, or simply talking for hours. jongho loves surprising you with thoughtful gestures, like bringing you coffee in the morning or leaving sweet treats for you to find. jongho likes working out and would love having you as his workout partner, encouraging and motivating you while keeping it fun. he loves holding your hand, whether you’re walking down the street or sitting together, finding simple ways to stay connected. he loves learning about your interests and hobbies, making an effort to engage with the things you’re passionate about. jongho is fiercely loyal and committed, making sure you know that he’s always there for you, and won't ever leave, no matter what.

─ perm tag list ; @nikoshiftscom @platinumsarcasm @otter-pebbles @discordchic

this tag list is open so feel free to request to be added!

#⯌ 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗹𝘄𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀 ∶ ⭯ #⯌ 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗹𝘄 ∶ ⭯ #ateez #ateez headcanons #ateez x reader #headcanon #headcannons #my headcanons #fluff

[sepublic]

No Tree Left Behind!

Titan this was such an amazing storyboard pilot episode!!! I love the worldbuilding and how it’s all a backdrop for these characters understanding one another and getting together as a family!!!

Once again, we see Lilith depicted as much more antagonistic without any of the hesitation or awkwardness of the final product; But I do note that she seems to hurt a little on the inside as the Arborgeist tree falls! Her dangling Luz over danger seems like a moment that was translated to Agony of a Witch!

It’s interesting; I think I kinda prefer the final version, mostly because there’s so much more good will and love for Eda made apparent in Lilith’s actions, so when she does use Luz as a hostage and reveal she cursed Eda, it feels less like an obvious twist and more like. A painful betrayal, y’know? Like yeah she loves Eda so much that it hurts to know she still did that, whereas here the hatred is so much more emphasized so it doesn’t hit the same imo.

We get to see the effects of colonization, we see some more conflict between wild witches and the coven! I loved Luz being pretty scared of the whole thing, it makes sense for her to be as a kid! Meanwhile Eda’s hoping for someone who can appreciate the significance of this tradition, and Luz does! So they both make concessions for one another, they both appreciate, and it’s about life surviving, like cultures and tradition, even in the face of seemingly inevitably destruction! It was bittersweet yet ultimately touching. The Arborgeist trees are also the palisman trees of the final show, so there’s that loss as well! But like in the final show, Eda helps a sapling recover from the devastation!

Also; Pilot Gus! So he appears with Willow! I was surprised that Willow didn’t have much of a role here, I thought the title meant this would be the first draft of Luz meeting Willow but it’s already happened by this point! I love King having to trick the others into joining the party and his loneliness over no appreciation for demon culture seems like a precedent for The Intruder. I love the way his B-plot wraps back around to the A-plot’s conclusion!

There was a lot to this episode; It was definitely a simpler one per S1 vibes. But it was touching to have Luz better understand her mentor and engage with the meaning of the world around her. It was about how traditions survive and the core behind them, how we have to adapt to colonization sometimes. Luz and Eda dancing together was so cute! And I love the morbid joke that being ‘naked’ in the isles also entails removing your skin haha! There was so much charm to this episode, and a part of me wants lore like the Arborgeist trees and Allard to be low key canon to the final show!

#the owl house #the owl house pilot #Luz noceda #eda clawthorne #edalyn clawthorne #lilith clawthorne #king clawthorne

[mariacallous]

India is in the middle of a 44-day exercise to elect its next government, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi tipped to return his Bharatiya Janata Party to power for a third consecutive term. Modi, who aims to win nearly three-quarters of the country’s 543 parliamentary seats, has surprised many observers by using dehumanizing anti-Muslim language on the campaign trail—rhetoric that is more direct than that of his past speeches.

So far, the BJP campaign has focused on creating an irrational fear among India’s Hindu majority that if Modi doesn’t return as prime minister, a share of their private wealth and affirmative action job quotas will be given to Indian Muslims. Modi and his party have doubled down on this narrative at a moment when reports suggest that their quest for a supermajority is unlikely to succeed. The brazen continuation of such anti-Muslim rhetoric differentiates this campaign from the two others that have put Modi in the prime minister’s office.

Hate speech is a criminal offense in India, and it is specifically barred during an election campaign. However, Modi chose the three leaders of India’s Election Commission, the agency charged with conducting free and fair polls, and it has ignored his flagrant violations of the election code. As a result, as the campaign continues through the end of May, so too will Modi’s anti-Muslim tirades. India is expected to announce its election results on June 4.

If the BJP wins and Modi is once again crowned prime minister, his Islamophobic rhetoric will not simply disappear. Many political leaders campaign in poetry and govern in prose, but hateful rhetoric has real-life consequences. Modi’s campaign speeches have put a target on Indian Muslims’ backs, redirecting the anger of poor and marginalized Hindu communities away from crony capitalists and the privileged upper castes. It underscores an attempt to make members of the Muslim minority second-class citizens in a de facto Hindu Rashtra, or state.

These social schisms need only a small spark to burst into communal violence, which would damage India’s global status and growth. Furthermore, Modi’s campaign rhetoric is matched by the BJP’s choice to not put up candidates in Muslim-majority Kashmir, reducing its stake in ensuring robust democracy in a region that New Delhi has ruled directly since 2019. His language will also have a direct bearing on India’s fraught ties with its neighbor Pakistan. Finally, the state-backed ill treatment will likely not be limited to Indian Muslims—meaning that other religious minorities, such as Christians and Sikhs, will also be affected.

Around 200 million Muslims live in India—the second-largest Muslim population in the world, after that of Indonesia. Few mainstream Indian political leaders have plummeted to such depths in castigating these citizens. Modi’s campaign rhetoric makes clear that if he is elected to a third consecutive term, the nation’s Muslims will stand politically disempowered, economically marginalized, and deprived of their constitutional rights.

Modi’s political rise came in the wake of significant violence against Muslims in Gujarat in 2002, when he was the state’s chief minister. Due to his role in the violence, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States all temporarily barred his entry. Leading the party’s campaign to victory in the state assembly in the same year, his campaign speeches were full of crude language against Muslims. But the BJP’s electoral success in Gujarat—winning the next two assembly elections before the launch of Modi’s national campaign—ultimately gave Modi political credibility within an extreme fringe of the party.

By 2011, Modi had started reinventing himself as a business-friendly leader with an eye on a national role. By the time he became prime minister three years later, the narrative of a so-called Gujarat model of economic development concealed his anti-Muslim ideological moorings. Modi’s mask slipped occasionally, but he often spoke with a dog whistle. Mostly, the prime minister reiterated an imagination of India as a Hindu nation. In a post-9/11 world, Modi presented an alternative model of battling Islamic terrorism and consolidated a Hindu majoritarian voter base—delivering a stunning election victory in 2019 after an attempted airstrike against an alleged terrorist training camp inside Pakistan.

This year, Modi has not campaigned on his track record of the past decade or on the party manifesto for the next five years as often as he has attempted to further polarize Hindus and Muslims. In a speech given on April 21, Modi suggested that the opposition Indian National Congress party, if elected, would redistribute property to Muslims. The party would “calculate the gold with [Hindu] mothers and sisters” and transfer it “among those who are infiltrators and have more children,” he said—using terms by which his supporters regularly describe Muslims.

Elsewhere, Modi alleged that Congress was helping Muslims in a plot to take over India: “The opposition is asking Muslims to launch vote jihad,” he said in March. Speaking at a rally in Madhya Pradesh in early May, Modi said that voters would have to choose between “vote jihad” and “Ram Rajya,” the latter being a term referring to a mythical, idealized society that purportedly existed during the rule of Lord Rama, the hero of the famous Hindu epic Ramayana.

The prime minister’s economic advisory council soon released a paper that sought to stoke anxieties about a decline in the proportion of Hindus in India; during the period it covered—1950 to 2015—India’s population actually increased by five Hindus for every one Muslim citizen, but BJP leaders soon deployed the report to further demonize Indian Muslims.

The party’s official messaging has echoed Modi’s rhetoric. A now-deleted video posted on the Instagram account for the BJP’s Karnataka branch this month said, “If you are a non-Muslim, Congress will snatch your wealth and distribute it to Muslims. Narendra Modi knows of this evil plan. Only he has the strength to stop it.” It was followed by an animated clip depicting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hatching a plan to benefit Muslims at the expense of Hindu groups.

Other Indian democratic institutions have done no better. Despite formal complaints from opposition parties and civil society groups, the election commission has neither punished nor restrained Modi. A petition in the Delhi High Court seeking immediate action against Modi for his “communally divisive speeches” was dismissed, with the judges arguing that it was “without merit” because the commission was already looking into the matter. “We can’t presume that they won’t do anything,” one judge said. But as the elections near the finish line, that is precisely what has happened.

Some observers are likely to dismiss Modi’s recent language as par for the course during an election campaign, when tempers run high. However, most surveys and polls have predicted an easy victory for the prime minister and the BJP; he has no need to resort to pandering to base emotions with toxic rhetoric. In an interview, Modi denied that he had uttered a word against Indian Muslims; he was proved wrong by fact-checkers and video evidence. India’s top political scientist said that through his denials in interviews, Modi is trying to influence the naive chroniclers while he continues with his anti-Muslim speeches for the masses and his supporters. Modi’s No. 2, Amit Shah, insists that the party will continue with this anti-Muslim campaign. By persisting with hateful speech, the BJP leadership is fueling a narrative that is likely to intensify discrimination against Indian Muslims during Modi’s rule.

As prime minister, Modi has spearheaded a project for the political disempowerment of Indian Muslims. For the first time in the history of independent India, the ruling party does not have a single Muslim member of parliament. In the current election, the party has put up just one Muslim candidate—on a list of 440—who is running for an unwinnable seat in Kerala. More broadly, religious polarization has made it difficult for Muslim candidates to win seats in areas without an overwhelming Muslim majority. During recent elections, there have been complaints of authorities barring voters in Muslim-majority localities in BJP-ruled states. Modi’s message to Indian Muslims is unequivocal: You do not matter politically.

India’s Muslims are economically disadvantaged, too. A 2006 committee under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Congress government found that the Muslim community faced high levels of poverty and poor outcomes on almost all socioeconomic indicators. India’s opposition parties have promised a new socioeconomic survey that could inform future policy without a focus on religion. Modi’s government, by contrast, opted to not conduct even the regular census in 2021—the first such instance in 140 years—due to COVID-19; it has not been conducted since.

Rather than relying on data, Modi and his supporters prefer an emotional response that pitches poor and marginalized Hindus against Muslims. India is a highly unequal country: About 90 percent of the population earns less than the average income of $2,800 per year. This gap has widened under Modi, with the richest 1 percent now owning 40 percent of India’s wealth. By othering Muslims, Modi puts them at risk of becoming the object of other deprived groups’ ire, which could lead to further communal violence. A Muslim man was allegedly lynched in Gujarat during the current election campaign, without making national  headlines.

Islamophobia is at the core of the project to make India a Hindu state. Modi and the BJP frequently weaponize terrorism discourse to delegitimize critics and political opposition. In Kashmir, where the BJP is not running candidates this election, this tactic has fueled anger and hostility. The high turnout in the region seems to be an expression of rage against Modi’s 2019 decision to revoke its semi-autonomous status. When the ruling party leaders conflate Islam with terrorism, there is little chance of extending any hand of peace toward Pakistan, either. Modi and his ministers have vowed to take back Pakistan-administered Kashmir by force if necessary—no matter the grave risk of conflict between two nuclear-armed countries.

Finally, Modi’s rhetoric does not bode well for other religious minorities in India. In the border state of Manipur, the largely Christian Kuki community has suffered state-backed majoritarian violence for more than a year. In Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populated state, Christian priests and worshippers are being jailed, beaten, and threatened by both Hindu majoritarian groups and state police. Meanwhile, the BJP has demonized the Sikh farmers who led protests against agricultural laws in 2020 and 2021, labeling them as separatist Khalistani terrorists. (Last year, Modi’s government was accused of involvement in the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada as well as in an attempted assassination in New York.)

Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians are India’s biggest religious minorities; they make up nearly one-fifth of the country’s population. To disempower these groups would spell the end of the historical bond between India and ideas of universal justice, human rights, and democracy. A majoritarian Indian state—a Hindu Rashtra—would instead make a covenant with bigotry, discrimination, and violence. The bipartisan U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has repeatedly asked Washington to blacklist Modi’s government for its suppression of religious freedom, but the Biden administration has refused to act so far.

However, the evidence is there for all to see—and Modi has further substantiated the charge of bigotry with his campaign speeches targeting Indian Muslims. No matter if the BJP achieves its supermajority, this rhetoric will have significant consequences for India. Modi is serving a warning. The world should take note before it is too late.

[lemotomato]

Peter/Rose and Olicity parallels (2 of?) The Night Agent 1.08 / Arrow 7.08

#when the tech badasses want to move things along #to the surprise of their significant others #olicity #peter x rose #Arrow #The Night Agent #if anyone has more suggestions of parallel scenes let me know #my gifs

[ride-a-dromedary]

"Halsin shouldn't be that big or muscular or look middle aged because he's an elf and the lore sa-"

I actually think he should be bigger and look more middle aged, personally.

#BG3 Musing #Halsin Posting #the man has been non-stop stressed for a century like i'm surprised that didn't prematurely age him MORE #i think he *should* have silver hairs peppered throughout from the endless stress he's been under #and be built like a professional strong man with a significant healthy layer of fat because he *hibernates* and is *practically strong* #and because he says he likes sweet things and doesn't find any point in denying himself things he likes #so you're telling me that man is chiseled and cut like an unhealthy bodybuilder? #no i don't think so #'elf lore says-' this game is literally all about curbing your expectations when it comes to what people are 'meant' to be #elf lore says a lot of things that halsin fits *to a t* - his appearance being out of the 'norm' is not a flaw #but it doesn't matter then does it? only when he physically fits the species paradigm? #'that's not how elf aging works!' why not? you've seen how human's age yeah? different people age in different ways #you can line up ten 50 year olds next to one another and not a single one of them will look the same #the thing is that under every single umbrella there is diversity of experience #people will look and age differently from others - that's just how life and genetic diversity *works* #anyway this is a gripe at two different things at once don't mind me

[front-facing-pokemon]

#meloetta #okay. let's all be honest with ourselves. first of all‚ pirouette form that i didn't even know existed is under the cut #second of all. do any of us REALLY know anything about meloetta's lore? they show up in the gti postgame i THINK but i don't #even remember why they did that. something about helping you with the town building mechanics (which i still think is insanely cool) #and i don't think this “pirouette form” ever happens. in there. i think they're barely relevant even in gti #the hell is this thing? like. an event pokémon that was somehow even less relevant than genesect and keldeo? #if anyone knows what this thing is or what its lore significance is. then. i'd be surprised. lemme google it actually. bulbapedia time #okay…… plays music…… sings or whatever……… pirouette form is. normal/fighting? ok #bulbapedia dropping a whole-ass ♩ which i didn't even know was a unicode character #ok. it sings. why #yeah only ever released via event. sad? sad #it would be more sad if i knew anything about this bitch other than that they sing and that is it #why do they need to be mythical. what is the point

[crystallizsch]

these valentines day cards for scarabia got me blushing, giggling, and kicking my feet fr (also featuring me unnecessarily analyzing them) (i really hope the cards are in the right order i think they are or else everything that i say here will look incredibly silly)

━━━━━━━━━━━━✦ kalim al-asim:

To my dear friend— Thanks for the present! What colorful and sparkly sweets. They look delicious! I just had an idea! How about we eat them together after school? Gifts like this taste better when shared, after all. I'll pick out a good tea to go with them. Can't wait to see you later! ━━━━━━━━━━━━✦

To my dear friend— Thanks for the gift! It's flattering to know you picked this out for me! I'll treat you to anything you like in return—food, live entertainment, an item you've been pining after... You just say the word. ...On second thought, no. I'll come up with something myself! Just like you came up with this gift to give me. ━━━━━━━━━━━━✦

Hey love, Thank you for that wonderful gift! Getting something like this from you just put a smile on my face! Let me throw you a feast to show my gratitude! After that, I'll take you on a magic carpet ride, it'll be really fun! ━━━━━━━━━━━━✦

SO LET ME TALK ABOUT THE PROGRESSION BETWEEN THE CARDS???

on kalim's first card, it's really cute but it also feels just like his usual demeanor where he treats everyone as a friend.

but on to the second card, it looks like he's definitely feeling more strongly enough about you to think "hey let me get you something too!! let me be your genie of the lamp!" at least right before realizing it would be more meaningful to give you a surprise gift as well like you did.

his "dear friend" on the second card is more real this time.

BUT OMG THE WHIPLASH TO THE THIRD CARD

"HEY LOVE" ???? KALIM WHAT WHEN I TELL YOU MY HEART JUST WENT HFDSNSFHDJFDK PLSS HE CANT DO THIS TO ME 💀💀💀 THE "MY DEAR FRIEND" -> "HEY LOVE" PROGRESSION YOUR HONOR HE IS IN LOVE(???) NO IT’S PROBABLY JUST A REALLY AFFECTIONATE TERM OF ENDEARMENT CONSIDERING THAT IT’S KALIM (*denial* *denial* *denial*)

the closest ones (that are available) to doing something similar is jade who goes from "my good friend" -> "my dearest" and vil who goes from "dearest friend" to "my dear"

anyways, the third card is kalim finally wanting to go ALL OUT as a way to show you how he feels about you and how thankful he is. he's literally all about having fun with the person he cares about. making every moment memorable.

kalim's love language is also very much extravagant gifts since he's raised in a wealthy family where everything has been handed to him. that's probably how he got the mindset that gifts are the way to show love and affection because that's how his family did it for him. so the bigger the gift the better he can show you how he feels.

━━━━━━━━━━━━✦ jamil viper:

Hello— I was surprised to see you gifted me sweets. At first I wondered if you were hinting for me to make you something similar... But when I pulled the gift out of the bag, I saw all the details you put into it, right down to the ribbon. It's clear this was a heartfelt gesture. I'll treasure these treats as I eat them. Thank you. ━━━━━━━━━━━━✦

Hello— I'll admit it. I'm beyond surprised. I suppose a heartfelt "thank you" is in order. In fact, why don't we meet at the school store after class tomorrow? Hopefully I'll be able to find you something to return the favor. ━━━━━━━━━━━━✦

Dear friend, Thank you for the gift. To think I would receive something from you... Well, it caught me off guard. I'd like to give you something in return. Hmm... What should it be? What might you like? Why don't you come down to Scarabia sometime and we'll discuss over a cup of tea. ━━━━━━━━━━━━✦

jamillll;;;

on the first card, he was suspicious of receiving a gift. at first he's like "are you just giving me something so i could give you something as well?" until he realized "oh this is legit" and that you’re not expecting anything back. and then he just enjoys it which is hella cute.

on the second card (unlike the last one) he's now like "let me get you something in return because i really appreciate the gesture". here i think he's still genuinely confused that you still decided to give him a gift. but at this point it feels like he's only offering to get you something in return because he feels like he has to just to show his gratitude. kinda like a fair transaction.

it seems that jamil is still like "why me". like, you cared enough to see and acknowledge him to even consider getting him a gift. which i believe is something he's not used to. so he just wants to "return the favor" by offering you to go find something you like :)

and the third card;;;

"DEAR FRIEND" GOT. MEEE. YOUR HONOR I LOVE HIMMMMM

i know for other people "friend" is not on the same level as the romantic "love" but i personally feel as strong with platonic relationships as with romantic ones (if not more) and this hit me HARD.

for the third one he's finally comfortable enough to consider you a friend. but he still sounds flabbergasted that you still even thought of him (and **you** specifically) (like he didn't imagine that you'd even give him a gift).

and now this is less of a transaction but more of like he *wants* to make sure that he gets you something that you'd really like. it's not simply just "hey let's go to the school store and see what's available as a thanks", this time it's "hey i really appreciate that you got me something so let's discuss what i can get you as well. i'll be your genie of the lamp, anything is possible (within reason)"

(original twitter thread with these cards)

#i might be reading too much into this tbh but #i am so obsessed with the progression of the relationship between character and the reader in between the cards #also another train of thought #i imagine jamil would be the type of who would not be focused on romantic relationships(?) #even if somehow the feels got to him #i mean the guy already seems to be iffy with who to consider a friend let alone a significant other #i wouldnt be surprised if he'd be more focused on being by himself than pursuing a partner #like his wish is to travel somewhere by himself where no one knows him so he could just *relax* (and as he should) #that's why the “dear friend” is making me lose it omg #hes showing affection your honor #[— #twisted wonderland #twst #scarabia #jamil viper #kalim al asim #★ twst rambles #—] #also ;;; please dont think that was an attack on romantic ships ;; #ship to your heart's content #that's the purpose of fanwork i do oc x canon myself 😭

[aha-chuu]

Alhaitham and Kaveh's dynamic is interesting, because I've seen a lot of people say either "oh my god Kaveh is so mean" or "oh my god Alhaitham treats Kaveh terribly". But, quite importantly imo, in this quest Paimon remarks that she "doesn't know which one of them is more problematic".

I think when considering their relationship you need to look at intention. Do Hoyo want to villainise one of their popular husnandoes as a toxic asshole? No. Even the "villain" playable characters like Childe and Wanderer are nice/funny on occasion. Kaveh and Alhaitham's interactions are intended to be humorous, to make you gasp and say "oh wow I can't believe he just said that!".

Like, during the most recent story quest, for example. Kaveh accusing Alhaitham of having no empathy when he's clearly pretty emotionally stunted and decently moral is mean. But saying "At least I'd be a fungus with empathy!" Undercuts that - it's clear neither Alhaitham nor the player are suppose to take those words seriously.

Alhaitham dismissing Kaveh's field of work with "you work yourself to death just for a smile" is so belittling, but it's a retort to Kaveh saying his scribe job is at "rock bottom" in the Akademiya. Alhaitham isn't lashing out or trying to demean Kaveh in front of others (this interaction happens after the player has "left"); he's just continuing their verbal sparring match. I think people take this jab so seriously because it can be seen as a jab at a lot of people working out of passion, but in the context of the dialogue we're not supposed to regard it so deeply.

It's also fairly clear that nobody in game takes them seriously either. Tighnari says Kaveh is "as pent up as an anemo slime" in his Alhaitham voiceline - another funny quip - and Collei details how hard it was to suppress her laughter when Kaveh was talking about Alhaitham. Nobody thinks they're genuinely bad for one another, or that getting them separated is all that crucial.

Even the interactions in this story quest are just so silly and domestic: Kaveh can't get the painting straight, Alhaitham buys ugly furniture, they're arguing about rent and drink tabs, Kaveh is doing an unfair amount of housework and Alhaitham fucks off without entertaining his own guests. it's funny, or at least it is clearly intended to be.

I've heard that in the other dubs the VAs tones are different and it makes the lightheartedness clearer. Personally I've thought since their first interaction in the AQ that Alhaitham is having fun during their quarrels, and Kaveh is just melodramatic enough to act traumatised even if he isn't truly offended.

Then when it comes to whether their dynamic is supposed to be read platonically or romantically... Well Hoyo won't do anything canon, but it's hard to argue that there is no intentionality in how their relationship is portrayed. What other character(s) has an idle animation directly referencing their relationship with another character? How many other voicelines explicitly reference two characters as a pair? Nahida's Kaveh voiceline, Collei's, Tighnari's - I'm sure there are more. "Roommates" "senior & junior" "academic rivals" -> certainly there's a case to be made that they're just very close, but Kaveh and Alhaitham getting fifteen minutes of epilogue interaction in two different quests (where none of the content is related to either quest) says something. Fanservice, quite possibly.

Also Kaveh's line "We used to be friends, but not anymore"; I've seen plenty of people interpret this as "oh we're not friends, we're dating*". I think this is fun in fanon, but on a canon level it's basically a promise by Hoyo to fix (or explain) their current dynamic. Hoyo, for all their many faults, are detail orientated enough to follow up on such a line. Perhaps it will just be in Kaveh's voicelines/character stories, but I anticipate a future event or Kaveh hangout in relation to their bond. Nothing explicit, but more exploration. It's fairly clear Alhaitham and Kaveh are popular enough characters to warrant it.

All this to say: I have lots of thoughts. I have seen people call them toxic and (while idm the drama of that in fanon shipping) that isn't really the intended case in canon. Or, at the very least, the intention is not to to take their squabbling so seriously.

#genshin impact #alhaitham #al haitham #kaveh #kavetham #alhaitham story quest #also pls don't somehow take this as ship bashing for other pairings #this is NOT: oh my ship is canon everyone else stfu #i just wanted to discuss how interesting Hoyo's approach to their dynamic has been #and how polarising the fandom's reaction has been #it's not supposed to be taken seriously #i think kaveh is leaked for 3.6 #which should be new desert area #i would not be surprised if we have a desert quest with him #considering how he has had a significant amount of screentime already #in comparison to Faruzan and Layla and even Candace #we don't know what his rarity is yet #but he's had a lot of build up #when most characters not directly involved in archon quests #only debut in their release patches #with rumours of them beforehand #think ayato think itto think eula #i wonder what Hoyo will do with Kaveh #and haitham might end up as the Sumeru Albedo #considering he's already a front runner for most dialogue out of the Sumeru characters #maybe he'll get an event before Fontaine