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charliemwrites · 3 months

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…. So Mister(s) steal your girl, huh?

Bombshells, you always thought, were supposed to making a whistling sound before landing. A high pitched warning of impending doom. Too late to escape the incoming devastation, but at least it wouldn’t come out of nowhere. There’d be some time to brace, for all the good it would do.

Maybe you watched too many movies.

Three months. That’s how long you got to enjoy the bliss of engagement before the world began to fall around you.

Your fiance came home and sat you down, his hand around yours. You thought he was breaking it off for some reason. What he did instead was worse.

In the aftermath you can only remember snippets of the one-sided conversation. Like tinnitus, an awful running in your ears left over from a dropped bomb.

Things like,

Still young, I want to explore…

How will I know you’re my forever unless I know what’s out there?

Last bit of freedom before being tied down…

If you love me and our relationship…

You love your fiance and your relationship. You don’t want to lose it just because you’re selfish. He’s still coming home to you, after all. You’re the one with the ring and all the plans for the future. So what if he wants to… explore? He’s even offering the same to you.

An open relationship, he calls it, like it’s some innovative idea.

You’ve heard of them before, never had much interest. Still don’t, honestly, but it was that or the desolution of 4 years.

You insisted on a long engagement. Your fiance promises that you two can revisit the open relationship when you’re married.

Within a week of agreeing, he’s leaves for the weekend. He doesn’t tell you where he’s going, who he’s meeting. He comes back Sunday evening smelling like someone else’s perfume with a hickey on his collarbone. When you refuse any advances, he sighs and says he “understands that this is a transition” and goes to shower.

It’s like that for six months. Weekends without him. Sometimes sending him off Friday morning and not seeing him until Monday evening. Lipstick on his collars, strange perfume invading the laundry. You start doing his clothes separately.

Six months. You spend months suffering in silence, sniffling through Saturdays and drifting through Sundays. Adjusting meal plans to cook for one.

The last straw is when you try to make plans on a holiday. You and your fiance haven’t done on a proper date in months. You want to go out, have all his attention on you, not shared with his phone.

“Ooh, sorry dear, I’ve already got plans with Malorie. Rain check, yeah? We’ll do something next week.”

You decide to go out anyway, sick of feeling sorry for yourself. Nothing fancy, just a bit of self care. You buy yourself a cute new outfit, put on a bit more makeup than usual, do your hair. Find an interesting little late night book shop. They serve wine and food and have comfy booths for people to read or talk or play board games.

The perfect place to be out but alone.

You’re debating the merits of a romance novel when a voice comes from your left.

“Love that one.”

You blink, glance up. Find a handsome man with eyes simultaneously so dark and so warm. Coals, you think. There’s a cheeky little quirk to his mouth as he nods at the novel.

“It’s good if you like will-they, won’t-they.”

You hum. “I’m more in the market for something… easier? If that makes sense.”

He hums, gives you a solemn look. “It does. Here, you might like this then.”

He plucks a book off the shelf and offers it for inspection. You feel awkward reading it the summary thoroughly, especially when you can feel his eyes on you. But you skim it, it looks promising, and a hot guy just suggested it, so…

“Read a lot of romance?” you ask curiously.

He ducks his head a bit, endearingly shy. “A bit, yeah. Call me hopeless.”

You bite the inside of your cheek, but can’t help saying. “I think it’s just romantic.”

His eyes light up. “Yeah? And what kind of books d’you usually like?”

Before you know it, you’re talking thrillers and horror novels with him. Recommending your favorite spooky novel and then following up that you always read a comedy afterwards as a palette cleanser.

You end up touring each other around the shop, talking books and authors and genres. Yet you’re somehow surprised when he asks if you’d like to sit with him. But you agree, a little thrill in your stomach that you haven’t felt since… a while.

You each buy a stack of books, then claim a booth and proceed to read none of them. He tells you his name is Kyle, that he’s in the military but on leave right now, stocking up on entertainment for flights or long spans of hurrying up and waiting.

You’ve never met a military guy before, and you trip over your curiosity. Trying not to pry but interested in what he does. He’s polite and patient, admitting there are a lot of things he can’t tell you but he’ll answer. You don’t stay on the subject long, figuring the last thing he wants to talk about it work.

He gets you back in the department of uncomfortable topics when he notices the ring on your finger. You’re quick to explain the situation, hot with shame all over again, eyes stinging despite yourself.

Instead of mocking you or just getting up and walking away, Kyle sits back looking flabbergasted.

“That’s fucking mental,” he says, “excuse me for saying.”

You burst into laughter. Haven’t told anyone any of this out of embarrassment, but hearing someone on your side is… good.

“I thought so too, but… he’s happy,” you admit.

Kyle frowns. “What about you?”

You blink, can’t look him in the eye. You know the answer but make a show of thinking about it.

“I’d… like to be again. This — the open relationship thing — seems to be working for him. So… maybe it’ll work for me too?” You shrug. “Worth a try.”

Kyle reaches across the table, a big warm hand enveloping yours. There are callouses you’re not expecting. Tantalizingly different.

“Would you like to try it with me?” he asks. “Don’t have to put a label on it or anything. But my schedule is a bit… it’s hard to keep up a traditional relationship, you know? But I like you, and I think your fiance is a knob.”

You snort, but flip your hand around, thumb brushing over his.

“Yeah…” you muse, and after saying it, a surge of confidence infuses you. “Yeah, I’d like to try this with you.”

His smile is absolutely brilliant. You won’t admit — not even to yourself for a long time — but you fall in love a little right then and there.

#thoughts™️#cod #my writing #fanfiction #reader fic #misters steal your girl #poly 141 #open relationship trope #kyle gaz garrick #kyle gaz x reader

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jessamine-rose · 1 year

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‧̍̊˚ᵕ⋆ Under the Sea ⋆ᵕ˚‧̍̊

So it turns out that I had more ideas for my Yandere! Mermaid AU. This sequel features more mermaid lore and dark themes. Now why don't we revisit this twisted fairytale??

Characters:: Capitano, Pantalone, Dottore, Pierro

Tw:: yandere, manipulation, coercion, blood, violence, death, Stockholm Syndrome, spice, noncon, animal cruelty, mention of pregnancy

♡ 1.9k words under the cut ♡

Shark! Capitano x Coral Reef Fish! Mermaid

♡ To be fair, there are worse fates in the deep sea. While mermaids and reef fish are getting nerfed by natural selection, you have Capitano to provide for you. Sure, your relationship is far from ordinary nor consensual, but at least you’re safe in his territory. He is still your gentle companion who would never hurt you.

♡ …Yeah, it doesn’t get any easier but he tries to make you comfortable. Pretty sea anemones to decorate your new home. His earnest imitation of your species’ courtship rituals. The considerate adjustments to his own mating behavior as a shark mermaid.

♡ Don’t worry, he’s extremely careful when biting you. His bites are light and harmless, at times pleasurable, so stop struggling unless you want him to accidentally draw blood. He even encourages you to reciprocate the gesture! Your teeth aren’t as sharp as his, but he cherishes the shallow indents you leave on his skin.

♡ You’re forbidden from leaving his territory without him. Since your abduction, Capitano is more protective over you. He scares away nearby sea creatures, hunts down humans on sight, and threatens his fellow predator mermaids for joking about your “tasty” appearance. You attract a lot of curiosity for your interspecies relationship but he doesn’t mind the rumors.

♡ It’s a confusing situation, really. Just as you somewhat understand Capitano’s twisted love, you can’t shake off your previous camaraderie. For every predator he kills for you, you steer him away from manmade fish traps. By now, he’s stopped inquiring about your familiarity with these devices. Instead, he softly touches your scars and promises that no more violence will taint you.

♡ With that, your boiling point shouldn’t be a surprise. It is a usual day in captivity: Capitano returns to your shared cavern with another batch of sea anemone, and you silently accept his gift. What shakes your passive resistance is the sight of his wounded hands. Are those anemone stings?

♡ All this time, you’d forgotten that only reef fish are immune to sea anemone. You immediately tell Capitano to stop picking it for you, but he insists that the pain is nothing. Setting your gift aside, you treat his wounds and tell him that if he won’t stop, he should let you accompany him. You can’t allow your mate to hurt himself for you.

♡ For a few seconds, Capitano is silent. Only after he accepts your proposal do you realize the words which slipped out. Before you can take it back, he kisses you and leaves for another hunting trip. Unable to follow him, you can only await his return and question your sanity.

♡ Meanwhile, your mate is mulling over your first lover’s spat. For you to be so concerned that you’d willingly spend more time with him…perhaps you have begun to accept your new life. He does feel guilty for worrying you, but make no mistake: What would be the point of his strength if not for your sake?

Jellyfish! Pantalone x Exotic Pet! Mermaid

♡ Despite his desire to own court you, there are times when Pantalone questions his decision. Until now, you struggle to adapt to the deep sea due to your sheltered upbringing and weaker biology. But when he is with you, he can almost believe that he isn’t heartless—at least in a figurative sense.

♡ Your background is useful for his side job as the top trader of human treasures. Just forget the time you informed him that his precious “dinglehopper” is actually an eating utensil. He talked about subjective value afterwards, but you could tell he was just trying to repair his pride.

♡ Likewise, you are humbled by the brutality of mermaid culture. It’s common for beauties like Pantalone to lure humans into the sea to kill them and steal their valuables. And who can forget the time you adopted a shimmery fish as a pet, only for Pantalone to tear off its scales for his nail art? Don’t be afraid, darling, he’d never be this cruel with you.

♡ For all it’s worth, his attraction is mutual. There is some friction at the start of his courtship when you initially reject Pantalone’s advances. You go on a tangent about purebreds, selective breeding, arranged partners, all that nonsense taught by your human breeders.

♡ Pantalone is offended. Are you implying that he isn’t valuable enough for you? Darling, in the wild, what matters most is not your imagined worth but your survivability. He isn’t even courting you for your potential offspring, assuming you can have any with him. And he's smart enough not to subject any hybrid children to a difficult life in an improper habitat.

♡ That conversation is what changes your mindset. Compared to humans, Pantalone treats you so differently. Rather than show you off to his peers, he prefers to keep you safe by his side. That time you got badly injured by a predator, he prioritized your health over your damaged scales. The only reason he purchased a scar-healing potion was to appease your distress. See, you should have listened to him. Do you know how much this cost him?

♡ He even protects you in a way that no caretaker would! Swimming after you when you get swept up by the currents, putting himself in harm’s way to save you from predators, even sharing his treasures with you. So what is the point of your biological differences? You already live together and find each other attractive.

♡ Yes, he is the perfect mate. You still have a lot to learn about the deep sea, and he will teach you everything there is to know. Between your domestication and his manipulation, you can be confident in one truth: That out of all the fish in the sea, Pantalone chose to love you.

Octopus! Dottore x Artificial! Mermaid

♡ He understands that you are mad at him. It is a natural reaction after being forcibly drowned, kissed, and transformed into a mermaid. Yet despite your silent treatment, Dottore refuses to shut up. He isn’t a talkative person, but he’s so excited to properly communicate with you. Think of all the personal and scientific conversations!

♡ Good luck trying to escape from him. The deep sea is no place for an inexperienced mermaid; and among your favorite sea creatures, Dottore picked a species weaker than him. Not to mention that transformation potions can only be custom-made under his guidance.

♡ You should also give up on seeking help. Do you honestly believe that your former brethren won’t use your body for scientific research? On the other hand, mermaid society shuns you for your human origins and association with Dottore. You’re essentially an outcast like him.

♡ Don’t cry, darling, he will always be here for you. He is an attentive mate in the first months of your courtship—teaching you how to swim, helping you hunt and gather food, overseeing your adjustment therapy. He is neither strict nor overbearing in that regard.

♡ You do realize why he is feared by his peers. During your tour of his territory, you are horrified to come across the skeletons of humans and mermaids. Worry not, these are no different from the experiments conducted by your kind. Be grateful that he went with magic and not surgery for your transformation.

♡ Because of his research, Dottore is also known as the Sea Witch. Every so often, he accepts potion commissions in exchange for knowledge, human relics, or mermaid DNA. He prefers the last payment since it’s less easy to obtain by force. It’s especially true for the orca blood and jellyfish stingers provided by two of his important clients.

♡ Despite your situation, you can’t help but be fascinated with your new circumstances. Humans tend to view mermaids as inferior animals, and even sympathetic marine biologists are hindered by the language barrier. Thanks to Dottore, you’ve gained a better understanding of his kind. And as a fellow researcher, you are morbidly impressed by his scientific accomplishments.

♡ It helps that he has a soft spot for you, though he’s more…touchy now that you’re his mate. He likes to wrap his tentacles around you in what he claims is an innocent hug. He marks you with his suckers and comments on the taste of your skin. He also teases you with camouflaged jumpscares; it’s especially scary during your escape attempts.

♡ A part of you hopes this is all a dream, a nightmare you can wake up from. As much as you love exploring the sea, you can’t enjoy the newly accessible knowledge when you are trapped in Dottore’s grasp. Sadly, your life is now in his hands and he will take great joy in seeing how your relationship develops.

Orca! Pierro x Artificial Orca! Mermaid

♡ In the end, Pierro decides to turn you into a mermaid. He makes the most out of your final days on land—cooking your meals, watching TV with you…and indulging in human copulation. With your injured leg, there is little you can do to resist him.

♡ On the last day, he carries you to the sea and force-feeds you a potion. The last thing you feel before passing out is cold seawater, strong arms wrapped around you, a familiar tail intertwined with yours. Back in his true form, Pierro brings you to his new territory and admires your orca features.

♡ The first week could've been better. You’re already tense with Pierro, but he tries to reciprocate your hospitality. His territory is larger than your house with a furnished cavern, a private reef, and the primitive technology created by orca mermaid society. The two of you share a comfy bed of seagrass.

♡ You are also subjected to a checkup with the Sea Witch. As scary as Dottore is, you eagerly listen to his story about Pierro’s human transformation. How he stumbled during his first steps, how pathetic yet determined he looked, how—he stops talking after Pierro darkly inquires about the regenerative abilities of octopus mermaids.

♡ Pierro is a doting, protective mate…to an extreme extent. You aren’t allowed to leave his territory, learn how to hunt, or even interact with other mermaids and animals. After everything he’s been through, he can’t lose another loved one to the cruelty of the world.

♡ Not that any sea creature would approach you. The first time you watch Pierro hunt, you are traumatized by his species’ methods. To him, it’s normal to brutally tail-slap seals and stingrays to death—and justified in the case of passing humans. So that is what he means by "playing with your food"...

♡ He also helps you adjust to your aquatic diet. There are various ways to prepare raw fish and hopefully, you like sashimi. If you miss human cuisine, the two of you may occasionally visit a deserted island to roast your food over a fire. He does miss your cooking.

♡ At some point, you ask him why you were turned into an orca mermaid. According to Dottore, Pierro had to give away more blood to make you the same species as him. Why did he put himself through that? That is when your mate brings out a fertility potion, one that will ensure pregnancy even if your body is incapable of bearing a child.

♡ Calm yourself, darling. You already know that orcas aren’t solitary creatures; and while your company is a blessing, wouldn’t it be nice to raise a few baby mermaids? Never fear, Pierro will take good care of your pod. Together, you will live a peaceful life under the sea.

♡

Welp what a lovely way to use my zoology knowledge. I had a lot of fun writing this and I hope y’all enjoyed this dark continuation. I didn’t expect so many ppl to like my Yandere Mermaid AU, and thank you so much for your feedback (♡˙︶˙♡)

I’d also like to thank @diodellet for peer-reviewing this and @gum-iie for giving me more ideas!! Once again, this is an AU of my Yandere! Harbinger longfic series for those who found the couples and stories familiar~

Tag a Harbinger enjoyer!! @leftdestiny-posts @nicebonescomrades @harmonysanreads @ansy-tea @thescribeoflostmemories @kocherry @oofasleep @crypticbibliophile @lcveaesop @frogchiro @theinnerunderrain @surveyycorps @jinkicake @lucidasara @ghostluu @gxmblinqueen @verdictionist @springtidewaves

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aspoonofsugar · 27 days

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Lucifer: Dreams of Redemption

Lucifer is my favourite Hazbin Hotel character, so here comes a meta about him, his arc and the themes he is tied with.

OVERTURE

"The Story of Hell" tells us plenty about Lucifer by introducing his character and preparing his story. In particular, it sets up two key themes in his arc:

Redemption

Dreams

ADAM AND EVE (REDEMPTION)

Lucifer is tied to redemption, as his and Lilith's story is basically a revisitation of Adam and Eve's.

As a matter of fact the original Eden's myth goes more or less like this.

There is a man:

Then a woman appears:

And the two fall in love:

Charlie: Drawn in by her fierce independence, Lucifer found her and the two rebellious dreamers fell deeply in love.

They are happy together, but are forbidden to get involved with a strange fruit. They disobey, evil is born and the couple is punished and fall:

Adam and Eve are banished from Eden. Lucifer and Lilith are forced into Hell. It is the same story, but the rebellious couple offers the fruit instead of eating it themselves. The basic meaning doesn't change, though. The two lovers make a mistake, which spirals into a disaster. Adam and Eve are asked to pursue goodness, so that they can be forgiven. What should Lucifer and Lilith do to gain redemption? When it comes to the Devil, his path forward lies in dreams.

LIGHT AND FIRE (DREAMS)

Lucifer is a dreamer:

Charlie: He was a dreamer with fantastical ideas for all of creation.

Who grows into a cynic:

Charlie: Ashamed, Lucifer lost his will to dream.

Interestingly, this change of heart is conveyed through Lucifer's light turning into fire. He gives up on dreams and goes from angel (light) to demon (fire). This thematically frames Lucifer's moral fall as a consequence of his loss of hope. So, it makes sense that his "redemption" will be about rediscovering dreams. Still, what kinds of dreams should he focus on?

Charlie: As punishment for their reckless act, Heaven cast Lucifer and his love into the dark pit he had created, never allowing him to see the good that came from humanity, only the cruel and the wicked.

In Hell, Lucifer stops seeing the good in people. His current challenge is then to find goodness in others again. Specifically, he must better understand:

Charlie (microchosm)

The sinners (macrochosm)

ALL OF THE OTHER REINDEER

Both Charlie and the sinners share similarities with Lucifer. In particular:

Like her father, Charlie is an outcast in her own kingdom. In his younger days, Lucifer is a seraphim, who believes in free will against a world built on order and rules. In the present day, Charlie is a royal demon, who believes in redemption, despite a world full of chaos and violence.

Like their king, the sinners made mistakes, which landed them in Hell. The sinners are violent and selfish, so they are given a world of destructive chaos. Lucifer gives humans free will, so he is presented with the negative consequences of his gift.

Lucifer is like Charlie and the sinners, but he acts towards them like the Elders of Heaven:

Charlie: However, he was seen as a troublemaker by the elders of Heaven. For they felt his way of thinking was dangerous to the order of their world.

Lucifer: Alright, I mean, look, I love that you want to see the best in people, but these sinners, you know, they're just the worst. I, I don't know how much you can realistically expect from them.

This behavior has to do with Lucifer's own sin and banishment. He can't believe in himself anymore, so he doesn't believe in Charlie. He doesn't forgive himself, so he doesn't forgive the sinners. In short, he is projecting his unsolved feelings on both his daughter and his subjects. What the King of Hell is missing, though, is this:

Rosie: Hey, who down here isn't (flawed)?

His Kingdom isn't a place for perfect people, but for flawed ones. Still, it is precisely because everyone there is a loser that they have the potential to understand each other:

Angel Dust: You're a loser, baby Husk: A loser, but just maybe if we Both: Eat shit together, things will end up differently

This is true for the Big Boss of Hell himself, as it is highlighted by two motifs:

The Ugly Duckling in relation to his bond with Charlie

The circus when it comes to his relationship with Hell as a whole

Both are tied to loneliness and creativity. Still, they explore these ideas from different angles.

THE UGLY DUCKLING= FATHER AND DAUGHTER

The Ugly Duckling is about a small duck, who is refused by his peers because different and ugly. Once he matures, though, he is revealed to be a beautiful swan, who flies away victorious. This fairy tale is alluded to in Lucifer and Charlie's flashback, as he conjures a light show for her. As a matter of fact the protagonist of Lucifer's short stage play is a small duck, who becomes a shining seraphim-swan.

How does this symbolism tie to the themes of loneliness and creativity?

Loneliness- Lucifer is seen as weird by the other angels, who do not understand his way of thinking. He dreams of proving himself, so that they will accept him. At the same time, his own situation is a tragic inversion of Andersen's fairy tale. The Ugly Duckling is a duck, who takes flight as a swan. Lucifer instead is a seraphim, who falls as a demon. The Ugly Duckling finds a new family of swans, whereas Lucifer loses his family of angels.

Creativity- Lucifer tells Charlie his past in the form of a fairy-tale and gives it a happy ending. This short interaction shows how Lucifer is using fiction and creativity to handle his trauma. He channels his sadness into creation. Still, as the years go by, Lucifer's creative drive grows weaker:

In the present day, he is stuck building rubber ducks he himself dislikes (aka ugly ducklings). Not only that, but Lucifer's disdain for his creations hints to some self-hate issues:

Lucifer: That's it… Almost there… Now presenting… the magic-tastical back flipping rubber duck! Haha! That spits fire! Hoo hoo hoo! Hold the applause please, okay. Oh, thank you, thank you. Oh god, who am I kidding? This sucks!

The magic-tastical back flipping rubber duck that spits fire sucks. Still, Lucifer himself is a fire-spiting ducky:

In other words, Lucifer feels he himself sucks. He is an ugly duckling that can never become a swan. He is stuck as a duck. Why is that so? It's because Lucifer finds himself in a vicious cycle, where his loneliness and his loss of creativity are intertwined.

As he loses hope, Lucifer becomes less and less able to dream and create. This provokes more self-loathing, which leads to Lucifer cutting off his loved ones:

Charlie: No, we just have never been close. After he and mom split, he never really wanted to see me. He calls, sometimes, but only if he's bored or like needs me to do something.

How can he escape this situation? His only way out is to stop hyper-focusing on himself and to earnestly look at others. Starting with Charlie:

When I was young, I didn't really know you at all. I always felt so small. But I heard your stories and I was enthralled. The tales about your lofty dreams. I listened breathlessly. Imagining it could be me. So in the end, it's the view I had of you, that showed me dreams can be worth fighting for.

When Charlie is a child, Lucifer tells her a story about himself, his pain and his hopes. Charlie makes this story hers. She sees herself as the ugly duckling, who will one day fly free and shine at the centre of the universe. Charlie takes Lucifer's painful past and plans her own happy future. She imagines her story as a wonderful conclusion to his. Lucifer desperately needs to see this story play out. He needs it to heal and dream again. And yet, to have it, he must first accept that he himself isn't Charlie and that Charlie isn't him:

Charlie: Dad, I don't need you to protect me from this. Lucifer: I just don't want you to be crushed by them like… like I was.

He projects his failures on his daughter and opposes Charlie's dream out of fear. In this way, he forces Charlie to live a life she herself hasn't chosen. He keeps seeing himself as the main character, but Charlie is the protagonist of her own existence. She is free to write her own narrative, which might end up differently from Lucifer's. He may be the Ugly Duckling, but she will become the Beautiful Swan.

CIRCUS FREAKS = KING AND PEOPLE

The Circus is a key motif for the Hellaverse as a whole. As a matter of fact Hell is divided in seven Rings ruled by the Seven Deadly Sins that embody different circus acts. So, basically, Hell itself is a giant circus, which is why this form of enterteinment is very popular among demons. Still, it all starts with Lucifer, who used to be the Ringmaster of the sins' original circus troupe. In other words, Lucifer himself modelled Hell after the circus.

Why is that so? And how does this imagery fit with the ideas of loneliness and creativity?

Loneliness- Lucifer is the Showrunner of the greatest Freak Show of the universe. This is one of the meanings the circus metaphor stands for:

Adam: Okay, seriously! How many of you freaks do I have to fight?!

Adam: No… you (Lucifer) don't get to end this! I'm fucking Adam! I'm the fucking man, and you're just some fucking clown or something!

Hell is full of people, who failed in some way. All the sinners and demons are strange, chaotic and imperfect. They are outcasts the world belittles and refuses. They find themselves in Hell. Lonely together.

Creativity- Three-ring circus is a circus with three acts going on at the same time. On a metaphorical level, it indicates a chaotic situation. Well, Hell is a seven-ring circus. It is chaos taken up to eleven, but it is also the greatest show in all of creation. Lucifer is at the centre of it, which makes him the Greatest Showman. This is highlighted also by the King of Hell's preferred business. After all, among his known activities there are:

Its previous shows with the Seven Deadly Sins' Troupe

A theme park called LuLu World

An App similar to Ticketmaster, which is called Lucimaster

Hotels, like the decadent one Charlie uses for her project

These are all businesses linked one way or another to the enterteinment industry. Isn't it strange that the King of Hell has no control over a more strategic part of the economy, like industry, banks or health? Not at all because the enterteinment industry is the most important deal in Hell (thematically). And yet, there is another sin, who is pretty active in this business:

Mammon, the King of Greed, owns his Theme Park, organizes his own shows and even has a clown pageant to find testimonials for his brand. This probably happens as a consequence of Lucifer's depression, which lets him vulnerable to Mammon's attempts to steal Lucifer's ideas:

Octavia: Is it true this park is just a really shameless spin-off of Lucifer's far more popular Lu Lu World?

This detail is interesting because it shows Lucifer is slowly losing control of his own Kingdom. In fact, even his own area of domain is being threathened. This is not surprising, though, because Lucifer himself isn't really trying to be a good ruler. Or a ruler at all, to be honest. As a matter of fact he is shown pretty passive, when it comes to Hell and its people. Not only that, but he openly despises sinners:

Lucifer: Our "people" Charlie, are awful! They got gifted free will and look what they did with it! Everything's terrible!

Still, this is just Lucifer projecting his frustrations and self-loathing on his people. He unconsciously sees their failures, as his own failure. However, he refuses to rationalize it and consciously insists that his family should stand above the rest:

Lucifer: Mhm, you see? What'd I tell you? Charlie, sinners are violent psychopaths, hell bent on causing as much pain and destruction as they can. There's really no point in trying.

By doing this, Lucifer can't be the King of Hell because he is too disconnected from others. This makes him unable to empathize with his people and to create new dreams for them to enjoy. At the same time, this condemns him to isolation with really no-one he can relate to. He is stuck in his own head both when it comes to creativity and to emotional development. In order to move on, he should come down from his pedestal and realize that he can find companionship in his people. He too is in Hell. He too is a sinner. He too is a circus freak.

DAD-HONCHO LUCIFER

Lucifer's first step towards redemption and hope is to leave his studyroom (his own head) and to connect with the people around him. Specifically, he must be:

A better father (microchosm)

A better king (macrochosm)

In season 1, he moves in this direction and his journey is highlighted by 3 key moments:

-In episode 1, Lucifer doesn't appear, but he still kicks off the plot by setting up Charlie and Adam's meeting. By doing so, he fails both as a father and as a king. As a father, he doesn't offer any emotional support to Charlie after Extermination Day. As a king, he refuses to meet a Heaven Ambassador. Basically, he pushes all his political responsibilities on Charlie without giving her any assistance.

-In episode 5, Lucifer makes some progress by accepting to get Charlie a meeting with Heaven. Once again, he has Charlie face Heaven in his stead. However, this time he does so out of trust for her and her project. He starts supporting Charlie and seeing hope for his people. Still, he doesn't get directly involved:

Lucifer: Ok, I can get you the meeting but once you're in Heaven, I won't be able to go with you. Will you be ok?

-In episode 8, Lucifer does what he should have done since the beginning. He confronts Adam, defeats him and ends the exterminations. By doing this, he protects Charlie as a father and saves his people as a king. Not only that, but Lucifer also offers Charlie the emotional support he initially negates her:

Lucifer: Come on little lady, why the frown? In the last 10,000 years You're the first one to change this town You can do this, now I know it! For your story has just begun You can't quit now. Hell, you owe it! There's still damage to be undone You've changed my mind, you've touched their hearts Found the good in souls gone bad The stage is wrecked, the crowd is gone But by God, Charlie! The show, it must go on!

And he helps her and the group rebuild the Hotel. In this way, he starts openly supporting Charlie's ideals of redemption:

Everyone: Twice the bedrooms, we can fill it Lucifer: With more sinners than you can dream!

By the end, he is shown closer to both his daughter and her found family of sinners:

And he finds his creative drive again:

Lucifer: A remedial creation fom me! It's as easy as can be!

Interestingly, after the battle Lucifer loses his coat, which gives him a rather formal and dignified image. He appears more casual, just as he joins the group and works together with them.

Dreams through redemption and redemption through dreams. This is the basic idea of Lucifer's arc, which is centered around Charlie (microchosm) and the Hazbin Hotel (macrochosm). What do these two things represent for the King of Hell?

CHARLIE, THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT

Charlie is Lucifer's dream:

You didn't know that when I tried this all before My dreams were too hard to defend And in the end, I won't lose it all again Now you're the only thing worth fighting for More than anything, more than anything I'll shelter and adore you more than anything

After losing everything, he gives up on his ambitions regarding the macrochosm and focuses on the microchosm. He can't save humanity, but he can protect his daughter. He can't be a king, but he can be a father. And yet, this isn't the case because Charlie herself wants to get involved with the macrochosm. She doesn't want to be sheltered forever. So, to be a good father, Lucifer must step into the world again:

Lucifer: I'll support your dream, whatever lies in store

In this way, Charlie comes to embody Lucifer's ideals in two ways.

She is Lucifer's daughter, so she is the hope every child is to their parent. She is a small personal dream, when compared to his past ambitions of grandeur.

She is the embodyment of Lucifer (and Lilith)'s old dream:

Lucifer: I've been dyin' to find out who you are Looks like the apple doesn't fall far

Charlie is the apple that doesn't fall far. This means that she is her parents' daughter and shares their ideals. It also means that she herself is the fruit her parents gifted humanity with. After all, she is the fruit of a forbidden love. Not only that, but Overture sets up a very clear foiling:

The Fruit of Knowledge corrupts humanity, but Charlie will save it. Not the apple, but Charlie is the true magic of free will. A person born from a love story, which shouldn't have happened. A child free from her parents' sins. A woman whose name "Charlie" means "free man". Truly a beautiful synthesis of Lucifer and Lilith. A powerful embodyment of their deepest dreams. Still, how is Charlie going to free humanity? Simple, she will do so while pursuing her own dream.

THE HAZBIN HOTEL, A SECOND CHANCE

The Hazbin Hotel is Charlie's dream:

Charlie: I have a dream, I'm here to tell About a wonderful, fantastic new hotel Yes, it's one of a kind, right here in Hell Catering to a specific clientele

It is an impossible and lofty dream, which aims to change the laws of the universe (macrochosm). At the same time, it is a dream rooted in Charlie's personal desire to belong somewhere (microchosm). It is her interpretation of Lucifer and Lilith's legacy:

Charlie: But Lilith's hope remained. And her dream passed down to their precious daughter, the Princess of Hell.

In a sense, it is the evolution of Lucifer's old dream, as it is rooted in the belief human souls can choose goodness. Even after death:

Charlie: Don't you care, Sera? That just because someone is dead, it doesn't Mean they can't resolve to change their ways Turn the page, escape infernal blaze

This is precisely why Charlie uses an old hotel that belongs to Lucifer for her project. It is an unconscious attempt to bring both her parents and their dream back. This duality is well conveyed by the hotel's name:

Hazbin Hotel = a place where you can leave your past self behind and be reborn. A temporary house, where to find hospitality and redemption

Hazbin Hotel = something that used to be a hotel, as it is a crumbling building. It is symbolic of Lucifer himself. A person and a dream in ruins. An empty shell of his past self

So, the Hazbin Hotel is a place where to be reborn. This is true for both the sinners and Lucifer. It is a new dream rooted in another one as old as Earth. It is humanity and Lucifer's second chance.

FROM SHAME TO PRIDE

Lucifer starts the series full of shame. He is ashamed of himself. He is ashamed of his subjects. He is so ashamed Charlie is convinced he is ashamed of her too. Still, the Princess of Hell is determined to make her family proud:

Charlie: Don't worry, Mom. I'll make you proud.

This means that Charlie will become Lucifer's pride. This is set up also by the juxtaposition of Lucifer's two songs in episode 5.

Hell's Greatest Dad is an exhibition of selfish pride: Lucifer shows off his power to impress Charlie. He doesn't consider Charlie's wishes, but is focused on his own insecurities. This is made clear by how he keeps self-duplicating throughout the song. Lucifer's imaginary world is full of his many selves:

More Than Anything is a showcase of selfless pride: Lucifer opens up to Charlie and listens to her. Thanks to this, he creates a pocket dimension made for Charlie. This imaginary world is the Ugly Duckling with Charlie as its protagonist. Lucifer has her play with water, like the little duckling, and fly at the centre of the scene, like the swan:

Lucifer stops putting himself in the spotlight and gives it to Charlie. He goes from a selfish pride broken by shame to a selfless pride empowered by love. He leaves behind a negative manifestation of his sin to embrace a positive declination of it. This is coherent with the other sins seen so far:

Asmodeus, King of Lust, believes that lust is an art to be enjoyed by both partners and is against coercion and sexual violence. Thanks to his bond with Fizzarolli, his healthy lust blossoms into romantic love.

Beelzebub, Queen of Gluttony, enjoys sharing alcohol and food with her community, so that they can indulge into gluttony together. She gains pleasure from her subjects' fun and feels bad when they are down. Basically, she is an empath, who is very sensitive to others' emotions.

Interestingly, Mammon, King of Greed, is the only sin so far with no positive declination. This isn't because greed can't ever be portrayed positively (look at Greed in FMA), but rather because Mammon exhibits no form of selfless love. As a matter of fact love is the force that mitigates and redeems sins:

Romantic love (Asmodeus)

Community love (Beelzebub)

Familial love (Lucifer)

So, our King of Hell is going to overcome his internalized shame thanks to the pride he feels for Charlie. He is gonna deal with his depression through love. This brings us to two conclusions/predictions when it comes to Lucifer and Charlie's bond:

Charlie is going to inherit the Pride Ring. Why shouldn't she? She is the one fighting for the sinners' sake and she is the embodyment of Lucifer's pride. She would be perfect as Queen of Pride.

Lucifer is gonna realize his masterpiece is Charlie herself. She is his greatest accomplishment and creation, who will lead everyone to a freer and better life.

Lucifer means light bringer because he brought to life Charlie as the brightest light and dream:

She is both his dream and his redemption.

#hazbin hotel #lucifer morningstar #hazbin lucifer #charlie morningstar #hazbin hotel meta #my meta

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graceshouldwrite · 10 months

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4 Ways to Get Back Into Your WIP

You know when you might have taken a long break, worked on other projects, talked to other people about it, and basically did EVERYTHING to get yourself back into it, but it’s not working?

Even though you still want to LIKE your WIP and work on it?

These tips are based on my own experience dealing with that feeling. I went through something like that for around a year, but now, I’m getting past it and returning to my main WIP more excited than I’ve been for a long time!

1. List out WHAT you don’t like and fix it

COMMON CORE ISSUES:

Plot + Subplots?

They might seem too (among other things):

lackluster

complex

unnecessary

confusing

You might not know how to:

develop the plots

make them believable

add the scenes you want without giving the book 800+ pages

choose scenes to cut to fit the word count goal...

Characters?

A BIG ONE: some writers try to force themselves to like X character for whatever reason (e.g. based them on a specific aesthetic, felt forced to add specific rep, etc), but they just DON’T.

Or, maybe:

you don’t know how to develop your characters

their group dynamic is too difficult to write/doesn’t make a lot of sense

your character voices, personalities, or appearances might not be distinct enough

Prose?

You might:

want to add more humour (prose is too depressing and atmospherically dark)

want to add more gravity (prose is too comedic and romantic)

want to shift from past to present tense, want to tell story from another POV, etc.

Organization?

OFTEN, the book’s just TOO COMPLEX with all the characters, subplots, etc. and it’s too intimidating to try to sort out all the mess that’s your WIP

SO…

The lists I gave you are most of the big, common issues. Once they’re sorted into SPECIFIC types of problems, don’t they get less intimidating to look at?

I know you might think, gee, Grace, these problems will take [insert comically large time frame] to solve.

Well, if you genuinely want to like your project again and work on it, DO IT.

Slowing down your WIP finish date is worth it if it helps you get back into it. If you never get back into the project, you’ll NEVER FINISH IT. Late > never.

Heck, you might not even be too late—you might find yourself back in the passionate fever you were when you started it, and be in the headspace to write furiously :)

I think you know how to solve these broken-down problems. Some require more sheer line-editing, while others require big executive decisions (e.g. getting rid of a character or rewriting an entire subplot/the plot). But, it will be worth it when you start to love your project again.

2. Remember why you started it

Before each project, write a STATEMENT OF PURPOSE at the beginning of your doc to remind you why you’re writing this story in the first place. If you didn’t do this, it’s not too late to start one now!

It could be something as close to heart as “I want to express how unrequited love feels,” or something as grand as like “I want to write a tragic allegory of the political and economic state of the world that explores human nature” (I am projecting in both of these examples, but you get it).

Something SPECIFIC is a lot better for this than things like: “I told X this story idea and they liked it,” or “I promised to write this for X,” or “I want to tell this story just cuz.” These latter examples probably won’t fill you with passion.

3. Listen BEYOND your WIP playlists. Look at images BEYOND your WIP aesthetics

Many people think revisiting your old playlists / boards help, but that often contributes to the staleness!!!!

Instead, by purposefully expanding your scope of consumed media, you open yourself up to more inspiration and ideas of where you want to take your project. New images and new songs will give you new ideas on atmosphere, mood, scenes, and so much more.

4. Compare your WIP to a similar book you like

You know THAT BOOK that comes to mind whenever someone asks you which book is your favourite/impacted you deeply? Think of how your book will impact readers in the same way. All the emotional turmoil and mental enlightenment That Book gave you is what YOU will give to the readers who resonate with YOUR book one day!

The author of the book you’re thinking about went through drafts, edits, and maybe even wanted to give up at some point, (LIKE YOU!) but pushed through it. Now, their book is on the bestseller list/on a bookshelf/a classic (whatever appeals to you)! Don’t stop before YOUR book is there, too.

∘₊✧────── ☾☼☽ ──────✧₊∘

instagram: @ grace_should_write

A LOT of this comes from personal experience; I had this mental tussle with my main WIP a while back, so I hope this helps anyone else dealing with the same problem :)

Hope this was helpful, and let me know if you have any questions by commenting, re-blogging, or DMing me on IG. Any and all engagement is appreciated <3333

Happy writing, and have a great day!

- grace <3

#writers on tumblr #writing #writing tips #booktok #writer #writeblr #novel #writerslife #writergram #wattpad #creating characters #wip #ya fantasy #plot holes #characters #writing ideas #writing a book

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escapedaudios · 19 days

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Long ass post incoming: I'm fascinated by the idea of a victorious villain's narrative. It's an exceedingly rare thing. Ostensibly villainous narratives usually either dilute the evil by twisting themselves into knots to make the villain protagonist justified or empathetic. I never liked the idea that stories are meant to have morals. Ever since I was a child, I always thought the theme was enough. I found fascination in the idea that the wicked have their own untold stories that people are too afraid to write. There's so little material detailing the victory of evil characters that there is no template. There's no inverted monomyth, no long-standing pattern of The Villain's Journey, and that fascinates me. It's wide open for creative exploration. What would it look like?

A good villain must be formidable against the hero. The dark lord in his tower. But what was the climb to the top of that tower like? Why did they do it? What did they feel? Was there pride? Ambition? Fear, and the courage to overcome it? I think there are blind spots in telling this kind of story, because writers erroneously try to justify the motives of a character unconcerned with justice. They don't have to bother with that. Liberated from this, you can tell something much more raw and unconstrained.

Morality is much more malleable than most people are comfortable admitting. What is considered righteous is usually bound to a changing (and often politically influenced) service to whatever social order keeps people feeling safe. The lines we draw are more arbitrary than we want to think. Shifting perspective can move the line between a cruel invader and a brave explorer, a selfish usurper and a righteous rebel, a dangerous outcast and a fascinating renegade, a ruthless savage and an admirable survivor.

I think a good villain story doesn't come from trying to blur or move that line, but to just look away from it. To not care, to not worry if the audience is going to hate or romanticize the character and instead just tell the story and let it be what it is.

I feel like I intended a stronger point, I might revisit this later. Anyway I've been cooking up a villain story for a while. I want to write a character that openly hates, who regrets their acts of kindness and generosity, who stops caring about good and only sees their goal. Their antagonist will not be another, worse villain. Their antagonist will be a righteous person from the point of view of everyone except our evil protagonist. There won't be a downfall where they are punished, only a dark tower and the steep climb into its throne.

#escaped audios #writer thoughts #tropes #the hero's journey #evil protagonists #villains #villain protagonist #audio roleplay

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owlgalart · 15 days

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Psylocke re-imagined, Kwannon.

One of my first digital character designs was a redesign of Psylocke, I decided to revisit the idea with more experience and more background of who the character is.

I re-imagined her story to change the whole British woman takes Japanese woman's body for years, and to give Kwannon an identity of herself, instead of just being killed of, or villified

If you would like to know my reasoning behind the design, yo can keep reading below

DESIGN BREAKDOWN:

*First, I would like to say that I don't claim that my design is better than any of the other Psylocke designs, this is just my interpretation of the character with the knowledge that I have.

-I wanted to push the butterfly motif harder (I know that's Betsy's motif, but I think both her and Kwannon can embody different aspects of a butterfly, as both of them got their bodies taken).

I implemented elements based on the patterns of butterly wings, from changing the leg stripes to a shape referencing that and adding a pattern to her torso and chestplate

-Also gave her a mask because her identity is supposed to be a secret, a secret identity if you will. The mask was loosely based on japanese oni masks and the wing mimetism of butterflies.

-The mask has a third eye on the forehead to signify her psychic abilities.

-I opted to use a lighter purple instead of black for her main color as pure black contrast in the dark a lot, and I wanted her to be able to sneak around. I added more bits of red as well to break the big chunks of black and purple.

-Im terms of practicality, I wanted to make the suit feel more protective without looking too heavy, so I designed the chest to look more like a chestplate and gave her shoulder armor and bracelets. I also shortened her hair and made it asymmetrical.

-I gave her a belt, so it doesn't feel like she just has a sash ried around her waist (while still keeping the sash), and so she has a place to put her katana's sheath.

Finally I wanted to post the old redesign that I did 3 years ago to compare, idk I loke to think that I've got better (((^_^;)

#my art #character design #character sheet #xmen #x men #xmen art #x men 97 #psylocke #xmen comics #queer artist #art #redesign #marvel #marvel art #digital art #digital drawing #portrait #kwannon

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simplyvillainy · 6 months

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the qsmp lore is driving me insane and i’m the embodiment of this meme but hear me out

OKAY SO DEAD WORKERS RIGHT??

they’re bloody, sure, but look closer….. look at the dirt splotches

we’ve seen these before…

… the day before the eggs disappeared

yes this could be a coincidence, the admins using the same idea to show decomposition being gross and dirty BUT!!

for the sake of investigation, let’s imagine the eggs were kidnapped by the same thing that killed the workers. what are some similarities? differences? reasons?

similarity one: the mud

we don’t know why they’re muddy. maybe it was a byproduct of something done to them? maybe they were taken somewhere dirty? maybe it was a message…

difference one: why weren’t the eggs killed?

why, indeed, my friend. this wasnt the first time the eggs were kidnapped. but this time was different for two reasons. first, the mud. second, what happened the next day? the eggs disappeared.

we were told by forever that cucurucho told him the eggs weren’t kidnapped, but they ran. they ran from something more evil than the code or anything the islanders had seen.

at the time this made no sense! why wouldn’t the eggs leave a message? even if they were trying to save themselves, why wouldn’t they warn their parents? did they not worry their parents could be in danger too? how did they find out there was an evil?

my theory begins to answer some of these questions

assuming the workers were killed by the same entity, we can notice that the eggs were the first target, seemingly what the kidnapper really wanted. but they left. the islanders focused on their disappearance, so their kidnapping became forgotten. it wasn’t the main focus of the islanders.

so the workers were what the kidnapper chose next. and this time, the kidnapper left no chance that the message would be forgotten or ignored. the eggs would be seen by players if they survived, but workers? the only way to make sure players saw them would be to place their bodies somewhere visible, like spawn

now we must ask, why workers? why didn’t the kidnapper stop at eggs, or go after players? a link between workers and eggs is that both seem to be connected to the federation. workers are employed (possibly cloned or brainwashed or worse) by the federation and the eggs seem to be experiments made by the federation (ex: A0).

so now we know some things about the kidnapper: they hate the federation and they want to send a message to the players

now we can revisit some of the questions about the egg disappearance!

1. why wouldn’t the eggs leave a message?

there are two possibilities. first, cucurucho could be lying and the eggs were taken (though tallulah confirmed through the dark matter there IS an evil)

second is a theory explained by one of the players (i forget who) that basically said “in a fire, you wouldn’t take anything and just run.” something must have made the eggs realize they needed to leave immediately.

2. even if they were trying to save themselves, why wouldn’t they warn their parents? did they not worry their parents could be in danger too?

if they thought their parents were in danger, i can’t imagine every egg would be willing to leave without so much as a warning, even in a “fire” scenario. the only reason i can imagine they wouldn’t warn their parents is if they knew they were safe. and the only reason i could imagine they would be safe is that the evil they are running from is not targeting the players/parents

some major questions remain unanswered in this theory:

who are the notes on the bodies from?

the notes seem to be by q!cellbit, but i don’t believe that the current, concious, real q!cellbit would murder workers so blatantly. especially after throwing away his knife into the fire before taking his nap. but if it isn’t cellbit and instead this kidnapper, who are they and how are they connected?

how did the eggs find out about the evil?

the eggs said they didn’t remember the kidnapping, so what changed between them going to bed and the players waking up the next day?

and then for the kidnapper: who are they, why do they hate the federation/what is their connection, and what message are they trying to give the players?

i can’t answer these…. yet

#qsmp #qsmp lore #qsmp cellbit #qsmp eggs #qsmp theory #qsmp thoughts #qsmp worker

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interlunium-opus · 11 months

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►DANCING WITH THE DEVIL #003 [Sunghoon.] — teaser

Previous Parts ‣ #001 | ‣ #002

Abstract: Juxtaposing the way your town was beginning to get a new lease on life after the authorities finally found the culprit behind your town's recent serial killings, your life was fraying at the edges instead as you still had to continue battling your inner demons on the daily – from nightly terrors to random flashes of visions – the latter of which, for mysterious reasons, seemed to only happen when you are face-to-face with Park Sunghoon, the bane of your existence. The more distraught you were over it all, the more convinced you were to get to the bottom of it, even if it means wreaking hell with the bane of your existence and waltzing with him in a game of his own making. You knew you were treading dangerous waters in doing so but you figured, if your days are numbered, then you'd rather go down fighting, dragging him down with you. But with the line between hate and love being thin, someone is bound to slip up soon, thereby threatening to ensnare the both of you deeper into the tangled web that Sunghoon had spun for you in the first place.

Genre: vampire!sunghoon | horror | thriller | fantasy | romance (or is it? 😋)

Status: released >> click me <<

>>> | Masterlist |

A/N: hi guys! I'm back. At least it’s not a 1-year wait again this time unlike last time oop- 💀 thank you so much for the love you all showered for Dancing with the Devil. I kid you not ever since Dark Blood concept teasers were released, that series gained a new lease on life, it was so stupefying lol ((unless someone boosted that fic somewhere, I can only think of the latest album casting a long-overdue well-justified spotlight towards vampire!enhypen as it should))

This 3rd chapter is actually quite hard to write. I have tonnes of ideas but once written they become too long, too messy, too arduous and too disjointed that every time I revisit it to continue writing it, I just end up scrapping a huge chunk of it and rehauling it. Eventually, after months of re-writing and after at least rehauling it 20 times (I know I suck), I have finally written about almost ~17k of it and am finally satisfied with how the story is going and flowing for the most part. So all that is left now is to fill in the gaps in each sections, make sure they flow nicely and make sure each section ends in such a way that makes your heart drop. Then of course to proofread it. I can’t promise you a date but rest assured, I won’t vanish on you hahaha maybe by the end of this month? That’s a safe bet. I get antsy if I drag it too long anyway.

Let me just say though, if you love ((tension)) and the hate((-love)) relations between the two in this series – you’ll love this chapter 😉😉 😉 (lol where is this overconfidence coming from, have some shame A.). But yeah, I was sick of how much I was dragging it in the initial drafts so as I rehauled it I was so obsessed in making sure that hey were at each other’s throat in a more love hate way rather than hate hate way. I've also made y/n more feisty and confrontational to ✨stir✨ the tension further. Basically, if you want a hint of what went down, the hint lies in the moodboard above OHOGOOHOHOH

ps. If you’re feeling extra nice and generous, do drop me some kind words about my work in my inbox to get my motivations burning 🔥

#enhypen vampire #enhypen imagines #enhypenwriters #enhypen sunghoon #enhypen sunghoon imagines #park sunghoon #enhypen scenarios #enhypen #sunghoon imagines #sunghoon vampire #kpop imagines #sunghoon scenarios #enhypen sunghoon scenarios #kpop scenarios #enhypen x reader #enhypen x female reader #enhypen vampire au

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crockpotfullofworms · 12 days

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Lalapril Day 15: Star

Gooseberry sits in silence at the very edge of the Pillars. Her feet dangle over the edge but she does not fear the drop beneath her. A frigid wind sends shivers down her spine and yet, she cannot bring herself to get up and go inside.

Not yet.

She hears footsteps on the stone behind her and as she turns her head towards the noise, Haurchefant appears in her line of sight and begins to lower himself down next to her. He doesn’t ask her what she is doing out here in the dead of night and for that she is thankful. Instead, he comments on the beauty of the stars and they speak quietly of inconsequential things.

It warms her, to know that he is there, that he will sit with her until whatever drove her out into the cold and the dark has passed. Her heart has been a heavy burden as of late.

But Goose is thankful, in that moment, for the cold and for him and for the stars above, shining brightly down on them.

—————

As I started doing the posing for these shots a much longer sequence was playing in my head, but I told myself that four was the limit for this prompt until I could dedicate more time to the idea. I will definitely be revisiting it in the future [:

I want to add dialogue to each shot to give it a more natural flow. I found a good dialogue box generator that should work for that purpose!!

#losing haurchefant was a blow to goose #like i'm sure it was to most wols #another bright spot in her world just vanished in the space between two breaths #i want to do more posing from when they actually got to spend time together #some of the good memories #lalapril #lalapril 2024 #ffxiv lalafell #haurchefaunt #gpose #ffxiv #wol: gooseberry tart #haurchefant greystone

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lover-of-mine · 16 days

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“Anon who straight up spoiled the loft scene for me last week, can you come back with your thoughts for the rest of the season? I'm curious to see your line of thought and I'm so sorry I doubted you 🩷”

i don’t know if you mean me or not but i DID send you a message recently about how the buddie loft scene could parallel the bucktommy loft scene… i’m shocked that i was sort of right honestly 😭

i know it wasn’t an exact parallel but… the dark warm lighting?? the soft discussion?? the Moment (kiss/hug) in the exact same spot between the table and island?? tommy/eddie leaving with advice to call eddie/tommy?? the final shot of buck letting out a sigh of relief??

gotta be on purpose surely??

i haven’t had the chance to think about the rest of the season yet lmao but in my opinion, last nights episode wasn’t bad for buddie i don’t think? there were lots of lines that could be revisited in the context of canon buddie if they choose to go there, like bobby’s advice, the catholic guilt, “i wish i could help” lmaooooo. and the interviews too! ryan basically saying women are all eddie knows but he thinks eddie will start exploring what he doesn’t?? lou saying it was meant to be eddie/tommy?? so queer eddie was/is on the table, the writers can see that a queer arc would lend well to his character/storyline just like we can??

slightly unrelated, but people are already saying that ryan is against kissing boys lol so that’s why it was bucktommy instead… 1. we definitely know that’s not true and 2. he’s right that a queer arc wouldn’t fit eddie right now? starting s7 he was with a woman but buck was single, so it made sense to be buck even though i wish with every fiber of my being that they had still gone with eddie haha

idk i’m always gonna be hopeful for buddie until the series finale and even then i’m still gonna ship them (save me fix it fics). but i do not understand people closing on buddie, it really feels like they’re keeping the possibility more open than they ever have before for their relationship to change in the future ❤️

Yeah, I'm pretty sure it is you because I think that was the only ask I got about the loft scene paralleling the Bucktommy kiss and I legit was like "dude the anon was right" and had to race here to check kspsksoaksokas I really didn't think they were gonna be as on the nose as they were but they really were and I'm still ???? about because the whole you're not sure of your feelings thing with Maddie and everything with Tommy, Buck still not knowing what he wants but the VERY obvious parallels between both scenes are gonna drive me crazy lol please come back and tell me the thoughts once you figure them out, I'm genuinely curious to see what you think because you did get the vibe right and vibes are the thing that keep confusing me tbh

And honestly, Ryan acts like his main purpose in life is to be allowed to get paid to make out with Oliver, what do you mean he doesn't want to kiss boys? I don't think switching this arc around would work as well as it does for Eddie, I think realistically, freshly single Eddie would be a lot more freaked out if a guy he's known for a few weeks just kissed him, I don't think the progression we are seeing with Buck would work the same way because Eddie sexuality is set up differently, Buck has always been more casual about the physicality of a relationship, we literally haven't even seen Eddie kiss someone besides Shannon until last night. I know it wouldn't be a direct one on one switch, but I think letting Buck figure out with someone else's help while letting Eddie think about what it could mean for him that Buck is a guy and he's dating a guy, and he's dating a guy Eddie has a lot in common with that could get Eddie to be like "huh, maybe they do have the right idea" and look into the possibility of him being attracted to men on his own will makes a lot more sense, if that's the thing direction this is going. It was the impression I got from Eddie's contemplative *huh* upon finding out Tommy is gay, because considering how the show established how similar Eddie and Tommy are, to have Eddie be a little "oh i didn't know this was an option for us" even more since they are finally adding the religious trauma angle to canon, like, we knew, but good to know Eddie knows now too, could lead to something interesting. It's like we've all been saying, Buck's needs to figure out he's into men but Eddie needs to figure out he's into Buck. Buck is already there, and Eddie could trip into the realization whenever they want him to. Dude has been there ever since the end of season 5, Eddie knows how to soul search, he just needs the right trigger. This might be it. This feels like it could be it. It's getting too close to the point for them not to get there. All I know is I will be on the boat until the show ends and then stay on the boat because what if there's a revival and they suddenly decide it's time to make them canon yk? No one will ever take the hope away from me.

Also, thank you for coming back 🩷🩷

#its gonna happen i can feel it kspskspkspaka #911 #911 spoilers #i really need a tag for asks #anon 😌#911 speculation

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fairygeek777 · 4 months

Text

So I've talked about my "Fake scenarios" before yea?

Well I've realized its gotten to the point I'm "writing" whole ass Mamousa fanfiction without writing it down.

And I've also been absolutely consuming other people's Mamousa fanfics since late November on AO3. Its crazy how before I never bothered with fanfiction but when I want new otp -specifically Mamoru Chiba and Usagi Tsukino- content that I can't get enough of suddenly I go searching.

Discovered I can't handle smut. Read a bit of it trying to be brave. But uh nope lol.

I think I enjoy 90s inspired fics the most surprisingly 🤔

But anyway back to the point of this blog-

I found myself with this idea- basically "wrote" the whole thing in my head. I'm gonna put the barebones beginning but be aware I am NOT a writer, I don't really know how to describe things in the ways that are needed for a book. Sooo don't expect me to bring this to life outside of possibly finding the motivation to draw a scene or two. Anyway here goes:

------

Mamoru and Usagi are at the airport preparing to say goodbye. Mamoru gives Usagi the ring with the intention to ask her something very important when the Golden Crystal is stolen from him. Everything goes black for Mamoru, and then he wakes up finding himself in his apartment at night. Something feels different but also eerily familiar. Mamoru notices that things that used to indicate Usagi and Chibi-Usa's presence aren't there. Like the extra red pillow that was usually on his bed.

Confused as hell realizing that he's not at the airport with Usagi like he was a couple seconds ago, he goes to turn on the light on his nightstand but it doesn't turn on. He pushes open the curtain of his window to see another eerily familiar sight, Tokyo in complete darkness and an incredibly bright light near Tokyo Tower being the only light source. Concerned and desperately hoping that what he thinks is going on is just a trick on his mind, Mamoru transforms into Tuxedo Mask and rushes to the Tokyo Tower. If his hunch is correct, Sailor Moon needs him fast and his extra time of investigating instead of rushing out to her could have serious consequences.

-----

So basically, when Mamoru is killed by Galaxia, he finds himself reliving the events of his life starting at act 8 of the manga. He has been given the chance to revisit the past and he maayyyy or may not have all his memories of the life he just came from and may or may not try to stall the discovery of the Silver Crystal to prevent Usagi from being targeted by people like- everyone she will eventually face that want to take that power from her. And it also might have something to do with knowing he has to die in front of her for the Crystal to be discovered.

So ye dunno if that piqued anyone's interest but if by some chance it did, I would not be opposed if someone took a crack at writing a little thing based on it?

And if something like this is already a thing? Link it 👀

Please

Thank you for reading my ramblings 🙏

#sailor moon #pretty guardian sailor moon #manga #mamousa #nonwriter dabbling in writing #fanfics i cant actually write #mamoru chiba #usagi tsukino #tuxedo mask

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celestialsister0918 · 4 months

Text

Fic Writing Review 2023

Thanks for tagging me, @gammacousin!

Rules: Feel free to show whatever stats you have. Only want to show Ao3 stats? Rock on. Want to include some quantitative info instead of stats? Please do this. Want to change how yours is presented? Absolutely do that. Would rather eat glass than do this? Please don’t eat glass but don’t feel like you have to do this either. (Copied and pasted)

Words and Fics

Word Count:

142,081

Fic Count:

6 started. 5 completed

Most Productive Month: February by far, thanks to Kinkuary!

Top Five by Hits

The One He Needs Right Now: Jim Gordon's Kinkuary: 5941

What I'm Thinking About (Sirius x Ginny): 3600

A Window Not Missed (Bruce x Nat): 2107

A Window Closed (Bruce x Nat): 1101

In the Sepulcher by the Sea (Sirius x Severus): 684

Top Five by Kudos

A Window Not Missed (Bruce x Nat): 96

What I'm Thinking About (Sirius x Ginny): 61

A Window Closed (Bruce x Nat): 47

In the Sepulcher by the Sea (Sirius x Severus): 32

The One He Needs Right Now: Jim Gordon's Kinkuary: 24

Fandom events:

Two @trulymadlydeeplyfest fests! 1 in February and 1 in October. Both Harry Potter. I'm so bad at knowing where all the fests are so those are my only two.

Upcoming Plans:

To Complete:

Finish "A Window Closed" (Bruce x Nat)

Start "A Window Opened" (Bruce x Nat)

Start "A Special Election" (Jim Gordon x NEW OC) - I have one chapter written and some dialogue prompts for chapter 2. I'm soooo excited for this one.

Other Ideas:

Continue one-off Sirius and other Gary Oldman character one-shots on Tumblr.

Write a Jackson Lamb piece

Maybe write a Kate Bishop x Yelena Belova one-shot if the mood strikes

Write another Gary Oldman RPF (many dialogue prompts already written). Here's my first Gary RPF if interested... it was set during the Dracula filming. The new one will be set after his divorce from Alex but before Gisele.

Reflection

I took a couple long breaks from writing this year. After finishing "Submissioner Gordon" in December of 2022, I was at a pretty bad low from lack of interaction with that fic. My heart has NEVER been in something as much as it was that fic, so to have so many hits and so little interaction made me think everyone hated it. Yet I continued the story with the Kinkuary prompts, where I wrote a short fic every day for 28 days. Again, I feel like it bombed.

At the same time, I made what I thought would be my last hurrah in the Harry Potter fandom, and it didn't do so great either. I was in a BAD spot comparing myself to other writers, so I took a long hiatus.

During that break, I started watching the entire MCU with my son, start to finish. My brain grabbed onto Bruce Banner and Natasha Romanoff and would NOT let go. So in May, I began publishing the "Never Say Never" series, where I try to fix their story.

The feedback from the Marvel fandom and Brutasha readers/writers really warmed my heart and got me back in the groove. I am forever thankful to them, because it truly restored my confidence in writing.

I will always be thankful for my Wizarding World series and the Submissioner Gordon/Daddy Issues universe, and my brain loves to revisit those stories and characters. It's just bittersweet because it never really found its audience. However the feedback I got from my foray into the MCU fandom has built my confidence enough that I am able to write in HP and Dark Knight without really worrying what others think. I am just doing it for me and my love for the characters. I know my writing isn't bad--- it's just not a lot of people's cup of tea.

I also want to give a shoutout to the small but steadfast Gary Oldman fandom I have found on Tumblr and Instagram. They've become very dear to my heart, and I love that we can share random thirst posts together when so many others just don't get it.

If anyone is reading this, please share your 2023 stats and reflections as well! I love writers supporting writers. Happy 2024 to you all!

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carrionsymptom · 2 years

Note

Hi! I just read your post asking for something dark to write about The Grabber, so I thought I might share this little thing with you, tho if you don't want to write about it I completely understand and respect your decision ♡

I was thinking that...what if The Grabber entices and arouses the reader "on accident", like with slight touches and caresses in suspicious places and pretends not to notice any of the readers reactions, he just teases and plays around, only to seek that the reader ends up embarrassing themselves in front of him by acting up in towards his actions, just waiting for reader to eventually break and beg after a long while of his games 👀 tho the reader never finds out it was all on purpose, he just hides and blames it all on her (or them, whatever pronouns you prefer ♡)

TW: non-consensual touching, gaslighting, manipulation, The Grabber is his own warning

AN: Tamer than what I’ve written so far haha. Also I know The Grabber has a canonical real name but for most fics I think I’m going to keep him nameless, it makes him feel more like a boogeyman. I might revisit this idea later I love it so much.

Female reader, no physical descriptions

You always see him at the neighborhood barbeques. Broad, crossed arms in short-sleeve button ups and polo shirts always seem to draw your eye, but it’s different glancing from far away than up close while he’s talking with your family. He likes the way you stare when you think he’s not looking. He’s all smiles– a big grin creasing the corners of his eyes. It’s friendly, at least to your parents.

He places a large hand on the small of your back as he chats to you about how college is going, asking what you’re majoring in, joking that the boys there must be chasing you down nonstop, and all you can think about is him. How large he stands compared to you, how the thick rings on his fingers feel pressing into you. Surely he knows the effect he has on you, his hand creeping down lower and lower is a testament to that.

They’re never lascivious, barring the occasional “accidental” brush against your chest. He never lingers too long, never squeezing, never quite where you want him to touch. The arms around your shoulder, the hand on the waist, the teasing nudges all are innocuous (you’re parents would have said something if they suspected otherwise, of course) and yet, when you pluck up the courage to peer at his face, he’ll immediately returns his hand to his side and it’s as if nothing is amiss.

You find yourself missing the contact, wanting nothing more than to lace your fingers with his, but you’re entirely unsure of how he feels about you. Instead, you excuse yourself from the conversation to browse the food tables, ducking your head and giving only a curt nod of acknowledgement to him.

He watches you leave, and you swear you feel his eyes on your ass as you scurry away, but his back is facing you when you glance at him amidst the potato salads.

You manage to make conversation with some of your other neighbors, piling up a plate with chips and watermelon and you’re just forgetting about the way his hands felt when a warm body presses against your back. It’s him.

“‘Scuse me sweetie,” his breath dusts over your neck as he reaches for a paper plate. There’s ample room to reach without invading your space, but his arms still reach around and cage you in. You can feel his chest rise and fall as he breathes, a rhythmic cycle that nudges you ever so slightly into the table. A leg creeps between yours and you feel something else pressing against you.

How does this look to the other barbeque goers? To your parents? No one pays the two of you any mind, even though your breathing feels so labored. This man, your neighbor, has you trapped against the table, pressing himself further and further against you and it’s suffocating. You’re choking, the air hot and humid as you try to grasp the situation. You try to grind back on him, whimpering, but he retreats, not even taking the plate he had initially sought.

He spares you a single glance as he pushes the back door to the host’s house, beckoning you to follow. And you do. Without a single thought, you follow him through, no concern for how your parents might take your absence.

He’s standing at the junction between the living room and the bathroom, standing and waiting for you to approach with a disarming smile. Each step hammers your heart as you slowly close the distance between the two of you until you’re nearly touching. His eyes flicker from yours, down to your lips and his tongue darts out to wet his own and you don’t care anymore, you latch your arms around his neck and smash your mouth against his.

He breaks the kiss immediately, like he knew it was going to happen and he just wanted a taste. “Woah there, honey!” He braces his hands on your upper arms, coaxing you off of him. He lets out a throaty chuckle as he gazes on your confused visage. “I- I’m sorry sweetie, I didn’t mean to give you the wrong idea,” he says as your stomach drops. You had been reading him all wrong. “I’m flattered,” he continues. “Really, I am. But uh, well I’m a little old for you, don’t you think? ‘S not proper for me to look at you like that.”

“B-but,” you hide your face in your hands, burning up. “What-what was all that at the table?”

His eyebrows furrow together, lips still poised in a half-smirk. “What was what at the table? Sorry honey, I… heh, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t get a chance to check out the food yet, there anything good there?”

Had you imagined everything that happened just a few minutes ago? No, you couldn’t have, but what reason would he have to lie to you? It’s hot out, maybe you didn’t have enough water to drink? Yeah. Surely that’s it. You imagined it. He drops his hands from your arms after a comforting squeeze, shaking you in a way that is strictly paternal. He stays, watching you from the hallway as you turn and leave.

“Oh and sweetie,” he stops you as you push the door outside. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone what happened in here if you don’t.”

#the black phone x reader #the black phone #the grabber x reader #the grabber #ethan hawke

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self-written-god · 7 months

Text

T | 1426 | m/femnb? human/monster from under the bed | horror elements | single dad trope my beloved, kid shenanigans, domestic fluff, established relationship, how does it feel to hide from your kid that you're dating the monster from under his bed, Ed?

"There's something under my bed."

"Where? Between the dinosaur collection and the Lego boxes?"

The child, his very own precious offspring, glared at him. But his tiny fist was gripping a flashlight in a trembling grip.

"There's no place left for a monster there, little man."

"What if it's like, a ghost and can pass through them?"

That means it could also pass through the mattress, but that's not something you tell your preschool kid.

"What's a ghost, Timothy?"

The boy frowned.

“A dead person?”

And while diverting it into a talk about death was tempting, he wanted his kid to actually sleep tonight.

“Why do you think a dead person would be under your bed?”

How a five-year-old could sigh with so much anger was beyond him, but the boy stomped towards the kitchen table, sitting on his favourite chair perpendicular to his dad.

“I don’t know!” he admitted, slamming the flashlight, now off, onto the counter. “Maybe it’s lonely and wants me dead too. So he has a ghost friend?” he wondered, pouting and, yikes. Dad winced at the sound of his son talking so casually about being dead. About a ghost under his bed wanting to kill him. Which, he knew for a fact wasn’t possible. But instead of telling him that, he sighed and offered:

“Boys sleepover?”

The grin his son gave him was enough to settle the pain of postponing his plans again.

He closed off the tabs on his laptop, the spreadsheets and email drafts (preschool research was no joke) and hovered over the multitude of streaming apps he had installed.

“What do you feel like watching?”

The kid hummed in thought, tapping his chubby fingers against the table.

“Bugs Bunny?”

“Good choice,” he nodded appreciatively, opening the app he knew had The Looney Tunes. Was he using his kid to revisit the nostalgia of his childhood? Totally.

He let Timothy arrange a bed for him on the floor while he made them some chamomile tea, plain for himself and with some honey for his kid. The set-up was familiar for them as the boy was still adjusting to having his own room - there was a folded mattress he used as a chair during the day and at night would often be used by his dad to sleep. The laptop stand was balanced on his bed and his dad’s head was resting just against his little thigh. They were sipping on their teas, with Timothy’s in a special straw bottle that would prevent any spillage in case he dozed off mid-seance. Dad learned it the hard way.

And like each time, the boy was too preoccupied to see his dad’s hand slipping under his bed, between all the toys and Lego sets, palm up and waiting until the darkness entwined their fingers and squeezed gently. It liked Looney Tunes too.

“There’s a monster in the basement.”

I know.

“Well, it better start paying rent, then.”

“Dad!”

“What? You want a freeloader in our house, Timothy?”

“No, of course not,” he said, even though he had no idea who a freeloader was.

“We should write a contract too. In case of damages.” He tapped his chin thoughtfully.

“Damages?” The boy's eyes went wide.

“Yeah,” the dad nodded. “When someone rents a place like we did, they sign a lease promising to pay for any damages they might do to the place. Usually, they pay extra money to the owner with the first rent. The owner uses it to fix the things they break unless everything is okay, then they can have the money back,” he explained.

Timothy nodded, small forehead scrunched in his rendition of an adult face.

“Makes sense.”

He thought that was it and went back to working on dinner, but then Timothy spoke up again.

“Did you ever break something you had to pay for?”

Dad hummed in thought.

“Yeah, when I was in college, me and my roommate broke a shower stall. Like, the glass door? Had to take an extra job to pay for a replacement."

"How did you do that?"

He winced, remembering the mild concussion and the bruises.

"I slipped and slammed into it. The door fell out of its frame and broke in half."

"You didn't have a bathroom mat?"

Dad smiled, knowing his safety lessons were engraved in his son's head.

"No, I wasn't as smart as you are now."

His son puffed out his chest, happy with the praise.

And so, the basement monster went forgotten until after dinner, when Timothy laid a piece of paper and a pen in front of him.

"We should write the contract. For the basement monster," he clarified at his father's puzzled gaze. He quickly nodded.

“Yeah, that’s smart.”

“How do we start?” his son asks curiously, climbing into his lap and peering into the blank sheet. His dad hummed.

“Let’s see… Lease agreement, we need a heading, between Ed and Timothy Sandsmith,” he drawled as he wrote. “And the basement- I think ‘monster’ isn’t a nice word, you know?”

Timothy frowned.

“How so?”

“Well, if we describe a human as a monster, it means it’s a bad person. Maybe we should use a different word.”

He could see Timothy’s frown as he tried his hardest to come up with a way to address their monster in a friendly way.

“Neighbour?” he offered hesitantly.

“Basement neighbour,” Ed tried and nodded in approval. “That will work, yeah. So… The basement neighbour. In exchange for rent-free use of the basement, the basement neighbour agrees to cover the expenses of any damages they may cause. Is that enough?”

“I think so,” Timothy said, looking at the paper. “I’m not a lawyer.”

Ed chuckled.

“Well, let’s hope our neighbour isn’t one either. Now let’s sign it.” He put his signature on the corner and handed the pen to his son to scrawl his name underneath. Then he added a line on the other side of the document.

“Now I guess I just gotta get the monster’s signature.”

“Neighbour's!”

“Neighbour's, right. I’ll do that tomorrow, I don't wanna bother them so late. What do you say we read for a bit and go to bed?”

“Peter Pan?”

“Sure, why not.”

After Timothy dozed off, Ed grabbed the document they’d crafted and the pen next to it and walked down to the basement. The light flickered to life when it captured his movement. It was colder down there but not unpleasantly. There was a washing machine in one corner, shelves of preserves and wine from his parents in the other, and in the center an old couch and a coffee table sitting on a thick rug.

“Hi, baby,” Ed said into thin air. He put the paper and pen on the table. “Timothy was worried the monster in the basement would break his toys and made me write an agreement in case of damages. Would you be so kind and sign it?”

The document shuffled on the surface and he dropped onto the couch. The lights flickered and dimmed like a thick fog suddenly fell over them. The shadows around, thick and misty, caressed his wrist in question.

“I haven’t told him anything. I guess he just senses you,” he shrugged before collapsing deeper into the cushions. The lightbulb above the stairs shut off with a click after not sensing any movements for a while. The darkness settled heavier on his skin.

“Maybe I should, he’s a smart boy.”

A huff. A scratch of pen against paper.

Let him start school first.

Ed raised his hand, caressing the shape around him. He smiled at the creature he couldn’t see but could feel. “You’re so maternal,” he cooed with a happy sigh.

Shut up, the darkness scolded, slapping his arm. It felt like little pinpricks of cold.

“There’s only a week left. My boy is going to school. He’s growing up so fast,” he choked up with realization and his lover purred, caressing his skin with emotion.

All kids do.

“I know. Yeah,” he sighed, burying his face into them.

You’re a great dad, they added. He smiled.

“Thank you.”

I say it how it is. Oh, by the way, you forgot to plug in your laptop.

“Shit, thanks. What would I do without you?”

Wither alone and untouched.

He barked out a surprised laugh that was quickly captured by the darkness. It coaxed him gently to lay down, pressing him into the cushions, into his favourite place to be - between the thrifted couch and the creature he found in his basement.

#monsterlovetober2023 #monster lover #monster romance #monsterfucker #fantasy romance #human/monster romance #monster kink #original story #spooktober

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skaruresonic · 4 months

Note

Wall of ramblings incoming

The whole debacle around Shadow, to me at least, is basically one of the signs of the generational shift in the fandom. Except now instead of people saying that everything after the classic games sucks, its everything after the adventure games that does, because adventure games was the golden time when Sega meant SRS BZNSS and was so DARK and so MATURE, and nowadays its all just babby games for babbys and not true fans. And what better character to use as a glorified example than who's pretty much the face of that era? At least from what I managed to understand among all the headcannons, it's that some people seem to believe that overamping of Shadow's angst will somehow outweigh the "kiddiness" of current Sonic and restore the universal balance or something that will remind the blind sheep how truly good and SERIOUS Sonic used to be. Yes, some are doing it just for angst's sake or because they just discovered what angst is and they learned that it makes them feel things so they want more of it, but with the supposedly serious fans I'm more inclined to think that what I described could be at least partially the reason. Why else would, for example, you have Shadow manipulated by illusions of Maria, have him blindly believe her and have an "emotional" boss fight with her afterwards like in Omens, if not to make people go "oh wow that is so not like the current Sonic games".

To me, it speaks of a lack of imagination. People like to act as though Big Bad Sega is putting him under lock and key with all these fictitious mandates, but really, at this point he's the one with the most carte blanche because there's very little actually tying him down. He's moved on from his past, he can't be manipulated by villains anymore, and he may or may not even be a part of GUN atm considering Eggman decimated them in Forces. Where do you go from there? Anywhere you can think of. You (general you) could take Shadow in literally any direction, do anything with him, have any number of stories and character arcs. You could do a lot with "seeks strong foes" as a motivation, provided you, you know, build a solid story around it. And yet, somehow, the only thing you can think to do is to drag him back to his past, over and over again.

And, well. Definition of insanity, and all that.

Obviously I'm not opposed to the general idea of revisiting his time on the ARK - otherwise I'd be a huge hypocrite in making a VN with that exact setting, lol - but I feel like ST has the best idea out of anyone by showing us Shadow's happy moments rather than any suffering he may have experienced there. The contrast makes the tragedy hit harder.

The insistence on seeing Shadow suffer in just this one specific context feels weird. It makes it seem like the only thing he does of note is suffer, just like how Maria's only apparent contribution is to die.

Folks want muh deep dark Sonics, but then overlook the context behind that suffering. The games don't include dark content without reason. There's usually a parable or message of some kind attached, typically a hopeful one. ---

At least from what I managed to understand among all the headcannons, it's that some people seem to believe that overamping of Shadow's angst will somehow outweigh the "kiddiness" of current Sonic and restore the universal balance or something that will remind the blind sheep how truly good and SERIOUS Sonic used to be. Why else would, for example, you have Shadow manipulated by illusions of Maria, have him blindly believe her and have an "emotional" boss fight with her afterwards like in Omens, if not to make people go "oh wow that is so not like the current Sonic games".

What gets me is, okay, even if Shadow has to suffer, even if that part is non-negotiable... why does it have to be related to the ARK? What about the ARK raid was so special that something else couldn't make just as big an impact on his character? Maria's death? Yes, it impacted him greatly, but that doesn't mean he can't still suffer. Forces made him suffer when Infinite stuck him in Virtual Reality, but apparently making Omega and Rouge's visages mock him wasn't good enough. Those illusions needed to be Maria or otherwise they wouldn't be seen as legitimate. And that's not even getting into the logistics of how Infinite managed to learn about Maria in the first place. Not to mention, "Do you really think Shadow is stupid enough to fall for the illusion of someone he knows for a stone-cold fact is dead?" Like. It's almost as though they expect a Pavlovian response, like Shadow's supposed to suffer flashbacks on the spot or something. Actually kind of vaguely gross if you think about it. The real irony underpinning all this is how Forces offered to deliver a Return to Form to those Serious Games with a story about the horrors of war, but because it wasn't the flavor they wanted, people snubbed their noses and threw it in with the rest of the discards. If SA2 were remade today and no changes were made to the story and dialogue, people would probably be like "omg Shadow threatens Rouge's life wtf is this Segaaaa why aren't they besties right off the bat" or "why is Shadow smirking so much" because they have this idea in their heads of how Shadow Should Be(tm) that's based more on nebulous vibes and fanon than anything else.

This isn't even getting into how regressive it would be to push Shadow back to his SA2 portrayal when he was essentially brainwashed for most of the game. Nor how '06!Shadow and SA2!Shadow aren't even the same character. The latter is the result of the former having gone through three games' worth of character development and finally deciding to move on and not be manipulated by assholes anymore.

I feel like what people are trying to say is they want a certain vibe from Shadow, this... idk, chiller version of him? That doesn't have any discernible rough edges. In reality, Shadow's always had rough edges. He's always been a little competititive, a little arrogant, a little violent, a little bit of a petty bitch, a little misanthropic. But, again, he has multiplicity of character, and it's the context which matters in terms of whether those traits appear and to what degree.

#asks

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