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freuleinanna · 7 months

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I'm still confused about Verna.. I thought she was a demon?? Because why would Death be going around making a bunch of deals with people? After Verna told Pym she decided to go "topside" I thought she was some kind of crossroads demon since it implies she came from below (hell)

Oh! I feel you, and I struggled with that a lot too. She does seem a lot like a demon. I'm not saying I'm 100% correct in my thinking either, but here's why I personally think she's Death. Kind of a long post, sorry. I hope I make myself clear, but feel free to follow up!

So, Verna. An anagram for Raven, that much is established. Ravens are wonderful - symmetrical even - creatures. Bringers of death in a wide understanding. Bringers of good luck in many cultures. The duality is amazing. To me, that also leans majorly into the theme of death being a concept of duality: an enemy for some, a friend for others. Each greets her differently. I'm not talking about the characters here, but people in general.

There's a proverb I came across a while ago that reads 'Death is a great leveller'. Meaning, everyone's equal before her. You have no leverage or buffer against death, and it doesn't matter if you're poor or blindly, feverishly, grotesquely rich (like our folks here). Everyone pays the last bill. For everyone, there's a day of reckoning. It's a major theme with the show, at least. Verna also says 'Buy now, pay the bill later' - although it can still read very demonic, I agree.

She's obviously ancient, and I was leaning toward the demon theory based on all of her talking. Yet - she also keeps ranting about Egypt and pyramids and Cleopatras and such. What's the one thing with Egyptians everyone knows of? They honored death. Death may have been a bigger part of their lives than life itself. The Usher Twins' obssession with all things Egyptian, antiquities, jewelry, swords and such, plays a nice parallel here too, because they're just collectors. They have no grain of honor for the real thing, for what these things are tied to. Kind of a nice thought, I guess.

Anyway, back to Verna. She says on multiple occasions how intrigued she is with us, 'adorable little things'. She saw the pyramids, the expeditions, and she wanted to see what else we do, she wanted to see what Roderick and Madeline will do (in her own words). It's all an experiment to her. She makes an offer just to see what we, people, do.

Here's where my beef with a demon theory comes in. No demonic creature I could think of, be it an actual demon, a trickster, or something else, is that sincerely intrigued. Something something death loving life something something.

Demons, in my understanding, are most interested in winning the deal. They come up with incredible challenges, they enjoy torture, emotional or physical, they never let anyone win. Verna has never once expressed this. Quite the opposite. She gives everyone a chance to step back. Even when the ink has dried and everything's decided, each Usher sibling is conditioned to make a choice: push forward, or step back. Neither of them steps back. Neither of them takes a long hard look at themselves (except Tamerlane, both literally haha and figuratively, as she's the only one to have realized how lost she was in her way - just at the end, when it didn't really matter anymore, but still). Verna is kind to those she takes (sincere pet names, regrets of having to do it this way, making sure they know it's not personal, etc). She grieves with them, just before. Grieving - 'The Raven' being about an expression of grief and trauma - ravens as synonyms for death... you get the gist. Oh! Except Freddie - cause Freddie struck a cord. Infuriated her. So he doesn't get an expressed choice. And he would've blown it like coke anyway, so meh.

And then Arthur Pym. Oh, Arthur Pym. I honestly couldn't imagine a demon kneeling and thanking someone who's refused them.

About Arthur Pym, by the way. It's the one story I hadn't reread, and I should have, it turns out! haha Anyway, a few notes about his travels:

In the story, Arthur Pym is expressedly afraid of white color (North Pole, yada yada, white being the absense of colors/life, and the absense of life is death).

Verna enumerates the moments she witnessed of his travels. Someone getting left in Sahara. Someone getting shot in the Arctic. Something bad that was done to an Inuit woman. Why would she follow Arthur so closely? She didn't know him, he wasn't her favorite. I think it's because she came to collect those deaths. If she is death, she would've been exactly there, where people died. She would have also seen Arthur not partaking.

Aaaaaaaand it makes her 'You saw me' line sound better, because he had sure seen death along his travels.

I think the part about a place of out-of-time, out-of-space creatures and hollow Earth was a bit unnecessary, BUT I can try and tie it in this way:

It showed us how Arthur might have coped with what he saw, and he 'saw a lot', even in his 70s it's difficult for him to recall, and it made him think of humanity as a virus, literally;

He might have thought up that ethereal realm simply because he was in an expedition? Exhaustive conditions for both body and spirit? Traumatic experiences? If he saw Death, he might have cloaked it in his mind to cope with it, thus came his stories;

Verna going 'topside' may just mean that she had to go take a look herself, actually be willingly present for the events - to see the brave little humans conquer the earth. 'Topside', as in, 'visible, present, participating'. If Death exists, I doubt it bothers with our boring human realm but lives downunder, among all threads that weave the world.

So that's that on Arthur Pym.

A few other references my mind is too exhausted to tie in nicely:

Death takes Lenore. THE Lenore from 'The Raven' (mostly) and 'Lenore' (secondary). That happened. Also, death talking to a child of life? Regretting having to take her? Not very demonic of dear ol' Verna, in my opinion.

Her mourning veil, her last toasts to the Ushers at the cemetery? Demons don't tend to grieve their players. Demons don't respect and love them enough, and 'what is grief, if not love persevering'?

Death is the last threshold. Before death, we look upon our legacy (major theme with the show), we remember our losses and loves (Annabel Lee!!!!! love the poem, brilliantly done), we get heavy with regrets. We face death as an enemy & fight, like Madeline did. As a friend, like Arthur did. We confess, like Roderick did. All that is too significant to me overall.

And the last thing. It's Edgar Allan Poe. The whole Death tribute is a giant, incredible, thought-through-to-the-bits hommage to his literature where Death, figuratively and literally, takes the throne.

I hope I managed to express myself alright there. Thanks if you read it through, and as I said before, feel free to follow up or elaborate on some ideas. There are oceans to discuss. <3

#tore a few veins typing it out ughhhhh the poetry #asks #long post #the fall of the house of usher #tfothou #tfothou spoilers #tfothou tv #netflix #carla gugino #verna #meta post #the fall of the house of usher spoilers #edgar poe #edgar allan poe

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celiciaa · 2 months

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GILBERT VON OBSIDIAN EVENT STORY....

CHAPTER ONE.

I just love you.

translations are not 100% accurate. expect mistakes.

special thanks to @otomehoneyybearr for proofreading! ♡

minors and ageless blogs dni.

One day, I was caught in a runaway carriage in town and lost my memory.

Gilbert: This is trouble. I never expected the little rabbit would forget about all our time together.

Gilbert: The coachman who caused this accident will be executed at once…

Gilbert: The main issue is this distance between us.

(….This is a nightmare.)

(I'm having a bad dream right now.)

I was working at the small bookstore in Rhodolite, the land of roses and art.

But for some reason, I woke up in the castle of Obsidian, an enemy nation of military and ore.

The unrealistic nightmare of being confronted by a handsome looking man with black hair and one eye from the royal family makes me feel dizzy.

(Why am I in Obsidian? And why is a member of the royal family approaching me?)

I rolled off the bed and ran to the wall but,

The man who introduced himself as Gilbert steadily closed the distance between us.

At first glance, he looked like he was smiling, but his blood-colored eye was not, which was simply terrifying.

(He’s the infamous Obsidianite royal family who must have killed many people so far—-)

(If I'm not careful, he could kill me too.)

Gilbert: Hmm, to be so frightened by the little rabbit who loved me so much...

Gilbert: I'm so shocked that I feel like I want to prepare a cage right away.

Walter: You idiot! Don't say that even if it is a joke!

Then, the man who claimed to be the royal physician, Mr. Walter, yelled so loudly that it made me flinch involuntarily.

Walter: You always think of imprisonment and execution whenever someone is in trouble.

Gilbert: I’m serious, you know? Once I confine the little rabbit, she can't escape.

(…)

Walter: Don't threaten the injured person. Look at how pale her face is.

Gilbert: Aah, sorry? I'm the kind and sweet villain to you, so if you don't like it, I'll stop.

Gilbert: But, you know what will happen if you keep acting like that...right?

(I might actually end up being trapped.)

It didn't seem like this was the right time to be afraid and try to escape from reality.

I fought the urge in my body to escape from Gilbert standing in front of me, and held my ground.

(First, I’ll assess the situation. If I can’t recall anything, I won’t know the right way to act.)

Emma: Why…am I in Obsidian?

Gilbert: Of course, because I brought you here.

Emma: But why a commoner like me….?

Gilbert: Because I’m the big villain who loves the little rabbit very much.

Emma: …Am I the little rabbit?

Gilbert: Yes, that's right. I love you.

(…I don't understand.)

But surely, I see my reflection captured in those seemingly indifferent red eye.

I felt his genuine feeling of love, and had no choice but to accept Gilbert’s words.

Emma: Can you tell me how I got here?

Gilbert: Sure, I'll spend the whole night telling you.

Gilbert: In bed.

(!?)

━━

(I never thought he would actually bring me to bed…)

After Mr. Walter finished treating me, I was led into a spacious room covered in black interior

I was intrigued by the shelves lined with many books that rivaled any bookstore,

Gilbert stopped in front of the bed and urged me to sit down.

(Perhaps this is Gilbert's room?)

(…I can imagine the consequences for not complying would be horrific.)

I tried to sit as far away from him as possible, but Gilbert mercilessly settled down close enough for our shoulders to touch.

I quickly gave up.

Gilbert: Now, let's start off with the fact that you were chosen as Belle.

━━

Gilbert: ——And so, you are now loved by me, the world's greatest villain, and we lived happily ever after.

(No, no, no….!)

(Wait, is what you just said true!?)

I was chosen as Belle to select the next king of Rhodolite,

Apparently, I caught Gilbert’s attention when he visited to participate in a social event,

And now he’s telling me that I’m his fiancée or something….

(This…has to be a lie.)

Gilbert: Let me tell you, I don't lie.

Emma: ….

Gilbert: Huh, you froze. Is it that hard to accept?

Emma: ….I don't think I'll ever be able to accept it.

(It's as if I've been told a grand story, and…it doesn't seem like it's my own.) // (It's as if I've been told a grand story, and…it doesn't feel like it's about me.)

Gilbert: I see. Then it can’t be helped if your mind rejects it.

Gilbert: But it’s possible that your body might remember.

Emma: What?

The corners of Gilbert’s mouth raised into a smile as he pushed my shoulders and laid me down on the sheets.

I could easily imagine what would happen next, and my blood ran cold.

Emma: Please stop!

Gilbert: Why? Didn't I just tell you that I'm your fiancé?

Gilbert: We used to do things like this quite often.

I feel his cold lips touch my ears and he bites down forcefully.

I winced in pain, and he lapped my skin with his tongue.

(This man...seriously…)

(But I don't know...it just feels weird.)

Even though I was being assaulted by a man who I barely know, I don’t feel any disgust at all.

It seems to be true that my body remembers.

Still, my heart couldn't keep up, so I pushed back against his chest, Gilbert bit my skin once more then pulled away.

Gilbert: Did you believe that? // Did you fall for that?

Emma: Was this a joke?

Gilbert: You’re injured.

Gilbert: If it weren't for that, I would have forced you to remember.

Emma: ….

Gilbert: Didn't I tell you? That I’m the kind and sweet villain to you.

Gilbert: I'll just have to remind you slowly. // I’ll make sure you remember slowly.

Gilbert: Even if you lost your memories, you can never escape from me…okay?

Gilbert combs my hair with his fingers and kisses me.

It was a gentle touch that conveyed love and affection.

(He's supposed to be scary, but...he really seems to love me.)

Why he fell in love with me was never mentioned in the conversation.

(I wonder if one day I'll be able to remember.)

(…I want to remember.)

━━

The next day, the confusion and agitation caused by the memory loss still lingered—-

Gilbert invited me to visit a quiet place full of plants.

Gilbert: ….

Emma: …..

(…There’s nothing to do.)

It felt like a laboratory, with equipment here I've never seen before and tags attached to plants. // The equipment I had never seen before and the tags attached to the plants looked like a laboratory.

(It doesn't seem like it...or maybe it really is.)

Gilbert is silently writing difficult formulas on a document.

It was somehow refreshing to me.

(I wonder if there's anything to do….)

As I looked around, carefully examining each item one by one, something caught my eye.

Emma: A rose…?

▸ [ next ]

#ikemen prince #ikepri #ikemen prince spoilers #ikepri jp #ikepri translations #ikemen series #cybird #gilbert von obsidian #ikepri gilbert

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yumeka-sxf · 5 months

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Today's new chapter was so intriguing 👀

First off, nice to see the Authens again. Guess we're sure now that Endo will make them reoccurring characters! Yor's embarrassment about being called "Mom" ("okaa-san" in the JP version) was really cute.

They managed to translate this joke very well; in the JP version, the word "ebento"(event) makes Sigmund think of "obento"(lunchbox). Using the word "function" for "luncheon" was clever!

But the main highlight of this chapter for me was seeing the ever enigmatic Melinda again after so long!

She's a really a tough one to figure out, and this chapter only brought up more questions than answers. She seems extremely nice here, being very forgiving of Millie despite her harsh accusations against her husband. She also mentions that she'd be very resentful if anything were to happen to her family...which is kind of contrasting to her thoughts about Damian from the end of the bus hijacking arc.

I also loved the scene of Yor sticking up for Millie. Her expression was so blank yet so deep at the same time. It actually reminded me of Anya's expression when she punched Damian - in both cases, their blank expression doesn't match their action, but it makes sense because they're still unsure of how to act and what emotion to portray in many seemingly "normal" situations. Anger and annoyance aren't feelings that come naturally to them.

In Yor's case here, having to defend someone against such accusations isn't something she's had much experience doing (at least not for someone who isn't family), and at the same time she can't just outright kill the hostile party like she would on an assassination mission. So despite being in such an awkward situation, especially for someone like her who struggles with social interactions, she managed to remain remarkably calm. As usual, Yor gets easily flustered when it comes to her own feelings, but if she sees someone else being threatened, her capabilities shoot up to maximum! That unpredictable expression should be feared from both her and Twilight!

We also learn that Yor lost her parents in the war, which is something I always suspected. Her words in the below panel reminded me a lot of the thoughts she had during the end of the cruise arc. As I've mentioned before, despite her naivety about many things, she understands the tragedies that go on in the world, especially in terms of war - that it's not just soldiers who suffer, but the children and everyone else left behind. It makes sense that someone who understands that kind of loss and hardship has such outpouring empathy to others the way Yor does...

...which is actually contrasting to the way Millie deals with her loss, by lashing out at others. It's said that those who have suffered can become either very sympathetic or very resentful. It was interesting to see that subtle contrast between Yor and Millie here.

Speaking of Millie, it was nice to see her get some redemption and backstory. Like Camilla, I still don't think this makes up for all the mean things she's said to Yor before, but it's something!

Good to see McMahon again after so long. Don't think he's made an appearance since the cruise arc 👀

As usual, it's hard to say if this chapter is leading to a new arc or not. I'm sure things mentioned here, especially about Melinda, will come back later, but who knows if it will be right away or several chapters from now. I know we were all expecting something relating to Anya's backstory based on the previous short mission, but I still think there's a chance that what happened here could tie into that. We'll see! We're close to chapter 100 so I wonder if Endo is planning something special for that 🤔

#spy family #spy x family #sxf #spyxfamily #yor forger #sxf manga #sxf manga spoilers #sxf spoilers #melinda desmond

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dragon-kazansky · 2 months

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Symphony of dreams

Morpheus x Female Reader

Death has one more gift for Dream. A friend. A human who will deny death and live forever. Finding the claim amusing, Dream agrees to meet with this man every hundred years to see if he still wishes to live. You had faith in this man.

{Masterlist}

{Previous Chapter} - {Next Chapter}

Warnings: First couple meet-ups are straight from the episode. Then Dream brings you along. Have fun passing through the centuries with your husband 🤭

Chapter Seven - Hob

☆☆☆

1389

The first time Morpheus met Hob, he was with his sister. He had long hair back then. It was around that time he met you. He had left you in The Dreaming to meet with his dear sister, Death.

She had something she wanted to show him.

"Was the girl not enough?"

Death smiles.

"You will come to love her, I promise. No, this is someone different. While I granted your companion immortality so she may spend eternity with you," Dream rolled his eyes, "this case is different."

They head inside the tavern.

He was sitting at a table. Morpheus could hear him quite clearly.

"Look, I've seen death. I lost half my village to the Black Death. I fought under Buckingham in Burgundy. It's not like I don't know what death is. Death is... stupid."

Morpheus was intrigued.

"Novody has to die. The only reason people die is... is 'cause everyone does it. You all just go along with it. But not me. I've made up my mind. I'm not going to die."

The other men at the table laugh at him.

"Hobs, death comes for every man."

"You don't know that."

Dream looks at his sister.

"I might get lucky. There's always a first time."

Or second, in this case. Death had already given you such a gift so he would never be alone. How silly.

"There's so much to do, so many things to see. Women to swive. Ale to drink. People to drink with."

"Why would any sensible creature crave an eternity of this?" Dream asks Death.

"You could find out."

"How?"

I could grant him his wish."

He knew it. Another you. Perfect.

"Do that, and he will be begging for death within a century." Dream says, amused. He was waiting for you to grow board in his realm, if he was honest.

"This will prove very interesting," Death smiles.

They both look at Hob.

"Are you gonna tell him, or should I?" She asks.

"I shall." Dream smiles slightly.

Morpheus appraiches the table. Leaves him to it. This was going to be very interesting indeed.

"Did I hear you say you have no intention of ever dying?" Dream asks the human.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, that's right."

"Then you must tell me what's it like. Let us meet here again, Robert Gadling. In this tavern of the White Horse in 100 years."

Dream looks up at his sister. She nods. He nods back.

"A hundred years' time, on this day?" Hob asks. Dream nods. "I will see you in the year of our Lord 1489, then." Hob smiles.

Dream walks away with a small smile.

Robert watches him go, confused.

☆☆☆

1489

"How did you know... that I'd still be here?" Hob asks, looking at the man he saw a hundred years ago. "Who are you? A wizard? A Saint? A demon?"

Dream looked at the other man.

"Have I made a bargain with the devil?"

"No."

"Then why aren't I dead long since?" Hob asks. "Is this kind of a game?"

"No game." Morpheus says, slightly amused. What he had with you had been a game of sorts. You won. In less than a hundred years in fact.

"But why? Who are you? Why are you here?"

"I'm here because I'm interested." Morpheus tells him.

"In me?"

"In your experience."

"What do I have to do?"

"Nothing. You love your life as you choose. Then, on this day, every 100 years, we will meet."

"Because you want to know what it's like."

A moment passes between them as Hob starts to understand.

"All right. I'll tell you what it's like."

Dream leans in slightly. He is so sure this man will beg for death.

"It's fucking brilliant."

That was unexpected.

"It's all changing."

"In what way?" Dream asks.

"Uh... Chimneys. Not having your eyes watering all the time from the smoke. And now we have these little cloth pieces for tour nose. In the old days, we just used our sleeves."

A man grunts from the next table over. He just lost a card game.

"Oh. And playing cards."

"What will you people think of next?" Dream says, not sounding too enthusiastic. He can almost hear your excitement, though.

"With any luck, something to get rid of fleas."

"But what have you been doing for the last hundred years?" Morpheus asks.

"Um... Same as before. Soldiering, mainly. A little banditry here and there if I couldn't find a war. Uh, but now, I've started in a new trade. It's called printing."

Morpheus looks at him. He's amused. "So you still want to live?"

"Oh, yes."

Dream stands. He looks at Hob.

"A hundred years then?"

"Oh, yes." Robert nods.

Morpheus leaves.

"You never told me who you are."

Dream does not answer.

☆☆☆

1589

"Who is he?" You ask. Your arm is looped with your husband's as you enter the tavern. It's been a while since you walked among the Waking World.

"A human who has no desire to die. Unless, of course, he has changed his mind this time."

"He is immortal?"

"Granted the same gift you were by my sister. You were given to me so I could love. This man is here so I can hear his experience."

You smile at Dream softly. "I see."

The pair of you pass a table where two men sit, one young than the other. He appears to be an admirer of the older gentleman. You only catch a glimpse of their conversation as you pass. Art and dreams.

It seems your husband heard too.

"My friend!"

You both look up to see a man sitting a table full of food. You look at Dream, who nods at you and takes you over to the table. He pulls out a chair for you and you sit down.

"Hello," the man says, looking at you.

"Hello."

Morpheus takes a seat beside you while the other man, who you presume is Hob, pours some wine.

"I didn't realise you were bringing a plus one."

"This is my wife," Morpheus states.

Hob looks surprised, yet amused. "Is that so?"

You offer him a smile in return.

"You've had good fortune, I take it?" Morpheus asks, getting straight to business.

"The gods have smiled on me as they smile on all England where no man is slave or bonds man."

Hob offers Dream some food. Dream doesn't take it.

"Let's see. Last we spoke, I was working for Billy Caxton. Made some gold from that. Put it to work in Henry Tudor's shipyards. I made a small pile. Then I went north for a year or so, came back as my son. Done that twice now."

Hob requests more wine from the girl nearby.

"When fat Henry had gone for the monasteries, I bought my estates, and a healthy gift of gold to the Crown saw to... a knighthood!"

You look between Morpheus and Hob. Your husband's expression does not change. He just sits there listening.

"That's not all. Here." Hob pulls out a framed painting. "My fair Eleanor and little Robyn. My first son born in over 200 years on this Earth, that I know of."

Hob chuckles softly. "It's funny. This is what I always dreamed Heaven would be like. Way back. It's safe to walk the streets. Enough food. Good wine. Life is so rich."

"God's wounds! If only I could write like you." You hear from behind you. To glance over your shoulder to see those two men you passed earlier.

The younger man is now standing and seemingly reciting a part of a play.

Dream is watching him.

You watch your husband quietly as you listen to man recite the play. People cheer when he finishes.

"I would give anything to have your gifts. To give dreams that would live long after I'm dead," the young man says to the other. "I would bargain like your Faustuas for that boon."

You smile softly.

He inspires to give others dreams. Now you understood why Dream was watching so intently.

"Who is he?" Morpheus asks, turning back to Hob.

"His name is Will Shaxberd. Acts a bit. Wrote a play." Hob explains.

"Is he good?"

"No, he's crap. Now, that chap next to him with the broken leg, he is a good playwright." Hob sees that Morpheus' attention is on the other table. "Anyway, I've saved the best bit for last. The Queen herself slept at my house this summer. That was expensive."

Morpheus holds his hand slightly to stop Hob from speaking. He then placed it on your shoulder as he rose from his chair. You watched him walk over to the other table. Morpheus began to speak with the other man, taking him away.

You turn back to Hob. He watches your husband walk away. You rise from the chair, his eyes flicker to you.

"Who is he?" He asks.

You simply smile and take your leave.

Until next time then.

☆☆☆

1689

You sit beside your husband, holding his hand. He smiles as you talk softly to him. He had grown his hair out again, and you were admiring how handsome he looked.

A ruckus had you turning away from him and looking up. Hob had been brought in looking worse for wear.

A hundred years ago, he had a fortune. Now he was without it.

"I knew you'd be here." Hob gulps from a goblet on the table and stuff his face with the food Morpheus had arranged for him. "Do you know how hungry a man can get? If he doesn't die, but he doesn't eat."

You glance up at Dream quietly. He's watching Hob.

"I lost it all. My land. My gold. My Eleanor. She died in childbirth. The baby, too."

You drop your gaze to the table. You couldn't even imagine losing Morpheus. You'd be beyond lost without him beside you.

"My boy, Robyn, died in a tavern brawl when he was 20. I didn't go out much after that. They tried to drown me as a witch. I'd lived there 40 years, overconfident. I got out with my skin a little more. And then it got worse. And worse and... worse. I've hated every second of the last 80 years, every bloody second, you know that?"

You look at Hob, still silently. Your husband gave nothing away beside you. You found yourself squeezing his arm a little bit for comfort.

"So do you still wish to live?" Dream asks.

Hob looks up at him, tears in his eyes. "Are you crazy?"

For a moment, Morpheus wonders. Has he finally changed his mind?

"Death is a mug's game. I got so much to love for," Hob says.

Morpheus' expression changes subtly. He looks... fascinated. Amused. Just slightly enough for you pick up on.

You smile softly.

Hob winks at you with a grin of his own.

All the while, you're all oblivious to the man upstairs sketching away.

☆☆☆

1789

"I heard something funny the other week," Hob says, sitting across from your husband. You were sitting between them at the small table.

"Bloke said to me, he said, 'If only the French nobles had played cricket with their men the way we do, they'd never have had this trouble.' You know, first the colonies, now France. You ask me, this country will be next for a revolution."

You listen to him talk.

"I've been salting my money away all over the world. Firet sign of trouble, I'll be out of here like that. In the meantime... I'm in the shipping business." Hob smiles proudly.

He had really come into himself again. Hob explains the business he's doing. You and Morpheus listen to him quietly. You narrow your eyes slightly as he explains. What they do does not sit right with you.

"Slavery?" You ask.

"It's a poor thing for one man to enslave another," Dream says, looking right at Hob.

Hob looks between you both. "It's just how it's done."

"I suggest you find yourself a different line of business, Robert Gadling," Morpheus says.

"You're giving me advice?" Hob sounds surprised. "After 400 years?"

"I would take it," you suggest. Hob glances at you.

"What happened to 'live your life as you choose?'" He asks.

"The choice is yours." Morpheus states. "But would you take that choice away from others?"

"I will consider your advice."

You smile at Hob. He looks pleased when he sees your approval. Your husband does not give him much, so when you show your approval, Hob takes it.

"I saw a production of King Lear yesterday," Hob changes the subject. "Mrs. Siddons as Gonreil. The idiots had given it a happy ending."

"That will not last. The great stories will always return to their original forms," Morpheus tells him.

"That lad, Will Shakespeare. He turned out to be a half-decent playwright after all." Hob smiles.

You glance at your husband with a small smile. Morpheus glances at you and then returns his gaze back to Hob.

"You made some kind of deal with him, didn't you?"

"Perhaps."

"What kind of deal? His soul?"

"Nothing so crude."

Hob chuckles. "Four hundred years now, I've been meeting you here, and there is so much I still don't know. Who are you? Truly? What's your name?"

Morpheus stares at him for a few moments. You almost think he's going to answer when someone comes down the steps and stands in front of your table.

The woman wears a long cloak, the hood pulled down.

"I might ask both of you that same question, gentlemen," she says. "Please, please, do not trouble yourselves to rise."

Two men join her.

"These are Michael and Tobias. Smugglers by trade. Although, they're only too glad to augment their earnings by slotting throats. If you move, they'll slit yours."

You glance at the two rugged men.

"They tell of a tale in these London parts that the Devil and the Wanderkng Jew meet once every century in a tavern."

Your companions glance at each other as she speaks. The woman then pulls out a sketch, dated a century ago.

"Is that meant to be me?" Hob asks. "Oh, I look terrible. You look worse," he jokes with Morpheus. You chuckle softly.

"You return to this pub every 100 years, striking bargains with men, sharing gifts, immortality, which you will now share with me." She says, looking right at your husband.

You feel your jaw clench slightly.

Jealously was not a colour you were used to.

"Well, have you nothing to say?"

"I am no Devil," Dream says.

"And I'm not Jewish," Hob adds.

"Fine. What manner of creatures are you then?" She asks.

"Who wants to know?" Hob asks back.

"I'm Lady Johanna Constantine. You will both follow me, sirs. My coach is without. I can see there is much you can tell me. So much I can learn."

"No."

You glance at your husband. He is staring at her with his ever stoic expression. He is so calm, so unworried.

You do not worry either. You know he will not let anything happen to either you or Hob.

"No, I think not."

Johanna allows the two henchmen forward with their knives drawn. You can not help but look to your husband in slight concern. One knife is pointed at Morpheus, the other right at Hob.

"Get up," one of them says.

The next moment, Hob throw tea up into one of their faces and smashes the cup into the head of the other.

Morpheus watches him. He does not move except to reach for your hand.

As Hob moves over to Constantine, she draws a knife of her own at him. Morpheus let's go of your hand and stands.

"Wait."

You watch as he pulls sand from his pocket and blows it at Constantine. She drops her knife and falls to her knees, muttering away. "No, not you. I'm sorry."

"What did you do to her?" Hob asks, inspecting her.

"She has old ghosts that I've shown to her." Morpheus explains.

Hob looks at him, thoughts clearly running through his head.

"You need not have come to my defence," Morpheus says to him.

"Clearly." Hob smiles. "Stull, I didn't want to be drinking alone here in 100 years' time."

Morpheus cracks a smile.

"I don't suppose you care to find another pub tonight?" Hob asks.

"She may have told others about our meeting. It will not be safe for you."

"I'm perfectly safe. I can't die, remember?" Hob grins.

"Aye. But you can be hurt or captured," Morpheus reminds him. "We must be cautious."

"Always."

You join your husband at his side and reach for his hand. Morpheus looks at you. He brings your hand up to his lips and kisses it softly.

Hob watches you both quietly.

You smile and lean in closer to your husband's side.

"A hundred years then?" Hob asks softly.

"A hundred years," Morpheus confirms. He then gently pulls you along to exit the pub.

Hob leaves in the other direction.

☆☆☆

1889

Morpheus has you on his arm as you both walked down the street. You were stopped outside of the pub by a young lady. She didn't seem to take much notice of you as she spoke to your husband, but Hob called her off you both when he came over. You followed Hob inside.

"Sorry about Lushing Lou."

"Lushing Lou. Is that what they call her?" Dream asks. You were all sitting down now.

"Well, in here, they call her 'The Hospital.'"

"Why?"

"Because she's in 'em a great deal, and becauses she's sent so many men into 'em." Hob explains. "No idea what her real name is."

"Lousie Baldwin. Her father was in the British army. Her cousin raped, impregnated and deserted her when she was just a child." Morpheus told him.

"How do you know all that?" Hob asks, looking at him.

"Your cup is empty. You need more wine," Morpheus dodges the question.

"You knew Lady Johanna. You know Lushkng Lou. You know everyone, don't you?" Hob points at him.

"We saw her again, you know."

"Who? Lady Johanna?"

"She undertook a task for me and succeeded admirably, I might add."

"That might be the only thing I've learned after 500 years," Hob says softly. "People are almost always better than you think they are. Not me, though. Stille the same as ever."

You chuckle softly.

"I think perhaps you've changed," Morpheus says with a slight smile.

"Well, I may have learnt a bit from my mistakes. But, uh... doesn't seem to stop me from making them."

Morpheus smiles slightly.

"I think ita you that's changed," Hob points out.

Morpheus stops smiling. "How so?"

"I think I know why we still meet here, century ayer century." Hob leans forward and his seat. You glance at your husband curiously. "It's not because you want to see whether or not km ready to seek death. I don't think I'll ever seek death. By now, you know that about me."

You look between the two curiously. Dream's expression has changed slightly.

"So, I think you're here for something else."

"And what might that be?" Morpheus asks him.

"Friendship," Hob says simply. "I think you're lonely."

"You dare..." Your husband speaks with a light warning tone. His aura has definitely shifted. You watch him carefully.

"No, look, I'm not saying-"

"You... dare suggest one such as I might need your companionship."

"Yes. Yes, I do."

Morpheus stands. "Then I shall take my leave of you and prove you wrong."

Hob stands. Before he can do anything Morpheus takes your hand and leaves the pub. You say nothing as you follow him, feeling bad for Hob.

You had assumed yourself that they were friends.

Morpheus leads you down the street, rsin now pouring down. Hob exits the pub and follows you.

"I'll tell you what, I'll be here in 100 years' time." Hob calls out. "If you're here then too, it'll be because we're friends. No other reason, right?'

Morpheus pays him no attention. He keeps hold of your hand as he marches away.

You dare not speak about what happened.

☆☆☆

1989

Hob arrives in the pub. He orders a drink and sits down. He is so sure Dream will show up. He's bound to come in with you on his arm. You and your cheerful smile, and your brooding husband.

Friends. They were friends even if Dream denied it. Maybe Hob will even get your names this time around.

He waits.

And waits.

Neither you nor Dream come through the door. Hob wonders if Morpheus really meant what he said last time.

This was him proving he was wrong.

Robert feels a fool.

Meanwhile, the king of dreams is locked up in a glass prison down in a basement. And you are trapped in a long slumber, unable to wake without your husband.

Hob has no idea how his friend's are suffering. He is left to think their friendship is over.

☆☆☆

Which brings us to today. The New Inn. Unfortunately, the old pub has been closed down for a while. Supposedly it was going to be flats. All those years suddenly gone in the blink of an eye.

However, you had seen the sign on the fence. A smile on your face. You follow the direction it was leading to.

This new place was nice. You could definitely get used to meeting here. Perhaps more than once a century. You head inside and look around. He wasn't hard to find. You smile when your eyes land on Robert Gadling. He was working on some papers in front of him.

Slowly, you walk over to his table. You cough gently into your fist. Hob raises his head.

He smiles and stands up.

"It's you."

You nod. "It's me."

He looks behind you, searching. You know who he is looking for. You smile and get his attention back on you.

"He's on his way."

That's all Hob needed to hear. He gestures to the chair opposite him. You sit down and smile. He orders you a drink.

"I was worried when neither of you came last time," he confesses.

"We are sorry about that. There was a complication."

Hob seems to understand.

You talk with him for a while, waiting for your husband to arrive. You hope all went well with his sister. Hob does most of the talking between you, but you know he's saving the good stories for when Morpheus arrives.

A familiar hand settles on your shoulder and you smile. He is here.

"You're late," Hob says, smiling at the man behind you.

Morpheus chuckles softly. "It seems I owe you an apology. I've always heard it impolite to keep one's friends waiting."

You chuckle.

Morpheus pulls out the chair beside you and sits down. He takes your hand in his and Hob calls for more drinks.

You watch your husband as he listens to his friend. You smile.

Your Morpheus was back.

Happy wasn't enough to describe how that made you feel. He squeezed your hand gently. Everything was okay.

☆☆☆

@missdreamofendless - @mischievousvillainy - @kpopgirlbtssvt - @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy - @emarich7 - @lollipopsandlandmines - @mouth-whore -

#morpheus x reader #the sandman #symphony of dreams #female reader #dragon writes

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oleander-nin · 1 year

Note

Hihi! I love your writing for the yan!rise turtles! I'm not sure if you take requests, but, may I request a post about the yandere turtles reacting to or interacting with a s/o who copes with the stress of their kidnapping by singing? The songs I think of would be like musical style songs like ballads that really convict emotions.

If you don't take requests that's totally fine! I hope you're having a great day/afternoon/night!

A/N, not important: This isn't as Yan as I wanted it to be, but this would literally be like, the optimal situation for all of them. If it sucks majorly, just send me another ask, and I'll edit it to make it more dark. Thank you for requesting, you literally requested like a minute before I closed them you lucky duck. If you're ever curious about requesting, you can check my pinned post which has my requesting rules linked. I recommend you always check that before requesting. I'm trying to push out as many as I can because I want to clean out my inbox before I post the 100/200 follower special. It's impressive how fast these can go once I stop being such a lazy prick. Posts are probbles gonna be a bit shorter for a while, my apologies. Any criticism is welcome, constructive or not. This is supposed to be a gender neutral reader, so if I screwed up somewhere, please tell me.

-Ollie

Tw: Themes of being kidnapped, obsessive behavior, isolation(Donnie), yandere themes, coping mechanisms

Words: 639

Summary: The Yan! ROTTMNT turtles deal with a S/O that sings to cope with being kidnapped.

Mikey:

Is intrigued.

Will usually try and hang around while you’re singing, finding your voice soothing. Even if you sound like a screaming goat, he still loves it. You’re perfect, and so is your voice.

Encourages it as well.

Not only does he love to hear you sing, but he also recognizes it as a healthier coping mechanism.

When you’re singing, even if it’s a really sad song, you’re not really fighting him or using some destructive coping mechanism.

Has you sing while he draws. Feels it brings you both closer together, the both of you making a form of art. Yours just happens to be intangible.

Records it when he can and shows off your singing to his brothers.

Is very proud of you and your talent

Pretends it’s not a trauma response/a coping mechanism.

He is well aware that it is, but he likes to pretend it isn’t

Donnie:

Either sits you in his lab with him, or records you while you sing in his room.

Since those are the two main places you’re going to be, he’s able to almost always listen.

Plays the tapes of you singing when you are either refusing to speak to him, or he’s punishing you via isolation and is unable to listen to you in person.

If you sing more musical style songs, he will 100% try to duet with you, especially if it’s a love song.

Will just tell you to sing sometimes. If he gets overwhelmed, and needs some form of stimulation, he goes to you and just sits in front of you and demands you to sing.

Gets incredibly huffy if you refuse.

On the flip side, he can also get extremely irritated if you’re singing for too long or if it’s distracting him or something.

Will demand you either shut up or make you go into your little isolation room to sing since it’s soundproof.

Raph:

Just a friendly reminder for Raph’s before I get yelled at. You might not actually be smaller than him, or weaker than him, but he very much sees you that way.

Anyways, he finds it cute that you sing to deal with your stress.

You’re already so fragile and weak, but you sing to cope too?

Now that’s just plain adorable.

It’s just proof that you need him. Your mind is too feeble to deal with the stress head on.

You need him to take care of you, and he’s happy to listen to your little performances.

Will scoop you into his arms(or drag you towards him if you’re bigger) and hold you tight, having you sing away while you're stuck with him.

Doesn’t understand why you stopped singing after he grabbed you.

He’s only helping after all.

Leo:

Sits criss-cross applesauce in front of you as you sing.

Very much appreciates and likes it.

Mikey mentioned offhandedly it being your coping mechanism, and Leo thought it was a really pretty one.

Begs Donnie to figure out how to cleanly record your voice without you knowing.

He wanted to listen to you sing while he’s on patrol or in battle.

Like Donnie, would try his best to sing along.

Or hum along since he doesn't want to disrupt you too much.

Usually drops what he’s doing to come listen to you, gives you all his attention.

It’s unnerving, but he doesn't want to miss a single moment with you.

Especially not when he finds your voice such a gift.

Has you sing before you both go to sleep, likes to pull you close to his chest and bury his face into your neck as you do so.

Is incredibly conflicted, he wants to show off your voice to his brothers, but at the same time, he wants to be the only one to be able to hear you.

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cornyonmains · 9 months

Text

I am SO getting the vibe from Mew's character that he and Top are going to wind up in the 'they deserve each other' category by the end of the series.

Firstly, anyone who thinks Mew didn't 100% plan on backing out last minute on Top has not figured out the game that's being played here, because that was part of Mew's screening process. He wanted to see how Top would respond, he also wanted to bait him in so he could accomplish two things, the first is the it gives Top time to get to know him, and the second is it gives Mew time to figure out Top. See, Mew likes stories, he understands cause and effect. He understands Top's archetype in the gay hierarchy almost immediately, and knows he needs time to figure out which buttons to push. And he does.

Mew picks up fairly quickly that Top likes the dichotomy being created between them, the lothario meets boy next door, it's very storybook, it's what he understands. It's what he plays into, but not so much so that he becomes a parody, because he knows Top's intrigued by how self-possessed and sure of himself he is as well. He's also likely aware of how well-positioned he is to occupy a place in Top's life, because Top comes from a family with money, he's in his final year of college, and the reality of that is when Top does decide on someone to take home to meet the parents, it's not going to be someone like Boston. It was never going to be someone like Boston. It's going to be someone like Mew with his perfect grades, flawless social reputation, and easy-listening music. Mew knows how this game is played.

Except, he really doesn't. And that's where shit will inevitably get toxic. No amount of reading or manipulation is going to prepare him for what happens when he catches feelings, and Top manages to wrestle some of the control Mew has back. He's going to be completely in over his head when control is lost, and emotions come into play. Because emotions are what Top understands. Because he'll know exactly how to use Ray and Boston to drive a wedge between them, and get Mew to himself. And at the end of the day, Mew's sensitivity will probably see him choose Top over Boston and Ray, because he's not going to be able to shake the attachments that form after sleeping with him easily.

And let me tell you something, Boston and Ray are sure to be far from the only problems. If this is as true to the queer community as I think it's going to be, we're talking about a small community. One where certain figures are considered like... the top tier. Two well-known and desired figures in the community coming together like the next Bennifer? Oh that's gonna make waves that extend well beyond Boston and Ray. We're talking about a community where locking down certain people is front page news. We have our "It" girls, same as straight folks.

I haven't been so excited for a piece of queer media since Queer As Folk, and I mean it wasn't actually good. It was Russell T Davies using fan-fiction tropes to get good looking guys to act out his thinly veiled sex fetishes, while throwing queer women the most boring bone of all time. Only Friends is both sexy and infinitely more watchable and it's only been a single episode. I'm ready to commit to six seasons and a movie of these messy whores.

#only friends #ofts #only friends the series #forcebook #topmew #sandray #nickboston #FirstKhao #MarkNeo #thai bl #bl drama

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lamnwar · 3 months

Note

Hiii! It was me! Can i request nijimura x fem Reader? Reader was kouhai and bottle girl in teiko. Reader and nijimura became close because she often bring food or snack to practice. Thank you!

hi babe!!! 💕💕 I'm so so sorry I took this long, my laptop crashed when I was halfway through writting it and I had to wait for it to get repaired to go back to writing 😭 ANYWAYS! thank you so so much for requesting Nijimura!! He's so underrated and deserves all the love <33

When Our Spring Comes // Nijumura Shuzo x fem! Reader

Context: in which you're Nijimura's junior at Teiko, and you slowly fall for each other <3

Warnings: none! obvs it's set in middle school so it's very soft and cute and I felt like an old lady experiencing teenage love for the first time while writing it 😭

Spring has always been a bittersweet period of the year to you. When you were just a kid, it always struck you as the time where you’d be separated from your former classmates as you got to graduate and move to the upper class – and oh, was it dreadful to be separated from the group of friends you’ve built over the previous school year! Then you grew a little bit, always hoping to grow more so you awaited spring, the new classes, just a proof that you weren’t a kid anymore.

This spring, though, is rather something you dread. It’s coming quite soon – in 4 weeks from now, so it’s maybe too late for you to worry about it. But the stinging feeling in your stomach that you get every time you think of the future creeps in the minute your eyes meet Shuzo’s. He smiles, unaware of the turmoil inside of your mind. For all you know, he only thinks of you as his cute junior, here at every practice and every match, the nicest smile on your face as you hand your players a bottle of water and sweet words of motivation.

When you first enter Teiko Middle School, the basketball club was the last club you’d ever think of entering. Well, for one, basketball wasn’t quite a passion of yours, and if it was really up to you, you would have integrated a club that matches your interests better. It just happened that you fell sick on the week of club admission, hence missing the deadline and having to choose between integrating the basketball club or the Korean cinema club – which was way too niche for you. Only when you stepped foot inside the gymnasium did you understand that basketball was a big deal in Teiko; well, what other middle school team has three strings of players?

Shuzo Nijimura raised an eyebrow the first time he saw you. Polite and friendly, but definitely less passionate than the crowd of enraged teenage boys he’s used to. Though you clearly did not hide the fact that you weren’t there 100% on your own will, you still attended to your simple task of water girl and, occasionally, snack girl.

So, he’s come to know you, his cute junior. You were always there, so nice to talk to, taking notice of all these little things about the players as you spent more time amongst the team. Standing in the sideline next to him as he took his breaks, looking at the others in training. But the first time Shuzo held a proper conversation with you was during a random afternoon practice, his eyebrows furrowed as if he was in deep reflection, eyes fixed on the first years’ – some of which were your classmates – play. You followed his gaze, somewhat understand what could get him so intrigued with these boys. Despite being in the same team for a little more than two months at this point, the sight of their play never failed to stun whoever watched them.

“Say, you know Murasakibara pretty well, don’t you?” He asked, and you remember jumping a little bit when he talked to you.

“Yeah, we were in the same primary school. Weird guy, I’d say, but who am I to judge?” you chuckled.

Atsushi Murasakibara has always been a strange guy, for all the years you’d known him. You weren’t a friend of him, not even sure if he even knew your name given how disconnected with the world he was, but you were always observant, always knowing people without really knowing them.

“Man…” your captain sighed. “He makes me mad. I was hoping you’d have some tips on how to handle him.”

You raised an eyebrow, not quite sure how he’d come to think you would know.

“When I have a tough time with one of the boys, I usually try to find a way to get to them, make things easier.” He explained. “I don’t wanna say I can read people or something like that, but your classmates are tough nuts to crack.”

“Yeah, these boys… can’t say they’re your average players.”

“Right? I don’t mind having strong players in the team since they make us win, but it’s not all about the games now, is it?”

You shrugged.

“I guess.”

“Yeah, so I’m trying to decipher them one by one. Aomine’s easy, I just had to ask Satsuki. Midorima is fairly approachable, even though I don’t know many 12 years old who take themselves so seriously. And Akashi’s fine, too. But Murasakibara…”

He trailed, and you laughed a bit at the look on his face – one you’d seen quite often on your parents’ face that could clearly read “what am I going to do with that child?”

“Well Atsushi really isn’t that complicated. Not that I know him that well, but he can be bribe with snacks, if that helps.”

“Snacks?”

“Uh-huh. He becomes pretty obedient in exchange for snacks. He likes those kelp chips.”

He let out a soft laugh, then looked at you, and that was also the first time you saw Shuzo’s smile directed to you. Deep in your ribs, you felt your heart jump.

It’s been two years since then. You didn’t expect things to evolve like that. Back then, you would have never seen yourself being by Shuzo’s side even outside of the basketball court. Yet here you are. The last cold breezes of winter disheveling your hair as you try to fix it, in vain. Shuzo’s by your side, chuckling as he sees you struggle. You’ve always been jealous of how his hair never moves. Even when he’s running all around the court, his thick bangs are stable, if not for a few drops of sweat that make them appear a bit thinner. You tsk, Shuzo playfully ruffling your hair. Your heart skips a beat, but you keep it from beating to fast by breathing long and slow.

“Say, captain – “

“Told you not to call me that.” He mumbles in his scarf. “Not your captain, barely your superior in any way.”

“It’s a force of habit.”

“I know.”

“Well, I kinda liked the team better under your mandate.” You chuckle, reminiscing your first year as Teiko’s water girl. The team was something else, back then.

“Hm…” he laughs softly, “but you still love your team.”

“So do you, Shuzo.”

You smile as you watch him blush. He’s never been one to openly admit how much Teiko’s basketball team means to him, but you’ve known him long enough to see the pride in his eyes as he watches his juniors bring yet another victory to your school. You were there, the day he demoted from his position of captain; you didn’t mean to eavesdrop, you were just on your way to the teacher’s room when it happened. You never told him, though, that you’ve heard the whole conversation with coach Sanada. Even if you can understand his reason, you firmly believe that he’s the only one capable of keeping the Generation of Miracles at bay. He has that calm, commanding nature, somewhat nurturing despite its rough aspect. But at the end of the day, your opinion doesn’t matter much.

Anyways, he’s not here for long. One month, you counted. And then he’ll move on, and you’ll be left with no… no him around anymore. The realisation hit you, and you try to supress it but it’s hard. You wish he was around longer, would have made your life brighter. You sigh, nudging his shoulder gently.

“You’ll keep playing in high school, right?” you ask as you both stop at a crossway.

“Depends on my dad’s health.”

Ah, yes. That. You suddenly feel bad for your selfish feelings. Doesn’t matter how you feel about him, as your captain or as a person, his decisions weren’t made thoughtlessly. Shuzo loves his dad maybe more than he’s willing to show. You’ve realized it when he would take some extra snacks that you’ve made for practice, telling you that his dad would love these and he’d take them to the hospital on his next visit. So, on those days you’d have these special snacks, you’d sneak a little pouch of them in his bag. He never said a word about it, but you’d see his face the next day when he’d tell you about his visit to his dad. You don’t have to ask; he’ll just tell you if he feels like it. And every time, you’ll lend an ear.

“Man…” you tsk.

He raises his eyebrows, surprised by your sudden exclamation. While he looks at you, you deviate your gaze to your gloves-covered hands.

“Don’t wanna think about how you’ll probably find yourself another water girl wherever you’re going after Teiko.”

He’s silent for a few seconds, before the soft sound of his laugh creeps into your ears. Your efforts to hide your blushing face in your scarf reveals itself to be a failure; it’s ok, right? He’ll probably think it’s the cold, right?

“I won’t replace you, you know. I don’t think I can.”

“Huh?”

It’s your turn to stare at him dumbfounded. Shuzo’s face is surprisingly serene, despite the weight of his words. To your heart, it sounds like a confession, but you’d be a fool to bet on that. Being friends is all you ever are, never more. It’s an insane possibility, yet…

“I’ll miss you, you know, when I’ll be in high school.”

He stops, looking at the sky. It’s clear and blue, far from the storm brewing in his body. Shuzo Nijimura has never been vocal about his feelings, let alone those of such softness. The confidence with which he’s uttered these words stuns him first; but his heart is about to burst at any moment.

“Well… we don’t have to part ways either.” You mumble.

“You mean that?”

You nod. He’s silent. He’s never thought of that as an option. But now that you’ve said it, he’s struck by the sudden realisation that he’s absolutely an idiot.

“Hey.”

“Yeah?” you look up at him, confused.

“You’re receiving a promotion, if you accept it.” He looks away for a second, before facing you with the kind of determination he only shows on the basketball court.

A small smile paints itself on your face, seeing his fists rolled in ball like he’s about to fight you. Well, he’s rather fighting himself.

“I’ll promote you. From my water girl to my girlfriend. Would you like that?”

“Eh?!”

The look on your face would normally make him laugh, but he rather not. If anything, he’s on the verge of cardiac arrest. Mere seconds have passed, but it feels like you’re taking forever to give him an answer. But then you do.

“I’d like that, yeah.”

Shuzo’s arms are quick to wrap around you, pushing you in a tight embrace while you take a minute to reciprocate the hug. His erratic heartbeats resonate through your body as it sinks in just how much this entire moment means for him. You close your eyes, humming against his chest.

“God, I’m so glad you didn’t reject that lame confession.”

You laugh, daring to leave a soft kiss on his cheek.

“Like I ever would, captain.”

He follows your words with a heartfelt chuckle, one that feels warm like those late winter sunrays that kiss your face right now.

And in this moment, the thought of spring coming has your heart blooming.

#here it is!#i was so happy to write on him thanks for the request love <33 #knb #kuroko no basuke #nijiumura shuzo #knb x reader #nijimura x reader #knb fluff

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rinadragomir · 7 months

Text

I finished 5 chapters of The Sword Catcher and here's my tiny baby rate🐣no spoilers, feel safe

Plot: 8.5/10 so far

Drama - check, magic mystery - check, BROTHEL SCENE MY BELOVED - check, very good atmosphere, pretty unique. The Royal Court intrigues, criminal city, dark secrets. I mean, not so much happened yet, but I believe it'll get better soon. I feel so excited that I'm able to read MATURE fantasy after years of devouring TSC. Like a fresh unknown air which confuses you in the beginning but also makes you excited🤌🏻

Characters: let's say 8/10 - for characters themselves; 10/10 - for characters dynamics

Cause we didn't get proper character development yet, for obvious reasons, but interactions between characters are YUMMY YUMMY, you'll remember every little dialogue, even between minor characters✨

Writing: 9/10

The first two chapters were like a challenge, I tried to fight the text and the text fought back🤺! You'll have to learn LOTS of new terms pretty fast but after chapter 2-3 you'll understand most of it. Cassie's really good at making you invested, even if you're not sure what's going on. Perfect balance between descriptions and dialogues, and all descriptions are so bright and detailed and just overall so far from being ordinary.

Beautiful, dramatic and touching quotes that I'll be able to use in edits: 100/10

Conor held out his hand. Kel grasped it, and Conor pulled him close. This part was ritual, muscle memory. Kel had done it countless times, though he still felt a faint shiver up his spine as he looked at Conor.

“I am the Prince’s shield,” he said. “I am his unbreakable armor. I bleed that he might not bleed. I suffer that he might never suffer. I die that he might live forever.”

“But you will not die,” said Conor, releasing his hand. It was what he always said—not part of the ritual, but habit nonetheless.

#sword catcher #cassadra clare #tsc #book review #sw

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mixelation · 1 year

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In your last ask about Tori being reborn into Naruto, one of the tags mentions the akatsuki being reborn? Do you mind going into that? As in the akatsuki being reborn into different villages after they die?

no, the premise is more like a time travel fic where the time travelers end up in their younger bodies. so the akatsuki are still themselves but now they have.... Future Knowledge(tm). i've been going back and forth a lot on how this would change their decision making processes because obviously some of them could have huge effects on the canon plot. kakuzu, for example, is old enough he could probably prevent any ninja village from being founded in he played his cards right.

some ideas:

i am intrigued by the idea of kakuzu killing hashirama and preventing konoha from ever happening, but also this isn't the story to explore that. instead he decides to fuck off and be a missing-nin earlier, because he doesn't want to fuck with his village any more than he has to

hidan makes zero changes to his life. good job, hidan

sasori still makes himself a puppet, but maybe does it when he's older? like i feel like when i was 16 i was like "yeah, being a teenager forever is a good idea" but as an adult i'm like "but sasori would be so hot if he actually looked 35?" also he might get taller. so i think with the wisdom of age he might wait a bit. i also feel like he might have the motivation/ability to interfere in how the war that killed his parents went (i think it was the second one?) but that's another moving piece i'm still rotating

i haven't decided how this is going to play out in plasticity, but for this AU let's say konan and pein understand zetsu/obito's roles in ruining the world. they preemptively murder obito, oops. depending on how they do this (and how aware minato is of how obito died), it means ame's relationship with konoha could look REAL different. also not 100% sure what i want to do with yahiko/ame in general. still rotating this part

konan and pein's intervention does mean minato & kushina are still alive and kicking. itachi is confused but he's going with this. danzo's still a slimeball but the massacre isn't really on the table anymore. i'm also leaning towards a scenario where itachi is really, really bad at pretending to be A Normal Child and ends up in ANBU even earlier and is confused about why he's unhappy with this

without obito around to brainwash the mizukage, kiri is more stable and kisame is just chugging along there (although he's firmer about turning down some missions--- and good enough no one can really argue with him)

Deidara's origin story in Plasticity is that his family is just some farmers with proto-mouth hands and Iwa is paying them to churn out a bunch of children to see if they can make a new bloodline limit. Some of the gamete donors are likely ninja, but Deidara was born on a farm and not slorped up into the Iwa system never to see his family again until he was Academy age. Post time travel, Deidara remembers family never paid much attention to him, and he has no reason to want to go back to Iwa, so he just runs away at like age 5

The crux of all this is that none of them actually knows the entire akatsuki has time traveled. Like Nagato and Konan obviously know the other one time traveled and everyone is aware this timeline is Different, but it hasn't occurred to anyone to seek out other members and they don't bump into each other organically because they're all in very different parts of the world. Since she's the main character, obviously Tori gets to the catalyst for people running into each and pointing like the spiderman meme

Since Tori doesn't HAVE a family in Ninjaland to be reborn into, she's brought up as an orphan in a ninja clan that unaffiliated with any village. I just like the idea that there's still some of these kicking around. Since she's not a real part of the family, she gets treated like shit and doesn't really get formal ninja training. B U T the family heads are entering Cahoots with Orochimaru and he's like: what's this? Spare orphans???

Orochimaru obviously eventually completely fucks over the family (maybe they have some interesting kekkai genkai/jutsu he just runs off with while their home burns), but Tori knows exactly what to say and how to act to get into his good graces. But ALSO she's acutely aware she's playing a very dangerous game and abandons ship a few years later, preferably in a very dramatic way where she screws over Orochimaru as much as she can.

(Revenge? She's not worried about that. This is only endearing herself to him.)

I'm going back and forth on what her ~abilities~ are, but I want to keep that she has no elemental affinity. I also can't see her as someone whose gut reaction to a situation would be "I can fight my way out of this" even if she's technically been trained to be competent at it. What she DOES have is a new and creative ways to push the field of fuinjutsu forward. Also toyed around with the idea of misappropriating medical jutsu to fuck shit up? she is not a taijutsu specialist but you should not fight her hand-to-hand, oops

(also, yes, she can throw knives now)

Tori is right between Deidara and Itachi in age so I was thinking while she's wandering around as a 12 year old feral ninja or whatever she is, she somehow runs into Deidara? And then something goes EXTREMELY WEIRD and they both end up in Konoha. This Deidara is technically affiliated with Iwa, but he was never one of them and he's obviously a genius, so I think most of Konha leadership would be like :EYES EMOJI: at him? Tori was affiliated with Konoha's scariest missing-nin, so.... that's suspicious, but also something something she's deidara one friend and that kid needs someone else's braincell.

so, my EXTREMELY convoluted and cracktastic take was then: Minato needs to do something super sneaky at a Chunin Exam for some reason. He wants to send in a fake genin team as entrants, but he'd prefer to use younger shinobi so there's less suspicion. Kushina has been bugging him for a genin team for years. He gives her the extra super special DISASTER team of Itachi, Deidara and Tori*

*tbh i don't super like kushina but i like the idea of her as tori's mentor. their personalities are VERY different but i think kushina would ave a lot of sympathy for a young girl trying to settle into a foreign village, oh and also do you want to do something wild with yogurt

#fic: plasticity #tori isn't like a genius at taijutsu or chakra so she seems like an extremely average genin #until suddenly she isn't :)#reborn au

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danyvhell-writes · 11 months

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General Kuras headcanons (Touchstarved)

GN reader - no warnings | Literally my second fav character in this game, love him sm ! Had a lot to say about this sweet angel so here we are. I want him to read me a bedtime story, then we can cuddle. Also I might post about Leander next time...

• Divine smell like omg the aromas, the fragrance ! A mix of clean clothes, nutmeg, honeysuckle & jasmine. (my personal fav but it's up to you)

• Radiates warmth, physically and also in terms of energy. Whenever he's near you, you can't help but relax and feel welcome. He makes you feel safe no matter what. He thinks it's cute that you like hugging him so much.

• If you're short don't worry ! Kuras won't mind reaching things you can't, he'll be your personal assistant for high supplies you can't get.

• We know he uses he/him pronouns but being an angel, a being of pure light & love, would technically make him genderless/agender ? Can he shapeshift ? Surely, but who truly knows... Ah what a gorgeous mysterious being.

• He's able to perceive souls and energies. He doesn't need to 'know' people to actually know them if that makes sense.

• He finds you fascinating and so do you ! You love listening to whatever he has to say because it's genuinely so interesting, his thought process is so intriguing. You two always have endless conversations about so many topics ! You'd never have thought he'd be this talkative but oh do you enjoy it.

• Have a calm reading session with him and he's yours ! This is his vision of the perfect date. Can't read because you're tired ? He'll read for you while you relax, charmed by his soothing voice. Of course, he loves your voice too ! Read him your favourite book, he will listen with much attention. He's all ears.

• If you're a very spiritual person, you'll love him even more. Talk to him about spirits, energies, deities etc… there's so much he'll teach and explain to you ! This tall guy is full of knowledge (big brain over here).

• Remember when he said "Do not be afraid." ? He meant it ! I think he's still used to his original form and so doesn't want to scare anyone. His current form is more accessible for mortals and he's trying his best to 'fit in'. (His incarnation is the opposite of scary but I don't think he realizes how attractive he is)

• He's omnilingual. That's it. No but fr, I don't know what his role is/was precisely as an angel (if he was a messenger or a guardian) but he understands any languages ! He tries to hide this ability because how could he explain it without sounding suspicious ? "How do I know javanese & martiniquan creole ? Oh, well it's a long story. I do not think you would find this interesting, really MC."

• Want to share jewelry with him ? Of course, go on. Give him your stuff, he'll love wearing whatever you have especially if it's golden. If you have big earrings like his he'll love them, big 10/10, sharing is caring as we say ! You guys would switch earrings a lot and I think it's adorable.

• If you're polyglot, he'd appreciate greatly to talk with you in your native tongue or other. Need some help with your vocabulary or something ? He's here to help ! Don't hesitate to ask him anything. → Would be really fun to have you, Kuras and Ais talking in other languages together ! Imagine the possibilities !!! Such interesting conversations omg

• 100% the type of person to gift you accessories and aesthetic presents. "This brooch reminded me of you ! I thought you would like to add it to your collection. What do you think ?" and you're just standing "???? Thanks omg you're so sweet !" 😭

• I'm sure he has a lot of fun facts about anatomy and medicine in general. He's also the type of person to tell the most gruesome anecdote about one of his patient and go "Oh but they are completely fine now, you do not need to worry MC :)" like okay if you say so doc…

• We know he's not the most expressive but you get him with a simplicity that is surprising ! Whether it's the tone he uses, his choice of words or the way he looks at his interlocutor, you can easily decipher how he feels. People say he's distant and appears a little cold but you know he's the most affectionate person you've ever seen !

• Always buys you food and invites you to eat outside to make up for the fact that he cooks badly ! He's truly sorry for his poor cooking skills but is always willing to feed you the best products in town. Please, teach him some basics. How can you be a good doctor when your food is causing stomach aches ??

• Afraid to be too comfortable around him ? Don't worry, he's a doctor. If you think sneezing or burping in front of him is embarrassing, remember he sees sick people and corpses on a daily basis. ↑ If you happen to sneeze next to him and feel gross because of the snot, no prob ! He'd simply go "Oh, bless you. Do you need a tissue ? I have my handkerchief if you want." with his cute lil smile.

• If texting was a thing in TS, he would 100% overuse the ":)" smiley. You'll find it at the end of every freakin text, you can't run away from it lmaoeuzfh. "Good morning MC, how are you ? :)" "One of my patient has been affected by -insert horrible affliction-, therefore I will see you this afternoon :)" "I'm deeply sorry to hear that your mentor passed away, may they rest in peace :)" "Ais said that I, I quote, 'give off milf energy' ? Would you mind explaining this term to me ? I asked Leander but he seemed uncomfortable. :)"

• Likes going on walks with you. Think you can't keep up with his long legs ? Just wrap your arm around his and he won't lose you. He's very careful to adapt to your pace so you can enjoy the moment. → Would definitely pick flowers for you while you guys are strolling around the city. He knows flower language so he'd tell you what they mean if you want. Also you have to tell him your favourite flower(s), he'll gift you the best bouquets ever (he would make them himself of course) !

• He's a doctor so he might go picking plants and flowers for his medicines. Just imagine him with a little basket, wandering around fields like a little witch :') Go flowerpicking with him please 😩 he'd love to share this activity with you !

• Whenever you get home after spending time with him, you always find white feathers hidden on & in your clothes. Can be on your vest, in your pockets, even in your bag ! At first you wonder if Kuras doesn't own a bird and he's like "Oh ! Do not worry, these are mine." "Yours ? Like your pet's ?" "No dear, mine. I happen to lose my feathers sometimes, it's not convenient and I am sorry if this bothers you." "...Oh hm, okay ?". So then you just collect them cause they're pretty and soft. (He wouldn't mind if you used the small ones to stuff your pillows really.)

• Lets you braid his hair. If you have some pretty accessories that go well with his aesthetic, don't hesitate ! He likes how you touch his hair with softness, always careful.

• This is him. No need for further explanation.

#touchstarved game #touchstarved #kuras #touchstarved kuras #kuras x reader #gn reader #touchstarved headcanons #headcanons #touchstarved demo #red spring studios #kuras is so elegant and just divine !! i love him #he's so mother #give me requests if you guys want ! I'll be glad tbh #my hcs

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let-us-cultivate-our-garden · 2 months

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Hey, I stumbled across your last post addressing the toh blog critiquing fans of belos and how they engage with the show and i'd like to put my 2 cents in as an au creator who has belos featured in my aus.

When I made arofam, I was just goofing around, it was before s2 officially aired and I thought at work one day "oh, belos and this gg kid look like parallels to luz and eda, wouldn't an au swapping them be funny?". I made that au based solely on that, and everything after that was straight up just me trying to work around everything the show was throwing at me and try and adapt it in the au. It became more emotional with time, but it wasn't built on a foundation of trying to make his canon self less bad nor excuse anything he did. (Undoubtedly that goofy au just made me more invested in those characters over time).

Like we didn't even know belos's plans, his abuse of the ggs, his brother, nothing, when I made the au. The show really had to make me work to make belos likable in my au after that.

I say this because it's why it's wrong to always make assumptions about ppl based on what they create or are engaged in. You don't have to like the content yourself, but there's a variety of reasons ppl make aus with philip in a prominent role. Some wanna explore him in unique ways that canon can't, some are intrigued by his backstory and wanna play with that, and some are like me who just woke up one day and thought " Ok, but what if we did a silly with him?".

It would be wrong to categorize everyone into one box, with the same ideals and same opinions. Not everyone will have the same draws but assuming the worst of a fan who likes to play with the main antagonist in noncanon work or personally have different opinions on his execution in the show is extremely judgemental and hurtful because a lot of these fans are just having fun and have very little malicious intent.

If you have criticism of the work and wanna kindly address it to the creator, then sure, they might be allowed to give their opinions on where they were coming from while they're at it in case the work was misinterpreted.

But you can genuinely hurt ppl and creators by throwing them under a " bad person" label without allowing yourself to understand them or their work and why they made the choices they did.

I guess the point I'm making here is, fans engage with the media they like for a number of reasons, if you're going to make accusations on them, at least have clear solid reasons rather then basing it on pure assumptions based on work that might not even really be that deep in the first place or even just the comments of a few fans.

If they're being purposely malicious and awful then sure.

But sometimes it's really not that deep, some ppl just wake up one day and wanna imagine a swap au with belos or wanted a cooler death.

People shouldn't be crucified online for that.

100% agree with you there! I've stated before that this fandom has a tendency to connect a person's morality to the type of media they consume or how they engage with it. It's really unsettling, tbh.

You don't like AUs that redeem Belos? Or make him a goofy uncle? Or make Caleb the evil emperor?

Then don't read them. You're not the target audience.

In other words...

I hope any and all creators with a Belos AU aren't discouraged because some ninny on the net, who thinks they're the arbiter of social justice, got mad because they decided to have fun with a fictional character.

Fandom is not activism.

Just chill and let people put the old man in a dress.

#the owl house #emperor belos #philip wittebane #fandom shenanigans #asks

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iwritenarrativesandstuff · 11 months

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Here's a collection of Trigun Stampede thoughts and observations I had from someone who has only seen this series, since big long posts rarely go over well lol. I'm really intrigued to contrast with the manga later and see if I get similar takeaways... I'm eagerly willing to expand on any of these if anyone is interested but for now they will exist as loose point forms! Hopefully this is coherent!

Firstly: Vash my beloved... please be nicer to yourself... please... you are so kind...

Meryl and Knives are the lead active/driving forces of the show, in contrast to most everyone else's passivity and Vash's reactivity

Meryl's influence on Roberto over the course of the story - she actually has him taking a pretty firm stance later on (which is likely the opinion he held all along, he just buried it), which brings me to the next point-

Conrad and Knives claim to be looking to the future but ignore the present - Roberto dismisses this because those who won't even save a life in front of them in the present moment won't save anyone (this is more in keeping with what Vash does)

The juxtaposition between Conrad and Luida's methods are great and I hope we return to that in the next season

I love Meryl. This is not an observation or analysis it is merely a statement of fact. :)

I wonder if we'll get more Zazie and Meryl interactions. Zazie seems to find Meryl intriguing at the very least. I also just like Zazie and think this could be a really interesting dynamic.

I would also like to see more of Rem, hopefully outside of the biased recollections of Vash and Nai... I still don't feel like I know anything about her :(

Ideals in the service of people (Vash) vs people in the service of ideals (Knives)

Most of the children in the series literally age too quickly. There's a lot to examine there.

Given the attempts to create Independent-like humans by Conrad and the rapid aging of these children... is the serum created from Plants?

Vash 🤝 Me: "Wolfwood" 🥺 (I'm kidding, I'm kidding... mostly.)

Vash and Wolfwood are not fundamentally different, as they first appear to be, but are actually quite similar in their drives (protection of others at personal cost) - the difference in their perspectives comes down to the scope of what they swore to protect (with Wolfwood's being far more limited, thus there are outsiders) and propensity to hope (Vash will act on hope without solid proof, while Wolfwood needs the proof but will jump on it if he sees it - interesting for someone who is associated with religion and faith)

Wolfwood's version of mercy is an unfortunate form of projection (aka Legato is a fucking idiot for thinking removing Wolfwood's attachments would lead him to be solely devoted to Knives. my dude, I am pretty sure that attachment plus raw survival instinct is the only thing keeping him going)

Vash: allows himself to get shot and reveals his scars / Wolfwood: >:O !!! / also Wolfwood: repeatedly takes hits either shielding people or just plain not dodging when he 100% could / Me: 😐

I wish we'd gotten some breathing room in the series. That's my number one gripe about it. Specifically, I wanted a little more time with Wolfwood to get to know him in the present before we got into him having the worst life of his fucking life in the span of two episodes... I also wanted to see a little more of this world that Vash cares about so much! I understand the manga and 98 series do this a little better so I'm excited to see that. Meryl's arc was great though!

Loved the really clever way the flashbacks are done!!! Nai is barely focused on at first, then as his character is slowly revealed, he gets the camera focus and childish behaviours more and more!!!

Huge themes of autonomy and choice. I think they're actually more the point than the whole morality aspect. It's not as important that Vash be perfectly moral and right than it is that his philosophy allows people the chance to choose and change for themselves - Knives' doesn't grant anyone that choice, and in fact, he and the people under him actively remove free will (breaking Vash's mind, the experimentation on Rollo, Wolfwood and Livio, what he did to... the Plants... etc.)

Vash is genuinely angry at Nai in a way he doesn't seem to be with anyone else. I do think a part of him can't forgive what happened to Rem or the emotional strain that comes with watching someone you love repeatedly do horrible things. I don't know if humanity could hurt him the way Nai has. The worst part is that I don't think Nai fully comprehends how badly he has hurt Vash. He looked so confused and hurt when Vash trained the gun on him for the first time. The "ominous piano playing" probably isn't meant to be ominous at all, once we see they used to play that piece together. Nai's been playing it on loop for so long. He wants his brother to come home. :(

The twins treat each other like an extension of themselves for a lot of the story, which is somewhat ironic for a couple of Independents. Vash blames himself and seeks to atone for his brother's actions, Nai thinks any differing opinion his brother has is a result of corruption instead of him being his own person. That is why it is a triumph when Vash finally asserts his identity away from Knives in episode 12, declaring himself his own person. That is why it is a tragedy when Nai would rather let his old self die, figuratively and literally, than accept that.

Nai did not want Rem dead. I stand by this strongly. His anger at her is I believe in part to justify her death in his mind.

Nai wants to return to a time of safety more than anything (the higher dimension is like an "egg", the ship's dome around the two as children, the quietness of the tree, etc.).

Tesla 🤝 Livio: products of human experimentation who really ought to be dead but apparently... aren't??? I am putting them both in my pocket and running away

#had to write this all down before i started the manga... agh i am so behind...#anyways. please. please talk to me about trigun.#trigun #trigun stampede #tristamp #trigun meta #storyrambles #vash the stampede #meryl stryfe #nicholas d. wolfwood #roberto de niro #<- i cannot believe they actually named him that. dfhvbsdfhvb #millions knives

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evenmoreofadisaster · 4 months

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the last chapter was my favorite in the whole fic so far! I'm very invested and very pleased to see how fleshed out this has become- I absolutely love the dynamics. I'm so intrigued to see how this story plays out, thank you for the wonderful writing!

Apologies if this has been asked before, but regarding Two not getting enough praise and feeling lesser than in comparison to One, is there a particular vulnerability that hurts more than the others? I'm assuming the list is fairly long but the ones I can think of are their names, his softshell, his tech malfunctioning, and his lost arm.

(I think this was in reference to Smart Lair, I just took a while to respond, sorry about that)

Thank you! I don't think this has been asked before actually

I think those are the main things so I'll just dig into them a bit more ehe

yeah, the names are a big one, mostly because of the ranks associated with them.

Two's tech is another important one since he thinks it's the only thing that makes him truly valuable (as an extension of his intellect). So, when One insults his tech or it malfunctions he gets defensive and takes criticism personally.

I would say the lost arm and softshell are insecurities to a lesser extent. Two's more sensitive about the experiment he conducted than the lost arm itself. That's mostly because Draxum uses it as a reason not to trust Two to work unsupervised, which justifies Two's lower rank, while One uses it to take Two's credibility away when he needs to (I feel like that's mostly for the events in the fic, though, since he's actively trying to deceive Draxum AND Two). Two personally sees the actual amputation as proof that he can not only come back from anything but come back even better than before, in this case with the enhanced prosthetic. So, it's a bit of a complicated subject for him since Draxum only sees it as a reason to distrust him. I don't really think Two would be insecure about losing an arm, since we figured Draxum would be able and willing to train him to fight without it (I can't remember if we mentioned Two more directly removing himself from training than Draxum, who just avoided him for a bit.) So it's more the accident itself and the way it changed his reputation that he's insecure about. The arm is a sensitive subject as a reminder of his personal and professional failure. I tried to sort of hint at that in this comic.

I haven't actually thought of Two's softshell being an insecurity in depth before but now that I am I'd say it's a sort of similar situation. Two, like canon Donnie, is aware that his softshell is a weak spot that his brother does not have to worry about, which is why it's a comparative disadvantage. As far as I understand, softshell carapaces aren't SUPER fragile on their own, they're just more fragile than other turtles. So Two would have the same kind of durability as a normal yokai or human child. Perhaps when he was younger he was more insecure about it because Draxum would probably warn Two and One to be careful which would just be an early example of One stepping up as the 'oldest' which Two isn't super happy about (I've talked about Two struggling with feeling respected in the household). But when he's older, probably after he lost his arm and after One's accident he ends up just erasing the weak point by giving it defensive capabilities. I wouldn't be surprised if he installed them after giving himself the arm as if to overcompensate for losing the arm in the first place. Like, in stead of just fixing his mistake so he's as he was before, he's showing he'll make himself even better, both by adding enhanced systems and tools to his prosthetic and by giving himself the spines. But i'm not 100% sure so that may change lol. But anyway, the shell is a vulnerability by being something people can use to prove that One is better than Two, and by being a literal weak spot as a turtle. Two installs the spines in his shell so that his enemies can't take advantage of his soft shell, and so that he has a way to make himself equal to and even surpass the tactile advantage that One gets from his shell. "Take that, mother nature" --Two, probably.

Aside from those, another vulnerability would be Two's temperament. He's got a lot of anger and aggression that he doesn't have much control over, which can make him a liability for One and Draxum, and thus makes him anxious because the more emotional he gets the more of a problem he is. It's just another reason Draxum can't fully trust Two, and he knows it. Two's unpredictable, temperamental, and pretty uncontrollable when he wants to be. I love these qualities because it really shows how passionate Two is, and is a good tell for when Two is really hurting or adamant about something, but One and Draxum will shut Two up by telling him he's forgetting himself or being overemotional, and it's one of the things that Two is not proud of so it usually works. Two tries to remain unaffected and composed and usually succeeds except when it comes to his anger, which is usually born from anxiety or hurt.

That one ties into the vulnerability that hurts the most, which is the notion that Two is a "loose cannon," as One puts it in Smart Lair. It's what ties back to most of the stuff that is on this list and is a big topic in Mind Meld and Smart Lair. In Mind Meld, Two snaps at Splinter when he calls his experiments crazy ("'I am not crazy!'"). He gets worked up when One messes with his technology because, of course, it's his job and he takes it very seriously, but it's also because every haywire experiment is just another docked point against his credibility, and the same goes for his emotional outbursts. He got the label when he did the experiments that got himself and One hurt, and being a high profile criminal in the Hidden City just proves the point and further threatens Draxum's mission. Draxum doesn't trust Two because he is afraid of what he's capable of, but instead of respecting Two's commitment he calls his unpredictable behavior a flaw that keeps him in the second rank. Two's furious because his ambition and passion are labelled as unpredictable and erratic, and that leaves Two constantly trying to fight against behavior that he believes makes him an invaluable asset to Draxum. So that's why Two fluctuates between following orders without question and working on really dangerous projects on his own

Great ask! thank you! I hope this all makes sense :)

#emd asks

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misculenica · 1 year

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Expressions + Mannerisms (part 2)

By semi-popular demand, another analysis of Solas and his expressions :)

For all you fanfiction writers and solavellans!

I would like to state, for the record, a lot of what I say/have said is purely my own personal interpretations and understandings, and by no means should you take my word as gospel here. This is just some fun :)

I stated in a previous post (I shall call 'Part 1' for simplicity) how Solas has 2 expressions; his 'in the moment' expressions, in which his true feelings are on display, and his 'in character' expressions, in which he's very much putting on a persona.

If you're in solavellan hell, have some hyperfixation-tendencies and/or unresolved feelings towards a specific fictional character (like myself), you'll probably be able to tell the difference between these 2 expressive states of his.

Allow me to elaborate ;)

Solas, In the Moment "when he's honest/caught off-guard/not 'in character'"

Solas clearly has trouble with lying; he's rather terrible at it. I would go so far as to say he only ever lies to you once in the entire game (lying outright, I mean); and it is after the Winter Palace;

"You miss court intrigue... When were you at court?"

"Oh. Well, never... Directly, of course." <- big stuttering liar.

He can't lie worth a damn, but he's by no means honest; he's manipulative, deceptive and sly. I believe I heard someone describe him once as having a 'malicious compliance with/towards the truth'.

I believe his expressions, as well as mannerisms, follow this mentality.

I'll show you several images/scenes in which I believe Solas is being honest/showing himself without his guard up. (And in 2. Solas, In Character, I will show you the contrast).

This one will be hard to show without gifs (which I'm clueless on how to create, forgive me);

A. He blinks a lot, very a-rhythmic.

B. He gets this look about him, and I don't know how to describe it, beyond "'scuse me?" (the long face gets longer, shrug)

Genuinely surprised:

C. He looks very deep in thought/far away - and sad (this man needs some therapy) this is the face he makes when he knows no-one can see him (I'll make a part 3 going into these comparatives of 'you can see me'/'you can't see me');

No ones looking, it's okay (it's not, but whatever) face :

D. He just looks sad when he's being quiet/honest/not putting on some bravado/persona. (You know how 'resting bitch face' is a thing? This man has a resting depressed face, and i think it has to do with the tragedy - he practically embodies philosophical pessimism)

Acceptance/I don't see a way forward/I need a break face:

E. He has the softest look about him when he's touched/shown affection (yes these are all from the dream-kiss scene) (bless my poor solavellan heart)

Yes, I like to be held, please kiss me on my face face:

F. Smug face... He has a smug face (to be fair, this is literally him revealing he has complete control over when you're awake/asleep... and much more, given the context of Tevinter Nights - idk this face always creeped me out actually XD like i knoooow this guy could fuck me up if he wanted)

"It's my world, you're all just living in it" face:

G. He fidgets a lot when it's just him, or he's talking to you honestly. Like he always has to be doing something with his hands. (I noticed he doesn't do it when he's in groups, or with others) - not a facial expression but I thought it was interesting behaviour. In fact, his movements in general increase a lot - he fidgeted, he sways, he wobbles, he gestures, moves his head a lot. (Just watch all of his personal quest, you'll see what I mean). (He also does this when you first meet him, but I chalk it up to he's just super excited that you're not dead and finally you can fix his mess - since he was 100% sure you'd be dead and he was ready to bolt with his 'i didn't say it was a good plan' plan)

At the risk of just listing typically behaviour in people with certain emotions, I'll move on to his 'in character' part.

2. Solas, In Character.

A. He blinks rhythmically, every like... 5/6 seconds?? (yeah, I know... I do have a hobby besides this stuff i swear XD i just like this egg). It's soothing, like a heartbeat. The blinking just always stood out to me with his character, idk.

B. He smiles a lot, but I can't tell if I know who he is and what he's doing, and that's clouding my vision, but it feels very much like a job interview kind of smile. Like, every split second it falters just a bit.

This man just doesn't want to smile (though, I suppose this is early in game when he's very much 'these aren't people' 'oh i have to pretend really hard rn'

C. He stands pretty damn still and stiff - if he's doing this i'm 99% sure he's being manipulative with you, sometimes the only movements he has in a scene is him blinking, perhaps glancing sideways. - think just before the journey to skyhold when he gives you a talk about the orb and how you need to prove yourself - he's in 110% manipulative mode

The trouble with Solas is, he doesn't have many tells - but the ones he does have are big. And, without delving into scenes as they stand, I'd have a hard time expressing this.

But I will leave you with my favourite expression-transition in the entire game.

How he goes from optimism/pride when standing beside Inky, to when the figure passes him, his expression becomes so serious/foreboding. I love it so much.

And I once again want to mention how much I just adore the little details of animation, from eye movement, skin twitches, or full on bodily movement. - especially for a character I adore. It's beautiful to look at, especially as someone who studied animation (absolutely wasted degree on me, I swear) and gets very attached to fictional characters (particularly ones as complicated as the dread egg).

In future parts, provided I get flycam to work on my pc - I'll be able to go through scenes of the egg to give him a bit more of an in-depth view (with gifs and whatnot, can you imagine?).

#dragon age #dragon age inquisition spoilers #dragon age spoilers #dragon age inquisition #solas #solavellan hell #fen'harel #the wait for dreadwolf is getting to me guys #dragon age analysis

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