#But he still cannot stand the idea of putting someone else in that position

[somegrumpynerd]

Hc that the boys sometimes joke about one of them being Nightmare's favourite or discuss who it would be even after he tells them he doesn't have one. They think he's saying it in denial like a parent saying they don't have a favourite child, but really he refuses to let himself favour one of them over the others because he knows exactly how it feels to be not the favourite

[trans-emet-selch]

I have always found it interesting that the WoL refers to Emet-Selch as not Emet-Selch but as Hades.

Sure, the journal entry is named Emet-Selch. But the first thing written there is that his true name was Hades. You also see this when you describe him to the Minstrel for his extreme trial.

Additionally, the description of the trial alludes to this as well. As when we talk about those we have faced in the First. We talk and refer to him as Hades. Which is also written similarly to the journal. Both of which were described/written by the WoL.

"Hearken unto a requiem for a hero fallen. A man who lived a thousand thousand of our lives clinging desperately to faint hope, never shirking his sworn duty to his long-lost brethren. A man who stood proud and did avow his true name on the threshold of the battle that would see him fall to his rival—the light to quench his shadow. Borrowing liberally from the funereal rites of the Night's Blessed, the minstreling wanderer weaves an elegy in that hero's honor—the tragic-yet-triumphant tale of a man and a battle that ne'er shall be forgotten."

You can also see this in the quest dialogue and while we cannot know the exact words the WoL used (as it is your own intrepretation of it) it is still clear that the WoL didn't refer to Emet-Selch as Emet-Selch they call him Hades.

For the WoL, this is about honoring the man who held steadfast to his ideas. Who fought for his loved ones just as much as the WoL does. Not the Ascian Emet-Selch. To honor and remember Hades as he once lived.

There is however, the matter brought up by the Minstrel: Why did Emet-Selch reveal his name to the Wol?

We do have a simple meta reason why: Hades is a recurring Summon across the Final Fantasy games. Using the name Hades is just natural to do so.

However, let's look at this from an in-lore perspective as well. For which we can look to what he says and speculate.

In the quest, Return to Eulmore, before leaving to Wright you can question Emet-Selch over the information he gives in the cutscene before. Revealing to us that Emet-Selch, along with the rest of the ascians encountered, is merely a title inherited. Their true names are hidden to take up the name and position of their seat.

You can, upon hearing this, ask him for his true name:

His reply to this is rather interesting:

There are a couple of things to note from his response. Firstly, he doesn't outright dismiss telling you his name, only says that eventually he'll reveal it. Of course, this hinges upon you living through your trials in putting down the Lightwardens and containing the light within, or simply dying from other matters.

But this would be disappointing for him. This dialogue ties into what he proposes to you later in The View From Above. To stand with him as allies. He doesn't propose this to the rest of the Scions, just the WoL. He dangles these threads because he wants them to reach back as Azem would. The WoL dying would be disappointing, and he would have to begin his search anew for Azem's soul.

We don't know if Emet-Selch has encountered Azem's shards before the WoL. Maybe he had or maybe he didn't. But it wouldn't change the fact that the WoL's death would have him searching again.

Even as he hurls insults upon the WoL for once more disappointing him, that is still Azem's soul in there. After all, his invitation to seek him out in the Tempest allows you to die with dignity. Everything he ever does is not let himself be alone and reach out to an old friend.

He wants someone else to remember it all. Who is more worthy of remembering it all than Azem?

Emet-Selch is a man of many masks. It is true, and his emotions are ever cloaked, but there are ever glimpses of them throughout Shadowbringers. Especially if it's Azem's soul prodding at him to reveal the layers underneath.

So in his final confrontation, when either the WoL dies or he, wouldn't it not be disappointing to leave the question of who the man underneath is all truly is? Perhaps even this even the last-ditch attempt to have the bearer of Azem's soul remember before either of you dies.

Emet-Selch yearns for his old friend to come back to him and remember. Just as much as he wishes shoulder the burden of remembering all of those that lived before. The WoL bears that last wish and remembers the man who fought for it all underneath as Hades. A man who once lived.

[leighsartworks216]

In Your Arms

Sylus x gn!Reader

Huge huge huge shoutout to @blueroseava for steering my "Sylus isn't used to gentle touches" thought into this fluffy little thing. This one takes place in the Raven universe (the same MC as Lap Dog and The Raven), but I may write another one with a softer MC later. Thank you again for sharing this idea bc now I cannot think straight I just wanna cuddle this huge man so bad <333

Warnings: fluff, cuddling, some biting, established relationship, selectively mute reader, reader is the only one who can boss him around like this

Word Count: 898

Main Masterlist

Love and Deepspace Masterlist

The Raven Masterlist

AO3

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Every single deal this week fell through. Every. Single. One. It wasn’t even because the deals were unfair or that he was being duped. No. It was worse. His competitors swept the deals right out from under him.

As a result, Sylus was irritable and quicker to snap than usual. Not at you, of course. He was upset, but he didn’t have a death wish. The twins were mostly the outlet for his bad mood, alongside his punching bag.

You find him in his office, the knuckle of his finger brushing against his upper lip as he read a series of documents. You don’t bother knocking before you enter. He doesn’t look up, but you know he notices your presence. He always does, even in a crowded party.

You walk behind his chair and press your hands into his shoulders, digging your thumbs against the tense muscle at the back of his neck. He sighs, lifting his head up from his work to encourage you. You kiss the back of his head.

“The sun is up and you’re still here.” You drag your thumbs along the sides of his spine before moving back up again.

“Is my kitten missing me?” he teases. His voice is rough with exhaustion, low and slightly airy as you massage him. You lean down to bite his neck. He chuckles at your way of scolding him. But, he finally relents.

The papers in his hands land carelessly on his desk, no longer worth his time when you’re here trying to drag him off to bed. Your magic touch abandons him as he stands. The tension seems to return tenfold when he looks down at you, neck strained once again from the simple fact of his being taller than everyone else.

You grab his hand, holding it to your face briefly to press a kiss to his palm, before intertwining your fingers together and dragging him out of his office. Luke and Kieran are nowhere to be seen or heard. Mephisto is off spying for Sylus, gathering intel that could turn his hand back against his competitors. He sighs. He doesn’t want to think about it anymore.

You’re already dressed for bed, but Sylus is still in the nice dress clothes from his meeting earlier that night. He lets your hand go so he can change. When he comes back, the soft pajama pants are hanging low on his lips, but you don’t even spare them a glance.

You’re sitting up, back against the headboard. It’s his usual position, or it was until he found someone worth laying down next to. Someone he knew full well could slit his throat, but who chose to protect it anyway. Any intruders who dared to break into the Onychinus base and make an attempt on his life would be praying they were never born without him ever needing to worry.

“You’re in my spot,” he points out, raising his eyebrow.

You pat your lap. “It’s my spot tonight. Lay down.”

“So demanding.” He crawls up the bed until he can rest his head in your lap. It wasn’t a completely foreign position, when the roles were reversed. It’s the first time he’s ever been down here, looking up into your face. Your thighs as his pillow, keeping him from straining his neck any more. It… feels nicer than he expected it to.

Fingers which have taken lives without hesitation, that he’d seen pull apart guns in seconds just to put them back together equally as fast, traced delicately along his cheek. Soft, tender touches that felt along his jaw and brushed down the bridge of his nose. At one point, they close his eyes, with an accompanying huff of annoyance from you.

“Sleep,” you command.

He chuckles. “Of course, sweetie.”

The gentle caresses tempt him to bite your fingers when you brush them over his lips, but he resists, if only to avoid pissing you off. He doesn’t expect the groan that’s pulled from his lips when your other hand drags through his hair. Your nails scratch lightly at his scalp, his hair sliding through your fingers like silk.

It’s so different to when your hands are usually tangled in his hair. Usually, it’s rough, grabbing fistfuls of white locks and pulling hard enough to sting, commanding his head to be where you want him. This is the closest to heaven he’s ever felt.

He exhales and the tension in his body goes with the slightly shaky breath. You drag your nails from the crown of his head to the nape of his neck, praising him for letting go so easily in your care. Your other hand glides down his neck and arm until you can lace your fingers together once more.

As his exhaustion takes hold, his trust is implicitly and wholly in your hands, peaceful in the knowledge that he will make it through the night even in such a vulnerable position.

In the morning, he’s on his stomach, arms wrapped around your back and face pressed tightly against your belly. Your hand is still tangled in his hair, limp as you sleep, but sturdy in its willpower to stay there. He’s the first to wake, disoriented and slow to piece together how he ended up here. But then he closes his eyes again, nuzzles like a cat into your welcoming heat, and drifts off.

---

Tag List:

@the-golden-jhope @huen1ngk41 @armycaratlover @sylusfluffymeow

[bonbonly]

a/n: a little thought to help me get back into writing (because god forbid im allowed to sit down in front of my computer without my family losing their mind asdfasdf), new au alert tho: hollywood!

↪ producer!carlos sainz that's more than willing to sign you onto films only if you showcase your gratitude on your knees. you're more than happy to oblige to help boost your career, but you realize he's slowly starting to see you less and is now more focused on a younger supporting actress, costing you some big films in favor for her.

↪ actor!daniel ricciardo who's still trying to make his big comeback with a good film, but can't stand having to share the screen with you and makes it more apparent when he decides to purposely outshine you in scenes that were made for you. you bite your tongue and play along, knowing you only had a few days left before filming ended.

↪ actor!max verstappen who garners all the praise on set, snapping his fingers and asking you to get his coffee. you tell him repeatedly that you're his co-star, not his assistant, and he slaps his forehead, apologizing and explaining that he just keeps forgetting. you find out later that he was one of the main reasons why you were snubbed from an oscar a few years ago.

↪ actor!charles leclerc that's the fresh face, the pretty boy that came in for an increase in audience viewership as you put it. he smiles at you, saying that's always admired your work but before you can rescind your statement he adds, "just your work, not you, though" and now you're trying all you can to get him fired from set for hurting your ego.

↪ producer!lewis hamilton who always sends you back to producer!carlos despite your pleas to work with someone new because you cannot stand being the second female lead, you want priority! he smirks at you, shaking his head and saying the only way for him to prioritize you is for you to only ever listen to what he demands. his offer isn't very tempting, but you'd rather stick with him than carlos. that was the best choice, right?

↪ director!sebastian vettel that loves to dote on you while filming, praising your skills in front of the other artists who aren't very happy. he loves to guide you through a scene, hands on your hips as he positions you just the way he wants in front of the camera. he likes to inhale your scent, leaving a flirty comment about how amazing you are. you soak all his words, at least someone was giving you the attention you deserved!

↪ retired scriptwriter!nico rosberg who you keep calling to come back into the field so you could work on something together and create an academy award winning film. he's not very thrilled and likes to be left alone, being fed up with the lifestyle of actors and actresses. but when he sees you waiting outside his house in nothing but a fur coat, he might reconsider your proposal. he has some good ideas on what to do with you... scriptwise that is.

↪ film critic!jenson button that loves to write a new article about how your films suck. he gets a kick out of seeing you all riled up, storming into his office at night with a scowl on your face. he twirls his pencil around his fingers, tossing you another critique he wrote. he circles around you, asking if you liked his new paper. when you tell him he better write an apology, or else you'd ruin his career, he shrugs and pulls you onto his lap whispering "we both know the real reason why you even bother to visit me"

↪ retired actor!fernando alonso that's your mentor and hates to see you perform poorly on screen. he lets you come over to his house for some private acting lessons that's only for you and none of the other rookies. most of the time, you're always tangled in his bedsheets, the script for your new movie on the ground. he might be sneaky enough to have his hand on your ass when you walk on the red carpet, telling the media he was just guiding you to the premiere nothing else!

[lanadelreyscokewhor3]

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN- L. HOWLETT

day three of the june bug masterlist

pairing: 70s! logan howlett x fem! reader (enemies to... lovers?)

word count: 1.6k

summary: you and logan cannot stand eachother, so of course charles xavier pairs the two of you up for a sunny, summer roadtrip across the state to track down a new mutant. will you two keep bickering to a minimum? the idea is laughable.

warnings: pet names, swearing, lots of bickering (they love eachother but dont know it yet) some fluff at the end

“all the leaves are brown… and the sky is grey, have been for a while- on a winters day… i’d be safe and warm, if i was in LA… california dreamin, on such a winter's day…”- california dreamin, the mamas and papas

Sit n be good was what Logan had told you as you squirmed in your seat of his old pick-up truck, making him laugh cruelly as you struggled to settle on a position.

Your butt had begun to get sore, and you expressed this countless times falling on deaf ears. It was almost as if Logan got a kick out of annoying you, or at least- letting you remain annoyed and not offering a solution.

He was the only person who got under your skin.

You were a ray of sunshine, as he grumbled as if that was a negative trait to have. Always nice to everyone, practically bending to anyone's whim.

But when you tried to offer a shy smile and a wave, he just smirked and rolled his eyes. As if you were performing some kind of facade, and he felt he was the only one who could “see through you”.

You tried not to get offended, knowing he was a bit of a grump. He kept to himself and was always quiet, unlike you.

Which is why you were paired up with him- here.

In this little truck, probably made back when he was born, nothing but highway stretching in front of you. It was the seventies, and yet he had a stick firmly stuck up his ass- like he was roped back into the war.

But Charles had insisted the two of you be put together, on this little road trip across the state to get some information on a mutant that had caused some local commission. In a quote-on-quote, “normal” way, so you wouldnt frighten him.

Instead, it felt like Charles was delivering some form of capital punishment, for the both of you.

Logan, more so than you. You at least- could look on the bright side of things, and make the most of it. He, however- could not.

At least you were out on the open road, letting the breeze run through your fingers as you rested your head on the door, letting your arm be guided back by the wind.

It was beautiful here, the sun shining brightly in the sky, birds chirping in the trees as you sped by. Little pockets of wildflowers poked out at you amongst the blur of the green fields, and you wished more than anything you could stop to smell them. Everything was bright, and airy- so different than the man who sat to your left.

“Can we listen to something else?” you asked, glaring over at Logan, clearly ignoring you.

No response.

“I’m just gonna-” you reached your hand to fidget with the dial, which was met with a gentle slap of his hand.

“Hey!”

“Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts her cakehole.” he grumbled, and you huffed. Slouching down in your seat, you perched your feet up on the dash, your bright red toenails shimmering in the sun.

“If we get in an accident, your legs are gonna snap like a twigs.” he said blankly, staring at you through his sunglasses.

“Well then keep your eyes on the road grandpa and don't get in an accident. Hope your reflexes are still good-”

You swatted at the dial again, met with the same outcome. “Quit your whining. Weren't you taught some manners kiddo?”

“Don't call me kiddo. I am not a child.” you growled, watching a little smirk form on his face.

“Then why are you acting like one?”

“Because you deserve to put up with someone as miserable as you are. If I get to irk Logan Howlett, I’m gonna take that opportunity, no questions asked.”

You rolled your eyes at his lack of reaction, clearly doing it to piss you off. You hated that it was working.

“You done? What happened to nice sweetheart we all know and love?”

“You don't deserve my nice attitude.” you stated, huffing to yourself as you turned your head away from him, not wanting to look at him any longer. Yet, you found your eyes glancing over to his in the mirror- finding his eyes staring right back- right through his shades.

You refused to say anymore. You would play his own game against him- giving him the stoic, silent treatment. Though that lasted about twenty seconds, as one of your favourite songs came on.

Finally, Some good tunes.

You closed your eyes, blocking out the hunk of muscle beside you and focused on the music. Humming along, you felt a little smile find its way on your face- a rare sight when you were with Logan. But you couldn't resist.

All that could be heard was the sound of the engine revving as he sped down the open stretch of road, and your soft voice singing along to the mixtape. All the leaves are brown… and the sky is grey, have been for a while- on a winter's day… I’d be safe and warm, if I was in LA… California dreamin, on such a winter's day…

══════ ∘◦❁◦∘ ══════ ══════ ∘◦❁◦∘ ══════

You were jolted awake from a soft sleep you dozed in and out of with the slam of the drivers door, to watch Logan start to stretch. “Where are we?” you asked, rubbing your eyes, trying to take in the scenery around you.

There were a few stores, but the eye of the prize was the gas station that loomed ahead.

“Doesn't matter. I’m grabbing some smokes, stay put.”

And then he was gone, disappearing into the barren wasteland of a store. So naturally, you had to get out and wander. If he had told you to stay, you’d leave. You wanted to explore, eager to get out and stretch your legs, to lay in the grass that looked so cushiony it was merely tempting you.

You slipped out, instantly feeling a million times better that you were out in the open, and mainly- away from Logan. Trotting over to the inviting field, you sighed in contempt as the blades tickled your bare feet, the sweet smell of honeysuckle overtaking your senses.

You couldn't help but giggle, plopping down in a spot surrounded by wildflowers that poked out wherever the eye could see. They were beautiful, shades of purples, pinks and yellows that looked almost edible.

You picked a few, weaving them into your hair, before an idea occurred to you.

A flower crown. Not for you, but for your not so little companion. It would piss him off to no end if you made him one, and nagged him until he had no option but to wear the florals on his head like he was some midsommar queen.

You began to pick some wild daisies, weaving and braiding them through your fingers to perfect the perfect crown. So focused on your work, you didn't notice you had company.

Logan watched you, something like admiration in his eyes- knowing you couldn't see their true colours shine through. Leaning against the side of the old building, he propped a cigar in his mouth, letting a puff of smoke cloud his vision before he could see you again.

Collecting his thoughts. Keeping them pure. He tried so hard not to stare at the way your skin seemed to shimmer, like an angel as the sun hit it, or the way the breeze blew your hair back- relieving the sliding straps of your little dress that was so short it was almost lingerie.

There were flowers in your hair, he noted- taking in the way the bright colours seemed to make your concentrated eyes pop even more- and he fought the urge not to storm over, tuck a piece behind your ear and kiss you deeply.

You tasted of honey and sugar, he was sure of it. You smelt so strongly of sweetness it made him dizzy. Hence, why the windows were constantly rolled down.

But of course, he had to be an asshole because it was all he knew how to do. He didn't know what to do with these foreign feelings of admiration, or… love? Need? Whatever it was, he had to bury it deep down.

Because all the things he wanted to do to you… he couldn't taint your innocence. The radiance that sparkled off you like rays of sunlight- always brightening everything around you.

Hell, you had almost cracked him a few times with your little attitude that drove him crazy. But he could watch you how he really wanted to, from afar.

But then your eyes met his, a smile on your face as you beckoned him over. And like a love sick fool, he came as if he was a dog being called.

“The hell are ya doin?” he asked, taking another puff of his smoke as you patted the ground in front of him, motioning for him to sit. You were taken aback with surprise when he actually obeyed, long limbs folding under him as he sat, still towering over you.

Standing up, you placed the crown upon his head, adjusting it so it fit just right. Clasping your hands together, you giggled, smiling with delight at your work.

“You look like a princess.” you teased, causing him to roll his eyes. But he couldn't help but smile, at your joy. It was infectious. It almost felt wrong for him to have something so beautifully crafted, something so dainty on his large, gruff frame. 

“You all done now?” he asked and you nodded, twirling around, watching your dress flare out, exposing your upper thighs before you plopped down again, sprawling your limbs out in the grass.

“You look beautiful.”

He froze.

“You’re being cruel.”

You shrugged. “I’m being kind.”

A peaceful silence washed over the two of you as you listened to the birds chirp, and the odd air flew by in the distance. You closed your eyes, letting the sunlight bathe you in its warmth. Not knowing Logan's eyes were still on your figure, that silly flower crown still on his head.

“You’re beautiful too, sweetheart.”

[varpusvaras]

Fox's position as the scapegoat in fandom is very interesting and something I honestly think the writers kind of made him to be.

The part of the fandom (which is...really large) that doesn't like him always blames him for Order 66, in saying that "if he hadn't killed Fives, then Order 66 wouldn't have happened". Interestingly, they never blame Anakin, who had even more direct power to stop it. Fox had no idea that anything was going on, and did what he had been taught to do from the moment he was created: Followed orders. He didn't shoot Fives because he necessarily wanted to; meaning there were no personal feelings attached to what happened. Anakin, on the other hand, went and voluntarily murdered a lot of people for only personal feelings. But somehow that is not Anakin's fault.

(I've posted about it before, but the same people who blame Fox are always happy to boast about Anakin murdering him. Always happy to bring out Anakin's trauma as a slave, and then be happy about him murdering another slave, someone directly under his power, who had never known anything else than being a slave in his entire life, and who had been indoctrinated from birth to believe that being slave was all that he was, and that he should be proud of it)

Some fics from people who do like Fox also put him in the position of the scapegoat, where they have all the other clones blaming him for everything that had happened, and ostracise him. In some fics I've seen, they continue this even after the war has ended, even in scenarios where Palpatine didn't win, and this feels like the clones, who have been made to believe in the system, cannot make themselves blame said system. No, it's easier to blame one of their own instead, no matter how little power Fox ever had in his entire life.

The writer's also do this, by having Fox mess something up (in the writer's eyes at the very least) almost every single time he is on screen. I think the only time he wasn't positioned to be in the wrong in some capacity was on his first appearance in the movie, where he did a front flip down some stairs and shot at the bad guy of the movie. Almost every single other time he is doing something wrong or messing something up, causing something negative to happen, be it the bombing on Coruscant (not actually his fault, but the fault of the people who wanted to do it and prevent the peace talks from happening; still, Fox is put in the middle of it), or what happened with Ahsoka (from Fox's point of view, there was a dangerous person on the run, who had just killed multiple people in a violent way, and was continuing their rampage, killing his brothers as well). Objectively speaking, Fox is completely in the right with everything he does here, but the writer's still seem to position him to being wrong, because he is against Ahsoka, and Ahsoka is the character the viewer is supposed to be rooting for (no matter how much worse she actively makes her own situation during the arc).

No one ever remembers all the good qualities he had: he was hard-working, capable, brave, and cared for his brothers. No, instead, the fandom is endlessly debating over giving him, a slave who never knew anything else, some shred of dignity, while freely giving the absolution to the fascist who is standing over his still warm corpse.

[rubyclover]

I said I can’t write but if felt nice getting that other idea out of my head. So I wrote this and will post. Technically I started trying to write this like a month ago… Please ignore the constant switching between past and present tense. It’s something I never seem to notice until someone else points out where it is.

Prompt: Professionals hate him but he was right! [Adam] Heaven and Hell come to the realization that The First Man played a larger part in the three realms’ political/social ecosystem than they thought. His absence leaves a vacuum that Lute is unable to fill but she may not need to because Hell is solving the problem themselves… The Morningstar Family can’t run from this.

No ABetaO we expire like Adam~

Imagine that Adam dies, the hotel has never looked better, the residents have healed up and Charlie gets another TV appearance. Lucifer is even more depressed than before but hides it. Adam is gone She’s going to reveal Sir Pentious’ redemption with evidence that is NOT childishly scribbled on key cards. Instead of the interview taking place in the 666News studio it’s held outside the hotel. She will take questions, live, right after the interview. Katie Killjoy wants to give the public a chance to cause chaos for ratings, so she puts Charlie in a vulnerable position.

Things go great… for the first 20 minutes. The interview isn’t even half way done when someone from the crowd interjects after Charlie says ‘The Sinners have a better life now that the Exterminations are permanently canceled.’

That person’s voice is calm but still pissed as Hell. They fire back that no, Sinners don’t have an easier life now that the Exterminations are over. It’s worse! Charlie and the crowd perk up.

The voice moves to the front. They’re short with plain street clothes, hood up. It’s obvious they’re poor and at the bottom of Hell’s pecking order. A couple of Imps are with them equally disheveled and tired looking. The man goes on to point out some rather hard truths.

Thanks to the last Extermination, angelic steel has become a hot commodity. While uncommon right now, there’s a pipeline to obtain an angelic weapon. All you need is enough money. Carmilla Carmine doesn’t care about how her product is used after purchase.

‘Permanent Murder’ is a new trend on HellTube netting ridiculous profits. The main targets are vulnerable Sinners, usually the scared and alone new arrivals, Imps and Hellhounds. All killed by beautifully glowing angelic weapons.

Overlords are more formidable with these weapons so the chance of contractees escaping, like Angeldust, has become damn near impossible even if they destroyed their contract. Some desperate souls were happy with their messed up immortality. It gave them some hope, ‘at least I have a chance to turn things around eventually,’ but that pathetic security is gone.

The Exterminations kept said Overlords in check to a degree. They were more inclined to take care of their underlings because that guaranteed their safety. Now? Just get an angelic gun for all your troubles. Valentino is having a fucking field day.

The ‘permadeath’ toll for one year will be ten times the amount of one Extermination Day considering how much Hell’s citizens like to kill Sinners…

Not to mention, whole industries in Hell, from top to bottom, are starting to crash. Their purpose or sales revolved around the Exterminations. Some workers cannot afford to lose their job and have to sell their soul against their will.

Etcetcetc

As the man speaks Charlie is surprised to see heads nodding in agreement! Someone comments that they hadn’t seen their Sinner friend in a few days and tries not to panic while another face falls in the crowd and wrings their hands together. An Imp with curved horns standing beside a young Hellhound sweats profusely and starts to leave. Tension moves through the public. Not just the ones in front of the stage but also those watching TV.

Despite her best efforts Charlie cannot lift the crowd’s mood. She realizes prematurely revealing Sir Pentious’ redemption is the only way to salvage this growing disaster. Unfortunately the man’s timing is perfect because the second she opens her mouth he turns his anger on the Morningstars.

He calls out how much her family misrepresents themselves as rulers. They don’t do anything for Hell anymore. They spend most of their time fucking around while the Sinners suffer. The other Sins manage their rings and hellborn, not Lucifer or Lilith. All three of the Morningstars can’t truly understand human suffering yet they profess to know how to best handle it. With no idea what it means to be human yet they pass judgement on them.

The crowd becomes agitated and the Imps beside the man move closer to him. They aren’t trying to draw safety from the Sinner but are taking defensive positions. Charlie realizes this isn’t someone speaking up in the heat of the moment. This is a planned speech. He’s highjacking her broadcast!

She sees the Sinner clench his fists and feels herself start to sweat. Why was he saying any of that? Yes, life will be a bit hard at first but now everyone can come together and rebuild! There are so many possibilities available to The Pride Ring. It would improve lives. Change was always good they just had to be careful. Yet the stranger goes on.

He claims that Lucifer is a washed up angel that can’t comprehend mortality because of his maladaptive dreaming and pride, Lilith is apathetic to Sinners and wishes to aggravate Heaven no matter how much Hell will suffer and Charlie is so sheltered that she thinks PTSD can be solved by clapping and saying positive affirmations.

Little is known about the royal family but the stranger’s comments sway the crowd. The hotel’s original commercials got the time of day because of Charlie’s status, not because the facility had managed to accomplish anything. Lucifer barely appears at all even when large fights break out leveling half of Pentagram City. And Lilith? Missing for 7 years after riling up all of Hell multiple times, causing Heaven to start the Exterminations.

The stranger calls the hotel a disgusting joke. Calls out how Charlie is trying to ‘pass the buck’ over to Heaven. The Pride Ring’s actual rulers are Overlords and they make sure Sinners suffer and continue to act depraved whether they like it or not. Her family has the power to take control and lessen the city’s suffering but they don’t. Instead they play with their little pet project .

Why are they focusing on shipping problems elsewhere? There’s a better way to solve the pain and suffering at the source than waiting! Fix Pentagram City! Show Heaven that the current number of Sinners isn’t a threat!

‘For all the crying and sniveling you do Princess Charlotte, you sure don’t actually help where it counts! I’m sure you care about Sinners but only on the same level as someone cares about cute public park ducks.’

Vaggie, who had been standing to the side of the stage leaps forward, places herself in between the stranger and her girlfriend. Everyone’s raised emotions have put her on edge. She ignores the harsh gasps when her angelic spear slides free and into her hands. ‘Back up! Now!’

Charlie’s heart sank at the escalation. She understood her girlfriend was still tense from the extermination but all their hard work was starting to fray around the edges! She just hoped her dad didn’t-

The King of Hell himself appears through a portal shortly after gathering himself together. The opening looked angrier in color, matching his mood. Sickly green lines run throughout the glow, radiating blistering heat. Parts of the stage began to melt and the forgotten camera crew swivel to their ruler. Lucifer’s face is set in stone but his bright flickering eyes give him away.

‘Who the fuck are you?’ He snarls, apple topped cane slamming onto the stage causing some of it to splatter. ‘How dare you speak to my daughter that way.’ Lucifer’s face morphs into a more demonic grimace. Katie Killjoy scrambles from her chair and off the stage at the same time as Charlie vaulting up to place a hand on Lucifer’s shoulder whispering ‘dad no!’ She doesn’t want the hotel’s improved reputation to evaporate. A confrontation with someone on live TV would scare people away!

Lucifer growls in the back of his throat, looking at where he assumes the bastard’s eyes are under his hood. Smoke and embers sizzle out from the corner of his mouth and inbetween teeth. He hated acting this way but he had an image to uphold. ‘Answer your King you wretch. Don’t confuse my inaction with benevolence. You’re testing my patience!’

After a beat or two of staring each other down the stranger has the gall to ‘tsk’ off to the side as if spitting. ‘As you with your majesty. It’s all fine by me.’ A small, scared hand reaches up and whips off the dirty hood exposing his face to all of Hell.

People instantly whip out their phones. His face is shockingly similar to Lucifer’s, in fact a basic carbon copy sans a few attributes.

Cameras catch alabaster skin and soft, blond, curly hair, short, wiry build, vivid green eyes, pale coral cheek markings, pointed ears and four demon wings the same color as his skin.

Leaf green eyes stair directly into Charlie’s while electing to ignore both fallen angels. He stands ramrod straight. Cutting a regal silhouette despite the filth on his body and clothes.

‘My name is Cain Adamson, The Wandering Star.’ He bows in a fashion Charlie hadn’t seen in all her galas. ‘Lucifer Morningstar’s first born and bastard son. It’s nice to finally meet you sister mine… I’ll be taking your family’s crown for my father.’

[So in this AU Cain rescued Adam’s body and resuscitated it. They had a familial bond even when Cain got banished for murdering Able and found out his bio dad was Lucifer. Eve didn’t pay much attention to her first born out of guilt so Adam stepped up. No one shamed her. Adam never felt like Cain was separate from his other kids even though he looked nothing like him. Now Cain wants to provide for his father who’s trapped in hell and in really bad condition by booting the Morningstars out of power in the Pride Ring.] Dunno about pairing but Adamsapple or Guitarhero would be a safe bet. Either way Lucifer will suffer lol

[wtf do I call this? Family Feud AU? Chessboard AU? Secret Brother AU? Idk h e l p ]

[mousathe14]

So as I mentioned before, Young Justice was interrupted by a whole “Sins of Youth” event where everyone’s ages were screwed up.

So we just finished Aquaman & Lagoon Boy as well as Batman & Robin’s stories

That’s still 4 more pillars of Young Justice left. So let’s see what Impulse is up to.

Dressing down Wally. This reversal is definitely something. How is Impulse a more mature adult than Wally is as an adult?

And yeah, Wally’s been going on about his honeymoon since the Jr. Justice League segment.

Superman and Batman are off protecting their cities, everyone else is trying to find solutions to their predicament, and all Wally can think about is his honeymoon.

I can understand wanting to tell Linda what happened but I don’t think that’s what his plans are.

Their relationship is fascinating and I’m glad the first thing he did after trying to get Wally to slow down was to see the most important person in his life, Max. Give him reassurance, bounce off ideas, like peer rather than a pupil/nuisance/weird family member.

I’m glad they get to have this moment, Max seeing Bart have maturity and smart ideas. Seeing the most important person in his life be a grown up.

I gotta get back to the Impulse comics of this era. I’m so far behind but man, the new art is painful to get through. But I gotta know what’s up with Max.

NOW! On to the funny bit.

Now that’s what I like to see, horror at this new state of affairs.

Since Linda is a reporter her plan is to use her connections to help put a positive spin on the heroes. But…

Boy’s got a honeymoon to get to. It’s almost all he talked about as soon as he got kid-ified.

Linda is not impressed. In fact she cannot stand the very idea of kissing this OG Teen Titan.

Wallace is right, he may be bad, but Aquaman is ten times worse.

You know, that’s a shoulder hug but it almost doesn’t look like it.

So the plan is for Wally and Bart to go on a worldwide media blitz, basically a publicity stunt to do a bunch of interviews over the course of mere minutes each. It doesn’t go well and it’s not particularly interesting.

Honestly this is the worst scene:

The idea that Bart’s aroace coding is because he isn’t old enough?

I recognize the council has made a decision, but given that it's a stupid-ass decision, I've elected to ignore it.

This isn’t even being done by one of his main writers, it’s being written by, lemmie check…

DWAYNE MCDUFFIE!?

You’re one of my heroes, man, how could you do this to me and to Impulse?

Okay, let’s cheer myself up with some Bart roasting Wally. He’s gonna be taller than Wally, that’s funny.

And he’s right, the piss costume is a bad costume. He looks like discount Reverse Flash. He looks like someone was trying to make a Reverse Flash costume from a thrift store. Why would you make your PRIMARY costume color look like Reverse Flash’s?

Impulse is right, Wally donning a Kid-Impulse costume is the way to go.

Also here’s a cute Red Tornado scene

I don’t know what he’s listening to but the fact that he kind of enjoys being a kid and he’s listening to some kind of rock and roll is really adorable.

The idea that Reddy feels cut off from his humanity is ridiculous. He couldn’t be more human right now.

So the rapid fire interviews don’t go well. Too busy being heroes.

But we end with this nice little scene.

Impulse shows how much he’ll grow, finding the rescuing of others to be more important than good press.

Which is very much in character anyway, Bart is many things but egotistical isn’t one of them. While Wally acknowledges that as one of his flaws.

Bart wouldn’t know what to do with the press other than be goofy or say “hi” to Max. He’s kind of a show off but entirely for his amusement because he still processes things like a video game.

But we finish this section off with Wally actually being sweet by comparing Bart to Barry, which is probably the nicest thing he’ll ever say to him (that’s not true, he’ll say nice things to him in The Flash comics of the era, eventually).

Man, everyone loves Barry so much, but I guess when you run yourself to death saving reality itself people can only have nice things to say about you.

I should consider reading the Flash Volume 1 but uh, if Wally is this little of a character as an adult I can’t imagine how much worse it would be for Barry in older comics.

[yichens]

Pit Babe Characters x Cartomancy ➣ Part 1: Charlie & Babe

Five of Spades: Focusing on self, putting own interests first. A reminder of your self-worth. Ace of Hearts: New beginnings; new relationship and love. A chance for something better.

for @pitbabeanniversary week 1 prompts: charlie & babe

(more thoughts under the cut!)

disclaimer: i am not an expert in either cartomancy or tarot reading. i did a lot of research on these two sites to come up with these cards for the characters. some of the meanings associated with the cards are still only my own interpretation, so they might not be completely accurate.

as ppl who know me probably can tell, i am (despite my lack of knowledge most often) a huge nerd who loves this type of stuff (personality tests, astrology, mysticism etc.). most of all, i love analyzing stories and characters, and so this idea was born. never thought i'd approach it through pit babe though, yet here we are.

thoughts on my picks for charlie and babe:

charlie: it was hard to pick a card for charlie, but behind all the happiness and sunshine, i think the defining characteristic for charlie is (self-)sacrifice. while growing up under tony's "care", charlie learned that he was worth less: less than other (special) alphas, less than other tony's children, less than the world beyond the house, and of course, less than someone as perfect as babe. and so as he leaves the house and embarks on this adventure to help babe and set them all free, he assumes he must sacrifice himself to accomplish those things. his sacrifice comes in many forms, yet even the most ultimate one (his death) does not seem to bother charlie.

based on these thoughts, i found it fitting that charlie's card would remind him of his own worth and make him think about his own (selfish?) desires. he's not just a body thrown at tony's feet to keep others safe – he's also a human with his own hopes and dreams, with his own purpose. he seems to find this with babe (and the rest of the x-hunter pack) and learns to accept himself as someone who cannot be replaced and who can just live for himself.

babe: for babe, the card felt more obvious. first of all, it was clear to me that babe would get one of the hearts – he is, above all else, an emotion driven person. he is arrogant, confident, proud, ambitious, and even aggressive at times, but he is also a boy searching for love. i know that he's learned that love doesn't come without conditions; that whenever love is offered, people ask for something (most often painful) in return. and so as the show starts, babe's motivation to go on this journey isn't victory or fame as he already has those, but love. what he lacks in life is love, and that's what life decides to gift him.

so this thing with charlie offers him a new chance, a new beginning, where things seem better and easier. of course it doesn't last, and they fail at times at love as charlie's lies get revealed and other ppl betray them, but eventually they head towards something better. the newly found intimacy and love with charlie changes babe's life and also changes him as a person. he becomes softer, happier. he learns that he can be loved unconditionally and that there are ppl out there who are willing to stand beside him even when he's not pit babe or a special alpha with special senses or tony's perfect son capable of anything (or worth a million bahts).

and then these two as a pair? i cannot say much about it bc i cannot read cards, unfortunately. but i find it interesting (and very fitting) that charlie and babe belong to the suits of spades and hearts. charlie brings with himself trouble, pain, and challenges (unintentionally and he'd rather hold those at bay but well, his past follows him everywhere). there are also hints of obsession and fear on charlie's side. meanwhile, babe is filled with emotion, both positive and negative, and he is tightly tied to all the relationships in his life. he is the heart of the pack in a sense, and so thinking of him as the beginning of emotion, as the ace of hearts, feels suitable. he is the new beginning for everyone bc babe is the one who pulls charlie in who bring with himself the change for the whole pack and other ppl involved with them.

(if someone more knowledgeable about cartomancy or tarot who also enjoys pit babe stumbles upon this, feel free to come share more thoughts with me!)

[closed-third-eye]

you have to understand why they make lucerys out to be a bully rather than aemond who is chasing after a child and aegon who is bullying his brother and led him to his sexual assault.

Biggest fight aemond has been in his life, is been against a child, because that is all he will ever win. so how do you make person like that look cool? You cannot point to his training which took place in a controlled environment by a man who in concerned for his safety. Only thing left to do is make lucerys, aemond's victim, out to be the perpetrator of his trauma

Aemond is a nasty bully on his own, he knocks down jace's practise sword unprovoked. Bullying someone smaller and weaker than him.

He calls rhaena a pig, a girl he met that day of her mothers funeral, and provokes her into a fight. He is again a bully to someone smaller and weaker than him

He has all the kids beaten and he has the rock in his hand, if he wants to he can walk away, but he doesn't. so lucerys takes the only stand he can.

And what happens next is his mother fault, she put the idea of taking the eye as a payment in his head, and while she regrets her out burst, he remembers

Next lucerys's laughing, which while it is a complete dick move he is put down for it, called bastard, he is even beaten, he learned his lesson

Then we go to storms end where brave little lucerys goes inside Storm's end even when he knows vhagar is there so it's obvious who else is, he still walks in does his duty and tries to leave.

But he is again insulted by aemond, instead of lashing out like a child as aemond would, lucerys listens to him and defiantly says no, he doesn't hide or walk away, he could have if he wanted to and maybe results would be same, but lucerys always acted in a manner befitting his station and position.

Aemond on the other hand acts like a child, screams and runs after him, after saying"fight would be little challenge"

And then chases after him like a crazed dog and on his crazed dog.

And this is their biggest enemy by the way. This is who scares them and they think abuser of aemond all his life and the next one is who they say is the abused

now how else do you defend a murderer? Than make his victim out to be a perpetrator

I would also like to add how utterly psychotic some of these people and their arguments are, I genuinely worry how they treat people in real life at the anger they spill over fiction.

And also how much does the narrative and even his own face have to show to say he didn't think death is the right prize and that he actually was simply being a bully, his true nature.

I frankly fear these blind followers of these characters and how they speak of them, if you look at that post it's derived from false emotions, as a way to justify their nonsense.

Aemond has issues, from his mother's neglect of him which allowed his brother's abuse to go on and the added damage to his face, and he focused on the biggest one rather than them all

And to understand aemond as a person you have to take the bad with the worse, but I'm not sure any of his fans are intelligent enough to do that, I make this assumption based on things they say.

Not sure what they wanted lucerys to do in storms end, had they gone book route it would have shown aemond didn't jump him but provoked him, lucerys again is more jumpscared. And they believe he wouldn't fight because he supposedly can't win? Who has to win fighting itself is a crime for for an envoy which they both know, I'm assuming the historian aemokd knows. But also aemond generally says one thing and does the other, he's shown to be less intelligent more reactive and stupid. And when you see the type of admiration he gets, like attracts like.

[jagwis]

Down the Undercroft

pairing: Sebastian Sallow x GN!Reader 

word count: 4,103

summary: You decide to learn the Unforgivable Curses. You're lucky that Sebastian agrees to teach you. You're unlucky that he has special teaching methods. Seems like a bad idea to voluntarily climb into a snake's lair after all.

warnings: slight dubcon (completely con later), manipulation, unresolved sexual tension, spicy things (e.g. biting, kissing, pinning against the wall), mature language + canon divergence in using crucio, because i had to joke about microbes guys. 

a/n: Reader is Ravenclaw, because i had a certain prompt in my head and it didn’t work for badgers, snakes and lions. although apart from one phrase in the fic, where it is mentioned that the Reader is a Ravenclaw, you will not find faculty mentioned anywhere else. no use of Y/N, no description of reader. also Sebastian and Reader are in their seventh year and over 18, i am NOT dealing with underage. 

okay, burning question now: once again falling for Slytherin boys are we? 

"I never said I didn't want to learn the Unforgivable Curses." It comes off your tongue a little rougher and sharper than you'd like. Anger at Sebastian and frightened Ominis’ voice still press on your thoughts from the inside, entangling them in a furious fog and coloring intonation in displeased tones.

Sebastian freezes as he almost reaches the exit of the undercroft. When he slightly turns his head in your direction, his eyes glow with triumph.

"Is that so?" Sallow's honey-sweet words cut your ear with your favorite and hated smug intonation.

When you don't reply to his remark, Sebastian turns away from the door completely and, judging by his undisguised smirk, you realize that it's too late to back out now. You are trapped between a Slytherin whose self-satisfaction ripples around like incense in the Divination class, and between a cold dark undercroft. Oh, about that. You are in the undercroft where no one can find you, just asked Sebastian Sallow to teach you the Unforgivable Curses. Great. 

While gloomy thoughts swarm like glumbumbles around your mind, Sebastian pulles out his wand and slowly approaches.

"Wipe your trademark grin off your face." You wince in displeasure when your words only make Sallow's lips stretch further. "I've always said it's wrong for professors to forbid us from learning any spells. Besides, I learned Confringo with you, didn’t I?"

"That you did." Sebastian's left hand rests on his hip, while the fingers of his right twirl the wand lazily. "However, Blasting Curse is nothing compared to the spells that torture, command and kill on the spot. Blowing up an opponent is slightly more humane than torture to death, don’t you think?"

Sallow takes another step forward, his voice becoming a conspiratorial whisper. You feel your body stiffen in response to his closeness. He never missed an opportunity to play with you a little, but never did he violate your personal space before. 

"And certainly far more merciful than forcing someone to kill themselves... No?" Sebastian's breath tickles your forehead as he tilts his head to whisper in your ear. "With their own hands preferably." Sallow straightens up, putting back a saving distance between you. He's still annoyingly close, but at least not in his I-have-no-idea-what-we're-doing-standing-so-close-but-you-will-think-about-this-at-three-am position anymore. 

"Very funny." From the narrowed laughing eyes opposite, you understand that your confusion from his actions cannot be hidden by faked confidence. The step back that you take to maintain this very confidence only amuses him more.

"You are well informed that Rookwood and Ranrok are looking for me. Runs in the name, I guess." You comment as you roll your eyes, causing Sebastian to chuckle. "I need these curses for self-defense."

Sallow raises his hands in mock surrender. "It's not for me to judge, love. But what should I say to Ominis? Poor thing thinks you're the voice of reason in our trio, you know."

"We have already discussed the use of pet names." You cast a disapproving look at highly pleased Slytherin. "And I won't lie to Ominis or hide anything from him. I just don't want you to make him do something against his will."

"Fair enough. He didn’t complain much before you joined our humble company, though."

"I do not want to know." You cut off, shaking your head. "Now, would you be so kind as to teach me curses already? Unlike some, I have a lot to do."

"Oh, don't I know it. I have to do half of these doings of yours, love." Sebastian tosses his wand to his other hand, moving behind you. Some strange inner voice is screaming at you that losing sight of Sallow is a bad idea. You tense up, already turning, when two hands are being firmly placed on your shoulders, holding you in place.

"What…" You start half annoyed, half wary, the undercroft’s shadows and the fact that no one can help you here suddenly act somber on you.

"Unforgivable Curses are dangerous even while they are being mastered." Sallow's voice, deeper and more serious, sends goosebumps through your body. "We wouldn’t want anything to go wrong, would we?"

When you don't answer, the long fingers tighten slightly on your shoulders, pressing down on your muscles.

"We would not." Understanding the hint instinctively, you answer, the grip on your skin loosening at your words. His one hand remains on your shoulder while the other begins to slide down your forearm. You freeze, concentrated on the touch. Through the thin fabric of your shirt, warm from the heat of your body, you can feel the coldness of five fingertips slowly rolling down your arm.

You think you can hear Sebastian swallow as he reaches your rolled up sleeve at the crook of your elbow, lingering there.

"Good. It would be a shame to kill you here." A small shiver runs through you as you hear the change of his voice. Sebastian sounds muffled, guttural. You'd give anything just to see the look on his face right now, to understand a little bit about what's going on. 

"Speaking truthfully, I entertain the thought that we could do far more enjoyable things down here than putting you into danger."

You don’t have time to analyze his words, because all your attention is captured again by the movement of his hand, which overcomes the threshold of your sleeve and touches your bare skin.

A quiet sigh escapes your lips, to which Sebastian reacts instantly, pressing his fingers tighter, sliding them down to your wrist and wrapping around it.

You let him raise your hand to a chest level, align it to the position he wants. A huge question mark burns in your mind like a red neon sign.

"Does misleading me count as a part of your teaching methods?" Your voice sounds quieter and more intimate than a few minutes ago. Sebastian responds in the same velvety tone, and his lips are much closer than you initially thought, giving consideration to your hair, moving under his breath. This thought occupies you so much that you almost miss his answer.

"Am I misleading you?"

"With your actions. You are irrational." Your answer is intended to prick Sallow, but even without seeing you and your puzzled eyes, Sebastian perfectly feels the slight trembling of your wrist, securely hidden in his palm.

"On the contrary." Sallow removes his other hand from your shoulder and you feel your wand being deftly fished out from behind the bosom of your clothes. "I'm very sagacious when it comes to what I need. What I want."

Your wand settles with its usual weight in your hand when Sebastian offers it to you and slightly corrects your posture again, one hand holding yours with the wand clamped in it.

"The truth is, when I set a goal or, Merlin forbid, desire something." Sebastian tilts his head to the side, scratching your ear with his breath. "Rationality is my strongest trait."

You try to move away from Sallow, his captivating voice intoxicates you better than the Imperio Curse. Sebastian allows you to win a few tens of saving centimeters between you, while not letting you to pull your hand out of his.

"The first spell is the Cruciatus Curse. I do believe you know what it does. Always hold your wand steady or it might ricochet back at you."

Sebastian controls your hand and repeats the right movement several times before releasing your wrist from his grip.

"The main idea with Unforgivable Curses is the wizard's willpower. For the curse to work, you have to mean it."

You take a few deep breaths in and out, trying to urgently put your thoughts in order and focus. The lack of concentration after your impromptu hug with Sebastian, your friend and fellow student, is indeed dramatic. However, your talent for sorcery helped you get out of many other complex situations, so on the third breath you mentally call on all known wizards, wave your wand and firmly say: "Crucio."

A red flash erupts from the end of your wand and crashes into the stone wall of the undercroft, certainly dooming the several billion microbes that live on it to eternal suffering.

"Well done." Resounds behind you. "You looked so confused that I was ready to drag you to the Hospital Wing."

You are about to turn around and make a couple of flattering comments about your confusion and its reasons, but Sallow is quicker. Wrapping both arms around your waist, he presses his whole body against your back.

For a few seconds, both of you keep deathly silence. You, because Sebastian smells so damn good of sandalwood, probably after sitting through the Potions class before you met in the undercroft. Sebastian is silent because, knowing you, he is seriously taking in consideration how to avoid you practicing Crucio on him for all his antics today.

"Sallow." Your voice seems to be trembling, but because of the ringing in your ears, you can't tell for sure. "What the fuck."

Sebastian clicks his tongue in disapproval and rubs his cheek against the top of your head. "We're not finished." He purrs, breathing in the scent of your hair.

Without letting you go, his hand is again on yours and puts it in the right position.

"Next is the Imperius Curse." Sebastian rests his head in the hollow between your neck and shoulder. "It will allow you to force anyone to do what you want." Sallow shows you the right move but doesn't pull away this time.

"Sebastian." Your voice sounds almost pleading, to which he hides a chuckle, pressing his lips to your shoulder. "I- I can't cast it until you-" Your voice cracks, you clear your throat several times.

"Couldn’t care less." Sallow whispers, leaving dry kiss, a quick stroke of lips, on your neck. "The next curse is Avada Kedavra."

He supports you by the waist, the toe of his boot pushes your feet apart.

"This spell also needs a special posture."

"Sebastian." You speak louder, panic and arousal roll up to the bottom of your stomach at the same speed. Your fingers are cold, your cheeks are burning, heart is beating wildly in your chest. "Stop."

"Why would I do that?" Sallow runs his nose up your neck, stopping his lips at your ear, exhaling into it with a chuckle. "I can feel your pulse from the start of our little talking, silly. Your heart has been racing ever since."

"So what? Maybe I'm just scared by your growing insanity."

"You of all people should not be afraid of my insanity. You should be entirely and completely blamed for it."

You abruptly pull yourself out of his embrace, wasting no time turning on your heels and finally finding yourself face to face with Sebastian Sallow. The first thing you notice is his wand lying at his feet. He probably dropped it at some point, because he was too busy with what else (who, rather) could get into his hands.

Studying Sallow's face, you need a few seconds to recover and just enjoy the view in front of you.

Sebastian looks utterly smitten. He’s all fast breaths, eyes lidded in gaze of a pure bliss, pupils dilated, lips parted. His chest rapidly heaves, as if he’s trying to control his every breath through force. His fingers, nervously clenched into fists, tremble, like the fact that you have slipped out of his grip causes him almost physical pain.

The sudden realization of your power over him blooms in your chest with warm pleasure. You run your tongue over your lips, trying to make the final decision for yourself whether you want to be here, now, with him. Sebastian's gaze immediately jumps to your lips and fixates on them, the edge of his mouth twitching slightly, as if he forbade himself to repeat your movement at the last moment.

"Well, in that case." You straighten your back, trying to give yourself confidence and not show that your own self-control is cracking like glass under Depulso. Praying that Sebastian doesn't see how desperate you are.

"We must both be insane then."

You’re giving him your consent directly, and Sebastian reads it from your lips, as if drinking the sweetest nectar from the rim of a glass.

His eyes darken, unfailing smirk turning into a grin. He takes a step towards you, then again and again, while you hastily move back. Every step he takes forward is your one step back. 

Your confidence is thinning with every meter that you overcome in sync. It almost feels like a dance, but when Sebastian in the torches’ half-light reminds you of a predator approaching to devour your soul, it’s more like dancing on coals, when every wrong move can mark the triumph of fire and your defeat. You giggle, remembering Sallow's love for fire spells, imagining yourself as a pillar of sparks if you anger him. Sebastian narrows his eyes.

"What's so funny, love?"

You are about to snipe as you open your mouth, preparing a caustic comment, when your back rests against the cold, damp wall of the undercroft. All cocky remarks die in your throat. You exhale, resting both hands on the mossy rocks. Your wand is still between your fingers. Sebastian lets out victorious sneer, caging you between his two hands, pinning you against the wall.

"Not so funny anymore, is it?" Sallow murmurs, looking at you. There are hunger, longing and something else in his gaze, similar to the tenderness of a collector preparing to pin rare butterfly with a needle.

Despite your position, you still try to maintain a bit of dominance and control. Therefore, tearing your palms away from the wall, you stealthily hide your wand behind the edge of your clothes on your waist. Feeling light-headed at his proximity, you grab Sebastian's tie with one hand and place the other on his lips, preventing him from closing the distance and kissing you. Sallow huffs in annoyance through his nose, giving you his brand menacing look.

You smile as you wrap the green and white fabric around your fingers.

"Yeah, what's so funny, Sallow?" You pull on his tie and Sebastian follows your instructions without question, getting even closer. In his eyes, black with desire, you see the reflections of fire from the torches of the undercroft. "Is that the right way to act when you want something? I'd like to hear the magic word."

Suddenly you feel a wet hot touch on the inside of your palm. In surprise, you pull your hand away, staring in amazement at the sly smile spreading across Sebastian's face.

"Did you just licked-"

"Poor little Ravenclaw." Sallow grabs both of your wrists and holds on tight, preventing you from moving. "Has anyone ever told you that snakes tend to eat birds?"

Your gaze darts from his hazel eyes to his lips as you try to get your thoughts in order. Sebastian is watching your efforts with keen interest. When you growl in annoyance from the overflowing desire to kiss the damn smile from his face, Sallow leans forward and covers your lips with his own. 

Your breath hitches as Sebastian picks up a slow, painfully slow pace. You expected some violence and passion from him, but instead he kisses you the way a dying knight, devoted only to his mistress, kisses her palm for the last time. The kiss is sensual, soft, wet. Alluring. As if he is afraid that you will shatter like a mirage, like a dream inspired by a mind tormented by fantasies.

His lips are hot, the hands on your wrists clenching tighter as you return the kiss, rising up on your toes.

When he feels the responding movement of your lips, it seems that you have lost the poor boy for good.

Sallow releases your hands from his grip as you pull them demandingly towards yourself. Without breaking the kiss, he takes you under your head with one hand, holding your waist with the other, and pulls you closer. Your fingers are in his hair, slightly squeezing the curly strands. Sebastian seems to forget to breathe.

The kiss becomes faster, you pull each other more, further and, in the heat of touch, it seems that you become one lump of shattered breathing and pleasant shivering.

Sallow bites your lip, pulling it lightly with his teeth, then runs his tongue over it. You moan softly, parting your lips, and Sebastian melts in your arms, getting drunk from your voice and permission.

His tongue meets yours and deepens the kiss. You are being slammed into the wall, Sallow braces your face in both of his hands now, tilting your head as he wants. You allow him, trembling from all the unfamiliar sensations. 

It feels good, but so hot, unbearably so. There is not enough air, too, but it is a pleasant suffocation, as if an oxygen void spreads in your chest being filled with an endless repetition of one word instead of air. Sebastian Sebastian Sebastian Sebastian Sebastian. 

"Sebastian." You moan as you feel Sallow's lips on your neck, just below your jaw.

Sebastian freezes instantly, returning to your face – it takes a couple of seconds for his misty eyes to focus on yours.

"I think I just found your weak spot." He looks smug, but his voice is broken, and his eyes are pleading.

"Shut up." You whisper, stubbornly looking away.

Sallow grins, pushing your head back into place, hooking your chin with long fingers.

"What is it, darling? I know what you need, and I know what you want. All you have to do is ask politely."

You stare daggers at the proud Slytherin, who playfully runs the fingers of his free hand along your neck, raising a wave of goosebumps. His thumb on your chin circles your lip. 

"Too much honor. Why would I bother?" 

Sallow slightly scratches the skin of your neck with his nails, and you lean into his touch, causing him to chuckle.

"Because." Sebastian leans down, picking at the skin of your neck with kisses and bites. "I can make you feel good." Sallow returns to his original position, looking into your eyes with a burning glare of anticipation. "Be nice, won’t you? Is it really this hard to confess what you want?"

Sebastian watches your pupils dilate as you stare in fascination at his lips stretching into a seductive smile.

"Come on." Sallow gently tucks a strand of hair from your face, kissing you lovingly on the cheek. "Beg for me, love."

You instantly come out of the trance into which Sebastian without the slightest difficulty allured you with sweet voice and warm touches. Pride and stubbornness inflame in your chest a violent desire to resist.

"I don’t beg." You answer, firmly meeting Sallow's gaze. He frowns, puzzled by the change in your behavior, but once you believe in your small victory for a second, you see the familiar spark of an idea that flashes through the depths of Sebastian's eyes. It’s an all too well-known light that always means trouble. To you mostly, that is. 

Sebastian straightens up to his full height, throwing his head back a little and looking down at you. You don't like the amount of triumphant glee on his face as you try to figure out his next move in confusion and panic.

"Oh no, love." Sallow purrs affectionately, you are bathed in the tart sweetness that pervades his every word. "I'm afraid now you do."

You notice too late that his hands are no longer touching your skin. It's also too late because you can't feel your wand in the bosom of your clothes anymore. The last thing you see before a green veil fills your vision is Sallow's right hand aimed at you with your wand clasped in his fingers.

"Imperio." Sebastian whispers and gracefully waves the wand.

With an impulse, you are slightly thrown back into the wall. It feels like you are spinning on a very fast carousel, or you are being at a very high altitude – not a single thought has time to reach your consciousness, as if invisible barriers reflect it.

Sallow watches with an unhealthy interest how the fog swirls in your eyes, green flashes are shimmering through the irises. You look up at him, your face free of all emotion.

"Beg." Sebastian commands, excitement and euphoria filling his entire being.

"Please, Sebastian." Your voice is the most beautiful thing Sallow has ever heard in his whole life. But when you pronounce these words under your breath, brokenly desperate, bittersweetly, he feels that he can come undone.

"Again." He orders, leaning forward, drinking in your every word. "Better."

You whimper, fingers clawing at his robe, but Sallow feels it as if your fingers are clenching right on his heart. It's stupid, embarrassing really, how much power you have over him without realizing it. Now it’s you who beg him, but for some reason he feels that he is the one kneeling in front of you, as if before an ancient deity on the altar, sacrificing his soul, praying that you will accept it.

"Please." You pleadingly look into his eyes. "Please, Sebastian. Please, please, please, please, please, please, I can't take it anymore." The cascade of your whispers falls on him with an unbearable weight. Sallow groans softly at your pleas, his eyes rolling back, and he must control every breath to keep him from choking.

He lets out another quiet moan, pressing his lips to your neck, covering it with open-mouthed kisses, bites, and licks, holding you in place with his fingers on your hips.

Sebastian knows the curse wears off as you relax in his arms, leaning closer.

"Sallow-" You begin with outrage ringing in your tone. "You-" The furious tirade is being abruptly stopped with a loud moan as you choke on it, sensing Sebastian leaving a hickey, effectively cutting off all of your displeasures.

You feel his chest vibrates under your fingers with laughter.

"What would Ominis say if he knew you were practicing the Unforgivable Curses on me?" You say revengefully. 

"Don't use my best friend's name when I'm kissing your neck." Sebastian winces.

"Oh?" You mumble innocently. "And here I thought that it would amuse your ego."

"How so?" Sebastian pulls away from your neck, giving you a look.

"Well." You close the distance between you, biting on his chin for a second, hearing his breath hitches in his throat. "Because right now you are the one kissing my skin, not him." You trail wet kisses down Sallow's neck, leaving your own vindictive hickey. Sebastian flinches and groans, making you break into a smirk. "Because I'm being hold in your hands, not in Ominis', and finally-" You move higher, looking into his eyes. "Because when I begged a couple of minutes ago, it was your name that escaped my lips. Or am I wrong?" You smile slyly as you watch Sebastian open his mouth, completely stunned by your words.

"You are incredible." Praise finally escapes his lips when he tries to kiss you again, but you back away, chuckling as Sebastian whines in disappointment. A blush covers his cheeks, framing a constellations of freckles with warm color. You want to kiss all of them.

"I know." You wink at him, kissing him yourself, obediently wrapping your legs around his waist when he picks you up and takes you in his arms, leaning your back against the wall.

You are so absorbed in each other and in your undying duel for authority that you almost don’t catch the sound of the undercroft door opening.

You freeze in horror, Sebastian breaks into a big shit-eating grin. You now think that it is highly possible that only you did miss someone else’s company.

Sallow brings his index finger to his lips, signaling you to be quiet.

"I can hear you, you know." The voice of Ominis Gaunt resonates in the silence. Sallow's smile widens. "I'll leave you two doing Merlin knows what in my undercroft then, you filthy animals." He grumbles when he does not hear an answer from either of you. He hears perfectly clear, however, how you sink back to the ground, twisting out of Sallow's grip.

When Ominis turns on his heels and leaves the undercroft in a rage or nervousness, you are ready to cast Crucio on yourself. Already starting to move towards the exit to catch up with Gaunt and talk to him properly, you feel a strong grip on your wrist stopping you.

"You haven't finished your lesson." Sounds from behind.

[xxsycamore]

Catboy!Mozart headcanons

╰┈➤ 😼 What if Mozart was a catboy? Meowzart, if you will?

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart x MC • rating:G • wordcount: 920 • masterlist

a/n: First it was Nyapoleon and now I'm presenting you with... Meowzart. Thank you TheCarmineWanker on AO3 for proposing this idea, hope you enjoy!

When Mozart took his chance at afterlife, accepting the offer of the mysterious gentleman standing at his deathbed, he had no idea he'll be incarnated as a vampire… much less as a catboy vampire. He blames it on his own strange antics during his former life.

Strangely enough, Mozart feels at home in his new body. After all, he's always had that catboy in himself. Back in the day, despite being a member of the elite society of his time, he couldn't help his bursts of quirkiness when bored, and could be seen leaping over tables and chairs… He hopes noone would remember him for that.

The first thing he does upon waking up in the 19th century in the mansion of Comte de Saint-Germain is to… look for a mirror. Not just to observe the curios new attributes of what once was a human body, but to groom himself. It comes so naturally to him that he cannot find peace until he's thoroughly taken care of himself.

The pristine white fur on his cat ears and tail is short, but much like his human hair, it tends to get a little wild unless groomed and kept in order. The first request he extends towards the master of the house is not for enhancements of the piano room, but rather for top-quality hairbrushes and toilette products.

It's such a burden, to be reborn with the intention to devote yet another lifetime to music yet to still face obstacles in the way. Not that he can complain much. Having a near-immortal form that needs less sleep is a delight, if the price he has to pay is distracting himself for a portion of rouge every now and then, then so be it. But god, his catboy genes. They're a gift and a curse.

For one, he finds it harder to fight boredom. Which is funny because that's exactly how this side of himself manifested back in the day, when he reached his relatively low threshold of boredom.

Much like how cats need constant entertainment, Mozart needs something besides music in order for his brain to produce dopamine. He's never been the kind to move around much, and would prefer it if he never has to leave the mansion at all. Especially not via carriage. He claws at the carriage doors when someone tries to put him in one.

But catboy Mozart gets the zoomies every now and then, and he can't do anything about it. It often happens at night. It starts with the strange urge to trash his hand along the row of piano keys, pressing them in a random, chaotic order, creating a godawful cacophony of noises.

It feels good to do that. He has no explanation for it. It'd normally feel like nails on a chalkboard for him, yet bringing disorder after hours and hours of precise work feels so refreshing to him.

Then he exits the piano room to exhaust his pent-up energy elsewhere. He runs in the halls. Jumps over the long dining table and various other pieces of furniture. Thank god everyone else is fast asleep. Or are they?

He's a clean freak, so he cleans after himself. It's just a part of his routine at this point. He feels equal parts of satisfaction wreaking havoc and then bringing order afterwards.

As for the positive aspects of having this new form, Mozart is astonished to find his hearing greatly enhanced. He hears everything. It's all a musician like him can ask for.

You know how Mozart becomes chatty and giggly when he's drunk? It's only worse if we're talking about a drunk catboy Mozart.

He meows at people. Loudly. You can't have a normal conversation with him; to every question, he'll tilt his head with a curious "miau". The others are forced to meow back in some dire attempt to communicate with him to get down from the chandelier.

Upon the arrival of MC in the mansion, Mozart doesn't play around showing his "beast" side to her, being more than sure that she won't be able to put up with him. Her futile efforts at making friends with him are laughable and she needs to know exactly who she's trying to domesticate. He warns her about getting her face clawed at if she enters his room at the wrong time.

Despite the bumpy start, she naturally doesn't give up trying to get closer to him… until her patience and genuine care pass the test of time and acquaintanceship blooms into love.

Mozart becomes more willing to be himself infront of her, and in turn, MC helps him out by keeping him company when he gets the zoomies. She practically plays with him, makes sure he's not breaking any expensive mansion relics, chases after him and gets chased by him…

MC notices how important is for Mozart to be well-groomed, and begins to frequently brush his hair and cat ears for him.

The first time Mozart's tongue swaps across her cheek, it's shocking for both parties. For Mozart because he didn't even realize he's doing it, and for MC because it hits her what a special brand of affection this equals to.

MC gifts him a collar with a little bell on it, a very elegant one. She knows Mozart's love for certain noises, and he truly falls inlove with it - though he makes it clear that he'll only wear it in front of her. He might be a catboy but he's a catboy with dignity.

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[fanfics4all]

Lines Crossed: Part 3

Request: Yes / No I love your work!! Can you please make a pt3 to lines crossed 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 Anon

Don’t be shy, request things! <3 Have a nice day/night

Malachai x Fem!Jones!Reader 

Word count: 997

Warnings: Nothing I think

Y/N: Your Name 

PLEASE DO NOT STEAL MY WORK, I WORK HARD ON MY FICS AND IT’S NOT COOL TO STEAL SOMEONE ELSE’S WORK! 

If you want to be on the tag list for anything (My series fics, specific character fics, or just all of them) All you have to do is send me an ask and I will add you! 

Masterlist 

If you enjoy my work, you could also show support by buying me a coffee! 

(Not my photo, credit to whoever made it!)

The next morning, the tension still sat heavy in my chest. I hadn’t slept much, not after what Malachai said. How the Ghoulies would let what Jughead and the others did slide. No retaliation. No bloodshed. But there was a catch- there was always a catch. They wanted me to be one of them. And I had no idea what to do. 

I love Malachai. That much was certain. But I never wanted to be part of this gang shit. I had spent so much time trying to stay out of it, keeping neutral, keeping my shop neutral. But now? I was backed into a corner. 

I tried to shake it off, focusing on wiping down the counter at the shop. Business was slow this morning, which was probably a blessing, considering how distracted I was. But it also gave my mind too much room to spiral. 

The bell above the door jingled, and I barely looked up before going back to wiping the same damn spot for the fifth time. 

“Alright, what’s going on?” I glanced up, already knowing that tone. Jughead. His arms were crossed, eyes narrowed, standing next to Dad, who looked just as suspicious. 

I forced a smile. “What do you mean?” 

Dad sighed, walking further inside and giving me a pointed look. 

“You’ve been wound up tighter than a damn tripwire since you went to the Ghoulies. You tell me it’s nothing, I’m calling bullshit.” 

I swallowed, gripping the rag in my hands. Of course, they noticed. I should’ve known they would. 

Jughead leaned against the counter, his brows still furrowed. “Is it Malachai? Did he say something to you?” 

I hesitated. There was no avoiding it now. 

“He said the Ghoulies won’t come after you guys for what happened.”

There was a beat of silence. 

“But?” Dad asked, his eyes narrowing. 

I looked between them, hesitating, then finally sighed. “But they want me to be a Ghoulie.” 

The silence this time was heavier. 

Jughead’s face twisted into something between anger and disbelief. “You’re joking.” 

I shook my head. “I wish I was.” 

Dad’s expression darkened, his jaw tightening. “And what did you tell him?” 

I swallowed again, suddenly finding it hard to meet their eyes. “I haven’t given him an answer yet.” 

Jughead scoffed, stepping back. “There’s no answer to give. You’re not joining them.” 

“I know that, Jug!” I snapped, feeling the frustration boil over. “You think I wanna be part of this? I never did!” 

Dad’s gaze softened slightly, but his voice was still firm. “So why haven’t you told him no?” 

I bit my lip. “Because I love him.” 

Jughead let out a sharp, bitter laugh, running a hand over his face. “Unbelievable.” 

“I don’t know what to do…” I admitted quietly, my voice cracking slightly. 

“I love him. But I don’t wanna be in a gang. And if I say no, I don’t know what that means for us.” 

Jughead shook his head, looking at me like he didn’t recognize me. “You cannot be seriously considering this.” 

“I don’t know, Jug!” My voice wavered. “But if I say no, I could lose him, and they’ll go after the Serpents!” 

Jughead scoffed, shaking his head. “That’s not love, that’s control. If he actually cared about you, he wouldn’t be putting you in this position in the first place!” 

I winced. He wasn’t wrong, but hearing him say it like that made my stomach twist. 

Jughead wasn’t done. “You’re telling me he’s okay with you throwing your entire future away? You really think once you’re in, you can just go back to running your shop and keeping out of all this shit?” He gestured wildly, his tone rising. “That’s not how it works, and you know that!” 

I crossed my arms, my jaw tightening. “I don’t need a damn lecture from you, Jug.” 

“No, what you need is to open your eyes and realize that Malachai is manipulating you!” 

“Get out.” 

The words were sharp, cutting through the air like a blade. We both turned to Dad, who was staring at Jughead with an unreadable expression. 

Jughead frowned. “What?” 

“I said get out.” He repeated, his tone low but firm. “You wanna stand here and tell her what she needs to do like this isn’t your damn fualt?” 

Jughead blinked, caught off guard. “What-” 

“You’re the reason she’s in this mess in the first place.” Dad snapped, stepping cloer. 

“If you and those other idiots hadn’t gone and pulled that stunt, she wouldn’t be in this position. She wouldn’t have the Ghoulies breathing down her damn neck, making her choose between her life and yours.” 

I swallowed, shifting uncomfortably. I had never seen Dad this pissed at Jughead before. 

Jughead opened his mouth, then shut it, his jaw clenching. “I was trying to protect her.” 

“Well now she’s trying to fix your fuck up and protect you.” Dad shot back. “She’s stuck, boy. Stuck because of you. And now, instead of standing here and acting like you know what’s best, maybe you should actually take a second to think about the fact that she’s tryin’ to fix your damn mistake.” 

Jughead looked at me, his lips pressing into a thin line. I looked away. After a long moment, he exhaled sharply and stepped back. 

“I’m not gonna let you do this.” He muttered before turning and walking toward the door. 

He hesitated before leaving, his hand gripping the door handle tightly, but he didn’t turn back. The door slammed shut behind him. Dad sighed, rubbing a hand over his face before looking at me. 

“You know he’s just worried about you, right?” 

I swallowed hard, nodding. 

“I know.” I said quietly. 

He nodded slowly. “Good. But right now, what matters is what you want.” 

I hesitated, staring down at the counter. 

“I just… I don’t want to lose him. But I don’t want this either.” 

Dad sighed, leaning against the counter beside me. 

“Well, sweetie, you can’t have both.” 

Tag list: @les-bio-lie @tashy-bear @ashwarren32 @hollie-blogs-blog1 @lover-of-books-and-tea @nerdygaloresposts @teenwolfbitches28 @kmc1989 @drw0301bieber @lady-of-lies @ravenmoore14 @ravenempress101 @cillianchamp @rowanthomasknapp @rachelxwayne @ready-4-fanfiction @madammarvellous-blog1 @emo-godess-loves-you @hiya-imthatgirl @mindsetjupiter @averysinclaire @mittelerde1999 @sweetest-peas @rousewriter @camiconfessions-blog @thecaptainsgingersnap @cenyddtheunicorn @jacksxsouthsideserpents @lover2448 @mamacobie13 @scarrasco1325 @madebyleftovermuses @fandom-princess-forevermore @liz-owl @adamsbubblegumbitch

[hawkogurl]

I’ve been thinking about a sm3 rewrite so I’m gonna dump some vague thoughts here.

Seeing as it was likely intended to be more of a Harry movie before Venom was forced in, there’s going to be more of a focus on my boy than any other character. As it stands, I don’t want to entirely write out any character that already exists (not throwing the baby out with the bathwater) but just make something that works as a narrative with what I have been given. This likely means that this will exist in two halves in some way, one more about Venom and one more about Sandman.

As my current thoughts stand, Eddie isn’t getting Venom. It just makes the movie clogged and not as streamlined as it could be. Contrary to the opinions of pretty much everyone who’s tried to propose how to make venom work without considering the narrative ramifications on a character who was never not going to be redeemed, Harry is getting Venom either. Peter is, however, in a universe where this exists I would want every trailer ever to bait people into thinking that Harry or someone else would be Venom. Trust me on this.

I’m taking a lot of inspiration from someone I saw commenting on something that I simply cannot find, but the idea is you keep Venom on Peter and use Venom to accentuate and provoke Peter’s pre existing negative traits, which there are many of, particularly ones that go unacknowledged normally or relate more closely to Harry. You use this to make Harry’s redemption parallel Peter’s corruption, putting Harry in this position where he’s able to make moves to improve himself because the gap between “revenge” and “becoming a good and noble person” is narrower. It’s easier to bridge that gap in a way that feels more natural if we put Peter in a narrative position where those lines are blurred.

To do this, we, as prior states, put Venom on Peter for the vast majority of the movie. Peter’s flaws being exaggerated by Venom, in particular his hero complex and his conviction he knows what’s best for other people can be used to make him take actions he believes are right but will begin to make the classic raimi trilogy Character Of New York begin to fear him. If we begin this with the canon Peter ego and the love New York has for Spider-Man that actual sm3 uses, we have some fun potential down the line.

I’m currently unsure what will begin pushing him in this direction, but to feel satisfying and streamline, it should include MJ and Harry. This is a bit vague rn.

New York will need to gradually grow to fear and dislike the black suit Spidey in a similar capacity to after Eddie’s fake photos but in this context it would be more legitimate and things Peter is actually doing. Eddie won’t necessarily relate to this, the parallel just communicates this better.

At this point I want some fight to occur in which Harry goes and hunts down Peter and ends up fighting him in some context where their conflict is viewed by New York locals who Peter had been previously doing ethically dubious vigilanteism towards. Harry’s attack is utterly misread as “oh, finally someone is standing up for us!” Normally I would find this too cheesy, but I then realized this is the sort of cheese that would just exist in in a Raimi Spider-Man movie. Like… yeah that would happen. Harry’s craving for external validation then gets to come into conflict with his craving for validation from his (hallucinations of) his father. As you can imagine, it’s easier to get validation from the city.

At this point he’d still be a little bit of a bitch about it tho. At some point I want a confrontation between an increasingly venom looking Peter and Harry, where Harry is effectively trying to secure both of the things that he wants (revenge and admiration) by taking Peter down. They spend the entire fight rubbing every insecurity they know the other has and verbally prodding at each others weak points because the vibe is that right now they’re both generally pretty vindictive and cruel with one another. Main things I want accomplished is for Peter to call Harry’s motivations in being a hero superficial because he does the hard part not because it’s right but because he wants the praise while Peter did the hard part because it was right and the praise was unimportant. At some point in this fight, Harry should lose half his face. Burns also work if I can make them make sense, but something more brutal like his face being ground into any sort of moving object or really anything that will do permanent damage will work. I want the symbolic potential of Harry losing something superficially valuable here.

Everything else I got is too vague to be shared. This is an absolute dump and I apologize to anyone who endured reading through it.

[eowyntheavenger]

https://www.tumblr.com/themythicalcodfish/740908064020086784

Too many leftists act like evangelical Christians imo. All of this posturing about Biden boils down to people not being able to tolerate the idea of having to actually dirty their hands and accept moral compromises to actually achieve anything. Not even if it's literally the only thing standing between a chance to actually make some real change, vs outright destruction of democracy and sanity in the name of a dictatorship that will come after EVERYONE.

The Republicans, as vile as they are, understood this implicitly. They caterwauled and threw fits over their candidates when they weren't vile enough, but they still voted year after year, decade after decade to put their fascists into positions of power for over 5 decades. And now because of that work, they're on the cusp of possibly overthrowing democracy and destroying our world for their own hateful agenda.

Meanwhile, tell a supposed online leftist that they need to work for years to even see any chance of progress, especially given just how far behind we are and fighting against far Right oppressors all the way, and they'll throw in the towel and demand immediate fixes without any idea of HOW to even achieve that goal given how dysfunctional society is.

Or worse, basically advocate for a left wing version of a dictatorship, because their worldview is just as maddeningly black and white as the people they claim to oppose. All or Nothing, let the people they see as their enemies suffer, and demand absolutes from the people they see as lesser than themselves.

Very well said! I had a debate recently with one of these anti-voting people and they hit me with the usual arguments:

1) Voting "doesn't work" (idiotic).

2) Trump and Biden are the same (idiotic).

3) Not voting, or voting third party, constitutes a "protest" somehow (oh my god so idiotic).

We kept debating, and when I brought up the fact that Trump is a threat to democracy, they genuinely asked me why if Trump is such a threat Biden can't just "get rid of him." Just…WOW. As much as I want Trump gone, NO, we cannot just have the current president "get rid of" his main political opponent. Like do you support democracy or not? Well... in the case of these anti-voting freaks, the answer IS in fact no.

So this person, who’d been swearing up and down that voting for Biden = supporting genocide, actually turned around and said they’d support Biden if he could “get rid of Trump.” Which actually shows they KNOW Trump is worse. It’s exactly like you said, they don’t want to dirty their hands. If someone else would just get rid of Trump they’d support it, but they won’t lift a finger to do the one thing (voting blue) that has the best chance of keeping him out of office.

[trashlie]

what r ur stalkyoo predictions

Oh man Nonny this is such a broad question lmao and it doesn't help that my "predictions" are constantly changing week to week. I'm going to do my best to write what I currently anticipate but... honestly just know that a week or three from now maybe it will change lmao but here's what I anticipate

(this DOES include FP spoilers up to 235)

At this stage, I think we're moving towards Stalkyoo both acknowledging/admitting their feelings, but perhaps not entering a relationship given, yknow... extenuating factors.

I think Dieter will talk to Nol and confront him on how he pushes everyone away and how it especially hurts Shinae, that he knows what he saw that morning and he knows that they both like each other, and what good is it to hurt her pushing her away just because she doesn't return Dieter's feelings? I think this conversation is important not just because Nol feels guilt towards Dieter, but because Nol needs to see and understand an earlier point Shinae made, that he cannot keep making decisions on their behalf. Just like pushing Shinae away in order to "mitigate her risk of harm", pushing away someone who reciprocates his feelings in order to not hurt someone else benefits no one.

Something crucial for Nol to understand is that a. there are some feelings you can't keep squashing down and b. what happens when you continue to do so. Not so much a prediction as much as I hope, I really hope Nol will look at the letters in the Bible from his father, so that he can better understand his mother and father's relationship, and how they ended up in the positions they did.

As much as Nol, Shinae, and Alyssa parallel Rand, Nessa, and Yui, the most important difference is that they are not yet in as deep. In leaving Yui for Nessa Rand stood to lose much more than Nol does - not just his life's work (the company), but he was already married and he had a child with Yui. I think Rand probably stayed to try to protect Kousuke the best he could, to try to counteract what he could. It wasn't as easy for him to leave. But Nol isn't in that predicament. He has all the opportunity to leave, to put himself first and to put his own needs and happiness first.

But it's still important for Nol to stand in Rand's shoes for a moment so that he can understand. Even though Nol has never really come out and said it himself, I think it's easy to see that he probably resents Rand for all of that - for being married and having an affair with his mom, leaving her a single mother to raise Nol all on her own, for everything that happened after they moved to Korea. It sounds like they lived in secret, undocumented immigrants hiding in the country put up by Rand but still unable to be part of his family. And I think that made him resent his mom a little, too. He asked Shinae what if you mistreated the cow from which your burger came and it lends some ideas to the guilt that Nol carries. What if before losing her, Nol fought with his mom? Fought about her relationship with a married man, hiding in a country where they had no one. He was alone, lonely. He had no friends.

It's so easy for Nol to point fingers and admonish blame. He was married, he shouldn't have done that! She shouldn't have done that!

But what kind of rules and arguments do you apply to a marriage that was never based on love, but rather was an arrangement? It's not confirmed, but it's always felt like Yui and Rand are an arrangement, rather than two people who married for love, much like Nol and Alyssa are. For Nol to stand in his father's shoes - to essentially have a responsibility (used very, very loosely here) to someone else but to know that his heart and happiness lie with someone else, to be torn between what is right and what he wants, perhaps he could better understand his parents, and how they ended up living the ways they did. Why Nessa clung to someone like Rand despite everything.

But also, just as importantly, I think it would give him more understanding of the choice Rand couldn't - didn't - make, and what could happen to Nol if he doesn't. It's not just his happiness that is in jeopardy but also Shinae's. Knowing what his mother was like, and how Shinae, too, is so relentless, unwilling to give up on him, might give him more of the resolve needed to make the choice that his parents were unable to.

Now, I'm uncertain of the order I think things from here will progress. Will Nol get a chance to talk to Alyssa and break up with her before he gets to talk to Shinae? Is Alyssa going to have to contend with dating rumors involving convicted felon Nol? At some point, whether it's a mutual choice or not, one of them is going to pull the plug on that fake relationship. The moment Alyssa's benefits are jeopardized by Nol's reputation, it's all going to fall apart. We know that much. Minhyuk has kind of hinted at it - Alyssa doesn't keep people around when their reputations bring her down and the moment it does, she's going to have to make the call, whether or not she wants to.

At some point, though, Nol and Shinae will talk. They both have very pointedly (on the same day!!!!) come to realize the nature of their feelings towards each other, to understand just what they mean to each other! And Shinae is SO feral about it! I FULLY think she's going to have a spicy dream about Nol lmao the smut in Maya's books was too heavy handed for it to not come back into play in Shinae's subconscious, further illuminating something she's just become aware of. It's not enough to want to hang on to his friendship - it's EVERYTHING she doesn't want to lose, it's what he he means to her, and what SHE means to him. Nol's been given a 3 day extension before has to go to prison and I don't think quimchee would deliberately write that if not to leave room for this to happen. Notably, this extension brings us to Christmas Eve; it just feels TOO pointed to ignore.

Maybe it won't happen until the final day, but I think Nol and Shinae WILL talk and it will set us up for their post-time skip dynamics. Whether or not they actually enter a relationship at this time, I think what is more important is that Nol and Shinae will very likely resolve a lot of this - what they mean to each other, how they feel about each other, but also understanding that they are better off together. It's so easy for Nol and Shinae to be used by Yui against one and other if they are isolated, if Nol is pushing her away, if they are not a united front. Nol needs to start taking steps to forming his alliances so that in the future he isn't left so vulnerable. A talk about their feelings is more than just about relationships; it will set them up for the future where they are both playing this game.

But for the sake of my predictions, I think Shinae WILL go see Nol, whether it's because she wants to demand her belongings back or because she suddenly gets shy and can't face him. I really don't think we're leaning towards that any more, but rather "fine if you won't me have you" (SCREAMS), some kind of high tension moment that will inadvertently bring their feelings out into the open lol. As much as I'd like her to go straight back to him after waking, I'm not totally certain if I think she will or if she'll wait until the next day. Maybe Nol needs to sit with his feelings, too, after his talk with Dieter to be a little pathetic about her and really drive home how much this is something he can't just keep repressing lol.

And while I'm not sure they'll actually enter a relationship at this time, I think what we'll probably see is how this brings them into the timeskip. My friends and I have been talking lately about Nol taking his own path - moving forward not as a Hirahara but as a Lochlain, not attending Oxford but perhaps some other school abroad, becoming a self-made man his own way, while Shinae remains in Korea and probably takes Yui up on her offer. My guess is that Shinae will basically "trade herself" for her father - make a deal that you leave my father be and fine, I'll do this, I'll let you cover my schooling. I just... I DON'T want her to lose Simhan, I DON'T want him to die to force Shiane's hand. I'd much rather see her be proactive and take action against Yui, because as much as it still means she's being "forced" into taking up Yui's offer, it's still more or less on her own terms, it's not nearly as dire as what happened at the formal.

I think it will lead us to something where Shinae is the one playing the game the most openly - she's the one employed at the company, she's the one who is the direct adversary to Yui, who will be trying to no avail to try to break her, to get her to play the game her way, to try to convert her to her side. Meanwhile, I think Nol will operate from the shadows. They know of their own relationship, they know of their importance to each other, but perhaps others may not see it up front. Quimchee has a lot of Patreon art of Nol and Shinae that, quite frankly lmao, feels very much like it's Shinae in charge and Nol is here to do her bidding because he really doesn't care about anything else besides her LMAOOOOO idk maybe he WILL want revenge, especially if/when he learns that what happened to his mother may not have been simply her taking her own life. But I think their future dynamics will very much put Shinae at the forefront with Nol operating from the shadows, perhaps Shinae feeding him information so that he can work out of sight from people like Yui. That's not to say I think their relationship will be a secret or anything as much as just.... those who matter will probably know. There are a lot of benefits to them pointedly not revealing it to other people, right?

Something I think has been emphasized a lot in a lot of ILY art is that even if Nol and Shinae aren't directly connected, they're very often connected in SOME way - the earbuds binding them together, holding on to each other's fingers, Shinae's gaze on him. I think Stalkyoo will prove that they have a connection and understanding that goes deeper than a lot of people expect, and as such, they have confidence in each other, that they don't NEED to proudly display their relationship, and thus it will work to their advantage because we know Yui WILL try to divide them so it's better to keep things in the shadows, right?

My head is still really stuffy so this is not my BEST explanation, but hopefully this suffices! For now this is how I see things going down but, as always, we will possibly see this change with the coming episodes haha!