#and in a good way and he doesn't want to say that he's dead when that happens

[theminecraftbee]

Joe stands at an appropriately wary distance. While personally, he's not sure that he understands either the appeal or the danger of sculk, he understands both of those things about Cleo, and he's not about to get himself ensnared in whatever she's doing without taking appropriate cautions.

Now, he is over here because Cleo asked, but, well. She'd also said something about ruining the lovely, completely flat area he'd cleared. Or maybe about tennis? Joe is pretty sure Cleo has nothing to do with tennis, but is also pretty sure Bdubs will kill everyone on the server dead if he doesn't get to play tennis, so it's better safe than sorry.

"You can come closer," Cleo says. "It's almost like you're scared of me."

"Scared? Never," Joe says. "Appropriately wary of your chaotic ways? Yeah, a little bit."

"Awww, it's like you've known me for over a decade!" Cleo says.

"And I won't be free of you for at least another one," Joe agrees. "Is there any reason you called me over here?"

"I'm doing science," Cleo says.

"Now I'm scared," Joe says.

"Good," Cleo says, and she gestures for Joe to get closer. Joe looks down. There's a lot of sculk on the ground, but there's a Cleo who might be annoyed in front of him. He thinks about which problem he's more likely to have to deal with in the future, and then he walks over the sculk to go say hello to Cleo. If all else fails, he has like, three different mortal forms. If the Juppet gets possessed by weird cave fungus he can simply let his fleshbound form take over. It's foolproof!

"Fascinating," Cleo says, and writes something down. Joe squints.

"Are you doing a behavioral study on how Hermits react to past Cubfan pranks...?" Joe asks.

"Shhhh," Cleo says. "You'll give it away."

"WHO STOLE MY GODDAMN DIAMONDS!" roars Doc, storming out of his shop. "THEY'RE COVERED IN SCULK! CUBFAN, WHEN I GET YOU..."

"Ah," Joe says.

"You know, by now they should really suspect me more often," Cleo says cheerfully before taking a bite of what Joe figures to be an incredibly moldy cookie. (Is sculk mold? Joe thinks it counts.)

"That doesn't seem very food-safe," Joe says.

"I'm already dead," Cleo says.

"Oh, right. Fair," Joe says. "Can I have one? I'm technically a spirit possessing a puppet, so I figure I can't get botulism, or whatever food poisoning sculk does. Have you noticed that your eyes are also moldy?"

Cleo snorts. "That's a way you can phrase that. Yeah, okay, take one if you want. I need to write that down in my study."

Joe nods and takes a cookie for himself. Really, if it's Cleo, there's no avoiding whatever chaos happens next. He might as well join in. If he's lucky, he can even be an outlier in her science and mess up all her data! Wouldn't that just be a dream?

[extraspicynoodles-blog]

JEALOUSY LOOKS GOOD ON YOU (Gojo x You one shot)

**** SELF WRITTEN. NONE OF MY WORK IS WRITTEN BY AI.

He barely said a word on the way home. Just sat there in the passenger seat, arms crossed like a petulant teenager who didn't get picked first for dodgeball, lower lip fully out. The silence was loud. Comically so.

"Are you seriously mad?" you asked, glancing over.

"No," he said flatly.

Which, of course, was Gojo-speak for absolutely, yes, I'm in my feelings and I want attention.

You bit back a smile. It was stupid, really. Some guy at the arcade had made a dumb comment while Satoru was off buying snacks, something harmless and forgettable like "You should ditch your boyfriend and come let me win you a prize instead." And okay, maybe you laughed. But only because the guy tripped immediately after and karma did her thing.

Still. Satoru hadn't let it go since.

He sulked the entire walk to the car. Threw your drink in the cupholder like it personally offended him. Didn't even open his Pocky.

"You're mad because a guy with cargo shorts and a neck tattoo hit on me," you said, unbuckling your seatbelt when you parked.

"I'm mad because you laughed," he said, finally turning to look at you - and oof, there it was. That stupidly pretty face pulled into something taut and dangerous, jaw tight, eyes glinting.

"You laughed, baby."

You blinked. "You're being dramatic."

"And you're being cruel," he said, voice too calm. "You think it's funny? Watching me walk back and see someone else flirting with what's mine?"

He leaned closer, eyes dragging down your lips like he was already imagining them wrapped around something else.

"...Satoru," you warned, heartbeat skipping.

His hand came up to cup your cheek, thumb stroking slow and possessive, like a threat wrapped in velvet. His voice dropped to a rasp.

"Say it again."

You swallowed. "Say what?"

"My name. Like that."

He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. It was too hungry for that.

"You know how fucked I am for you? How long I've been waiting to get home just to remind you?"

When you arrived home, you barely made it to the front door before he had you pinned against it. His hands gripped your hips like he wanted to leave fingerprints. His mouth found your neck, teeth scraping like he needed to mark you - stake his claim in something primal and desperate.

"You're mine," he breathed, hot and ragged against your skin. "And I'm gonna remind you exactly how much."

You didn't answer, not with words. Just stared up at him, eyes wide, heart pounding in your throat.

Satoru's gaze flicked down to your lips again, like he was restraining himself. Like he wasn't sure if he wanted to kiss you or drag you back to the car and wreck you in the backseat.

"Do you even know what you do to me?" he muttered, voice rough now. "You walk around smiling at people like it doesn't kill me. Like I'm not over here losing my fucking mind."

"You're being ridiculous," you whispered, but your voice shook, and he caught it. “Can I open the door before you berate me?”

His hands slid under your shirt, digging into your back while completely disregarding your request. "I saw the way he looked at you. Like you were something he could win with enough stupid arcade tickets. Like he even stood a chance."

"You're jealous of a man with a Monster energy tattoo," you teased.

"And I'd burn that entire arcade down if it meant you'd only ever look at me like that," he said, dead serious.

You blinked.

He kissed you. Hard.

No patience. No pretense. Just hours of pent up need crashing into you as he pressed you harder against the door, his body fitting perfectly against yours.

“Babe, let me open the door first,” you argued, while fumbling for your keys as Satoru stared at you in awe. Maybe a little bit like a lunatic.

You barely got the key in the lock. His chest was flush against your back, his breath hot and ragged in your ear.

"You think I'm kidding," he murmured, voice tight, fingers digging into your hips like they were the only things tethering him to sanity. "You really think I'm gonna walk through this door like a normal person after watching some idiot breathe in your direction?"

The key turned. The door opened a crack.

He slammed it shut with one hand.

You gasped. "Satoru-"

"No." His tone dropped, dark and low, almost a plea. "Not yet."

He spun you around and pinned you flat against the door, wrist above your head, one knee slotting between your thighs, the other hand gripping your belt loop like it had personally wronged him.

"You don't get it," he growled. "You looked so fucking pretty standing there - smiling, laughing, like he even had a shot. Like I wasn't right there. Like you weren't mine."

"Satoru-"

"No. No, don't say my name like that unless you want me to lose it." His forehead dropped to yours, jaw clenched, breath stuttering. "You don't understand what it does to me. Seeing someone else even look at you- fuck, I should've bent you over that air hockey table right then and there."

You whimpered. Your legs buckled. He caught you instantly, arms tightening like he was scared you'd disappear.

"I wanted to wait," he admitted, lips brushing yours. "I was gonna be good. Take my time. But then you... fuck, you had to go and smile like that. Laugh like that. And now I'm done. I'm fucking done."

He kissed you again - hard, messy, all teeth and tongue and need.

You tugged at his shirt, breath catching. "Then remind me."

"Oh, I'm gonna remind you," he panted, lifting one of your thighs around his waist and pressing you harder to the door, grinding against you through denim like he could break the tension that way. "Right here. I don't care. Door's locked. Neighbors can hear? Good. Let them."

You tried to speak, but he swallowed the words with another kiss, then moved lower, lips brushing your collarbone, teeth grazing skin.

His hands trembled. Not from nerves, but from restraint.

"Gonna fuck you right here," he breathed, voice wrecked as he unbuttoned your jeans like they were holding him back from air. "Gonna ruin you for every guy stupid enough to breathe the same air as you. Including future me."

You blinked. "What?"

"I'm gonna ruin future me, baby. That's how bad it is." He shoved your jeans down and groaned, like the sight of your thighs alone broke his last brain cell. "I'm never gonna recover from this. You understand that? You ruined me."

You laughed, breathless, dizzy. "You're ridiculous."

"I'm yours," he corrected, dragging his mouth up your neck. "And I'm gonna make sure everyone knows it."

He dropped to his knees so fast it knocked the breath from your lungs. His hands were already dragging your panties down with a frustrated snarl, like they were in the way of something vital - like oxygen, like salvation.

"I don't care," he muttered, almost frenzied. "I don't care if it makes me jealous, crazy, fucking insane. So be it."

His voice cracked as his mouth hovered over your inner thigh, breath hot, reverent. His hands clenched your legs like he was grounding himself, like if he let go he'd unravel completely.

"You're perfect," he said, lips brushing over your skin like worship. "You're unreal. You're a fucking angel, and you let some guy with a cheap pickup line get within ten feet of you?" He laughed, but it was bitter, broken. "You're mine. You have to be. Because if you're not, if I have to watch someone else even try, I'll lose it. I am losing it."

And then his mouth was on you.

You didn't even have time to gasp before your knees buckled. He caught you, groaned, buried his face between your thighs like he could crawl inside and live there. His tongue licked a stripe through your folds and you sobbed his name.

And that? That's when Satoru shattered.

He moaned against your pussy - loud, obscene, like the taste of you broke something in him. He gripped your thighs and yanked them wider, like he needed more access, needed to drown in you or die trying.

"Oh my God," he gasped, already breathless, lips slick and glistening. "You taste like fucking heaven. Like divinity. Like everything I'll never deserve but need anyway."

And then he devoured you.

No finesse. No rhythm. Just need. Desperate, feral, greedy need.

His tongue worked you over like he was starved, nose bumping your clit, lips dragging through your slick, sucking and groaning and whining like it physically hurt to be this obsessed. It was messy. So fucking messy. Slick dripping down his chin, coating his mouth, his cheeks, his jaw. His hair stuck to his forehead with sweat, and his hands shook where they gripped your ass.

"Mine," he growled, lips dragging across your soaked cunt. "Mine. Mine. Mine. Fuck."

Your legs trembled, the door at your back the only thing keeping you upright.

He babbled - oh, god, he babbledddd.

"Fuck baby, you don't get it-" his voice was soaked in worship, wrecked with truth, "-I get hard just hearing your voice in my head. I jerk off remembering how you taste. I can't think, I can't breathe. You live in my fucking brain and I don't want you to leave. I don't want you to go anywhere. I need this. I need you. I need-"

You moaned, high and needy, and tugged on his hair. He whined in return. Full on, high pitched and shameless, grinding his hips against the air like your moan alone made him feral.

Your thighs clamped around his head. Your hips stuttered. Your voice broke on his name.

When you came, he groaned loudly, like your orgasm dragged one out of him too - untouched, still clothed, just from the sound of you falling apart.

When he looked up at you, his lips were red and trembling, face soaked, eyes glazed over with worship and madness.

"Please," he rasped, barely holding himself together. "Please. Again. I can make you cum again. I know I can. I need to. Let me, please, please-"

He looked wrecked. Ravenous. Worshipful.

"Baby, baby, it's okay," you breathed, cupping his flushed face with trembling hands, still dazed, still high from what he'd just done to you. "You don't have to-"

"Yes, I do," he interrupted, voice breaking. His pupils were blown wide, his hair a tangled halo, mouth glistening from where he'd ruined you seconds ago. "I have to- I have to- fuck, please don't stop me-"

"Satoru-"

"Shhh, shh, just let me. You don't fucking get it," he rasped, fumbling with his belt like it physically pained him to wait another second. "You don't get it. I'm going insane. Every time you laugh at someone else, I see red. I feel like I'm dying."

His pants hit the floor with a thud. You reached for him instinctively, trying to soothe, trying to steady, but he surged forward and kissed you again - sloppy, teeth and tongue and desperation.

"I'm trying to be normal, I swear I am," he babbled against your lips. "Trying to play it cool. But I can't. I fucking can't. You're so beautiful it hurts. You smiled at him and I saw hell."

"Satoru-"

"Shut up," he whispered, not mean, just desperate. "Just shh. Just let me. I need to feel you. I need to be in you. I need to lose my fucking mind inside you or I'll explode."

You knew he would really stop if you wanted him to. If you told him no, he’d control himself. But you didn’t want him to. You liked seeing him like this.

You gasped when he picked you up, hands trembling but strong, pressing you against the wall like he was trying to fuse you into it. You wrapped your legs around his waist and barely had time to speak before he pushed in.

And when he did, he whimpered.

Not a yell. Not a grunt. A full, wrecked sob of relief like he'd just come home from war and stepped into heaven.

"Oh my god, fuck- you're so warm, you're perfect. Mine- mine mine mine-"

His pace was frantic. Erratic. He wasn't trying to show off, he was trying to survive. Each thrust like a plea, like a prayer, like he needed you to anchor him to reality.

"You're everything," he whimpered. "I think about you when I sleep. When I eat. When I fight. I get hard just hearing your voice. I fucking ache for you. I want to crawl inside you and stay there forever."

"Satoru-"

"Don't say my name like that," he groaned, hips stuttering. "I'll cum. I swear to god I'll cum the second you say it like that again. Fuck- please, say it again- no, don't, wait- shit-"

You were clinging to him, thighs shaking, chest heaving, nails digging crescents into his back like you were anchoring yourself to the moment. But Satoru wasn't there. Not really. He was gone.

Pupils blown wide, lips parted, body trembling with every desperate roll of his hips like it was the only thing keeping him tethered to earth.

"I can't breathe without you," he choked out. "I don't want to. I don't want to exist if you're not mine. I'm yours. I've always been yours. please, please let me stay- let me fucking stay-"

Each thrust was erratic now. Not controlled. Just frantic, stuttering little snaps of his hips that had him whining into your mouth like a man unraveling in real time.

And when you came, sharp, sudden, gasping his name like salvation, that broke him.

His whole body jerked like it physically shocked him, like the sound of his name spilling from your lips was too much. Too good. Too yours.

"Don't- don't say my name," he gasped, covering your mouth with his palm like he couldn't take it. "Shh- just- fuck, shh-" His hand trembled, thumb brushing your cheekbone, and then he faltered. "Wait. Baby- shit, I'm sorry-" He moved his hand to cup your face instead, cradling it like he'd just hurt the one thing in the world he couldn't live without.

"I'm so sorry, oh my god, I didn't mean to-" he kissed you like he was trying to put you back together, like he was kissing away his own panic, "I'm just- I'm fucking ruined, baby- look at me, look what you've done to me-"

You did. His flushed cheeks. His tear glossed lashes. His mouth still trembling from how badly he was falling apart.

"Don't say my name- fuck, no, say it again," he begged, voice hoarse. "Say it again, please- I need it- I don't know what I need- wait, don't, fuck- yes, say it- say it, say it, say it-"

He buried himself deep again, deeper than before, rocking into you with dizzy, desperate force, like he wanted to break you in the shape of him. He was panting now, full body shaking, forehead pressed to yours as he sobbed through it.

"Mine," he whimpered. "Mine mine mine mine mine- fuck, you're everything, you're all I want, you're all I've ever wanted-"

And then he came with a loud, cracked cry, hips jerking, mouth on yours, slick sliding down both your thighs from the force of it.

He didn't stop moving. Didn't pull out just yet. Just rutted into you through the aftershocks like he didn't want it to end, like letting go meant waking up from the only dream he ever wanted to live in.

"I love you," he rasped again and again, moaning it between kisses, half crying. "I love you, I love you, I love you- please let me keep you, please-"

When it finally slowed, he collapsed against you. Still inside, still shaking, still clinging.

He didn't move. Didn't speak. Just held you like you were the only thing keeping him alive. He held you there, pressed gently to the wall, his arms locked around your back like he was trying to fuse your bodies together. His face was buried in the curve of your neck, breath shaky and uneven, lips ghosting over your skin like a silent apology.

Like if he stayed still long enough, the world would stop spinning and everything would make sense again.

You felt the tremble still running through him - soft and involuntary, like aftershocks. His heartbeat thundered against yours.

Then, a whisper. Barely even a breath:

"Sorry... I- I didn't mean to go that far. I just- fuck." His voice cracked. "You're okay, right? Please tell me you're okay."

"I'm fine baby," you whispered breathlessly. "Absolutely fine. You're perfect, it's-"

"-I need to clean you."

You stirred a little in his arms. "Wait, no. I can do it, baby, it's-"

He pulled back just enough to look at you - hair tousled, eyes red rimmed, voice hoarse. "Let me take care of you. Please."

You blinked, still hazy. "Satoru, you're doing the most..."

"I always do the most," he muttered, kissing your temple as he scooped you into his arms like a bride. "You know that. Nothing halfway when it comes to my girl. Especially not after I just jealous-fucked the shit out of you. Christ, I'm so sorry."

You snorted into his shoulder. "You're ridiculous."

"I'm ruined," he corrected solemnly. "And now you're getting the deluxe recovery package."

He carried you to the bathroom, setting you down gently on the edge of the tub while he ran the water, checking the temperature like a man on a mission. When the bath was ready - steamy, warm, filled with bubbles and a few drops of whatever calming oil he found first, he helped you in like you were porcelain.

He knelt beside the tub, rolled up his sleeves, and went to work.

His fingers massaged softly into your shoulders and neck, tender and reverent like he was trying to apologize through touch. He washed your hair slowly, lathering and rinsing with such exaggerated care it made you laugh. Between every step he whispered, "Sorry, sorry," like a mantra, punctuated with featherlight kisses to your temple, your cheek, your wet hair.

"You don't have to keep apologizing," you murmured, eyes half lidded, fully relaxed under his attention.

"I do," he murmured, rinsing your hair again with slow, tender strokes. "Because you let me be a little insane, and I love you for that. But I still have to earn it. Every time."

You tilted your head back against his chest, fingers combing through his damp hair. "Baby, you already have."

But, in true Satoru fashion, he didn't listen.

When the bath was done, he wrapped you in a towel like you were something breakable and kissed your shoulder. Then he dried your hair with the kind of reverence usually reserved for religious artifacts, whispering apologies into your skin between passes of the towel. Apologies you didn't need, but ones he needed to say.

And then came the second phase of Operation: Spoil My Girl.

Without a word, he padded into the bedroom and returned with every pillow and blanket he could find. You watched from the doorway, amused, as he rearranged the couch like a man on a mission - fluffing, stacking, folding, tucking, until it resembled something between a cloud and a fortress.

He grabbed your favorite hoodie, the oversized one that smells like him, and held it out like an offering. "Arms up," he said, already tugging it over your head before you could roll your eyes. Then came your soft pajama shorts, and the gentle way he eased them up over your hips like you were made of glass.

When you were properly bundled, he sat down beside you, lifted your legs into his lap, and tucked the blanket up to your chin. Like you were fragile. Precious. Sacred.

"I'm still sorry," he said softly, brushing your damp hair back from your face.

"I know," you replied. "And I still like when you're like that."

He smiled, just a little. But it didn't reach his eyes. "I know. But I also need you to know I never want to scare you. I never want you to think it's about power. It's not. It's just..." He looked away. "I can't fucking imagine someone else thinking they have a shot. It short circuits my brain."

You reached over and curled your hand around his. "You're mine," you whispered, soft and certain.

And that? That finally quieted something in him. You felt it in the way his shoulders dropped, in the way his thumb brushed over your knuckles like he couldn't believe you were real. Like your words had pressed the "reset" button on whatever had short circuited inside him.

Then, in true Satoru fashion, the calm lasted all of ten seconds.

He jolted upright. "Tea," he announced, as if remembering oxygen. "You need tea."

You blinked. "Baby-"

"Or coffee. No- too late for coffee. Tea it is. Wait, soup. You need soup too. Oh my god, I'm making soup."

And just like that, he was gone.

From the couch nest you heard it all: the sink turning on. A drawer slamming. A muffled "Fuck- ow," followed by, "stupid cabinet." Then running water. Clattering. Footsteps. "Where's the ginger? Why do we never have ginger when I need it?!"

You smiled into the blanket, still warm from the bath and the way he'd touched you like you were his entire world.

When he finally returned, his hair was damp - clearly splashed water on his face in an attempt to regroup. His hands were still trembling slightly as he carried a mug in one and a bowl in the other, lips pursed in that way that said don't you dare laugh at me for being like this.

First was the tea. Herbal. Your favorite. He oversteeped it, obviously. Burned his fingers on the mug, cursed under his breath, then blew on it for a full minute before handing it to you like it was a sacred relic.

And then came the miso soup. Seaweed, tofu, too many scallions because "they're good for your soul," and he'd googled it to make sure.

"Sorry, angel," he whispered as he stood like a guilty child in front of the couch. "God, I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. You looked so perfect, and then that guy- fuck, he looked at you like he could even dream-" His voice cracked again. "And I just lost it. I didn't mean to. I swear."

He held the tea and soup like it was a peace offering.

"Satoru, I already told you it's okay-"

"No, it's not," he said instantly, eyes red and so full of guilt you thought your heart might break. "I should've controlled myself. I went too hard. You didn't sign up for that. You didn't-" His thumb traced your cheek like he was memorizing it. "I just... fuck, I can't even imagine someone else thinking they can have you. That they could touch you. Be with you. It makes me insane."

You smiled gently. "I told you baby, I like when you're like that."

He blinked. "Yeah, well, I don't. I wanna be soft. I wanna take care of you. You deserve that."

You cupped his cheek. "Then take care of me."

And oh, he did.

He kissed your temple. Called you baby in that quiet, reverent tone he only used when he was completely overwhelmed by love.

When he set everything in your lap like an offering, steaming tea in your favorite mug and that bowl of miso soup so packed with tofu and scallions it could barely be called broth, he looked at you like you were a miracle.

"Eat," he whispered. "And after... I'm scratching your back. No arguments."

You raised a brow. "You're being dramatic."

"Correct," he said solemnly, already tucking the blanket tighter around your legs like you might suddenly flee. "I'm also riddled with guilt. So. I am watching you eat every bite and drink every drop."

You stared at him. "Seriously?"

"Dead serious," he replied, sinking onto the couch beside you with all the intensity of a man standing guard. "You think I can go feral on you like that and not take full accountability? No ma'am. Spoon to mouth. Let's go."

You snorted. "You're ridiculous."

"And yet here you are, wrapped in a nest I built, eating soup I made, while I emotionally spiral next to you. Admit it. You're thriving."

You shook your head fondly, sipping the tea. "You're out of your mind."

"I was," he said dramatically, eyes still glued to you. "And now I'm only marginally better. But this helps. Watching you. Taking care of you. Letting myself be, you know... insufferably obsessed with you."

You nudged his knee with your foot under the blanket. "You're so ridiculous."

He smiled, softer now, eyes heavy with love. "Yeah. But I'm ridiculous about you."

And as you took another bite, he visibly relaxed. Because the food was warm. The tea was sweet. And you were here. Safe. Full. Loved.

You made it about three seconds after finishing your last bite before shifting, trying to slide the empty bowl off your lap. “Okay, let me take these to the kitchen-”

“Absolutely fucking not.”

You blinked. “Satoru, I can do it. You hate doing dishes.”

He didn’t answer. Just leaned in and kissed you - slow, deep, reverent, before pulling back with a look so serious it was almost funny.

“Shhh,” he whispered, brushing your hair behind your ear. “My girl deserves queen treatment. You think I’d let you lift a finger after what I just put you through? Sit. Cuddle. That’s your job now.”

You rolled your eyes, smiling despite yourself. “You’re so dumb.”

He grinned. “Yeah. Dumb in love. Like actually stupid. It’s okay though, because I’m dumb in love with you.”

You tried to argue when he reached for your empty bowl and mug, but he silenced you with another kiss and a pointed look.

“Let me do this. Seriously. I can do dishes when it’s for you.”

You opened your mouth again, and he just raised a brow. “Shhh. Queen treatment, remember? Sit back, relax, think about how amazing I am.”

You snorted as he walked off, muttering something about “royalty shouldn’t lift a finger” and “I’m gonna make these dishes sparkle.”

You heard the sink turn on. Then the clatter of porcelain. Then an “ow- stupid tap, I didn’t even touch you that hard,” followed by what sounded suspiciously like him humming your name to the tune of a pop song as he cleaned up.

It was obnoxious. It was adorable. It was him.

And when he came back, his hands were slightly damp again from the splash zone, sleeves pushed up, and a dumb, proud smile on his face. “Mission complete. Sparkling. Spotless. Martha Stewart would sob.”

You laughed as he flopped back onto the couch beside you, tugging you gently down with him. He maneuvered you both until he was lying behind you, chest pressed to your back, your legs tangled up like vines. One arm curled around your waist, the other slipped beneath yours, lacing your fingers together like second nature.

He sighed, content. Melted into you like you were made of memory foam.

“Okay,” he mumbled into your hair. “Now we stay like this forever.”

You hummed, half asleep already.

“Forever,” he whispered again. “Or at least until you want snacks. I’ll allow snack breaks.”

You sighed, melting into him in return, your breathing already slowing.

But he didn't stop whispering. Not even then.

"You smell like me," he murmured into your hair. "Drives me crazy."

His thumb brushed gentle circles over your knuckles.

"You're so soft."

A kiss to your shoulder.

"Love you so much it makes me fucking stupid."

You snorted, half asleep. "You are fucking stupid."

He grinned against your neck, completely unbothered. "I know. Now sleep. Or don't. But if anyone hits on you again, I'm hexing them. No jujutsu. Just pure, unfiltered spite."

You smiled, eyes fluttering shut.

He was yours.

And you were his.

Always.

No backsies.

[kimberly-spirits13]

Jason Todd Dating Vigulantee Reader

There's not really a good way for me to label this in my mind. Think of this as childhood assassin (smt like Red Room) pipeline into vigulantee. Maybe reader could have some miltary background, that's up to you if you'd like. I want to write a fic about reader meeting Batfam based on this

The two of you meet because Roy is a mutal friend

Roy asked if you wanted to go hit some target with a friend of his and you accepted quickly

it was difficult to make good friends due to your life experience but Roy was someone that you bonded with over training so you were willing to hang with whoever he thought you'd get along with

You're taking your rifle out of its case and preparing your equipement when tall, dark, and handsome walks in

"Roy, I'll shoot you if you-" His words die off the tip of his tounge when he sees you

"Cat got your tongue?" You quip

"Not at all, just thought Roy's friend was in his imagination" "I'm Jason."

Roy is standing in the corner with a shit eating grin watching this play out

Jason is impressed with you, you're impressed with him

The two of you start hanging out outside of Roy

Personal conversations start out slow and noncommital with a few questions here and there

He learns that you were a child assassin and gained an education through world wide tutoring about whatever subject you were studying

"You know that 10% increase in assassinations in Geneva?" You ask him. There were two copies of Emma sitting between the two of you and an obscene amount of highlighters and pens strewn about for annotation. Jason takes a sip of his coffee and raises a brow before putting the cup back down and thumbing through a few pages of the book. "Yeah?" He answers. "Cause I was studying astrophysics when I was 12 there." You say

Jason catalouges all of this information and knows that you're doing the same for him

When you're on patrol, he can see how the training has shaped you

You take charge of every situation that you're in, calling out orders and throwing yourself in the way of danger for the betterment of others

You communicate quickly and effectively with Jason and those that you're working with

Jason sees that you become a different person when the adrenaline hits, but in those quiet moments during patrol where it's just the two of you sitting on a rooftop and looking after the city, he sees you for who you are

If someone were to quietly observe, they'd hear quiet snickers and playful commentary on the things that you've observed

They'd see Jason throwing his arm around your shoulders and pulling you in close to keep warm in the night's chill

If they were lucky, they'd see when he takes his helmet off to kiss you and let you run your fingers through his hair before placing the helmet back on and continuing on the patrol

When others hears the two of you in public, they may double take at the joke that you're laughing at

It's probably something a bit too colorful for the average person, but something that has Jason wheezing and you clutching onto his arm to keep yourself up

They'd stare as you add onto the joke, knocking the breath out of Jason

Jason admires you when you're sitting at your table scribbling down notes to a case and spinning a butterfly knife around

He talks to you and asks questions about what you're doing and sits like he's never seen anything more beautiful in the world

Jason wants to know everything that's going through your mindm but he also doesn't want to invade

Tows the line sometimes

Jason knows that there are days that you're not feeling well mentally

There are times where you wake up in a cold sweat from a nightmare and Jason pops up from dead sleep, immediately wrapping his arms around you and pulling you into a tight grip

Talks you down so that you know where you are

Gives you space when you need it but you know that he's always there

If you have any tats, he asks about them but he knows that they may be personal so he doesn't push

If you were to just tell him or start talking about them, he'd drop everything and pay the most attention, noting everything that you tell him and filing it away as information about you

Likes the training days that you have and learns that you actually could and would take him out based on your training

Getting up every morning at the specified time and running your miles then heading into weight training and then specified training is your morning routine

Even if you have time off, it's something that you're keen on doing since the rest of the day just doesn't feel right without it

Jason gets up and does it with you since he thinks at first that it's a fun couple's bonding thing

He thinks that until he's 10 miles into the ruck and you're chatting away while he's contemplating his life

he's built and very capable, so it's not like he's dying or anything, he's just uncomfortable

like you do this--- for fun?

yeah, duh

He likes that the two of you challenge each other and it's okay to tease the other about training or anything else

His favorite part of training is any hand to hand combat that he will demand volunteer to be your partner in

Knock him down a few times just to keep the man humble, will ya?

Due to your training, you have extensive knowledge of weapons and combat techniques

If there's something that is stumping him in a case, he has learned that the fastest solution is to come and ask you about it first

He sits and listens intently as you rattle off all the information you know about this thought to be dead assassin society that is now running around in Gotham

there are a few times where you may have corrected his form or given him an easier way to do something

Again, he's extremely capable, but take someone who has been training their whole lives vs someone who hasn't and there might be some things that the other can brush up on

There have been a few times where Jason has hurt himself trying to replicate one of your moves

You think it's hilarious, but still chide him about it

"Jay, I do that specifically to take out people your size. Why are you doing it?" You laugh, helping him peel himself off the ground

"Well, by that logic I could do that for Grundy or something. He's huge!" Jason whines

"Hon, you're built like a wall and I'm not. I need to get a bit more creative with take downs. You can't label yourself with my physical fighting needs when you're not built like me at all." "Otherwise, you'll throw something out love"

"Yea, I noticed. Thanks"

When he finally does bring you over to meet his family formally, he's worried that something will go wrong

You have to promise him that you won't be thrown off by anything and that you've seen your fair share of chaos

Jason's worries are easily shattered when you get along with everyone

You're sitting at the dinner tables telling stories of training, laughing about the things you've seen on the feild, and discussing the similarities and differences of childhood and growing up that you shared with his family

He knows that the deal is sealed when Alfred pulls him to the side and praises the partner that he's brought home

Bruce does the same thing, telling Jason that he's proud Jay has been able to create his own found family and that he can see how happy Jason is

You're happy because you've found even more people who get you now and have a whole family of vigulantees that you can consider close friends

idk this was just random ramblings. Thinking of doing some stuff for Kon and, like I said, maybe a fic for this reader meeting Batfam

[luvlybunnie]

CALEB LADS INCEST IR STEPCEST PLEASE PLEASE BRO

a / n : we are on the same mind wave i think. (THIS IS INCESSTT GUYSS RUN AWAAAYYYY!!!!) up to interpretation if its step or bio ! :3c

he doesn't know why you're like this.

he's at a loss for words really, his fingertips shaking. body aches as he stares at your phone, the screen lighting up over and over again— men, no, boys. multiple boys are texting his sister at once.

'link up???'

his brain is foggy, and his head hurts. when you come back to the couch, he watches as you grab your phone and type like nothing ever happened.

"do you have any plans today?" he asks, he knows what you'll say. every time he asks you say the sams thing.

"nope!"

still the same girl from when gran raised you both.

"good. i was thinking, maybe we could spend time together?"

you peak at him from your phone, and he sees your thumb click on the right of the screen— it alerts him in an awful way. to know that you sent that boy—

something back.

the day starts slow, and you do notice something is off with your older brother. the way his jaw tightens when he thinks you look away, or the way you see his smiles immediately fall into deep frowns.

it's night now. all the food already gone, movies already over, and the messes already cleaned.

"it's your bed time now."

"i'm not a kid, caleb."

"mm, i know. don't remind me."

you huff and cross your arms— it reminds him of when you would throw tantrums, although it's a bit different when he sees your breasts push together.

"what's your deal?"

"my deal?"

you glare daggers at his face, "yes, your deal. you've been acting weird all day. i don't know what your problem is but it's pissing me off."

"don't swear."

"i'm grown, caleb." you hiss, "i have been for a while."

you see your brother sigh heavily, his head leaning back against the couch as his fingertips tap at his thigh.

"i'm just wondering what i'm here for— why are you living with me? i don't get it."

you stare at him as he finally opens up, it's been at least seven hours since you noticed something was off.

"you're a beautiful woman. you don't need to rely on— your brother for a house, or food— or anything like that. so why do you do it? when you have other guys?"

your eyes squint for a second, the gears in your head shifting— "huh?"

he turns his head to look at you, his eyes dead serious.

"caleb, what the fuck are you talking about?"

"you have other guys right? you text them every day. why do you need me?"

"you're not my boyfriend, you're my brother."

he frowns.

"does that make you upset? that you're my brother instead of my boyfriend?"

he sighs loudly, and stands up, attempting to have a smile on his face, "you're being ridiculous. let's get you to bed."

"you wanna do what a boyfriend does for me?"

he grits his jaw, "that's enough."

you grin, leaning toward him, your eyes widening with delight as he stands in front of you— his hand reaching out to help you off the couch.

"you're weird." you begin, "my brother is a big weirdo who wants to be his sister's boyfriend. right?"

he can't find the words to speak.

"oohh, so it's true. what does gege wanna do to me, huuh?" you drag out every syllable, letting it sink into his head. letting the steam build up until the pot starts whistling.

"what if i said..."

"you shouldn't be saying anything." he manages out, he hopes you don't notice the tremble in his voice.

you giggle.

"gege. why don't you... touch me the way a boyfriend would touch me?"

"why— why are you like this?" he hisses out, retracting his hand and running it through his hair.

"gege—" you whine, "c'mere, let your little sister be the best girlfriend ever."

"no." he wants to say yes.

"gege, come onnnn. do you think i'm sleeping around or something?"

he stays silent for too long and you giggle again.

"look," you reach onto the table to grab your phone, opening it and showing him the messages— he warily takes your phone and looks through.

'hangin wit my brother today'

'busy w gege'

'brother needs me bye'

'movie night w brother'

excuses? or maybe truths?

'it's like your fucking your brother lol'

he hands the phone back with a soft, "i see."

you read the last message he was on and grin again, "you're so weird." you hum.

you adjust your position so you're on the edge of the couch on your knees, looking up at caleb through your lashes. he's tense.

you drag your hands up his thighs, ignoring the very obvious bulge in his sweatpants— "sooo, you haven't admitted it yet."

he exhales heavily through his nose, "i already feel like your boyfriend. providing for you and such. i cook your food— i work for you."

you hum, fingertips lingering on the waist of his pants. "you seem like such a good boyfriend— my brother is a good boyfriend."

"stop calling me brother."

you scoff, "that's what you are though!"

he places his hand against your hair, tugging it gently to the side— your body immediately following suite.

"don't. call me that. despite what you believe, i could easily remind you what boyfriends do instead of what brother's do."

you place your fingers against your mouth, mimicking a blowjob motion as your mouth opens— you giggle, "i'd do that whether your my brother or boyfriend."

.

.

he stares.

.

.

for a moment you think you've gone too far.

"are you a virgin?"

you prolong your answer to stress him out more.

"answer me."

"yes." truthful.

"good, i'll make sure it's your brother's dick splitting you open before anyone gets a chance."

a / n : IT GOT SO LONG IM SORRY BYE IM STRESSED. HE TURNS ME ON LIKE CRAZY I NEED TO DIE.

[persoj]

Been a while - Steph's turn.

That poor girl. We see her openly friends with Max - imagine, you make friends with this nerdy guy - this guy who your other friends hates, like, literally wants him dead - and the next thing you know, you're friends with all of his nerd friends too. And suddenly, suddenly- you're in the Waylon Place. Because you're pulling a prank, you're sticking up for your new friends against their bully - and something goes wrong - and now your friend, the guy who was just about to protect you from some ghosts is DEAD, that's a fence poking through his CHEST-

(I apologise for my overuse of hyphens but they're my favourite punctuation mark.)

Then imagine you've finally relaxed. The guilt has been haunting you, sure - but life's pretty calm now. People are actually happy, and maybe- maybe you did a good thing? Maybe it's okay? And then one of your new friends dies. Your football team loses the game because YOU assisted in your FRIEND'S DEATH. Can you imagine the guilt she felt? And she couldn't talk to Solomon about it, how could she? He already thought she was crazy over her phone, can you imagine how crazy he'd think she is if she said that some nerd died and she actually cared? He'd probably say she's just trying to use it as an excuse for bad grades! And then your other friend dies! This little weirdo who said she was in love with you just because you were kind to her once - you know that that girl never had the chance to experience a proper relationship. One where she was cared for, and valued. And you know that she saw that in you. And oh god, she saw that in you. And you treat her like shit. And now she's dead. Oh god.

And then- then she finds out her dad is working with literal Gods. Gods who rule over Hatchetfield. And she gets ZERO time to process that before her dad DIES. His assistant DIES. She sees Miss Tessburger's HEAD. Can you imagine how gory that must have been in real life? And, considering Solomon was the mayor of Hatchetfield, can you imagine how many cameras were being shoved into her face from every angle? How many questions she was being asked with no one there to guide her through them anymore? And sure, Solomon was a dick, but he was still her dad - she probably still cared about him. And Miss Tessburger, as much as she was annoying, seemed like she was a constant presence. So it's safe to assume Steph notices that she's gone too.

Can you imagine how quiet her house must have been? How she would've gone from a loud, constantly yelling environment to sudden silence? How quiet it must've been for all of them? Grace would've isolated herself at church after seeing the demon she became, she'd never talk to anyone there again. Pete's used to being ranted at about Evangelion and Star Wars in the hallways, and now- now it's just quiet. No fear, because he doesn't have to run from Max - but he misses it weirdly, because at least it wasn't quiet when Max bullied him. Steph's used to Solomon constantly yelling, Miss Tessburger constantly making snide remarks - so the house is quiet for the first time in years, and it's weird. Really weird. The silence is almost deafening.

And then she's in her new relationship with Pete. And it's great, Pete's a great guy, a helpful guy - but their relationship relies purely on their pain. If all of that hadn't happened with Max, if Solomon hadn't gotten mad about the phone, if Richie and Ruth hadn't pushed Pete - their whole relationship is a reminder of the trauma they've been through. They either grow extremely close and co-dependent or their relationship ends in the most explosive way possible. No in between. I love them, but they're so doomed. Poor kids.

People who talk about the nerdy prudes not mourning Richie and Ruth annoy me sm. Like yes, their friends died, but also - they were going through an EXTREMELY traumatic time. They'd just MURDERED someone for God's sake. They can't process trauma properly. Yes, it's not healthy, but it's more than likely that they were all suppressing it because they physically didn't have time to process it. They had to worry about Max, about Grace, about the fact that their friends were being murdered- they couldn't mourn because they had to constantly be vigilant and worry about 'am I next, am I next, am I next' and whether they were going to get arrested or not. People fail to realise that they were literally on the run. And they were seeing shit that was barely within their comprehension - Steph, Pete and Grace all met FIVE GODS! And if Ted's religious (Presbyterian or whatever he says) then it's likely Pete is too, so it's entirely justified to think that Pete and Grace have both just had their entire sense of faith crushed before their eyes. And if Tinky already had Ted in the Bastard's Box, then Pete's also just been forced to see his (missing/assumed dead) brother. Steph's just found out that her dad is involved with five Gods who created Hatchetfield and who want her to KILL the guy she loves - there are lots of big emotions happening and NONE of them are going to be able to process their grief or ANYTHING properly because their lives are actively falling apart around them. I personally think the reason Grace goes over to the LiB so easily is because she needs something to put her faith in again. She can't cope without the concept of God ("DO SOMETHING YOU SON OF A BITCH" - A line I will never understand why people laugh at) and she needs to find something to fall back on.

I just. Idk. Grief is a big thing and trauma is a big thing and trauma and grief are a terrible mix that means you process neither thing properly.

People also aren't tapping into the ability to make a hurt/comfort fic with all this. Like - imagine Grace, Pete and Steph just having a sleepover and talking about all of it. Getting out all their big emotions. Supporting each other. It'd be so nice 🥺.

But yeah. Don't get me started on people using it as justification to go 'LOOK THEY WEREN'T FRIENDS BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T MOURN'. They couldn't!!

[dark-lord-of-awesomeness]

What if he turned into a boat? Wait, not just a boat, a pirate ship

He can move around like Bucky from Jake and the Neverland Pirates

Maybe Ford hears about a ship that doesn't have any crew and never docks and goes to investigate

In case you haven't seen the show

Bucky can basically move every piece of himself

Can raise a single board to trip someone

Can ring his bell

He can't like, levitate a part of himself, has to be connected

Hey.

Hey.

Hey what if he turned into the Stan O' War.

Stan gets kicked out, drives to the pier, cries his eyes out on the boat, rambles about how at least they have each other huh? Who needs Ford, he can make it-

He's sobbing. Cries and wears himself out, lays flat on the deck, watches a shooting star streak out across the sky and makes a not really serious wish to never have to leave or part from the one Stan that still cares about him. Falls asleep, worn out and just wishing he could sail away from it all.

Next day wakes up and he is a boat. Can somehow see and hear still, can control all the parts of himself, cannot talk, is out lost in the ocean. Made of wood.

Two ways this could go.

Mega angst, someone finds stans car, tells the Pines, they notice the boat is missing, and eventually, when he never shows up, is declared dead. Idiot went and sailed on a boat all by himself that wasn't sea worthy in the middle of the night they say, he's at the bottom of the sea with his makeshift boat. Ford gets slammed with mega depression because not only is he not going to his dream school his brother died the same night after a huge argument.

Other, slightly less angsty, way is that someone stole Stan's car the same night and Ford thinks Stan's fine. This is less sad but does mean when he does eventually find the boat later he's less inclined to think it's haunted.

But the angst is more fun so let's go with that :) Stan's dead and Fords here and he doesn't get anything he wanted in life and will never see his brother again. Fun times.

Still goes to college, still studies anomalies, decides to go to Gravity Cove, a small sea side town with a high concentration of anomalies both in the water and in the surrounding woods (and no he doesn't want to be near the ocean because it took his brother and it makes Ford feel close to him! Haha he is shoving those sad feelings down they are gone).

And what do you know one of the anomalies is a genuine ghost ship! It has no crew and sails up and down the coast, sometimes rescuing people sometimes ramming into other ships, where it's ghost crew snatches goods in the chaos!

It's Stan. He was drawn there years ago after a harrowing journey across the open sea where he got so lost and terrified the moment he saw land again he vowed never to go too far again. He's way to small for the large waves of the ocean and almost capsized several times.

Everyone was right, it was a kids dream. No way would they have made it on this tiny boat. Depressed boat hours around here.

Good thing he doesn't need to eat at least! Bad thing he can't talk. He's stuck in his own head, slamming doors and wiggling rope and messing with his sail. Bored out of his mind. Turns out life's boring, sailing out here by yourself. As a boat. Can't go to shore, because he's a boat. No one to talk to. For boat reasons.

He's lonely :(

So time to pick up drawing people as he comes by them and rob other ships with his rope arms. He can't use any the stuff but he found a little cove he can fit in and has a little treasure trove of stuff.

Then one day, minding his own business sailing around as he does, and he sees another tiny boat. He's seen it around before, it's some science guy who runs tests on the water and talks to the mermaids (mermaids are cool, they share the cove and made up a secret language where Stan moves parts of himself to communicate. Trades his goods for fun stories).

Easy enough to avoid the guy. He'll just sail around and...

Huh. The guys still heading his way. Whatever, Stan's a bro boat now, he knows all the tips and tricks to avoiding some guy.

Cue boat chase. Fords determined to get this ghost boat. Fails to do so. Tries again the next day! Fails again. This happens a few times over the span of a week or so before Ford grumbles and stomps around the cliffs to let off steam by making discoveries. The boats been here for a few years at least, he has time.

Then he finds the cove, all the stuff, and the Stan o' War. Its almost exactly how he remembers it, if a little older and worn (Stan had to learn how to repair himself and it was not fun with no hands or the ability to dock).

Ford gets hit with all kinds of emotions, but primarily anger. If the boats here, in great condition, with a pile of what looks like stolen goods, then that means Stan's around here! Stan! His brother! Who he thought was dead!

Starts yelling for Stan to show and explain himself, climbing aboard the ship to look for his brother.

Stan, who was doing the equivalent of dozing when Ford strolled in, freezes. What's Ford doing here? Why? How? What? Just sits there and let's Ford stomp around and go in his cabin and it's so weird because that's him but he's a boat? So it's fine but also no because this is Ford.

He looks very good. He has no idea how long it's been but Fords bigger, got nice clothes, looks like Stan didn't totally ruin Fords life like he did his own.

But also hes a boat and has no idea what to do here. Fords not gonna find anyone, his cabin has two unused beds and a bunch of Stan's coolest treasures he's stolen or traded the mermaids for, but no evidence anyone's ever lived here. So maybe Ford will leave and Stan can slip away?

No.

Fords not stepping off this boat until Stan gets back from whereever he wandered off to. He's not leaving until they have a conversation about stan letting everyone think he was dead >:(

Snoops around, touches all of Stan's things, mutters angrily and trips over all the shoddy boards and rope lying around (Stan is really trying to subtly shove him as best he can but it's hard without giving himself away).

When no Stan shows up Ford angrily makes his way into the cabin, sits on a bed (this boat is so small, when was it ever so small :() and refuses to move.

Then he falls asleep, wakes up in the middle of Stan trying to roll/ drag him out with rope. Everything freezes, Ford string wide eyed at the floating rope coming from the deck, the way the floor is tilted to move him, and the bed that was tilted sideways to roll him off.

Then chaos. Stan's trying to grab Ford to throw him off and Ford is not having it. Stan might be a boat but he has no hands to effectively pry Ford from the mast or railing. He can tug and shove all he wants, Ford is not moving until he has answers.

Then sad hours as Ford talks himself into thinking Stan's ghost is possessing the ship and Stan freaks out because he didn't think that was an option and oh god is he dead? Has he been dead this whole time? (No)

Then Stan's Fords boat for a bit, helping him with his research and sailing himself while they both mope about Stan being dead (he's not).

Not sure how it'd get resolved from there. Maybe Stan has to dock himself? Maybe wish another wish? Does Ford need to promise to sail with him again? Is he stuck like that forever?

If not he's gonna have a rough time readjusting to having a body and still wearing the same clothes he had when he disappeared

[hamliet]

Mafia Sports Melodrama: The Sequel

Which is really a sequel trilogy to All for the Game but only the first two are out, so that's what I'll be reviewing.

Much like the first trilogy, melodrama is the name of this game. Accept it or leave. And I love it, because while it's flawed, it's not a bad series. People are drawn to it for the same reasons people are drawn to melodrama in general: it reveals emotional realities and contrasts them with possibilities about the limits of humanity, and that is inherently fascinating.

I really enjoyed Jean's development, and his inner monologue. The prose has improved quite impressively from the original trilogy, and it's especially noticeable in how Jean's POV is written. Intrusive thoughts are intrusive. Comforting thoughts are punctuated to show peace and calm.

Jean is of course the essential wooby who has been through everything from waterboarding to human trafficking to assault. But his self-hatred and non-existent self-esteem make sense and again, like with Andrew's issues in the first trilogy, feel real from a viscerally emotional standpoint. No matter how dramatized it is, no matter how hyperbolic, there are elements of true humanity in there that allows the author to explore the limits of the human capacity for healing.

I was also truly drawn to Jeremy as a character, which I wasn't expecting. Listen, sunshine boys are not usually my favorite archetype. But his complicated background was genuinely interesting and heartbreaking. Essentially my thoughts on JEremy are summed up here:

“...they’ve always brought out the worst in me.” “It makes you more interesting,” Jean said... “Not your capacity for unkindness, but how fiercely you fight against it.”

Jeremy's backstory involving politics and law enforcement also felt, well, fitting for today. Prescient, if you will, despite being set in 2007. And the way his family's cage holds him back is intriguing because it mirrors Neil's predicament in the first series (also Nicky's).

Both are captives of their families. Jeremy stays at home and tries to be a good son, knowing at a deep level he will never be accepted. Neil was on the run from his family, but he knew he couldn't run forever. But both of their fathers--or stepfather, in Jeremy's case--ultimately want to take them apart at the seams for ruining their image.

The power they wield they use for petty grudges and sadism. The ultimate reality is that politics, despite its shiny exterior and inviting cameras, is run similarly to the mafia underworld. Which. Well.

I also think Jeremy's struggles with self-esteem foil Jean's in interesting ways. Unlike Jean, who was abused and self-harms, Jeremy mixes pleasure with self-harm. He sleeps with people who, as Laila accurately points out, degrade and even harm him.

“Would it kill you to fuck someone who respects you?”

Look, degradation is fine if that's what you're into, but it's pretty clear Jeremy is not into it. His conversation with Ivan (whose name is literally Jean but in Russian, by the way; yes the names were meaningful here too) was pretty clear that Jeremy doesn't like being insulted but hasn't the self-esteem to walk away.

“...we both know you’re a shameless slut.” “Says the man who invited me here,” Jeremy said, cool enough that Faser laughed. “Can’t make up my mind. Either he’s as a big a whore as you are, or the Ravens are using your history to destroy his reputation...” Jeremy pulled Faser’s hand free. “I didn’t come here to gossip about Jean. If that’s all you want from me, I’ll just leave.”

If Jean realizing how wrong what was done to him was hits him only through seeing it through Elodie's suffering and through others, then Jeremy also is being warned to realize how wrong what he's doing to himself is when he's angry that Jean is being slut-shamed but accepts it as the best he deserves.

Side Characters

I know Riko is dead, but I did enjoy the humanizing note that while Riko would like to have killed Wymack, he couldn't do it because there was a part of him that desperately wanted a father, and he couldn't take that from Kevin. I maintain my interpretation that Riko had a ton of internalized homophobia thanks to his family that he directed into torturing Jean. The man's feelings for Kevin are barely even possibly platonic, and the only reason they are is because Riko clearly sees Kevin as a replacement for Ichirou, and Kevin leaving (even though he needed to leave) reinforces that abandonment idea. Dude was awful but is still tragic.

Coach Rhemann is wonderful. I liked that he turned out to be queer too, showing Jean that there is nothing wrong with him and that he can find love. The scene where Jean breaks down in his arms is very Good Will Hunting, but also very beautifully done. He and Wymack are amazing dads to their teams, even if they have very different perspectives and personalities.

While it's true that the sprawling cast means a lot of the Trojans are merely names--even among the 'floozies'--they are all likable. Cat and Laila are of course the standouts. I adore their friendships with Jeremy and with Jean, and much like Dan and Matt's relationship, even though they are an established couple with little drama, they have enough chemistry and development to make the reader root for them as a couple.

I also really loved Lucas's character, despite in initially disliking him, and I love Cody. Though Cody's throuple situation is something I'm apathetic about because we just don't know enough about Pat and Ananya and what they bring to Cody's life for me to root for it or against it. Tanner is adorable, as are Derek and Derrick (rooting for Cherise too!). I quite like Xavier too, but again, I wish we got a tad more from Min to see what the core of their relationship is like--kind of like we did for Seth and Allison, or Aaron and Katelyn. Even if neither got a major focus, they got something. Xavier/Min and Ananya/Pat are just names at this point.

Critiques

One critique I have related to the "timeliness" aspect is that it does read like a 2025 novel set in 2007. Which it is, but it's a noticeable difference from the original trilogy, which was published in like 2013 but captured exactly what 2006-07 American culture was like, specifically in regards to phone usage. Here there are a few too many reliances on text messages and emojis and such for me to entirely see it as authentically 2007. However, this doesn't detract from any of the novel's strong points, so it doesn't really matter.

Another critique I have is related to Nathan's "trial." That's just not how the legal system works, because the dude is, like, dead. They're not going to try everyone involved all at once. A grand jury, maybe, but that's not a trial. Okay, okay, I get that colloquially they're calling it his "trial," but yeah lol.

But "how things work" has never mattered in this universe, and frankly a lot of the stories I love most don't rely on that either. So yeah, it's a foible. Oh well.

For The Broken Cage:

I really need to see Bryson face a confrontation--there's been a ton of build-up in conflict between him and Jeremy. It has to explode at some point. I also want to see Joshua. He's the only sibling of Jeremy's who hasn't really appeared, and we know he was extremely close with Noah.

I want to see Joshua and Jeremy work it out if possible, but he's still such a question mark I'm not sure where Joshua is going. However, I do want Jeremy to tell off the rest of his family and for William to quit on Jeremy's way out the door. He needs to choose Jean over them, and I believe he will.

For Jean's part, I do want Jeremy to find out exactly what Zane did to Jean in terms of betrayal. I'd also like him to find out Jean was sold to the Moriyamas, and the waterboarding to be revealed too... and maybe for Jean to make some progress in overcoming his fear of water, but that can only happen if he's upfront with Jeremy about what caused the fear.

And, I want to see Jean tell Jeremy about Elodie. Of note, it's most likely she's dead but... no body no death, and that's a common trope in mafia stories.

Lastly, I need a sex scene between Jeremy and Jean. Sex is a major factor in both of their traumas, and I would like to see them start healing together.

I don't know if I want to see the Trojans winning the championships... mainly because I don't want to see the Foxes lose lol. But I'm open to it! Sorry Kevin, I have chosen my colors and they are orange and white.

Kevin Duology

But speaking of Kevin...

I quite liked the set-up with Kevin's budding alcoholism. I really want this to be a focus in a coming Kevin duology, even if I think one is a prequel and one is a sequel. I presume the sequel would be the one addressing this, but it's significant enough of a problem in The Golden Raven that it has to be addressed.

And maybe we'll get a flashback to the scene of Kevin telling Wymack he's his dad because I need that.

But related to looking forward to Kevin's story while also reviewing Jean's trilogy...

Are we supposed to like Thea Muldani? Because I want to like her. I was excited to see a character with a Sindhi surname (she's described as Black but biracial with a Black mom, and I'm assuming her father is South Asian given the name?). I don't even dislike Riko, who is objectively the worst!

I just... don't. I'm not even apathetic to her; I dislike her. And it takes a lot for me to dislike a flawed female character. Before starting Jean's series, I saw a ton of hate for her, and I chalked it up to people being grumpy about their ships and the like, plus some misogyny and racism. Which still is likely a factor, to be clear.

Just--in neither of the three scenes she's appeared in, one per book, has she given me the remotest reason to like her as a character, much less to root for her and Kevin together. The first scene in The King's Men was kind of cute, but told me nothing about her, so much like the Cody-Ananya-Pat situation, I was apathetic but optimistic about learning more.

Then we get the two scenes in Jean's stories and hoo boy.

Andrew at least had his loyalty to Kevin early on; Aaron had his protecting his brother. Thea has had no 'save the cat' moment at all. Her anger at Kevin for shutting her out in the original trilogy was fine, but it was neither here nor there for establishing their relationship dynamics or her character stakes. And if the author intends for them to end up together in an eventual Kevin duology, I frankly think it'll be too late even if she's given a great redemption arc. These two scenes are very hard to come back from.

I'm also not against a het relationship in this series, and I do think a lot of fandoms wherein series have m/m relationships have, er, hate boners for female characters that are completely nonsensical. I was actually initially disappointed that Renee and Jean didn't work out, and I loved Dan and Matt, and even Allison and Seth in their short story.

But there is zero reason to care about Thea at this point and a lot of reasons to dislike her. Her entry is literally victim-blaming Jean for being assaulted. Her second scene in The Golden Raven is even worse. I get that Kevin is using her to destroy the image of the Ravens, but for pity's sake, her words cost THREE people their lives. Three! Are we supposed to assume she didn't know that was a risk, when Jean knew it? Are we supposed to assume this will make her doubt the Ravens' methods, when the previous string of suicides and attempts didn't give her pause?

Look, I do think Thea is very, very clearly a victim of brainwashing. As someone who grew up in a cult, I've met Theas before. I am interested--very interested--in a potential redemption for her. That could be a mega-compelling story. But it would have to be the main focus of the story, and I honestly don't know what it would take to get me to root for her and Kevin to end up together, or if that's even possible. It's kind of too late?

Idk, I know that the author's talked about how things have changed and such from her original drafts, and we can see a few modifications to the material in the Extra Canon content in Jean's trilogy. I'm hoping she reconsiders Thea ending up with Kevin, because sometimes what you intend to write just doesn't work. And I don't know if this can work.

All that to say, I do think there's probably an element of misogyny and even racism in Thea's hate train, but she is also just a very poorly done character at this point. Even just having her in the background of Kevin's novel wouldn't work at this point, because the author's written herself into a corner with Thea. The only way to handle her is have a brutal, soul-searching redemption, and even then it might not be enough for people to accept a relationship.

[oleander-fires]

The more I think about Conclave the more I appreciate it.

Like, imagine being Tedesco and trying for a papacy from a foundation of reactionary politics and xenophobia. Expected to pick up a significant number of votes.

And then there's Benitez. The secret new cardinal.

Everything Tedesco warn about, the wars, the blood, the Muslim invasion in Christian countries: he's lived. He's served in one of the places in the world where Christians are legitimately a persecuted minority. Benitez understands the danger he's talking about when he tries to persuade people that's what will happen if they don't listen. He'll be the perfect example to sway the cardinals towards voting for Tedesco.

Except.

He doesn't.

Because he doesn't see it that way.

Not even when the bombs go off and the shootings happen, when people are dead—the man with the most right to speak about war (the ones he's never actually known beyond xenophobic imagination, but what does that matter) says no. The church is not hatred, not division. Not tradition. It's the future.

And what is there to say? As much as Benitez's experiences are detrimental to Tedesco's (he hates the word, too political when this is a Church matter, but) campaign, he can't deny he's had them; he knows what he's talking about when it comes to that. Even if the views Benitez draws from them are evidently much, much different.

Between Benitez's speech and his own outburst, he loses the majority of his votes then. He knows it. That walk back to the Sistine Chapel is the longest and shortest of his life.

(Maybe the worst part is how kind Benitez is. And not even in the shoulder-rub campaigning way, either. He's just... far more compassionate than he should be. That sort of thing is good for a priest, maybe, but an archbishop—a Pope—cannot welcome all kinds with open arms. How on earth would the Church survive?)

Just. Having someone who could understandably want to isolate and 'protect' the Church, from ministries in dangerous areas, turn out as Benitez has. Someone who has the potential to confirm every one of Tedesco's biases ending up disagreeing with all of them. Tedesco who has never served anywhere his religion was not the majority, let alone threatened—clearly, or else he'd never let anyone forget it—and likely not outside of Europe. If that. Who has ended up as the bigoted, defensive one.

(Tedesco who grew up the youngest of twelve, in a historically poor area of Italy, and decades later still eats like someone will snatch it from him. Who has clearly had his own struggles! And through the rest of his adult life has had plenty of opportunities to learn and grow and empathise. Book!Tedesco has two phds and speaks five languages. He's clearly not unintentionally ignorant, which makes it even worse.

But despite all that, Tedesco digs his heels in and says no, the way to maintain the Church's strength is through backtracking. Holding fast to older beliefs.)

Benitez experiencing life's difficulties and using them to strengthen his empathy, his compassion, his faith. Tedesco using his (and from a much less tumultuous life) to attack and sow division.

Just for it not to matter in the end. God's will has been done, and Tedesco was not who He saw fit to take the seat.

What that does to a man's psyche has got to be FASCINATING. Even if Tedesco doubles down afterwards, the immediate aftermath of the conclave has got to be an incredibly interesting time inside his head!!

And that's just the story for ONE of them! Where to even begin for the saddest wet cat of a man Lawrence? Or Aldo? Or Vincent himself!

I am very very glad I first checked out Conclave on a whim when I did. I have been rotating them in my mind since.

[friedcheesemogu]

I was summoned, and so I appear.

It's no secret that I'm an absolutely shameless whore for William Brandt. Much of the time when I look at the "William Brandt" tag most of the recent posts I see are mine, and I get it. He's been gone three movies now, and a lot of people on tumblr.com really don't like him for some reason. But if he has many defenders, I am one of them. If he has one defender, it's me. If he has no defenders, I'm dead.

I wrote a whole little TED talk about this little bitch.

What I haven't written so far is my immense feelings about his relationship to/with Ethan, and believe me, if you thought that sub in "Final Reckoning" was down deep, you're gonna need a high pressure submersible to find the bottom of my emotions here.

(Also I'm sorry, I can't call him "Brandt" for the duration of this post, he's tattooed way too close to my crotch for me to not use his first name.)

Let's talk about Will and Ethan. I'll break this into two parts:

AS A GENERAL WORKING RELATIONSHIP

Yes, they should have explored this relationship more, because it's *fascinating.* Ethan ruined this man's life. He needs to own that, probably more than he does. BUT. If Will reminds Ethan of how his marriage failed, that is on Ethan. It was Ethan's choice to try to have his cake and eat it too, and Ethan's fault that he couldn't. The fact that he left Will behind to take the fall is one of the cruelest, most selfish things Ethan does in the entire series, but he is entirely forgiven for it, while Will gets treated as an asshole for maybe not having the best day ever after being dragged into another Ethan-based mess.

I think the idea that Will is a symbol of what Ethan hates about the IMF is not entirely true, because obviously Ethan has relied on that bureaucracy in the form of the GP Secretary to have freedom to do what he wants (stage a cover-up, let him dick around in Russian prison). If anything, Will is a symbol of what Ethan *can't* do for IMF. Because as we see, you can take the agent out of the field, but you can't take the agent out of the man. Will can do something Ethan can't other than in pretend: Will can walk in two worlds. Will can play the nice bureaucrat while subverting the system. Will can speak to the top and seem genuine while actually giving Ethan protection and information. And he's so good at it that even Ethan, whose hobby is reading people, can't initially clock him. That he does at all is only because Will drops the mask -and does it for Ethan's benefit.

One of the things I see a lot on here is how much Ethan dislikes Will, and to that I can't help but say, you think Will wants to be there? He has every right to not cooperate, to drag his feet and change from little bitch into actual raging giant bitch, and he doesn't. He helps. He is the only person who could have caught Ethan when he was falling. He's also completely valid in thinking that what he's being asked to do is difficult, scary, and pretty insane.For some reason, that gets him cast as "everyone's least favorite coworker." I don't think the fact that he's the only person on any team willing to say "your ideas are bad and you should feel bad" is a terrible thing, because frankly someone has to. The team needs a little bitch to round out the "yes, and!!" improv nature of everyone else. It's cute and funny when Benji is nervous, when he nearly blows it in the Kremlin, but when Will is hesitant, well fuck that guy.

Ethan *does* trust him with his life, and he should, because one of the things I harp on endlessly is that WILLIAM BRANDT ALONE guards Ethan at the beginning of RN. Luther quit, Benjis played Halo. Will was sending Ethan tips and in the room with Hunley, aware of plays on both sides, and keeping the balance. That is his ultimate strength, and he does it knowing that he owes Ethan nothing -if anything, Ethan owes him several times over. That's dedication to his team and to the job, and something worth admiring; instead he gets Luther's derision and the fandom's dislike.

Why is that? Like @prahelika says, Ethan of all people knows what it's like to be a little bitch and try to do the right thing while everyone yells at you. Is it because he's not sweet like Benji? Because he's not cool like Luther and Ilsa? Because he can't slay a green dress like Jane? Will is the person most like Ethan in terms of skill, strength, and intelligence, and yes they "inherited" him but had they not, they would have been screwed and Ethan would be a Dubai pancake. He's as essential as anyone else.

I believe Ethan sees that Will is his foil, what could happen to him if he couldn't "walk it off," and that he comes to appreciate and respect that. We have no idea what goes on between them from GP to RN, but I can't believe they never talk, I can't believe never checks in with the only other person who knows that Julia is alive (aside from Luther, but who knows when Ethan told him).

I wish Will was in Fallout, and not just to be killed. I think his position in the team is so unique and interesting and I will crave more of it forever.

Now here's the part that will make me unpopular with the MI fandom on tumblr.com.

AS A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP

I love Will/Ethan, Ethan/Will, Brandt/Ethan, Bundt, whatever you want to call it. They are one of my all-time ride-or-die pairings. I will go down with this ship and I will live at the bottom of the ocean eating dead whales and partying with the tube worms, evolving into something eldritch and teethy. And then I will rise... but anyway.

I think they work in this life, but since all shipping is technically AU, well, I think they work in other lives too.

I think they're fascinating to each other: the man who was destroyed by the job and the man who won't let himself be destroyed. I think Ethan is very surprised by this person who is suddenly revealed to be his mirror, and because he's naturally curious, he'd want to know more, observe more. As for Will, Ethan is a nearly mythical figure in his life, and for him to suddenly have him real, in front of him, to be forced to deal with the person who turned his world upside down... well Will is obviously an analytical slut, so of course Ethan is going to get his wheels turning (in all ways). A long time ago I read a comment or author note, I can't remember, where someone said they thought Jeremy Renner played Will as already being somewhat in love with Ethan and I can absolutely see that (I can point you to some good fics on that theme if you're interested. No? Okay).

I think they both inherently understand that they each provide something the other lacks: for Will, Ethan's drive and willingness to face the unknown. For Ethan, Will's grounded pragmatism. That they're both stubborn is difficult, yes, but it's not necessarily a roadblock - I've talked to friends about how arguing is probably a kind of foreplay to them, because no one is going to match their little bitch energy (or enjoy it) in the same way as the other.

I also think they're beautiful together. When they're in sync they're seamless. Ethan's heat and Will's coldness; Ethan's tendency toward action and Will's toward thought. Maybe it's better if Will isn't there in later movies because they'd be too powerful together.

I get that I'm one voice in an already small pairing. I think I know everyone on the site that currently loves/d them and they're all in my DMs (although if I'm wrong, feel free to let me know!). Believe me I see Bethan. I see Ethan/Ilsa. I adore Julia. They're all good ships and they all deserve love! But they'll never draw me in like the way Ethan and Will look at each other like they want to fight each other with their mouths.

And I mean, there's literally no reason for them to look each other up and down and then Ethan to give "you tell me yours, I'll tell you mine" the sultriest line delivery until the horny sub.

I have a whole fic about what Will thinks of/about Ethan and how he deals (or doesn't deal) with it.

But yeah.

TL;DR I love William Brandt, I love Ethan Hunt, and I love their relationship, however you define it. I wish we had more of it. Just don't try to tell me there's nothing but acrimony between them.

Oh right and I have a huge thigh tattoo for them, so I'm in this for life.

they really should have explored the brandt/ethan relationship more. like, hey, i probably ruined your career with a murder that wasn't even real so you got traumatised for nothing. also you remind me of how i couldn't save my marriage. you're also currently a bureaucrat, symbolising everything i hate about my organisation. but i know you've got my back. you try your best to deal with unfair situations where everyone yells at you, and you're a little bitch about it. don't i know how that feels. i trust you with my life. i don't think we'll ever be close. in another life we'd have worked well together. but. anyway. this conversation never happened, brandt. see you in 6 months.

[naomistars3]

Art by: Vivinos on Youtube

A rant post mostly about Mizi

I'm genuinely so sad at this video but it was so well done, The visuals, the ART from how different it was compared to Round 1, not even mentioning the symbolism???

One thing I also like about it Is that it shows that Love can hurt that you can love someone while hurting them or doing something bad and that it is still love cause compared to alot of media or atleast the fandom version of medias tend to say that a character doesn't like another character or even care about them because they hurt said other character, like Jinx and Sikko from Arcane.

The ending of the characters was so bittersweet for me expect maybe Till (Which hell yeah his alive!). Luka is still an 'object' or celebrity of the Alien and based on the Luka is Back billboard he either die and they made a clone of him or they had to 'fix' his face cause I'm like 90% percent sure bro got burned but either way he is forced to still sing.

Mizi being known as the witch cause of love thing made me have flashbacks to Madoka Magica. I do hate people who call Mizi 'Manipulative' or suddenly bad , though I do not think I have a full understanding of her character the comic that was released before hand to me didn't seem to make her bad (She also seems to believe she is as bad as Luka who in her viewpoint is someone who doesn’t deserve pity),

she just played into the role of what everyone around her thought which I guess is Manipulative but still who hasnt played the role of someone else to pleased other people whether its family, friends or randos on the street?

Mizi love for Sua is interesting cause she sees her as Her god, Her universe but wants to break her/have some sense of control because of her backstory with the way her owner Shine treated her (When everyone though that shine was a good owner—I do think compared to other owners she was but again Mizi is still a pet, I also think that maybe Shine or her other creatures family may have been the one to kill mizi mom and adopt Mizi out of pity). Mizi pretended to be oblivious to Sua plan of dying for Sua sake because she knew if Mizi died Sua wouldn't be able to handle it.

The scene where after she seems to beg Isaac to save Till then switching to her running into the room where Sua practiced her Death is what I guess is her mind acceptance on finally protecting someone she cares about or perhaps it's a scene that shows what actually happened during when she finds out about Sua planing her death cause Mizi seems to be a very unreliable narrator especially in the comic mentioned earlier with Mizi sorta painting herself as the one who Manipulatied the odds and acted innocent just for her survival no matter the cost and she says alot of things (mostly her feelings) that contradict the things shown. Like how she wasn't desperate for Sua then showing her being very desperate for Sua or the fight that happens between the two in the video that seems to be about the whole planned Sacrifice.

Mizi seems to be alive and is wanted as far as the billboard show but her crash out destroyed Alien Stage to the point there is a museum about the whole thing with children that have the DNA of the Main Cast.

Till is alive, People saying that the person at the end is Till's mom are delusional (Till's mom has a mole under her eye and has been dead), After Round 7 to Weige and Karma there's only like a few minutes that passed between then so Till being Alive is completely possible and there's a whole scene with Mizi hearing his heartbeat. At the end Till seems to have joined the Rebels or kinda does his own form of rebelling. I think Till is now mute because of the scars around his neck and the fact he uses drawing to communicate with the kids. Then at the end where he is smiling at the kid with the DNA of the two people he loved like AHHH. Anyway Till unlike the rest of cast lived with his mom (not counting Mizi cause she watched her mom die) before being separated and is the most human character or atleast different from the other main cast members which is also shown in the differences in the songs that were posted separately from the Channel.

Anyway I loved the video and seem like a suitable ending(?) even though it is bittersweet was low key expecting an ending that does a Revolution that puts a stop to the comtest like in the Hunger Games but this seems more plausible.

P.s I wrote this with 0 hours of sleep and it's 5am where I'm from sooo anything that is wrong blame it on that.

Ty for reading this rant and yes I didn't mention Ivan or Hyuna because I need sleep

[peachesandfictionalmen]

The Natural Path

Jacob Black x gn!reader

Jacob has been attempting to ignore his imprint as he still clings to his love for Bella. His imprint gives him his space, even if his actions hurt them both, but when Jacob is hurt saving Leah, Billy calls and his imprint doesn't hesitate to show up.

The truck rocks to a stop outside the little red house. The whole pack is gathered under the porch light and the closer you get the more intense Jacob's gut wrenching pain feels.

Walking towards the gathered family, that's when you hear it. Stopping dead in your tracks you can hear the screams that rip from Jacob's throat from inside the house, sounding in time with the pulsing pain in your abdomen. Quill is the one that finally speaks up, "Cullens re-breaking his bones", he whimpers. Billy pats your shoulder when you sit down on the ground next to him your legs pulled up to your chest. You wait.

...

It feels like forever until Carlisle Cullen and Sam come out the front door. "I gave him some morphine but his body heat will burn it off shortly, I'll return to give him further treatment." Dr. Fang says, taking his leave. Sam looks solem, but sends you a reserved nod when he sees you.

You take that as your que, standing and slipping past him, going into the house. The house is quiet now, the door to Jacob's room ajar. When you see him he looks worn. His naked torso is bandaged carefully, his forehead slick with sweat. Almost as if he can sense you, his head turns and his eyes open slowly. His pain is just a dull ache in your chest now, the morphine must be working for now, "Jake?", you approach the bed, kneeling beside it.

"Hey-" His voice is light, tired. He reaches over a hand, wincing slightly when his torso shifts, his overly large hand runs over your hair and lingers at your chin. Both of your heart beats slow down, in rhythm with each other, and it just feels right. You put your hand over his whispering "careful".

"I'm okay" he says.

You look him in the eye when you respond, "It sure doesn't feel okay-". His expression twists a hair, "you can feel it?". You nod into his hand, "sorta, it's odd, I know I'm not who you wanted but Billy called and I can feel your pain like a punch to the gut-"

"I'm sorry. -for everything actually. I did this to you and then walked away and- and I'm an idiot."

"Jake, you don't have to this right now-"

"No, no I need to. It hurts without you, your the natural path of life an I was an idiot to try and pretend like you aren't what I want, what I need."

"I'm not her Jake-" Bella had been the apple of his eye, until he'd seen you for the first time after his transition while you were working at the diner. He resisted falling into the pull of his new gravity and it hurt you both but you respected his fear of losing his autonomy.

"You don't have to be her, it's you that I want, with you it's as easy as breathing, it feels right, complete, to have you here." He moves his hand, shifting and grabbing your waist, pulling you up onto the bed with him using his good side. You melt against his hot skin. Being close to him settles the churn in your stomach.

He kisses the top of your head, holding you against him. " I want to love you and make you happy and I'm sorry I was ever dumb enough to want it any other way."

[freyafrida]

rilla of ingleside, chapter seven

jims season let's go \o/

“One of the Ingleside horses was lame and the doctor needed the other, so there was nothing for it but the Crawford nag, a placid, unhasting, thick-skinned creature with an amiable habit of stopping every few yards to kick a fly off one leg with the foot of the other.”

This is such a small thing, but sometimes I forget they must actually have horses for the whole horse-and-buggy situation. Who takes care of them? I imagine it's one of the things that's not included because the audience takes it for granted (everyone has a horse for their buggy) and no one wants to read about the Blythe boys cleaning stalls or whatever. (I mean, I would, but anyway. They have Susan but aren't mentioned to have a hired boy a la Jerry Buote, I don't think -- unless that's something else the audience would just assume.) (Am I thinking too much about this stuff instead of the world war situation? Lol probably, little daily life stuff like this is so fascinating to me though!)

“On the other hand, her husband, who was an Englishman by birth and who had been working in Kingsport when the war broke out, had promptly sailed for England to enlist there, without, it may be said, coming home or sending much hard cash to represent him.”

Mr. Anderson is so fascinatingly useless. Who IS this man

(also, I would say it's mildly interesting -- considering this book's reputation for not being very nuanced -- that the British Good, One British Man A Match For 10 Germans sentiment is belied here by Mr. Anderson being a shiftless Englishman who abandons a Canadian -- although tbf, he totally gets away with it, so)

“Through the open door of the small bedroom opposite her, Rilla saw Mrs. Anderson lying on the untidy bed; and Mrs. Anderson was dead.”

There's something kind of familiar about the mention that Mrs. Anderson is dead? I'm trying to recall if it evokes anything from the earlier Anne books. Maybe it's just because it's very much in the vein of casually depressing LMM side stories; her husband up and disappears and she dies alone with no one to care. Just...man :((((((

(ngl though Mrs. Conover taking an "unblushing swig" from her bottle cracked me up.)

“What are you going to do with it?” asked the doctor coolly.”

I generally agree with Gilbert re: making Rilla step up and take care of the baby (lol idk if I should call him Jims yet) -- as good as her intentions were, it's pretty clear she thought it would be no big thing to just drop the baby on Anne and Susan and go on her way ("Why -- father -- I couldn't!" -- she clearly doesn't expect to have to be the one to take care of him!). Being so sheltered, Rilla probably also thought they could just hold on to the baby for a bit and then some nice Glen family or a surprise relative would magically appear to take him off their hands, instead of having to send him to Hopetown, and that's not realistic. I can see why Gilbert wanted to impress upon her that she actually needs to think about and deal with the consequences of her actions.

Also, having just skimmed House of Dreams, I noticed Anne does reference bringing up three Hammond twins before the age of twelve -- she says it jokingly (she's like, I brought up three twins already, this anti-baby talk author can't tell me what to do!), but I can imagine Gilbert had that on the brain when he tells Rilla, "Younger girls than you have had to raise children." I've seen the opposite argument (that knowing what Anne went through, he'd want to spare Rilla that) -- but idk...knowing it's wartime; Gilbert as an adult knows that times are uncertain and probably going to get worse, and Rilla can't just be like "I'm just a girl 🥹" when it comes to doing something difficult anymore. (Very much Gilbert's practical streak coming through -- no matter if he wants to protect Rilla from reality, he can't -- see also him wanting Walter to toughen up, less because he thinks Walter's personality is a problem in itself, but more because Walter's sensitivity makes it hard for him to deal with life.)

All that said, everything involving the baby is hilarious (why is it so slippery! do babies have convulsions? “She reflected rather bitterly that father was very considerate of mother’s and Susan’s health, but what about hers?” lmaooo). And then ending with THEY'LL ALL SEE! absolutely kills me. ILU Rilla. She's so, so likable to me here -- both in her comically spiteful determination to step up and in the sweetness she shows in wanting to help the baby (and Mrs. Anderson, in death -- tbh at least someone cares about that poor woman!!) despite not knowing how to go about it.

glossary! I did not grasp that "come out of nowhere into a dubious here" reference. also love that they felt the need to define "soup tureen":

Readying Rilla bits:

The soup tureen was almost not to be :O The original draft just refers to a "deep platter", which was crossed out and replaced with the tureen.

Cut line from Gilbert has him a little more sympathetic about taking the baby in -- when Rilla says she couldn't leave him with Mrs. Conover, Gilbert agrees that of course she couldn't, but. (Kind of interesting -- I read a Reddit discussion months ago that tended towards thinking Gilbert was being unreasonable; I do wonder if he'd come off better if he'd been softer in how he spoke with Rilla, instead of "coolly" being all, "And what about it??" FWIW -- me arguing with the air lmao -- I do think the care of a human infant shouldn't be a "if my 15-year-old daughter doesn't step up I'm going to let it die in an asylum" ultimatum -- but I think it's also pretty clear Anne and Susan would've swooped in if Rilla actually failed.)

Cut line from Susan: when Rilla frets that the baby will cry, Susan's just like, "Most let likely it will. It seems to be good at that." LOL.

[vort3x]

#and also the 'reprogramming' scene was so awful#first of all it's an afterthought to the story. and it's completely forced on k-2 with absolutely no agency#he was fully dead and they bring him back literally like frankenstein's monster. with NO thought to the implications in that#and also instead of the explanation 'imperial programming hampers the droid's ability to express themselves and forces them to obey'#we got 'actually murder and emptiness is this guy's natural state but we can SUPPRESS this so he'll work for us'#which is a) a horrifying implication. like explore that deeply invasive kinda bioessentialist story or don't give it to your 'good' guys???#and b) it doesn't even make sense. why does he have 200 percent MORE personality when he's being suppressed than when he's not?#and taking away Cassian's personal connection to him is also a giant plot hole. Because why are they even partnered then??#why did you give the assassin and spy the big clunky murder droid who could assist ground troops. Cassian doesn't even seem to want him#if Cassian is the one who reprogrammed him and personally likes him we understand that he simply insisted he keep this droid#because likely nobody else would trust K2 anyway and draven would be like hey. keep your emotional support murderbot just get results

Not gonna leave all this in the tags since this is also an important point too. K2's inclusion in Andor was ultimately a checkbox move and it was painfully obvious.

Also wanna add Tony Gilroy outright says 1. he didn't watch Star Wars materials when doing Andor and 2. they worked backwards when it came to writing Andor. They'd write something then they were told if it clashed too hard w/ established canon or not. It's all in the context of not wanting to take inspiration from it, but it would also mean that they weren't researching canon.

Excerpt for point 1:

SCRIPT Magazine: That's exactly the kind of stuff I'm interested in. There's this mistake people have in looking at Star Wars and going, “Star Wars is what you need to look at to figure out how to make Star Wars.” And that's not the case.

Tony Gilroy: Never. No, I never watched any Star Wars. I couldn't watch the other shows. In the beginning, because "Mandalorian" was so great when it started and I was watching it and and then as I got into my show, it was really unsettling for me to watch other Star Wars. I just always had the continual feeling I was doing something wrong. So I just stopped. I just couldn't do it. So I didn't watch any Star Wars.

Source Excerpt for point 2:

Script Magazine: How do you balance that sort of thing with the bare bones of the carpentry as you call it with juggling something like the Star Wars timeline?

Tony Gilroy: We work it from the negative side, not the positive side - I suppose that's the easiest way to say it. I know what the calendar is, I know what the general rules are, I know I have a pretty good handle on the cosmology of what's out there and the canon somewhat. And I know the places where there's potential conflicts. I've also been cleared from the very beginning. We're using that as cannon fodder as we go forward. And you hear it in Maarva’s speech.

We raise it on the show several times. Saw says “Oh, you know, what are you Luthen, and there's human cultists and separatists,” and we've established that there's a great variety of rebel movements that are happening. When Nemik gives this manifesto that Cassian listens to the night before the funeral, he talks about all of the little seedlings of revolution that are sprouting up independently all over the place. There’s an established idea that a lot of people could be working at doing things at the same time and be completely unaware of what's going on and/or be conceivably in conflict with one another.

But I do not go back and look at the materials [like Star Wars Rebels and the novels Catalyst and Tarkin] to figure out what I should do. We do what we want to do and if we bump or we hit a guardrail or we get a high sign or we get a flashing yellow light or sometimes we change and do something else. We have one or two things coming up that have been pretty articulated in that way in the second half. We have to tiptoe around some things.

I’m not out digging through that material looking for inspiration. In fact, I have to stay away from that, so it works the other way. We decide what we want to do within what we know, they tell us if we've gone too far or not far enough.

Source

I'll never forgive Andor for how it has seemingly changed how a lot of people see Kay and Cassian's relationship.

How it has become standoffish and distrusting when it was supposed to be the exact opposite. Really, it just IS a valid reading with the backstory Andor provided and what little we were shown of their relationship. If you had to pick Cassian's best friend and trusted partner in the days before Rogue One, it's NOT Kay when it originally is. It's incredibly sad that history has been changed.

[auguryofjellyfish]

me @ ken rn

[vox-exe]

I know many people will likely complain about Leggy being back but man after knowing how long Mr. Puzzles has been rotting in prison alone likely thinking she's gone for good, it's just nice to know there's any being out in the world that still cares about him.

Also I can just as easily see Mr. Puzzles summarizing SMG4 is an overly simplified way too right back at him. "I'm SMG4! I do dumb meme stuff and hate ARTISTRY!" or something insulting SMG4's 'stupidest show he's ever seen'. Really now, Mr. Puzzles chose one of the oddest shows to try to make entertaining by HIS standards.

Anyway, the real reason I'm here to think about all of this is I wonder if they would intend to indeed, do something akin to a lobotomy as a sentencing (it'd be a little too easy to dig into his head) or straight up the death penalty. Which I would find to be an interesting chance to delve into how... unhelpful the system actually is. Meggy was hoping Mr. Puzzles would get help, get better, but she might be confronted with well, how little the system actually cares about that.

She genuinely did seem to hope for this, no matter how angry she is, rightfully so at him. Her addressing to Leggy exactly why they shouldn't care is a good scene to have in, a balance between her experiencing any form of understanding vs still struggling to connect that scared child she saw inside with the monster that hurt her and her friends. The fact she doesn't feel she can tell the others 'yes I told Leggy in all honesty I'd talk to him as a lawyer' and let them come to their own conclusions shows just how ridiculous she knows it is. Meggy wanted to move on, but Leggy cannot. Though I do wonder why Meggy thought Leggy was gone for good off to a better place. But perhaps so long as some part of her sees the potential for good in Mr. Puzzles, Leggy will never be truly gone and saying Leggy is gone for good was just denial.

For Meggy, unlike when she was playing cop before, this is someone she helped put in this situation. Understandably so, but there's a responsibility there that even if she shouldn't feel responsible for him, she's the type who would feel it. Who I bet would see his sentence and recognize her part in it, no matter how she feels about him. She still hoped for better for him, which is already kinder than he deserves from her. And if we're going to get more about her family, considering their rejection of her, and the themes of family across the whole cast, there's going to likely be some form of relatability and understanding there, if there isn't already something she recognizes in it deep down. I just hope through whatever happens in the next arc she too can actually move forward from what happened with Mr. Puzzles, because Leggy's existence shows she absolutely has not yet.

I really hope though that what will happen is she'll go to try to see him lawyer style, and then Mr. WPNZ breaks Mr. Puzzles out and any help she had been intending to possibly give to keep her promise to Leggy goes out the damn window. Mr. Puzzles screwing up a chance for what will no doubt be a terrible not at all healthy dynamic seems about on par with his story thus far. Considering how he felt double-crossed at the end of WOTFI 2024, I don't think he's going to be happy to see Meggy, at all. But man would I love to see that interaction.

Seriously though? Mickey Mouse has got to be dead, but the fact they put attempted murder makes me wonder if Mickey was forgotten or never found the body so no one knew he actually murdered Mickey Mouse but they knew he was trying to kill the SMG4 Crew so THAT'S on his record. Mr. Puzzles did have to get the theme park ready and no one commented ever on Mickey's death so it could be Mr. Puzzles is just a bit too good at hiding bodies.

A fruity TV of many talents.

YES YEES YESS!

I saw the thumbnail and I went: Leggy?? And YES!

Leggy misses Puzzles!! The loyalty on this lil friend!

and…

Four, honey, I love you my little sweetheart… but at no point were you gentle with Leggy.

Honestly what were you expecting? Of course she’s scared of you! Why are you making the kicked puppy face about this?

I know you mean well though Four you are adorable ANYWAY

Four’s impression of Puzzles is also amazing

but the fact that this is what Puzzles boils down to in Four’s brain when really Puzzles is defined by loneliness and desperation and fear of failure and a need for control. Like I know Four hasn’t seen all that we have the audience have and we’re probably not supposed to think about this line too much. But I think it’s notable because of how much Four and Puzzles have in common and how much Four has a very black and white view of his adversaries and how often he is oblivious to the feelings of others despite how much he tries. He’s always so

He is full of love and care but has low empathy I know this in my soul.

anyway sorry for making everything about Four it’s just that I love him. Obviously Meggy’s situation is also intriguing and she has a really interesting thing with the way she wants to see the good in everyone and she wants to help, but she’s also got this sense of justice and she often isn’t really sure how to help and I love that for her. The way in WOTFI her response to knowing deep down Puzzles is a scared little child reaching out for help is to go directly into his head with the intention of talking things out only to yell at said scared little child. She’s… not good at being gentle. In her defense she went to college for this and what she learned was… uh

characters who mean well but make it worse <3 love her why is she like this. She thinks she’s the reasonable one but dear god.

And finally that ENDING! IS OUR BELOVED PUZZIE PIE RETURNING TO US?? Or at least receiving a more merciful sentence than solitary confinement forever. Or worse, considering that this universe is still chill with lobotomies, and Meggy’s reaction when checking his sentence.

like… this is the same character who tried to become a cop once and went “okay ❤️ yay❤️” when abuse of power was hand-waved away

If SHE’S disturbed by whatever Puzzles’ sentence is I am very worried.

also his profile is sending me

In his official files that he’s fruity. Sure, why not? That’s great

also “attempted” murder? I feel like killing Micky Mouse is a pretty significant thing that he did. Did Mickey survive? Is that gonna be relevant? Also he’s not charged with kidnapping even though he did that a lot. Your honor he did all of it and even worse stuff but we’re pleading just a silly guy. Take pity on the wretched man he just needs a little TLC.

Mixed feelings though because he really shouldn’t have to be Meggy’s problem.

[fragmentedblade]

I think I've become an official HI3 player. I check the HSR leaks hoping for iterations of HI3 characters now