#but that is again a personal thing and i don't think that is necessary to include in the main message

[julietcpulet]

what do you think would be the most satisfying ending for jinmao?

i'm so conflicted about them because while i do not want jinshi to ascend the throne, i have to admit a part of me thinks renouncing his true position would be a waste. i mean, he's a damn pretty good leader and sometimes i enjoy imagining him and maomao being a power couple together. but then i'm always like damn they both canonically wouldn't like that </3 (so, thank the lord for fanfics, right?)

anyway, an unhappy jinmao is hardly a satisfying ending. but then i also wouldn't want them to be commoners because, again, it'd be a waste. as for the "faking their death" ending, it sounds really romantic but i feel like it's too cowardly and ooc for them. they'd never back down from a challenge after all.

so yeah i don't know how natsu-hyuga will conclude their romance. maybe the ending will just be them finally getting together? like the ending of the kaguya-sama movie where the last shot focused on the two main leads' interlocking hands, and then boom, the end credits. that would be an open ending (and i think that's what natsu was intending from the start), but is that satisfying? i'm not sure. just wanted to know your thoughts!

Love this question! And so sweet of you to be interested in my input 💕. Here's a breakdown of my thoughts on each possible ending and my personal speculation on an ending I like. Of course I have no idea what Hyuuga is really planning but just going on general direction and how things could play out if these were the proposed endings. (Spoilers below)

Emperor and Empress ending - I agree that this isn't the ideal nor the likely ending. To me, although there are factions pushing for Jinshi to be Emperor, it all feels like a mis-direct to the final outcome. Both Jinshi and Maomao are opposed to him becoming Emperor and he knows she would be miserable as a woman at the head of the nation, holding scorn from the other women.

Jinshi felt it was something close to a miracle that he had met a woman like Maomao. That was why he didn’t want to let her go. He’d gone so far as to press a brand into his own side, all to keep her.

He has struggled a lot to make it clear Maomao is the only woman he wants, he doesn't want to be the Emperor and also just is not the right person for the job. I don't believe these plot points are in vain only to be reversed later by a realization of avoidance and Jinshi wanting to accept his position out of familial obligation or maturity, nor do I think the plot is moving the characters in that direction. If anything it's continually showing that Maomao and Jinshi have to be willing to assert their own wishes against that of others despite what may be expected of them. And while Jinshi does have excellent leadership qualities, as Maomao easily points out, his kindness often brings him to overwork himself and struggle with dealing out harsh punishments or having necessary and uncomfortable entanglements an Emperor would have to have.

Jinshi was watching the pitiful family closely. He didn't seem to be thinking of how to punish them, but rather how to connect this to whatever came next. As he watched the family, Maomao silently watched him.

Romeo and Juliet ending - This was a favorite of mine previously and I still think there's the smallest possibility for it to happen but it's unlikely. I liked it simply because it brings back the resurrection drug which was a recurring theme for so long with Maomao wanting to obtain it and also the potential for a callback to the beginning of the novels with Shisui somehow making an appearance since she is the only character to disappear successfully and not be found. The downfall of considering this ending is two-fold. One is that Maomao and Jinshi do have some connections with people they may miss if they faked their deaths and disappeared. Her father Luomen might be able to come but Basen, Mrs. Chue, Lihaku and anyone else would never be able to see them again. Secondly, Maomao herself has said she sees death as a cop-out for escaping the fallout to problems you have caused.

"I hate it when people think everything's over just because they're dead!" It was as good as refusing to face the consequences of whatever you had done.

This to me is the biggest indicator this likely won't be the ending. It's interesting to consider and could bring back some fun appearances from early novel plots but I agree that given Maomao and Jinshi's character they're not much for disappearing and leaving others to handle the mess.

Grand Commandant and Court Physician ending - This is personally the most satisfying end for Jinmao I can imagine right now. Basically if Jinshi renounces his title as Moon Prince and Maomao accepts her role in the La Clan then they go on to get married with Jinshi being brought into the family, he could take on her clan name. From there, Lakan could step down as Grand Commandant and have Jinshi take the role. This would be optimal for both as Lakan appears to enjoy the strategy involved in military affairs but often delegates the rest of his work to his aids. He has found Jinshi interesting and should like to have a son-in-law who will take his position so he can retire to play Go games which is what I imagine.

To his surprise the eccentric strategist was there, lying on a couch and drinking from a gourd. To all appearances he was quite at his ease, but a secretary placed some paperwork sheet by sheet on a table and gave Lakan a stamp to press on them.

Being Grand Commandant would also give Jinshi the ability to back up the Emperor's son with Gyokuyou while not being his enemy. Jinshi has had a clear interest in the military from having the training, to when he stormed the Shi clan stronghold himself and then has wanted to boost the ranks of the military but been denied given that his current position is mostly in name and he has to go through others to do the things he wishes in the government. It also removes Lakan as such the fearsome threat against the Emperor and puts his son in the position whom he trusts.

When the younger brother had at last appeared, though, it turned out that he was as beautiful and as gossamer as a celestial nymph-and that he was also a hale young man as skilled in the military arts as the administrative.

As for Maomao, her accepting her place in the La Clan is integral to both her and Jinshi potentially being free from the grip of Imperial politics. Ironically this whole time Jinshi has been taking the burden on himself to find ways of removing the obstacles for both of them by getting himself taken out of the line of succession. It would prove to me to be funny if it turns out that Maomao accepting a noble position is the key to both of them finding actual freedom.

From my perspective if she becomes the La Princess not just in others recognizing she is outwardly but taking on the Clan name and what comes with it, I think it could open other possibilities for her and Jinshi. Like I said above she and he could get married if he was no longer royalty and he could take on her clan name, as we've seen that men can be welcomed into a wife's family and become the head of that family.

The position itself would bring her a noble status, which she could then use to work in the circles Jinshi would be in as Grand Commandant. For instance, if he is no longer considered a threat to the Emperor, he could also put forward more initiatives like he used to in the rear palace like helping the women read but along the lines of potentially having female physicians. I think the Emperor would accept without a problem, he merely needed someone who was respected with in the Imperial Court and who could make a reasoned argument for it to present the idea.

If Maomao then becomes a Court Physician in her own right she can still see Empress Gyokuyou and treat her as a doctor without having to be her lady-in-waiting or her servant and not being able to have a connection to Jinshi. She could be friends with the Empress again because she has her own established position which finally removes her biggest fear that has driven so much of Jinshi's efforts to remove himself as a potential successor.

Finally, I find this possible ending to be the most satisfying because what Maomao and Jinshi want most is to help people. And a place they can be where they have the best ability to help people is where they would thrive the best.

"You're only human, Master Jinshi. You're not some mythical immortal who can save everyone." She held his face in her hands, the fingers of her left hand brushing his scar. "You can be wounded, scarred, brought low. Only human."

Being Emperor and Empress would only stifle them because as we see with the current sovereigns there is a lot they cannot do and their hands are tied by relations with foreign nations and keeping friendly terms in the palace itself. Being commoners wouldn't work either because as we have seen with Maomao, having to constantly work and scrape for very little causes a defeatism of feeling like you're not able to do much for others or improve life for yourself.

Sadly but truthfully, Luomen won't be around forever and to me Maomao will find happiness taking over for him as Court Physician and working with the Quack in the Medical Office where she's comfortable and able to help the ladies and others, plus she'll always have access to the best medicines and can visit her Verdigris House family at any time. This ending also brings back the feeling of the early novels where Jinshi can peek in on her in the medical office after he's finished his paperwork as Commandant but this time they're able to go get chicken skewers together and have the freedom as husband and wife.

He wished he could have gotten her tucked into bed sooner, with a nice, soft blanket around her. She hadn’t been able to resist her first sleep in days, and she looked as comfortable as if she were in a pleasant bath.

Here they're both able to work, doing something they enjoy but freed from troublesome entanglements, all the while finding new ways to improve the lives of others. That's a happy ending to me.

Lastly, I don't see it having them be together and fade-to-black, I think we'll know some of what their future holds. To me the idea of being open-ended is more, the possibility for further adventures to be had. So we can see them get married, have jobs and be happy but that doesn't mean there couldn't be more, there just wouldn't be at the time we leave them because they've achieved a certain peace for the moment.

That was longer than I intended it to be 😂 but fun to write and explore the different endings. Thanks so much for the question!

[reginaphalangelobster]

Draw

Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader

Summary: Spencer asks you about your drawings.

Warnings: mentions of death, implied past domestic violence (reader), reader's mother died, a bit of pining.

Word Count: 2k

A/n: The moodboard is mine but the sketches are not, gorgeous though!

After every case you would pull out your little book. Whether it was to take notes about the day or write a shopping list, no one knew. You always kept to yourself and never really socialised, the team knew that and they left you be. All except Spencer. He knew what it felt like to be left out he'd never wish that on any of his friends, but especially not you. He often managed to be around, not talking your ear off or trying to get you to do something but just, around. He sat next to you in the car, stood close to you in briefings and worked with you whenever possible. You didn't think much of it, he was often being made fun of and even though it was by his friends, mostly Morgan, you could tell he didn't always find it funny. You didn't make fun of him, you barely spoke unless necessary but you never made fun of him and it was something he appreciated.

After most cases everyone would play cards or go to their own corners of the jet, you always opted for the latter. You'd sit there in silence and bring out the little pencil and notebook that you kept in your jacket pocket, always there, never moved unless you were using them. After a particularly rough case everyone was quiet, most listening to music or sleeping if they could. There you were, trusty pen and notebook in hand as per usual when you felt a presence beside you. No one ever sat next to you on the plane so of course the first person to do it would be Spencer. He didn't say anything at first. You tilted your notebook to the side a little, not to be rude but just because you liked your privacy. A hot commodity at the BAU.

The two of you sat there for a solid twenty minutes in complete silence before Spencer couldn't help but peak over your shoulder. He saw the soft lines your pencil made as your hand flicked back and forth forming a face.

"Are you drawing?" He asked, trying not to startle you with the sudden sound of his words.

"Yes" You whispered, subtly signalling him to lower his volume, of course, it didn't work but at least you tried.

"What are you drawing?"

"Not what, who"

"Okay, who are you drawing?"

"Lena"

He stopped and thought for a second "The fifth victim?"

"No. Lena, the seven year old girl who loved her cat and the colour orange"

"Oh" He said poignantly. Silence fell between the two of you again before Spencer spoke up.

"It's very good"

"Thank you"

He paused before asking his next question "Why are you drawing her?"

"I draw everyone"

"Everyone?"

"After each case, I draw every victim. Every hurt person, devastated parent and dead child"

Spencer went quiet again, thinking he'd struck a nerve. You could tell.

"I draw them because I remember them, I know what has happened to them. I saw their wounds and I found their bodies and they don't deserve to be remembered that way. So instead, I draw them happy, the way they should be remembered"

After a small silence passed Spencer looked at you again "That's very you, of you"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing bad. It's just, I've seen you. You pretend to be all dark and mysterious and intimidating, and you are but, you're also very caring"

You scoffed "You're getting better at that humour thing"

"I'm serious. You see how much we all hate notifying the victim's families and you do it instead. You hold their hands and tell them that their daughter has been murdered and you comfort them every time. You pour yourself into every case and work yourself to the bone all while showing no emotions, never faltering. You don't just do it when we're on a case, you're always like that. You do the paperwork everyone dreads, you deal with administrators so Hotch doesn't have to, you pay attention to every little detail. Like when Morgan was talking about the first time he met Jordan, you remembered his coffee order and brought it in the next morning. You remembered that Jack had to be picked up from daycare an hour early and reminded Hotch. You told Kevin about an obscure collectable Garcia had been looking for so that he could give it to her as a present. You covered for Prentiss when she didn't want to talk to her mom. You helped Rossi with that case he could talk about and you never asked a single question. You broke, I'm guessing a lot, of laws when JJ was in labour and you were hours away. When I called you late one night and told you that my mom was sick you were in Vegas by the morning and you didn't even say a word, you just brought me a coffee and sat with me when I was scared. You're always there for everyone even if you won't say anything"

You looked down, letting his words sink in then you looked back up, smiling. It was small but it was still a smile nonetheless.

"Thank you Spencer. It means a lot to know that someone notices"

He looked at you fondly before looking back at the paper.

"So how many people have you drawn?"

You let out a half laugh at hearing the question "A lot"

"How many's a lot?"

"Hundreds, maybe thousands"

"Wow"

"I've been drawing people, not just people from cases, since before I started working at the BAU. I always have"

"How come? I mean, I know why you draw the people from each case but what got you started?"

"I don't know really, I've always drawn, since I was a kid. I think my mother taught me"

You looked down at the mention of her and Spencer's gaze followed. You never mentioned your mother before, or any of your family for that matter, but he knew she had died a long time ago.

"What was she like?" He asked carefully.

"I don't remember her much, I was only five when she died"

He avoided your gaze, he felt awful for drudging up the past that you had left behind, presumably for a reason.

"I do remember one thing though, her smile"

You flicked through your little sketchbook, the black leather cover was worn and greying. When you stopped on a page you stared at it for a second, your finger hovering over the paper, the edges torn and bent from being turned so many times.

"Here" You said just above a whisper as you presented the book to Spencer. He observed the drawings, pages upon pages of a woman's mouth smiling. So many of them looked the same but just a little different. The soft curve of her lips, the faint smile lines.

You began to speak again, so softly with an air of caution "She smiled all the time, I could tell when they were real, even at that age. I got used to the fake smiles, she taught me those too but the real ones, they were magical"

Your fingers brushed lightly against his as you turned the page. He felt your feather-light touch course through his body like lightning.

You showed him your sketches of random women, all smiling. They all looked different, your guesses at her appearance "I've often wondered about what she looked like, I drew these just to guess I suppose"

Spencer wasn't thinking about his words, just soaking in yours while he stared at the marks in lead "You have her smile"

You stopped and looked up at him, you looked into his eyes as they scanned the pages. He didn't think anything of his words but they were some of the kindest you'd ever heard.

"Thank you Spencer"

The sincerity in your tone was loud. The way your voice cracked for a split second, almost unnoticeable, but not to him. You had never been compared to your mother before, you had rarely been complimented in general but to hear that your smile was hers? It was truly the best thing you had ever heard.

Spencer looked back up at you and he saw your face. He saw the slight tremble in your bottom lip and your eyes, your beautiful eyes. He'd noticed them before, on many occasions actually, but never like this. The colour darkened, he wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't memorised every detail of your face. He wasn't sure at first but after looking closer he was certain, tears glossed over your eyes, tears. No one on the team had ever seen you anywhere near crying and here you were, on the brink of tears after he had said just four words.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean t-"

He was cut off by the gentle press of your lips to his. He was shocked, to put it plainly. He had harboured these feelings for you for so long and he was near certain that you didn't think twice about him. He barely had time to obsess in his mind over what this meant, did you love him back? Were you dating? Did this all mean nothing to you, just a thank you? before the kiss was over. You pulled back, ending the kiss as quickly as it began.

"Thank you Spencer"

You began turning the pages back to your drawing of Lena when a particular sketch caught Spencer's eye.

"I-Is that me?"

You blushed ever so slightly, you didn't think he was paying attention and you were just flicking pages quickly.

"Yeah"

"Can I see?"

"You're not gonna let me say "no" are you?"

"Not really"

You regretfully handed him back the book and he looked at the drawing of himself. Most of the others were just sketches, amazing ones but fairly quick, this one thought, of him, was a perfect capture of his likeness. He could tell you had spent hours on it.

"It looks like me"

"That was kind of the point"

"No, I mean, it looks perfectly like me. I can't believe you drew this"

"I-It's no big deal or anything, I've done the whole team. Doesn't mean anything" You said dismissively, trying to get your sketchbook back before he found that yes, you had drawn the others a few times but there were at least thirty sketches of him, in this book.

"Can I see those too?" Spencer asked as he tried to mask his disappointment. It was silly of him, to think he was special to you.

"Sure, just let me find them"

You took the book back and flipped the pages to reveal similar drawings of JJ, Hotch, Emily, Morgan, Rossi, Elle, Gideon and Garcia.

"Why do we ever hire sketch artists?"

You laughed lightly, the smile staying on your face.

"They're all...breathtaking. But why am I looking down?"

Spencer noticed the confused expression that spread across your face.

"Everyone else is looking straight ahead or off to the side a little, I'm the only one looking down. Why?"

"I can't draw your eyes"

"Are you kidding? JJ and Prentiss' eyes are gorgeous, they look so real"

"I can't draw your eyes"

"What's so different about mine?"

"Everything" The word slipped out of your mouth before you could catch it.

"What do you mean, everything?"

You decided you may as well answer him, there was no way you could get out of it now.

"Your eyes are so full. So full of you. Sadness, happiness, dorkiness. They turn a deeper, walnut kind of brown when you're sad or angry. When you get all excited about a fact you're telling us they have the slightest golden tint and shine. When you're happy, really happy, they practically glow. It's hard to draw that"

He stared at you, just stared.

Tags

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[novasillies]

okay. wifi sorted. squid game i hate you i will try and keep this organised. spoilers upon spoilers beneath the cut, this might be a long one. i had an 8 hour journey to watch the whole show in one go and then ruminate on it for two hours of driving. so. yeah.

As many issues as I have with this season, I will say some things were pretty interesting. So let's start with the few positives I have.

One, the commentary on democracy and the idea of a democratic vote. The fact that the players were forced into making this choice, either threatened or manipulated into voting one way or the other, and treated differently by the group depending on which way they voted was very interesting and something I am not at all smart enough to dissect beyond surface level. the whole "through your democratic vote, you have all chosen to continue the games" thing made me go hrrhrhrhrr every time because, yeah, democracy is far from fair and two-party systems with one final choice cannot accurately represent the wants of an entire group. love it speak on it.

Two, I didn't mind In-ho's story this season (or, what little story he had). The fact that he's tried to save Gi-hun's life at every turn, and the man has been too stubborn to listen, rightfully so, if the writers had decided that optimism was something we deserved in this day and age. He begged him to get on that plane, to stop looking for the games, to kill the other players and just take the money. In-ho wanted Gi-hun to live. And he didn't. And In-ho delivered, in person, his jacket and money to his daughter. He never called him a friend. He blew up the island. I'm assuming he left it all behind now that the coast guard got involved. God knows. Actually, never mind, his story was lazy and nonexistent. The contrast between him and Gi-hun when given that chance to kill them all and take the win was interesting, though.

Three, i cant think of another thing i liked. which is troubling. Oh, I do love a tragedy done right, so Gi-hun's death did satisfy me in the way that it was horrible. I still think he should not have died. But the fact that it was like that. I don't despise it. Not happy about it. but it could be worse.

I'm gonna just get right into my main issue with this season (and season 2 now that it's over and I can be sure of it), which is: THIS WAS NOT NECESSARY.

The entire two-part story (ridiculous) of seasons 2&3 was literally, in the end, for nothing.

Nobody's characters developed and they all died. Jun-ho didn't get anything out of finding the island because they blew it up and he was only there for 25 minutes. He saw In-ho again, said like 8 words to him, got nothing back, and then left again. Pointless. So many hours of television that were for nothing. He didn't grow as a person, he didn't learn anything new, he didn't even realise Gi-hun (WHO HE WAS MEANT TO BE LOOKING FOR) was dead however many feet below him. All he got was that fuckass CGI baby and 45.6 billion won of blood money.

Gi-hun went back just to stop the games, then killed himself to let a two-day-old newborn become a multi-billionaire for the hope of that innocent little FUGLY FREAK being a better person than him. He said maybe 20 lines the entire season. He spent the whole time silently plotting dae-ho's death, then killing dae-ho, then trying to kill himself until he finally did. His entire story was just a playbook on how to give up.

They watered Jun-hee and Geum-ja and No-eul down to just Mothers with nothing else to show for themselves. Two out of three of them killed themselves for their children and one of them tried. No-euls entire storyline felt just as pointless as the rest of them, with its weird maybe-your-daughter's-alive-maybe-she's-not open ending of her flying to China. It didn't help that we've spent this whole two-season storyline waiting for Gi-hun to have some magical moment where he figures out how to save them, only for all of them to die slowly and pointlessly one by one. Geum-ja's suicide was the only death this season that upset me, purely because I only realised what had happened just as the coffin got carried in, and her big monologue to Gi-hun finally made sense and became far more sad. It was really only thanks to her actress' performance that Yong-sik's death made me feel anything, too. Everyone else had nothing. Just cheap SFX and two seconds of shock value.

What the fuck was Hyun-ju's death. Like. Excuse me?? Myung-gi had no reason to still be killing people, let alone hunting them like animals. Why the FUCK did he kill her??? And why did Jun-hee's water break and her baby was born within five minutes???? I don't think there was a single woman in the writer's room for season 3 honest to god. I wasn't even sad about Hyun-ju's death I was just so so sooo confused. It made no sense. And then I was like uhgggh she shouldve gone through the door but no she was right to go back but wtf myung-gi why did you do that you useless piece of human garbage. and maybe it was a little bit poignant because they were so close to all surviving together. but they could've. very easily. Hyun-ju's death was just as unneccessary as the rest of this story.

Don't even get me started on myung-gi. I didn't like him last season on the principle of what he did to Jun-hee, but there was always the justification of him trying to protect her from the people who were after him but. god. I was so right to hate him. Even then, he was somewhat likeable. He did nice things sometimes. He acted like a normal human being. Who the HELL was that this season?? trying to throw his own newborn daughter off that tower for THE MONEY??????????? I thought Gi-hun would hand over the kid, myung-gi would be all sweet and sad and sorry and kiss his daughter on the head (WHICH GI-HUN THEN DID AND MADE ME GO !!!!!) before he pressed the start button and threw himself off. A nobel sacrifice for the kid, just like her mother had done, or whatever the fuck. but no. nooooo nonono of COURSE not. that wouldve been HEARTFELT and SWEET and would've let OUR HERO survive. can't have that can we?!?!?!?!??!?!?!? i need to calm down.

Side note, what the hell was kate blanchett doing there?? we do NOT need an american squid game spinoff with kate fucking blanchett as the recruiter and in-ho going full gi-hun and trying to infiltrate it and take it down in his memory or some bullshit STOP IT.

Another side note, why did they spend more time on min-su's grief over se-mi than like... any other character feeling anything?? i didn't give a shit about those two personally so every drawn-out drug-induced hallucination about it just felt like watching paint dry.

Also the games sucked. Sorry. They were all dissorientating in the most midly inconvenient way and the direction of this season was all over the place. whoever was director of photography for s3 needs to have a long think about things. And the sound design??? was it always that weird?? no, right? there wasn't always the freakish distorted music and stuff? and that weird prowler sound whenever gi-hun was staring at dae-ho and wanting to kill him?? I felt like i was going crazy it was either too silent or too loud but whatever.

And the CGI baby. Come on now. Terrible!!! There was an egregious amount of CGI in this season and it was very clearly rushed. you're on a Netflix budget with one of its most popular titles and you still managed to come out with cheap, uncanny special effects??? I would be happy about the use of CGI because yeah newborn babies look like that not like 4-month-olds and yeah that's a big rope swing u cant be throwing those at real people in real life without some serious waivers signed and some serious injuries nonetheless but you had the money to make it good. you should've taken the time, too. I have an inkling that the six-month gap between seasons instead of a few years had a small role to play in that, even if it was all shot at once. Maybe if you hadn't stretched out your nothing burger of a second season into two of them, we wouldn't be having these problems. It's just so confusing how season 3 felt so much lazier and just worse than season 2 when they should've been written, filmed, and begun post-production right alongside each other. so so sooo weird. The subpar performances of the actors i think didn't help. i just felt like i was watching actors act instead of watching people exist within a story and that always irks me. to be fair, with a cast that big, you really can't expect the greatest performances from all the nameless side characters. but like. still. lock in for me guys plz. and maybe stop throwing babies from extreme heights (Gi-hun is just a man)

The thing is, season 1 was neat and tidy and concise and heartwrenching and purposeful. It had a true meaning. A moral. It was a representation of the horrors of capitalism. The characters changed - gi-hun became an entirely new person due to the trauma of it all, sang-woo became colder and so desperate he was unrecognisable, sae-byeok's end was so tragic but before it happened, she learned to trust, jun-ho actually learned new things about his brother and the games and uncovered secrets as the viewers did and it was interesting - and the story was written with clear intention. This storyline, stretched over two seasons to get more fucking money from continuous streaming and renewal of interest, shocker, anti-capitalist my ass, was literally nothing more than a cash-grab. It was heartless. They somehow brought back queerbaiting for a second there. Nobody (at least I hope) believed it, but they tried. And that is just so so disappointing. Because they knew this story wouldn't stand on its own. They knew they had not written it for any real reason. It was all for the money. And how ironic is that?

This story could have been so good. All of the pieces were in place for them to craft something insanely relevant, a story about goodness, community, honesty, and hope beating the 1%. A story about redemption. A story about equality.

Instead, Squid Game season 3, and the overarching story of season 2, teach nothing more than there being only one thing we all can have and deserve to have: death.

Sacrifice yourself, give up, because the rich are just gonna keep getting richer. And you will never win. But, hey. There's always the next generation. Here's to hoping.

[housemdork]

you think that house throwing in all of his most homoerotic lines ('shouldn't we try a twosome first?', 'we don't have to have sex, sometimes it's just nice to cuddle and talk', the one about wilson confessing that he was gay for house all along being obvious etc.) is him letting his tongue loose, even (gasp!) subtly confessing, because he doesn't know how much time wilson has left?

"— as opposed to the writers' last queerbaiting hurrah (sorry i forgor to add this)" - including the last half of your ask here!

i'm obsessed with this question, and i'll answer in 2 parts!

maybe it's just me who has a negative connotation with "queerbaiting" as a concept, but i think this arc specifically is queer-coded. to me, queerbait implies jokes/innuendo from the writers to the audience poking at fan interpretations that often have a lot of good merit to them. i think of 6x11 as an example (except the underlying premise of that episode is EXCEEDINGLY queer on purpose). 8x20 specifically is all about forcing wilson's tendencies to adopt personas into the open, and that he confides in house about this habit associates house and wilson with deconstructing those personas. as a gay wilson truther, i'm firm in my belief that heterosexuality is wilson's heaviest persona of all. so all that is to say that i don't think it's queerbait! i think these 2 are the real deal in a very bizarre 2000s network tv sort of way that doesn't superficially confirm anything, but subtextually does a shocking amount of work to subvert heteronormativity in the makeup of house md.

i think that those comments house makes have several functions. especially in 8x19-8x21, they ground the audience in at least some glimpses of humor amidst super dark episodes. they remind us of the extent of vulnerability between these 2. they shine a new light on wilson's increased contentment with house being His Person. they also show a distancing between wilson and sex, which is a big deal since he was the show's certified whore for a good while there lmfao. these jokes bothered wilson in the past (re: 2x07), but they are commonplace now. reputation isn't so concerning to wilson anymore; his personas are falling to the wayside.

but your question is about house specifically. i can't really point to anything textual to support this, but i can share my own version of Hilson events :D. i think house was just infatuated with wilson on impact in 1991, and fully convinced that he was gay. realizing and admitting to himself that this wasn't the case over the years would be super painful for house (someone who can read people so easily), but necessary. i think house is happy to have wilson in his life in whatever way possible, whether that be romantic, platonic, even just coworkers - he's so obsessed with keeping wilson at PPTH no matter the cost.

so in those last months i definitely consider this a return to early hilson years. as house sees the personas and defenses fall away, he has to test his hypothesis at least one more time - surely this guy who i've just spent 21 years with likes men, right? and who safer to explore this with than, again, the person who's spent 21 years at his side?

i hope this answered your question lmfao i kinda went off the rails. and i don't mean to assume that you feel a certain way about "queerbait" as a word/concept; that's just my interpretation!

OH BUT ONE MORE THING. in 8x19 and 8x20, house touches wilson in moments of affection and joy. i can literally never think of another time where he does this:

even if the 8x20 example is goofy, it kinda speaks to your point. subtly confessing! can't be too obvious. can't push wilson too far, too fast.

[wisteria-lodge]

Do you have any thoughts on a Hermione/Draco/Harry (maybe Ron if he feels left out lol) poly ship? I've been a huge fan of Hermione/Draco for ages and Harry/Draco has a lot of good foily stuff that bakes well into a romantic plot. Harry and Hermione don't strike me as the sharing types (the neglected only child thing, Harry at home, Hermione in the society she chooses to integrate in), however I can see some ways in which it can work with Draco because of all their shared memories. Harry and Hermione have a kind of adopted relationship lol but he seems to finally stop treating her too much like an older sister/mother by the end of the books so if the hate-lust for the pointy aristocrat won out even that could reasonably fall to the way side. You have a compelling way of writing ships though so if this interests you, I'm curious how things might take shape in your voice 👀

I've written Hermione/Draco, and I've written Harry/Draco, and in both cases Draco brings a (very necessary!) grounded, practical element to the relationship. But! I think poor Draco would have a lot of trouble grounding Hermione and Harry at the same time, because the two of them need very different things in order to feel safe and secure.

I talked it over with @niche-pastiche, and we tried out a few things:

(Viktor Krum has been thrown in for some extra balance and structural integrity: we've written Viktor/Ron and Viktor/Hermione, and he was a lovely, stabilizing influence both times. Viktor is just generally lovely.)

But! He wasn't included in the brief, and we did think of a way to make it work without him:

I think to give this the best chance of working, Harry/Draco and Ron/Hermione need to be very comfortable committed couples. And THEN you need a Harry and Ron who have... always been kind of attracted to each other. (neither of them have realized this) (Hermione has known since the tent) (it's not hard to make this totally canon compliant.)

This is a very confident Hermione who... wants to give Ron a Valentine's day present, basically. I've always thought that a healthy, happy Hermione would also be - quite horny. And very straightforward in that desire, the way that she's straightforward about everything. (She likes pretty quidditch players, it's not that deep.)

So she decides that Ron would be happier if he had a chance to be with Harry, and obviously she invites Draco out to brunch and, and just comes in with - "Did you ever get the impression that Harry... well... was hung up on Ron a bit?"

at which point Draco is like - "Merlin's teeth, are you serious? All this time, Harry's thought Weasley was straight."

(one of my favorite Lucius/Narcissa headcanons is that they're the type to bring a third in every now and again, and Draco is aware of this. So he wouldn't be so very shocked at the prospect.)

Anyhow, Draco and Hermione bond over their partners being dense, and just pull out all the stops planning a Valentines' night in a hotel suite. Draco's not going to be left out, but there are a few positions he has in mind for Harry that require a second person, and Hermione just wants to wear some pretty (scandalous!) clothes and watch some pretty quidditch boys, and see Ron blush.

(of COURSE she ends up involved by the end, I'm sure. Every single one of these people is so competitive, there's no way it isn't going to manifest in their dynamic.)

I actually think it would end up being very sweet, and *very* funny.

[atiny-for-life]

Regarding Wooyoung's weight

Since all the pre-filmed content has been coming out, I've been seeing more and more Atiny become worried about Wooyoung's weight loss and the way he talked about achieving it (namely, by simply not eating).

First and foremost, I hope all of you can keep in mind that the majority of this content was filmed before the album was even released, meaning the way he speaks there might no longer reflect the way he would talk about this now.

Additionally, I also want to make it clear I won't be trying to diagnose him with anything, just as I won't say he should be doing this or that because he's an adult who can do with his own body whatever he pleases.

However, I also won't downplay the negative impacts not eating has on the human body, because of the current "skinniness trend", so let me say this: For one, calorie deficiency causes your energy levels to drop significantly, leaving you more easily irritated and overstimulated, fatigued and achy. Too little body fat will also leave your body incapable of regulating your internal temperature, meaning you'll start feeling cold constantly and you'll eventually grow thicker peach fuzz across your entire body as your body attempts to protect itself from hypothermia. Your body will also lose its ability to regulate your eating, meaning you may stop feeling hungry in the long-term, even if you do eventually return to regular eating habits. Starving yourself for a prolonged period of time, or even just severely restricting your fibre intake, can also lead your gut bacteria to start eating the mucus layer protecting your gut which can lead to inflammation and, eventually, infection. And yes, severe starvation can, of course, also lead to organ failure and death - that's the worst case scenario. So if you, or anyone you know, is struggling with disordered eating, please do not downplay it - address it, seek professional help if you can/need to. Here is a link to a comprehensive list of international resources.

All the above listed side-effects of crash-dieting are well-known and yet, both the modelling and Kpop industry are continuously pushing idols to not eat as I've talked about before here, so I won't go over the same talking points again.

Instead, I want us to acknowledge the way Wooyoung has been talking about his eating habits since all this content was filmed and as fans have been expressing their concerns to him, because he doesn't live in a bubble - he knows we worry and why we worry and he's clearly receptive to that "feedback" (I'm not sure what else to call it):

For one, he's already acknowledged his weight loss and has expressed he's been trying to stop losing weight:

And most notably, he's also been bringing up his meals almost every time he comes on Fromm since then (which is where all these translated messages are from). I do firmly believe he's doing this to ease fans' minds and to show he stopped the unhealthy "dieting" method he was using to drop his weight before:

Now, does this mean he has a healthy relationship with food now? Ultimately, I don't know and there's also no way for me to know because I don't know him personally.

However, I can take some guesses based on what he's shared with us over the years, plus some additional input from the industry he's been a part of since before 2018.

For one, Wooyoung is a very fixated person. He leaps from hobby to hobby, he hyper focuses on one thing and then eventually moves on to the next, and this could very well extend to his dieting. He was intent on getting "skinny" for this comeback so he did whatever he felt was necessary to achieve this and now that his fanbase has expressed their concerns to him and this comeback is over, he's been trying to ease our minds instead by eating regularly again.

Some of you may think it's far fetched for me to believe he might think like this, but other idols like Jooheon from MonstaX and Zhang Hao from ZeroBaseOne have done the same so it's not uncommon in the industry. However, in their cases, fans haven't expressed their concerns in the same way so I've never seen either one acknowledge how worrisome and unhealthy this crash-dieting is.

People also often point to Wooyoung's first large weight loss between the Treasure and Fever series as the start of his weight obsession, and while I don't know if "obsession" is the right word, it is noteworthy that he's apparently been on a year-round diet ever since which is... not great? But we also don't exactly know what he means by "diet".

It might simply mean he's not eating what he wants whenever he wants, which I think applies to a lot of people who don't have a crazy fast metabolism.

Now, you may think because of the truly insane amount of exercise he does as a dancer and with all their touring, that he'd automatically work off anything he eats, but unfortunately - or fortunately in some cases, the human body is crazy good at adapting to your lifestyle. An extremely active person can burn the same amount of calories as someone else who simply sits around a lot, which is why, when a really inactive person starts working out, they'll see rapid changes at first but then that progress will slowly begin to plateau - that is often the point where a lot of people get discouraged and also why a health-based mindset is essential for turning exercise into a habit.

For a better understanding of this, I recommend this video:

Now, why am I telling you this? Because I think it's important to keep in mind when any idol, including Wooyoung, talk about managing their weight. For people with such an extremely active lifestyle, their bodies will long since have adapted to it, meaning they'll burn calories differently from the average individual with a less active lifestyle, so you can't always apply your personal experiences with eating and exercise to them.

On a final note, here is what I hope you'll primarily take from this post:

One- The content being released at the moment is largely pre-filmed so we cannot and should not assume it's one-to-one with his current mindset.

Two- Wooyoung has clearly heard our concerns and is seemingly back to eating regular meals again, so if you want to express your worries to him, please keep that in mind.

Three- If you have anything to add or disagree with me, please feel free to leave your thoughts in the reblogs or replies.

[mayshifting]

That's so true. I'm just going to say more things about the different sentences you said because I want to and some people need to read this.

I.

So the first thing, methods are tools to HELP, not to MAKE you shift. People need to stop saying or IMPLYING you need one to shift. It happens more than people think, even if it's not directly said.

Also, people need to answer the people who ask "which methods..." that the methods are not needed. Shifters are thinking more about the methods than the shift itself.

II.

Caring about what people do in their own DRs is completely stupid. I don't care what people do or don't do in their drs (like you said, except if you kill or hurt people.) And everyone should be the same, because why care about other people's lives? They are not hurting anyone (at least I hope.) So let them live, bro.

II + VI

And judging people because they DON'T script out imperfections is the same as caring about what people do in their DRs and it's the dumbest thing ever. I think imperfections make it more normal, y'know? Yes, we can live in the perfect world everyone wants but, we also need imperfections/problems too.

I'm shifting to MHA, so if there's no problem, heroes don't exist.

Or for someone who shifts in Marvel or another DR which we NEED problems to live what we want to live.

Having a bit of action makes it more fun, more thrilling. So judging people because they don't script out thing, this is low.

If you want to shift to a perfect world without flaws to not have any problems DO IT. You're so right about that. But yeah, don't judge the one who don't.

III.

About Kill DRs, they are genuinely terrifying, because you don't kill here but you CAN kill in another reality? You're just a psychopath who wants to have the right to act on their urge without repercussions. If you can kill in another reality, you can do it here too, and this is not something you can debate on.

V.

I don't have much to say about this one because, yes, shifting is scientific. And like you said it got explained multiple times. For the people who think the opposite, I invite you to do your research, or ask at least someone who knows or has read the scientific evidence what the explanations are. (Don't ask me, I'm still waiting for the motivation to continue reading, I swear.)

Also, shifting has existed since forever. Experiences were made since 1983/and before. People in the past talked about it way before everything, but just they didn't use the term shift.

Because, no, shifting is not called shifting reality. People just started calling it that way. So don't stress if you don't say "I'm shifting." Or anything.

Here, for y'all.

VII.

The over-script or don't script at all. Again, minding other people's lives.

Who cares if they over-script or don't script? Is it going to kill you? To prevent you from shifting? No, so why judging about something so insignificant.

All you want is to force people to do what you think IS the right thing to do. But not everyone works the same

People prefer to over-script to be sure they have everything. And some don't script because it's not necessary and prefer doing other stuff than scripting. You can't just judge or force someone to think like you do or do what you do.

VIII.

The cheating problem, SO MANY people are fighting about this its crazy. For the shifter, you go to ANOTHER reality, even if you have another partner in here doesn't mean you're cheating because you're not dating the person you date here. So if you don't date this person, there's no cheating.

Of course, it's okay to question it. It important. But your feelings are different from one reality to another. And it's important to understand that.

For the PARTNER, please. You're jealous of a person who's not even in your reality.

I can understand why you guys feel like that, but you guys probably do the same or would do the same (if not a shifter.)

Your partner doesn't HAVE to date you in every reality. It doesn't mean they don't love you in this one, they do. But not in another one.

IX.

I have literally nothing to say, just that there's no original reality if we shift every everytime. We just shift in a reality very similar to the other that it's unnoticeable.

X.

This one is angering me. Yes. You. Can. It's nothing religious, it's scientific. There's nothing wrong about that.

If you want to shift but you're religious, go! It's not a sin at all. And if people say otherwise don't listen to them, religion and science are 2 different things. It's sad to see someone want to shift but doesn't do it because of the fear of it being a sin because x said it was.

No, it's not. A lot of religious people shift, so do I.

𝑆𝐻𝐼𝐹𝑇𝐼𝑁𝐺 𝑃𝑅𝑂𝑃𝐴𝐺𝐴𝑁𝐷𝐴 𝐼𝑀 𝑵𝑶𝑻 𝐹𝐴𝐿𝐿𝐼𝑁𝐺 𝐹𝑂𝑅

i. “you have to use a method” sybau

ii. caring what other people do in their drs (idgaf unless you’re hurting people)

iii. kill drs

iv. “shifting isn’t scientific” there’s so many scientific explanations but ok

v. needing an s/o in every dr

vi. scripting out every imperfection (js a personal thing — i like flaws in my drs as it makes me enjoy the good even more)

vii. judging people who “over-script” or don’t script at all.

viii. thinking it’s cheating if your partner shifts for someone else … (get a grip)

ix. “original reality”

x. “you can’t be religious whilst also being a shifter”

[creaturefeaster]

are you okay with people trying to copy your artstyle to make content or do you think that’s too deceiving?

When you use the word content in this context it immediately feels offensive.

Art is art and you draw what is fun for you. Really, there aren't any rules. If it is fun to draw the way another person draws, whatever. If you're a budding artist still working on your skills I think it is, in fact, important to play around with the art that inspires you. In the end there are no original styles out there, merely styles inspired and built upon in a blend of other inspirations.

My inspirations stemmed from the cartoons I grew up with, and is currently mixed with my growing interest in exploring a deeper understanding of anatomy. But many people have other artists as inspiration, which is also fine, but it is also a lot different and a lot more personal than being inspired by a cartoon everyone already knows. You risk getting the individual artist's feelings mixed up into your art.

If you are trying so hard to copy a style even though it doesn't feel native, natural to do so? I wouldn't call that fun, personally, but maybe it feels like an interesting challenge to you, which is also whatever in my eyes. It is still practicing your skills.

But the moment you are trying to profit off of work developed by someone else, calling it content, and hoping to gain traction based off of the look alone? It feels disingenuous to yourself and offensive to the person your mimicry is inspired by.

This is where I would say, please draw for yourself, not for the appearance. Not for the social status. Be yourself. Most people will notice the difference, and you will be happier with your own hard work in the long run.

This is, and has always been, my stance. I hope this was insightful :3!

[mediaheart]

it's 1:42 AM and what if i am actually aromantic.

[slimyenemy]

hey i wish i was on something and it meant my brain can more or less just stop being all glitchy if i'm not

[possessesnightshift]

Hey. I saw you sticking up for trans men in the reblogs of some post.

I don’t think you realize how much that means to some of us… thank you

Oh wow... Thank you so much for the appreciation, anon! <3<3

[greyedian]

.

[movie-robotnik-positivity]

I don't think Robotnik ever saw Stone's affection as genuine. He's used to people only valuing him if he's useful. His own bosses call him a freak, yet they put up with him because of his "perfect operation record". He isn't even shocked when he learns the goverment erased him, he expected it and had a contingency plan ready.

He keeps calling Stone a sycophant and a barnacle, because why else would someone stay with him if not to gain something? Clearly, Stone is just a suck-up wanting to ride his coattails. And Ivo is fine with that! He gets his ego stroked and in return Stone gets a slice of the world-domination pie. Mutually beneficial!

This symbiotic relationship gives Ivo a sense of control and ensures that Stone won't abandon him like everyone else. It also keeps him detached: of course Stone waited months or him to return from space, that's his job. His admiration is inevitable, and meaningless.

Ivo develops a genuine, irrational attachment to Stone, one he's able to rationalize as just being transactional. Those emotional walls shield him from the fear of abandonment that comes with caring for another person.

Except...even after Robotnik becomes a liability, Stone stays. There's no benefit, no plans of ruling humanity, not even a paycheck. Yet despite everything, Ivo tries to keep the old boss/employee dynamic going. He can't fathom the idea that someone would stay for anything other than convenience.

Then Gerald shows up, and for the first time Ivo allows himself to put down those walls. As an orphan he had built up this idealized image of family that he thought he could never have. People will use you then toss you aside when convenient, but family? Family is different. Family will always be there for you and love you no matter what. Family won't abandon you.

And suddently Stone's grovelling is no longer necessary. Why would he need someone who just pretends to like him when he now has all the unconditional love he's always longed for? That's obviously why Stone got so jealous, it couldn't have been real concern, he was just afraid of losing his comfy position as the lapdog of humanity's new king. Between a sycophant and family, the choice felt obvious.

And, of course, Gerald turns out to be just like everyone else in Ivo's life: just another person trying to get something from him. The second he stopped being useful, he was tossed aside.

His image of family is once again shattered, but those emotional walls are already down. Now that Ivo experienced that betrayal he was so afraid of, now that he's about to die, he's finally able to be honest with himself.

Looking down on Earth, he realizes there had only ever been one person on that blue marble who actually cared. Someone who had always been there, even when there was nothing to gain. Stone had never abandoned him.

But he had abandoned Stone. He tossed him aside, just like Gerald did to him. Now that he's able to understand how Stone felt, this is his last chance to make things right.

In his final moments, with nothing to fear, Robotnik puts down his emotional walls and opens up as best as he can. Stone had done so much for him, asked for nothing in return, and now it was his turn to do the same. Ivo helped save the world, not for recognition or convenience, but simply out of love.

Stone had always been a sycophant to him, yes, but he had also been a friend. A sycofriend.

[hyperlexichypatia]

Okay, here's my criticism of this post I keep seeing -- and no, it's not what you think. I know, my longtime followers who know the kinds of things I post about a lot are probably thinking, "Oh, I know what their objection is going to be. It's going to be that 18-19 year olds are adults who can date older partners if they choose to." But no, that's not it this time! Yes, I do believe it's fine for young adults to date older adults if they choose to (and am accordingly rolling my eyes at all the "This should go up to 25!" comments in the notes), but. That's not my issue here. In fact, precisely because I believe that young adults dating older adults is morally neutral, I'm not at all concerned about the efficacy of the messaging against it. My concern is that underage minors being in sexual/romantic relationships with adults is actually harmful and dangerous, and therefore young people actually should be warned against it, and this is not an effective warning.

Fellow old people, do y'all remember being 14? At all? Would you have found this warning effective and compelling at that age?

I for sure would not! I did not! Quite the opposite!

Put yourself in the young person's position here. You have no rights. You're treated as someone with no agency. Your parents, teachers, government, and society as a whole treats you as some combination of "nuisance," "ticking time bomb," and "unthinking blob." Developmentally, you're at a phase of life when you should be transitioning to a more adult role, but everyone around you demonizes you for that desire. All your thoughts, feelings, and opinions are dismissed as the inconsequential ravings of Just A Dumb Kid Who Doesn't Know Any Better. You meet someone who treats you with basic human politeness, tells you that he likes you and that you're mature, actually treats you like you have two brain cells to rub together. Of course you're going to be drawn to him. And then when other adults warn you that obviously of course he doesn't really like you, that's impossible, of course you're not really mature, no one could possibly see you that way; actually you're naive and incapable of making your own decisions, and the way your parents/teachers/society treat you is completely justified. Are you going to heed those warnings?

Why are adults absolutely constitutionally incapable of giving good, necessary advice to teenagers without fucking insulting them in the process? Of course teenagers don't listen to it! Why would anyone??

"Oh, well, of course teenagers don't listen, because they're stubborn, and immature, and biologically determined to make bad decisions, which is all the more reason they need to be controlled," say adults, completely oblivious to the actual problem.

When I was a teenager, the big moral panic at the time was teen pregnancy, and we were all inundated with the least effective cautionary tales in the world: "If you get pregnant as a teen, you'll have to leave your parents' care and function as an adult!" Which left every girl who'd intentionally gotten pregnant for the explicit purpose of escaping her abusive parents saying "Yeah, that was the goal." And every girl who was looking for a way of escaping her abusive parents to think "What a great idea!" Today the big moral panic is older partners, but if the appeal of an older partner is that he treats you like someone capable of making your own decisions, why would you be persuaded by a counterargument of "Don't listen to him, of course you're not capable of making your own decisions!"?

Again. I'm saying this because I agree that adults dating minors is a bad thing and that minors should be warned against it. EFFECTIVELY.

That said, this is my advice to any 17-or-younger person being pursued by an 18+-year-old partner: Listen. You deserve so much better than the way society treats you. You deserve to be taken seriously. You deserve to make your own decisions in life. You have a mind of your own, and people should recognize that instead of treating your pesky "free will" as a personal affront or an inconvenient glitch. You can and should think for yourself. You deserve, and I hope you have, relationships with older people who validate those truths about you. However. You are still legally and materially powerless. I don't have to tell you that. You live it every day. Someone older than you -- and therefore, inherently, legally, more powerful than you -- should not be trying to extract things from you. Money, sex, unpaid labor, anything of value. Someone more powerful than you who truly values you, values your friendship, values you as a person, will be mindful of your status and not try to extract anything from you. Cross-age friendships are good. Older people can and should genuinely like and appreciate you, and you can and should genuinely like and appreciate them. But if they try to extract anything from you, run away.

[corkinavoid]

DPxDC Ask Around in the Morgue

Most times, Tim is not a fan of social interaction. If he can acquire the necessary data from literally anything written in text, without the need to actually talk to people, he does that. It's the logical thing to do, come on! People lie, or, even if they don't, they take ages to get to the point, and you can't put them on pause or set aside to return later. Some written resources lie as well, but that is, at least, way easier to prove by relying on several of them instead of a single one.

That saying, he can work in a team — Young Justice is great proof of that. Batfamily, not so much, but then, none of the Bats like working together. Because they are all hypercontrolling, manipulative, and paranoid.

And yet, keeping all that in mind, right now Tim is about to go and speak — using his mouth and words — to a GCPD mortician whom he's never seen or met before in his life.

All because of this report.

More precisely, because of the line 'pls come talk to me if u r a bat' that was inserted right into the file, just between the description of contents of the victim's stomach and the rather unappealing photo of the same thing. Tim supposes the placement was intentional — most people skip over that kind of information, jumping straight to the cause of death. Which is a homicide, by the way.

Not that it's anything unusual in Gotham.

Tim walks through the hallway, keeping his steps silent. Daniel Nightingale, the mortician, more accurately a pathologist, works graveyard shifts — very ironic and no less convenient — and most days, he does so all alone, so Tim is not expecting company. He is just keeping quiet out of habit.

And yet, as he gets closer to the autopsy room, he hears it. The chipper, amused voice from inside.

"You can't just make that shit up, I swear," it laughs, "Oh, Minerva. You were way too old to pull it off." There's a pause, and then it starts speaking again, filled with hidden laughter, "You don't say?"

The door is, thankfully, already half-open. Tim takes a quick look inside, hoping to figure out who's the other part of the alleged conversation, but the only person there — erm, the only alive person — is a guy in a gray uniform and a lab coat. Supposedly, Mr. Nightingale. There's also a corpse of an old lady on the table in front of him, of course, but Tim doubts she can hold up the conversation. A phone call? Or maybe he's just talking to himself?..

The guy raises his head briefly, turning to the door.

"Come on in, lurking in the shadows doesn't suit you," he calls, almost cheerful, and Tim pauses.

He's pretty sure he hasn't made a single noise.

Oh, well. Maybe he did. Maybe the pathologist has an alarm system in case of a zombie apocalypse. Maybe he sees the future. The possibilities are endless.

Tim steps inside.

"I'm here about your note," he says, cutting the greetings and niceties. The pathologist hums, his eyes still on the bare, skinless ribcage of the woman before him.

"Cool. Which one?" He asks without missing a beat. Tim stares; the guy looks entirely too nonchalant, given the circumstances, but that's not the only reason. Daniel Nightingale is way younger than Tim expected — twenty, at most — and he is... well, if Tim had a type, which he doesn't, he would definitely check all the boxes. Most of the boxes. A lot of boxes.

Okay, he's just good-looking, what is he even thinking about, this is getting sidetracked.

"There was more than one?" He asks because that's the logical, reasonable thing to ask. Daniel glances up at him. A tiny strand of hair escapes his pinned down bangs, and the guy huffs, shaking it away from his face. Shouldn't he be wearing a hat?

"Yeah, I put the bat alert in at least five reports I've written. Only two recently, though, so, if you could specify?" He asks. The loose strand of his hair moves all on its own, brushing itself up over Daniel's head. Then, one of the bobby pins comes out, hanging in the air briefly, and goes back into Daniel's hair, securing it from falling again. "Thank you, Minerva," the guy smiles politely, casting a glance to the side.

Tim is not sure what's going on but he has a hunch.

"I'm speaking about John Doe from last week?" He attempts, but Daniel only hums.

"Unfortunately, that doesn't narrow it down," he turns back to the table, looking down into the old lady's open abdomen with a critical eye. "Darling, do you think you'll be fine here all on your own while I speak with our dear guest?" He asks, almost demurely, and Tim is not dumb. Minerva is definitely the name of the lady on the autopsy table. The question is, has the GCPD hired a schizophrenic man during such dire times, or is the guy really some kind of ghost-whisperer?

The chances are, honestly speaking, 50/50. It's Gotham.

There's no response that Tim can hear, but Daniel straightens back up and takes off his gloves before turning to the other side, still away from Tim. "Mind cleaning up?" He asks again and then throws his gloves into the nearest bin. They don't land, but just as Daniel huffs and goes to retrieve them, the gloves float up from the floor like someone invisible picked them up and dropped them into the bin.

"Ah, thank you, Minerva," the pathologist smiles.

Tim feels an uncomfortable chill run down his spine.

"How many ghosts are in here?" He tries for casual, but fails spectacularly, judging by Daniel's chuckle.

"Five," he answers without any pause, "Six, if you count the nonverbal kid that's hiding in Page's cold locker. Anyway, John Doe?.."

A few of the instruments Daniel has used float up from the table and start moving towards the nearest sink.

Tim takes a deep breath.

Either he's gotten himself a new contact in GCPD forensics or a very alarming new meta. 50/50.

But Daniel's smile is 100 percent going to be a pain in his ass.

[fictionalsweethearts]

SUBLIMATE THE PAIN | SEVIKA X READER | ARCANE

Synopsis: Sevika helps you to explore yourself and subside the pain and the shame of self pleasure.

Contains: comfort, soft!sevika, unexperienced!reader, wlw, first sexual experiences, soft talk, masturbation, fingering.

A pretty personal fic, tbh, but Sevika as a character seems to be patient and loving when it comes to sex and I'm here to write about it. Enjoy!

Sevika had promised you patience and comfort, a woman with her vast sexual experience knew the unpleasant and uncomfortable details of love. She knew the burning and the pain, the disgust, the sorrow, the shame and the numbness, and for that reason she had promised to accompany you in the process with as much patience as necessary.

She kissed you again on the neck, a mirror stood before you sitting on the bed, Sevika's vast hand ran over your breasts and her grey eyes looked at you through the reflection, inviting you to stop ignoring the signs of your body. Her breasts brushed your back, her mechanical hand gently parted your legs and revealed the juiciness and softness of your core.

"How do you pretend to touch her without knowing her?" The woman asked. "You ignore many things, babe."

Your cheeks burned with embarrassment since you had your first kiss of the evening, but you promised not to let shyness win you over this time. It was the third night and the third time you tried, the last two having ended with a sudden lock-in in the bathroom or tears of shame and frustration running down your cheeks.

"I can't. I swear I can't." You cried as Sevika kissed your wet cheeks.

"Of course you can, don't be like that with yourself."

You considered that Sevika could be your mentor in this unknown field for you, the guide that would allow you to understand sex as something more than a mere routine or necessary act. "To begin with, doll, we don't intend to have a child with this. Not even if we wanted to. Second, I've seen as many pussies in my life as I've smoked cigarettes and yours is undoubtedly beautiful."

You laughed to hide your shame, but Sevika meant it. She was decades ahead of you in sexual experiences, she knew the female anatomy in depth, taking the time to explore herself first. Sevika knew that no one could teach her how to have an orgasm, and she fondly remembers the first times she tried self pleasure in the silence of her room, picturing that pretty girl at the market who used to sell her peaches at a good price. It was another Zaun, more precarious, less saturated with pornography and violence, and certainly her brain needed little to start imagining. And the softness of the girl's breasts under her blouse, her long neck and olive eyes were more than enough to awaken that visceral desire in her.

She dedicated her first orgasm to that girl and her peach scent. It was in a way tender, but the starting point of an endless journey through the unexplored region of sexuality. She soon discovered that inserting a finger was pleasant, that if she moved it in a certain way, it was even more so. She discovered that her breasts were sensitive if touched properly, that her entire skin was a map of erogenous zones and tickles, that rubbing her pussy against the pillow was delicious, and that after an orgasm she slept better. And soon, as soon as she was over five foot seven and learned to smoke without coughing, Sevika discovered that touching herself tasted better if someone she liked did it for her.

"Slow." Sevika whispered, placing a kiss on your shoulder. "Look at yourself. What do you see?"

"My pussy." You whispered, barely giving your reflection time to look back at you.

"You say it like it's a bad thing."

"It's not bad it's…"

"Strange?"

"I don't usually look at my pussy, Sev." You groaned.

"You should, it's pretty." Sevika laughed, caressing your waist with her metal fingers. "Think of all the men who have been staring at their cocks for as long as they've been conscious of them hanging between their legs, do you think they feel ashamed?"

You hesitated. "No?"

"There are two things a man always believes to be true." Sevika said, her tone lighter. "That they have the fattest cock on the block and that they can duel a bear without weapons, and win."

You laughed, your legs shaking slightly. Sevika smiled back. "If only you had the confidence they have in themselves, doll. It would be all so different."

Your expression sobered, this time giving the gap between your legs a longer look, that much neglected organ that deserved just a little more recognition in your life and in the lives of many other women.

"Look at the labia majora, the shape of it, the length of it…" Sevika whispered. "It frames the labia minora, the ones closest to the entrance."

You'd seen them in some anatomy book at the library, but recognizing them on yourself was quite different.

"I should have shaved more." You groaned in frustration.

Sevika snorted. "Are you saying that because of you or me? Cause lemme tell you, a hairy pussy doesn't grosses me out. On the contrary."

"But it does to me."

"Mine repels you?" Sevika inquired, leaving you speechless for a moment.

"No…" you whispered. "Yours… it's yours."

"I see. Now think the same about yours, sweetie." Sevika said. "Yours is what it is and that's it. Don't you dare apologize for how your body looks. Do I apologize for not having an arm?"

And you fell silent once more. Sevika sighed, kissing your neck. “You get my point.”

Sevika reveled in your body, in your flushed cheeks and focused eyes. She loved seeing you present. “You’re already wet.” She whispered. “But it can get wetter. Take two fingers.”

Sevika brought you index and middle fingers parted to the sides of your entrance, urging you to press. “Massage, slow.” She whispered, showing you the movement.

You obeyed, following the motion timidly at first, until you soon understood the purpose. That movement, however subtle, opened a pent-up dam that began to make you wetter and wetter. You moaned, feeling the urge to touch the rest but Sevika held your wrist. “Start from edges.” She said. “Don’t rush it.”

It was one of your vices, quick, silent masturbation. With your legs closed, a hand on your mouth and your eyes closed tightly, as if you were committing a crime that you wanted to finish soon. They were fleeting moments of pleasure that later turned into disconnection with yourself.

But Sevika knew you deserved better than that.

With your index finger you traced circles on your labia majora, slowly while Sevika whispered in your ear, kissed it and bit your lobe, making you shudder subtly. It was a constant and gentle movement, with no other purpose than to explore yourself.

"Come closer to the center." Sevika whispered. "Apply pressure, rub a little."

Your eyelids fluttered at that tickling between your legs, the sticky and wet murmur of your folds that made Sevika moan softly and her breathing accelerate, her breasts pressing against your back. Your hips moved unconsciously, you looked at your hand through the mirror, delicately between your legs with the elegance of an erotic painting.

"You're so pretty." Sevika gasped. "Look how your cheeks blush."

"Yours too."

Sevika smiled. "It just turns me on like you can't imagine seeing you touching yourself."

Sevika was known to be an avid spectator. More than once she would abstain from participating and sit on the couch in the brothel with a cigarette between her teeth, asking her girl to give her a show. There was something about watching such an intimate ritual that stirred every nerve fiber in her. Watching them unfold before her, rubbing themselves the way they liked, moaning genuinely, shuddering, whimpering and sighing, being able to see how their own hand is able to take them on a roller coaster of sensations. That ritual held a power that Sevika was fascinated to behold, and tonight you were her apprentice and her muse.

Sevika squeezed your breast, playing with your hardened, sensitive nipple. She already wanted to taste them, but she had to be patient. The appetizer was your self-exploration, the dessert was her mouth between your legs.

"You know… when there's too much business to attend to." Sevika said, her grey eyes watching you. "I can't visit the girls, so I lay back on my bed with a cigarette between my lips…" she murmured. "And I squeeze my breasts. Over and over, I touch them… massage them… while thinking of old encounters, of sounds… smells. You know how I love smells."

"All of them." You whimpered.

"Yes… from the armpits to the neck, between a couple of breasts and a wet pussy." Sevika sucked in between her teeth. "All of them."

You remember how Sevika had taken to sniffing you the first time she had you. She inhaled the scent of your neck and the crook of your elbows, behind your knees and your armpits. It was a scent loaded with codes, codes that communicated intentions. The pheromones were the best card to attract the most finicky organ of the human body; the nose.

"Sev." You whimpered. "Can you…?"

"That would be the shortcut, so no. I won't touch you yet."

You groaned, tilting your head back as Sevika placed a kiss on the top of your head. "Patience." Sevika drew your hand to the shy hood at the top of your pussy. "Pamper her, that's what it's for."

You traced circles around it, letting out a gasp. Sevika kept her hand on your wrist, indicating the methodical and steady pace, drawing sweet moans from you. "I'm wet just by looking at you." She whispered.

You bit your lip, the urge to grind harder and harder. An orgasm was building inside you, steady and certain, as Sevika kissed your neck and motioned for you to quicken your pace. "Ah, fuck…"

"Moan better." Sevika said. "You can be as loud as you want here."

You whimpered, your hips seeking more contact as you moved and you rubbed against your hand. Sevika pressed her fingers against you, urging you on. "Keep going… don't rush." ​​

"Ah, Sev."

"You like it? It's better when you don' try to cum in two minutes."

You hurried your hand, but Sevika held you back. This wasn't a race and you were certainly getting ahead of yourself. "Old habits die hard."

Her metal hand held your legs apart, her other hand ascending to your chin to make you look at yourself in the mirror again. “We’ll try again, okay?”

This part was the one you liked the least. It wasn’t just the pain, it was the accumulated frustration from past sessions with no results. Sevika told you it was all in your head, that you were just as deserving of this pleasure as others. But you still felt skeptical.

“Middle finger.” She whispered, bringing it to your entrance. “Just press, darling. Soften your entrance.”

You pressed your lips together, obeying her command even though you preferred to rub. You eased the tip of your finger, gently moving it in circles. “It already burns.” You whined.

“I know. We talked about sublimating pain, remember?” You nodded. “Your body is already relaxed, you’re wet. You need to focus on breathing.”

It seemed that when it came to penetration, your body locked up. It was an overwhelming burn, a wall of fire if you will, closing in around your fingers and keeping you from entering. Sevika had tried this in the past, drawing whimpers from you that would never stop causing her guilt. This time, however, it was about allowing yourself to do it.

"I don't like it, Sev."

"You don't like it because you're predisposed to suffer." she insisted. "I know you can, babygirl."

You looked at Sevika through the mirror, her grey eyes soothing you. "Breathe, deep. One… two…" you inhaled, your hand between your legs, the wall of fire present. "Three. Exhale…"

You dared to venture deeper, your walls coupling to your finger as the burn quickened your breathing. "Shh." Sevika kissed your neck. "Breathe again."

One… two… three…

Exhale.

“Ah…” you moaned, inserting the last bit of your finger and feeling the latent but less painful tension. “Mhm.”

“Good girl, look at yourself.”

You opened your eyes, looking at yourself in the mirror. The palm of your hand rested against your clit, your finger inserted all the way in, like a new but unrejected intrusion. “Sev.”

“I told you you could, you're taking it whole.” Sevika smiled. "Can you move it?"

You barely curled your finger, but you recognized the rugous wall inside you. "Yes…" you moaned.

"Breath for me." continued Sevika, gently taking your wrist as she motioned you to curl your fingers once more. "One... two..."

"Mhm, Sev." you moaned, your eyes closing. "Fuck."

"Does it hurt?"

"The pressure." you managed to explain.

"You're tensing, baby. Relax..." Sevika let out a pant, kissing the side of your neck. "You're doing so good."

You endured and took a deep breath, curling your finger against the inner wall Sevika talked you about. You felt a tickle, barely diminishing due to an increasingly timid pain.

And Sevika seemed pleased. "You did good, baby. Rest."

You pulled your finger back when the pressure forced it, only for Sevika to cup your chin in her fingers and pull you in for a long kiss. "Well done." She said between kisses. "Fuck, you looked so beautiful."

Sevika showered you in kisses, from your mouth to your navel, repeating how proud she was of you. "You've crossed the threshold, gorgeous. You just need to practice."

You smiled, feeling the hint of a happy cry build up in your throat. But Sevika cheered you up with another kiss. "We'll try again tomorrow. Sooner than later I'll have you cumming in my fingers over and over again."

You chuckled, watching Sevika kiss your inner thigh. "It's rude to look at the food without eating it, y'know?" you teased her.

"How rude of me." she purred, her kisses coming closer to your wet and now dilated pussy. "You better moan properly, doll."

"All you want."