#By which I mean that he isn't held back by that desire to be loved because he's accepted that he has at least one friend who cares for him.

[ancient-day]

I understand that traits don't necessarily say something about the Persona-User, but I've always found it interesting that Robin Hood and Loki help with support skills rather than offensive skills. The only support skill they have is Debilitate, so it only aids Goro a little on his own. It reminds me of Arsène's Pinch Hitter trait because when in a party all on his own, that does nothing for Akira. They both benefit most from having allies to make those traits more useful.

[queerfables]

The thing is, Crowley and Aziraphale's problem isn't miscommunication. I'm not the first person to point this out but I see enough posts taking this framing at face value that I feel it's worth saying again.

If Crowley and Aziraphale sat down and talked everything out calmly and rationally without hiding anything and while validating each other's feelings, they would still end up exactly where they are. Because they fundamentally DO NOT AGREE about the problem they're facing or how to address it.

Crowley should have told Aziraphale about apocalypse take two, sure, yeah, but if he had, Aziraphale would have seen it as just another reason to go back to Heaven. He finds out about the second coming and he's horrified but just as resolved in his decision.

Flip side: Aziraphale might have had a hundred good reasons for wanting Crowley to come back with him, none of which boiled down to thinking he was worth less as a demon, but it wouldn't have mattered how eloquently he articulated them. It was always going to be a deal breaker for Crowley.

To be slightly more nuanced about it, there are some things they've been avoiding saying that they really did need to put into words, even though in my opinion they both kind of knew it, already. But the painful fact is that their fight is that in action. Sometimes communicating with someone means exposing the failure points between you (and if you suspect that's going to be the case, that's a very human reason to avoid doing it).

At best, they could maybe have parted with less collateral damage to each other. But the real tragedy of their story is that there was no other way this could have gone. For a long time, their love has been thwarted by the external forces keeping them apart, but also - Aziraphale hasn't Fallen, and Crowley has never expressed any desire to return to Heaven. And just like I think they must have had at least some understanding of the depth of their feelings for each other, I think they must have understood the implications of that too. They're on opposite sides, and even with the danger, it's all very exciting and romantic - until they have to face the fact that the convictions they've held for millennia put them on opposite sides.

So if they're going to move forward together, they can't just talk about it. Crowley's right, actually, they've been talking since before the beginning of time. It isn't enough to understand each other. Together, they're going to have to change. That tentative middle ground between them is going to have to become a place they set down roots, and learn to choose and trust in even when everything else is falling apart.

[sunnylands-world]

Red possession

Pairing: draco malfoy x female reader

Summary: your cycle is ending and that means you're feeling needy and distracted. Who better to fix it than your boyfriend…

Word count:1’889

Warning: fingering,mean draco [not really it's more degrading], choking, period sex [it's the last day], p in v, soft draco, possessive draco and reader, let me know if I missed anything

Universe: Harry Potter

A/n: "guess who's back, back again, Sunny's back tell a friend" 🎤 😂💓 no but seriously hopefully this one makes you guys love my writing again since people had requested something like this awhile ago 🙏🥺

You read the warnings if you continue to read. I'm not to be held responsible.

Comments, reblogs, and inboxes are appreciated and motivational

(⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠³⁠˘⁠)⁠♥(⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠³⁠˘⁠)⁠♥(⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠³⁠˘⁠)⁠♥(⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠³⁠˘⁠)⁠♥(⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠³⁠˘⁠)⁠♥(⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠³⁠˘⁠)⁠♥(⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠³⁠˘)

Being a girl was something you hated...

There were probably countless reasons, such as childbirth, but the most annoying aspect of it was the constant bleeding. Every. Fucking. Month.

It was pretty much the end of your cycle now though, and Draco had been spoiling you rotten. You had enough chocolate right now to give away to a village of children and that's not an exaggeration, you had bars stacked in a fridge he also bought for this occasion. He even got a personal chef! When you were on your cycle, you had moments where food wasn't a thought. Then you'd eat a little, and soon you'd eat more, but even then, you felt like one more plate wouldn't hurt.

Draco had you in his room today. Draco is currently beside you, shirtless and wearing black boxers. He was reading a book to you, but every word he said was like whispers in a forest because you were distracted.

"Why does it seem like I want to devour him? Has he always been so attractive? Am I getting closer to him?"

"Are you alright [name]?" Draco announced.

"Yeah, yeah of course. Why wouldn't I be? " You laughed and Draco let out one as well but he sounded nervous.

"Because you're squeezing my arm like you're terrified, surely my reading isn't that bad," he said, looking at the grip you had on his arm.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just... well, I'm distracted," You muttered, letting go of his arm, feeling a little guilty for it.

“By what, darling?” He inquired, putting the book down and turning his focus on you.

"You," you whispered, and you could see him smirk.

"I'm sorry, what did you say? I didn't catch that,” he teased and you shook your head, you always knew your boyfriend was cocky.

"I said you're distracting me," you repeated, playfully. You looked into his blue eyes, which were like a storm above the ocean, and they were darkening.

His gaze was intense as he chewed on the inside of his cheek.

"Why is he looking at me like that?"

"I think I could fix that," he announces first before he gets up and heads to his bathroom, leaving you confused.

When he comes back with a towel, you realize what he has in mind.

"Wait, just let me use the bathroom first," you say quickly, heading into the bathroom. You pray quietly because you're just spotting. You open the bag you brought to Draco's, grab the wipes, and do your business before washing your hands. Draco's eyes meet yours once you open the door.

“Come here,” he states, and you walk over hesitantly.

Upon reaching him, his hands gently grip your waist and the pads of his thumbs rub circles on your back.

“You’re so beautiful,” he says, as he stands over you.

Your cheeks turn crimson, and you say "Thank you."

He cradles your face, kisses you softly, and you become engulfed in him, kissing him back while your hands wander to his waist.

The desire for more causes your heart to race and you whimper against his lips.

"I've got it, baby," he assures you as his hand slides under your shirt, causing your breathing to slow, and you feel the familiar touch of the silver ring he wears. His hand slides up higher along your soft curves and you feel the sense of possession in his touch as he delicately squeezes you.

The kiss grows stronger, his tongue slips past your lips and yours moves with his in a passionate tango that makes you moan softly.

Your own hands find themselves on his back as you feel the familiar desire spreading like wildfire in your belly. You're unsure whether he's teasing you or taking his time, but you want more and you want it now.

“Please,” you beg and he chuckles.

"So needy," he says teasingly before pulling your shirt off.

“I fucking love it” he grunts looking at your breast with starvation and he pushes you back, not enough to injure you, but enough to catch you off guard and make you gasp falling on his mattress. Draco's gaze softens as the breeze from the room hits your skin.

Are you feeling cold, my love? He asks, tucking your hair back before stroking your cheek.

"Just a bit," you say, and he smiles.

“Under the covers” he states.

You do as asked, and he does the same, moving underneath them with you before he's back on your lips. Because you're so turned on because of hormones, you grind against his hips between your thighs and he's trapped by your legs around his waist.

He groans, his lips moving along your jaw only making it worse with his soft kisses on your heated skin. You moan softly, faced with a high.

You tug at his platinum hair and take into detail how soft it is. How his body is pressed against yours, brushing your nipples as he moves to kiss your neck. His tongue darts out and licks your skin, prompting you to tighten your grip on his hair.

“You're so responsive, so sexy” he whispers before he sucks and licks a bruise onto your neck. He grinds his hard length into your panties, brushing your clit and making you wetter. Your whimpers and moans like music to his ears that he could play on a loop.

He growls as he releases your neck and kisses your collarbone once before disappearing under the covers. He holds you down, branding your waist, with the pressure of his ring as he kisses and nips at your breast.

He whispers "fuck" as he sucks on your nipples. You writhe, eager for him, feeling his tongue flicker and his teeth nipping at your breast until he stops.

He lowers himself, resulting in the blanket following him as he pulls your panties off, tossing them to the side so he can look at you while his fingers glide through your slick folds before he slowly pushes them into your entry.

"So wet and warm," he groans, pumping his fingers in and out, watching you moan softly with a dark hunger gaze. You wither and buck your hips as he picks up the pace curling his fingers just right to hit the spot inside you to have you weak in the knees like you're never gonna walk again, and he doesn't stop, he just goes harder and deeper as you arch your back moaning loudly.

When he hears the wet noises from your pussy as it latches onto his digits, begging to release, he removes them and makes you whine, almost teary-eyed.

“Shut up,” he growls and you bite your lip.

He knows you so well...

He observes and shakes his head.

"God, I'm in love with you," He groans when he takes his boxers off, and your eyes glow with excitement as his cock, slaps against his abdomen, just as happy to see you.

Had you not been so desperate to have him inside you, you would have sucked it like there is no tomorrow.

"It's alright, baby. You'll be home soon."

Draco crawls back between your legs and rubs his tip repeatedly through your wet lips and you swear he whimpers before plunging into your velvety walls, making you moan softly as he seat's himself inside you.

He won't admit it, but he's just as needy for you. He couldn't tell you how many times he's been hard without relief because nothing satisfies him like his girl.

Fuckkk, that's good,” he moans, his head falling back as he shudders.

Your cheeks are heated as he leans forward, resting his hands on either side of your face.

Holding your gaze, he begins to gently and slowly thrust forward, causing your lips to part in a silent cry. Your breath practically stops as he glides so easily inside you, as though you were made just for him, fooling your senses and riddling you blank with every teasing thrust. As he leans forward, making you shiver, his warm breath ghosts over your skin.

“That's it darling, let me in,” he whispers, his accent clear as day.

Wrapping your legs around his waist, you hear the creaking of the bed as he picks up the pace, making you moan a little louder and grip the sheets.

He's playing with your pussy, whispering the right things, and kissing the right spots to make you relax and become comfortable, all in order for him to go faster, harder, and deeper.

"Draco, please," you beg as your eyes start to roll.

He growls, "Look at me when you ask for something."

As you meet his eyes, you moan, "Harder."

He knows exactly what you want, so there's no need to ask twice.

As he smirks, he sits up, and those blue eyes lock on yours. He wraps his hand around your neck, pressing lightly, and slamming into you, while you choke on air and pathetically moan and mewl.

As the headboard hits the wall, whoever is on the other side is forced to listen to your pornographic sex while he thrusts into you like his pleasure is more important than your own.

He watches as your legs begin to shake and your body becomes possessed with pleasure. You know that leaving his room will cause you to feel embarrassed.

He allows you to breathe better by releasing your neck, as he fucks you without mercy, ruining you for anyone else.

“Mine,” he growls.

His eyes say it all, his forceful pace says it, you're his girl and this is his pussy.

His cock slams into your pussy faster than it can throb or pulse and you almost beg him to slow down, but this how you like it, hard and possessive. When you can feel your walls begging him to stay inside you as you try to clench and his thrust are so hard and deep you know he needs you too.

He pants, and groans, his own body nearly shaking.

"You feel so good," said in unison, in thought..

You'll always be his, even if you try to escape nobody will fuck you like this, so if you try to find someone else you'll be left unsatisfied.

As you near the edge, he kisses you, tongue and all making you moan softly as you tug his hair.

You can't tell who wants who more with the way you're both making out, and thrust so powerful that somehow your poor little cunt still weeps for more until you can't take it. He finds your hands interlacing your fingers grounding you.

“Be a good girl and cum for me” he whispers, and as you cum lost in bliss and overwhelming pleasure he follows, moaning that he loves you.

He collapses against you, breathing heavily and you wrap your weak legs around him, stroking his hair, affectionately because he's vulnerable like this.

He hums softly in response as you feel your sweaty, sticky skin against his and you inhale your passion in the air while you catch your breath.

“Still distracted?” he says, finally looking at you, you shake your head with a lazy smile.

“Wanna take a bath?” he asks softly

“If I can walk,” you say sarcastically and he chuckles.

You don't have to walk, because he'll carry you, you're his…

(⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)⁠❤(⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)⁠❤(⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)⁠❤(⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠) (⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)⁠❤

©Sunnylands-world this belongs to me therefore you don't have the right to do anything with my work or ideas without permission.

Nice thought, reblogs, and inboxing is appreciated and motivational ❤

[oncloudten]

you inhale deeply, lightly patting your wound with a washcloth. there really shouldn't be any reason for mindy's voice to be ringing over in your head "be careful with him." she'd told you before you left to go back to your boyfriend's dorm, seeing as your apartment had turned into a crime scene. the drive there had been in complete silence, save for ethan occasionally checking in on you. it's been silent between the two of you since you'd seen him, truthfully.

it's silly, really. to even think about it. especially considering the implications of what it would mean to you. to your relationship. shrugging off whatever ill-intended thoughts that swarm your mind, you glance towards your boyfriend. and yet you can't help the worry and suspicion that settles like a weight in your chest.

ethan must have noticed the way you're staring at him, because the next thing he says takes you by surprise. "why are you looking at me like that?" he asks quietly. "do you think i'm the killer, too?"

you can't prevent the underlying tone of worry in your voice when you finally muster up the courage to reply, you don't even know what you've said until you hear the sound of your own voice ringing back in your ears. "i don't know what to think," you say, your voice barely above a whisper. "it's just- it's... you keep disappearing every time something happens. where were you, e? i needed you with me. and you weren't there. i was stabbed- i lost anika. my best friend died infront of me and you weren't there."

ethan's face is a mask of cold anger, though the softness you've been familiar to for the past year still glimmering in his eyes. "i told you angel, i was at econ. and i'm telling you again, i didn't do it. you have to believe me."

"after everything that's happened... after last year with sam- i'm just not sure what to think anymore. with everything that they're saying... i just-" you pause, cutting yourself off. this isn't even a conversation you want to be having right now.

a long beat passes before ethan speaks up. "they? who is they? mindy? anika? tara? i'm so tired of being accused of being the killer. what's to say those bitches aren't the killers themselves? huh?" although he keeps his composure, his tone is laced with venom. you've never heard him talk like this before.

"i just feel like i don't even know who you are anymore." you whisper, letting go of what you had held back from saying a moment before.

"that's a shame," he says, leaning in closer to you. his tone completely different, it's as if something had shifted in him within a few seconds. "because i feel like i know you better than anyone. in fact, i know everything about you. your fears, your desires, your weaknesses...all of it."

"that's...unsettling," you say, pulling away from him.

"oh, come on," a grin spreads over his face, his tone dripping with implication. "don't tell me you don't find it a little bit exciting. the idea that someone knows you so intimately, someone who's willing to do anything to be with you..." he trails off, his eyes darkening. "it's kind of romantic, don't you think?"

"no, it's not," you say, voice shaking. "it's sick. i don't like the way you're talking to me, ethan. you're scaring me."

"am i?" ethan says in a low scoff, barely audible. "you should be scared, sweetheart. you have no idea what i'm capable of."

you can barely register what he's saying. is this some sick twisted game to him? is he being his usual sarcastic self? surely not- not after what you just went through. your mind is drowning in endless vivid images of your boyfriend brutally murdering innocent people, your friends, your loved ones. this is the man who you've spent every sleepless night with for a year now, the man who you've devoted yourself to in every way possible, and in his own words, a man who knows you so intimately- in ways which you don't even know yourself. "what are you going to do?"

"nothing, as long as you behave." a twisted smile spreads across his face as he eyes your wound, his voice so low. "though that says otherwise, hmm?" he laughs. he actually laughs. "believe me, i never meant for it to happen, princess. but you just had to try and protect anika, and i thought you were mindy- god how i wish it had been that bitch. though i figure she got her warning."

you can't speak. it's as if every fiber of your being has shut down. ethan reaches out to tuck a piece of hair behind your ear, and you let him. you know you should be screaming, shoving him away, running even. but you don't do any of those things. instead, you stare at your boyfriend as he towers over you, accepting the fact that any second now he'd make a move to hurt you. but ethan let's out a soft chuckle when he takes in the expression plastered over your face. "oh my sweet dumb thing. i love you, remember? i'd never hurt you. don't worry, baby. i'd sooner die before i let anything happen to you ever again."

[azulock]

Oliver + lactation kink + cheating on your husband with this trash fire of a man? mark me in. I wrote this fast so if anything is weird that's why. this is just plotless porn essentially, but while was writing I couldn't help but think of dad!Oliver. maybe I'm gonna write more for this some day

summary. Oliver sometimes has more lust than inteligence, and fucking the pregnant wife of a member of the team's board of directors sure is a stupid move, but he can't leave you hanging when you look this pretty and needy, and if your husband isn't going to step up and give you some relief, he sure as hell will

pairing. Oliver Aiku x F!Reader

wordcount. 1.8k

warnings. nsfw (minors back off) cw: cheating (reader cheating on her husband), lactation kink, pregnancy kink (kinda), piv sex, unprotected sex, creampie

pregnancy needs.

Oliver knew he shouldn't be looking at you the way he did - hungry eyes, blown out with desire - but god, he had poor self control. it was wrong, he knew. you were a married woman. a pregnant one. The pregnant wife of one of his team's officers - some directors board member he only ever spoke to a handful of times. this was stupid, by all means. but it was even more stupid how your husband left you unattended to wait for him during those long ass board meetings.

So who could blame Oliver for staring? you were looking so good, softer features and a plump body, topped with breasts even bigger than they were before. how far along were you again? he'd say five, maybe six months, he wasn't all that sure. but you were already big enough to be clearly noticeable, and fuck, did you make it look good.

You were gorgeous, body filling your dress in the most delicious way. your ass and thighs had gotten fuller too, and Oliver wanted nothing more than to sink his fingers into your soft flesh. ok, maybe he wanted to sink something else in you too. but the desire to just touch you all over only got worse after your pregnancy started showing. you were glowing, and just one look made him want to dig his hands on you and never let go.

Which he sometimes did when he found you alone - sans the never letting go part, sadly, he had his limitations. whenever you were around Oliver stayed training for longer, left after his fellow teammates, always coincidentally finding his way to around where you were. empty locker rooms, far away bathrooms and forgotten storage closets were his best friends. though, when your husband had to travel for business, he always found himself on a different route back home.

Who could deny you after all? he couldn't. everyone knew pregnant women were needy - and they had every right to be, it ain't easy to grow and entire new life inside you. Oliver just couldn't bear the thought of you being left alone and unattended at such a delicate moment. such a cute thing, all plump and glowing, left to fend for herself when she needs support the most, such a cruel thing.

So of course, Oliver had to rectify that. feed your needs and desires, hungry fingers digging deep into your soft ass and thighs, pliable flesh welcoming his touch with a tender warmth. his thirsty lips drank from your mouth, tongue taking whatever you'd give, like he was given a taste of ambrosia and was desperately lapping for more. he held you sat on his lap and enjoyed giving you the treatment you so much needed.

His large hands traveled the expanse of your body, briefly caressing your swollen belly before they reached his favorite part. god, your tits had grown so big, he loved it, loved how soft they felt, so nice to his touch, he couldn't help his need to squeeze them roughly. though, when Oliver sunk his fingers in the plush flesh you whined - a noise that he admits, took a little while for his brain to recognize as pain.

"Oli," you protested, whimpering against his lips before he parted from the kiss to look at you, eyebrows furrowed together.

"What's the matter, pretty thing?" he asks, no longer squeezing your breasts but not letting go of them either. "they hurting?"

"Yeah, be careful," you whine and he just coos in response, gently caressing your heavy breasts. "they are so sore, 's too full of milk."

"Oh, no, no, no," he groans, laying kisses to your clothed breasts between each word. "we can't have that," Oliver adds, voice hoarse with desire and he can't resist giving your tits a soft squeeze, laughing when you whine in response.

God, he feels bad that you are sore, he really does, but you are so sensitive, it's so cute. and your comment about how your breasts are too full of milk only made him harder - something he didn't even think possible at this point. the thought of your beautiful tits spilling milk had his cock throbbing. he had to resist the need to just grope them hard until they left wet spots on your dress. yeah, they did look swollen full, and Oliver couldn't stop his desire to be the one to help you empty them. so he didn't stop it.

"but you know, maybe I could help with that," he says, digging his fingers into the neckline of your dress, pulling one plump breast out and giving it a wet kiss, dual colored eyes looking up at you from under heavy lashes.

You don't protest and Oliver takes that as a green light, kissing his way over your skin, to your enlarged areola, until his lips circled your sensitive nipple. a moan escaped your lips but he could tell it was pleasure so he waited no time to start sucking, one hand massaging your breast gently to coax the milk out. you whimper but don't try to stop him, fingers clutching to his broad shoulders. his opposite hand softly caresses your other breast over the fabric of your tight dress.

He can hear you panting, cock throbbing in his pants as his tongue laps at your nipple. Oliver can faintly taste something, but it's only a trace of what he wants. he tries massaging harder, slowly but surely putting more force on his movements - though, still being careful with your beautiful body. a part of him feels like he is milking you almost like a cow, your swollen breast so large it didn't even fit in his hand. but he was still doing his all to massage it.

When he finally feels your milk spilling into his mouth you both moan at the same time - you in relief and him in pleasure. your sink one hand in his soft hair, fingers treading between the locks as he drinks greedily, savoring the taste. and it's a good thing Oliver is so greedy with anything related to you, because the moment the milk starts spilling, it doesn't slow down - you really were backed up, poor thing. it's like a dam broke down and the more he massages your breast, the more milk flows, some spilling down his lips and trailing the curve of his stubbled chin.

You moan, pant and gasp, voice strained as you just let him drink his fill. meanwhile, Oliver can't stay silent himself, humming and grunting as he sucks and laps at your abused nipple. his cock is bursting, ready to break free from his pants, but he only stops drinking when the milk flow slows down, your soft breast now looking far less swollen. when he looks up, he finds your eyes, bringing you down for a rough kiss, his fingers soon digging inside your panties to find you already soaking wet.

It doesn't take long from there for Oliver to have his cock buried balls deep into your needy pussy, gummy walls sucking him in hungrily. you are so wet, so warm, stretching around his thick length to take the entire thing in down to the base. your soft pussy wraps around him tight, much like how his lips wrap around your other nipple, hand massaging your breast just the way he did to it's twin. while one hand is occupied with that task the other gropes your ass, helping you move up and down his cock.

You are so loud, so needy, almost desperate with the way your pussy clenches around his massive dick. if every pregnant woman is like you, then you are all sex crazed - kinda makes it weird how people view motherhood as this pure thing when it's making you this horny. it doesn't take much for milk to start spilling from your nipple into Oliver's mouth, the sound of your relieved moans mixing with those of your wet pussy. by this point, it's kinda hard to tell who is really milking who in this situation.

He fucks you hard and deep, just the way he knows you like it, all the while drinking up your milk as if he was dying from thirst. the taste of your milk mixed with the feeling of your wet pussy has his cock throbbing and twitching at a desperate rate. it felt too good, too much pleasure overwhelming his senses, between your moans, the way you tugged at his hair and the taste of your milk, Oliver could feel his brain melting. if things kept like this, he wouldn't last very long - no problem, he could always go again, make it a double feature.

Once again, Oliver only stopped sucking the milk from your tit when the flow slowed down. by the end of it his chin and mouth were wet, milk leaked down his neck, it stained his shirt and your dress, but he didn't care. with both hands free now he could move you with more ease, picking up the pace as he moved you up and down in time with his thrusts. soon enough, he was hitting your sweet spot repeatedly until he had you crying his name, gummy walls clenching around his cock as you came.

His name sounded obscene in your lips, and your needy cries sounded so vulnerable, they had his cock twitching, balls feeling tight and full as he grew more desperate. Oliver could feel the heat pooling in his core, his body chasing that pleasure high it wanted so much. you are whimpering from the overstimulation, clinging to him so tight, pulling your body as close to his as your swollen belly would allow.

It doesn't take much for him to snap, the combination of your fingers tugging on his hair, the smell of your body, and your warm walls quivering around him becoming just too much. white takes over Oliver's sight as he pulls you down, hips flush against his, burying his cock balls deep. his orgasm rocks his body, all his muscles clenching as he shot multiple thick ropes of cum inside your pussy, painting your walls white until the thick and sticky liquid started dripping out.

Oh, shit, if he kept going like this he'd be really risking his position in the team. but fuck, you just felt too good. holding your body so close to his, cock still buried inside your pussy, it's like he was in heaven. yeah, he was being stupid, but how could he give this up? if your idiot husband hadn't found out yet, he could keep at it for a little longer. someone gotta keep the pregnant lady satisfied, right? your loser husband clearly wasn't doing that - he never did, and thinking about it now, with how long this had been going, Oliver couldn't even be sure if the baby was his anyway.

[shakingparadigm]

(this is copy-pasted from a ramble I had in sleepy's dms like months ago so please forgive the inconsistent grammar/punctuation etc!)

till's feelings are akin to an edelweiss, persevering despite the horrid conditions and all the forces that should have brought it down. it's around the same meaning as the clematis flower. both flowers are defined by their ability to bloom in harsh conditions, which mirror the behavior of loving and finding meaning within each other amidst an inhumane society. edelweiss are more associated with devotion though, and in My Clematis the clematis is seen as a source of hope and strength. mizisua and till to mizi are symbolized by flowers because they have (or, well, had) hope. their feelings bloomed as a result of an extremely human response to seeking some sense of companionship, connection, some belonging in such a strange and otherworldly civilization where it's incredibly easy to feel used and alone. which is why it interests me that even though he has this same desire, ivan's love is symbolized not by an earthy, organic piece of life, but by pieces of cosmos, falling stars. meteor showers are ivan's signature. (putting on my pretentious cap because once again I am going to apply meaning to something that probably isn't that deep)

Ivan is incapable (quite a strong word for it, but it's their words, not mine) of feeling proper human emotion, that much is stated in the patreon posts regarding his character. Why? I have no idea. I theorize it to be his harsh and ruthless upbringing that caused him to close himself off completely in order to protect himself. it started off very early too. or maybe ivan just had no concept of proper human emotion in general. I imagine that while he was growing up, there wasn't exactly any room for the humans he was surrounded with to exhibit any emotion lest they were targeted or punished somehow. Or maybe he was just born that way. anyway it's established that ivan is different from the other humans in this way, that's a similarity he shares with only one other character: Luka (Luka actually does have a stated reason as to why he seems so artificial however). It's why Ivan just goes limp in the grasp of the alien that held him over the edge, despite tears welling in his eyes he remains emotionally vacant and quiet. This moment is his first sight of the meteor shower. Ivan associates meteor showers with very significant experiences in his life (mainly near-death experiences according to the posts). Perhaps those meteor showers gave him some sort of relief, too, an escape from the hell he was living in. maybe he was just fascinated by them, the way they were so far beyond his reach yet burned so brilliantly. just like Till. he saw till's incredible resolve, his refusal to back down and remain passive. Ivan goes through the motions of his "life" doing whatever it is someone wants him to do. they want to sell him? okay. they want to throw him off a building? okay. sing this song, enter this competition, behave and pose for the picture. okay. But Till would rather be beat over and over again than to have his autonomy taken away. He doesn't even sing the songs he's assigned for the competition, he writes his own. His individuality is a blazing, passionate thing that's only bolstered by his natural talent. And to once again refer to the posts: Ivan is deeply fascinated by those who have qualities that he lacks. When he saw Till pick himself up off the ground, he saw stars in him. He saw the blazing fire, the brightness, the fascinating qualities that were far beyond his grasp, something he could only ever admire and hold onto in his hardest moments, but never to hold.

There's also the fact that meteor showers are fleeting. They're beautiful, ethereal spectacles, but they don't last. They're not meant to be held gently in your hands and cultivated like a flower. They appear in bursts of light and leave a lasting impression on whoever sees them, but eventually they disappear. Just like Till leaves Ivan behind, the palm of his hand disappearing from Ivan's grasp, his departure leaving a lasting impression. Ivan knows what they have together will not last, he knows Till's heart belongs elsewhere, yet he clings onto the imagery of the meteor shower because it's all he has. Even if Till doesn't love him back, he's the sole reason Ivan is able to feel to this extent at all. It's a blessing and a curse, so even if it hurts, Ivan continues to hold on. He even includes meteor showers during his performance in ROUND 3, sparkling gloves seemingly made of stardust reaching out to them as he desperately sings to his very own star. VIVINOS and QMENG said themselves that Ivan was persistent. He holds no anger towards Till's feelings for Mizi, he won't drive a wall between them because he respects Till's feelings and Mizi as a person, but he won't let go, either. Falling stars are fleeting, but the impact they leave behind? Not so fleeting at all. That feeling could last forever if it truly meant something to someone.

[tomurakii]

My last post about bloodweave was pretty negative (though necessarily so imo) so I wanted to talk about the little things about the bloodweave dynamic that I DO like and want to see more of in fic (under the cut).

- the orb means Astarion can't start their relationship transactionally. Gale can't give Astarion blood, and also can't have sex with him (and presumably would refuse casual sex anyway). How would the relationship develop without Astarion being able to rely on the give-and-take, forced instead to just trust Gale will watch his back? Astarion isn't a plans guy, I imagine having to come up with something on the spot (considering none of the other companions are reeaaaally an option either) would lead to a lot more emotional vulnerability as he tries to take a route he has much less experience with. Not to mention that the flirty and standoffish front isn't exactly going to endear him to Gale, who approves of the capable, loyal, and righteous. How long can Astarion pretend to be invested in Gale's wellbeing before it becomes true?

- they both have bad ascension endings, but different natural outcomes. Gale is considered the more morally upstanding one, but in their solo states (without the player's influence) Gale will go through with ascension and Astarion won't. Would they goad each other on? Gale disapproves of Astarion's ascension, using arguments that could apply to himself about the personal sacrifice and loss of the soul. Would Astarion flip them around, become defensive? Their dynamic could mean the power hungry character ending up discouraging the pursuit of godhood, or the two of them hurtling over the edge together. Or, maybe, Astarion encouraging Gale to ascend and having to trust him to return.

- they're the party members with the most life experience, and they're also both pretty well-educated (even if Astarion's law qualifications may well have expired by the events of the game). He spent his time under Cazador sewing (like Gale in his Baldur's Gate epilogue) and learning languages (of which Gale knows four). They have enduring common interests beyond their circumstances. Gale can help Astarion rediscover the latent nerd potential he lost when he died, and lord knows he would love to pick his brain for a first hand account of the mid-to-late 12th century.

- Astarion recently regained hope for his future when the tadpole freed him, Gale recently lost all of it. While act 1 is a continuous series of positive discoveries for Astarion (tadpole frees him from cazador -> ceremorphosis is held off by the dream visitor -> tadpole can be controlled), Gale's life gets worse with time as his treatment stops working. It's a dynamic that could give Gale hope, force Astarion to practise empathy, or put them completely at odds.

- Astarion's all-encompassing desire to reclaim his life could be inspiring to Gale. Moreover, I imagine seeing just how passive Gale is about his death would infuriate him. To have so little regard for his real, mortal, free life? It's a great source of angst, and also a great starting point for Gale to start wanting to live again. Because after learning about Astarion's past he would agree, he'd recognise how much value a mortal life was supposed to have. He'd think himself ungrateful or impolite for entertaining the idea of throwing it away when Astarion would give anything to have what he had. This would lead to guilt, and potentially self-loathing, unless someone was there to help pick up the pieces.

- If Astarion meets Oblodra before Gale's act 2 romance scene, (or for a fanfic plot, just before Gale is confident enough to confess) they most likely won't have sex until the graveyard scene in late act 3 (or the post-ascension equivalent). It means that rather than the fuckfest we so often see from bloodweave fics, the relationship is almost entirely a slow-burning, emotionally intimate affair. I'd really love to see that play out, the progression from semi-horny yearning on both parts as the orb keeps them apart, to two love confessions that are followed by the both of them experiencing non-sexual intimacy for the first time in years. I doubt Mystra was one to hug her chosen, after all, or hold their hands.

I just love a bg3 ship that forces the characters to take different actions than they do in canon. It makes me feel like I'm developing a broader understanding of the characters, you know?

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hey Raven, hope your doing well. I was rewatching book 5 and something struck me. Crowly stills does his thing to get yuu/mc to host the NRC tribe at Ramshackle. But compare to previous chapters hes seems a little nicer, i guess? He offering renovations and upgrades ( a positive), instead of just threatening to cut yuu's food budget or something (a negative).

Where im going with this is, do you think Crowley may have felt a tiny tinge for his (in) action in book 4? Or atleast, realized he actually screwed up. He did give Yuu in case of an emergency.... and promptly ignored it (or just turned it off) when he went on break. He likely had to have heard what happened over the break...an likely saw his missed calls and put 2 and 2 together. Sure he may not feel bad enough to apologize (at least openly), but he does seem to make himself scarce early in b5. That could just be him being, well, the headmage. Maybe he's just not sure how to deal with MC or how they'd react to seeing him? So instead of threatening Yuu, he offers them something instead? Idk, maybe im reaching. Crowley relationship with Yuu is complicated. I do like to believe he has some empathy or regret (or maybe he just has more respect for yuu by b5?) After everything up to that point

Like i said, i may be reaching here. Wanted to get your input. Sorry for the long ask. Have a good one :)

In many fandom depictions of Crowley, he often serves as Yuu's guardian who is incompetent but well-meaning. I'm also guilty of doing this, Crowley is considered my OC's father figure (even if my OC isn't a Yuu). That's how we choose to engage with the characters and the world that we love! However, I don't believe that Crowley has that sort of tenderness for Yuu in canon, whether at the start or as their relationship develops over the course of the main story. Now, that's not to say that I think Crowley is cold or hateful towards Yuu. Far from it! He does care for them, but in the same way that a teacher might care about nurturing their students and preparing them for the world beyond graduation. Crowley demonstrates a similar attitude towards other NRC students, with one very clear example being in his Raven Jacket vignettes. In those stories, he likens his students to apple trees that he raises and nurtures, hoping that one day they might bear fruit. He does not particularly grant Yuu special treatment unless it's a scenario where he wants them to do a favor for him. (Though here I would also argue he does the same for other students when he wants them to resolve an issue in his place, which happens frequently in event stories; in Fairy Gala, he warns the boys they'll be held back if classes cannot proceed due to the wacky weather. In Ghost Marriage, Crowley shames the boys for not expressing interest in rescuing Idia, etc.)

I also want to set the record straight regarding how exactly Crowley gets Yuu to comply with his requests. Reviewing all avaliable books in the main story, Crowley rarely outright threatens Yuu if they refuse to help him:

Prologue — Crowley does not initially ask anything of Yuu, but he does provide them a temporary home and food until they can sort something out. During Yuu's stay, they are meant to do handiwork to earn their keep. However, Crowley tries to expel them after their involvement in breaking what is considered a precious chandelier. In this case, his anger is somewhat justified but it's still the one major example of Crowley leveraging something to force Yuu to act in a way that he desires. The thing is, it's revealed in chapter 19 that Crowley did not believe Yuu could acquire the magestone he asked for and was all set to finalize the expulsion papers. So really, he wasn't serious at all in giving Yuu a chance to redeem themselves and was going to expel Yuu anyway (until they happened to prove their "usefulness"). Whether this counts as an example of Crowley "threatening" Yuu, then, is up to individual interpretation.

Book 1 — Crowley makes no specific request to Yuu. He shows up late in the book and suggests to the frustrated Adeuce that they fight Riddle to claim his seat as dorm leader, but does not tell Yuu to do anything in this situation. Recall that it was Ace that marched up to Ramshackle's front door and demanded that he be allowed to stay overnight; Crowley had no part in that.

Book 2 — In 2-7, Crowley asks Yuu to investigate the strange string of accidents that has befallen the students set to play in the upcoming inter-dorm magift/spelldrive tournament. There is a part where Crowley says he "never promised to cover living expenses". You, as Yuu, have the option to ask him "Is that a threat...?" to which Crowley never properly responds. Interpret that how you wish. He then offers Grim and Yuu a chance to participate in said tournament if they succeed, seeing as they lacked the 7 players needed to form a team. Crowley even says he will find 5 other players to fill in their missing team seats for them.

Book 3 — Here in 3-6, Crowley never actually threatens to cut off food. Instead, he is trying to earn pity from Yuu by guilt tripping them and emphasizing that he, the headmaster, is so busy with his tasks (like finding Yuu a way home) and will provide them with the funds they need regardless because he is so very kind. He's trying to tug at their heartstrings by pointing out the things he selflessly does for them, so they feel obligated to do something for him in return. Once Yuu agrees to help, he lavishes them with praise and says it is "expected" of someone he personally chose.

But!! I want to add that in the Episode of Octavinelle manga, this same scene is depicted as Crowley threatening to cut their food budget. I'm not sure if this is just a different interpretation (since Yuuta seems to prepare more food than is usually implied in the game; this would explain why their food costs go up significantly) or if Crowley truly was also threatening to cut the budget in the game.

Book 4 — Crowley makes a reasonable request in 4-2; he asks Yuu and Grim to tend to the fire fairies over winter break since it's a task no one else will be present to handle. In exchange, he says he will give them a banquet of tasty foods (which is not an empty promise; in 4-39, the Ramshackle Ghosts tell Yuu and Grim that the headmaster has left them with a ton of food as thanks.

Book 5 — Crowley appears in 5-21 asking that Yuu allow the NRC Tribe to stay at Ramshackle for their month-long training camp. He explains that Vil and Rook are willing to give up their share of the prize money if Yuu agrees to these terms. It is then that Crowley adds that he will help with renovation too, most likely to sweeten the deal with his word.

Book 6 — Crowley does not ask anything of Yuu. He does, however, call in STYX in 6-2 because he becomes concerned about the threat that Grim poses after consuming multiple crystallized blots. After Grim is taken, Crowley instructs Yuu in 6-4 to wait until Grim has recovered and been evaluated by a third party to speak with him again.

Book 7 — Crowley makes no specific requests to Yuu.

You can see in almost all instances that Crowley uses a variety of tactics to get his students to do what he wants them to. He bribes, shames/guilts them, points out very real consequences if the problem at hand is not resolved, and, yes, occasionally makes what can be interpreted as a vague threat. Despite this, the fact remains that he was always nice, not just post-book 4 (in fact, Crowley was also nice during book 4). I don't see the circumstances as "anything before or during book 4 is him being negative and threatening to punish Yuu and anything after book 4 is him being kind and positive to Yuu". In most cases with Yuu, he is offering them something they would want. His go-to strategy isn't threats, it tends to be the promise of a reward.

I wouldn't tie any of Crowley's actions to feeling a sense of remorse or guilt on his own part. While it's true we don't really get to see inside of his head, from what we see of him... this man is utterly shameless. He's willing to resort to emotional manipulation to convince literal children to solve problems that he, the powerful mage and adult, should be dealing with. What's more, he praises himself for Yuu's competence and willingness to step up. That's him placing a lot of faith in his students, and I don't think he feels any guilt in doing this. Why else would he send them into dangerous situations over and over again? He must, to some extent, believe they can already handle themselves just fine, otherwise he's creating tons of legal liabilities for himself by purposefully throwing children of tons of affluent families into the line of fire. Besides, he's a highly skilled mage himself--if any true, TRUE danger were to befall them, surely he could save the day himself. My thought is that he has sort of a "tough love" approach where he tosses his students into the fires and sees how they get out of it in one piece, but it's just presented in a "devil-may-care" way because of his lackadaisical attitude.

Regarding book 4, I personally see Crowley giving his cell phone number as just a means to provide reassurance to Grim and Yuu, since they (especially Grim) are protesting about him seemingly leaving on vacation. It's an empty gesture so he can have his getaway without much of a fuss; I totally believe that Crowley did not ever intend to answer his phone. When he returns in book 5, he's already asking another favor of Yuu, so I get the sense he isn't really bothered by what happened. I would even say that Crowley still has several major appearances in book 5, not that he has made himself scarcer. He appears to ask the favor, appears again to evaluate their performance, and then a third time at the cultural festival to speak with the headmaster of RSA. Crowley gets plenty of screen time here, much more then in books 6 and 7. If he truly felt bad or actively wanted to avoid Yuu, he could easily just tell other students (ie Vil) or even school staff (ghosts, teachers, etc.) to relay the deal for him.

Again, I want to be clear: THIS IS NOT CROWLEY BASHING. The only thing I am expressing in this post is that while I do love this bird-brained goober and think he cares for his students, I don't believe it's done in the conventional sense you're thinking of. Crowley can be selfish and callous and throw his students into danger, and that's okay! Sometimes we want to love a useless man who's trying his best, even if his best is pretty lousy/j

Whew, that was a lot of brain dumping! I hope I properly responded to all your thoughts and that you found this read semi-entertaining~

[justthoughts1310]

Did Ch.8 Just Confirm that Mitsuki is in love with Boruto (Warning Major Spoilers)????

Okay, this is getting really confusing, and I might be wrong.

I am saying that I might be wrong, because these are raw translations, and we all know raw translations and scans leave much to be desired. Also, the website I'm using has truncated some important pages, so the flow of Ch. 8 is really weird.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

However, chapter 8 may have just confirmed that Mistuki is in fact in love with Bortuo.

Similar to the pre-time skip, Mitsuki does not come out right and state his feelings for Boruto. Someone else (a woman) declares that Mitsuki has romantic feelings for Boruto.

This chapter begins with Eida watchining Boruto and Mitsuki's altercation, and Mitsuki learning that Boruto is actually his Sun.

Delta and Kawaki angerly fly off to find the elusive Boruto, and while they are gone, Mituski returns to the estate.

Mitsuki expresses immediate concerns with regard to Eida's feelings about him temporarily poisoning Kawaki.

Mitsuki then admits to Eida that he is basically in love with her. To, which she tells him that his feelings really are null and void, and she's not here to listen to his declarations of love for her, because of course he loves her. He's under the influence of Omnipotence.

Mitsuki then asks Eida why she loves Kawaki. He actually does one better than that, he questions her on why she even likes Kawaki. He's probably asking Eida this, because Kawaki is an asshole who has never been particularly nice to Eida, and has only ever used her as a tool.

Eida says that she knows that it's love, because of the feeling she gets in her chest when she sees Kawaki. Now, I personally have a theory about this:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------ To Eida's knowledge, there are only 3 people in the entire world who can genuinely love Eida. Those people being Boruto, Kawaki, and Daeman.

Now, Daeman is Eida's brother, and Eida sees Boruto as being too young to be considered romantically. I wonder how she feels now that Boruto is a whole smexy ass man (teenager, but you know what I mean).

Now, we the audience know something that Eida does not know. Neither Sarada nor Sumire are affected by Omnipotence. It is actually for this reason, that I believe Eida to have three potential end game pairings: Boruto, Sarada, or Sumire.

Basically, what I am saying is that I don't believe that Eida loves Kawaki, as much as I believe that she loves the possibility of being authentically loved, even if that love is coming from a toxic asshole who treats her poorly and only keeps her around to further his own means.

I digress, back to the chapter.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, Mitsuki (who usually isn't excessively talkative) begins to share all of his thoughts, feelings and confusions with Eida. He is basically talking about how he thought Kawaki was his Sun, but Kawaki was not who Mitsuki expected him to be. However, he desperately held on to the notion of Kawaki being his Sun even though it didn't match his reality.

After talking to Boruto, he's starting to entertain this idea that he can illuminate himself. He then does a Mitsuki-ism, where he says that he guesses that it doesn't matter, but Eida cuts him off.

THIS IS THE PART THAT'S REALLY INTERESTING:

Eida says "We are both in love, huh?"

Now, at first glance, you might be thinking that Eida is saying that she is in love with Kawaki, and that Mitsuki is in love with her, but she's not saying that! We know she's not saying that, because she firmly declared Mitsuki's feelings for her to be invalid and manufactured twice in the last few pages. However, at the same time, she very firmly and unwaveringly declared her love for Kawaki, so when she rhetorical asks Mitsuk, "We are both in love, huh?" She is referring to Boruto.

She is observing, deciphering, and informing Mitsuki that he is in love with Boruto.

Now, you might be saying that Mitsuki didn't know what love felt like until he met Eida, he even said that a few pages prior. I think he says this:

Because his memories are all messed up because of Omnipotence.

Because he has never trusted his only feelings because he is an artificial human.

Eida is quite frankly unconcerned about both of these concerns of Mitsuki. Eida does not see Mitsuki as incapable of love, because she does not see herself as incapable of love. In this chapter, Mitsuki already established that Eida and he are the same. The same in terms of what is not clear. However, he could be referring to the fact that they are both not 100% human: Eida is a cyborg and Mitsuki is an artificial human. Knowing all of this, Eida points out to Mitsuki very clearly that what he thinks love is (his manufactured infatuation for Eida) is not love. What Mitsuki feels for Boruto with Boruto actually being Mitsuki's sun is real love, and that Mitsuki is in fact IN LOVE with Boruto.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mind blowing Chapter!!! I'm sure some people will miss it, but this is the second time that Kishimoto has canonically confirmed within the span of 20 chapters that Mitsuki has romantic feelings for Boruto.

At first, I thought it was just a crush, but Kishimoto has now taken it a step further to establish that Mitsuki is in love. To anyone who thinks that BorutoxSarada is a slam dunk endgame. You may need to rethink that stance, because this chapter just confirmed that Boruto's final love interest really is not all that cut and dry. Also, here's the thing that I will cover in more detail in another post, based on evidence from Ch.7 and Ch.8, I think Boruto is receptive to being Mitsuki's love interest and (dare I say) potentially even his romantic partner.

[thetrashthatsmilesback]

What are Dan and Phil up to?

i saw @yonpote, @dnphobe, and @freckliedan do this so I wanted to do a reading myself.

The Empress: new opportunities, stability

the empress is interesting because @freckliedan also pulled it

King of Pentacles Reversed: I'm going to just quote biddytarot here "At times, the reversed King of Pentacles represents someone who is very stubborn and rigid in his approach. When this King shows up in a reading, look at your life. Are you feeling ‘stuck in a rut’? Has life become so predictable and routine that it is completely dull and lifeless? Being grounded is a good thing, but give yourself permission every now and then to break free and do something different. You don’t have to be so serious all of the time."

this feels VERY dan coded. it also follows the theme of change - the empress being that the opportunity for change is coming/here, and the king of pentacles reversed indicating that a change is needed.

Five of Cups: the five of cups indicates pessimism but, again, that a change is needed. that you are stuck where you are and that its making you unhappy or stagnated.

i'll admit that this isn't a very happy reading, BUT all three cards are tied to change in some way, whether it be that an opportunity is upcoming or that a change is needed. The empress has to do with fertility and motherhood - but more broadly that's building a family. stubbornness locking someone into a situation which is causing pessimism... sounds like dan and phil both decrying marriage and dan's "love isn't real" statements which he eventually backtracked on. this also could be about getting a dog. we know that they both want a dog, but dan has spoken about his fear of commitment holding him back from one. that would 100% be rigidity (specifically born from fear so its not anyone's fault) locking someone into an unfulfilling/unhappy situation. this could mean that what they desire is family, but what they are doing is holding them back. its interesting to note that the king of pentacles reversed also has to do with financials - and with their history of youtube stalking, we know that their job is part of why they have held back from certain actions.

Basically, i'm saying marriage hill or dog hill is real.

[theerurishipper]

A few more things because I am not done talking about this finale.

I know a lot of people think that this issue of Gabriel being seen as a hero and Marinette keeping the fact that Adrien is a sentimonster and that his father is Monarch is going to come back as a major plot point, or that Gabriel isn't really redeemed and that this isn't the end. And I'm not saying I have evidence that it's not going to turn out that way, but like... this is Miraculous we're talking about.

The show which famously tries to offer sympathy to bad people because of their tragic backstory by:

Trying to half-assedly "redeem" Natalie into some kind of super mother figure for Adrien, even though she enabled and participated in his abuse for years and never showed remorse for it, or even took accountability for it. Her callously killing Sentibug is never brought up again either. And she still does not give Adrien the Amok that helps him choose for himself or tell him he is a sentimonster, and yet is framed as a good parental figure for him.

Trying to redeem Andre Bourgeois and frame him as some kind of great person by having him adopt Zoe and send Chloe to live with her abuser by disowning her, even though it's his shitty parenting that let her get to this point. And letting him get off scot-free for all the times he abused his power as Mayor.

Trying to redeem Felix by glossing over such crimes as him giving all the Miraculous to Gabe, him committing genocide, him trying to ruin his cousin's life, him victim blaming Adrien, him returning Adrien's Amok to Gabe, and many such things. All because he had a tragic backstory and cared for sentimonster rights (even though he killed two on-screen with only regret for one of them) so that clearly means that he did nothing wrong and does not need to be held accountable for those things, even though he showed no remorse for it or desire to do better.

And the show which also famously ignores major plot points and leaves them behind with little to no resolution in favor of dropping new bombs on the audience, such as:

Choosing to ignore the Ladynoir conflict in Season 4 by having Chat Noir just push aside his legitimate grievances with Ladybug's bad decisions to continue being her emotional support partner. This conflict was not addressed ever again, even in Season 5, and was left without any resolution.

Neglecting any exploration of Chat Blanc beyond some obligatory mentions now and again to remind the audience of why the show needs more seasons.

The whole plot with the alternate love interests Luka and Kagami, which was built up across a whole season and dismissed within two episodes of the next season so that the writers could focus on the new Love Square drama they came up with for Season 4.

Luka's conflict about knowing Chat Noir and Ladybug's identities, which was written out in one episode, only for it to have been ultimately pointless in favor of having Kagami know it anyway.

These are great examples of how the show neglects to build up and conclude previously established plot points and conflicts in favor of substituting them with other ones and/or does the absolute minimum to somehow write them out in order to move the story forward and focus on other new plot points that they came up with for the new season.

From these, we can understand that:

Trauma is a valid excuse for everything, and a tragic backstory frees you from accountability unless you're Chloe.

And:

Previously established conflicts are not brought up or explored in any meaningful capacity in order to make way for new ones.

Knowing this, I think it's highly unlikely that the show will ever explore this idea of Gabriel not having truly become a martyr and a hero, and that even if it is the case, it will be neglected as a plot point in order to push this Lila thing to the front. At most, we will get a moment where Adrien learns the truth and instantly forgives Marinette for doing what his abuser asked because she did it out of love, and no one will question the implications of this in any meaningful way. This is because Adrien is not allowed to have feelings that inconvenience Marinette in any way, be it his hurt at her keeping secrets from him, or now her siding with his father and outright lying to him, because his role in the story is now that of Marinette's love interest and emotional support partner, and that's all he's good for. And as for Adrien acknowledging that Gabriel was a bad father again, combining the redemption that simply having trauma gives him and the fact that Thomas "Chloe is not an abused child" Astruc doesn't seem to understand the severity of such things, I doubt we will ever see him outright reject his father ever again.

For all these reasons, I really do believe that it is wishful thinking to expect this to be addressed in any way that matters. If it is not forgotten, it will be relegated to a single moment and forgotten after. That is, if it was ever meant to be explored. The writers of this show are... not the best at dealing with this sort of thing, after all. After all I've seen, it is not surprising to me at all that Gabriel was redeemed. There is a clear trend of characters with any motivation that could be construed as sympathetic or with a tragic backstory portrayed as being justified in their actions, having their actions erased and ignored or at the very least severely downplayed for the sake of making them out to be better than they are. Gabriel has been consistently given sympathetic scenes throughout the season, which culminated in this finale which absolves him of every wrongdoing.

And I know people feel like this is clearly not the end, but that's how a lot of people felt about the Ladynoir conflict in Season 4, and look how that turned out. This show has always been bad at dealing with nuance. An abused child is portrayed as irredeemable and evil, and her enabling father is portrayed as a good person for giving up on her (I don't even like her, but damn). There is a trend of demonizing those characters who really should not be, and offering sympathy to characters who haven't earned it. I have no trouble at all in believing that Gabriel is supposed to sympathized with and redeemed by the end. He gets his happy ending, he gets what he wanted, and his actions make the world a better place.

I've seen the idea that Gabriel actually lost floating around, but did he? He already knew he was dying, and he had, to some degree, come to terms with it. And in the end, he was clearly very happy with just dying if it meant being able to make his wish. His end is clearly portrayed as him making the ultimate sacrifice to wish for a better world, as one last good thing he does for his son. It's portrayed as him asking Marinette to hide all this from him to protect him. Of course, anyone with common sense can see that this is still really controlling and manipulative, but the show pretty clearly frames it as a selfless act. The line "all the times I tried to be a good father," isn't framed as the delusional statement it is. He's smiling in that scene, surrounded by light, and that's not the framing for someone who's supposed to be read as manipulative and evil at that point. The writers seem to genuinely believe that the man was a good father at some points. I've also seen others say that clearly Gabriel was not redeemed by the end because he refused Marinette's hand, but that's not really true. He did paralyze her, but then he freed her and returned all the Miraculous, and Marinette ends the season by fulfilling his dying wishes and letting the world know he was a hero. He paralyzed her, but then he also clearly listened to her. He was also genuinely emotional. Her words did reach him and it is framed as him making a "selfless choice" even though it clearly is not.

I've also seen people say Adrien's reaction isn't necessarily acceptance of Gabriel's heroism since he might be trying to cope with his loss by convincing himself Gabriel was a hero, or that abused children often cannot recognize that their parent is not a good person. And I agree, but that is clearly not what is happening here. Adrien has already expressed disgust for who his father is, and it is possible for him to fall back onto old thoughts and feelings regarding him, but that isn't what's going on here. This here, is Adrien being fed a lie that his father was a good man and a hero by people he trusts. This is Adrien being told what to think and feel, because there are statues of Gabriel being erected and Ladybug spreading the word that he is a hero. This is Gabriel's abuse being erased to portray him as good. And Adrien, after spending the whole season working up to calling Gabriel out, ends the season with hoping to be like him.

And I've seen arguments about how episodes like Chat Blanc and Ephemeral were there to show us that Adrien facing his father isn't a good idea because his reaction makes him vulnerable, but then... why would you write that! Why would you set the protagonist up with this plot point only to write reasons to leave him out of his own plot and character arcs? What about that is good writing? It only makes this finale more deserving of critique! It is not the defense it's trying to be. It just shows they couldn't care less about their own narrative.

I get that this could lead to a potential arc about trust and honesty and all that, but... we've done that before. How many times will Marinette learn the same lesson? How many times will Adrien forgive her for it? How can you even forgive something like this? And even if it all comes to light, what purpose does this serve in anyone's arc? Gabriel is dead, so there's no consequences for him. Marinette has been "learning" the same lesson for two seasons now, and not even losing all the Miraculous made her stop keeping secrets. And what more does it contribute to Adrien's arc to have him learn the truth later rather than now? How does it add to his story to know that everyone he trusts lied to him? Nothing, if you think about it. It really takes away from his story, because he can no longer confront the man who did this to him, he can no longer get that closure, because Gabriel is gone! Sure, it'll be dramatic and all, but that's all it is! But that is how Miraculous operates: shock value and dramatic scenes over consistency and character arcs. Which is why characters like Marinette aren't allowed to retain the lessons they should have learnt ages ago, and characters like Adrien are actively pushed away from their arcs to make way for some other drama.

And this is me saying this while believing they aren't going to bring it up anyway. How many times have we seen this kind of thing happen? For a conflict to be set up only to be ended unceremoniously with no proper conclusion? What reasons are there to believe that the show will actually follow through with this plot? Other than speculation, I mean. I don't see any. The ending did not indicate that there was anything wrong with what happened. The seasons prior set up the conflicts for the next season in the finale episodes. In Season 3, we had Gabe fixing the Peacock and Marinette becoming the guardian. In Season 4, we saw Monarch rise and Marinette lose all the Miraculous. In Season 5, we see Lila get the Butterfly Miraculous and that light that scared her or whatever it was. But we never see any set up for this being a plot point. There is no point in which we are supposed to think this is wrong. A set up, for example, would be something like Marinette looking to the Gabriel statue with a frown, or Adrien feeling unsettled somehow. But there's nothing like that. For all intents and purposes, Gabriel is done and there are new threats to move on to. And removing all that stuff with Lila, it just seems like it could be a solid series finale. The conflict is over, all the characters are back and together and happy, the main couple kisses as the theme music plays in the back in a scene that's clearly the sort of scene used in the ending of a show, and no one even hints at anything being wrong. It's all audience interpretation, and quite frankly there's no real reason to believe it's setting up something. Something was already set up and it wasn't the thought that this ending is in any way flawed. It's a charming, idyllic ending where all the characters are clearly happy and content, basking in the end of Monarch.

And what he did is not clear at all. Did he not actually rewrite the world? It seems like he just traded his life for Natalie's (and Emilie's???? Is that her?), because Hawkmoth still existed here, the Alliance rings still exist, which means everything happened exactly how it did, and the only thing that's changed is that Natalie has recovered. But this just makes the "clearly something isn't right" argument less valid. This isn't Gabriel's "ideal world," which needs to be fixed, this is just the normal world, where there is a statue of Gabriel only because Ladybug told everyone he was a hero. The things that are being done are completely against everything Gabriel ever believed in, so clearly the world is not based on his ideals, and it hasn't been rewritten. So, the only one really responsible for Gabriel being seen as a hero is Marinette (this is not a criticism of Marinette btw, just the writing). This is just the normal world, and the only thing that needs to be "fixed" is that Marinette should tell the truth. But the writers clearly think that Gabriel is fully redeemed, so there isn't anything that needs to be fixed. So why would they address this plot point again? They have no reason to.

And if he did rewrite the world, then the writers just made Gabe rewrite everything and everyone's memories so that he didn't have to be held accountable by anyone, especially the son he abused. That's going to be even harder to fix.

Any resolution to something I don't believe will be resolved anyway will undoubtedly a side story or a minor plot point. Remember, this is the show which is notorious for setting up plot points only to do nothing with them in the end. Everyone was so hyped about the resolution to Luka discovering both Mari and Adrien's identities only for the writers to decide Kagami fit that role better and shittily write Luka out in one episode. Everyone was talking about how Luka keeping secrets would undoubtedly have massive repercussions only for no one to give a shit about it and simply write Luka out for a few episodes and have him come back with no consequence in the finale. And this is a pattern for this show.

All this to say that no, we're probably not going to address this. It hasn't happened before, and I doubt it will happen this time. I've tried to give this show chance after chance, but it never delivered, and I don't trust it to do so anymore. I'll take all this back gladly if it does deal with this conflict well, but as of right now, I feel very confident in putting this post up.

[best-habsburg-monarch]

Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, Queen of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia, etc. reigned 1740-1780

The empress who reformed the empire while having a ton of children at the same time.

Maximilian , Emperor of Mexico, reign: 1864-1867

The last emperor of Mexico who supported liberal reform against the desires of Mexican conservatives.

Propaganda under the cut:

Maria Theresa:

From anon:

- chucked into ruling at age 23. while pregnant

- no prep!!!! Prussia invades Silesia!!! Ministers fucking around for their own provincial interests instead of for the Whole !!!!! and she has to somehow cope with all of this ....

- ALL WHILE being pregnant with Joseph (II) and we know that guy was just as ornery in utero as he was irl

- she's everything! He (Francis) is just ....Ken.

- YAS QUEEN rediversify that gene pool

- originally reluctant to participate in the 1st partition of poland (who wants galicia let's be real)

Maximilian

From: anon

- He loved plants

- He was a sassy man

- He had good taste

- He learned Nahuatl

- He’s cute (I mean look at him)

- He said “gay rights”

- He banned child labour in Mexico

- He gave many rights back to indigenous people

- Bro was wronged by France (haven’t we all?)

- He’s baby

- Got executed, come on, give him this guys 🥺

- He loved to design gardens and collect insects which makes me think he would've loved playing animal crossing

- An outspoken liberal in a period where the monarchy was still quite conservative.

- Vice-Admiral of the Navy who initiated scientific projects and exploration.

- Aesthetic girlie. Collected flowers, painted, wrote poetry, and kept a journal. He would have loved Tumblr.

- (Probably) gay or bisexual.

- Allegedly slapped Franz Joseph for refusing to allow Lombardy to have an elective body.

- Sisi's favorite brother-in-law (and not in a romantic way, fuck you Netflix)

- Refused to take the Mexican crown until a plebiscite had been held because he wanted to be invited by the Mexican people.

- Gave up all of his Austrian titles to go to Mexico because he believed he had made a promise to them.

- Also, his wife was amazing and capable and the amount of pure misogyny that certain historians and biographers have thrown at her is ridiculous. I know this isn't a Carlota poll, but she'd want Max to win.

- Netflix did him unbelievably dirty. Please give him this.

Did you know my man Max repatriated many pieces of Mexica artefacts?

He told Austria to cough up 3 main things that he thought were rightfully Mexican.

1. The Chimalli

2. A codex

3. A letter from Cortez to the chocolate man people seem to call Charles

The Austrians took their time but eventually gave back something

The Chimalli next to max so people know who to thank for it

[wangxianficrecs]

藍色的花，紅色的蘭 {Lan se de hua, hongse de lan} by Admiranda, AshayaTReldai

藍色的花，紅色的蘭 {Lan se de hua, hongse de lan}

by Admiranda (@ladypfenix), AshayaTReldai (@ashayatreldai)

M, WIP, 45k, Wangxian

Part of the MXTX Epic Journeys Big Bang

Summary: Before the ill-fated nighthunt that took their lives, Cangse-sanren chose to send a letter imploring and threatening a man who held a life debt to her that if things should go wrong, he would find and take in her child, swearing otherwise that she would haunt him to the end of her days. Lan Qiren was not pleased by the reminder, but for whatever else that anyone has to say, he is an honorable man. If this is what she will accept as a fulfillment of the debt that he owes her, then he will undertake it. A Wei Ying grows up as a part of Gusu Lan AU. Kay's comments: You know, sometimes I just need that good old Wei Wuxian grows up in the Lan Sect story featuring: actually, Lan Qiren isn't as bad as in canon. Admiranda and AshayaTReldai are also an amazing duo of authors and the story is really beautiful. I love the world-building and the general vibes of the story and it's also just really soft. And, Wei Wuxian is a little older than Lan Wangji, which I adore, because that's one of my favourite headcanons. And the story also features beautful art, so it's really delightful all around! Excerpt: Oh yes, he could see Wei Changze in his son; if the eyes weren’t a dead give-away, then the quiet strength the child projected would be. He has clearly been surviving on his own these last however many weeks. The mix of strength and vulnerability was winsome, and Lan Qiren felt a part of his heart he’d long buried and thought dead uncomfortably spark with life. Wei Changze… why her? He could see the child was thirsty, and handed over a water jar, removing the stopper. The boy guzzled a couple of mouthfuls and handed it back, wiping his mouth with a dirty sleeve. “A-Ying, I knew your parents when we were young. I’m a friend of theirs. Your mother asked me to come and find you. I don’t know what happened to them, but if they haven’t returned to you by now, it’s likely that it’s because they have been unable to do so.” The boy’s eyes were fixed on him unblinkingly. Lan Qiren reached into his sleeve, glad for his prescience in thinking to stow half of his breakfast away, and drew out a steamed bun, offering it to the child. A-Ying’s eyes went round with desire and uncertainty. “Go on,” Lan Qiren said gruffly. “I wouldn’t hold it out to you if I didn’t mean you to have it.” Immediately a grubby hand grasped it gently and brought it to his lips. But before he could take a bite he paused, broke the bread in two, and offered the larger bit to Lan Qiren. And that, right there, was Cangse-sanren, generous to a fault, putting others before herself.

pov alternating, canon divergence, canon era, wei wuxian isn't adopted by the jiangs, orphan wei wuxian, loss of parents, friends to lovers, slow burn, childhood friends, childhood friends to lovers, good uncle lan qiren, good sibling lan xichen

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

[hiyyihrts]

Hi! I'm a long time lurker processing some feelings about the supposed "love triangle", and I had some thoughts about the way Penelope's feelings are being talked about. I think to some degree, the girl really spirals and catastrophizes so bad she makes her situation worse, hence her reaction to Eloise's near call with the queen and it seems to be how she reacted to the two instances she seems to think mean Colin would never have any romantic interest in her.

In the "You're Pen." scene she seems to take that to mean that she doesn't even count as a woman, when it's him expressing that he holds her to such high regard that she matters so much she transcends those boundaries.

In the "I would never court Penelope Featherington." scene, it feels like she really takes that as some kind of final break in her crush brain dreams of ending up with the guy she's infatuated with, purely because she's already spiraling from the Eloise situation. I think she's internalised the idea that she literally does not count as a woman based on her treatment from the members of the ton and her family and projected that haaard on Colin and his words and actions in that petty way teenagers whose crushes don't like them back do.

And while I hate it so much 😭😭😭😭 that's the point of the third (wheel) point of the triangle is, I think. Lord D is a seemingly highly eligible bachelor (based on Lady Danbury bringing him up to the queen) and seemingly has little to no ties to the majority of the ton, which means he's a wealthy titled Lord... is a vegetarian? (idk, he doesn't interest me, but his narrative potential is interesting) importantly; isn't influenced by the tons perception of her and he seems taken by Penelope...

the guy who probably could go for the diamond of a season goes for her when she's trying to be beautiful and seen as a woman, and that's probably really flattering after all... AND YET... SHE IS STILL SEEMINGLY NOT INTERESTED!! SHE LOOKS GENUINELY UNHAPPY(?) IN THE TRAILER CLIP WHEN HE TELLS HER SHE'S LOOKING BEAUTIFUL (can be other sections spliced together, admittedly) SHE KEEPS SEEKING OUT COLIN WHEN SHE'S TALKING TO HIM, SHE WANTS COLIN TO BE THE ONE WHO SEES HER (the way she seemingly keeps looking at him and Ben at the Moon and Stars Ball clip in the trailer)

idk, she finds a perfect mans on paper, gets her makeover, gets her confidence up, and she's this close to winning in the Regency London Game of Life, and she STILL can't help looking back towards the one thing she really wants- her eat pray love boo making just the saddest eyes at her, which is fair and valid Pen, those beautiful blue eyes really do shine when he's being kind ❤❤❤

You’re so right tho !! I apologize if I don’t express this exactly how I want to bc my thoughts are all over the place 😭

but I think she wants to have someone look at her in the way that she sees Colin and admires him, and to be desired in a way that she’s seen so many other young lords and ladies be desired and wanted, so I can see how she’s so confident and feeling on top of the world with her new transformation. And then to have someone like Lord Debling take interest in HER right away and not the diamond of the season or any other leading lady must have her ecstatic, because that’s what she would like to have someone treat her as- desirable and love her for her and all of her traits that no one seems to notice (except for Eloise and Colin respectively) and Lord Debling is giving her exactly that. So far from what we’ve seen and heard them say is that he’s respectful and likes her for her and has all of the qualities and attributes that someone like Pen would like to see or find in a husband, but she just CAN’T shake whatever she still feels for Colin, even tho she’s very clearly making efforts to try and get over her long held feelings.

As much as love triangles frustrate me (because a lot of the times they’re done in a very silly manner and create drama for the sake of drama) I think it will be very well done this season. And I say that because while it’s Pen and Colin are figuring out their feelings despite having Debling in the picture, I don’t think they’ll continue it to the point where Lord Debling is taken advantage of (like Pen accepting a proposal and then breaking it off etc etc) and I think they’ll give us a very delicious hint of a triangle without actually making it a full-blown triangle. I really don’t think Pen will develop any deep feelings for Debling, and if she does, I assume it’ll be more out of admiration and understanding than of actual attraction or love (because she still resides those feelings for Colin even if she doesn’t quite realize she’s doing so)

I hope this all made sense anon I’ve had a glass of wine and feel like I’m rambling lmao 😭

[allmoshnobrain]

𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

part 29 of 35 | masterpost

word count: 2563 | ao3 link | fic's playlist

I wasn't ready for any of that. The wounds from losing Dave were still too raw, to the point that acknowledging the desire I felt for James made my heart tighten with regret. What the hell was I thinking? I'd chosen Dave. And yet, he’d left me. What I wanted didn't mean shit in changing anything. How could I want anything from James when the very feeling I had for him had wrecked everything I held dear?

✦ summary: After reuniting with her friends, Nore is compelled to confront the conflicting feelings she still harbors for James.

✦ on this chapter: dave mustaine x female!oc, james hetfield x female! oc, oc is cliff's cousin, +18, language, slice of life, angst, love triangle

✦ a/n: Hello! I've talked about this previously on my blog, but as we're headed into the last stretch of the story, I would like everyone to know: while the next few chapters are gonna dive into James and Nore's feelings a bit more, Dave will be back! His story with Nore isn't over yet. Also, we'll have an epilogue that is still on the works. I've wrapped up the main part of the story and I'm hosting a poll to see if you guys prefer I keep posting new chapters once a week or if you're up for me posting them twice a week. If anyone wants to vote, here's the link. Hope you enjoyed the read, any feedback is welcome! 🖤

✧ There's something hanging in the air, I won't say shit 'cause I'm too scared / I'll just pretend we're two lovers not destroying each other / And you don't want me to go, and I just can't say no ✧

I met with Cliff and the guys at Los Angeles airport a few days later. I have to admit, the idea of reuniting with my friends after all those weeks left me a bit on edge, and not fully in a good way. However, catching up with Cliff and Leanne, and then with Kirk and Lars, did ease some of that tension. On the flip side, seeing Pat and James hanging out together didn't really help my state of mind. I couldn't help but wonder how, in just two months, they had become so close that she got an invitation to join the tour. Then it hit me with a pang in my heart that I hadn't needed much more than that to fall completely in love with Dave after meeting him.

I didn't really chat it up much with James. Seeing him with Pat kinda brought back all the wounds from that rainy weekend a few months back. But, he did give me a hug the moment he spotted me, holding onto me for maybe a beat longer than needed before whispering, his lips right by my ear:

"Missed you so much."

Hearing that sure didn't make things easier.

Seeing the guys all pumped up about the trip gave my mood a little boost. None of them, except Lars and me, had done the whole international travel thing before. The flight to Amsterdam was gonna be a marathon, so I had plenty of time to catch up with Leanne, who picked the seat next to mine. We mainly talked about everything that had happened in San Francisco during my absence; Leanne didn't ask much about me, which I was genuinely thankful for. It was nice having her around, but I wasn't really up for diving into how the last few months had been a rough ride. We kept the chatter going deep into the night until fatigue finally caught up with us, and we crashed.

We rolled into Amsterdam about twelve hours later, and man, we were wiped. Headed straight to the hotel, and lucky for us, the producers only snagged double rooms. Since we had an odd number and sharing a bed with Kirk or Lars wasn't my jam, I lucked out with a double bed all to myself. Honestly, better than I thought it'd be.

When night crept in, the guys and Leanne hit the town for some drinks and city exploring. Pat and I, though, opted for a chill night in, catching a few movies on the TV. Not that I wasn't up for hitting the streets, but all the hours spent on the plane did a number on me, more than I expected. Pat called it a night and went back to her room early, but I left the TV humming in the background, not really paying much attention to what was on.

It was well past midnight when I heard some heavy footsteps echoing down the hallway. My curiosity kicked in as a few deliberate knocks hit my door, and I pondered for a moment, debating whether I should bother answering. But the knocks persisted, and my curiosity won out. With a sigh, I rose from my spot and opened the door. My heart quickened when I found James leaning casually against the door frame.

"Mind if I come in?" he asked, a faint smile playing on his lips, though his voice betrayed a touch of uncertainty. I sighed, feeling warmth spread across my face. Having him so close made my heart flutter in a way I hadn't experienced in a while.

"This isn't your room," I mumbled, stupidly, my ability to think straight suddenly on vacation. He chuckled softly, a quick, dry laugh.

"If you hadn't said anything, I would never have guessed. Can I come in or not?"

I hesitated but eventually stepped aside, letting him in and closing the door. He stretched, shrugged off his jacket, and tossed it on my bed before settling down, kicking off his shoes. I furrowed my brow.

"You should head back to your room. Pat's probably waiting for you."

"She can wait," he said, finishing up with his shoes and pulling out a hair tie from his pocket, using it to secure his hair into a ponytail. Oddly, the sight made him even more attractive. I couldn't help but wonder if the hair tie belonged to Pat, who would often wear her hair tied up, and if he was picking up some habits from his new girlfriend. He stood up, seeming totally oblivious to my thoughts, and casually opened the mini-fridge, grabbing a Coke and popping it open. Then, he lifted his serious blue eyes to me. "I wanted to see you."

"Why?" I questioned, feeling my face warm up and my heart race, a million butterflies in my stomach going wild at his words. He sighed, a faint bitter smile playing on his lips.

"I missed you," he said, his voice low. "Last time we met, everything went south. I thought you hated me. Yet, when I saw you today, Nore..."

"James, please stop," I murmured, my voice trembling. He furrowed his brow, looking away, seeming hurt by my words, and I felt my heart squeeze uncomfortably in my chest. "You shouldn't be saying that."

"Oh, really?" He stood up, placing the can he was holding on the table before coming closer. I took a step back, feeling my face burn as I caught the storm brewing in his blue eyes. "And why’s that?"

"You have a girlfriend, don’t you?" I questioned, my voice holding accusation and hurt. "You brought your fucking girlfriend, so maybe you should just head back to her..."

"You make it sound so simple," he growled, taking another step closer, prompting me to lift my head to meet his gaze.

"And isn’t it?" I shot back, my tone bitter. "How aren't you ashamed of this?"

"Ashamed of what? Of bringing the girl I started dating to try forgetting about you?" he scoffed, clearly pissed now. "Tell me, Nore, what was I supposed to do? Just watch you reject me, again, and again, and again, and then act like you loved me just to mess with my head?"

"This isn’t fair to her!" I blurted out, all worked up, my voice getting louder. "This isn’t fair to me!"

"And what about me? Is it fair what you're pulling on me?"

"I don't get why you thought bringing her along was a genius move..."

"It didn't have to be genius. When you bailed on LA, I called you for days. You were the one who wanted nothing to do with me."

"You're such a jerk!" I spat out, my irritation cranking my voice up more than would be okay for past midnight, but honestly, I'd stopped caring about that ages ago.

James growled, getting suddenly closer, gripping my waist with one hand and pulling me against his body, forcing me to look deep into his eyes as he pressed his forehead against mine, his breathing erratic. His other hand cupped my cheek, his thumb tracing my lower lip. All the anger I had seemed to spill over at that moment; I wanted to punch him, to kick him out, to yell I never wanted to see him again, but I couldn't. Not when his lips were inches away from mine, his blue eyes locking onto mine with a fiery passion that made my whole body warm and vibrate inside.

"You fucking love me," he murmured, a smug smile slowly creeping across his lips. "Things would be so much easier if you just admitted it."

"Shut up, James," I growled, my heart doing a sprint in my chest, blood pulsing with fury in my ears, my hands clutching the front of his shirt and yanking him towards me. I needed him to split; I didn't know how much longer I could trust my anger to hold back the temptation of surrendering to his arms.

"Tell me you don't love me, then," he said, throwing in a sarcastic laugh. "Say you don't love me, and I’ll forget all this and leave you alone. You can't, can you? Because you fucking love me, damn it," His words buzzed with almost unrestrained joy, his grip on my waist tightening enough for me to let out a muffled moan from between my lips. Damn, I wanted him to kiss me. For the first time since all that mess had started, I wanted him to kiss me, to touch me, to make me forget my own name.

"Leave," I shot back, the defiance in my voice wavering as I sensed his body against mine. He let out a low chuckle but stepped back, his eyes ablaze, a smug smile on his face. I rested one of my hands on my chest, feeling my heart thudding against my fingertips, and noticed I was shaking. Gripping the doorknob with my other hand, I turned it but hesitated to open the door. "Just... Go, James. Please," I whispered, the adrenaline of the moment wearing off, and the old pain flooding back to fill my chest as my eyes welled up with tears.

I wasn't ready for any of that. The wounds from losing Dave were still too raw, to the point that acknowledging the desire I felt for James made my heart tighten with regret. What the hell was I thinking? I'd chosen Dave. And yet, he’d left me. What I wanted didn't mean shit in changing anything. How could I want anything from James when the very feeling I had for him had wrecked everything I held dear?

James seemed to catch onto my shift in mood, the triumph in his eyes giving way to pity when he noticed my tears building up. That sparked a rage in my chest; I didn't need his pity. I didn't need anyone's pity.

He made a move to come closer, but I just shook my head, turning away as I opened the door. After he left, I leaned against the closed door, letting myself slide down to sit on the floor, hugging my knees to my chest, feeling more alone, confused, and guilty than ever.

I woke up the next morning, feeling like I hadn't caught a wink of sleep. I groaned my way out of bed, pausing only to wash my face, brush my teeth, and swap outfits before heading down to the hotel's restaurant. There, I spotted Kirk, Lars, Cliff and Leanne already posted up at a table, digging into breakfast. I snagged a plate and plopped down next to Lars.

“After breakfast, we'll pack our bags and grab a shower. We're hitting the road after the show for the next city, so tonight, we’re all gonna be sleeping on the bus,” Cliff was laying out the plan when I rolled in.

“Great. Even crashing on a bus is cozier than sharing a bed with Lars,” Kirk griped, ignoring Lars' offended expression before shooting me a grin. “Hey, Nore, fancy bunking with me next time?”

"As if," I scoffed, and Lars burst into laughter.

"Hey, where's James?" Kirk asked, and I shrugged. Leanne bounced up to snag a hot cup of coffee, and Cliff sparked up a cigarette.

"Bet he's sleeping with Pat. Ever since they got together, she's been glued to him," Lars remarked, not looking too thrilled. Cliff snorted, rolling his eyes.

"Jealous, Lars?" I jokingly tossed the question while slathering butter on a piece of toast. He shot me a look, raising his eyebrows with a smirk.

"Hmm, not me. Can't say the same for you, though, huh?" His ironic smile lingered. I let out a frustrated huff, rolling my eyes, feeling the heat rising in my cheeks. Okay, maybe I walked right into that one.

A few minutes later, James and Pat finally strolled in. James, much like me, seemed to have had a rough night, evident in the dark circles under his tired blue eyes. On the flip side, Pat appeared to be the poster child for joy, easy smiles appearing on her lips as she talked to James, occasionally hugging his arm or intertwining her fingers with his. It was like she exuded confidence, as if she knew this was exactly where she belonged. Kind of got on my nerves, but I wasn't ready to dig into why.

The hustle for the show kicked off right after breakfast. We only had a short break to change and pack before heading back to the hotel lobby. A producer-arranged bus was set to pick us up, transporting everyone to a studio for the guys to rehearse the setlist during the day, and later to the venue for the shows. This leg of the journey got us all pumped. It wasn't just the band's inaugural international gig; we were also looking forward to meeting Venom and, naturally, enjoying some complimentary drinks. I must admit, even I was feeling a twinge of excitement and anxiety about the upcoming events.

I sparked up a cigarette while we hung out in front of the hotel, checking out the guys in action. They were teamed up with a couple of roadies, hauling gear that had been lugged up to the rooms the day before. Leanne strolled over.

"Got a light?" she asked, flashing a grin. I nodded, fished out my lighter, and passed it her way. She sparked up her cigarette, taking a few drags till it glowed. "Can I ask you something, Nore?"

"Sure thing, Lea," I replied, all curious. She shot me a look, her usual relaxed vibe getting a bit serious. Her eyes narrowed, like she was attempting to peek into my brain. "Spill it, what's on your mind?"

"How's it all sitting with you? You know, this whole James situation?" she asked, making me feel like there was a spotlight on me. 

"James? What do you mean?" I stammered, feeling the heat hit my face. She let out a soft chuckle at my reaction.

"I'm seriously wondering how she hasn't picked up on it yet." Leanne nodded toward Pat; she was holding James’ hand and talking to Lars, who seemed bored out of his mind, like he'd rather be doing anything else. "The way he looks at you. And the way you look at him."

"What are you getting at?" I whispered, my heart doing a somersault of sorts in my chest.

"You're into him, right? And it's crystal he's into you. Maybe you two should ditch the pride act and just… Allow yourselves to be happy."

"But Pat likes him too," I mumbled, letting a touch of annoyance creep into my voice. And I still don't know if I can allow myself to like anyone again.

"Honestly? I think she's crushing harder on James Hetfield, the Metallica frontman, than our James," she said with a chuckle. "Babe, you and James always clicked so easy. You seriously gonna let that slip away like this?"

I was kind of stumped for a response; right then, the bus rolled up, stealing everyone's focus. Lea crushed her cigarette and shot me a smile, then sauntered over to Cliff, offering a hand with carrying an amp. I took a minute to soak in the sight before joining them, attempting to shove aside the tornado of feelings Leanne's words had kicked up in me.

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[dsudis]

I hope this isn't weird, but you posted that and my brain threw this up for you:

Dream only listens with half an ear at what Hob is saying down the line, especially once he picks out "I'll come down but," and ignores the rest. He can pay whatever bonus is needed, and throw in some more.

Hob is, surprisingly, worth keeping. It's not just the skills but the fact that he seems to have, for a lack of a better word, a way with Orpheus. An understanding. With everyone else his son is difficult, he's Dream's after all, but he gets on well with Hob. It's a strange relief he hasn't felt in so long he might never have experienced it to know, for once, that when the weekend man is sick and Desire is making sure to harangue him and make up some reason Dream is needed immediately there is someone he can call. Someone reliable.

Which is why he feels almost nauseous with what feels like a betrayal he has only half a right to when he finally gets back to the house and gets his foot on the stairway and realizes the child's laughter he's hearing doesn't belong to Orpheus at all. Rare as it is, he knows his son. He takes the steps up two at a time and collides inelegantly with the doorframe, like a cat misjudging a corner, to peer into his son's room to see something so extraordinary it feels like a dream.

There's an unknown boy on the rug, building something complicated with Orpheus as if he spent every Saturday helping him erect a mishmash of Lego and Duplo and wooden blocks balanced on the belly of a stuffed once-white rabbit. Orpheus, who has prompted more calls and teacher's notes about the importance of sharing than Dream can count, and is now smiling while telling a fantastical story that seems to fascinate the other child. The one that looks just like Hob Gadling, who is watching them with a soft warmth in his face Dream has never seen, mastering a trick Dream can't get the hang of: being present but not intrusive as his son plays.

There's a rush of something, in his ears and his chest, warm and familiar and unwanted. He'd felt it last when Calliope had first held Orpheus and looked down at him, pink and roughly formed. He hasn't seen it since, much less felt it. He remembers, all over again, the way he does when Orpheus pushes his curls behind his ears in a mirror perfect imitation of his mother, who he can barely remember, because she'd left. She had not looked back. Hob is paid to be here.

"Mr. Gadling," Dream says, and pointedly does not waver at the vague and quickly hidden surprise on Hob's face at the address. "You may go now, I no longer require your services," he finishes, hardening his heart at the boys' pleas to be allowed to play, just for five minutes longer. "For today you mean?" Hob says, too calm, and Dream hears himself say "Clearly," without realizing he'd made a decision. He feels, strangely, that he doesn't regret it.

[Because he's gonna fall in love ho ho ho]

😍😍😍