#I hate when things like that are solved only for it to regress

[elle-smells]

What are your thoughts on S3 of Young Royals? I'm still on Ep 3, and so far, I'm pretty underwhelmed (I'm mostly bored by how much screentime August takes)

better than s2. i mean the pacing and actual plot is more entertaining to me. they will never top s1 I fear. maybe its for the better.

anyway everyone except simon is pissing me off lmao BUT it does built up to a pretty good climax so 4 stars

[lazycats-stuff]

Hey, I just read the reader that was raised to be perfect but can I request a second part? Where the reader is trying to break out of those bad habits of pushing himself too hard after Bruce has full custody? For example he still practices dance with a pretty bad injury (muscular or muscle tear).

Hope it’s not a bother or anything, love your writing. I am just so nervous ab sending the request 😭

Sure, and don't be nervous about sending a request, this is not a judging place. This is a nice place for everyone.

Summary: (Y/N) is trying to let go of the perfection. It's not going well.

Batfamily & male!reader - part 1

Warnings: dancing through injury, trying to let go of perfection, Bruce being a good father,

After going through a messy and a rather vicious custody battle, Bruce got sole custody of (Y/N). His mom got supervised visits, but she moved. She didn't want to see her son anymore and even worse, she didn't want him.

Bruce nearly ripped her head off when he heard it, but he stayed calm for (Y/N). He was just happy that she left (Y/N)'s life and took her toxicity away from all of them.

It made Bruce smirk at the thought of the way she conducted herself in court and the things she has admitted in court. Why? It was all public and the press was very interesting. Bruce had no problem with this battle being public. He had nothing to hide.

The only thing that the press didn't show was (Y/N)'s face, considering that he was still a minor. Bruce asked the press to keep his face out of the public circulation because this wasn't easy for him. Thankfully, the public listened and the press didn't want to be in a lawsuit with them.

The others were extremely happy that his mother was gone. After hearing the comment she made at the recital, Jason wanted to kill him. Damian was with him on that and Bruce for a moment wanted to let them, but chose not to.

(Y/N) didn't want any trouble too.

But trouble always finds him.

During his practice with Stephanie something happened to his ankle. He felt something tear and he begged for someone to take him to the hospital. Bruce listened to him and they rushed to the hospital.

Doctors were quick to look at his ankle. There was a muscle tear and (Y/N) nearly cried in the room when he heard it. No. Bruce was scratching (Y/N)'s hair, trying to ease his anxiety.

But what nearly broke (Y/N) was the fact that he had to rest for a couple of weeks. This is every dancer's nightmare. Every single one. And dancer who is passionate about their craft would hate to rest for a couple of weeks.

Bruce had to let others know about the doctor's orders.

The first week of recovery was going well. But it was still early to tell. Bruce told Stephanie to look out for (Y/N) trying to practice. Stephanie agreed with Bruce and the duo worked together.

(Y/N) would glare at his ankle from his bed and if he tried to stand on it, it would hurt, but he could manage. He felt lazy just laying around and he felt like he was regressing instead of getting better.

So what did he do?

He sneaked into the ballet room that Bruce put in the manor. Nobody was there to make sure that the room was empty. He stretched before hand and started dancing. After a while, the pain got dull and he managed to push it away.

What he didn't hear was Bruce walking in, nearly getting a heart attack from the shock.

" (Y/N)! You are supposed to be resting! " Bruce said, walking up to his son.

" I can't rest! "

" You have to. Your body needs to rest. " Bruce said, now more calmly. Yelling won't solve shit.

" Oh really? Do you rest when you are injured? "

" Yes. With heavy heart I do rest. " Bruce said, picking (Y/N) up to not put more pressure on his ankle.

" (Y/N), you don't have to push yourself hard. Everyone needs rest. " Bruce said as he walked to (Y/N)'s room. " I don't know what your mother has told you, but you are human. There is no such thing as perfection. " Bruce said, opening the door of (Y/N)'s bedroom.

" I know. But habits die hard. " (Y/N) stated as Bruce laid him down on the bed.

" And that's why you are here. You can always talk to us about it. " Bruce said, moving some of (Y/N)'s hair out of his eyes. " We will be with you every step of the way. "

(Y/N) nodded and Bruce gave him a soft kiss on the forehead. " And if you get out of bed again to practice, I will throw you into the sun. "

(Y/N) laughed quietly as Bruce left. Sure thing.

[nottapossum]

Itty Bitty Sinners 1.11

Possum: Sorry for the late update guys! Family stuff was going on and I got burnt out 🥲I've been struggling to write!But I hope it's okay anyway. It's just wrapping things up, nothing too exciting I don't think.Anywayzzz!

TW: Cursing, Valentino, hidden regression, hidding ones emotions, self doubt, OCD, pressure, sadness, anxiety, panic attacks, (only mentioned) and jazzy jazz jazz song 🎵 😀Lmk if I should add.

~~~Alastor and Niffty:~~~

Alastor returns to his room and gently shakes Niffty awake. “Niffty? Darling, you need to wake up.” Niffty wines. “Mmm why?” She asks. 

“Because you need to go to sleep, it's late.” Alastor says. “It's time for mouselings to be in bed.” 

“I'll sleep here.” Niffty says simply, as if she just solved a problem.

Alastor scoffs. “How very generous of you to offer up my bed to yourself; here's a counter offer: go to your room and sleep there.” Alastor tells her sternly.

Niffty rejects the offer. “No thank you, I want to stay here.”

“And where exactly do you expect me to sleep tonight?” Alastor asks her. 

Niffty shifts slightly and gestures next to her. “There's lots of room!” 

“My, you are so generous, Niffty.” Alastor rolls his eyes. 

Niffty hums. “Alastor?”

“Yes, dear?”

“Is Angel okay?” She asks.

“Angel is fine. I promise.” He says. 

“I'm sorry I stole the papers.” She says. 

“It's alright, dear. You didn't know what they were, did you?” Alastor asks.

Niffty shakes her head. “But I stole.”

“We're in hell, Niffty. There are greater sins.” Alastor says, sitting at his desk to write a letter. 

“Do you think Angel is mad at me?” Niffty asks. 

“Perhaps.” Alastor says, dipping his pen in ink. “But, he'll get over it.” 

“Alastor?” Niffty asks. 

“Yes, dear?” Alastor sighs, turning to her. 

“Can I please bother you just a bit longer?” She asks. “I was alone all day, I don't want to be alone anymore.”

Alastor pauses…

Niffty doesn't bother him. A part of him hates that she thinks that.

But it's better than her thinking he loves her or something. 

He hates to think he just abandoned her all day. He does care for the little mouse.

“Alright, you win. You can stay here tonight, I'll figure something out.” He says, seeming genuine.

“Will you read me a story?” Niffty asks. 

“Do you have any idea what time it is?” Alastor asks her. “You had a long day. You need sleep.”

“Please?” Niffty begs. “I want to read babymouse!”

Alastor sighs. Of course she does. 

Alastor hated himself for this, but he felt as if he owed her this. 

He summons the book, and he sits beside Niffty to read it to her:

“Introducing babymouse; A sassy young mouse…

With an attitude problem.”

Niffty crawls onto his lap, happily listening to the story and looking at the pictures. “Hey!” She says, reading babymouse's text with a laugh. 

Graphic novels are strange in Alastor's opinion, but he reads on: “She dreams of becoming queen of the world…but would settle for an invite to Felicia Furrypaws’ slumber party.”

“I never been to a slumber party, have you, Alastor?” Niffty asks. 

“Can't say I have.” Alastor says. Unless staying at his aunts’ house when he was a child counts.

“No one liked me, so they never invited me to play.” Niffty says. 

Alastor's ears fall, but his smile remains. 

He doesn't understand how someone couldn't adore Niffty. She's a remarkable companion.

“Keep reading!” Niffty demands. 

“Apologies,” Alastor says, continuing the story. 

“Will Babymouse be invited? Will her best friend forgive her if she misses their monster movie marathon? Find out in Babymouse, queen of the world.” Alastor hums. “Few books have a synopsis before the actual book.” 

“What does Babymouse say?” Niffty asks, as if they haven't read this book a million times before. 

Alastor reads Babymouse's dialogue: “You could always just take a peek at the end of the book.” 

Alastor reads the narrators’ reply:  “That would be cheating, babymouse.” 

“You're supposed to do voices!” Niffty complains. 

“You know I don't do voices.” Alastor says to her. 

“Can you try?” Niffty asks. “It's more fun that way.” 

Alastor sighs. “Alright, alright.” 

He continues reading, doing his best to make his voice higher and lower so every character could sound different. 

Niffty eventually falls asleep…and Alastor doesn't have the heart to move her. 

So he stays and pets her head gently as she sleeps soundly. 

~~~Vaggie and Charlie: The next day~~~

“Well…yesterday sure was really something.” Charlie says. “I think it's a good thing this happened, breaking some walls down. In order to get to Angel's core.” She says. “I just hope I didn't break too many walls.” 

“I wouldn't worry about it. He seems fine.” Vaggie says. “I'm sorry I lashed out at him.”

“I know you were just being protective.” Charlie says. “I appreciate it. You've always been there for me. But, I can take care of myself, you know.”

“I know. But, you don't have to anymore.” Vaggie says. 

Charlie smiles and tries not to cry…

Thinking about how alone she felt before she met her wonderful girlfriend. 

Vaggie smiles at Charlie, too, but she doesn't dwell on the moment. “So, hey, I was looking over the test answers…as it turns out Alastors’ test isn't the only test with unanswered questions.”

Charlie tilts her head. “What do you mean?” 

“Take a quick glance through Niffty's answers.” Vaggie hands Charlie Niffty's test.

Charlie takes it and starts to look through it… “oh. Wow.”

Half the test was just scribbles of nothingness - 

She automatically assumed Niffty's test was unreadable because of her…peculiar nature. But, it looks like Niffty purposely sabotaged every other answer. 

“Why would she purposefully sabotage her test?” Charlie asks. 

“I mean, it's not exactly easy to admit when you're a regressor, you know?” Vaggie asks. “You're basically admitting that sometimes you need help. That's not an easy thing to ask for.”

Charlie nods. “Yeah…trust me, I get that. Do you think we should talk to Niffty about this?” 

“You're asking me?” Vaggie asks. 

“Of course, I go overboard sometimes. You're a lot better at understanding boundaries. It’s the balance I need.” 

Vaggie considers it. “Well, it can't hurt to talk to her. Maybe there's something more going on. Like with Angel.” Vaggie says. 

“Angel! Right. I have to give him his test, and then we can talk to Niffty together. Sound good?” Charlie asks.

Vaggie nods. “Sure, why not?”

~~~Pentious, Angel, and Husk:~~~

Angel and Husk were helping Pentious rebuild his Lego set. 

“Sssso, none of you care if I'm a little or not? You don't think it's…weird?” Pentious asks them. 

“That would be awfully hypocritical, don't you think?” Angel asks. “Considering I'm also a regressor?”

“We're friends, Pen.” Husk adds. “Of course, I think you're weird.” 

Pentious isn't sure what Husk means by that. He and Angel both look at him. 

“In the best way possible.” Husk adds to reassure them both. 

“I was worried what you both may think about it.” Pentious admits. “Especially when I don't know what to think about it myself.” 

“You don't need to be ashamed of who you are, Pen.” Husk says. “If regressing helps you, or it just makes you happy, then it's great, and you should be proud of yourself for doing it.” Husk says, trying to be encouraging. He's not used to lifting people up. 

Pentious smiles. 

“Yeah, also, trust me, there's way worse things out there than enjoying toys and cartoons as an adult.” Angel adds. “There's nothing you can tell me that would make me think less of you. So don't worry so much about it.” 

Pentious nods. “Thank you.” 

Angel doesn't want to continue this awkward conversation, so he changes the subject. “So, this is what you do while regressing? Build small buildings?” Angel asks, placing a few pieces onto the structure.

“Well, yes. Sometimes. It's fun and relaxing.” Pentious says. 

“And annoying, I've done this page five times!” Angel complains. “How can you possibly relax with this?” 

“Perhaps you need a less complicated set, I'm sure they make some meant for smaller children.” Pentious mocks. 

Husk chuckles, and Angel rolls his eyes. 

But Angel finds himself smiling. He sorta missed being in a trio like this…it was comforting. 

“What do you do when you regress?” Pentious asks him. 

Angel tenses. “Uhh, well-” 

“Angel, everything is set up for you…if you're ready.” Charlie tells him.

Angel looks at Charlie and nods. “Okay, I'll be there in a second.” 

Charlie gives him a thumbs up and heads to her office. 

Thank Satan, Angel wasn't sure he was ready to talk about his little self's hobbies of watching peppa Pig and crying himself to sleep. 

Angel gets up off the floor to walk to Charlie's office when Husk stops him by placing a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, good luck.”

Angel smiles. “Thanks, Husk.”

“The test is relatively easy. There's nothing to fear.” Pentious tells him. 

Angel smiles at Pentious and walks over to Charlie's office. 

Once the door closes, Charlie asks: “Are you absolutely sure you want to do this, Angel?”

Angel nods. “I mean, you already know I regress. What's the harm in it?” He asks.

Plus, he felt it was only fair. Maybe actually taking the test could help them forgive him? Proving he's actually serious about this redemption stuff? 

“If you're sure.” She shrugs.

 She hands him a piece of paper. “Here’s the test. If you have any questions, just let me know, okay?” 

Angel nods. “Alright.”

Charlie has printed out another test. She picks it up and smiles at him. “Call me if you need anything.” 

And with that, she leaves him alone to his test…

He looks at the first question...

‘What's your gender?’

Da fuck? 

 Who could possibly have an answer for that!? 

~~~Niffty and Charlie:~~~~

Alastor and Niffty had a late start that morning, so Niffty felt way behind on cleaning!

She had so much to do! 

So much to clean!

She's gotta clean! 

Gotta clean everything!!

“Niffty!”

Niffty looks behind her to find a smiling Charlie. 

“There you are! Would you mind if Vaggie and I talked to you about something?” She asks. 

Niffty nods and follows her wordlessly. 

What could she possibly want? 

What did she do? 

Was this about yesterday? 

Oh no! 

They're going to kick her out!

They can't do that! 

Only Alastor can kick her out! And he would never do that!

“Charlie?” Niffty asks nervously as they make it to the princesses bedroom. 

“Yeah?” 

“Am I in trouble?” Niffty asks. 

“Oh no, not at all.” Charlie promises. “We just want to talk about the classification test, okay? You're not in any trouble.” 

Niffty nods. “Mmm. Okay. I guess.” Niffty says, feeling a little anxious. 

“We have a feeling that maybe you weren't a hundred percent honest on the test.” Vaggie says. 

Niffty frowns. "Hm?" 

“It's okay, we just want to know why you wouldn't answer some of the questions.” Charlie says. "Half of them are either scribbles or completely blank." 

Niffty shifted in her seat awkwardly. “I- you, you can't know…" she mumbles. 

“Can't know what?” Charlie asks.

“You'll hate me…and think I'm weird! Like they all did!” Niffty says sadly. 

“We already think you’re weird.” Vaggie says.

“But we care so much for you. We want to take care of you.” Charlie says. “Don't you want someone to take care of you?” 

Niffty shrugs. “But that's my job.” She says.

“What?”

“To take care of things.” She says. “It's my job…right?” 

Charlie frowns. “Niffty, everyone needs being taken care of sometimes. You deserve to be taken care of too.” She says. 

Niffty frowns. “But…I can't be the mess!" She whines. 

"The...mess?" Charlie asks.

Niffty nods. "I take care of the mess, I can't be the mess!” 

"You're not a mess, Niffty." Charlie says. "You don't have to take the test if you don't want to...but we would never think less of you if you're classified as something different. We love you just the way you are." 

Niffty looks up at her. "Really?" 

"Of course." Charlie says. "This hotel wouldn't be the same without your creative and clenly nature." 

Niffty smiles. 

“How about this, we can go over the test together, no matter what happens, we will not think of you any differently. We love you and no matter what it says, it'll stay that way.” She promises. 

Niffty nods. “Okay.”

She trusted them. 

She just hopes that's not a mistake. 

~~~Everyone: Later~~~

Husk is cleaning glasses at the bar while Pentious and Angel are waiting in the main room. 

Angel keeps getting up, pacing anxiously, then sitting back down. He can't seem to sit still. 

“Are you alright, Angel?” Pentious asks.

“I'm fine.” He says, his voice irritated, he can’t seem to calm his fucking nerves!

So, Husk, noticing this, does something in an attempt to distract Angel. 

He turns on the radio: “I've got you, under my skin.” The radio sings. 

“I've got you deep in the heart of me.” Husk starts to sing along. “You're so deep in my heart, you're really a part of me. I've got you under my skin.” ~ 

Angel stops pacing and looks over at Husk.

“I've tried so, not to give in. I've said to myself, this affair never will go so well.” Husk continued, looking at Angel with a smile and a wink. 

“But why should I try to resist, darling I know so well?” Angel starts singing along. 

“I've got you, under my skin.” Angel and Husk sing at the same time.

Pentious smiles at the two, not familiar with this song, but finds the two entertaining. 

Alastor walks downstairs with Niffty following him. 

Alastor smiles brighter, deciding to interrupt their little duet. “I'd sacrifice anything come what might. For the sake of havin' you near, in spite of a warnin' voice that comes in the night

And repeats- repeats in my ear.” ~  

Husk offers his hand to Angel who takes it so they start dancing. 

Husk continues to sing, more so to Angel. “Don't you know, little fool, you never can win? Use your mentality, wake up to reality!” 

“But each time that I do just the thought of you

makes me stop before I begin.” Angel sings next.

Charlie and Vaggie walk out of the office with the results. 

“Cause I've got you under my skin!” All three guys sing. 

“Guys, be careful. Your 1900s are showing.” Vaggie mocks. 

“Hey, don't blame us because your music isn't as good as ours.” Angel says. 

“I always forget how young you all are.” Pentious says.

Alastor scoffs. “For your information, I died in the 1930s.” Alastor says, offended. 

“I died in the 1880s.” Pentious says, one-upping Alastor who glares at him like a child. 

“Mid to late 1940s… I think?” Angel adds. “Death was a little blurry.” 

“1970s for me.” Husk says. 

“So, I'm the oldest among you all?” Pentious asks. 

“I was seventy when I died.” Husk says. 

“That hardly counts.” Angel says. “We're practically the same age.” 

“What year were you born?” Husk asks.

“19….uhhhh.” Angel tried doing the math…it was so long ago! 

“How old were you when you died?” Husk asks.

“Thirty something?” Angel guessed. 

“So, you would have been born around the 1910s. I was born in the early 1900s. That's a ten year age gap.” 

“Well…I've been hell longer than you.” Angel says, crossing his arms. 

“How is that relevant?” Husk asks. 

“I have more experience!” Angel explains.��

Husk scoffs. “Please.” 

“I hate to break up this very interesting conversation, but we got both your test results.” Charlie says. 

Angel stands up as she hands him and Niffty each an envelope. 

Angel takes it and takes a deep breath.

Pentious and Husk look at him, then look away. 

Alastor's eyes were only on Niffty, smiling genuinely to comfort her.

Angel rips open the envelope…

“You want some space?” Husk asks. 

Angel shakes his head. “No, I know all of your results, I trust you to know mine.” 

The two smile as Angel opens the envelope and looks through it. 

“Well?” Pentious asks. 

“Seventy percent Little, thirty percent Guardian.” 

Niffty runs over to Angel: “Angel, Angel, Angel! Open mine! Open mine next!!”

Angel takes the envelope from her. “Are you sure?”

“Mhm, what does it say- read it!” She tells him.

“Okay,” Angel opens Niffty's letter. “It says you're fifty percent a pet regressor and fifty percent a Handler. 

“Is that good?” Niffty asks. 

Alastor pets her head. “It’s perfect, My dear.”

“Who knew our favorite Handler was also a little pet regressor?” Charlie says, smiling at Niffty who was also smiling back.

“Well, that's no surprise.” Alastor says. “I've been taking care of the little rat for years.” 

“Wait wait wait- what?” Vaggie asks him.

“What did you just call her?” Charlie asks. 

Alastor thinks for a moment. “...Rat.”

“She's a mouse regressor?!” Charlie asks, gasping. 

“Charlie, remember what I said about going crazy about little ones?” Vaggie asks. 

“That's so cute!” Charlie says in awe. 

Niffty smiles! 

This was her home, where she belongs!

No one was going to judge her again.

Angel's phone goes off, which causes everyone to look at him. 

Angel looks at who it is…and sure enough.

It's fucking Val.

Ange ignores the call and looks up at the worried faces that surround him.

Angel chuckles awkwardly. “Potential spam.” He lies and everyone seems relieved. 

…

~~~Angel:~~~

Throughout the day, Angel's phone continues to go off: 

‘Angel! Answer your phone!’ 

‘Angel, baby. Why didn't you show up for work today? Are you alright? You know how I worry.’

‘Angel, you'd better be at work tomorrow or so help me, I will make you pay for it!’

Val's texts don't stop…

His phone goes off again and again.

Tomorrow is really going to suck!

He looks over at the others, laughing and talking…

Val can do whatever he wants. He can have tomorrow, but Angel has today!

~~~The hotel: Even Later~~~

“Okay, everyone. I brought you all here because I have something new and fun for you all!” Charlie announces. She gathered (dragged) everyone to the main room, so excited she's finally able to introduce them to the next step!

“These are regression journals! I made them especially for each of you! Inside you will find some super cool prompts, activities, and mood trackers! These can be especially helpful for your caregivers- for those who have them I mean.”

Charlie opens her own journal to show them what's inside: 

“On the top you will write your name and the date, and down here you will answer these questions so we'll get a good idea of your progress and how you're feeling. The daily mood tracker for example:” 

“I am ____ years old today.

Today I (action, explain your day):

Today I'm feeling: 

I want ___ to know:”

“Now, this can be anyone.” Charlie explains further. “A friend, a caregiver, another little. If you're having trouble communicating, sometimes writing something down is easier, for example: if I'm the one writing in the journal. I can write, I want Vaggie to know that I love her. Or I want Vaggie to know that I want to be held.” 

"We have also provided some personalized stickers in case anyone is too little to write down how they're feeling, but feel free to ask me or Charlie if you ever need help.” Vaggie explains, showing them the stickers.

“There are also super fun activities inside! Coloring pages, worksheets, and some grounding techniques for help with anxiety and panic attacks, and a guide to help you regress if you need it.” Charlie explains. 

Pentious's journal was decorated in gear and dog stickers, smiling faces, and small doodles Charlie must have drawn on. 

Niffty's was decorated in mouse stickers, it was covered in glitter and small positive messages from Charlie. 

And Angel's was covered in hearts, piggy stickers, and pink glow in the dark spider webs. 

The three of them looked over their journals, while Vaggie answered the million questions Niffty had about it.

Charlie smiles as walks upstairs and knocks on Alastor's door. 

When she doesn't get an answer right away, she was going to just leave her gift and 

“Charlie?” Alastor asks, opening the door at last. “Can I help you, my dear?”

He was probably in  his woods or something.

Charlie hands him the journal. “This is for you.”

Alastor hesitates, but he takes it.

‘Alastor's regression journal.’

Alastor rolls his eyes. “This is very kind, Charlie. But I don't-” 

“I want you to keep it. Even if you're not a little.” Charlie says to him. “If you don't like it, just don't use it.”

Alastor looks over the journal, but he doesn't open it. 

He doesn't need it. 

“But if you do regress,” Charlie continues, “keep it close to you, you don't have to share it with anyone you don't want to.” She says. “But, you can always share with me if you want to. I'm always here for you if you need me.”

Alastor sighs. “Charlie-”

“Don't say anything!” Charlie says. “I'm going back downstairs, we never had this conversation.” 

Charlie turns away and walks downstairs without another word. 

Alastor tilted his head at her, but said nothing as he was asked. He walks back into his room with a sigh. 

He never should have taken that test- the hell was he thinking? 

Well, he was regressed at the time,thinking it was some hilarious joke. 

He shoves the small notebook in a drawer, he'll never need it! 

~~~Alastor:~~~

Name: Alastor

“I am ‘don't know’  years old today. Today I (action, explain your day): 

Smiled all day long, ate a deer, and magict!

Today I'm feeling: Sad. But only inside. Outside I'm happy as a lark.

I want 'Rosie' to know: I miss you. 

His shadow smiled, looking down. At the journal entry. 

Alastor just hopes he can show Rosie soon! She'd really like this! 

:)

♤

♡

♧

'Don't you know, little foolYou never can winWhy not use your mentalityStep up, wake up to realityBut each time I do just the thought of youMakes me stop just before I begin'Cause I've got you under my skinYes, I've got you under my skin.' ~Cole Porter

Part 1 is complete! 🎉Part 2 will be focused on Angel, Niffty, and Clara! I hope you're all as excited as me!I've had the idea for the journals for years! It was part of a draft in my old sander sides fanfic! I loved the idea but didn't end up finishing the book. So, I used it here too.

@todayimfour @babiegurlmuffin @ask-dusty-boy @im-not-paying-my-taxes @trophyxtissues2 @abby5577

[bonny-kookoo]

Request for Touch Starved if possible.

I need a moment where JK actually deeply understands that MC loves him. Not situationally. Thanks ❤️

Sometimes, Jungkook wants to be a bit selfish. He's got the urge to occasionally just withhold certain info about you just so it stays something only he will ever get to do with you. He wants to have Yoongi care for you, yes- because you love him, and you deserve all of that.

But what is Jungkook to you then? Just a comfort person? Just something you don't want to miss?

"Did you two fight?" Yoongi wonders, making Jungkook look at him before he shakes his head. "Oh. Because she said you did."

"No we didn't?" Jungkook responds, brows all scrunched up in confusion. "She was with you the entire weekend anyways, how would we have the time to fight?" He wonders to no one in particular, while Yoongi looks at him now a bit baffled.

"She thought you didn't want to come with us." Yoongi tells Jungkook. "Because you only really take care of her when she's regressing."

Wait. Jungkook pauses, before he sorts out his thoughts. "Wait- she thinks I only want to be with her when she's regressing?" He asks, and Yoongi shrugs, before nodding.

"I mean that's what your relationship has been like until now, right?" He asks, and Jungkook has to agree that pretty much yeah, that's how it's always been. Your inner puppy seeks him out, yes- but you don't. Right?

Wrong. Because a few hours later at the pack dorms, he can feel your eyes on him like little lasers burning into his skin. You're also obviously wearing his sweater, the thing way too big on you but it seems to be perfect, because you're practically trying to hide in it.

And later, when he's retreated into his room, suddenly Yoongi walks in, closes the door behind him-

tugging you with him by the hood of the sweater you wear, your panicked eyes watching him pleadingly.

"Alright, I hate this bullshit." Yoongi crosses his arms, refusing to give you any comfort. "Jungkook, you love her, right?" He asks, and Jungkook's eyes are as wide as dinner plates as he feels himself called out, before he slowly nods a little, earning a surprised stare from you.

"huh.?" You wonder, looking at him. It's clear that you're not regressing at all, but obviously bothered by something.

"I mean, yeah? It's- I thought I was obvious with it.." Jungkook mumbles, while you shake your head.

"You like me when I'm.. like, you know." You say, sleeves of his sweater empty as you'd slipped out of them to hug yourself instead.

"What? No!" Jungkook argues. "You only want me when you're like that." He responds, and you open your mouth as if offended.

"Where did you get that idea from?!" You challenge. "I want you all the time!" You say, before you both just stare at each other for a good moment.

"Cool, now that we've solved that, can you both hug or something so I can stop having to listen to her whine the entire time how Jungkookie doesn't love her?" Yoongi jokingly sighs, making the young wolf in question shake his head and open his arms to hold you close.

"No, I very much love you no matter what." Jungkook tells you, and your arms slip through the sleeves again to hold onto him properly.

"Did you really not know that I liked you all the time?" You ask him, and he shakes his head.

"No-" He starts, genuinely confused. "I thought you only saw me as like.. a comfort person." he shrugs. You shake your head.

"I though you didn't like me but.." You explain, "..that you, I don't know, felt bad and took care of me because I was part of the pack." You say.

"I did it because I had a crush on you forever now." Jungkook chuckles a bit embarrassed.

"..you did?" You ask, face moving to look up at him.

"I did." He says, slowly leaning down-

When Yoongi clears his throat, pulling you both apart and making you realize that you're not alone. "Hey no, don't make me bother you, go ahead-" Yoongi jokes. "-but please if you're about to fuck let me know and I'll leave you be." He says, making you growl and throw a nearby pillow at the wolf.

"I think we need some.. family-friendly bonding time, don't you think, puppy?" Jungkook asks, and you nod-

both of you pulling the older wolf into bed with you two, to cuddle and eventually even fall asleep all tangled up with one another.

Finally on the same page.

[renamusing]

While the writers keep playing us, here are some future plots to consider after robert comes back (ryan HAS to comeback at this point ok? i wont accept anything else):

Post-prison Denial - Aaron cannot forgive Robert or accept that he is back; he shifts the blame for Liv's death from Chas to Robert because Robert LEFT THEM

Post-prison Blues - Robert deals with his PTSD badly which engages Aaron's redemption arc; he stays by Robert's side and helps him through it

Reunion 3.0 / Seb's return - Robert gets access to Seb (he comes to some sort of agreement with Rebecca or something happens to her offscreen whatever) and seeing Rob and Seb (their son!!) together in the village destroys any willpower Aaron still had to fight against his feelings for Robert

Wedding 3.0 - this needs no explanation

Surrogacy 2.0 - i dont actually mind them going there again if only to get them their Sugden-Dingle daughter

The Return of Andy Sugden - everything is going well for Robert and Aaron but Andy's return shakes things up; the farmboy that Jack Sugden caught Robert with back in the day is working with Andy now; so we get jealousy and misunderstandings and high drama in the Still-Madly-In-Love-Husband front (because that's Aaron innit) and Robert finally tells Vic and Andy about what happened with his dad when he was young.

Teen Seb Comes to Stay - Seb decides he wants to live with his dads at the village permanently (rewashed Liv plot i know but im making it easy for them!!) there are issues with his little sister at first but they get quickly resolved. Seb and his auntie Eve become thick as thieves and become the village nightmares

The Return of Adam Barton - because Aaron needs his mate back at some point and I doubt Vic will settle with anyone else ever

Robron vs Caleb - this just seems like it would be fun idk. it could have something to do with Seb because he is just like his dads and finds trouble everywhere which Robert and Aaron always have to solve in the end

Robert vs Kim&Andy - at this point in my AU Andy is with Kim (romantically or as business partners idc) because it serves the purpose of killing two birds with one stone so that Robert can finally FINALLY win back Home Farm

Robert Sugden's Regression - being in charge of Home Farm ofc changes Robert a bit and he starts to become the thing he fears most: his father. Cue him pushing his children and Aaron to the breaking point until, in true soap-fashion, they break up again. The kids split too. Aaron takes their daughter and Seb stays with Robert. And this ofc leads to:

The Parent Trap: Robron Edition - Seb and his sister plot to get their dads back together through a series of funny shenanigans, but then one of them gets seriously hurt in an accident (they should watch out for those evil farm animals amirite? or was it another drunk driver? only the soap gods know) so all the progress they made crumbles. Aaron and Robert blame each other and seem broken up for good

The Biggest Mugs In The World - Aaron and Robert try to prove to themselves and their kids that they dont want anything to do with each other but every time Aaron sends Robert his divorce papers Robert 'misplaces them' until Aaron finds out Robert has been ripping them apart and chucking them into his fancy fireplace. They fight about Robert being a control freak and Aaron a jealous queen, because every person Robert has flirted with since they separated has ended up fleeing the village with their tail tucked between their legs (Aaron made sure of it). This goes on until they have angry make up sex and then hate themselves for it.

Reunion 4.0 - *PROBLEMATIC PLOT ALERT* Seb and Eve become romantically involved and try to hide it from their families (aunt and nephew fits the Dingle lore somehow lmao). When they are found out Robert goes apeshit and casts Seb out of the village (like his dad did to him once) but he and Seb are at The Layby and before Robert can make the biggest mistake of his life, the love of his life arrives just in time to stop him. Robert realizes what he has become and decides to leave Emmerdale himself (after all, he was always the disaster, the one unable to make anybody happy, he should have never comeback etc) but Aaron won't have it. They can't live without each other, and that fact has never been clearer than at that very moment (shot to a teary-eyed Seb behind Aaron). Robert begs for forgiveness and Aaron just scoffs because forgiving Robert is the easiest thing in the world. They had promised each other messed up forever, had they not?

You know. I know.

[runby2]

because a lot of reblogs recently have been talking about how to unmask - I want to share my journey with unmasking.

I used to think I had to act professional all of the time and copy other's personalities to kind of blend in. That is because I had it in my mind that I had to "grow up" - I had decided that my autistic traits were too childish. They would get me bullied. "They were not something others should have to look up to if I am trying to make an art career online." I decided no one would take me seriously like that. I had to change.

So I began trying to copy others and define myself from what I saw was most popular. Youtuber voices, fictional characters, etc. This lead to me engaging in many discourse communities that were isolated and , did not matter. In my mind, I had to make a point and say things that mattered to people, so I made my entire online identity about solving issues that were not commonly spoke about. In places that were only frequented by 100 some people.

This goes on for years until I meet my partner Lark. She asks me "Why do you act like this?" Genuinely. I realized at the moment that what I was saying really didn't matter. I was parroting online lingo and typing like I was writing in e-mail format. I explained I felt childish when I didn't force myself to act like that. Like what I had decided a brave adult person was. I thought I had finally become strong enough to build an online career. I realized I was all wrong when it came to who I wanted to be vs who I was becoming. I stopped engaging with those communities.

Cut to a year later, Lark has moved in with me. I'm having some sort of identity crisis. I'm happy in one version of myself, and in the other I feel like I'm suffering and like I have to force bravery. I'm forcing myself to feel emotions so I can identify with them. I feel like I've been split in two.

Lark asks me why I don't accept both parts of myself as "me" - I explain it feels like I'm putting on a role around different people and scenarios to a point I no longer identify with that part of me.

Lark explains to me what a face is. A mask. I notice I hated the positive version of myself. The positive version of myself was too naive. Too childish. Too prone to age regression. The positive happy version of me spoke in a high pitched voice. This version of me was not a me that I wanted to be. It scared me. I felt vulnerable and weird and annoying.

Accepting that part of me was unmasking. I let myself be around people who loved me no matter what version of myself I was in. I realized not everyone who really cared about me could tell when I unmasked, because they liked it when I stimmed, chirped, info dumped, spun in circles and hopped around like a cat, acted "cringe".

But what was also important was realizing when I did act bold and "adult" I didn't have to force it. It was still me. It would come naturally. I shouldn't have to change myself entirely or hyper analyze myself and how I act. Identity is fluent, and I need to love myself and all of my masks I have been forced to take. Integrating all of that into the self you have learned to hate all of these years is how you begin to "unmask" and love your true self.

[arcanemadman]

How exactly is Subhuman lyrical character assassination for Dante?

Ok. I'm not looking forward to writing this but…

So you've probably seen that there are some mixed opinions on this particular song, so allow me to clarify. I would like to preface this by stating that Subhuman is one of the few things in the world that I feel genuine hatred toward, which is either amusing to think about or outright pathetic. I actually can't listen to any part of the song without feeling anxiety or anger. As such, I have avoided listening to the song again.

First of, lets talk about the original version of the song. The original was sung by suicide silence, who at one point a popular deathcore band until the death of their main vocalist, after which they spiraled into disaster and alienating their fan base. Their version on the song, without exaggeration, sounded like pigs squealing. High pitched, badly mixed music by a washed out band who's new main vocalist also happened to be a pedo. These factors culminated into the song, upon being released, getting over 13,000 dislikes before the video was deleted from YouTube. Seriously, when people first did listens like you do they were, at best, laughing.

So they replace the vocalist, problem solved right? No. This is actually the second attempt by composer cody matthew johnson at a theme for Dante, the first being a remix of Devils Never Cry for Marvel vs Capcom Infinite, and is largely considered the worst and only bad version of the song. And when advertising this song on his website, he advertised it as the theme of "the foul mouthed anti-hero" Dante, AKA reboot Dante.

In other words, he made it for the wrong character. Johnsons reaction to the backlash was to throw a tantrum and saying he's "happy to stir the pot", ignoring the fact that the original version was actually painful to listen to (this isn't hyperbole, seriously don't take my word for it and listen to the original version and you'll get what I mean) and the fact that it was sung by a pedophile. Recently he also related the backlash he got to the abuse targeted at actress Lily Gao for her performance in the Resident Evil 4 remake, which is deeply insulting considering she was subjected to racist abuse and harassed off social media.

And even then, the song itself good for what it's supposed to be. As a character theme, it's character regression for Dante. It's an angry, spiteful song that goes on about how Dante struggles with this evil inside him, how he hates all demonkind and how he's a rage filled monster that tears through everything in his way. But that's not Dante. At one point, Dante did have anger towards demons and hate that part of himself, but his character ark in Devil May Cry 3 was accepting that part of himself and growing as a person. DMC3 is a prequel, mind you. In universe, he got over those feelings over 25 years ago.

When faced with demons, he often offers to show them mercy even if they don't accept, because he knows that just as any human can do evil, any devil can do good. He spares Trish in DMC1, a demon created for the sole purpose of killing him, and in turn she becomes his trusted friend. In DMC2, he refuses to let Lucia kill herself because her fear of hurting humans proves she's not a monster to him. In the anime, he's hired to kill a demon called Brad and instead finds him in a bar, talks with him to figure out what his deal was, and then helped Brad protect his human girlfriend and kill his demonic master. In fact, he's far more merciful to demonic enemies than his human ones, who he kills without ever offering mercy, because at its core those that give up their humanity are worse than those that never had it to begin with.

That's mainly it. The thesis statement of the entire series is this - The human ability to care for others, to love someone, be it family, friend, or romance. If you care enough to cry, THAT is what makes you human. Dante is powerful not just because of the demonic power of his father, but because of the human heart of his mother. He is the son of both Sparda and Eva, and he's proud of that. But the very title of subhuman contradicts the entire point of the series. It implies he is less than human, but he's not more human or more demon, he's both, and that's the point of him as a character. Vergil rejected his humanity, while Dante embraced it. He's reached an equilibrium in his soul and grown as a person, embodying both worlds as a devil with ability to cry. Subhuman doesn't focus on Dante's humanity at all, it's all about how he's inhuman.

You remember how in Devils Never Cry the harder and softer lyrics are separate and initially clash, representing his demon and human halves, but in the end they come together into a singular song, representing Dante's acceptance of both sides of himself. There's none of that nuance in this song.

And removing the character assassination, it's just not a good representation of Dante. As I said it feels angry and violent, but Dante is charming and stylish. Of course he does have some resentment to aspects of his life, at times wishing he could have a normal life, but he enjoys what he's got. With the other character themes, the lyrics feel like something the characters would say in battle; With Devil Trigger, I can see Nero smirking and shouting "Bang, bang, bang! Pull my devil trigger!" as he throttles his sword as his enemies charge at him. With Crimson Cloud, V talking in poetry all the time so "Saviour! Bloodstain! Hellfire! Shadow! Heaven on a landslide!" sounds like something he'd read out to himself as his demons tore up the battle. And with Bury the Light, Vergil would totally proclaim "I am the storm that is approaching!" before unleashing a devastating attack.

But with Dante, who taunts by throwing a rose at his enemies, laughing and pointing, and playfully beckoning at his enemies to keep trying their best, I can't see that person screaming at the top of their lungs in fury "YOU CANNOT KILL ME!" Dante isn't someone who feels the need to prove anything to himself or his enemies. It's part of his charm that powerful demons will fight him, expecting a respectful battle with the son of the legendary Sparda, but instead they get their ass beat by an idiot more interested in seeing what he can do with a hodgepodge of weapons than taking things seriously. And when he does get serious, it's more quite, closer to "you've got my attention and I'll make you regret it." It's too insecure. A better line would be something like "Just try to kill me!" but even then, it's still screaming. There's no subtlety here.

None of this is helped by the fact that the song is so plodding. The low BPM makes it feel plodding, and while I'm certainly no expert on music that sort of feeling hurts in a game as fast as DMC, especially for Dante, who while not as fast as Vergil is by far the most chaotic character to play as. Teleporting, swapping guns, swapping weapons, swapping styles, Dante has over 100 potential actions that can loop into each other freely. Subhuman doesn't capture how chaotic it feels to play as Dante. It's going for the power fantasy of Kratos, an unstoppable juggernaut as opposed to the power fantasy of a stylish showdown. You don't play as Dante to strike fear into demonkind, you play him to see just what bullshit you can get away with even in the most dire situations.

That is ultimately why Subhuman fails and betrays Dante as a character.

I'll admit, from my personal experience I tried everything to get myself to like the song. I listened to every edit trying to salvage it, every version that changed it up, all hoping that Dante would get the theme he deserved. But I think that's why I hate it so much now. I desperately wanted it to be good. But at it's core, the song is fundamentally flawed it what it sets out to do, represent Dante as a character, and it needed a full overhaul that was never realistic within the time frame of it being revealed to the public and the games release. Honestly, after what he did to Devils Never Cry they should never have given Dantes theme to someone as inexperienced as cody and his works before and since have been middling at best. But he was the real thing that killed subhuman for me. Anyone that listened to the original version knows it was BAD, but he acted like he was a visionary who was too smart for the rest of us and ignoring all criticism including, need I remind you, HIRING A PEDOPHILE. The recent thing with Lily Gao I find particularly infuriating because what she has been going through is unquestionably awful, yet he made it about himself. As if a white composer who complained about the whole thing on twitter suffered the same abuse as an asian woman who was chased off social media. That inability to self reflect on anything and blaming everyone that disagrees with you is just arrogance in the end.

I always get really angry whenever I think about this song. If I had the same passion for writing things I actually cared about I'd be an acclaimed author by now. I don't like how much I think about this song so much. As I said at the state hating a song this much is either amusing or pathetic. But Dante is a character that holds a certain importance for who I am so I care more than I should. I know not everyone had the same experience I have, or don't really care about the music so long as the game is fine, but the music in Devil May Cry has always been spectacular, and the character themes have been brilliant ways to prove who the characters are deep down. So for Dante, the face of the series, to be stuck with the worst one in the entire series in the grand return of the series until the next game comes around… it's fucking infuriating.

[animemaniac21]

WHY I HATE TIME REGRESSION TROPE IN ANIME

#AN OPINION BLOG

SPOILER ALERTS !!!!

This is my first opinion blog, or simply a rant you will, but if you have completed Solo Leveling and Dr. Stone, bear with me on this one. Recently I found an anime called Aiyou’s Secret Room, a mystery thriller based on escape rooms, and since the 1st episode, it hooked me on itself. The characters, the plot, everything was thrilling! At that time, 15 episodes were released, and with each episode, I was awe-stricken, the mystery deepening, with no easy solution; made it all the more interesting! The hole of mystery dug in Episode 1 had become an endless abyss by then! So, I binged watch them in a day, and waited, for the final one to be released. The finale- where all threads of mystery will be untangled! And today, it was released. So, how was my experience? Well…now, I’m no author but lemme tell you, if you are writing a story and at the end of it you leave a major plot point unexplained…much less what is the centre plot around which the story revolves, and also move your protagonist back to square one, on the name of taking the story to a ‘full circle’, then regardless of how great and thrilling the story has been, it will all go down the drain. Unless there’s a season 2, but there weren’t any details to be found.

And here’s where I rest my argument. Regressions. The ‘back to square one’ trope. Sorry, but I hate them. Why? Cause going back to square one literally defeats the purpose of the story’s development! All progress is lost. Is it that hard to understand?

Let’s take Dr. Stone for example. The manga is finished, and when it was ongoing, I awaited every week for another fabulous chapter. The story may have a lot of cliché tropes, but it doesn’t disappoint on its very central theme- science in a stone world. How Senku develops modern science once again along with other scientists even in a world of primitives. Its science is top-notch, and so are the adventures. So, what about its ending? Well…

The plot is driven by the mystery of petrification itself, and with each turn it deepens. Until ultimately, in the final arc, it is revealed- that the petrification devices are aliens?! The entire moon arc was ‘maybe’ too rushed, and for the entire thing to develop into this, it also felt weird. But alright, this may be my opinion only, but man, when the in the last chapter Senku decides to create a FUCKING TIME MACHINE, trying to return to 5000 years in past, I lost it. Wait, so what about the present? What about Kohaku, Chrome or Suika? What about going to the future together? Won’t they just disappear? What’s the point?

Solo Leveling. It was thrilling. Every chapter. Up until the end, I remained in a thrill, what would happen, how will he win, will he die? But what our protagonist does? Reverses time itself so that everyone forgets his existence and he goes back to square one, of course with all his powers, so that he could redo it overall! I mean, from the audience’s point, all the development that happened, is lost. What makes Solo Leveling so thrilling is this growth of our weak protagonist, and now what? At the other end, he is just an overpowered ‘all-knowing’ protagonist.

This ‘all-knowing’ is so damn annoying. Now, many fantasy manga/manhwas start with the MC returning to the past to solve the problem all over. This leaves us with an ‘all-knowing’ MC and no mystery is left. A reincarnation is different; you go to a distant future. But overpowered cause you are a ‘know it all’?

Let’s compare it to an anime like, let’s say Tokyo Revengers. Regressions are its plot, the protagonist’s power. He corrects the past to get a better future, but mysteriously the future just worsens. Tokyo Revengers doesn’t put a ‘know it all’ ‘correcting the past’ MC on the plate, but an intriguing MC with some mystery entangling him and the past. Its plot is delivered well, unlike the other regression fantasies.

But that can just be my preference, cause these regressions to correct the past making a ‘know it all’ MC is still a well-received trope. But Dr Stone or Solo Leveling? Heck no! Pulling that shit on end, destroying all the ‘development’, back to square one, WHY?

This distaste that I held for these tropes is just reignited with Aiyou’s Secret Room, and unless anyone can confirm there’s more to the story, my advice: please don’t waste your time watching it.

Or any such story for that matter!

PS: I uploaded this blog a year back, but since I thought I might share all my blogs on other platforms like Tumblr, so I thought to post this one first 😅

[qqueenofhades]

Russian here. While I totally agree with you re Baltic countries not letting us in, I totally disagree with your comparison of protesting in Russia and protesting in the USA. I’m not downplaying the bravery of BLM protesters in any way, but your jailing system (while horrible and especially dangerous to black people) doesn’t mean that you are definitely going to get tortured in some way or another, that you are very likely going to be raped and going out to protest doesn’t mean that you are going to get 15 years in prison (where again you are going to get tortured this time 100 %) with total disregard to any special needs you might have and basically left for dead (Sasha Skolichenko wasn’t even protesting by the way, I think she was doing what people in democratic states might call minor misdemeanor and she is now being purposefully held in such a way that will make sure that her health will deteriorate). The protesters were sent to the army yesterday btw. Those who were arrested yesterday were sent to the army.

USA is a democratic state. I live in a totalitarian dictatorship. I am being photographed by the police in Moscow metro on the daily basis, while going to work. With all due respect (and I have a lot of respect, I’m being serious) I have a suspicion that USA Americans are not accustomed to living like I do.

Like, I am completely at peace with the prospect of being hated for the rest of my life by other nations. I might even deserve it. But I am foaming at the mouth when people try to present that the current wave of protesters are people who have been pro war before. No. Just no. These are people who were celebrating the victories of Ukrainian army a couple of weeks ago. And these are people who are protecting their right to not be criminals.

There are a lot of people who changed their opinion on the war because they might get hurt, yes, but I assure you they are not the ones protesting right now. Cowards are not part of protest movement here. They just can’t be, the stakes are too high.

I would tend to agree with this, yes, and I apologize for making a somewhat too-broad comparison in my previous post. As you point out, a flawed liberal democracy (well, for the moment, since we have a very active movement trying to turn us into a fascist one-party state as well) and a totalitarian dictatorship are not the same social environments and do not have the same response to/expectation of protests. And yes, as I also said, it absolutely takes a great deal of personal courage to protest in Russia, which I have recognized from the start and continue to admire. I'm definitely not trying to come off as arrogantly ordering ordinary people to sacrifice themselves en masse in the teeth of a totalitarian state that will use all the amounts of force available to it and then some, and then (as you note) send them to the army to get killed anyway. Two for the price of one! So yes, your point on this is definitely well taken.

As I said in another recent ask, this whole thing is a tragedy on every level, not least for the untold, unmendable, and totally unnecessary damage that it's doing to Russia as a state and to the Russian people (yet again). There were so many choices that could have been made differently, in regard to Russia's post-Cold War path and regression under Putin, and... well, we're now all dealing with the consequences. There are absolutely some extremely brave people in Russia who have opposed the war from the start and continue to oppose it now, in unimaginable circumstances, and I'm not downplaying that in any way (and I really hope you guys can keep it up). I think some of my frustration is just a reflection of the fact that the world is wondering when or if that internal/domestic Russian resistance is ever going to reach critical mass, because -- as noted -- you're the only ones who can solve this mess, regardless of the terrible odds that are facing you. So yeah, the situation is absolutely terrible, and I'm not asking anyone to suddenly rise up and be a hero, but... still.

I hope you hang in there, and I hope you can find the strength to continue living somehow. Thanks for this perspective.

[marshmallowprotection]

This is gonna come out as if I dont like GE Saeran because I do, I love him to bits

But sometimes I think he's almost like...too perfect?

....do you know what I mean?

Like where are his flaws?

After Ray and Suit Saeran fused it was like BAM he's spectacular and almost like...holy?? In a way??

Omg it sounds like I hate him

But he's literally my favourite character

He's not perfect by any means. I think it might be easy to think he's the full package because he's somehow had this... for the lack of any easy way to describe it, this "magical healing" come over him that's solved everything. But, that's not the case. Things aren't better just because he's had some time to reflect on his wants and needs.

There is a long road ahead of him to recovery. He has a long way to walk. The fact that he wants to fight to be a better man helps him a lot, actually. His willingness to face his demons with honesty despite the fear in his heart is what benefits him. When you're trying to work on yourself, your ability to face your demons and your willingness to do so play a major factor in your progress.

It's not perfect, though. He won't call himself perfect. He is still angry on the inside and hurting from his pain, but he's actively choosing to be more than his anger. He breathes, pauses, and tries to think about the healthy thing to do. We see him struggle, regress, and whisper his fears throughout the After Ending. We see him hold your hand, look to the RFA, and learn how to be a free man with the support of others around him.

Listen, he's a sweetheart. He truly is. But, he's got his quirks. He's very self-sacrificial. He can stubborn and crabby! He has a dry sense of humor that only you understand. He struggles with social cues and misses the mark with others. He's particular about his eating habits if he can find his sweets.

He's got plenty of hiccups... and the game isn't big on covering it but he's started seeing a doctor and likely a therapist to help his recovery from the elixir and trauma. But, if you love him, you love him and all of his quirks. He's perfect because we love him, but he's definitely a mess like the rest of us in his own way. That's the beauty in it.

We have to suspend our disbelief in certain aspects because Mystic Messenger is a speed-run of life. In reality, Ray Route would take place over a year or more. But, because it's a video game, you've got in-canon... about 2 months and some change with him from your first meeting to the confrontation with Saejoong. But, the gameplay-wise, that's about 15 days of you playing in our world.

[trips2saturn]

LONG ASK INCOMING IM SORRY; sometimes i skim the pw tag to read all the weird posts they make. and really they collectively think that ej is the best character and ricky Stole gina from him. like they actively ignore gina herself saying their break up wasnt about ricky and they just blame 'bad writing', all becaus they cant accept that sometimes relationships plainly just dont work out. "but if ej and gina just sat down and Talked! things could be solved! but noo the writers hate their show!" baby girl ej didnt WANT to sit down and talk. when he did he wanted to make it All about him! gina got sick of sitting down and talking!! she wanted a boyfriend who was there for her NOW in the PRESENT. none of this 'why cant she see that he was trying to make a future for them' bullshit. they're tEENAGERS AND GINA WANTS SOMETHING PERMANENT. NOT SOMEONE TO CONSTANTLY TELL HER THAT ONE DAY IF SHE'S PATIENT THEN THEY CAN SPEND TIME TOGETHER. it was so clear in the writing that ej was regressing while with gina and not because of bad writing but because they werent GOOD FOR EACH OTHER. THERE WAS NO PW BULIDUP EITHER THEY HAVE GOT TO STOP CLAIMING THERE WAS. it was half a fucking season. AND THEN EJ DECIDED TO DROP HER IN THE COLDEST WAY ALL BECAUSE HE THOUGHT HE GOT BROTHER ZONED AND GINA HAD TO BE THE ONE TO BEG HIM TO KISS HER. pws scream about how she was crying all season because of ricky but Ignore how she was fucking sobbing because ej cancled on her with zero explanation. how convenient. its always been gina prompting ej to do things. sure gina confessed again in the finale, because she needed to but it was RICKY to kiss HER first- to not let her leave again. WHEN DID EJ EVER DO ANYTHING FOR HER FIRST. god this feels like such a chaotic ask but you're one of the like v few people in the rina tag who are very Vocal about their distaste of pw and I feel like I can just vomit up all of my anger lmao I'm so sorry

YEAHHHHHH YOU ATE THIS ONE UP ANON ☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️ and don’t ever feel afraid to rant about them or ej with me!!!! i dislike both that ship and that man 😁 we share common interests!

portwells are extremely incompetent and unfortunately they lack comprehension skills for reasons that i will never understand. that entire ship was fickle, and i am not afraid to say that it failed because of elton john himself. i will never speak badly on my angel gina! shooter for her since day ONE. ej ruined that whole relationship because he simply could not handle everything at once, which is okay! totally understand the whole “too many responsibilities at once” thing but still it’s entirely his fault. it’s already over anyway, we got our endgame, plus that man is a college freshman and absolutely old as hell — even gi realized that lmao. that relationship should’ve never happened in the first place. what’s funny about portwells is that they ALWAYS choose ej to defend at the end of the day, and never gina. it’s as if they want to see her fail, like i’ve even seen some go as far as to attack SOFIA over a fictional ass ship?! the insanity is beyond me.

they love to say that gina didn’t put enough effort into the relationship from the start and that she only used him as bait to get ricky WHEN THAT WAS NEVER THE CASE? like who made that theory up? get serious before i say something disrespectful. it was ej from the very beginning who didn’t try and put their relationship on the back burner so they can take their misogynistic asses and that obstacle of a ship straight to the fucking curb 💀

[greensaplinggrace]

What I Would Change About the Ruin and Rising Ending

So this is separate from what I actually think would have been best for the story, in that Aleksander is the third amplifier and Alina is a tracker. Baghra never has her ridiculous plot twist info dump and Alina is actually allowed more agency and the ability to take initiative and the Darkling is actually written consistently from the start.

Here’s what I think should have happened in the ending if all the events leading up to it were the exact same: 

Alina kills Mal and with the power of the three amplifiers kills the Darkling. As punishment for using all three amplifiers, she and the Darkling both lose the power of Merzost. This power is then used to fulfill Morozova’s aching loneliness, creating hundreds of shadow and sun summoners all across the world. The Darkling comes back to life through the loss of Merzost, and Mal comes back to life through the loss of his tracking abilities and status as an amplifier.

This ending feels not only more consistent with the themes LB tries to convey throughout the books, but it also aligns more with character arcs, established lore, and the parts of the plot that actually made sense.

The Darkling was punished for using Merzost by the Fold’s creation, which was a place where his powers were rendered useless (although the fact that he still has much power over the fold feels contradictory to this fact). He still retained the ability to use it, however, the result of only using some of the Merzost’s power. Alina was punished much more severely for not only using Merzost but also taking all three amplifiers. Therefore she is stripped of that power entirely. The Darkling, who she killed with the power and who has also lusted for power, is stripped of it as well. 

Not only that, but the presence of hundreds of people like them now ensures they do not have more power than everybody else. It strips Alina and the Darkling of power without robbing them of a very important piece of their identity that should be impossible to take. By making it so that they now have hundreds of equals, that they have people to match them, challenge them, stop them. That they can no longer take more power, that they can no longer use their powers over those less powerful than them, that their greed does not destroy those around them. It makes them essentially powerless (consistent with the theme of punishment in regards to the Merzost), without removing their status as members of a persecuted and oppressed minority. 

This remains consistent with Alina’s character arc as well. Her growth as a character, coming into her abilities and learning to accept every part of herself, instead of denying an essential piece of her identity because she’s trapped by the past and her prejudices and her fear of moving forward - because she’s also trapped by her low self esteem and her loneliness and her fear. By allowing her to remain as a Grisha, her developmental arc - of learning self esteem and self acceptance, of learning to love every part of herself and to not deny those parts of herself for others or because of her worries, of finding a community, growing into a woman outside of one person, learning to connect with others and love others and love herself and love her powers - isn’t regressed in any way. It isn’t negated. 

There still remains a punishment for the Merzost and for her hunger for power. There still remains a way to acknowledge the thematic ties between loneliness and Grisha - especially Morozova’s loneliness and therefore Aleksander’s. There still remains the culmination of three books worth of seeking out amplifiers - a satisfying result of all her effort and her traumas; the powers she sought out to defeat the Darkling actually used to defeat him. There still remains the acknowledgement of Alina’s growth and change. She isn’t robbed of a valuable piece of her identity and her path of self fulfillment and self acceptance. 

I won’t get into this much now, but I also think Alina’s reluctance to accept herself as Grisha, hurting herself to remain untested and weakening herself by denying that crucial part of her, is the result of centuries of the oppression and persecution of the Grisha as a people. It isn’t just her own fears, but also the way the world has forced Grisha to integrate into society. How the Grisha’s oppressors have treated them, not allowed them to truly develop or grow or gain power. The way they’re viewed by society and the prejudices against them as a whole that stifles their ability to truly connect or form a healthy community.

That part of Alina’s culture and birthright was denied her by her oppressors. She lived amongst these people for years and grew up with their customs, and when she finally discovered the part of herself that made her Grisha, she was introduced to her people. Her community that the world, through endless hunting of the Grisha and stripping them of agency, using them and othering them and ostracizing them from society, refused the ability to truly connect. She was allowed to finally realize herself and who she was born to be.

Her stay at the Little Palace was distressing in a lot of ways, but I’m not talking about just the Little Palace, I’m talking about her journey throughout the books as a whole, as she learns about the people and community she belongs to. As she grows to love it and accept it and take pride in it. Her culture and her people - the Grisha. 

So when people say Alina losing her powers is good because she doesn’t want to be a part of the Grisha (even though she grows to love being Grisha, not wanting to was only in the beginning), and that she’s happier as an otkazat’sya because she grew up with them (the people who have oppressed her kind and smothered her powers), and that Grisha culture isn’t hers, I want to scream. The reason it wasn’t hers was because she was held back from it. Because Grisha oppression has become systematic and ingrained within society. Because prejudice against the Grisha runs deep. 

To say that it's good that she’s stripped of what makes her Grisha because she was raised otkazat’sya? When if the Grisha were free she never would have been in the first place? To refuse to acknowledge the harm done to her people and therefore her, in creating a world so against Grisha that she was never given the chance to be raised in her own community? Amongst her own people? Who would understand her and would never have let her get sick by refusing to use her powers and who would have helped her because they know what it’s like to be Grisha - because they are Grisha.

That’s fucking bullshit.

Alina doesn’t hate her powers. Her powers don’t cause her pain. It’s others and the world that hurts her because of them. And this is an important distinction. Alina losing her powers isn’t a healthy message. That others hurting you for how you were born means that the only way to remain safe is to strip away the part that makes you different. That Alina returning to the people she was forced to assimilate with and that raised her to deny a massive part of her identity is a healthy thing-

That’s not a message that should ever be given. Which is why Alina should have kept her powers as the sun summoner, even if she loses the amplifiers.

And the burden of being the only sun summoner is lessened with the spread of her powers as well. People claim that Alina losing her powers was good for her because the world burdened her too much because of them, but that’s an issue easily solved by the splitting of her powers. She now isn’t the only one with a weight to carry because of the way she was born, and in fact she no longer has to carry it at all. 

Additionally, Morozova’s amplifiers and the Merzost itself, which he created, being used to fulfill the loneliness he felt in the world and that all Grisha feel - that Aleksander especially suffered under (and which he suffered under in part due to Morozova), is a much more poetic and thematically consistent way to maintain equilibrium and fill the void of loneliness in the world than robbing Alina of her powers to do so. Which is just pointless and random and doesn’t align reasonably with any of the narrative elements. Morozova himself doing so through his amplifiers and the Merzost makes it a state of healing and even redemption. It ties his story and his character together with the plot and established themes.

It also keeps with the theme of balance. In that the Merzost is now gone and the amplifiers are now gone - abilities deemed to be unnatural and against the balance - and instead both of their powers are spread across the land. Not just Alina’s. Which was an unbalance and not in keeping with the themes established throughout the books. With both powers not only split but also split amongst many, real balance returns to the world.

I also think that both Mal and the Darkling coming back makes the ending more in line with the plot and all of the character’s arcs, and also more intriguing as a whole. Alina now has the opportunity to navigate her relationship with the both of them on new, uncertain ground.

I think this would be a unique start to a Darklina relationship in particular, as the Darkling now has many equals that are not Alina. So what would make him stay? A fun premise to explore in regards to both characters and their motivations.

On the other hand, Malina has to continue to grow with Alina still living as a Grisha sun-summoner, but now the pressure isn’t all on her. She’s free of the burden she was forced into, but not free of the powers which she came to love. She also hasn’t been stripped of her identity within a group of persecuted and marginalized people that she came to connect with.

Alina and Mal could very well live out their lives in peace. Or they could take a different path, with so many new avenues open before them. This could provide the opportunity for an even more complex future if the Darkling still remains involved with Alina (with them) even peripherally. Like if they still had dealings with him in some way, even if there isn’t anything romantic going on between him and Alina.

All in all, I just think it would be a better ending for all three of them in a variety of ways, and it also creates so many opportunities for different paths to be taken. It’s more consistent with the themes LB attempted to convey, the plot and character arcs as a whole, and the established lore.

[hawthornewhisperer]

epiphanies

Some DILF!Draco for @ambpersand. Currently 1,500 words and rated T, but I hope to add a second chapter tonight/tomorrow/soon that would be rated M. This will stay tumblr-only until I have that second chapter ready, then I'll put the whole shebang up on Ao3.

Inspired by this incredible fanart by @mignon-chignon and thank you to @bgonemydear for her on-the-spot betaing.

Hermione hadn’t even finished getting dressed when the owl from the Ministry arrived. She scanned the note, swore under her breath, and dashed off a reply. If the Mitford hearing had been moved up, that meant she needed the files and she needed them today.

She had last seen them in Malfoy's briefcase as he went home two days ago, but he'd been out of the office ever since. She hurried up the stairs to her building’s owlery, scribbled a note to Malfoy and returned to her flat, hoping against hope she was wrong.

His return owl arrived when she was halfway through her toast and she groaned under her breath. Mitford files are at my place. I’ll leave them in the Floo Parlor.

That was it, not even his initials as a sign off. “Rude prat,” she grumbled under her breath. Malfoy had been working at the firm with her for the past six months, and while he was no longer the sneering bully she remembered from Hogwarts, he was an exceedingly grumpy arsehole most of the time. Everything he said was clipped and sardonic, and he seemed to have a deathly allergy to saying thank you. She would have hated working with him if he wasn’t so bloody good at his job, which had downgraded her feelings towards him from “loathe completely” to “tolerate grudgingly.”

Hermione always did have a weakness for competence.

She grabbed her blazer and joined the queue in the lobby for the floo, still piling her hair into a bun on the top of her head when she took her turn.

Malfoy’s Floo Parlor was immaculate. It looked like a magazine spread, tastefully decorated and without even a speck of dust. In contrast, her tiny flat looked like a library had exploded in it, largely because one basically had.

But of course Malfoy’s was neat and tidy and...empty. The Mitford files were nowhere to be seen. She let loose a swear that would have made her ex-husband proud and steeled herself to walk into Malfoy’s apartment proper, wishing she had had time for an extra cup of tea if she was going to have to deal with his surly face before nine am.

She pushed open the door to the rest of his flat, ready to snap at him, and froze.

He had his back to her, looking out the expansive window that framed much of London, and the first thing she noticed was he had a very nice back.

A very nice bare back, because he was shirtless. Shirtless and holding a baby.

She knew he had a child, of course. He had one framed photo of the boy on his desk— the only photo of any kind in his entire office, which otherwise resembled a prison cell with a very fancy sofa— but Malfoy did not talk about personal matters at work. All she knew was his name— Scorpius— and that he was approximately Albus Potter’s age.

The little boy shared his father’s blond hair, but there was a soft curl to the ends that must have come from his mother. The Malfoy-Greengrass divorce had been the subject of more than one gossip page article, but Hermione hadn’t read any of them— she didn’t like how exploitative they felt, turning people’s pain into sport for entertainment.

Not that she cared much about Malfoy’s pain, per se, but it was the principle of the thing.

Scorpius’s eyes were red rimmed and his cheeks looked sticky with tears as he eyed her over his father’s shoulder. His father’s exceptionally muscled, well defined, bare shoulder. The boy pawed at his eye with a chubby fist and she watched as Draco pressed a soft kiss to the side of his son’s head, the sort of careless affection she was used to seeing from Harry with his boys but she had never once thought she would see from Malfoy. “It’s okay buddy, I know. It hurts,” she heard him murmur, and she realized she had been staring for entirely too long.

She cleared her throat and he turned with a start. “Fuck, the Mitford files,” he said, the soft look on his face vanishing in an instant.

Hermione felt an odd sort of loss when his familiar cold mask slipped into place, like she had gotten a glimpse of something she would never see again.

Why she wanted to see that look on his face again was a mystery she didn't much feel like solving.

“They’re in my study, hold on,” he added, shifting Scorpius higher on his hip and padding barefoot towards a closed door.

Hermione used his absence to compose herself. She was just thrown by seeing her coworker out of context, that was all.

Out of context and shirtless with an unfairly sculpted chest, plus a pair of joggers slung low across his hips. Did all men have muscles that arrowed down from their hips like that? That was not something she had seen in the flesh before, and it had her flustered.

By the time he returned with the Mitford file, she was thoroughly uncomposed. “You know if you’re going to be off work you really shouldn’t take home client files that can’t be owled,” she snapped.

Anger flashed across his face. “I’ll be sure to have Scorpius schedule his sleep regressions and teething fits with you next time,” he growled.

“It’s nothing to do with him,” she said, doing her best to keep her eyes anywhere but where they wanted to be, which was staring at the play of morning light on the planes of his chest. “These files are supposed to stay at the office for a reason, Malfoy.”

Exhaustion abruptly flooded his features. He pressed his thumb and forefinger into his eyes and Scorpius nuzzled into his neck. “I know,” he said, broad shoulders slumping. “Look, this week has been hell. I didn’t think I would be out this long. I’m sorry,” he added, and quite frankly, she never thought Draco Malfoy would ever apologize to her for anything.

The shock from hearing those two words was the only explanation for what came out of her mouth next. “When was the last time you showered?”

Something that was almost a smile tugged the corner of his mouth up. “I look that bad, huh?”

Actually he looked like a Greek god carved out of marble but she wasn’t about to tell him that. And he did have rather alarming purple shadows under his eyes, plus stubble that indicated it had been several days since he shaved. “You’ve looked better,” she said, reaching out and plucking Scorpius from his arm. “I don’t have to be in for a bit. Go shower.”

He hesitated, but Scorpius was already interestedly pulling at her hair. “Okay,” Malfoy said, something unreadable in his grey eyes. “It’ll only be a minute.”

Hermione stuck her tongue out at Scorpius, who giggled. “Take your time.”

By the time Malfoy emerged from his bedroom, freshly showered and shaved and in jeans and a white v-neck shirt, Hermione and Scorpius were on the living room floor while he clambered all over her like a muggle jungle gym. Scorpius was fascinated by her hair and was sitting next to her while she laid flat on her back, grabbing chubby fistfuls and yanking on it.

“Careful, he’ll skin you bald if you let him,” Malfoy drawled.

She pushed herself up to sitting, at first grateful Draco had put on a shirt and then disappointed as it meant his chest was now hidden from view. But then he crossed his arms and the muscles in his biceps strained against the sleeve of his shirt, and she circled back to grateful again.

“There’s plenty to go around,” she said, gently prying Scorpius’s hand from her hair and retying it into a bun. Draco's gaze rested on her as she did, and an unaccountable blush started crawling up her neck.

“Sorry about earlier,” he said, sitting down on the couch, lifting Scorpius into his lap and bringing the total number of apologies she had ever heard from his lips to two.

She shrugged. “Honestly? You’ve been worse.”

He huffed, a noise that almost sounded like a laugh. “I have been a prat, haven’t I? Between the divorce and Scorpius, I’ve been an arsehole at the office. I’ll try and do better,” he said.

The utter sincerity of his words drew her up short. “Actually, I was talking about Hogwarts but yes, you have been a prat at the office.”

Draco blinked. “Fuck, I— I never apologized for that, did I?”

“You didn’t, but it’s okay,” she said surprising herself. Apologies were nice, but they didn't mean much if the person didn't actually try to improve. She wasn’t sure when, exactly, but at some point in the last six months she had stopped thinking of who Malfoy used to be and accepted that he had changed for the better.

“It’s not, though,” he said. “Again, with the divorce and everything I’ve been— it’s isolating, is all. I'm sorry.”

“Pity there’s no one else in this room who knows what it’s like to go through a divorce,” she said drily.

His eyebrows shot up. “Are you saying I can come to you for tea and sympathy, Granger?”

“I’m saying you don’t have to do this all alone,” she said gently, and stood. “McAvoy will be waiting on the Mitford brief though. I should get going.”

He stood, Scorpius once again snuggling into his chest. “Thanks, Granger. I owe you one,” he said.

Hermione leaned over to place a kiss on Scorpius’s soft curls without even thinking. She could smell Draco’s skin that close, the soap and shampoo from his shower filling her nostrils. “I’ll hold you to that,” she said, and headed towards the Floo Parlor, Mitford files safely in hand.

She only wished she could say the same for her hormones.

[morievna]

Mix_13 reaction and my little problem with Mafuyu this arc

tw: negativity, spoilers

me after reading mix_13 translations:

Theoretically that chapter is not that bad per se (we finally got Mafuyama talking to each other, some cute scenes, and I liked that Ueno was honest with himself at the end), but…

Oh my gosh I just hate when in stories you have something out of the blue preventing characters from talking properly – and here we got that Ueno just had to go for last train *sigh* srsly it felt that it was done only to add more drama (when there is a lot already) – it would be so much better if Mafuyu had asked Ueno to stay overnight *sigh**wishful thinking*

To be honest I pretty much agree with opinions that it is a bit strange that all mix chapters are a bit short (about 20 pages). Volume 6 is the thinnest of them all. Although it is hard to say whether it is Gusari or Cheri+ decision – simply chapter’s length were more irregular earlier. Just recently after finishing each chapter I have feeling that “it ended too soon” and some things could be more developed… which is not great :/

Especially I have a bit of problem with Mafuyu in this arc – he doesn’t feel enough full-fleshed as character to me. 

From previous arc we know that he has complicated stance with music – it is like it has two different sides:

good thing that allows to express feelings - > being out of his own shell and connecting to others

jealousy and solitude -> bad thing that took Yuki away -> Ueno is spending a lot of time with SYH -> Mafuyu feeling lonely and different from them

it looks like for Mafuyu seeing Ueno with SYH triggered trauma and reminded him of past isolation, which led him to drift away further from them. Like this chapter stated – he is rejecting music completely, which essentially is bad thing since it always allowed him to show his emotions to others (even though it wasn’t easy).

It feels like he regressed as character too much - for example comparing to previous arc where Mafuyama had miscommunication issue, which they solved together pretty neatly. Even though it seems to be partially intentional – after all healing and changing as person is not something linear or easy, but since it is not really emphasized in story so far - I am not 100% sure if that is a point that Gusari want us to get across. There is just not enough introspection in his POV chapters - both internal monologues and conversations with others are rather scarce.

Like it is up to readers to make sensible explanations of Mafuyu’s actions – which theoretically is the bad thing per se, but that vagueness of the story just starts to be too frustrating to me personally.  

Another thing, it is hard to guess what Mafuyu is specifically feeling about Ueno right now. Just it feels too unbalanced with Ueno is trying his best. Even though he is busy with SYH, he still more proactive than Mafuyu – he was the one excited about Given debut, asking to hang out, rushing to see Mafuyu on his request and his general attitude. On the other side, it just seems that Mafuyu is not even considering Ueno feelings at the moment, which is disappointing *sigh*

Ofc it is not that I hate Mafuyu or consider him shallow character – it feels like story is not realizing its full potential and all recent choices are only to add and add and add more drama. It doesn’t feel organic to me and more like author just wants story to go certain way and not solve miscommunication too quickly.

Though I doubt that Mafuyuama will breakup – imo Mafuyu has to open himself to Ueno at some point… I guess some other character (probably Hiiragi) will help him with that but will we see.

After all:

Ofc it is not something easy, but avoiding it is not good solution anyway.

Honestly, it would be the best for whole cast to go for therapy, but unfortunately things like that usually don’t happen in manga, so... *sigh*

Sorry for all that negativity - just even if there is good stuff in current arc, it is hard to me to look past some bad storytelling choices :/

Anyway, thanks for reading and have a nice day <3

[isaksbestpillow]

Exactly! I've seen people say that maybe Pran will retreat because he will find out his mom was the victim is this? And he wants to make her happy, but like i said, even if she was the victim, Pran has already confront her saying he is not responsible of her feelings so in the end it's the same? Pran thought they had a romantic relationship and it ended badly and he still said what he said (and he is right!) so yeah, it would feel like character regression to me.

I get people being wary tho! This is a Thai BL after all haha Hell I am wary, I think it wouldn't make sense narratively but sometimes these shows do things that don't make sense narratively so I get being scared haha

I am also scared because Ohm said in an interview that there was a scene that felt like friends seeing each other after a long time and idk what scene could that be, so my mind goes immediately to: patpran break up → time jump → they seen each other again → they get back together; which would be so cliche and i would HATE it lol And P'Aof already did that sort of with ATOTS so I am just wary tbh

But it wouldn't make sense with this story!! In the book Pat asks Pran to run away together but Pran says no and that's how they end up separated (among other things) but in the show they ARE running away together! and their parents doesn't seem like they are trying to separate them? and Pran's mom even seemed hurt (?) when she said to Pat's dad 'don't teach your kids to hate the people next door' (or something like that) so it wouldn't make sense for her to try to separate them now?

Ugh can you tell i am overthinking? I am so sorry for this novel omg, this week is gonna be something for my brain haha

Always room for a few novels in my inbox dear anon!! I think Pran confronting his mom was one of the key moments on the show and they won't want to undo that. He did try to draw into his shell after kissing Pat, but that was five episodes ago and he has made so much progress since then. I mean he even took a goddamn hit for Pat when Pat's dad got violent!!

I would hate a timeskip or a separation ngl. In Atots it made sense because they were at different points in their lives because of the age difference so Tian going away to finish his education instead of dropping everything on the spot was a positive character arc for him but I don't think it would work for this story. They don't need time apart to think about their lives, they already did that after Pran's mom sent him away. I think a timeskip might also feel out of place because the story has progressed at a very fast pace and no issue has been dragged out just for extra drama.

I haven't seen that interview, but I've been watching p'Aof and his friends react to the show and from those reactions I've kinda gathered his mission for this show is to tell a story that is very simple yet very special, so personally I believe the issues will be solved in a way that's far more simple than you'd expect, but feel free to unfollow my blog if the opposite happens haha.

One thing this show loves is parallels so I think in the next episode we’re gonna get a scene that’s parallel to the beach scene in episode 6. Only this time it’s not a wistful what if but a promise.

[skvaderarts]

Hiraeth Chapter 98: Cinders

Masterlist can be found Here!

Chapter Ninety-Eight: Cinders

Note: Sorry that this went up slightly after midnight! It took a while to edit this chapter, and I didn't wake up until 8:00 p.m.! Either way, I hope you like it! I hate when I miss a deadline by a few minutes!

(-~-)

A strange sort of stillness settled around the area as the winds slowed. The air had reached its coldest point, and the trees no longer swayed in the frigid air, content to stay as they were. They had been rooted to this spot for hundreds of years, much like the curse that had hung over the land they stood on. Their roots ran as deep as the superstitions that had built this place, and as deep as the hatred that had driven once good people to do malicious and terrible things. The same hatred that had once driven the matriarch of a coven to curse the innocent and to break her pact of sanctity all in the name of something that would not change anything. 

Grief.

Perhaps the greatest equalizer, it was the very thing that had driven the original founders of this place to settle these lands, and it was the very thing that had driven them away once the battles had ended. But then grief became a festering hatred, and it left a curse upon everything it touched. And since that day, hundreds of innocents had died in the name of one child who would not have wanted this to happen in the first place, and no vindication was brought upon the very person who placed it. It was cruelty for the sake of cruelty, pettiness in response to pettiness. Hate for hate’s sake. And none of it reduced the agony or solve the problem, and it most certainly didn't bring back The ones that had been lost. Instead, it left a legacy of punishment for those who had committed no crimes, and no punishment for those who had. It was the worst kind of evil, and to think that it had originated from within their own house was enough to make them sick.

But then, out of that snow-covered stillness was born a dim light that grew exponentially until the winds returned, funneling upward from the ground and into the sky as they carried with them the only thing that could render what had been done undone. The only thing that could mend what had been broken and prepare the entire region for a new beginning. In situations like this, there was only one single thing that could signify a new beginning for a place seeped in damnation, corrupted to its very core, and rotten down to its very foundation. It was the seedbed of renewal.

Flames.

For the second time that evening, the night sky around Lympha became bright and brilliant, but instead of the golden light born of a summoner's ultimate sacrifice, it was the kind of brightness that only fire could bring. The kind of light that signified the destruction of homes and houses; of mortar and brick and stone. The chaotic result of combustion via carbon dioxide and nitrogen, to name other things. The kind of heat that could stave off the undeniable prickling of frigid skin. It would heat up the night, and die down within the hour, unable to spread any further, but more than enough to do the job for now.

And at the center of it all was one young witch, her hands thrust into the sky above her as columns and swirls of nearly white-hot flame twirled around her in an infernal swelling hellscape of funneling ash and regressive heat, the limits of her power reached. In just a few minutes' time, there would be nowhere to hide for any of them, and with that came the revelation that tomorrow would not come if victory was not assured. If they did not all leave here, none of them would. There could be no further uncertainty. For the night was long, and the air was cold. There would be no waiting until the morning came. Not among the flames. 

The icy grip of the snowy night would return, and with it, unbearable cold, and then sudden heat that would end when they ended, their minds betraying them into thinking that perhaps it had begun to warm if they too had done the same, and in shedding the only thing that protected them from the cold, they would succumb to it. Hypothermia. But that would not come to pass unless they should fail. And she had never known defeat.

If there was one thing that she knew, it was that the flames would bend to her will. And when it came to this place, her will was to see it reduced to cinders. In this place where so much pain and suffering had occurred; let it all be reduced to ash and dust. Let it settle and blow away in the breeze like the memory of it had in the public eye. Let the unrelenting flames stoked from necessity burn brighter than the darkest night in a place filled with nothing but bad memories and needless death. And even if no one ever returned to this place, the land could finally be at peace, no longer gripped by the darkness that had held sway over these lands for so very long. It ended tonight. What was important was that they didn't as well.

As Flora lowered her arms and panted heavily in the cold night air, she looked around the area. There was no sign of the summoner yet, but she knew that it wouldn't be long before he was forced to come outside and she was able to see him. She didn't expect him to exactly walk up to her and introduce himself, but she knew that he had very little in the way of places to retreat to if he didn't wish to burn to death. None of them did. She had made sure of that. Now all she needed to do was wait for the perfect opportunity to attack. She just hoped that that opportunity would be sooner rather than later. As hot as the flames were, it was still pretty cold out here, and she wasn't sure how long the winds would decide to stay away. They were all working on borrowed time and they knew it.

Just then, out of the doorway to the general store came a shrouded figure, limping through the snow. They seemingly struggled to stay on their feet, their injuries clearly grave even if she couldn't see them from this distance. Flora held her ground, unwilling to give any leeway to her potential opponent. She wasn't sure what he was capable of, and as such, she was on high alert. But as he stumbled into the light and out of the darkness, he fell to the ground in front of her, landing on his knees and breathing heavily. And she was finally able to take a better look at him.

Now clear in the light of the flickering flames was his mask, cracked but somehow still attached in spite of everything. His robes were tinted a deep crimson now, soaked with his blood as the result of a particularly deep upward arching slash became visible to her, the cold probably the only thing that had saved him up until this point. It seemed that Sirrus had truly gone for a killing blow, and she wasn't sure why he was still alive other than the fact that he was just unfortunate enough to pull through in spite of everything. The kind of power that her red hair acquaintance had unleashed upon him was something that was not typically used for combat in this manner, so perhaps that had something to do with it. But regardless, it was generally lethal in all forms, and seeing a human who had survived it was something else, even if she had been informed that he had been possessed by a Devil Prince. There was truly something special about this one.

Labored breaths became evident to her as he faced down towards the snow, seemingly unwilling to look her in the face. He was clearly struggling to stay conscious. She could tell that much just by looking at him. But the one thing she didn't understand was why he had come before her and was now panting at her feet. The obvious answer was that he was injured, but why he had decided that he should approach her instead of sneaking around behind her to attempt to kill her or something was beyond Flora. It was just such a strange thing to do.

"You… set the fire."

In all honesty, it actually took her a second to realize he was addressing her. His voice was so low and heavily tinted with pain that she was genuinely surprised to hear him speak at all. Looking at him, she wouldn't have guessed that he still possessed the ability to. He was clearly suffering. But he had somehow mustered the strength to do it, and she wasn't sure if she should be genuinely impressed or horrified that he still had that much mental capacity remaining given his current state. His resilience was impressive, if not slightly troubling.

Still panting slightly, Flora nodded in confirmation. She put her hands on her thighs, arching her back forward slightly as she took in the frigid air. The smoke burned her lung slightly, and she was thankful that she wasn't any closer to the buildings. Just because she could control fire did not mean that she was not beholden to its consequences. "Yes. Yes, I did."

Wheezing slightly, the gravely injured summoner coughed, spitting a bit of blood onto the pavement. He shook his head slowly as though he could not believe something, and she got the impression that it wasn't just the fire that was on his mind. He seemed to be genuinely taken aback by what she had done, sure, but this was clearly not entirely about that. He had other concerns. "We're going to freeze."

"Probably." She said in a matter so sarcastically indifferent that it seemed to actually shock him slightly. He looked up at her for a moment, his gaze falling back towards the ground a moment later. He chuckled, a wet gurgling noise apparent as he did so. She was no doctor, but she was willing to bet that he had blood in his lungs. He seemed to fully understand now that she was not here to play games with him, not that he had necessarily thought that to begin with. She had no way of knowing for sure. No, this was beyond that point. He needed to be careful who he was toying with. "Come to bargain  so as not to burn?"

He shrugged in visible apathy, his disregard for his current condition apparent. What difference did it make at this point? There was no victory to be had here. He had been defeated wholly and truly, and his master had fled him. He had been abandoned and broken, physically and mentally. What else was there for him to do? Laying in a flaming building and waiting for the flames to consume him was definitely an option, but there was no guarantee that that would happen after he finally passed on. He was better off out here, even if the outcome might still be the same eventually.

Flora stood there and looked up at the sky for a moment, closing her eyes as she exhaled deeply and slowly. Her lungs felt better, but it was best that they did not spend an extended amount of time in this kind of inferno. She was actually starting to get hot and that wasn't going to last for long if the winds returned. This was her ultimate bluff, and she hoped that she was good at playing her cards. "I've been authorized to offer you an accord. There's no bargaining in it for you, though. It’s a yes or a no answer kind of situation, and to be honest, your probability of survival isn't high either way so… "

Groaning in obvious distaste, he spat blood onto the pavement in front of him, coughing again and slowly moving his hand up to press on the space between his chest and throat. She could tell by the way he inhaled that his lungs burned, and they probably weren't functional to their full capacity at this point either way, so that wasn't the best thing for him at the moment. He probably couldn’t control it, though. He shuttered, seemingly physically revolted by the idea of surrender. And then he laughed slightly, looking up at her and shaking his head. "You don't have what it takes."

A soft chuckle came from Flora's chest as she closed her eyes before opening them again and rolling them, shaking her head. She held her hands out on either side of her and slowly rotated her palms so that they faced upward towards the night sky before snapping her fingers and igniting both of her hands in the same brilliant flame that now consumed the city. She stared down at him, an intense look of calm overtaking her as she allowed her distaste for him to become a parent, no longer concealed by even the thinnest veil of kindness, her long hair blowing in the wind as the edges of her locks ignited. Flora was not the sort of person who was going to kill an unarmed opponent, but she most certainly was the sword who would leave someone who had tried to kill members of her family to freeze in a burning city. She was offering him this parlay as an extension of goodwill to satiate her own humanity, but that humanity didn't necessarily have to be quenched. Her morals could be quelled if need be, which of course did bring into consideration whether or not they were truly morals, but no one was uncompromising. There were always exceptions. Always.

"Try me, mate. See what I’m “capable” of."

Agreus stared at her in notable silence for a moment before making eye contact with her, their gazes meeting for a period of time until everything around them seemed to fade away. She did not back down or flinch, and after a moment that felt like a lifetime, he seemed to understand that he had lost this fight. Even under his mask, through the cracks that had formed in it, his facial expressions were clear. And he wore the face of a man defeated, and by a teenage witch no less. It had to be quite the embarrassing thing to such a proud summoner, to be apprehended by someone he probably looked down on as weaker than him. But this was not a battle of power. This was a war of attrition thought by will alone. And Flora's resolve was stronger by a landslide. Frankly, she was done giving a shit, and he knew it. She would end him if she had to. No hesitation.

With another weak cough, Agreus kneeled further to the ground, clearly in a bad way. His health wasn't getting any better out here. Far from it. But if this was the only chance he had at possible survival, even if he did not believe that there was anything to survive for at this point, then he would take it. Moment by moment, clarity returned to him now that he was stripped of the presence of the devil prince, his influence no longer lingering in his mind. And minute by minute, he dwelled on his own mortality and morality, wondering just how much he had eroded it in his pursuit to please his master. He wasn't sure what he felt right now, but it was unpleasant and he did not want to acknowledge it. "Don't waste your efforts on me. You possess talent. I possess nothing."

Flora scoffed at the statement, shaking her head as she stepped forward and reached into her pocket, taking out something that she had brought from within the hotel. She found an old bike lock in there, the least magical thing that she could have hoped to use in a situation like this, but something that would have to do. He was going somewhere very secure, and whether he liked it or not, he probably wasn't going to be coming out. But she had to get him there first, and she would be absolutely daft to think even for a second that even after surrendering to her that he would just simply walk to where they wanted him to go. She expected him to fight back and to struggle and resist, it was simply who her opponent was. And there was nowhere near enough faith in humanity in her to believe in the innate goodwill of others. She had taken that chance many times, and it had basically always blown up in her face. Good deeds always lead to punishment, and she had had enough of that for one day.

"Stop your sniveling. You have plenty of time for that later." Flora said as she grabbed his arm and pulled it forward, wrapping the chain around his wrist before twisting it around his neck and then around his other wrist, locking it behind the back of his neck. An unorthodox way to secure someone, sure, but it did ensure that he wouldn't be able to easily fiddle with the lock or grip anything. After all, it was a little hard to open a door when your hands were basically tied to your neck, wasn't it? She then forced him to his feet, watching as the summoner groaned in discomfort at the idea of having to stand, his legs nearly buckling. She noticed that he was limping, and his leg was injured. An old injury from another time perhaps? "Hurt your leg?"

He let out a sort of wet cough, shaking his head. "I got what I deserved from that little summoner. I overstepped and I was put back in my place. An eye for an eye years in the making." He said simply, seemingly acknowledging something that she had never considered. She knew that this summer had hunted V down on behalf of the demon prince, but she admittedly hadn't been there at the beginning of this affair. She could tell by their reactions that everyone else had run into him multiple times before she had met him even once, but she wasn't privy to basically any of the history between them. It was an interesting aspect of this situation that she hadn't really considered until just now. "Very literally."

"Oh yes, I remember that. I remember that indeed. How could I possibly forget? I’m certain that he hasn’t. If not for my intervention, he would have certainly bled out."

Flora glanced over her shoulder to see Magnolia emerge from a building behind her, the witch’s left hand raised out in a manner that implied she was ready to strike him down if need be, her other freehand on her staff that was now reattached to her back. She held her hand just slightly behind her back, her fingertips brushing against the center grip. Magnolia possessed none of the leniency that her young niece did, and that was saying something considering how little Flora possessed at this point. The young witch watched as her other two aunts came from behind two of the other buildings in front of them, Aluta clearly exhausted, but now able to stand. And she had no doubts as to the fact that her aunt would probably snap her fingers and end him if given the opportunity. Willow simply seemed content to fold her arms and stroll over, her interest in having this over and done with before it got any colder evident.

"Vergil's oldest child? What did this one do to him?" Willow said to Magnolia, nearly spitting it. Her disgust towards the perverted magic and treacherous evils that he had committed could not be understated. There were few things she hated more than those who used insidious power to destroy and corrupt the minds of those around them, but adding attempted murder to the mix was surely a way to make it considerably worse. “Then you will live long enough to face his judgment.”

Magnolia turned her attention back to the captured summoner, looking him dead in the face as she leaned over and made eye contact with him. She wanted to say something, but she wasn't sure where to start. They had to keep him alive long enough so that she would have an opportunity to think about it. "From what I understand, the injuries this one inflicted on poor sweet V were so severe that it caused him to awaken his demonic blood. He then turned the tables on this one here and slammed him through a conduit, nearly causing it to go critical. It's still in rough shape, but it appears to be stable for the time being. Another thing we will have to worry about because of this one."

Coughing again, Agreus nodded feebly in response to her statement. He had no objections to make. There was no point. V had certainly done that, and to say that he had been shocked by the sudden turning of tables would be an understatement. He hadn't sensed the slightest bit of demonic power coming off of that child until the moment that he had sent a shock wave of it slamming into every edge of the cave. The next thing he'd known, he'd been within the grips of one of the most powerful devils he had ever encountered. It had been utterly mind-shattering, and his respect for his opponent could not be understated. After all, he’d nearly died shock before almost being literally ripped apart but V’s bare hands, and he hadn’t even been at his full strength. No, those who wronged him lived purely at his behest. He’d gotten a glimpse of what V could do, and a part of him had relished the opportunity to see him flex that power again, but nothing he’d done to provoke him into displaying it again had garnered the slightest bit of effort on the white hair’s part. It was hard to explain. But then again neither were some of the other emotions he felt towards him. It was hard to understand just how much he wanted to speak with V at this point in time. He wasn't sure they had much to talk about, but it would be interesting, nonetheless. Perhaps he would hold on at least that long.

Aluta approached quietly, standing with her sisters as they waited for the gateway that they needed to open to appear. They would fetch Sirrus from his safe place within the confines of the car once they knew that it was safe to proceed. But until that time, they were going to have quite a bit of waiting to do. They had given an exact time, but all of them got the impression that something just wasn't right. But until the gateway opened, they had no way of knowing, and they simply hoped that everything would be all right until then.

(-~-)

Morgan sincerely regretted every aspect of the plan that had led them to this outcome.

The trio said barricaded behind a large door, Hydrangea in the process of turning some massive sphere to attempt to pinpoint the exact location of where her relatives were. She had her eyes closed, clearly concentrating on honing in on their energy as Magnolia's bird sat mere inches away from her, working as a sort of channeling device. 

After what felt like a lifetime considering the number of demons that were outside of the door vying to get inside to kill them and harvest their blood, she felt the door shift, and something in the room changed. A sort of electric hum became audible as they watched a blue glowing light coat the edges of the black doorway in front of them, its round arch filling up to the middle with a sort of standing water that seemed to ripple like the surface of a lake. The symbols that adorned the outer edge of the frame glowed brightly, working as a sort of indicator as to what was going on despite the fact that she couldn't read a single bit of it. The strange energy that encompassed it radiated off of the door, filling the entire room with a brilliant but haunting light as a cold breeze chillier than any HVAC system could achieve slammed into the room, bringing with it particles of what appeared to be snow and ash. And all the while, she could smell smoke and flame. She wasn't sure if that came from within the home or the other side of the doorway, but either way, something was burning. 

This was something clearly beyond the pale that she had no reason to try to comprehend or be exposed to, but they were far beyond the point where that mattered. It was actually fascinating, if she was being perfectly honest. She wasn’t afraid. She just hoped that the magical artifact that she had been gifted by hydrangea would be enough to protect her should the doors fail, and she and Brenowon were doing everything in their power to keep the door closed. The wood could split, and the hinges could bend, much as they were now, but she would not let go of the door. It was the only thing between them and the hordes of demons outside of the door. They would have to take her down with it.

Off in the distance, she could swear that she heard the sound of gunshots and the clanging of swords, the shouting of voices that she did not recognize apparent but still not immediately helpful to her. She had no doubt that Lady, Trish, and Lucia were still alive. It was going to take more than a hoard of weaker demons to take them out. This was not their first rodeo, that much was clear. They had been holding their own for the better part of two weeks, so this siege on the house was probably nothing more than an exhausting inconvenience for them. That being said, she hoped that they were able to reach this end of the house quickly. They knew that shouting at them probably wasn't going to help considering the sheer amount of noise, but they had tried it moments ago, and a part of her hoped that they had been heard. She had not come this far to die behind a locked door. She would fight, but she’d be lying if she said that she didn’t need help. They all did.

Moments later, a foot stepped through the doorway, bringing ash and snow with it as they stepped through the doorway and into the brightly lit room. The figure in white robes was led by Flora, genuinely a sight for sore eyes. Morgan wasn't sure whether or not She would be able to do anything to help, but she was glad to see her safe either way. She'd seen enough good people get hurt today.

Willow and Magnolia followed shortly behind her, pulling what appeared to be some sort of hotel luggage cart with them. And on the cart was a figure with red hair bundled into a pile of bloody blankets. It was Sirrus, and even without being able to see most of his body, she could tell that he wasn't doing well. She had no idea what had gone so wrong, and last she had checked, the red-haired man was supposed to be in the underworld with V and his family! There had clearly been a massive change of plans at the last minute. Either that or… No! She couldn't think that. He had to be alright! She couldn't ask just yet, but she had to know that he was okay. That all of them were okay. None of them deserved to suffer because of the machinations of one individual and his set of pawns.

"Something's going on, isn't it darlings?" Magnolia asked tiredly as the door slammed shut behind them, cutting off the torrent of cold air and seasonal weather that had been carried through behind them. She didn’t even need to ask, let alone look. It appeared that she had noticed that they were holding the door shut, and couldn't help but chuckle to herself in exhausted disbelief as she realized that something had gone horribly wrong while she was gone. She literally couldn't step out of the house for a few minutes without the apocalypse rolling up to the front door, could she? One of the perks of knowing the Sons of Sparda.

Brenowon Not an agreement as he turned around, pressing his back to the door in an attempt to keep it closed. Upon seeing Agreus, He growled and raced forward, lunging at the summoner in an attempt to exact some sort of vengeance upon him. It was clear that he genuinely hated him, even if he hadn't spoken a word about it previously.

"You sick bastard! I can't even believe you're still alive! You were going to hurt my sister!" He snarled as He raced forward and decked his former cult master in the jaw, nearly sending him careening to the floor if not for the fact that Flora was holding him up under one arm. She made no move to stop him, but Morgan pulled him back, understanding her brother's fury, but entirely unwilling to allow him to exact his vengeance right now. As much as she hated to admit it, they had better things to do at the moment than tell the summoner a piece of their mind. Still, she turned and looked at the man in the long robes, fury evident in her eyes as she realized this was the man who had been willing to hand her over to a demon Prince to do with as he pleased simply at the behest of that very same monster. And for what? Power?

She let Bren go but for hauling back, running, and kicking him in the knee so hard that this time he did buckle, falling to the floor and nearly hitting his head on the podium that held the spherical control device for the door. He groaned and discomfort, seemingly shocked at just how hard she had kicked him. She then stepped back and folded her arms, shaking her head as she sighed in discontent. She wasn't even sure where to start with him. Perhaps it was best that she just not bother? That was going to be her policy for the moment. How lucky for him.

Magnolia patted both of them on the shoulder before stepping forward and unlatching the lock on the door, cracking her knuckles as she adjusted her shoulders. She then held out her hands in front of her, and the air pressure in the room changed before the door slammed open and a torrent of strong wind shot down the hallway like an air cannon, eviscerating the demons in front of her, and slamming any that had the temerity to remain in the hallway back a few dozen feet into the wall at the far end of the hall, knocking the wind out of all of those present who were on her side in the process as their backs hit the nearest wall on either side of them. There had to be at least 20 of them, but as she snapped her fingers and Porter staff from her back, her bird surged forward and a hail of lightning went shooting down the corridor, enveloped in the thundering wind that carried downward strike. The demons cried out in momentary terror before being reduced to nothing more than I said pile of dust on what would otherwise have been an immaculate floor. She then stepped forward and gestured for the rest of them to follow her, making her way down the hallway in a sort of hurried walk as they made their way back towards the entrance hall. She knew a shortcut back. A door behind one of the bookcases that only worked one way in case of emergencies. And considering how badly hurt Sirrus was, this certainly counted as one.

"We need to make our way to the infirmary wing. Posthaste. And we'll have to fight our way there. Are you prepared to do that, young ones? Willow said if she looked over at Morgan and Bren, Flora standing just behind them still holding the beleaguered Agreus in her grip. She knew that neither of their young guests were warriors, but these were low-level demons that shouldn't pose too much danger to them so long as they kept their wits about them and stayed aggressive.

Bren grabbed the nearest thing that he could get his hands on. It was a sort of metal lantern stand that resembled a candelabra. Not the best weapon, but completely adequate given the circumstances. They'd only been given enough time to grab one magical artifact, and he had insisted that his sister take it. He hadn’t the slightest idea how to use magic anyway, and although his sister didn't either, he wanted to give her the best chance of surviving in spite of her numerous protests to the contrary.

Morgan clutched the small piece of carved stone in her pocket that Hydrangea had gifted her on the way down here. According to her, it was a training talisman gifted to children who were starting to learn their power. She had been told that if she possessed the aptitude, the stone would be able to protect her. She wasn't sure what that aptitude might be, but she had been told a phrase to recite should she need to use it, and it was burned into her psyche, perhaps as a result of her adamant desire to not die here. She exhaled heavily and nodded. They were going to make it to the far wing of the building, and they were going to do it now. None of these demons were going to stop them from saving Sirrus.

"Let's do this." She said firmly, her eyes locked on the task ahead. Everyone here had fought to protect her from the forces of the underworld. It was her turn to help protect them. “I’m not scared of these weak assholes anymore. Let’s take them out.”

(-~-)

This is it, folks! 6k Words! This chapter felt good to write, not gonna lie! You know what’s coming next week, don’t you?! Chapters 99 and 100 (Seriously, wtf I really can't get to the point, can I lol?!) are going to be one hell of a ride, and I simply cannot WAIT to have you read them. I have a long week of writing ahead of me, and you have a lot of anxiety lol! Get the tissues ready because we're about to play Soliloquy Saga: Prepare to Cry Edition! OMG, I am so fucking cringe I can’t stand it…

Hope you all had a good week! See you in the comments, and I’ll see you all next week! I have a lot of planning to do this weekend! Again, sorry for the late upload! The day just kind of slipped away from me.