#I think all of us stumbled into some spoilers if we read for the first time recently

[revenantghost]

I love the first-timers in bookclub thinking they're prepared because they know spoilers. That's cute and all, but you ain't. HAVE FUN.

[on-my-vigilante-sht]

Follow Me

Luke Castellan x daughterofares!Reader

Summary: Luke's girlfriend is excited to finally become a year-round camper so she can spend it with him. But Luke has other plans for them.

Warning: Major spoilers if you haven't finished the first book(/season depending on when you read this), canon-level violence, weapons, injuries, angst

Word Count: 5.5K

Masterlist

A/N I haven't watched the show because I don't have Disney+ so I'm working from (memory of) the books. No characters are specifically book or show so descriptions are left vague. Imagine whatever you want.

I stumbled my way up Half-Blood Hill, determined to get to Thalia’s tree. This was my last year being a summer camper. After I graduated high school I’d decided to become a year round camper seeing as the real world was getting more and more dangerous for me. And I'd be damned if I let myself be killed right before I was in the safety of camp for good.

I was in so much pain, there was blood pouring out of my abdomen caused by the crocotta’s razor sharp claws slicing at me. My short break gave it enough time to catch up to me so rather than continuing to flee, I was forced to turn and face it. I pulled out my father’s gift to me, a sword made of celestial bronze that grew from a steel knife that could harm mortals. When he claimed and gifted it to me I found the steel useless. Why would I ever need to harm a mortal? The reasoning behind the dual blade still eluded me. The only reason I could think of was just that Ares had a penchant for violence.

As the crocotta bounded closer to me, all I could do was stand and wait for it to get within range. But upon reaching me, it just swiped the sword from my grasp, pouncing on me. I felt a tear slip down my face as I realized I’d failed to reach safety one final time. As it growled in my face and opened its jaw, I sent a silent prayer to my father and a goodbye to Luke. But before it’s jaws could clamp down on me, the weight lifted and a shimmery cloud of ichor rained down on me.

As the golden dust settled, I could see my boyfriend’s face above mine, standing over me, clutching his dagger. “Luke,” I practically sobbed in relief.

“Oh my gods,” he exclaimed, kneeling down next to me. His hands went to my stomach, pressing against the open wound, trying to stop the bleeding. “Can you walk?” he asked, fear in his eyes.

“Yeah,” I nodded, letting him take my hand as he stood. Truthfully I probably couldn’t really walk but it was either walk 10 feet to the tree or lie here waiting for someone else to help Luke carry me in and potentially getting attacked by another monster.

I let out a groan as Luke slung my arm over his shoulder, pulling me up from the ground. “C’mon,” he urged, “just get to the tree and then we’ll get some more people to help you.” I nodded, not bothering with a verbal agreement as I let my boyfriend practically carry me just past Thalia’s tree. “There we go,” he said gently as he eased me to the ground.

“Go. Go get Lee or Michael,” I urged him as he kneeled by my side again.

“No,” Luke immediately shot down. “I’m not leaving you like this and so close to the edge of the barrier.” I glanced to my left. We were about three feet from the edge of the camp’s protective barrier. “Help!” I heard him yell towards camp.

“What? Do you think I'm accidentally gonna roll down the hill?” I tried to joke. But my chuckle made my wounds hurt even more.

Seeing my pain made Luke even more unamused. Soon enough a few other campers ran up to us, having heard Luke’s call.

“Y/N, oh my god.”

“What happened?”

“Another one?!”

I heard the various reactions from other campers. Another one? What did they mean another one? But I didn’t dwell on my questions for long because Lee Fletcher and Michael Yew were running towards me. A few of my siblings followed them carrying a stretcher. As the Apollo boys started to try to stop the bleeding, I was moved onto the stretcher. But the pain of being lifted was so bad I blacked out.

~

When I came to in the sickroom of the Big House all I could feel was pain. I let out a soft groan, snapping Luke to attention. He was slumped over on my bedside, seemingly sleeping. He immediately grabbed a piece of ambrosia off the nightstand next to the cot, bringing it to my lips. I immediately rejected it, not feeling like eating anything.

“C’mon, it’s ambrosia. It’ll make you feel better,” Luke pleaded. Reluctantly I let him coax the food into my mouth and ate it. The comforting taste of my mother’s chocolate cake filled my mouth. Despite the fact that it tasted good, it felt heavy in my stomach and I pushed the food away. “You gotta eat more than that,” he tried again.

“Let’s start with water or nectar,” I suggested, my throat sore.

Luke looked at the floor angrily. He sighed. “We’re out of nectar for a while. Ambrosia is all we have.”

“What?” I asked in shock, sitting up in surprise. Luke was quick to coax me back down.

“Grover and the kid he was helping got attacked by the Minotaur on their way here. Just like the crocotta attacked you.”

“Oh my god,” I murmured. “Is that why someone said ‘Another one?’ as they were bringing me here?”

He nodded once again. “His name was Percy. He showed up the night before you did.” He suddenly stopped talking. Like he had something more to say. I urged him to continue and he did so reluctantly. “Poseidon claimed him the second night he was awake… and now he’s on a quest.”

I looked at him sympathetically. I knew all about Luke’s anger about going unclaimed for so long. And then when he finally was claimed and had trained to be a great hero, all Hermes could give him to do was steal some golden apples. But after countless rants about this I knew he wouldn’t want sympathy. “You said he’s on a quest already? How long have I been out?”

“A couple days. Chiron and Lee kicked me out for a while.”

“What’d you do?”

“Well, we already need new practice dummies for combat training,” he admitted sheepishly. I laughed and fortunately Luke did too.

By now, Chiron had sensed I was awake and entering the sickroom. As he ducked his way through the door he shrunk down back into his wheelchair so as to not overwhelm me. “I’m glad to see you’re awake. You gave us quite a scare for a few days,” he smiled.

“So I've heard.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Like my guts were ripped out by a crocotta,” I answered.

“Well the ambrosia should help the pain and scarring. Lee stopped the bleeding and stitched you up but he said you’d be out for a few days.”

“Can you get her some nectar?” Luke interrupted. “She’s not exactly in a place to be eating solid foods.”

“Mr. D is trying to get into contact with Apollo. Apparently he’s concerned that Dionysus is overindulging.”

“That’s crap!” Luke suddenly burst out.

“Luke!” Chiron immediately cut him off. “I know you’re concerned for Ms. L/N, here but the food of the gods is in of itself a privilege.” He then turned his attention back to me. “I’m sorry you’re not feeling well but ambrosia will have to do until we’re able to get more nectar.”

“Thanks, Chiron,” I tried to dismiss him, giving him a tight lipped smile. Sensing my disappointment he took his leave, wheeling out of the room.

Luke was back by my bedside with more pieces of ambrosia that I reluctantly took.

~

Thanks to the godly food I was up and walking within two days much to cabin 5’s relief. So many of my younger siblings were saying that Clarisse had been a terror in my absence. Something about a bathroom exploding and then she apparently tried to electrocute the new camper. I made a note to talk to her later but for now I was focused on getting my cabin back in order. They responded best to authority and a routine so I quickly had them out in training, telling them that I wouldn’t tolerate us losing capture the flag again.

We made our way down to the arena for sword fighting lessons. Luke and I were both instructors seeing as we were the oldest two campers and the best with blades. Our childhood competitiveness had eventually grown into love but for a while, we hated each other. We used to spend hours trying to get the upper hand over one another.

But now that we were dating, the younger campers always tried to goad us into sparring with one another. We always said that we’d save our sparring match for our own training or a reward for the others doing well but usually a few teasing comments had our swords pointed at one another.

I was correcting a Hermes camper’s form when he asked me to try fighting Luke. “Not today,” I laughed.

“Why? Is it because you’re scared?” he asked, knowing exactly what he was doing.

“No,” I corrected him. “It’s because once we fight, none of you will care about what we teach you.”

“Sound like you’re scared,” the boy just repeated.

I just rolled my eyes, prepared to dismiss him when Luke’s voice interrupted. “Yeah, Y/N. It sounds like you’re scared.” I rolled my eyes again as he approached. “I wouldn’t want to fight the capture the flag champion either.”

“You only won because I was recovering from being chased across the country by a monster. Just wait until the next game, I’ll show you how Cabin 5 does it.” That elicited a few cries of encouragement from my cabin, eager to win their flag back.

“You need a bit more time to train, I get it,” he mockingly offered. A few of his siblings joined in on the taunting with their exaggerated reactions.

“I don’t need time. I’d just rather not cut you up this early into the summer,” I smiled. A few ‘ooh’s came from our audience.

Luke bristled a little at that. “C’mon,” he gestured to the arena, “let’s settle this once and for all.”

I picked up one of the practice swords that resembled the size and weight of my real sword, stepping into the middle of the arena. “You say that every time.” Luke smiled, taking his spot in front of me with his practice sword as the other campers backed up.

I barely gave him a chance to settle before I was moving. I had the advantage of my father’s knack for fighting and aggression but I wasn’t as strong as Luke. Unfortunately, he knew all my moves and tricks so he was able to block me. But that also meant I knew all of his moves and tricks because I could anticipate his subsequent moves.

We continued on, trying to outmaneuver each other. He kept forcing me out of range, protecting his body, whilst I tried to find an opening to get close to him. The other campers had been within the walls of the arena but we moved around so much they were forced to jump out.

The only reason we stopped was because our little “lesson” had gone on too long and Chiron was wondering where his students were. Neither of us noticed him until he yelled our names. “Y/N L/N! Luke Castellan! What are you doing?” We both immediately stopped, facing the centaur like guilty children.

“We were just introducing them to technique,” Luke offered. I could tell Chiron saw right through his excuse but it was good enough reasoning.

“You both know you’re supposed to hold off on sparring one another. Children,” he turned to the other campers, “what did your instructors teach you?”

“Stance!”

“What to do if your opponent has a longer sword!”

Those were the answers our siblings offered but one Aphrodite camper’s answer ruined the whole thing. “How to waste time.” Luke and I both sent her stares.

Fortunately Chiron didn’t take it too seriously. “Save the sparring for your own sessions,” he warned us. “Everyone move on to your next activities. I’m sure your instructors are waiting.”

As everyone else filed off, Luke and I looked at each other. “You’re disgusting,” I laughed, observing his sweaty shirt.

He looked baffled at that. “Wow. I was gonna ask if you’re okay but clearly you don’t value me that much,” he answered in mocking offense.

“No, no, no,” I corrected through laughs, going to him. But as soon as he tried to hug me, I pulled away with a wrinkled nose. Seeing my disgust, he forcefully hugged me, drowning me in his B.O. When I finally wrestled my way out of his arms I was disgusting. “Ugh we both need showers.”

He smiled. “I’ll see you at dinner,” he promised. He stepped closer to me, kissing me quickly before heading off towards the showers. I watched him leave for a moment before heading to my cabin.

Later that night at dinner, I was talking to my cabin-mates when Luke came over, crouching by me. “Hey,” he smiled up at me as if this was the most normal thing in the world.

“Hi,” I laughed. “What are you doing here?”

“Being a good boyfriend. I’m just giving you a heads up that our spar from earlier isn’t over yet.”

“What?”

Chiron stood up and so did Luke. “Gotta go, bye,” he said, pressing a kiss to my temple before scurrying off.

Bewildered, I looked up at Chiron. “We have a special activity tonight per the request of the reigning capture the flag champions. We’ll be playing again tonight seeing as some claimed our last games were unfair due to a missing counselor.” Cabin 5 erupted into cheers, eager to win the flag back. “Luke Castellan and Y/N L/N are captains. Same rules as the prior games.”

Not willing to let my cabin lose again, I jumped into action. “Cabin 5, armor on, get to the creek in 5!” They all quickly scrambled off. Our allies for this game, Dionysus, Aphrodite, Demeter, and Hephaestus followed their lead.

I followed after them to get my armor as well and soon enough I was stood by the creek, discussing strategy with my teammates. Once our discussion time drew to a close, I faced my opposing captain. “You’re going down, feather feet,” I sneered.

“We’ll see, hot head,” Luke taunted.

I laughed. “Oh yeah, one more thing,” I told my teammates. “Bring me Luke’s sword and helmet.”

“In your dreams,” he taunted back. He looked at his team. “Bring me Y/N.”

“Okay,” Chiron interrupted us. “Before we begin I think we need a reminder that killing is not permitted. Are we clear?” A few unenthusiastic agreements came from the crowd. Nodding, Chiron blew into the horn, signaling that the games had begun. Some of my campers who hadn’t already been stationed bolted into the trees, doubling back so they could hopefully sneak through Hermes’ cabin’s defenses. The others stayed with me to defend the most obvious point.

One Hermes kid immediately jumped at me but I slashed him in the chest, (his armor protected him so he just got the wind knocked out of him) knocking him back into the water.

He got back up, running at one of my campers but he was immediately disarmed and taken prisoner. By the time I looked back, the other campers and Luke were gone. I realized with a frustrated scream that this kid was a distraction. “Find them!” I yelled at the others.

“Their territory or ours?” I observed the 5 campers in front of me. “You three, stay on our side. Fan across the creek, look for signs they crossed into our territory. The rest of you, we’re gonna either hunt them down in their territory or take their flag.”

My group leapt over the creek, running into the forest.

As we searched, we picked up a few of our own teammates, running through the woods and strangely finding no opposing campers. We continued on nonetheless until Athena and Apollo campers all of a sudden started darting through the trees.

Eventually they stopped moving enough for us to have a proper fight. I faced Malcom Pace, easily disarming him. But suddenly his older brothers were on me. As I was busy fighting twins, Leo and Cato, another one of the boys found an opening. Quinn wrapped his arms around me, a dagger at my throat. “Drop the sword,” they told me.

Seeing as I wasn’t getting out of this but my teammates were gone while many of the Athena and Apollo campers were still here, I dropped the sword. Most of my campers got away and were likely hunting down the flag.

Before they could decide where to stash their prisoner, the horn blew again, signaling the end of the games. But as I tried to leave, the others stopped me. “Woah, Luke said he wanted you so we’re taking you.”

I rolled my eyes, letting them lead me to the creek. “Yeah, well when my cabin gives me his stuff and the flag, you can apologize to me.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Quinn dismissed. “You’re just mad I beat you.”

“You only ‘beat me’ because there were three of you. And you guys still lost the rest of my team.”

“We still got you!” Leo taunted in a sing-songy voice. By now we had reached the creek and I saw Clarisse holding the flag, a helmet, and a sword. Luke was kneeled beside her looking humiliated, clearly a captive.

Both sides let us go and I went to Clarisse. “Your spoils,” she presented me the flag, helmet, and sword. I smiled, wrapping the flag around her shoulders and taking Luke’s stuff.

“Thank you!” I said emphatically, pointing a look of victory at Luke.

He just shook his head, standing up. As he approached me I figured he was grabbing his belongings but instead he wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me in for a kiss. When he pulled away he explained. “You’re my spoil.”

~

Camp life continued on as normal for a while. I finally met the newest hero who had returned Zeus’ masterbolt— he did not like my father. He seemed surprised that Luke and I were dating and I learned that Luke had become a sort of mentor to Percy over the days that I had been asleep. That also surprised me, given how resentful Luke had seemed towards him when I first woke up. Regardless, everything seemed normal as we continued our routines throughout the summer until I was woken up one night.

“Y/N,” a voice whispered, shaking me. “Y/N.” I reluctantly opened my eyes, finding one of my younger brothers, Aiden, shaking me. “Luke’s asking for you.”

“What?” I asked, sitting up.

“Luke wants to talk to you. He gave me a coke if I woke you up.” The boy excitedly held up a shiny red can as if to persuade me to go.

I rubbed his messy hair as I sat up. “Don’t let Clarisse see that,” I advised, throwing on a hoodie. He nodded, going back to his bunk as I headed outside. “Luke!” I whispered into the night upon exiting the cabin. I didn’t notice him sneaking up towards me until his hands were around my waist. “Luke!” I exclaimed in surprise.

He quickly hushed me. “Do you want the harpies to find us?”

“Well we wouldn’t have to worry about that if you weren’t trying to talk to me in the middle of the night. What’s wrong?” I asked, knowing it’d be serious. He let his playful facade drop as he urged me to follow him, taking my hand. I went with him, silently trusting him until I realized we were heading to the woods. I stopped, letting my hand fall out of his grasp. “What? Are you gonna kill me in there?” I laughed shallowly, trying to lighten the mood and quell the alarms in my brain.

Luke returned my shallow laugh, clearly nervous. “Of course not. Look, I have to talk to you. It’s serious.” I could see the genuineness in his expression so I let him retake my hand. “I’d never hurt you,” he promised. So I followed him further into the woods until he deemed us far enough. “The nymphs may hear us but it’s kind of impossible to avoid them,” he chuckled.

“Hear what?” I asked.

He took a breath, seemingly composing himself. “You know how I went on that quest? For my dad?”

“Yeah. What? You want to go out into the world again?” I asked, a little relieved.

“Sort of,” he offered. “But on that ‘quest,’” he mocked the word, “I realized something: the gods are useless.”

“Luke!” I immediately reprimanded him.

“No,” he cut me off. “You don’t have to pretend like not fawning over the gods is a crime. We shouldn’t be blindly worshipping them. Y/N,” his hands were clasping my shoulders as if begging me to believe him, “your father waited for the last day of summer your first year to claim you. Why? Just to mess with you? Because he just couldn’t be bothered to do it until he remembered at the last second? That’s messed up. The gods aren’t fit to rule. The West is going to hades. My quest? To repeat Heracles’ quest? All the gods know how to do is repeat the past. Their glory days.”

“Luke, you’re scaring me.” I was practically begging him to stop talking so we could go back to the way it was. This was the first year I’d be staying year round. We were supposed to be celebrating Christmas together for the first time in a few months. Yet here he was, spouting off heresy.

“Open your eyes,” he insisted. “The gods are poisoning the world and they’ve been using us as pawns to do it. The only way to fix it is to destroy it and start over with something more honest.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve been having dreams sent by the Titan Lord.”

A shiver ran down my spine and I stepped out of his grasp. “No,” I heard myself whisper. “Luke, he’s using you. You remember what Chiron taught us. We are not better off, no one was better off when the Titans ruled. We didn’t even have fire. He will kill all the humans. He’ll kill us.”

“Not if we join him willingly,” Luke promised, trying to take my hand again but I pulled away. “He said when I bring down the gods he’ll reward me. He’ll make me immortal. He promised you’d become like me too.” He quickly grasped my wrist tight enough so I couldn’t escape, pulling me closer. “We can rule together, forever.” He was pleading with me to take his offer, his hands finding a stray lock of hair to tuck behind my ear.

“Luke… this isn’t- you can’t…” I was at a loss for words.

“Please, Y/N,” his voice was cracking.

“I can’t. I’m sorry. This isn’t right. This is dangerous, can’t you see that?”

“This isn’t me just trying to get back at my dad. I’ve thought about this.” He stiffened, still tightly grasping my wrist. “Y/N, I need you with me.”

“Then don’t go,” I begged him. “I won’t even tell anyone. We can just go back to how things were.”

“No, we can’t,” he shook his head. “Because you’re gonna try to help me by telling Chiron and he’s gonna turn me in.”

“No he won’t! Luke, he trained you. He’ll want to help you.”

“Camp isn’t safe for us anymore. We have to go.”

This was the first time I actually started fearing for my safety. I tried to pull out of his grasp but he held firm. “Go where?”

“Our Titan Lord got us a ship. We’ll be safe there until I get my next orders. The monsters on it won’t harm us.”

“What?!” With a hard wrench I pulled my wrist out of his grasp. I immediately started running, hoping a nymph would find me before a monster did but Luke was on me in seconds. He knocked me to the ground and after a little struggling he had me pinned. “Luke, please don’t do this,” I begged as I saw him reach into his pocket. When I saw the milk of the poppy I began to thrash underneath him but I couldn’t manage to throw him off of me. He forced my mouth open, dropping the liquid onto my tongue and forcing me to swallow. Before I blacked out, I could vaguely hear him speak.

“You’ll be okay in a few days and then we can talk.” A few days???

~~

The next morning Luke was woken by frantic cries of his girlfriend’s name heard throughout camp. He immediately rushed out of bed, putting on a concerned boyfriend facade. Finding one of his brothers, he asked what was going on. “What? Did you just wake up?” Luke nodded frantically. “Oh, I’m sorry man. Uh, Y/N wasn’t in bed this morning. No one can find her. One of her little brothers said you asked to talk to her last night.”

“Yeah to talk about potentially allying for capture the flag but she went right back in,” he insisted frantically. He ran a hand through his hair, acting stressed. He kind of whished he’d be gone by now but he needed to get rid of Percy before he could go.

He ran out of the cabin, immediately going up to Cabin 5. Clarisse spotted him, her expression becoming sour. “What’d you do Castellan? Aiden said you wanted to talk to her last night.”

“Yeah, we were talking about capture the flag but she went right back in 10 minutes later. You sleep 20 feet from her, where’s my girlfriend?” he challenged. Clarisse sent him a scowl but otherwise stormed off, the other Cabin 5 campers following her with similar expressions.

“Luke, I'm so sorry,” a young voice called. He turned, finding Annabeth running towards him. As she hugged him, Luke couldn’t help but think about how much he’d miss her. She was too smart for her own good but he still couldn’t help but think of the seven year old he had found hiding from monsters. “She could just be out somewhere?” she offered, trying to console him.

“I hope so,” he smiled down at her. He then spotted Mr. D and ran over to him. “Mr. D, can you find where she is?”

The god gave him a tired expression. “I’m not omniscient in this state. All I know is she’s not in camp.”

“Well can’t you get a god who is? Surely her father wants to know where she is,” he insisted. But Ares had plenty of demigod children and most of them went missing in action or died tragic deaths. Y/N would be just another hero child that fought in his name.

“Lord Ares has other concerns,” Mr. D at least tried to soften the blow. “If she hasn’t returned by the end of the summer then we must assume she is dead. Even if she left of her own volition.”

“But summer is ends tomorrow. You can’t do this. She could still be out there. She could need our help. Let me go out and search,” he pleaded. By now, Chiron, Clarisse, and a few others had joined them.

“No one is leaving,” Chiron declared. “I’m not letting anyone else go missing. Luke, I understand your concern but her blade was found in Cabin 5. If she’s not in camp she is likely already dead.”

“No,” Luke insisted, putting on the performance of a lifetime, “you’re wrong.”

After nearly two whole days of searching camp and the closest borders, (that was the furthest Chiron would let anyone go) Y/N L/N was declared dead. Her siblings reluctantly built a funeral pyre, decorating it with some of her things. Luke did his best to look devastated and it seemed to be working because no one looked at him twice other than to offer their sympathies. That at least made it easy to lure Percy off into the woods just before he left.

~~

When I woke up I was in a strange room. It looked like a hotel room except for the fact that the floor to ceiling windows showed that I was on the ocean. That triggered all the memories of Luke. A sense of hopelessness came over me and I was immediately breaking down in sobs. I didn’t want to believe that he had joined Kronos and turned his back on everything he knew or that he was determined to drag me with him.

Once I finally managed to compose myself I went to the door, hoping to find a radio so someone could get me. Or maybe even find Luke so I could talk him into letting me go. But once I opened the door I was met with the massive jaws of a hellhound. I immediately shut the door and locked it.

Still feeling unsafe I went to grab the dresser to block the door but either it was too heavy or bolted down. I tried the desk next resulting in nothing. I was running out of time as the monster was probably just trying to process what it saw. Soon it’d smell me and start trying to break down the door. So I resorted to the chair, dragging it across the floor and jamming it under the door handle. I then went to the massive windows, realizing there was a hidden door. I wrenched it open, stepping out into the fresh air. I looked around, seeing no land I’d be able to swim to. But just as I was considering my chances, I noticed the body of a massive whale-like creature. I was willing to bet that whales weren’t just swimming around a cruise ship, this was a cetus.

Seeing as I had nowhere else to go, I went back into the room. I went to the attached bathroom, searching for something to defend myself. There wasn’t really anything in there except bar soap and toilet paper. Luke must have removed everything, even the towels, so I couldn’t hurt him or anyone else. Frustrated, I went to the closet, finding it completely empty. Not even a hangar to pull apart and stab someone with. So I reluctantly grabbed the soap seeing as it was literally the only thing remotely resembling a weapon, and sat on the bed, watching the door.

I don’t know how long I sat there but eventually I heard the door shake, like something was trying to get in. As I was preparing to clobber the monster with my bar of soap, a voice I recognized called through the door. “C’mon, Y/N! Open the door,” Luke said. I didn’t dare move. I didn’t want to see him. “Open the door or I break it down!” he demanded.

It was either open the door or have absolutely no protection from the monsters so I reluctantly got up. “Okay, okay!” I answered. “Just give me a second.” I climbed off the bed, removing the chair. I only twisted the handle, letting the door open slightly before going back to the bed to put some distance between us.

As Luke was locking the door again, I took my chance. Jumping, I tried to bring the bar of soap down on him but he turned, grabbing my wrist. “Come on, you had to have known that wouldn’t work,” he smiled.

I only gave him a burning stare. “It was worth a shot,” I said, trying to pull my hand away. But his grip held fast, not letting me pull away.

“So I guess you still hate me?”

“Yeah,” I answered. “You kidnapped me and are now holding me hostage on a monster infested ship.”

“You’ll understand soon enough,” he dismissed, once again brushing a piece of hair behind my ear. “Then we’ll be together forever.”

Masterlist

[eldritchravens]

Welcome Home - The Homewarming Update : A compilation of the secrets I could find

⚠️SPOILERS AHEAD!⚠️

This post is simply a compilation of all the things I could find during my exploration of the website. I'm not going to delve too much into theories. Enjoy the read!

1- Statics

Every background is now filled with statics. I tried zooming out but I couldn't find anything. Not really a secret, but still interesting to note.

2- It's a dog! Oh, and a pea!

Found in the "Official Welcome Home Cook Book" in the merchandise page. I am... A little worried about Barnaby. For those who are aware, the pea is foreshadowing for a much bigger secret.

3- Audio distortion

Surprisingly, I was only able to find one instance where the audio distorts. In the "Homewarming Storybook Record", when Wally speaks here (timestamp is 18:16), the audio gets distorted. Please let me know if you found more audio glitches on the main website!

4- The page is breathing

I was able to capture something that made my skin crawl. Look very closely at this illustration. It's... breathing. I'm unsure if any other image in the website does that too. Very troubling.

5- Lost track of time

Uh-oh! Looks like our beloved writer is losing their perception of time itself. An effect of the black substance maybe? You can find this on the News page.

6- Pixels? Smudges? Oh, and a new friend!

In The Neighboorhood page, Home now has little white pixels around him? I'm unsure if this was intentional or not. Interestingly, the secret link under Home dissapeared along with every other traces of Wally.

The logo on certain pages looks... dirty? Look closely, there are brownish stains on some letters. This doesn't appear everywhere.

And! New friend! Hello new friend!

7- Symbols!

Okay, now onto the main course. Something I think we've all noticed straight away! There's a ton of tiny little doodles splattered around the website. The doodles are all named after a letter. Here is every letter translated from their respective symbol you can find on the website :

Home : M I O A Merchandise : P Y E R Media : Y G About us : A R Stickers : E News : T Neighboorhood : S F N E Wally : W Exhibition : N Ghestbook : W W W Transcript : Y

"www" huh? Interesting, like a web link. At first, all of this doesn't really mean anything, until we stumble upon this!

Fascinating, it's a code! Eddie here is giving us the translation to every single doodle. Next, if we solve the question here "What does Home wear at parties?", it gives us the next clue we need. The answer is "ADDRESS". Address? Now, remember the "www" thing? That's right! We need to assemble the letters we found to make a link!

8- Away from Prying Eyes

After assembling a link, you will be able to visit a secret page. In it is by far the biggest secret in this update : https://www.awayfrompryingeyes.net/

When I tell you I lost my marbles when I discovered this. There is a lot to say here! Firstly, one thing to note is that unlike any other secrets we had found in previous updates, Wally didn't put this here. Instead, it was this mysterious "W". Go read the whole thing! It's PACKED with information!

"W" purposely put this here for US to find. W is in distress, confused and scared; this looks like a call for help.

Might or might not be important, but the word "Paranoid" here starts with a capital. It did catch my eye, so maybe it is noteworthy.

This entire phone call is absolutely fascinating and gives us answers about the lore. I highly recommend people to give it a listen : https://www.awayfrompryingeyes.net/phone

AND THIS??? OH MY GOODNESS!!! Clown is spoiling us with gifts for this Homewarming! Truly, thank you Clown and the whole WH team, you're doing such a marvelous job. Watch the whole thing here : https://www.awayfrompryingeyes.net/commercials

And what's this hidden among the commercials? Eddie! Remember how I said the pea was foreshadowing? Eddie can hear Home's heartbeat. Well, our dearest mailman doesn't look too well :( Thankfully Frank seems to be looking out for him!

_________________________

Important things to note: This update is almost completely void of any trace of Wally infesting the website. The symbols were placed by the website manager here. Wally is not there anymore. Also, Eddie is purposely left out of the main update, only to be the center of attention in the commercial compilation.

Well! That's all I managed to find for now! Please let me know in the replies if I've missed anything. Thank you for reading, and Happy Homewarming! <3

Edit : Added some new things I just noticed!

[drchucktingle]

DECONSTRUCTING DAMASCUS #1

hello buckaroos chuck tingle here to talk on my book camp damascus. i am very ADVERSE to spoilers and even though i LOVE discussing art i never want to discuss a book too soon, gotta give buckaroos a chance to read. i have been trying to find a balance of WHEN and HOW to have these talks because there is a lot to discover in camp damascus, and i finally think i have found safe way to do this.

i am going to write some posts talkin about various subjects relating to camp damascus themes and symbols and ideas. i will title these posts DECONSTRUCTING DAMASCUS and give them all the hashtag: "deconstructing damascus". if you do not want to be tempted you can go into your tumblr settings and MUTE hashtag "deconstructing damascus" until you are ready to come back and trot in this way.

i am also going to put all spoiler content below a READ MORE line so that buckaroos will not stumble upon it. you must click below to open these words up.

(EDIT: PART 2 IS HERE)

(EDIT: PART 3 IS HERE)

(EDIT: PART 4 IS HERE)

alright buckaroos lets trot. WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW

DECONSTRUCTING DAMASCUS #1: NEVERLAND

camp damascus is about SEVERAL things thematically, but i think in BROAD STROKES you can narrow this story down to two ideas. the first is about control through infantilizing victims of religious or conservative organizations, keeping them 'young and naive' forever, and the second theme is about taking a story and using the same text to pull out whatever viewpoint you want. in other words, there are MANY readings within a story and us readers see whatever story we want.

i will dive deeper into these topics in later DECONSTRUCTING DAMASCUS talks, but both of these concepts relate in some way to THIS discussion, which is the story of peter pan and neverland

camp damascus is about text having many interpretations, and so as a sort of META ART PIECE i wanted camp damascus to have many interpretations. i did this by creating thematic layers on top of each other in the SAME STORY, like a cake. in the case of camp damascus we have BIBLICAL LAYER, FAIRYTALE LAYER, and LITERAL LAYER.

today we are going to talk about the fairytale layer.

peter pan is the story of wendy darling, who is whisked away to a magical place known as NEVER NEVER LAND by peter pan, who is an eternally young boy. nobody ever grows up in never never land. in camp damascus we have rose darling, who is a resident of neverton, a small town in montana where all of to children are kept young and naive to their own true adult nature for as long possible. this is done in many ways, for instance all of the KINGDOM OF THE PINE kids act and talk like teenagers when they are technically adults (rose is 20). they are all still in high school due to intervention of the church. the practice of oppressing someones natural sexuality and growth into adulthood a way of keeping them young and 'innocent'. the KINGDOM KIDS are perpetually stuck between childhood and adulthood. when you are reading the book, there should be something about this age and behavior discrepancy that feels a little strange.

to capture this effect i also tried to create a book that was both categorically YA (young adult) and adult horror. there are topics and conversations and situations that should feel like you are reading a 'younger book', then moments of violence and layers of complex themes that feel like an adult book. it should straddle this line in an uncomfortable way.

now to the story itself. camp damascus is NOT a retelling of peter pan in any way. the plots are not the same at all. however it uses peter pan as a literary allusion in order to discuss the themes listed above. these references are to reinforce the idea of keeping buckaroos young and under the churches control by any means necessary.

many do not realize that the original peter pan character was quite a bit more sinister than the cartoon version. here is a quote from the original text about HOW neverland worked to keep the lost boys young:

“The boys on the island vary, of course, in numbers, according as they get killed and so on; and when they seem to be growing up, which is against the rules, Peter thins them out; but at this time there were six of them, counting the twins as two.”

yes CAPTAIN HOOK is the big villain, but peter pan himself is just as brutal. this is where we get PASTOR PETE BEND, the current head of camp damascus. in his own way he is HIP AND COOL AND ETERNALLY YOUTHFUL just like peter pan, but he also falls into the roll of a ruthless captain who will do whatever it takes. to pull apart his name we have pete, as in peter, and bend. what is another word for bend? hook.

kingdom of the pine members wear a red band round their left wrist, which is where the hand of their prophet as severed. you can also note that when pete bend he uses a weapon he uses his left hand, which is pretty notable for someone who is right handed. consider where a certain captains weapon is permanently affixed.

also working for kingdom of the pine and camp damascus, under the direct orders of pete bend, is DR. SMITH. dr smith is a jolly henchmen with a white beard and glasses. despite his drab office he sits in a blue and white striped chair. i should also point out that a version of the name smee is smeeth. just SAYIN.

WILLOW is another interesting one. after her time at camp damascus she gets into photography. she turns to NATURE and TRUTH and as she takes these photos her finger is steady and rhythmic like a clock. click. click. click. click. click. could these photos eventually be the downfall of pete bend?

when we see willow early on she is drinking for a coffee mug with a certain reptile on it. her last name is crogall, which translates to the name of a specific animal in scottish gaelic. rose also goes to meet willow where she lives, one town over from neverton in a little village named lebka rock. i will let the buckaroos figure out what that means.

there is actually much more than this (who is saul for instance?) but i think i have said all that buds need to know to enjoy this layer.

thank you for reading. FEEL FREE TO REBLOG but try not to put spoilers in the tags. i will talk on OTHER aspects of CAMP DAMASCUS soon and i hope this has inspired you to look at the text in a brand new way. LOVE IS REAL

[animaymay]

SxF 96 Analysis: Some Small Details About the Reveal

Ok, hear me out. I haven't even read the manga for Spy x Family (yet); I've only watched seasons 1 and 2 of the anime, but I've somehow stumbled upon spoilers for the last two chapters (ch. 95 and ch. 96), and other small bits here and there.

And since I am not totally caught up on the story, I hesitate to call this a proper analysis since I'm mostly going off of what I know from the anime at this point. But!

I've been following the chatter and excitement following chapter 96 and I just wanted to throw this quick analysis out there, since I haven't seen some of these details mentioned yet.

So, I'm going to focus on this particular moment, just for what it is. Down the line, after catching up and having all of the character and story details, I might revisit this scene again with additional insight.

Of course, I'm sure we've all seen this panel at this point.

At first glance, this panel is beautifully drawn. You can tell that it was drawn with a lot of care and attention to detail. Typically, such manga panels are used to emphasize the fact that this is an important moment for these characters and/or the story.

There are even bits of confetti(?) flying around them, reminiscent of cherry blossom petals; this is another known technique used in manga to indicate the emotional importance of a scene for the characters featured.

That all feels pretty obvious, I'm sure. But I also wanted to point out other small details given here, which could potentially add another layer to this scene for folks.

I've seen a lot of discussion around how Anya's admission here is a big deal (and it is). But I haven't seen anyone mention the small detail here that she whispers, "I can read people's minds."

I believe that is also why we see that speech bubble transparently -- to visually show us the softness of her voice in that moment (in addition to representing Anya's willingness to be transparent about herself).

However, let's consider the conversation up until this moment. Right before, Damian had jokingly asked her, "How did you know about my dog and the pond, anyway? What, did you read my mind or something?!"

Of course, he was not expecting Anya to say, "Yes". But it's not the fact that Anya said, "Yes" that makes this scene impactful. Anya could have easily said the exact same words, at normal volume, with a smirk on her face, and nobody would think twice about it. Damian would have immediately understood that she was teasing him. And anyone overhearing their conversation would have thought the exact same thing.

But that isn't what happened. Because Anya was serious in that moment. With a genuine expression on her face, she says, "Yes" and then she whispers her secret to him.

And that is what shocks Damian. That is what causes him to freeze.

In that moment, he's able to sense her sincerity and hear the truth in her words.

His gut reaction is to believe her, whether it's because it's Anya or because of how she said it. It isn't until he has a second to think and his brain kicks into gear that he starts to notice the disparity between what he knows to be true and what Anya is telling him. In a split second, he questions this, and then ultimately rejects the notion that she could be telling the truth.

Why?

The obvious answer would be that what she's told him does not line up with what he knows to be true of reality. The rational and logical part of his brain overrides his heart and his gut, ultimately recognizing this disparity and forcing him to reject Anya's claims.

However, they are at a young enough age that it wouldn't be uncommon to easily believe in "impossible" things like magic or superpowers. So, there's also a chance that it goes a bit deeper than this.

Perhaps this sudden display of sincerity and truth from Anya didn't line up with her typical behavior with him. He's not used to seeing that side of her, and as a result, his mind resorts to him thinking that she's lying to him. He thinks that she's just teasing him. Not only because that's what he expects from her, but also because the only other alternative would be for him to admit that they've just shared a true moment of openness and transparency between them.

Anya's whisper implies, "this is only for you to know." As a defense mechanism, Damian's brain decided that it was more likely that Anya was teasing him than it was that she was being vulnerable with him in that way.

Another detail from this moment stems from the fact that this reveal takes place while they are dancing together. Partner dancing is an activity that requires cooperation and teamwork. At first, we see Damian and Anya struggle with getting the hang of it, but eventually they start working together.

That, in itself, seems to be a fairly good representation of their relationship with each other. However, even more so, it follows the flow of their conversation in this moment. It isn't until they start cooperating that they start to open up to one another.

And the pinnacle of the conversation -- the reveal -- happens at the exact moment when Damian dips her. Not only does this make for a picturesque panel, but it is also a symbolic visual of what's happening.

Dipping your dance partner inherently requires a level of trust. The person being dipped has to literally put themselves in their partner's hands. Depending on the dip, they are giving up varying levels of control and safety over to their partner. They have to trust that their partner won't drop them, or bring them too close to the floor; they have to give up their balance and trust that their partner can hold the weight that they're giving up. And their partner takes on the responsibility and burden of that person's trust (as well as trusting that the person that they're dipping does not throw themselves around carelessly).

And here, in this scene, despite the bickering we see Anya and Damian do, we see that there is at least that small amount of trust between them. Anya trusts Damian to dip her, and Damian trusts Anya to be dipped.

But underneath the surface level, the fact that Anya whispers her secret to Damian while he's dipping her reinforces the idea that she trusts him with that knowledge. In that moment, she gave up some of her own control and safety, and placed it in Damian's hands. Only his. Her whisper implies, "this is only for you to know." And he's been given the responsibility and burden of deciding whether to hold it, or drop it.

[loveephia]

Can you do Bokuto, Tendou Suna, Iwaizumi? So that they see their girlfriend again after she was away for a long time? I love You Work!!💕💕💕💕💕

how some of the HQ boys would react to seeing their girlfriend again after a long time from a business trip. (bokuto, tendō, suna, iwaizumi.)

content: (🦷) tooth-rotting fluff, them being very sulky generally, you guys are married here, suna's is inspired by a scene in the k-drama "true beauty", kita cameo in iwaizumi's, and yes, atsumu says an among us reference.

⚠ warning/s: manga spoilers.

note: THIS REQ WAS SO CUTE WHATATAT@?(# i haven't written for tendō, BUT i love a good challenge. >:3 iwaizumi's ended up being a bit long on accident. 😭 THANK YOU ANON AND ENJOY READING!!!

BOKUTO KŌTARŌ

when you told him you'd be gone for three WHOLE months, his hair just drooped down, the gleam in his eyes are no longer there, and his childish grin is gone.

baby literally gets so sulky about it :(((

"do you really have to?"

HE HAS THE PUPPY DOG EYES AND EVERYTHING STOPPTKEPDK 😭😭😭😭

"believe me, kō. as much as i don't want to stay away for that long, i have to."

every day he wakes up (with his arms around a pillow instead of you), he tries to be optimistic

"another day closer to seeing my wife!"

can't have him messing up at practice yk

but when he finally sees you at the airport, gosh, he's just all smiley about it

he picks you up and spins you around like in the movies

"i missed you so, so, so much!" he's pecking your face all over, ignoring the looks from other people, because hIS WIFE IS BACK 😭😭😭😭

"kō.. people are staring." you giggled

"let them!"

SATORI TENDŌ

"no way—! you gotta be joking!"

HE IS IN UTTER DISBELIEF.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE GOING TO BE GONE FOR THREE MONTHS???

"who's gonna be my taste tester then!?" his voice cracks

the tendō chocolatier business CANNOT FUNCTION WITHOUT IT'S OFFICIAL TASTE TESTER.

before you leave, he gives you a free box of handmade chocolates galore to snack on the plane

and, ofc, a little kiss on the cheek

when you open the box on the plane, there's a little note

"don't eat'em all on one go! love yaaa~ :3" HOW CUTEJKSJDKEJDK

when you're finally back from the trip, you stumble into tendō's arms

"oof—!" he says before patting your head, "there, there, y/n."

SUNA RINTARŌ

"what." he deadpans

"i know.. but i have to—"

"no way. i don't accept this. you're seriously leaving me?" he sounds so offended that people may think you two are fighting.

he pretends to be all mad about it, but you know he's just joking around

so when you're gone, suna has to physically hOLD HIMSELF BACK FROM CALLING YOU EVERY SECOND OF THE DAY

"she wouldn't want a clingy boyfr— husband." he corrects himself

yeah, he calls you anyway.

when you pick up, you say, "hello, my tarō! how are you?" in that sICKENINGLY KIND TONE SUNA HAS OH, SO MISSED 😭😭

you've only been gone for three days

"please come home. i miss you. please." did he just say please twice?

when you're finally home, it takes every inch of sanity left in suna so as not to drag you away for cuddles

the expression on his face tells you everything, and you giggle. "i'll just shower first, then we can cuddle." and his face LIGHTS UP

IWAIZUMI HAJIME

"even oikawa's said some terrible jokes, but this one is by far the worst."

"nope! it's not a joke, baby."

when you're gone, iwaizumi is so upset because you'd usually give him a little kiss goodbye whenever he goes off to work :((

so now he's extra grumpy while coaching the national jpn team.

"oi, hinata! you should've been able to get that one!"

"if you can't hit it right, another hundred laps for you, ushiwaka!"

"suna, stop slacking off, or i'll have that old captain of yours come back and scold you!"

suna knows iwaizumi's threat was only towards him, but that statement got even ATSUMU AND ARAN SHIVERING.

SO THE TEAM IS ALL LIKE "???" BECAUSE WHO PUSHED IWAIZUMI'S BUTTONS SO EARLY IN THE MORNING 😭

"which one of you is it. come on, fess up!" hoshiumi hisses

"i believe bokuto lost iwaizumi's pen the other day." ushijima states

"wow, are we just throwing each other under the bus now?" suna snickers

"it was an accident! i didn't know he'd get this mad about it!" bokuto tried to defend himself, "come on, tell them, atsumu!"

"i was in cafeteria with grey." atsumu lifts both hands up, metaphorically waving the white flag

"you all are insufferable." sakusa groans

you can imagine how confused the team got when after three months, iwaizumi's mood was no longer grouchy since you had finally come home

© lowercase intended | loveephia

[dykealloy]

spoilers up to the end of dressrosa arc here but. I can't stop thinking about how Law takes on Rosinante's will. Corasan freed him from Doflamingo and the marines and the world government and everyone that ever could have touched him at the time, but has Law really felt free? “Everything I do until I die represents what Corasan achieved” is sweet until you recognise that Law is willing (and planned) to go to the grave for that belief. Until Doflamingo dies there is always a part of him stuck in that treasure chest, constrained by what Law felt happened to Corasan due to him that day.

It's crazy how textbook survivors guilt victim Law is (I’m new here so I wouldn’t be surprised if this isn’t the first time this has been brought up), but let’s just quickly go over some symptoms:

Obsessive thoughts about the traumatic event ✅ (will go over this in greater detail below)

A sense of disconnection or detachment/need to isolate oneself from others ✅ (Law doesn't fully isolate himself but he definitely has his walls up at all times, though there are often subtle hints of him enjoying the company of the people he chooses to surround himself with. He is notably more reserved, emotionally unavailable, cold and distant than others around him, and watching closely you'll notice that even physically he has a tendency to situate himself three steps behind the group)

Insomnia, nightmares, flashbacks of the traumatic event ✅ (if we can assume some of his backstory expressed in Dressrosa are flashbacks, and also assuming that the perpetual eyeliner he wears are covering some pretty heavy eyebags. Also mention that the only time we see him resting is against Sunny's mast on the way to Dressrosa - and that was 1. a filler episode, and 2. if he was sleeping, it was very quickly interrupted by an attack by petplay guy - a nightmare in of itself)

Irritability and anger ✅ (though elements of this could just be attributed to Law's personality or a natural response to the straw hat's shenanigans, as well as Luffy's total inability to stick to a reasonable plan)

Feelings of despair and thoughts of suicide ✅ (that's Law's Dressrosa arc babe)

Now, there's many reasons why Law is unable to move past this guilt (an apparent lack of therapists in one piece being one of them) - but his inability to believe in unconditional love is likely the biggest offender.

Law may have started off (initially) with one of the most fortunate, stable beginnings, with a loving family and a big house in a rich country (wealth of which was built off the back of lies and corruption and the murder of innocent future generations - we'll get there). But he had a mother and a father who loved and nurtured Law (and were both highly respected doctors in their own right who citizens trusted and relied on). Law's happy beginnings really juxtapose the unfathomable horror that had been lying in wait in Flevance.

Even when shit started to hit the fan, at a very young age (<10 yrs old), Law was already stepping up and showing love for his little sister (lying to her when she was on her deathbed, knowing full well he would likely face the same fate after reading his charts, putting on a brave face for her so she wouldn't be afraid when the screams began to reach their front door, hiding her away when soldiers sieged their home and rushing to check on his parents). Given everything that happened in Flevance, it's completely understandable that, while Law will likely never forget the love his family gave him, remembering it became twisted in the lasting memories of his home — parents riddled with bullet holes. a closet holding a sick little sister waiting for him in a house engulfed by flames. stumbling through a town of friends, neighbours, just... people he used to pass by on the street, now all dead.

Seeing hell, knowing why and how it transpired, who were responsible (spoilers, the World Government; the same body that most citizens believe exist to protect them — yeah, sister "a merciful hand of salvation waiting to help" were perhaps the worst possible combination of words you could have left Law with here. Likely instrumental in having him lose his faith "I don't believe in anything anymore."), knowing he is the only survivor, and fated to die anyway due to the terminal illness that is slowly killing him because some figureheads years back were greedy and the governing powers above the figureheads were willing to cover up everything if it meant garnering a portion of wealth and maintaining influence and control. It's beyond grief, beyond rage. And there's absolutely nowhere Law can put it. No one he can retaliate against. Who could come out of hell knowing this and not want to see the world burn?

So, smart little Law escapes under a pile of bodies and goes to the one person infamously revered for being in the business of that kind of thing. And boy oh boy I can only begin to imagine how a young and impressionable Law - fresh from a genocide, with a hole in his heart and a hatred for everything still alive - had his concept of love warped whilst surviving those two years around Doflamingo and his family. A family where members are only welcome so far as they are useful to Doflamingo and his aspirations. Of course Law's going to pick up some fucked up ideas about how love works outside this little white fence he grew up and watched burn down.

Then. Enter Corazon.

Their relationship may begin on shaky legs (near-juvenicide via defenestration in a failed attempt to ward Law away from sticking around) but Corazon quickly becomes the one person in the world Law can trust and rely on again. And Rosinante can only do so much in terms of healing and guiding this broken kid (yes, his position both as Doffy's brother and as a double agent made things difficult, but need I mention he was only 26! 26 when he died!) but he showed Law kindness and compassion when he was at his lowest. He had faith in the existence of a cure that Law was long past believing. Was determined to help him, even against Law's wishes, even if it meant having Law relive his trauma over and over again. Corasan becomes incredibly important to Law, giving him a reason to live beyond just destruction and revenge.

After the rest of the world had long turned his back on him, when he had been nothing but a dying puddle of rage and self-destructive nihilism, Corasan saved Law. He told Law "Aishiteru" - a very rare way of saying "I love you", never used casually due to the depth of its meaning and the massive connotations behind it - in essence translating to "I love you so much I cannot possibly imagine life without you". There's a high likelihood that at his age, Law had never heard these words before, and probably didn't quite understand the weight of Rosinante saying it at the time.

Corasan frees Law, then he dies at the hand of Doflamingo, Rosinante's own brother.

All Rosinante wanted was for this poor kid to go on and live his life unburdened by his more than turbulent history and his connection to Doffy, but I think for all his planning, Rosinante's one critical error was well and truly underestimating how much him loving Law, and loving Law to the extent he did, would mean to that kid. Law really went from that ten year old hollow void sentiment of "why does anyone or anything at all get to exist when everything that was important to me is dead, burned to ashes and wiped off the map" to "I should have died at age thirteen and every second I've lived since then, I've only lived as a result of Corasan's efforts and as a personal affront to Doflamingo." This time, Law has a tangible, heinous 10 foot monster of a target to direct 1. his grief and anger and 2. justice for Cora towards, and this time he has the power and will to follow through. More than that, he believes Corasan sacrificed himself for him because he's a D. (someone destined to rain down destruction on the gods - Doflamingo, in this case). Corazon becomes a saint that Law dedicates the rest of his life to. Which is something that Law is not vocal about to just anyone he comes across, but is so unbelievably obvious once you know what you're looking at — his tattoos, his jolly roger, his crew, his ship, his ambitions, his beliefs, his fucking. custom-made Corazon jacket. all of it for this man that showed Law - at a time when he hated the world and everything in it - love. For all of six months. max.

And his whole life and personality and behaviour CONTINUES to be guided by this trauma — the way he's reckless with himself, his borderline self-destructive actions, the way he keeps telling himself that none of it would've been worth it unless Corasan's last wishes are fulfilled, the way he surrounds himself with bright people and soft things, the way it doesn't register that his crew genuinely loves and cares about him, the way he's terrified of losing anyone important to him again (and I would say this is one of his biggest downfalls as a Captain compared to someone like Luffy - who is just as reckless as Law is but trusts his crew, doesn't try to send them away, isn't afraid to let them grow and risk their lives for him like Law is with the heart crew), his inability to take a damn compliment. The way he doesn't understand Luffy AT ALL.

Doesn't understand that this alliance that he's brokered means nothing to Luffy because he sees him as FRIEND. No transactions or mutually beneficial pacts necessary. Doesn't get that he's the one that inadvertently asked Luffy to be his friend, thus breaking a long chain of people (mostly parental figures and siblings) abandoning or leaving Luffy behind/no one taking the first initiative to ask to be around him. Law is complete and utterly in the dark as to why someone would ever bat for him when the stakes are this high for no other reason than because they like them and care about them as a person.

Luffy, with his playground rules where he loves unconditionally and will take on the world for a friend he made five minutes ago, perplexes Law with his sheer simplicity.

When Sengoku tells Law, "Don't try to find a reason for someone's love", I do NOT think he takes it well. Because there must be a reason. There has to be. Between the two options of Corasan saving Law's life and freeing him because he believed in the will of D., or Rosinante saving him for no other reason than because Law was a kid that was loveable, and because he loved him unconditionally... everything we've learned about how Law functions up until this point suggests the former will always make more sense to him, and after everything he's been through, is most likely less painful for him to accept.

[messysketchyobeyme]

How to Woo a Human: Chapter 2

[Chapter 1], [Chapter 2]

Satan/Reader

(Nightbringer Spoilers)

Summary:

"Different humans have different love languages. Taking advantage of a human’s love language will allow you to gain their trust, which can be used to manipulate them easier."

As long as Satan ignored the parts about deception and manipulation and focused on the affection part, he was certain he could change himself into someone who would be worthy of love.

He would make sure of it.

—

Satan highlighted (with a magic disappearing highlighter; he would never defile a book) the first love language he saw: words of affirmation.

Reading the passage over, it seemed like he just had to compliment you. That was simple enough. There were so many things Satan could compliment you about.

You were kind, brave, funny, adventurous, and smart. He adored the way your nose would wrinkle whenever you were trying to quell your reaction to a strange smell or to whatever his ludicrous brothers were doing at the moment. He loved how you were quick on your feet, always coming up with a plan to get them out of any situation you guys found yourselves in. He admired your sorcery skills. He had never met anyone who could make Lucifer of all demons stumble like that. 

Honestly, Satan could go on and on about you.

And that was the problem. Satan couldn’t ramble on like a fool in front of you. What would you think? That he was as brainless and dim-witted as Mammon? No. He had to plan this out carefully, lest you think less of him.

Satan took out a pencil and notepad and jotted down some more of your attributes. While it was easy to get the broad strokes of your personality on paper, Satan found himself focusing on the minute details.

The way you would scrunch your eyebrows whenever you were concentrating on something, how you would go slightly cross-eyed from boredom whenever Lucifer lectured you, or the way you’d bite your lips when you were excited but wanted to hide it.

Skimming over what he had written down, Satan realized that he was starting to sound deranged. What was he supposed to do with these notes? Waltz up to you and say he likes the way your eyebrows wriggle? 

No, no, no, no. This was stupid. What was the first thing he wrote about you? You were kind?

Yeah, that could work. He could compliment your thoughtfulness. That was a normal thing to say to someone. 

Satan scribbled some more words of endearment on a set of index cards and stuffed them up his sleeves. They were just for reference. That was all.

Wiping off his suddenly sweaty palms on his pants, Satan stood up and left his bedroom. Leviathan had invited you to the House of Lamentation to play some games. That gave him the perfect time to strike. 

He stepped up to Leviathan’s door and placed his ear against it. Muffled noises. Hm.

Satan knocked on the door.

The noises stopped. Then, muffled whispers. Eventually, they stopped and someone opened the door.

“Satan? What are ya doin’ here?” Mammon asked. His voice was always a little too loud for Satan’s liking.

Satan peered behind Mammon. Leviathan and you were sitting across from each other with a board game lying between you two. Leviathan was too busy staring at the game and presumably strategizing to notice him. You smiled at Satan and waved.

Satan waved back. “I want to play, uhh…” He snuck another quick look behind Mammon. “Devilopoly,” he concluded after seeing the game pieces. 

That seemed to get Leviathan’s attention. “No!” Satan shriveled back while Leviathan tossed his hands up to explain. “No, I mean, I want you to play with us, but I’ve been doing so well!” He picked up his play money, which, to his credit, was quite a bit. “I managed to buy all of the big properties!”

“Oh, be quiet, Levi. Let Satan play. We can start over,” you said, clearing the board.

“You only want to start over because you’re in jail!” Leviathan pouted.

You shrugged impishly. Mammon shook his head and opened the door wider. “C’mon Satan. We could always use another player.”

“Thank you,” Satan said quietly before stepping inside.

“So, how much are ya willin’ to bet? We can start from a hundred Grimm and go from there.”

Never mind. Satan felt foolish to have even glanced in that sorry excuse of a demon’s direction.

“Ignore him, Satan. We’re not doing bets,” you said, patting the empty space next to you. “Come here and sit. You can choose between the shoe, the racket, or the demon horns.”

Satan chose the shoe.

Leviathan exhaled loudly through his nose, while Mammon sat down next to him. “Seriously, Levi? What are ya? Five?”

“Be quiet, Mammon.”

You raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. You handed the dice to Satan. “Here, you can go first.”

As he held out his hand, Satan sneakily peaked at one of the index cards hidden under his sleeve. He forced himself to make eye contact with you before saying, “Thank you. It was nice of you to let me go first.” Satan cringed at how robotic he sounded.

You gave him a look but didn’t dwell on it. “You’re welcome.”

Satan rolled the dice before throwing it on the board. Each die bounced once before flying off into two different directions.

Mammon yelped. “Hey, man, no need to be so aggressive with it!”

You pinched Mammon’s side, causing him to yelp, again. “Be nice, okay?” 

Satan’s face burned uncomfortably. He didn’t think he threw them that hard.

While Mammon busied himself with aggressive nodding, Leviathan stood up and peered at the dice. “Six,” he said before scooping them up and bringing them back to Satan.

Satan moved six spots, landing on the one with an image of the Akuber logo on it. “I’ll buy it,” he said, handing over his fake cash to you, the banker. He also gave the dice to you. He wanted an ample amount of opportunities to compliment you.

“Thanks, Satan.” You quickly rolled the dice and tossed it on the board. Eight. You began moving your piece, landing on a Chance spot. Picking up the card, you quirked up your lip but that was all your expression betrayed. You placed the card face down next to you. 

Satan tried to casually place his hand on his arm. He felt the index cards through his sleeve. “That was…” His voice started off too quiet, so he cleared his throat and tried again. “That was a smart play. You’re good at this game.”

You wrinkled your nose. “Well, it was mainly just luck.”

Dammit. Not even a thank you this time.

Your attention was quickly captured by Mammon. It was his turn now, and he was shaking the dice in his cupped hands with all of his might. Mammon’s eyes were squeezed shut, and he was muttering “Boxcars…boxcars…” under his breath. He ended up rolling snake eyes.

Satan scratched at his knee. What was he doing wrong? He had already paid you two compliments, but you were no closer to falling for him than before. In fact, you seemed to be a little distant. Was Satan really that unlovable?

Gah, he was beginning to sound like Leviathan. That was disgusting in of itself.

The game continued on with Satan peppering you with the occasional complement. Each time, you would chuckle awkwardly or give him a half hearted thanks. Even Leviathan and Mammon were beginning to cast wary looks in his direction. Satan’s chest felt tight. 

What was he doing? Why would Satan ever think a couple of compliments would ever win your heart? Or convince you that he wasn’t the grotesque monster he feared he was? Satan swallowed thickly. He shouldn’t be here. He didn’t belong here. He needed to—

Something melodious filled the air, and Satan perked his head up to see you laughing. You were clutching your chest as you tried to catch your breath. “I–I can’t believe this is your…your third time going to jail!” you managed to choke out. “What are the odds?”

Leviathan scowled, his arms crossed. “Shut up! It’s not funny!” 

You tossed your head back slightly as you continued to giggle at Leviathan’s misfortune. The blue overhead lights caught your eyelashes just so, causing the tiny droplets of tears that clung to them to sparkle. Your eyebrows scrunched together the same way they would whenever you would focus on something. Satan made a mental note to update his list. 

Your grin stretched across your face, and it seemed to have lit up the entire room. At the very least, it ignited a fire deep within Satan’s very core. Now, his face was heating up for an entirely different reason. He didn’t understand how one human could look so captivating. You were perfect—wonderful inside and out. 

In a daze, Satan managed to breathe out a quiet, “You have a beautiful smile.”

You stopped laughing and turned to look at him with a wide-eyed stare. Your cheeks were still glowy, and your eyes were slightly dewy. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach, but they quelled down once he noticed your expression. 

Satan had a hard time pinning it down. It didn’t seem unpleasant, per se, but it wasn’t looking all too positive, either. Did he say something wrong? A hasty apology was about to spill out of him when you began to speak.

“Uh, thank you, Satan,” you said, looking away. You bit your lip while staring at the gamer controller piece that was currently in the jail spot on the board. “I, ah, appreciate it. Truly.” A tiny, wobbly smile managed to sneak its way onto your face.

If Satan didn’t know better, he would have said you looked bashful. Or flustered. Or…

Satan blinked. 

Oh.

That one worked. 

Now, the butterflies seemed to have increased tenfold. The buzzing sensation throughout his body was becoming too much to bear. He couldn’t take this. 

Satan leapt up. “This game is boring,” he said quickly, “I don’t want to play anymore.” With that, Satan strode over to Leviathan’s door and ignored all three of your protests before leaving the room.

Satan made sure to slam Leviathan’s door shut before pressing himself to the wall. He slowly slid down to the floor and pressed his forehead against his knees. He silently begged his heart to slow down, but it wasn’t working.

All Satan did was say that your smile looked nice. Why did you react like…like that? Why were you acting like he had gotten on one knee and asked you to marry him right then and there? You were always so composed, and he had never seen you flustered before in his (admittedly short) life. So, why did that one teensy tiny compliment get such a big reaction out of you?

The door next to Satan creaked open, and he glanced up to see you smiling down at him.

“Hey, Satan,” you said, “Are you sure you don’t want to keep playing?” 

“I’m sure,” he mumbled against his hand.

“Oh, okay. Just let us know if you want to join in, again, alright?”

“I will,” he said.

You flashed him that awful, wonderful grin of yours. “Perfect.” You momentarily disappeared behind Leviathan’s door before peaking your head out. “By the way, I thought it was cute how you wrote…notes about me.” With a flick of your wrist, you revealed an index card—Satan’s index card—in between your index and forefinger. “You know, if you think my eyebrows are charming, you could have just told me.”

Satan scrambled up to his feet and snatched his index card from you. He stuffed it in his back pocket while swearing under his breath. “How did you—”

“It fell out of your sleeve when you left.” You leaned in closer. “Don’t worry. I didn’t let Levi or Mammon read it.”

Satan wanted to die. He managed to stutter out something that could have been akin to a ‘thanks,’ but he knew his words were too twisted around to be understood properly.

You let out a soft giggle before catching Satan’s eye. He stopped breathing for a moment. “Bye, Satan,” you said before closing Leviathan’s door.

Ugh. Satan hid his face in his hands. It was truly unfortunate he was utterly infatuated with you.

[conundrumoftime]

Fandom grandma tales: how I survived canon ruining two of the ships I liked.

(Written after a discussion with some of my TROP fan pals about how canon can break your heart re: shipping, and how fandom manages. There are spoilers here for the entire run of Babylon 5, and for one story JMS wrote after it. yes, that story. sorry.)

Babylon 5 was a sci-fi space opera show that ran from 1993 to 1998. It is sci-fi of the era of 22-episode seasons, of huge ensemble casts with characters who get their own B- and C-plots, with an effects and casting budget that doesn’t always match its ambition, and - something it was quite pioneering in, at the time - grand pre-planned story arcs. 

It’s the first fandom that I was involved with in internet spaces as it was running, or at least when its final season was (there’s Discourse and drama from earlier years that I missed). Its showrunner, J. Michael Straczynski - ‘JMS’ - was very active in (non-fanfic) fan community spaces, and you always knew exactly what he was thinking about things because he was part of the discussion around them. There was also fanfic, which he didn’t stop but didn’t go near on the grounds of legal liability for story ideas. 

Most of the fanfic in the early days as the show was airing was focused around two big ships, of which one was canon endgame (Delenn/Sheridan) and one was canon all-ends-in-despair (Marcus/Ivanova). I, as a teenager discovering a developing online fandom for the first time with all the overwhelm and excitement that causes (ask me anything about what reading fic was like before the days of tags/ratings/warnings!) got into Marcus/Ivanova and also into one of the minor ships, Delenn/Lennier.

Delenn/Lennier was never, ever going to happen in canon. This is obvious; it clashes with Delenn/Sheridan which was JMS’s baby darling OTP, the show’s big love story. Delenn is married for the later part of the show. Lennier is her diplomatic aide, is absolutely devoted to her, and they have a very intense mentor/student relationship, which it seems is kind of standard in their culture (when Delenn’s own mentor died she went briefly insane with grief and started a genocidal war over it) but is still Very Intense. He is canonically in love with her, but that’s as far as the explicit canon statements go.

However. HowEVER. Canon also gives us, for that relationship, some wonderful ship fuel. Lennier knows about every bad thing Delenn has done, including all the stuff she doesn’t/can’t tell her husband. He’s her link to her previous world and culture and stands by her even when they kick her out. She says at one point, “without him, I would stumble and fall and never get up again.” 

And then… we had Season 5, the final season.

Season 5, for various complicated production reasons, was operating a little outside of pre-planned story arcs and in this season the Delenn/Lennier stuff ramped up about three gears in one go. It was still very obviously never, ever going to be canon, and was almost certainly not intended by the creator (who wrote most of the episodes himself) to look like there was even anything there. At this point Delenn is married; any relationship with her aide would not only be going against the show’s OTP, but going against it in the sense where she’s cheating on her husband, and there is Just No Way JMS would have gone there. And yet! Season 5 gave us:

A scene where Lennier says he can’t stay, it’s too painful to be around her now she’s married, and she’s devastated and has the following conversation with her husband about it:

S: I got your message about Lennier. Is there anything I can do?

D [snapping]: Almost certainly not.

S: Is it because of me?

D: In part, I think so.

S: Yeah, I was afraid of that. Well, as we say back on Earth, three’s a crowd.

D: On Minbar, three is sacred.

S [slightly uncomfortable laugh]: Well, I don’t think I’m ready to handle that one, Delenn.

Delenn then calling Lennier back to the station to do some secret mission thing for her, which involves her sneaking out of her bed while her husband sleeps to meet Lennier in a darkened alley behind a bar, where she tenderly strokes his face and they have a whole conversation about whether her husband understands her or not.

A scene where Lennier comes back from his secret mission to meet both Delenn and Sheridan, Delenn goes to greet him with a hug, and Lennier does this very pointed step back and nod in the direction of her husband, and she pulls back and just sort of pats him on the arms instead. 

I MEAN.

But, the issue here is not what fans did about it but what canon did about it. Canon did the canon equivalent of dragging that ship outside and shooting it in the head. 

In the final few episodes of the entire series, Lennier tries to kill Sheridan, runs away in shame, and then someone finds his diary in which he’d been writing for ages about what a bad decision he thought Delenn had made and how her whole marriage was an awful idea. Even to this day, it’s fun/awful watching people go through a first-time watch when they get to season 5 and hit that. ‘Character assassination in the form of a diary’ was a whole thing for a while. It’s been 20+ years and the actor who played Lennier is stilll mad about it (not because of shippy stuff, but because he - correctly! - thinks Lennier absolutely would not have done that). 

What *fandom* did, on the other hand, was Fixed The Problem.

Delenn/Lennier was not at all a big ship when the series was airing, and for a few years after. Then the fandom dynamics started to change. With less pressure on what canon was going to do, it felt like fandom had more space to play around with things it didn’t do. Fanfic got less interested in trying to fit within the overall story being told and started spinning off in all its own directions. And *this* ship started getting bigger and bigger. People did really interesting things with it, canon divergence went in all directions, everyone wrote a fix-it story of some variety, some authors did a great series of connected stories based on an idea that Minbari have three genders, the quality of the writing has been brilliant. And I think without that absolute whiplash feeling of what happened in canon, there would never have been this feeling of “well I’m not having THAT” which led to all this.

We did not need canon! Canon had done its thing. And canon had broken our hearts enough ways with many of the other stories it told (entirely on purpose) and we weren’t just going to sit back and let it ruin us forever.

By comparison, the other ship I was into was Marcus/Ivanova. This is entirely doomed. Susan Ivanova’s love life is just perpetually doomed. The first partner of hers we meet is an ex who’s interested in getting back together, but then it turns out he’s just using her to infiltrate the station for the fascist terrorist group he’s secretly joined. Then she falls for an archrival of hers, Talia, who works for Psi Corps, the organisation she loathes most of all things - but it’s okay because it turns out Talia is starting to question them too! Maybe these crazy kids can make it work! They have one night together and then OOPS turns out Talia was being secretly controlled by a sleeper personality implanted in her by Psi Corps the whole time. Ivanova’s love life is doomed. 

So for two seasons, she has this sort-of-flirty, sort-of-bickery, sort-of-friendship going with Marcus, who is on the surface of it very much “why not fall in love at first sight like a true romantic, YOLO!” but it turns out is actually deeply messed up himself and full of survivor’s guilt and pain and, you get the clear impression, would have died of shock if she’d actually called his bluff on the OTT flirting and said “yeah, let’s go for it”. And then he sacrifices himself to save her life. It is a very tragic ending, it is absolutely the way he would have wanted to go, she wakes up both furious and absolutely distraught, says that the last thing she heard was him saying “I love you”, says she wishes she’d at least slept with him once, and says that in a way all love is unrequited. PAIN. 

So, lots of fix-it fanfic, lots of ‘Marcus comes back to life’, lots of canon divergence AUs where he doesn’t die and they live happily ever after and both get over their huge levels of unresolved pain. Pretty standard for that kind of pairing. And as a pairing it doesn’t get in the way of any big canon pairings, it doesn’t imply anything icky like mentor/student power imbalances or adultery. And JMS clearly quite liked it. So that’s better, right?

NO. It was WORSE.

JMS wrote an Marcus/Ivanova story himself, published in one of the sci-fi magazines, to try to give them a happy ending. This happy ending involves Marcus, many many years in the future, waking up from the cryogenic suspension he’s in (it’s sci-fi, keep up, keep up). Ivanova is long dead, but he isn’t about to let this get in the way, so what he does is to *create a new Ivanova* by getting some kind of DNA + computerised memory/personality bank thing, finding a doctor who will clone her, putting himself back into animated sleep until the clone reaches the age Ivanova was when she died, then - THEN, I’M STILL GOING - takes her to a distant planet where, with her memories wiped and their spaceship having deliberately been crashed BY HIM so there’s no way back, they live out their lives in peace.

WHAT.

That pairing still does okay in fandom but it’s not really taken on a post-show world of headcanons and riffing on other people’s ideas and tropes in the way that Delenn/Lennier has (and we all just pretend that story never existed). 

So! This has been my experiences in the field of What We Do When The Show Has Thoughts On That Non-Endgame Ship We’re Into. Fandom manages. Fandom will see you through. And in the words of Susan Ivanova:

Babylon Five was the last of the Babylon stations; there would never be another. It changed the future, and it changed us. It taught us that we have to create the future, or others will do it for us. It showed us that we have to care for one another, for if we don’t, who will? And that true strength sometimes comes from the most unlikely places. Mostly though, I think it gave us hope that there can always be new beginnings - even for people like us.

[misty--nights]

I'm working on another Dead Boy Detectives fic rather than work on my actual college stuff and it's got me thinking bout Niko and luck. Spoilers for the whole show, of course.

I find it fascinating how Niko keeps stumbling upon all these situations that seem like they have nothing to do with anything, only for her to find the key to whatever problem they encounter next in said random situation. It's a pretty consistent, too, that she seems to walk a line between bad and good luck. Like something bad will happen to her, only for that to be immediately offset by something really good that she found by chance. It's honestly kind of wild at times.

So, when we first meet Niko, she's being possessed by parasites that want to explode her, which doesn't seem very lucky. Except, that somehow the girl who moves across the girl just so happens to be with a couple of ghosts who can save her. Just in the nick of time, too. And at first that doesn't seem like that big of a deal. It's what the boys do, right? It makes sense they saved her just in time because that's what they do, and that's the kind of show this is. But this bad luck / good luck thing keeps happening to her until the end of the show.

In episode 4, she goes with the gang to the lighthouse and goes off on her own to talk to the gift shop lady. She doesn't find what it is that is drowning the people, but she does find information about the Washer Woman and about Lilith, which at the time seems to her and the others like just random information. She then goes to find the red sea glass and gifts it to Edwin on a whim, without knowing what it can do for them. She just finds it, like it's nothing, when later we see Tragic Mick spend so much time by the shore looking for one, and we see how hard it is. And I know they say in the show that only those who really need her can find the Washer Woman, but out of all four of them, Niko doesn't seem to be the one who needs the Washer Woman the most, as we see when Crystal is the one who receives a personalized riddle thing. Which, again, is something that will be super important later and Crystal gains that knowledge thanks to Niko just stumbling upon the key to finding the Washer Woman on accident.

Then, in episode 5, she just happens to stumble upon Jenny's secret admirer and manage to set up a date with them. Now, I know. I know Maxine is actually a stalker that ends up trying to kill Jenny, bad luck. Except nothing really happens to her there? @carpediemma has a post where she says that the floor was most likely dirty because she promised Jenny to clean the floors for a month if the date went wrong and Jenny was sort of banking on it being bad. With Niko's track record with luck, I think that is very possible. Again, bad luck / good luck situation. The date she sets up is ruined because Maxine tries to kill Jenny, but because she made the bet and Jenny fully believed the date wouldn't work, Maxine slips and fall.

Episode 6 might be a bit of a stretch. Technically, it's Crystal's decision to go to Tragic Mick's in search for some way to get rid of David, but it's thanks to Niko that she actually gets the heart gem thingy. So, bad luck there, because the gem takes away all of Crystal's powers. However, and this links back to episode 4 again, it's thanks to her finding the sea glass that eventually Crystal has the way to start discovering her real abilities.

In episode 7 she stays with the Night Nurse while Charles goes to hell and Crystal goes to find David. She starts reading the Night Nurse's book as a way to find something about her dad. Nothing she finds there would be useful for contacting, seeing or bringin him back. However, she does manage to stumble upon the exact passage she needed to buy Edwin and Charles some time after they get back from hell. And yes, maybe you could say that she read the whole book during the time Charles was gone, but I doubt it. We don't know how long exactly it takes Charles to find Edwin and return, but we do know it can't be that long, because the Night Nurse keeps insisting she can't keep the doorway open for long. I think at most he would have been gone 40 minutes, and that's me being generous. It's enough time for Crystal to confront David and come back. In any case, I don't think it's enough for her to carefully read the whole book front to back, no matter how good her reading comprehension is, specially if she was looking for something specific, like something about where her dad ended up in. I think it's more likely that she just found the page with the loophole she would need by chance, read it, filed it in her memory for a "just in case" and continued looking for what she wanted.

Finally, in episode 8, we have the whole Lilith thing that was set up in episode 4. She finds about her and files it as an irrelevant detail, until she hears Tragic Mick talk about Esther's deal and tells Crystal how she can contact Lilith, which ends up saving Crystal and the boys at the final confrontation. Besides that, though, there's the whole bear figure that Tragic Mick gives her and the explosion at Jenny's shop. In the explosion, Esther takes Charles and Edwin (bad), but neither her nor Jenny, the two living people in the shop at the time, are really injured in the commotion (good.)

And then the bear thing. In episode 7, she hears his story and tells him how they found the Washer Woman, and he can't find a piece of red sea glass of his own. Even though he is really desperate for a way to find her. (which, again, it's odd Niko is the one to find the Washer Woman when she wasn't that in need for the Washer Woman's assistance. The whole group was, but it was Niko who found her, but anyways). He gifts her the bear figure as a way to thank her for trying to help and they move on from that. And she accepts it and goes to Esther's place with Crystal, convinced of the protection of the bear, and then dies to save Crystal. Except she doesn't really? She's fine at the end, in some sort of frozen land, with Litty and Kingham, and by the way she holds the bear figure, it's implied that's what sort of saved her, even if she is no longer tied to the mortal plane.

I don't know, there was no real point behind this, just something I've been thinking about for a while. I think if someone has a shot at helping Tragic Mick return to sea, it's her, because she just has the luck to find solutions she wasn't even looking for. And I'm convinced if she ever makes it back to Port Townsend, that's just what she would do. On accident, but still. That's just the kind of character she is to me.

[undershyperfixate]

Ranting about Ashlyn and Aiden ( concerning Red story)

( this is spoiler free, I will only discuss things that happened until ep 72)

Edit : This was sitting in my draft for so long omg

( One of those rant is inspired by a convo I had with Moon)

(edit: I've just realized while editing this that your surname is biin and not moon I apologize)

SO, sure there's an sbg hiatus, but that doesn't stop me from nourishing myself with any content there is 🫡

What content do we have here?

I've thought about that so many times while reading fanfics about sbg, especially because there's a lot of alternative universes fanfics and I would ask myself "would they even be friends without those events?"

And now we have our answer; no.

But what's interesting then is that Ashlyn would only get close with Aiden in universes where an event would force a proximity. More defined by an event where they would be forced to interact and understand each other to survive the event, without this event, their relationship wouldn't exist. Which is understandable since as shown in the webtoon, before the dimension; she avoids him, she distanced herself, and she would have continued to do that.

But most of all, I want to talk about the last sentence. ( I'm extremely bad with context clues so I'm not sure if the last sentence "they've grown closer and find comfort in understanding one another" is about the whole group or just Ash and Aiden, but let's act as if it was about Ash and Aiden).

Them both being neurodivergent ( Canon-wise, Ash is autistic and Aiden has ADHD) adds a lot to their understanding of each other and how they can find comfort in being together ( platonic or romantic).

I'm going to use one of some scenes to explain my thesis

My favorite, scene, of all time. I love everything about that I'm going to explode.

Okay anyway, here we can see that Aiden noticed Ashlyn depressed state fastly, without even needing words, he knows about her boundaries so he just caress their knuckles together ( that sounds so medical) as a way to comfort her without making her uncomfortable. He understands her needs and boundaries and wants to still be able to be there for her and make her feel better in his own way so he does it in the most thoughtful way

The way he's shocked at the contact and can't handle seeing her cry omg :( the way he wraps his hand around her in a comforting manner, like he just knows what to do when it's needed, without overstepping her boundaries in any way.

And now later on,

Aiden was the first one to see that ash felt distressed about driving again, ( due to her feeling guilty when Tyler fell and that she wasn't able to go back). He proposes to drive even tho has zero experience in driving ( he probably wanted to try for some thrills too) but also because he understood how uneasy it was for her, same as when they were in the hospital.

And now for the main scene that inspired me to write this

He's staying beside her when he's running and immediately grabs her arm when she stumbles because of the sudden loud noises. He sat beside her and put his hands on the headphones to help her muffle the sounds even more. That's such a genuinely adorable way of showing that you care by doing an act of service, but also them being both written as neurodivergent makes me think that they understand each other in a relatable way, in a "helping one another accommodate to their struggles" kinda way. The same way as Ash is said to be unconsciously more protective of Aiden because he's more hyperactive and takes more risks.

Everything about this rant can be taken as both platonic or romantic, as I tried to stay on red's words to describe their dynamic. ( Did I already say that? I get distracted easily)

I've finished my little rant, thanks for reading

[noodles-icetea]

Jujutsu Jamboree: Heartstrings and Hijinks - Kento, Satoru & Suguru X F!Reader

Summary: Hey there, fellow JJK enthusiasts! When Satoru’s family gets an invite to a Marvel movie premiere, he passes it to you, thinking it’s not his scene. But upon realizing you'll be going with Kento and Suguru, he decides to tag along. What could go wrong? (Spoiler: Everything.) Join our beloved trio as they navigate a night of movie magic, celebrity encounters, and an unexpected twist that brings everyone closer—sometimes literally. Unaware of their affections, you stumble through the night filled with glamor, action, and heartwarming moments that could rival even the best Marvel plot twists. Word Count: 2733 Author's Note: Buckle up because this story's got more twists than Gojo's infinity and more drama than a cursed spirit family reunion. Dive into a whirlwind of glamor, action, and subtle romance where our favorite sorcerers try to navigate Hollywood's shiny lights without using Hollow Purple on anyone... yet. Enjoy the chaos and don't forget to leave a comment if you laugh, cry, or feel an inexplicable urge to hug Nanami (we all do). Warnings: Mild violence (Gojo can’t help himself) Injury/Blood (nothing our favorite sorcerers can't handle) Mild language (because Gojo has no filter) Extreme levels of charm from Kento, Satoru, and Suguru (handle with care) Unhealthy amounts of jealousy and possessiveness (Satoru’s specialty) Reader discretion is advised. 😂 This story may contain themes of unrequited love, emotional turmoil, and angst. Reader discretion is advised. Constructive feedback and comments are welcome and encouraged. However, please keep interactions respectful and kind. Any form of harassment, bullying, or inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated and may result in being blocked or reported. While I strive to provide appropriate content warnings, please be aware that certain themes or topics may still be triggering for some readers. Proceed with caution and take care of your mental well-being.

Modern AU, All men survived Shibuya.

Satoru’s family had received an invite for a Marvel movie premiere. He didn't care much about which movie was being played, so he gave you the invite. You glowed with excitement when you saw the guest list. Noticing your sudden happiness, Satoru snatched the invite to read it himself and was too stunned to speak when he read the name. You were so excited that you invited Kento and Suguru since Satoru didn't seem interested, but he ended up inviting himself once he learned who was going with you.

You all met at the premiere. You picked out a beautiful long-sleeve white sundress for the occasion. Kento insisted on picking you up even though you were a perfectly good driver although a little rash. He said it’d give you more time at the salon if he picked you up, and you agreed.

"I'm so fucking PUMPED." You practically jumped into the car. Kento smiled his familiar smile. On the way, you kept talking about the moment in your childhood when you first saw the movie, fell in love with the story and characters, and even had a little crush on the male lead. Kento couldn't help but smile. He wasn't much of a talker, so he enjoyed listening to you without being forced to carry the conversation. You hated it since you didn't enjoy talking much, but since he was so silent, he brought out DJ Yapper in you.

Upon arrival, Kento insisted on the princess treatment, masking it by saying, "It's a special occasion."

As you got out of the car, you took Kento’s hand. You felt eyes on you from above. Turning to look, you saw a small figure in the sky but couldn't figure out what it was since it was quite sunny and you didn't bring your sunglasses.

Suddenly, you felt an arm on your shoulder. You jerked since Kento was in front of you. Slowly turning left, fully prepared to teach whoever it was a lesson, you saw Suguru smiling his warm smirk.

“Where were you guys? We have been waiting forever.” Suguru said.

This was new. Suguru and Satoru never touched you, but you guessed it was fine since you had known each other for some time.

You smiled, but before you could say anything, you felt the same pair of eyes again, but this time they felt completely threatening. You looked up again to see the same paintbrush figure, pestering you daily between his classes and missions. Satoru saw you, smirking as he came down.

“How many times have I told you to stop doing that? It's creepy.” You yelled at Satoru.

“You know, it keeps you safe.” Satoru said, moving forward to hug you. Suguru and Kento reluctantly let go of you so you could hug Satoru back.

This was definitely new. He had never been bold enough to hug you before. You brushed it off, thinking it was due to their last stressful mission where you heard whispers that they almost died. Maybe he needs it more than you, you thought and hugged him tighter, rubbing his back like an awkward mother. Since it's Satoru and he'd rather chew his own foot than show his vulnerability, this unfortunately came with his powers. He couldn't be in relationships because of it, and you thought to yourself, how lonely must their lives be outside work.

Your thoughts were only broken by Kento’s stern but gentle words, “It's time, we need to go in.”

You hadn't realized that the hug seemed to last too long for a social setting. You quickly let go, and Satoru put a hand just above the small of your back to guide you all through the crowd. The other men followed his lead, keeping an eye on any pervert who tried to “accidentally touch” you.

Inside, the dim lights of the cinema hall flickered as you made your way to your seat, your excitement palpable.

"I can't believe we’re finally seeing this movie. I’ve been obsessed with him ever since the first movie. I really hope he’s in this one."

Satoru, wearing a stylish black turtleneck and dark jeans, chuckled, his cerulean eyes hidden behind his dark glasses, leaning back in his seat. "Well, I hope the movie lives up to your expectations." And maybe I can be as impressive as him tonight, he thought to himself. His tone was light, but his eyes held a mischievous gleam.

Suguru, dressed in a casual black sweater and dark pants, his hair open, a rare sight, smiled, though his purple eyes flickered with a hint of jealousy. "It's good to see you so excited. But remember, he's just a guy on a screen." He handed you a tub of popcorn, his fingers brushing against yours.

Kento, in a black full-sleeve sweater and matching trousers, sat next to you, giving a courteous nod. His hair fell into his eyes for the first time ever; this was what it was like seeing him outside of work. His blade concealed beneath his sweater. "Enjoy the movie. And don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything." His tone was formal, but his eyes softened as they met yours.

As the movie began, you couldn’t help but gush over every scene. "I really hope he shows up but I won't be surprised if he doesn't," you whispered excitedly.

Satoru leaned in, his breath warm against your ear. "I wouldn't count on it, but anything can happen." He positioned himself on your right, with Suguru on your left, both ensuring they were close to you.

Suguru kept offering you snacks, his voice soft and sincere. "Even if he doesn't, I’m sure we can impress you just as much."

Kento, ever the reserved one, leaned slightly toward you. "The storytelling is excellent. It’s nice to see you enjoying yourself." His voice was calm, but there was a tightness to it that hinted at his feelings.

When he finally appeared on screen, you let out an excited squeal. "Oh my god, he’s here! I FUCKING knew it!"

Satoru's playful grin faltered, his eyes widening. "What the—he’s actually here?" He looked around, realizing you were talking about the movie.

Suguru's jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing at the screen. "Unexpected. But let's not get too carried away."

Kento, though understanding your enthusiasm, couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. "He is a good actor," he admitted, his voice steady. "I see why you admire him."

Throughout the movie, the three men watched as you swooned over every scene he was in. They exchanged looks, their rivalry simmering beneath the surface.

As the credits rolled, you stretched your legs and back in your seat while Kento readjusted himself. Suguru, wondering why none of his companions were leaving, noticed you having an intense stare-down at the final teasers for upcoming movies and remembered that Marvel movies have that.

Once over, the four of you made your way out of the theater. The tension among the three men was palpable, though you were too exhilarated to notice.

"How about dinner? My treat," Satoru suggested, his grin challenging the others.

Suguru’s smile was tight. "I know a place nearby." He subtly positioned himself between you and Satoru.

Kento stayed close, his eyes sharp and vigilant. "As long as it’s not too crowded."

After the movie, the bustling lobby was filled with excited chatter and the occasional flash of cameras. After the emotional rollercoaster of the movie, you all exited the cinema hall, the three towering men subtly keeping an eye on you, ensuring your safety amidst the bustling crowd.

Satoru, with a playful demeanor tinged with a hint of protectiveness, suggested, "Let's head out quietly. There’s a lot of people around."

Suguru nodded in agreement, scanning the surroundings vigilantly. "We should stick together."

Kento, ever the practical one, added, "Stay close. There’s a lot of activity here."

As you walked through the lobby, you noticed a small gathering near a side entrance. Your eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait... is that Andrew Garfield?" He was here. He was really here.

Satoru's expression darkened slightly. "Ignore it, Y/N. Let's keep moving."

He noticed you too, and his gaze locked with yours for a fleeting moment before Satoru began to lead you away.

As Satoru tugged your hand, Andrew’s security team intercepted, halting your progress. Satoru stiffened, his eyes narrowing as he squared off his shoulders, ready to intervene if needed. Sensing the tension, Andrew gestured for the guards to stand down.

"Let her go," Andrew's voice cut through the tension, his tone unwavering. His guards hesitated under his command, sensing his authority.

Satoru's jaw clenched, his gaze locked with Andrew's. "She's with us. She doesn't need your interference."

You stepped forward, trying to ease the situation. "Satoru, it's okay. I just want to say hi."

Andrew nodded, stepping closer to you. "It's alright. I appreciate your enthusiasm."

Ignoring the tension brewing between Satoru and Andrew, you spoke animatedly with Andrew, oblivious to the unspoken rivalry around you. Andrew's charm and warmth were captivating, and you found yourself drawn into conversation.

As Andrew handed you his autograph discreetly, Satoru's expression darkened. You glanced at Suguru and Kento, who stood nearby, they smiled but it was laced with something else.

Andrew's gentle kiss on your knuckles made your cheeks flush with excitement. "Thank you," you murmured, feeling a mixture of exhilaration and guilt. Your social anxiety threatens to come out and destroy your entire personality as always.

Satoru's eyes flashed with irritation as he held back from acting on his instincts. "Alright, Y/N, we should get going." His tone was sharp, and you could sense the underlying tension.

You turned back to Andrew, smiling. "Thank you for the autograph."

Andrew nodded, his gaze lingering on you. "Take care."

Before you could say more, Andrew's bodyguards ushered him away, casting wary glances at the three imposing figures standing near you. Their unease was palpable, unsettled by the intense aura of the sorcerers.

Satoru, Suguru, and Kento exchanged tense glances, their admiration for your happiness tinged with jealousy. They respected your excitement for meeting Andrew, yet their feelings of possessiveness over you simmered beneath the surface, unspoken but keenly felt.

As you walked away, flanked by Gojo, Suguru, and Kento, the tension was palpable. Satoru's grip on your hand tightened slightly, his protective side coming to the fore. Suguru and Kento exchanged glances, their own silent understanding of the rivalry they all felt.

You tried to lighten the mood with a laugh, "I can't believe I met him!"

But Satoru's jaw remained clenched, his thoughts racing. Suguru and Kento walked beside you, their own silent concerns evident in their expressions.

As you made your way out of the lobby, you couldn't help but wonder about the undercurrent of emotions swirling around you. Satoru, Suguru, and Kento might have been your protectors, but the rivalry between them and Andrew Garfield was far from over.

The walk to the restaurant was interrupted by a chilling wind. You saw your feet in ocean water. What...

The shadows twisted, forming a massive, grotesque curse spirit, terrifying, summoning aquatic creatures to its aid.

"Stay close to me," Kento ordered, stepping in front of you. His usual calm demeanor gave way to fierce protectiveness.

Kento called out to Satoru, “It’s Dagon. You know what to do with him. I’ll stay near her.”

Satoru’s expression shifted from playful to deadly serious. "Suguru, take the left. I'll go right." He glanced at you, his voice soft but firm. "Don’t move."

Suguru’s eyes darkened with determination. "We’ll handle this. Just stay safe." He squeezed your hand briefly before joining Satoru.

The curse spirit, summoning marine creatures, made the fight chaotic. Satoru’s limitless techniques dazzled, slicing through the water with precision. Suguru’s curses struck the aquatic creatures, his movements fluid and deadly. Kento’s blade cut through the curses with terrifying efficiency, but he was clearly struggling to keep up.

Toji suddenly appeared, his presence adding another layer of danger. He grinned, clearly relishing the fight. "Looks like I arrived just in time for the fun."

Satoru smirked, realizing that this Dagon Spirit must have had a bounty on its head since Toji clearly looked like he was chasing him, not missing a beat. "Just stay out of my way, Toji. This one’s ours."

Suguru’s eyes narrowed. "Focus, Satoru. We need to end this quickly."

Kento, gritting his teeth, struck down another creature. "Stay focused. Protect her."

The curse spirit lashed out, sending waves of water and creatures toward you. Kento moved to shield you, taking a hit in the process. "Damn it!"

The guy referred to as Toji was now standing against a closed shop’s door, watching the curse get killed without any more effort, but he noticed something else too.

“Interesting!” Toji said looking directly at you and the three men, not leaving your side for long, even in a fight. You noticed but didn’t pay him mind since he was always weird from what you had heard from Megumi.

Satoru’s eyes blazed with anger. "You’ll pay for that." He unleashed a powerful attack, momentarily stunning the curse.

Suguru took the opportunity, his curses overwhelming the spirit. "Now, Satoru!"

Together, Satoru and Suguru delivered a final, devastating blow, dispelling the curse spirit. Toji, satisfied with the chaos, disappeared into the shadows.

Breathing heavily, they turned to you, concern etched on their faces. "Are you okay?" Kento asked, his eyes scanning you for injuries.

You nodded, still in shock. "I’m fine. Thank you.”

Satoru stepped closer, a hint of his usual grin returning. "Told you we'd protect you."

Suguru’s hand found yours again, his touch reassuring. "You’re safe with us."

You smiled, warmth spreading through you despite the cold night. "I’m lucky to have friends like you."

Your vision shifted to Kento who was shielding himself from you, awkwardly clutching his chest. You dropped their hands and moved quickly to Kento. You could see red on his neck. If his blood has reached his neck, where he wasn't hit, that must mean it was bad. You tried to pry his hand away as to where he was clutching his heart. You know you aren't as strong as them, but Kento wouldn't let you see his wound. You grew frustrated and angry as he could die if he didn't let you treat him. You yelled through tears in your eyes. “Just because you are wearing a black piece of cloth doesn't mean I can't see you bleeding out.” You paused as the three men stared at you dumbfounded. You meekly whispered, “you guys do so much for this country, students, and me, and I know I'm not as strong as you guys but I can still heal you.” With the last word, you stared at Kento. He reluctantly agrees, with his other bloodless hand on your hand, and he puts it on his chest. You begin glowing and with you, the spot where you touch Kento glowed too, healing him. Satoru and Suguru looked at this with unfathomable jealousy but couldn't say anything because it would be extremely difficult to talk you down right now.

Kento was now healed. You asked him, “are you feeling normal again?”

He nodded. Satoru didn't waste a second and positioned himself near you. “We don't think you are weak. It's just...” he trailed off, wiping liquid tears off your eyes. You immediately started wiping your tears so as to not be unprofessional, it was hard for women with an emotional side to be respected in Jujutsu society and this wasn’t helping your case. But as you looked down at your white dress sleeves, you realized you had blood-soaked sleeves. I guess I'm really not strong enough, you thought to yourself. You feel tears well up further but quickly brush them away with a smile, “this is nothing, I'll be okay in a few hours. Let's go eat and hope no more surprises come our way.”

Looking at your mini breakdown over one of them, they realized why they were hopelessly in love with you.

The three men exchanged looks, each silently vowing to win your heart, their jealousy and possessiveness simmering beneath the surface. They knew their biggest rivals were standing right beside them, but they were determined to protect you and, ultimately, win you over.

Disclaimer: I do not own Jujutsu Kaisen or any of its characters (if I did, you bet Nanami would have all the screen time). All rights belong to Gege Akutami and respective creators. This work is purely fan-made and created for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended. The specific plot, original characters, and unique dialogue or scenes in this fan fiction are my own creations. Please do not reproduce, distribute, or re-post this work without my explicit permission. Feel free to reblog and share this post with proper credit, but please do not copy and paste the content elsewhere. Interaction and Copyright Disclaimer: Feel free to share and reblog this story, but please don’t steal or claim it as your own. All characters and some events are the property of Gege Akutami and related parties. This work is meant for non-commercial purposes only. No curses or sorcerers were harmed in the making of this fic. 😉 This fan fiction falls under the fair use doctrine as a non-commercial work created for the enjoyment of fans and the celebration of the original series.

[epicbuddieficrecs]

Weekly Recap | March 11th-17th 2024

That premiere guys!!!!! Was so good!!!!! I'm so excited to be FINALLY be a part of the fandom while the show is actually airing! 😃 Can't wait to read all the amazing fics that are gonna be spawned from season 7!

Speaking of that, I would like to encourage everyone to use the relevant Ao3 tags when writing fics based on S7 content! Not everyone can watch the episodes as they air, so tags are really essential for people who don't want to get spoiled! (I could even make a separate post about it? a sort-of "how to tag" post?). In case you want to block some tumblr tags, my main tags for S7 are #911 season 7, #911 on abc, or #911 spoilers.

(Posting this one day early cause I don't feel like waiting until tomorrow! Enjoy! 😆)

Complete

i find peace in your smile by goforeddie/@iltrpls (A/B/O AU | 1K | General): They’ve been courting for a few months now. It’s agonizingly slow, but it’s still the best time they’ve ever had. You might think that after six years of walking on eggshells around each other, half a decade of “will-they-won’t-they” they wouldn’t be taking such a slow time with courting, but it's precisely everything that they’ve been through that makes them appreciate things a little better.

Birthday Flowers by Tizniz/ @tizniz (Pre-Buddie | 2K | General): OR: Buck gets Eddie flowers for his birthday. 

🔥 if i need to rearrange my particles — i will for you. by dylaesthetics (Post-S6, Identity Porn | 45K | Teen): OR Buck joins a support app for first responders and matches with a firefighter who has PTSD and a kid who likes giraffes, apparently.

Lime Jell-O by rainbow_nerds/ @rainbow-nerdss (S7E01: Abandon 'Ships | 3K | Teen): Eddie Diaz didn't panic. Or, well... Maybe he did. Sometimes. But he was working on it.

take the bed warmed by the body by lecornergirl/ @clusterbuck (Getting Together | 2K | Teen): It’s three parts bravado and one part reminder. He thinks about it, sometimes, his first shift at the 118—he doesn’t think either of them quite knew how much they’d meant it when they’d promised to have each other’s backs. He definitely hadn’t known, then, that he’d wake up one day and wonder why Buck isn’t in his bed. Because that’s what’s missing. He has a vague memory of falling asleep with his head resting against Buck’s shoulder, their legs tangled together.

Taken Space by Wildgirl93/ @wildlife4life (S7E01 Coda | 1K | General): Eddie and Marisol talk about the space that has already been taken.

Feel Like I Landed On The Moon by Tizniz/ @tizniz (Canon Divergent | 1K | General): OR: Eddie is pining for Buck while in Texas.

Fractals from the Lightning Bolt by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels/ @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (One Shots Collection | 98K | Not Rated): A collection of oneshots, some originally posted on tumblr. Each chapter is individually rated.

53. A Dream You've Had Before (Explicit) 54. We're Definitely All Sluts Here (Explicit)

if you love someone by chronicallystendan (Pre-Buddie | 1K | General): Buck and Eddie both internally panic when a song comes on the radio that seems to be talking directly to them.

adventures of firehose and eightpack by brewrosemilk/ @gayhoediaz (Social Media fic | 1,5K | Mature): Or: Eddie stumbles upon Buck's old twitter account.

Two, Three Times in a Row by Leslie_Knope (PWP | 6K | Explicit): “We could’ve gone again.” Eddie snorts. “I’m old. You expect me to get it up twice?” “Yes,” Buck says, like it’s a given, like duh. “I could get you to do it right now.” The entire world pauses, and Eddie actually feels it, the bolt of arousal slinking down his spine all the way to his toes. He wets his lips. “Right now?”

WIP

🔥 miracles under your sighs and moans by napricot (Sex Pollen, PWP | 1/2 | 13K | Explicit): When Eddie gets exposed to an experimental aphrodisiac on a call, he realizes there’s only one person he trusts to help him get through it: Buck.

🔥 because we'll all arrive in heaven alive by callmenewbie/ @puppyboybuckley (Post-S6, Disaster Fic | 9/10 | 63K | Explicit): During a search and rescue, Eddie disappears without a trace, leaving Buck to grapple with the sudden possibility of a life without him.

~

if you know anyone that is not tagged, please tag them in the comments!

[absurdthirst]

Casual Neighbors {Marcus Pike x F!Reader}

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 10.3k

Warnings: FWB, Oral sex (female receiving), vaginal sex, protected sex, unplanned pregnancy, mentions of abortions,

Comments: Training to be a nurse, your first patient is your handsome neighbor. Which leads to dinner, that turns into a FWB situation since Marcus is rethinking relationships and even having a family. Until you learn that you're pregnant when you are in your ultrasound class.

A/N: We based it alllllll off this TikTok. Yes, we are unhinged.

Co-written with @storiesofthefandomlovers

**Follow @absurdthirst-writes and turn on notifications to stay up to date on all new fics.

|| MasterList || Marcus Pike MasterList ||

Click Keep Reading only if you have read the Rating and Warnings and understand the warnings may not be complete to avoid listing spoilers. As AO3 says 'creator chooses not to use warnings'. You also agree that you're the right age to be consuming anything here.

Marcus is exhausted, he needs to sleep but he’s been working all night long. Too busy trying to solve this latest case. The suspect had been brought in for questioning and held overnight. Marcus ran out of time around six in the morning and the perp had been released, making his department scramble for the evidence to arrest him. Marcus knows it’s him, he just has to prove it. He sighs and makes it up the last flight of steps on the floor to his apartment. In his exhaustion, he misses the last step and goes flying forward, hitting his head on the bannister and splaying over the floor.

“Oh my God, are you okay?” You had been leaving your apartment to go get some coffee and study before your class, leaving your apartment just in time to witness someone go sprawling. Dropping your bag, you rush over towards him, luckily moving and wincing as he slowly shuffles to his knees and groans. “Hold on, hold on, let me look.” You drop to your knees and start to try to get a look at the cut on the man’s forehead.

Marcus groans, trying to get his bearings and he looks up at you with glassy eyes, taking a few moments to recognize you as his neighbor that moved in a few months ago. “God, you’re beautiful.” He murmurs, still lost in the confusion of tripping over combined with his lack of sleep.

“You did hit your head hard.” You joke, looking into his confused brown eyes. He’s sweet, and very handsome, despite the blood that is running down his forehead. You introduce yourself and tut, reaching into your pocket to pull out a pack of Kleenex you carry. “We should get this cleaned up, I’m a nurse- well, I will be one when I get done with my training.”

“I should get to hospital and I-” He stumbles as he stands up, clinging to the bannister. 

“I can help clean you up.” You tell him and Marcus bites his lip, eager to avoid the trip to ER. 

“Okay.” He nods and you guide him to his apartment, helping him when he fumbles to get his keys out of his pocket. 

You help him inside and sit him down on his sofa. “Stay here. I’ll go get my kit.” You tell him and he nods, wincing but slumping against his sofa.

You rush back into your apartment, excited and nervous to treat your first ‘patient’ even though it’s something relatively minor. You’ve already checked for concussion, but you’ll check again. When you’ve pulled out your extensive first aid kit, you walk back to his door and knock on it before pushing it open. “Knock knock, you’re nurse is here.”

Marcus looks up, wincing at how quickly his head moved and he feels like an idiot for tripping up on the stairs. He watches you come and set your kit down on his coffee table and he blushes when you lean in towards him to start cleaning the cut. “Will I survive?” He jokes softly, admiring you as you concentrate.

“It might be touch and go, but I think you’ll survive.” You hum, looking away from what you are doing to smile at him. Telling yourself that you’re not flirting, you’re practicing your bedside manner. “You seem like you’re very coordinated normally, when I see you running out of your apartment in the mornings. Everything okay?” You see that his eyes are bloodshot, he’s obviously tired since you don’t smell any booze on him and he doesn’t appear to have any drugs in his system.

Marcus goes to nod but stops himself because of your hand on his forehead. “Yeah. Just exhausted. Work was a shit show. I haven’t slept for - shit - for like 48 hours.” He sighs, knowing he needs to take a few hours and head back into work. “I- you were heading out?” He remembers, wincing when you clean the cut.

“I was, and you need to sleep.” You tut, dabbing at the cut. “Good news is that you don’t need stitches, but just barely.” You hum, reaching for the antibiotic ointment and the butterfly bandages. “I’ll get you cleaned up and since you don’t have a concussion, I’ll give you some painkillers and then tuck you into bed.”

“God you’re the prettiest nurse I’ve ever had. So - God, I was lucky you were there.” He murmurs as you finish cleaning him up. His head is throbbing now, from the wound or the exhaustion he doesn’t know and he watches you fluster. “Sorry. I- you’ve helped me and I just can’t stop my mouth from blurting out the first thought in my head.”

“It’s okay.” You assure him, giving him a smile and patting his knee gently before you lean back and turn to your bag so you can get him some aspirin. “You seem sweet and for my first patient, you’re very cute.” You flirt, wanting him to feel good.

“Do you want to have dinner?” Marcus asks, flushing when his brain catches up. “I mean…I want to say thank you for helping me. You’ve saved me an expensive ER bill. Least I could do is make you dinner. Just you know, as neighbors.” He adds, not wanting you to feel pressured or awkward.

You grin, shaking out several aspirin into your hand and offering them to Marcus. “That sounds good.” You admit shyly. “As long as you go right to bed and sleep for at least eight hours.” You instruct seriously. “If you don’t feel like you are up to it, you can text me and cancel.” You grab a notepad and a pen out of your kit and quickly jot down your cell for him.

Marcus knows he won’t be asleep too long. He needs to go back to work before he grocery shops but he pretends to take your advice. “Shall we say 7:30? Do you get out of school? Or work?” He asks, suddenly nervous about tonight but he reminds himself this is just as friends. He swallows the aspirin after you get him some water and he takes the piece of paper.

“I get out around 6 so that’s perfect.” You nod. “I’m in school.” It’s easier to just say that right now rather than explaining you worked to save up for school and keep a budget that should carry you through nursing school. “Can I bring anything?” You ask, feeling slightly giddy about a simple dinner.

“No. No. Just yourself.” Marcus insists then downs the rest of the water. “I better get some sleep.” He stands up, swaying slightly, and he reaches for his tie, tossing it down as he shrugs off his jacket. He just wants to get into his bed, pass out and then wake up to plan dinner. “I’ll let you go. I can get into bed.” He promises, kicking off his shoes.

“Okay.” You watch him for a moment, struck by how cute your neighbor is and then you shake your head at yourself. He needs rest and you need to get out of his hair to do it. “I’ll let you get some sleep Marcus.” During his rambling, he had told you his name, but you hadn’t mentioned that he was still wearing his FBI badge with his name and picture on it. “Sleep well.”

****

Passing out in bed, Marcus sleeps for four hours and forces himself to wake up, getting in the shower to get ready to go back into the office. His head hurts but he takes some Tylenol and has a bagel, feeling better and ready to go back into work then go grocery shopping.

For your own part, you had a lot to tell the other girls and the one guy that was in your nursing class. Happy that you had been able to help, which was why you were becoming a nurse to begin with, and snagging a date with a cute guy. When class was over, you had rushed home to shower and pick out something cute yet casual to wear for dinner.

Marcus has a bottle of wine in the fridge, the pasta is boiling and sauce is simmering. He’s not the best cook but he’s pretty proud of the dishes he can cook. When the doorbell rings, he makes his way to the door, dressed in jeans and a button down, he tries to make this casual. This is not a date, it’s a thank you. He opens the door, smiling when he sees you in jeans and a blouse, and God, you’re just as pretty as he remembers. “Hey.” He offers you, feeling a little bashful now.

"Hey." You groan at the smell that is coming out of the apartment. "It smells absolutely amazing in here and I'm going to be in for a treat." 

Marcus is pleased it smells good and he guides you into his home. “You want a glass of wine? I have white but if you want red I can open that. Or if you want rosé, I have that too. Or Prosecco. I can open that.” He rambles, aware that he’s nervous and that’s fully on display.

You give a small laugh, reaching out and touching his arm. “It sounds like you have a great wine selection, but a glass of white wine sounds amazing.” You tilt your head and check for any additional signs of concussion. “As long as you have one with me if you're feeling up to it?”

Marcus nods, “I’m feeling fine now. I had a good nurse.” He winks and makes his way to his fridge to grab the bottle of wine, easily pouring two glasses and handing yours out until you take it. “To my savior.” He jokes, offering a toast as you hold your glass.

“To good timing.” You offer in return, tapping your glass lightly against his. “It made for a good story today in class. How I got my first patient and it was my handsome next door neighbor.” You figure since you already know that he thinks you’re pretty, there’s harm in letting him know the same.

Marcus blushes a little, sipping some wine, and he sets the glass down to continue working on dinner. “Shit. I didn’t ask if you’re allergic to anything.” He curses himself, knowing he should’ve checked. “I’m making chicken Alfredo.” He tells you, hoping you like that and don’t have any problems with it. If not, he can rustle something else up.

“That sounds perfect to me.” Marcus really is a sweet, considerate man. His relief is written on his face and it’s nice to have someone actually care about small details like that for once. “So, Marcus, what are you doing when you aren’t going 48 hours without sleep?” You ask, knowing that he’s in the FBI, but you assume they have different jobs other than just being scary g-men.

Marcus chuckles, “I work a lot but I like to read. Watch TV. Try to work out and go running. Normal stuff. I, uh, I like going to the farmers market on a Sunday.” He confesses, knowing he likes watching the happy couples walk by while he wallows in his singleness.

You raise a brow in surprise. Most men would talk about the sports bars they go to or the dating apps they are on. “All of that sounds great.” You admit, watching as he moves around his kitchen with the ease of someone who is used to cooking this. It’s not a performance simply to impress you. “I didn’t hear about dating in there, though. I’m assuming that there’s not a girlfriend or wife in another city?” You hadn’t seen any women come and go. “Or maybe boyfriend or husband?” You add, not wanting to assume just because he said you were beautiful.

Marcus snorts, unable to stop himself. “I- I have firmly decided against dating for the time being. I had a difficult situation when I moved to D.C. It’s a long story but I was engaged to a coworker, she - she called the engagement off to be with her partner and I have kind of wanted to focus on myself and get settled before I venture back out there.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” The idea that this might be a date dies a swift and disappointing death. You give him a small smile and nod. “Working on yourself is never a bad thing. It’s always good to know yourself better before involving someone else.”

“I really was ready to marry her, I was even ready to give up having kids, she didn’t want them. I- I don’t think I want kids anymore or to get married. It’s so complicated.” He’s been burned too many times. His ex wife had done a number on him. “Anyway, what about you? Am I dragging you away from a partner?” He asks, suddenly wanting to change the subject.

Your heart breaks for him, although you understand that after something painful, his viewpoints on everything might shift. “No.” You shrug and give him a painful look of commiseration. “Painfully single for the past…three years?” You nod. “Yeah. Three years. I’ve been busy working my ass off so I could afford to go to nursing school without having to work full time too. No time to do the song and dance and no desire to put up with the dating app bullshit.”

“I fucking hate dating apps.” Marcus confesses, stirring the pasta into the sauce after draining the water. “I can understand you being busy. What made you want to be a nurse?” He asks, shifting to serve the food in to awaiting dinner bowls on the side.

You laugh at the face he makes when he mentions dating, mirroring your feelings exactly. “Well, I always liked the idea of helping people. Like this morning. But honestly? I couldn’t really find anything else that held my attention longer than a semester or two.”

Marcus carries the dishes over to the table, setting them down and he heads back to the kitchen to grab the garlic bread. “Sit down.” He insists, “I remember when I was in school…I hated it.” He admits, setting the bread down, “I just wanted to get out into the world and make a difference.”

“I feel like that too sometimes.” You admit, reaching over and grabbing Marcus’s wine glass to bring over as you walk to the table. “But there is so much that goes into nursing that I can’t just jump into it. But I’m almost done.”

“You’ll be a good nurse. I can tell.” He winks at you and sits down, picking up the wine glass you just set down. “To impromptu hallway ERs.” He jokes at you and clinks his glass against yours.

“I am happy that my first patient was as nice as you.” You admit after taking a sip of the delicious white wine. “I’m assuming not every one of them will invite me over to their house for a homemade dinner to say thank you.” You set down the wine and pick up your fork. “If it tastes half as good as it smells, I am in for a treat.”

Marcus flushes slightly, not used to cooking for anyone but himself. “I hope it tastes good too.” He says and sets his wine down to start eating. He watches you eagerly as you take your first bite, watching for any micro expressions that tell him you don’t like it. He tries to not ask how it is, biting his lip to smother the question.

It takes you a moment. That slight pause where you just absorb the flavors of the meal before you react. Groaning, your eyes slip closed with a small smile on your lips as you chew. “Oh my God.” You cover your mouth with your hand to make sure you don’t show any food. “I need this recipe for Alfredo, Marcus. It’s amazing.” 

To say he’s pleased is an understatement. He beams, ducking his head shyly as you praise him, and he offers you a bashful smile. “I’m glad you like it. I can give you the recipe. I got it online.” He tells you, offering you some garlic bread that he knocked up. He’s so happy you like it, eager to thank you for helping him out earlier.

“God, I can’t. You shouldn’t be this hot and a good cook.” You huff playfully, enjoying the way that the heat starts to creep up his neck. You imagine that if you were to try to feel his skin, it would be very warm. “It’s unfair. That’s what it is.”

Marcus snorts, knowing you’re just flattering him since he invited you to dinner. “Not unfair. I’m complicated. Got too many issues. Plus I leave my socks on the floor. Hairs in the sink.” He jokes, shaking his head as he twirls the fettuccine around the fork.

“Yep, socks, that has to be the deal breaker.” You joke back, grinning at him. You can tell he has a hard time accepting compliments. “Maybe it’s complicated because you have an intense job?” You offer. “I noticed your badge this morning. I bet there’s a lot of times things at work pop up and some women are idiots to let minor things get between them and a good man.”

Marcus sighs, setting his fork down, “sometimes. I mean, my ex was a coworker so she understood. She would rush off too for different ops. My ex wife…she hated it. Thought I was having an affair and making up the ops. Got to be too much and she wanted a divorce. Shit, I’m just spilling all my baggage. What about you? Why’s a beautiful woman like you single?” He counters, picking up his fork again.

“Scheduling.” You tell him with an ironic grin on your face. “Men don’t like to be told that they need to wait for sex because I have to work. Or study. Or sleep. So…” You shrug and fork up another bite of your dinner. “Just me and Bob most nights.”

“Bob.” Marcus chuckles, familiar with the term. “You deserve better than that, sweetheart. Too many people are caught up in media, wanting the perfect person to love them but we are all flawed. You should love someone, including their flaws. I- I’m a huge romantic. Love Actually is my favorite movie.” He confesses bashfully.

“Uh huh.” You nod and finish your bite before you lift your glass of wine. “I love that movie but I have one point that might get me kicked out.” You take a sip and grin. “The Walking Dead guy? His character was dead wrong. He ruined their wedding photos and the creepy board thing was way out of line. He expected her to keep this secret from her husband, he’s best mate.”

Marcus snorts, nodding his head, “you are right. Super creepy and over the line. My ex…her partner…he was in love with her and did everything he could to break us up. Succeeded in the end but gave me similar vibes to that character. I think that movie definitely shows the errors of love. How people make mistakes and sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad. Things happen for a reason. I’m convinced about that. I just - I’m not ready to throw my hat back in the ring.”

“God.” You stare at him for a moment, unsure if he realizes how perfect he sounds. “You definitely don’t deserve to be alone.” You huff, shaking your head. “Or at least have a fuck buddy who appreciates what you bring to the table.”

“Which is?” He snorts, “I don’t have anything to give. I work all the hours I have to and barely have enough time to work out so I’m not in the best shape of my life. I am - I am a desperate romantic and I get inside my head. I need something with no strings attached at all. And that’s hard for me, I’m not emotionless. I like emotions and I want to know someone before I take them to bed.

You might be about to embarrass yourself, make a huge fool of yourself and make your handsome neighbor avoid you like the plague, but no prizes are won unless you shoot your shot. “So fuck me.” You offer. “We’re both busy, single. We live next door to each other and think the other is attractive.” You pose, arching your eyebrow at him. “I’ll give you no strings attached and you’ll let me give my vibrator a break.”

Marcus nearly chokes on his food at your suggestion but then he thinks about it. It’s not silly, it’s smart. You’re a gorgeous woman and he is interested in you. Undoubtedly, he would never turn you away from his bed. You’re his next door neighbor though and he doesn’t want things to get messy in lieu of short term gratification. “Are you- no strings attached? You won’t be upset if I don’t buy you flowers or take you on a date?”

You snort and shake your head. “Flowers die, I appreciate the thought behind them, but I’d rather have orgasms.” You admit with a grin. “If you aren’t interested, it’s okay. No harm, no foul. We pretend like I didn’t say anything, we finish this dinner and go about our evenings alone.” You tell him. “If you are interested, well…..” you smirk and shrug. “We finish dinner and see how we feel after we get the first awkward fuck out of the way.”

His heart pounds in his chest and he hesitates but not because he doesn’t want you. He just doesn’t do this sort of thing, never has. Even in college his friends would make fun of him for not fucking a different girl every night. Maybe it’s his romanticism. “Let’s finish dinner and sit on the couch. See how things go. I want you, I’d be blind to not want you. You’re gorgeous. Let’s eat and then I…I wouldn’t mind my dessert being you.” He says with a smirk despite his flushed cheeks

Smirking slightly, you nod and fork up another bite. “Yes sir.” You tease, knowing that this is crazy but your neighbor is handsome and it’s been a long time since you’ve had a good man in your bed. Even if it’s just fucking, you know he won’t treat you like an object.

Dinner is enjoyed but rushed, Marcus scrambling to put the plates in the dishwasher and you stand up to help him.  He hates when things dry in the pan so you offer to help him and he accepts. “Sorry. Not exactly foreplay.” He jokes as he loads the dishwasher. He knows he wouldn’t be able to concentrate without the dishwasher being on and the kitchen being clean. 

You shrug, drying off the pot, “I’ve had worse.” You confess. 

Marcus shakes his head, “I’m an idiot.” He admits, starting the dishwasher just as you’re about to wash another pan. He grabs it from you, setting it down and he pushes you back against the counter. Inhaling deeply, he leans closer to you, not kissing you yet. His dark eyes on you and he leans in to run his nose along your jaw, enjoying your perfume. “It’s been a while.” He admits, pulling back to look into your eyes, “are you sure you want this?” 

You nod, dumbstruck by how handsome he is. “Words, baby girl.” He orders, and you swallow harshly, “yes.” That word sets a fire off in Marcus’s belly and he leans in to press his lips to yours, his hands grabbing your hips.

It’s surprising how passionate the kiss is. You can feel the built up tension behind it, repressed sexual need and want pouring out. Moaning slightly, you open your mouth and heat pools in core when he deepens the kiss. Sliding his tongue into your mouth and groaning into you. Your own hands slide up his back before you start to push up under his shirt, wanting to feel his warm skin under your fingers.

Marcus groans when your nails scratch his lower back and his hands slide along your waist, squeezing your breasts through your shirt until he can pull it over your head, exposing your bra. He leans in to kiss you again, tongue sliding against yours and he moves to kiss along your jaw and down your neck, trying to not suck too hard on your skin.

You tilt your head, letting him kiss along your throat and the thrilling sensation of arousal takes over. “I’m clean.” You hum, knowing that you should be demanding a condom, you know the statistics on STDs but you want to feel him. It’s been so long. “I- fuck, I’m on the pill.” You moan when his hands quickly unclip your bra and cup your tits. “Y-you?” 

Marcus leans back so he can look you in the eyes, “I’m clean. Got tested a few weeks ago for my quarterly health check at work. I haven’t been with anyone in a while. I, uh, can show you if you want.” He offers but you chuckle, shaking your head. You highly doubt Marcus would lie about that to you. 

“I believe you. I want to feel you. All of you.” You declare and reach out to squeeze him through his pants. 

“Shit.” He hisses, trying to not buck into your touch and instead, he focuses on you. Leaning in, he kisses along your chest until he takes a nipple into his mouth, sucking and licking while he enjoys your cries of pleasure.

You’re going to fuck this man right here in his kitchen unless you move somewhere else. Gasping out, you clutch his head to your chest and moan when he bites down gently before soothing the ache with his tongue. “Fuck- bedroom?” You ask, not certain if he would want to go that far. For all you know, he might just want to bend you over the table. 

The guilt settles as he realizes he should’ve taken you to bed. He’s not being a gentleman despite the fact that you’re about to have casual sex, you deserve to be treated properly. “Bedroom.” He confirms, pulling back from you and taking your hand so he can guide you through his apartment to the bedroom he keeps clean and tidy. 

Turning back towards you, he works on unbuttoning his shirt, fingers fumbling slightly until you take over. “Thanks.” He murmurs, enjoying the brushes of your fingers on every inch of skin you expose. His hands grab your ass, pulling you up against him when you have the shirt off of his shoulders and he relishes in the feel of your breasts against his skin. “God, you’re beautiful.” He echoes his earlier sentiment, still meaning it while he leans in to kiss you again.

This kiss is slower, more seductive and you can tell that this man is one who likes to please a partner. Except, you don’t want to be soft or gentle. You don’t need seduction, you need sex. Reaching down, you fumble with the button on his jeans and pull his zipper down, reaching into his pants to cup his cock. “Marcus, I need you to strip down.” you pant, wanting to feel him inside you and squeeze him. 

His groan is wrecked already when you squeeze him through his pants. Marcus can’t deny you anything, that has become clear, and he agrees, shifting to push his pants down. “Fuck baby, take - take your pants off.” He begs, wanting to see all of you. He kicks his pants aside, nearly stumbling while he takes off his socks.

It makes you giggle, watching him hop around even as you start peeling your own jeans down and shucking them. Going ahead and taking your panties off too, thankful you had showered and shaved before you had come over. Although you hadn’t anticipated sleeping with Marcus when you had done so. Standing in front of him naked, you let him look. “Do you want me to ride you or do you want to be on top?” 

Marcus cups your cheeks, bringing your eyes to focus on him. “How do you want me?” He asks, wanting you to decide this first time. “Ride me? Me on top? Me behind you? You tell me what you need.” He demands softly, wanting to please you.

“Fuck.” It’s been a long time since someone’s asked you how you want to take them. Your cunt clenches and you know that you’re already wet enough to take him. Glancing down at his cock, you hum. “I want to ride you.” You decide, knowing that he would want to play with your tits and kiss you while you bounce on his cock. 

Marcus’s cock twitches at the thought and he walks over to his bed, laying down on it and he pats his chest. “First you’re gonna ride my face. Want you to be wet enough to take me.” He orders, “come on. I want to taste you.”

You smirk, shaking your head as he looks up at you. Kneeling on the bed and straddling his waist, you don’t move closer. “No, I want to feel the stretch.” You reach down and wrap your fingers around his cock and start pumping him. “Feel the burn of your cock while I’m in class and know you fucked me.” 

“Fuckkkk.” Marcus hisses, his hands sliding along your waist until he can cup your tits, eagerly squeezing them and rolling your nipples between his fingers. “You’re a dirty girl. I love that.” He admits, loving how you’re not afraid to voice your fantasies, your desires. “Take what you want, sweetheart.” He demands, trying not to buck into your hand.

You enjoy the respect, shuffling up and lifting your hips up so you can place him at your dripping entrance. This man who you technically met this morning is now inside you when you lower yourself down onto his cock. Moaning at how he is stretching you out and not regretting a second of it. Closing your eyes against the thick stretch of him and enjoying how breathless he sounds underneath you. 

“Jesus Christ.” Marcus hisses, watching his cock disappear inside of you and he swears he’s died and gone to heaven. “Holy - you feel amazing, baby.” He groans, fingers caressing your hips as he patiently waits for you to adjust to him and get ready to move. His hands slide up your body to your tits and down to your ass, not able to get enough of you.

“Knew- knew you would want to touch.” You crow smugly, starting to grind your hips slowly before you lift off his cock and sink back down again with a moan. Leaning forward, you press your lips to his and gasp at the angle when he presses up against something wonderful inside you when he’s buried deep. “Fuck.” 

When your walls flutter around him, his hands find your ass and he squeezes, unable to stop himself from smacking your cheek. You gasp into his mouth and he smiles, enjoying your shock. He repeats the action and you rock back onto him, keeping that same angle. “So good.” He murmurs against your lips, “you feel so good.”

You pant in agreement, your hips starting to roll faster, chasing that sizzling spark of pleasure every time he hits deep. It’s been a long time since you’ve fucked someone and had it feel this good. “Fuck it’s so good.” You whimper, holding onto his shoulders and kissing him while you rock on his cock. 

Marcus shifts, sitting up so he can get closer to you, and he grabs your ass to haul you closer. You are now cross legged around him and he uses his new position to thrust up into you, his lips wrapped around your nipple. “Want to feel you cum for me. I- I won’t last long this time.” He informs you with panted breaths, not wanting you to walk away from this without an orgasm at least.

Reaching down between you, you start rubbing your clit. You know that he will feel guilty if you don’t cum and this will help. “Fuck.” You whine, body jerking up on a particularly rough thrust and your clench around him. “Like that.” You beg. “Ke-keep doing that and I’ll cum.” 

He wants to rub your clit but you know your body best. He wants to learn every little thing that makes you tick. The tricks to making you cum and he will, just not tonight. When you’re here next, he will go down on you and make you moan his name. Find out all your sensitive areas. For now, he follows your orders and thrusts up into you, keeping his hips angled the same way so you can seek your pleasure from his cock.

It only takes another three harsh thrusts and your cumming. Fingers pulling away from your clit as you squeal out his name, walls clamping down around his cock in pleasure. “Fuck! Marcus!” You cry out, body twitching backwards and you would fall back if he wasn’t holding you close as he rocks his hips up. 

“Fuckkkkk. Oh fuck. That was - that was hot as hell. Can I cum inside of you, please baby?” He asks, wanting you to be sure and when you nod, he wraps his arms around you. Dragging you into his chest, he thrusts up into you three more times until his cock twitches. Painting your walls with hot cum, he groans into your neck and clings to you.

Both of you cling to each other for a few moments, enjoying the afterglow of your pleasure before you pull back and tenderly kiss his lips a few times. “That was amazing.” You mumble happily, slightly hazy from your orgasm. “Gonna sleep like a baby tonight.” 

“Me too.” Marcus snorts, kissing your jaw. “We gotta do that again.” He declares, eager to see how else he can make you cum. “And again. And again. And again.” He says between kisses along your neck and you giggle, running your fingers through his hair. He rolls you into your back and pulls out of you, groaning at the sight of his cum pooling at your entrance. “Oh that’s pretty.” He coos, sliding his fingers through your folds.

“Someone has a cum play thing.” You hum playfully, your fingers tangling into his hair to play with it. You don’t mind at all, you’re protected and this is fun. You’re more relaxed than you’ve been in months and it’s all due to him. “God, how do you feel?” You ask. “No regrets?”

Marcus can’t deny that. He likes to see his cum pooling in his lover's cunt. Part of him admits that it’s a breeding link but he wouldn’t tell his partner that. Not wanting to make them feel awkward. He smiles at you, pulling his fingers away and shamelessly licking them clean. “No regrets. That was amazing. I loved it. I want - I want to keep doing it. Do you?”

It’s hot to watch a man lick his own cum from his fingers and it makes you moan softly. “Absolutely.” You agree with a quick nod. “So much better than Bob.” You tuck your arm behind your head and look down at him. “We can keep it casual. Just text if we need to release some steam or set up a schedule if it makes you more comfortable.” You don’t particularly like planned out sex on a schedule but it’s not just about you.

“We can text.” He decides, not wanting you to feel like you need to fuck him every Wednesday evening. That feels too mechanical. “Casual and fun. If either one of us isn’t feeling it anymore, we talk. No bullshit ignoring each other. We are adults having fun.” Marcus pecks your lips, “I’ll get you some water.”

“Perfect.” You smile as he walks out of the room before you climb out of the bed to snatch your panties off the floor. Your shirt and bra are in the kitchen so you can’t put those on, but you can start getting dressed again. Since you’re done having sex, you don’t want to make things awkward by overstaying your welcome. By the time Marcus comes back, you are zipping up your jeans. “Thanks.” You smile when you see the bottle in his hand. “Did you get yourself some water or do you want to split this?” 

“No, I'm good. It’s all yours, baby.” He promises, kissing your forehead and he walks back into the kitchen to grab the rest of your clothes after pulling on his boxers. Usually, he’d be asking if you want to stay for a movie but it’s clear that this is just sex and he will respect that. He has to come to terms with the fact that this is casual. He can’t let his romantic heart ruin a good thing.

Once all your clothes are back in place, you walk over to Marcus and kiss him gently. “I had a great time tonight.” You murmur, giving him a wink when you pull back. “Now I’m going to pass out and sleep like the dead until I have to get up.” You pat his chest gently. “You should do the same. I know you didn’t sleep for eight hours.” 

Marcus chuckles, grabbing your hand to place a kiss on the back of it. “Come on sleeping beauty, let’s get you home.” He tangles his fingers with yours and walks you to his front door. “I had a great time.” He murmurs and you nod, “me too.” He opens his door, checking the coast is clear, “I’ll see you around, sweetheart.” He promises and you step into the hall, crossing it to your front door. “Goodnight Marcus.” You tell him after you unlock your front door. “Night.” He offers you a little wave and waits until you’re inside before he steps back into his own apartment. With a smile on his face, he gets ready for bed. What a wild day.

****

“Fuck,” Whimpering, you curl your hands around the blanket under you, trying not to reach up and hold onto him while he moves over you. Rocking into you with hard, deep thrusts as his jaw clenches. Stretching your neck out, you kiss along his jaw, shuffling your legs higher on his thighs and smirk when he groans. Your walls had clenched around him, something you know drives him wild and he twitches harshly. 

“Jesus Christ, sweetheart. That - shit - you feel so good. So fucking good.” He groans and turns his head to press his lips to yours. Two months you’ve been in his bed and every fucking time feels as good as the first. He shifts his hips, trying to find that angle you like and grins when you cry out beneath him. He knows your body as good as his own and he uses that to his advantage to make you cum.

“Marcus.” You close your eyes and moan his name again, loving how he always wants you to cum. He’s a fucking generous lover and the times where it’s just not possible for you to orgasm, he still makes you feel like you’ve had a great time. Sometimes it just won’t happen. “Fuck baby.” You whimper, getting closer to cumming with every harsh thrust. 

Marcus can tell you’re close. Loving the whimpers escaping your lips and he reaches between you to rub your clit. “You gonna cum for me, sweetheart?” He asks, leaning in to kiss your jaw. His hips continue to keep the same steady pace despite his balls threatening to pull tight. He needs you to cum first.

The pressure of his fingers and the way his cock spears against your g-spot sends you over the edge. Crying out and clenching down around him as a wave of pleasure rushes over you. Soaking him in a hot rush of cum and making his thrusts sound so wet. 

Working you through it, he focuses on his own pleasure. Picking up the pace, he hisses your name and starts to thrust harder and deeper. Grabbing your thighs, he pushes them back towards your chest so he can sink his cock deeper inside of you. “Fuck baby. I’m gonna - you’re gonna make me-” He pants and groans, pushing his cock deep inside of you to spill his cum.

You love the moment Marcus cums. The furrowed brow relaxes and his entire body follows suit. Melting into you while he throbs deep, filling you up. The heat from his cum always satisfying and you sigh softly, your hands finally reaching up and stroking his sweaty back. “So good.” You hum softly, kissing him again as he lets go of your legs to let them drop back down over his thighs. 

Marcus takes a few moments then pulls out of you, kissing along your neck and he grunts when he stands, reaching for the wipes he now keeps on his nightstand to clean you up. “You want something to eat?” He asks, pulling on his boxers after he tosses the wipes.

“I shouldn’t.” You sit up and sigh. “I have a ton of studying to do when I go home, but I know you will argue that I won’t eat if I don’t eat here.” It’s a part of him that you adore. Even though this is casual, Marcus is still a man who likes to take care of people and it shows. “So, yeah.” You nod and reach for your shirt. “I’ll eat with you.” 

“Good. You want breakfast for dinner? I have bacon. Pancakes. Eggs?” He asks and you nod. “Take your time here. I’ll go start the food.” He bends over to peck your lips and makes his way into the kitchen after grabbing his t-shirt. He knows this is dangerously overstepping from “friends with benefits” but he wants to take care of you. The lines are blurring and that terrifies him but there’s nothing he can do except go with the flow. Not if he wants to keep you in his life.

You jump into his shower, cleaning up even more than the wipes. You know Marcus won’t mind, he’s told you to clean up however you need to since he cums inside you every time. Redressing, you make your way out to the kitchen, smiling at the domestic scene as Marcus makes you pancakes. “So how is work going?” You ask, sitting at the stool at the bar and watching him. 

“Good. Been crazy. We have this case…a famous piece of art was stolen from a senator's house and no one knows how it was taken. No camera footage has been altered. No one in or out. It’s bizarre.” He admits, sliding a pancake onto your plate while he turns back to the eggs and bacon.

Humming, you shake your head, amazed at the things that Marcus gets to see and the people that he gets to meet. “Fun.” You reach over and grab his water bottle and twist the cap off to steal a drink. “Betcha it’s an insurance grab.” You tell him. “They are always trying to pull shady shit.” Marcus hums, and you grin - knowing he’s not going to tell you anything about an active investigation. “We are about to work on ultrasounds this week.” You are excited about that. “Should be interesting. Getting to see organs on the inside.” 

“Oh that’s cool. My girl is getting so close to being a nurse.” He winks at you, turning back to the stove and you stare at his back. He called you his girl. Marcus meanwhile, is cursing himself for letting that slip. He’s crossing boundaries and he knows you don’t want more than just fuck buddies. Neither does he. It’s less complicated, he’s less likely to get hurt.

It’s awkward for a few moments, the silence settling between you before you clear your throat. “So, I am probably going to be dead after the test coming up next week.” You inform him. “It’s going to be days of studying so I don’t flunk out. Don’t be surprised if I come beating on your door at 2AM, needing to cum. On the weekend of course.” You add, never wanting to interrupt his work schedule because of your needs. 

“You can knock on my door whenever you want.” He reminds you, “I’ll make you cum whenever you want.” He winks and slides the eggs onto your plate. “Just make sure you do well on your exams. Then maybe I’ll reward you.” He winks at you, already thinking about buying you something nice. He knows it might overstep but you deserve it after working so hard.

You chuckle quietly and wonder how he would reward you. “Hmm, then I’ll make sure to study extra hard.” You promise, groaning at the smell of the food and you take another drink of your water. It’s easy with Marcus and you know that you should probably end things, because you are getting too deep but you don’t want to. It’s fun and you really like him. 

Marcus smiles, taking a seat at the kitchen table and he watches you dig into the food he made. It would be so easy with you but he can’t risk it. He’s been hurt too many times and you are just starting your career. You’ll probably move away when you get a job offer, or find some hot doctor to date. “Better study hard then, baby.”

“When I do pass this fucking thing and get my degree, I am taking at least a month off from everything.” You tell him with a groan after you fork a bite of his pancakes up. He really does spoil you at times even though he doesn’t have to. “And I’m going to do nothing but walk around my apartment naked, sleeping, eating and hopefully fucking.” You wink at him and grin. 

“We can definitely accommodate that.” He winks, taking a bite of his pancakes and he is eager to have you pass this exam so he can celebrate with you. Maybe he can even take you to dinner. “Ultrasounds are first.” He reminds you, wanting you to know he remembers what said earlier.

“Ultrasounds first.” You agree, quickly finishing your dinner and it’s automatic to get up and help Marcus clean up the kitchen. He always grumbles that you don’t have to, but you would feel like you are taking advantage of him. You rinse off your plate and load it into the dishwasher before you lean against the counter. “I should probably go.” You hum, not wanting to but you know you need to. “Let you relax.” 

Marcus sighs, reluctant to let you go but he can’t just keep you here all the time. “Okay baby. I’ll see you later.” He pulls you close, pressing his lips to yours, and he smiles against your mouth when you peck his lips. “Good luck tomorrow.” He murmurs, guiding you over to the door and you quickly rush across the hall to your apartment. You offer him a soft “goodnight.” He winks and shuts his door, sighing to himself. He’s too deep and he’s gonna break his own heart.

****

“Once you spread the jelly across the surface, make sure you press the wand into the skin firmly.” Your instructor speaks out across the room, five different tables laid out with students stretched out on them with their shirts lifted up. You are on the first table since you want to see how it looks first. 

“Ohh it’s cold.” You always heard people say the jelly was cold but it’s freezing. “There has to be a warmer or something.” 

“We will make a note to the suppliers.” The instructor chuckles as she walks past, your fellow student sitting on the stool to press the wand into your skin. The instructor stands there, pointing out your organs until she stops talking, eyes wide. “There’s your womb.” She chokes out and your fellow student’s eyes widen. “And there’s your baby.” She chokes out and everyone scrambles to look at the screen, their gasps echoing in the room when they see the shape on the screen.

“What?” Your own eyes widen in disbelief, lurching up off the table and moving the wand away from your uterus for a second before your classmate brings it back and the baby reappears on the screen. “There’s no- it’s a trick right?” You ask breathlessly, confusion and terror, joy and absolute shock rushing through your entire body as you manage to tear your eyes away from the ultrasound to look at your instructor. Needing to see that she is playing a prank on you and will start laughing. “I can’t be preg-pregnant.” 

Your instructor bites her lip, “you might want to get a test to confirm but…it looks like you’re pregnant. Congratulations.” She offers softly, seeing the shock on your face and she reaches out to take your hand. “I know it’s scary but you can leave now. I won’t keep you here for the class. You can go home.”

She prints out a few pictures for you and you gather your things, almost in a daze. Shocked that you have a baby inside you. You know that birth control isn’t one hundred percent but you hadn’t had any issues with it before. You drive to the doctor on auto pilot, demanding to be seen right away. You need a blood test to confirm what you know to be true, but you need the test. 

**** 

Marcus is coming home when he sees you standing at his door. He frowns when he sees your face. “Hey baby. What’s wrong?” He asks, immediately walking up to you and he works on unlocking his front door. “Come in.” He orders, guiding you into his place and he sets his briefcase down to look at you. “What’s wrong?”

“I-” You shake your head, thoughts scattered and you’re not able to focus like you normally would. The blood test confirmed it, and from the scans, you know the approximate date of conception. It lines up with when you were with Marcus. It was a week that you only slept with him one time. “I need to talk to you.” You rub your hands on your pants and take a deep breath. “Marcus, I- I’m pregnant.” 

Marcus stares at you, searching your eyes, and he chuckles after a moment. “Haha. Very funny. What is this? Trying to make me have a heart attack?” He jokes and shakes his head. When you continue to stare at him, not laughing, he pauses and stares at you. “You- you’re - seriously?” He chokes out.

Your hands shake as you pull out the scans and the blood test that shows positive for pregnancy. “I was in my- my ultrasound class today and I- the instructor showed me.” You manage. “I- I’m so sorry, Marc. I’ve been taking my birth control. This is my fault. I’m just-” You break off, unsure of what to say while he takes the paperwork from your hand. 

Marcus stares at the scan and the results. He always imagined this moment to be joyous. To be in a committed relationship that he’s happy in and have a stable environment for his child to come into. He always imagined he would be crying with happiness at the prospect of being a father. Yet right now, he feels sick. He’s not ready to be a father. He doesn’t have the house or the dog or the yard. He’s not married. “I- I don’t know what to say.” He says honestly, frowning at you.

Six words seem to crush your soul. You had imagined that he would be surprised but ultimately happy. Or at least warmer. Instead he is frowning at you and that alone makes tears pool up in your eyes. “I- it’s okay.” You manage, wiping your eyes and nodding. “I just- I wanted to - to tell you. You don’t have to say anything.” 

Marcus doesn’t know what to say. He didn’t anticipate this and he needs to process. “I, uh, I need to - to process this.” He admits and hands you back the scan. He is terrified, scared to lose you since you clearly didn’t want to be in a relationship and neither did he. This was supposed to be fun, casual. “Have you…have you considered what you want to do?”

“I- I don’t know.” You admit quietly, tucking the scans back into your jacket and giving a small shrug of your shoulders. “I just - I guess I need to process too.” Process is code for not wanting to deal with it, you know that. He doesn’t want a pregnancy with a woman he was just casually sleeping with and by his reaction, that hasn’t changed. “I just wanted you to know.” You turn around and grab your bag. “I’ll go and let you….process.” 

He wants to drag you back and make you stay but he can’t. He needs to think about what he wants. You’re in school, you have your entire future ahead of you. He’s finally getting somewhere in his own work after having to prove himself. He’s been married, he’s been engaged. He’s done the right thing and both times he’d been burned. You aren’t like his exes. You are so different. You’re incredible. Smart, beautiful and you rock his world like no one else. He wants you but he can’t hold you back. You’ll hate him if he forces you into suburbia before you get the chance to live your life.

When you get back to your apartment, you just….deflate. Closing your door, you lean against it and let the hot tears that you had been holding back go. Rolling down your cheeks as the reality of your situation crashes over you. You’re pregnant. Not different than if it were by a one night stand. Marcus clearly isn't interested in raising a child and you don’t know if you want to take up the mantle of single motherhood. The other brochures in your pocket weigh it down, making you wonder if you shouldn’t schedule an appointment. 

Marcus doesn’t know how long he’s on the sofa just staring into space but he keeps running through different scenarios. Trying to figure out what he should do. If he was old fashioned, he would head over to your apartment and he would get down on one knee and propose to you, be there as a husband and a father. He doesn’t want to be insincere. You’d look straight through him if he did that. “Shit.” He rubs his cheek, knowing he needs to talk this through with you. He stands up, making his way over to his front door and he opens it, stepping into the hallway to knock on your door.

You lift your head off the sofa where you had been laying when you hear the knock on the door. You know it’s Marcus. It has to be. Making you wonder if he’s already come to some grand conclusion while you are still reeling from the news. Groaning, you get up off the couch and walk over to the door, opening it and leaning against it as you look at your neighbor. “Hey.” 

Marcus awkwardly stands there, tilting his head as he looks at you. “Can, uh, can I come in?” He asks and you nod, letting him walk inside. You are apprehensive and he clears his throat, realizing he’s never been inside of your place before. “You have a nice place.”

“Thanks.” You wonder why the small talk but you just decide to go with it. “Can I get you something to drink?” You don’t wait for an answer, turning on your heel and walking to the kitchen to grab some water for you and him. You can feel his eyes on your back but you don’t know why he is here, but you’re sure that it will be a serious talk. Opening the fridge, you grab two bottles and turn to set one on the counter in front of him where he had come to stand and open yours. 

Marcus takes the water and leans against the counter, looking at the pamphlets you have there. One for pregnancy symptoms and another for abortion. “Do you…are you considering it?” He asks, placing his finger on the brochure.

“I’ve made an appointment.” You admit, not meeting his eyes and looking around your apartment. “I- I figure I can cancel it or change my mind if -” You shrug your shoulders and swallow harshly. “I don’t know.” You’re slightly overwhelmed right now, unsure of what to do or how to feel.

Marcus hates the thought of you aborting the baby. He wants it. He realizes that now. He wants the baby and he wants you. “Is that what you want?” He chokes out, staring at you. He wants to know what you’re thinking, desperate to find out.

“No.” You shake your head and sigh. “But I don’t want to be a single mother. I just-” You close your eyes, more tears slipping down your cheeks. “I wish I didn’t fuck up. That I didn’t put you in this mess. You- you must hate me.” 

Shaking his head, Marcus moves fast to wrap his arms around you. “No. Baby, no. You - I could never hate you. I-” He pulls back so he can look into your watery eyes. “I love you. I’m in love with you. Shit, that should terrify me after all the shit I’ve been through but I love you. I want you. I want this baby.”

“You don’t have to say that.” You promise him, shaking your head. You know that he doesn’t want a baby or a relationship. He had told you that he had just wanted casual, that he wasn’t ready and it certainly wouldn’t be with someone who didn’t have their life together. “I promise you- you don’t have to-” You break off with a small sob, knowing you love him. 

“Please listen to me. Believe me. I was scared. I am scared. I’ve had my heart broken too many times and I - I wanted you to enjoy your career, your future without me dragging you back. I didn’t want to hold you back. I want you, fuck, you’re all I think about. I love you. Please believe that. I love you.” He pleads, wanting you to believe him. He needs you to believe him.

Closing your eyes, your chin trembles and you nod. “I- I fucked up.” You admit quietly. “I should have ended things a month ago.” You tell him. “When I knew I wanted more than just casual, but I promise, promise, that I didn’t mess with my birth control. I didn’t- I wouldn’t do that.” 

“No. No. I know you wouldn’t do that. I love you. I have for a while. I should’ve told you that a long time ago. Baby…do you- I want you to be my - my girlfriend. I want more. I want you.” He promises, suddenly terrified of losing you.

You give a tiny giggle at being asked to go steady when you are literally carrying his child, but you nod. “I’d like that.” You tell him gently. “Although no more wine when you feed me.” Your hand comes down to your stomach in awe, realizing that you are going to have to completely change your life around. “Since I’m pregnant.” 

Marcus’s hand covers yours, swallowing harshly, and he is terrified but so excited. “You’re pregnant.” He declares in awe, leaning in to kiss you. “I love you. I mean It, I loved you before I found out and the baby. I’ve been a scared prick but I won’t be scared anymore. I’m ready for this”

“If you aren’t…that would be okay.” You offer, knowing that this is just being sprung on him. You know it takes two to tango, but you had also taken the responsibility of birth control on when you had let him cum inside you. “I don’t want to push you to take on anything you don’t think you can handle.” 

“I can handle it baby. It’s…it’s all I’ve ever wanted. I just gave up on that dream, having not found the right person but I’ve found her. I love you. Please don’t doubt that. Let me - let me be a father, a partner.”

You bite your lip, considering his words as you look into his pleading eyes. You can tell that he wants to pull you into his arms. Marcus is sweet and loving and you are lucky that he wants to love you and do this with you. “Okay.” You agree softly. “Although we have to figure out what we are going to do.” You both only have a one bedroom apartment, not needing as much space and now you need more. “But for now, I- we can worry about that later. I’m not having the baby tomorrow.” 

Marcus knows he will already start to plan moving forward. He will find a house for you both. He wants to take care of you and his child. “No, we have plenty of time. Have you eaten?” He asks, worried you haven’t eaten today after all the drama.

You can’t help but grin at him, loving how he always wants to feed you. It’s like providing food is his love language. “I haven’t had anything.” You admit quietly. “I was too unsettled to eat and haven’t really thought about it.” 

“You’re gonna come to mine, let me feed you, and I want you to stay in my bed tonight.” He orders softly, not wanting you to spend a single night away from him from now on. “I’m gonna take care of you baby.”

“You promise?” You ask softly, a smile on your face and lean in to kiss him gently. 

“I promise.” Marcus tells you solemnly. He might not have wanted anything more than casual, and he was right, he was lousy at it. His romantic heart had struck again and this time he had managed to find the perfect girl and discover that she loves him like he loves her along with having a baby on the way. Casual had quickly become serious and Marcus couldn’t be happier. 

[sadhornydemons]

Rapid-Spoiler-Season-Speculation: Apology Tour/Ghostf*ckers

Caution: some references are made to other spoilers, so proceed with caution if you wish to avoid.

Apology Tour:

Alright, I'll admit, this episode I think I understand the least, so I'm sure I'm completely off the mark in even attempting to make sense of it.

Cake will be served, and it's clown Blitz version. Heart on an item in the back, heart on the knife. How many years has it been and she's still obsessed?

WHATEVER this is, Blitz didn't just stumble into it, I wonder if some type of invitation got him there.

Blood/red stained sheet for unknown reasons.

I think I'm the only one who preferred the earlier design, but guess I just have a type.

WHAT. DA. FUCK.

Yeah, of course, this is when my imagination starts churning.

Did Stolas reach just the perfect amount of drunk before his Spotify breakup playlist reached Olivia Rodrigo, causing him to throw on last year's Halloween costume and portal himself to his ex so he could express himself properly?

No, Stolas had an entire stage prop production prepared. That or we haven't seen the full extent of his magic conjuring abilities.

(same outfit, I'm keeping my eye on the spiked collar 'cause it's new to his wardrobe)

I don't know what could bring this on. At first, I thought it was a dream sequence, but the spiked collar turns up in a later scene. Maybe I just haven't accepted that my fav character could be an asshole?

Screenshots of Blitz, sheet is now a hoodie, we really don't know what he's looking at in this particular scene.

I don't think this is a full scale concert, though. Probably more of a private event. Maybe Verosika was planning a gathering of the 'We Hate Blitzo' fanclub, but Stolas was the only one to RSVP.

If it is, a public concert, I mean, I can just imagine the headlines:

Prince Stolas shocks audience members by appearing as the opening act in Verosika Mayday's concert, preforming his original ballad, 'Imp Dicks Aren't Worth the Heartbreak'.

And if it is a regular event, there's the possibly Blitz attended on purpose..to apologize about things? (hence the title) I don't know, it just all seems too weird.

As poster bleucaesura noted, Stolas is on his couch in this scene. The red stained sheet, presumably with Blitz under, stand before him. Stolas's collar is spiked, so this seems to happen after the musical number.

This is mainly all the info we have this episode, but looking ahead to future ones, I'm thinking this is gonna conclude the majority of the Stolitz angst. Or at least the current ones.

As many have noted, this season has been following a pattern of focusing on, and occasionally resolving Blitz's relationship problems. Unhappy Campers introduced Barbie properly, adding more details to the fire incident. Oops and Mammon's Magnificent Musical Mid-Season Special added to that by focusing on him and Fizz. Full Moon and Apology Tour seem to be based around Stolas and then both Stolas and Verosika, fitting since it's comparing people from his love life.

Hence, I believe the next episode will instead prioritize Blitz's relationship with M&M:

Ghostfuckers:

The IMP mobile is totaled and appears spray painted. Therefore, guessing this scene must take place first:

But what would cause "a life on the run", as Blitz puts it, unless he wasn't completely serious?

And I'm not sure if the hooded folks, "Come out, we've got your surrounded." scene was edited in before this or not.

There are those clouds in the background and it seems to call for a more scary scene, or at least until he checks his watch.

(actually those could all take place in previous episode or the ones to come, for all we know!)

Blitz wears a bad disguise rather than using an asmodean crystal. We could read too much into that because maybe Blitz just LIKES coming up with disguises, but in other spoilers, we see Blitz using a book for portals.

The enemy is doing bad things to the character's mental health, bringing about their worse fears. In reference to Blitz, I wonder if this is this is where those scenes come into play:

Interesting how it's edited like Blitz watching a filmstrip of his life, complete with a decorative frame.

Shown in a different style, I wonder if this flashback will also be used:

And, (if my earlier theory is wrong), this has to appear somewhere:

We see a flashback to a younger, longer hair Millie (not unlike her wedding photo):

(and it looks like outside a ship? Hey, maybe pirates really did have port windows!)

Which may be used to match up with this fight:

This, however, is hopefully, just another hallucination:

Okay, for the rest of this episode, one can't really speculate because the (looks both ways cautiously) storyboards leaked last year reveal a good chuck of the action and dialogue. So without getting TOO into that, for those who want to avoid getting too spoiled, I'll conclude this episode may turn out to be a fun, scary, but with admittedly triggering subjects, that showcase Blitzø's messy and occasionally obsessive relationship with Moxxie and Millie.

...and possibly new issues with Loona? Something is hinted out, but I might get into THAT speculation in the last two episodes.

[alexandia03]

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros - Theories, Spoilers and Headcannons

This post will serve as my way of making order in my own mind, in a way. I finished Fourth Wing three days ago and I feel like my mind is exploding. I have read lots of theories and I have my own to add to the list, so... maybe if I put them in one place and start a discussion with you all, we might find some answers - considering November does not seem to come any soon.

Before I forget -

This post will be like an analogy of theories, spoilers, headcannons. If you did not finish the book yet, I suggest scrolling over it. See you when you join our little club of desperate broken hearts post-reading.

And now... let`s begin.

1. Returning to Basgiath

Who will return to Basgiath is the most important question I have. You can read the synopsis for Iron Flame here.

From the synopsis for the second book, we know that Violet will return to the war college and I can think of a few reasons for her to return: she wants to keep her promise to Liam (ouch, my aching heart) to keep an eye on his younger sister (Sloane?), but at the same time I have the feeling that Violet will act as a spy for the rebellion throughout Iron Flame.

And it is not a bad idea. I mean, Violet did not raise any suspicions in the first book. Sure, her connection with Xaden was frowned upon, but most of the people in command (her mother, the king, Dain`s father and some teachers) saw her as a victim in the situation.

“Their dragons are mated,” Mom offers, her smile chilling. “So she’s grown quite close to him out of necessity.” “That’s excellent.” King Tauri beams. “It’s good to have a Sorrengail on lookout for us. You’ll let us know if he decides to, oh, I don’t know.” He laughs. “Start another war?” (Chapter 31)

Bonus - Violet is a Sorrengail. There are few others with better access to information and our little Violence has a talent to stumble over secrets.

The problem is... who will return with her?

I have seen people saying Xaden might remain behind in Aretia, considering the attack was a plan to kill him and the others. Perhaps a plan orchestrated by Violet`s mom - and because Violet was added to Xaden`s squad afterwards and considering Dain`s objections, it seems that her presence was not part of the initial plan. But can Xaden remain behind? I will highlight the main reasons I don`t think so:

The most obvious reason - Tairn and Sgaeyl. They can not be separated for a long period of time and Xaden cant just come by (even in secret) every few days without being noticed. From the synopsis, we know that Violet will be directly watched by that new vice commandant - he will not turn a blind eye to a certain blue dragon (from a rare breed) coming and going as she pleases.

I read a fanfic where Violet choses to leave Tairn behind and return with Andarna, which might be a possibility in theory - let me explain it briefly: this theory suggests that Violet will pretend Tairn died in the attack along with his mate and the other riders and dragons and her bond with Andarna saved her from a fate similar to Liam`s. It is a plausible lie, but... have we met Tairn? He is the ultimate protective dad figure, he would rather die than let Violet on her own where he can not be. He had a saddle and a baby carrier made for Violet and Andarna, so I doubt he will be okay with it. And before someone comes to suggest he can hide somewhere nearby - he is freaking huge, guys.

Another reason I think Violet will not come alone is the threat Dain poses. Sure, she will not let him get near her again, but it might be beyond her control. What if he is ordered to interrogate her by someone higher in the food chain? That is why I think Imogen must be returning with her, but I will get into a deeper discussion about Imogen later (I absolutely adore her). Her signet might be the only way to avoid Dain`s prying hands.

Besides, Xaden will die of longing and worry if Violet leaves without him.

What I think will happen?

They will all return. Or at least Xaden and Imogen will return with her. Xaden will be appointed to a position somewhere far away or somewhere he can be closely watched by someone the command trusts - maybe with Mira?

It might be a good occasion to gain Mira`s trust and get her to join the rebellion (let`s be honest, she will join it at some point).

OR!

Only Imogen will return with Violet. Considering her signet lets her wipe recent memories, she can facilitate meetings with Xaden and Sgaeyl.

However, I am fairly certain that Xaden will return. There would be no reason for the new vice commander to pressure Violet to spill out our shadow boy`s secrets if they would think him dead.

2. Professor Carr

The second matter on the list... I don`t know if anyone else noticed, but there is a paragraph in the book, during Violet`s training sessions with him, when he says something like this:

“And the fact that you bonded Tairn makes you and Riorson the most coveted pair of riders this kingdom has seen in far too long. If I could offer a piece of advice?” His eyes narrow. “Please do.” At least he’s brutally honest, so I know where I stand with him. “Keep your loyalties clear. You and Riorson both have exceptional, lethal power that any rider would be envious of. But together?” His bushy brows furrow. “You would be a formidable enemy who command could simply not afford to let exist. Do you understand what I’m saying?” His voice softens.

Why am I interested in this passage? Because it sounds like a warning and not the make-sure-you-are-loyal-to-Navarre sort of warning. I fail to see any kind of loyalty or admiration for the command on Carr`s part - the opposite, really. I would go so far as to say he might be in on the rebellion.

Why does he train Violet privately? Why not on school grounds? I have the feeling he knows that her ability might be the only weapon against wyverns and venins.

Am I crazy?

3. Imogen

By far the most interesting theory I have come across. Here is a link to a Reddit theory about it, which I absolutely agree with. If the person who wrote it comes across this post - I fucking love you, mate.

To sum it all up...

Imogen has the power to wipe memories and there are some moments that seem suspicious.

How does Violet know about Imogen`s signet? I doubt the pink haired raider would just tell her during training. And how come Violent doesn`t go into detail about it? Perhaps because Imogen wiped out this memory.

The author of this theory also goes into detail about how it is possible for Imogen to wipe out memories, but not knowledge, about how it is probably a secret few are in on. They also give a plausible explanation as to why Imogen seems to be absent during the Montserrat trip and as to why Xaden has a lighter backpack when they leave. Absolutely brilliant.

But I can`t help but notice... did Xaden come to Montserrat only for that weapon transport, thus lying about Sgaeyl not resisting to be far from Tairn for more than 3 days? Because this changes... a hell of a lot of things.

We can all agree that Imogen will have a central role in the next books - you can probably tell by now that I am excited.

Seriously, take a look at that post.

4. Brennan Sorregail

The piece of resistance!

He is alive and part of the rebellion. Okay, we all get that. But... how? And how much of what has been happening is he in on?

Did he correspond with Xaden? Did he know about Violet and made Xaden protect her? Shadow boy here was clearly in on the secret of Brennan being alive. I want answers, Yarros!

Is Brennan in a leading position in the rebellion?

Where will he stand on Violet returning to Basgiath?

I feel like he will be the wild card of the series. It will be like a bomb when he starts spilling all the information he has, I can tell. And I love it already.

I feel like Violet`s dad knew about it all - about the real reason behind the rebellion, about the wyverns and venins and about his son faking his death. I want to know more about the Sorrengail men, please and thank you.

Anyhow, this is all for today. I will probably continue to collect theories and post them separately. Please feel free to comment your own thoughts - I am open to discussions as long as we keep it civil, guys!

And as a side note - does anyone know a group chat or something for Fourth Wing? I desperately need people to talk to about this amazing book. Or role-playing groups? Message me if you are on the same boat.

Kisses!