#It wouldn't be a problem if the characters weren't CHILDREN

[doodle17]

I dont mean to be stirring up old drama and I don't want this post to go crazy so I'm not tagging it with anything big just using the tags to ramble. I just want to tell anyone who follows me please PLEASE do NOT interact with 2hoots and/or block them if you have to because they've made some really bad stuff on their NSFW account especially of their future AU apparently

I know it might be a gray area for some people considering it's a somewhat well developed AU or something, but they also made some... Very proship-y vibes stuff?? I've only heard about it happening once though idk if they've made more. I'm also using proship lightly because they never outright said they're a proshipper

But don't you dare harass or attack them because istg if you do I will fucking GET YOU

Just- don't interact

[satorusugurugurl]

Perfect prey was just *chef's kiss*

Was thinking... what if the plan backfired? Like maybe Suguru's curses attracted another curse they weren't expecting and now their darling is in serious danger! Maybe a little bit injured

They feel awful of course, because they put their darling in harm's way! So they manipulate her again, but with a more gentle approach. "Oh sweetheart this was so dangerous... we were So worried... we can't let you do this alone again, our heart wouldn't be able to take it" and then they make it up to her by fucking her until she passes out

Perfect Prey (Part Two)

Characters: Yadere!Geto Suguru, Yadere!Gojo Satoru,AFAB!Reader

Warnings: yandere!Geto/Gojo, manipulation, dub! con read is unaware that the boys are manipulating her! (consent is vital for me!!) double penetration, smut, mentions of wounds, cursing, baby trapping, pregnancy talk, breeding

Word Count: 3,464

A/N: Ah! thank you Nonnie! This was different. I felt really dirty writing them so conniving wanting to baby trap the reader. Well I hope you enjoy!!

Part One

Anxiety and dread sat in the pit of your stomach like a metal ball as the phone rang. Satoru and Suguru were going to be pissed that you took on this mission, but they would have to get over it. You tried to decline when Yaga told you you were being sent to Sendai to deal with a grade-two curse. After your first and last solo mission went haywire, you never took missions without a partner, whether it was Satoru or Suguru.

But you couldn't just stand by the second he told you a child was missing the same area. You had to go on this mission alone while your boyfriends were in Kyoto for a meeting. The child was at risk, so you idly couldn’t stand by and do nothing. They could be upset if they wanted, but this was the right thing to do.

“Hey sweetheart, everything okay?” Satoru asked as you treaded over a bridge leading to an abandoned school in Sendai.

“Promise you won’t be mad.”

Pure and absolute silence rings out, making you swallow hard. “What do you mean? Don’t get mad?” You heard Geto ask what happened in the background. “Sugurh is here too. Tell us what happened,” you grumble, stepping over a fallen log, not looking forward to this conversation.

“Yaga sent me on a mission.”

“Princess, do you remember what happened last time?” Suguru made a tsking sound, speaking down to you as if you were a child who had done something wrong.

“I know, I don’t think I’ll ever forget that. But everyone else was on their own mission or out of town.”

“You still could’ve declined.” The cold chill in Gojo’s voice makes you shiver.

“I couldn't.”

“Yes, you could have.”

“No, Toru, I couldn't!” you snapped, stopping your pace to glare at the ground. “There’s a missing child in the area. It might be at the school building, or the curse could have them.” Both of your partners stay silent, and neither say a word. “I can’t sit back when a child is in danger.” Since they voiced no other sounds of protest, you side and relief. “I’ll be home as soon as I can. I’ll be taking the bullet train home since I’m in Sendai. I love you both.”

The line disconnected, causing Satoru to groan as he shoved his phone back into his pocket. “I swear I’m going to off the higher-ups one of these days.” Subaru, who was glaring out the window of the train back to Tokyo. “You're not opposed to the idea.” The dark-haired man glanced back at his blindfolded best friend.

“Sorry, Satoru, I was just thinking about how much our princess cares about children.”

“Yeah? She loves her students—and cares about the well-being of them.”

“I believe that is something we can use to our advantage.”

Satoru’s curiosity was peaked, and it caused the mischievous grin to deepen his dimple. “Oh, please do elaborate, Suguru.” With his friend's approval, Suguru shut his eyes and smiled.

“What if we gave her a child of her own to take care of? Money is not a problem with your wealth, and neither is mine. If we had a child with her, she could stay home, caring for them while we take on all the missions.”

“Are you suggesting that we baby-trap our perfect girl?”

“Precisely.” Geto shrugged the shoulder, dark strands of hair moving as he shifted in his seat. “If that’s something she wants, we will not force her to do anything she does not want.”

“But with a little persuasion and many videos, she’ll beg for one.”

The strongest sorcerer of the modern age grins before Suguru glances down at his watch. “But before everything is all sunshine and rainbows, our princess must learn another lesson.”

The two of them found themselves in Sendai ten minutes later, thanks to Gojo's teleportation. They stood in the woods as Suguru’s curses searched the area for the missing child you had been so concerned about finding. After combing through every inch and making a quick call to the police station, they confirmed that the boy had been seen earlier that day and was safe and sound at home with his family. Meaning they could use full force like they had done with you before.

Using Suguru's curses at full force to remind you of how much you needed them. As you ran through the second story of the abandoned school building, Geto’s curses swarmed in search of you, and they found you fast. You had to run up the stairs to the third floor when a swarm of fly-like curses slammed into you. Falling onto your back, you shielded your face with your hands, blocking their attacks.

Rage bloomed in the pit of your stomach as you snarled. Flipping over, you flung two talisman papers at the buzzing curses. Upon impact, the paper burned with your cursed energy before the creatures exploded into blue flames. There was a fire raging deep inside of you, one that was going to help you in finding the missing child, and you would be damned if you let a shitty curse your way. Pushing yourself up and off the ground, you bolted up the stairs to continue your frantic search.

Every one of the curses you came across, you exorcised with your papers. Each time that happened, Suguru stiffened, his eyes widening as Satoru dropped his arm over his best friend's shoulder. You had stopped to call either of them because you were handling this perfectly alone. That was both troubling and satisfying.

They knew you were strong. There was no doubt in their minds about that, but now, months after the initial incident they caused, you were even stronger. If you succeeded in dealing with these curses, you might begin to rebel against them, insisting that you could handle yourself, which left both men at a crossroads. They could keep throwing weak grade three and four curses in your way or step it up with a grade two or one.

Amid their conundrum, you kept moving, taking out every curse. Your thoughts revolved around finding the missing child and saving them. You didn't know the child was already at home safe and sound, meaning you were running through a building for nothing.

“Our darling girl is handling herself quite well.”

“She is one of the strongest,” Gojo added head, focused on the school.

Suguru was a second away from agreeing with him when he went silent; seven of his curses were exorcised once—none by you or a different sorcerer. No, the presence that took out those curses was dark and malicious. Suguru knew that Satoru sensed it, too, from the way his body straightened before he yanked his blindfold down, pooling it around his neck.

“Sugu—”

“I know I felt it.”

“A special grade curse.” You grit it out from the third-floor hallway, standing before the curse devouring one of the lower-grade ones chasing you. The six-legged creature towered over you, standing around 7 feet tall. Eight eyes darted with every move you made, following as you reached into your jacket pocket, pulling out a talisman paper as you prepared for the fight of your life.

Geto and Gojo were running through the woods, watching as flashes of blue cursed energy glowed from the broken windows on the third floor. As they approached the building, the north wall crumbled as you battled with the special grade curse. The bastard was throwing you against walls, knocking the wind out of your chest before crawling up onto the ceiling like some humanoid spider.

You shake, pushing yourself up as the curse skittered towards you; just below, Gojo teleported with Geto bolted up the stairs. The special grade curse was just about to bite your head off, but before it had a chance to chomp down, a blue ball of cursed energy slammed through the wall, knocking both you and the curse over the ledge of the north side of the building

“Fuck!” Gojo yelled as you and the curse fell into an abandoned school pool's dirty, mucky water. The water's foul smell soured your stomach as you tried to wiggle yourself from the curse of grasp, only to have it pull you under the black water. Its legs into your sides, pulling you further under the water, dragging you to the bottom of the bottomless pool.

Your paper was useless in a situation like this, but you didn’t need your paper. Not when you had been training so hard, focusing all your energy on your combat skills. Pulling your fist back, you focus hard, concentrating your cursed energy into your fist before slamming it down on the curse's head. Flashes of red and black cursed energy split the water around you, and the curse released you. The black flash hit it head-on. You would need to thank Nanami later for teaching you how to do it.

That was if you made it out of the slimy pool alive.

You couldn’t see everything; it was a blurry black mass until a hand breached under the water, grabbing your jacket and pulling you to the surface. The instant head breached the water, Suguru pulled out, helping you towards the edge. The instant you were on dry land, you sat on your hands and knees as you coughed up the foul-smelling water that had invaded your mouth and nose while Geto rubbed your back soothingly, gently patting it until you were sure your lungs were clear.

“S-Suguru—” you gasp, resting your head on his lap, “W-What are you doing here?” His hand gently stroked your wet hair back

“Yaga called us and told us the child was found. We decided to assist you and let you know the good news. Thank god we got here when we did.”

Another body crutches down next to you; a soft hand gently caresses your cheek. “Yeah, no kidding. Are you okay? You aren’t too injured, are you?”

Shifting slightly, you winced at the scratches and sore spots that would soon become bruises. Despite the minor sting, nothing seemed to be broken. That meant your partners wouldn’t have much to complain about. Pushing yourself up and off of Suguru, you gave your boyfriends a gentle smile and a thumbs up.

“I’ll live.”

Of course, you’d live; you were strong, and the injured were mediocre. Even though you were okay, Satoru and Suguru felt some guilt when you

All got he as they watched you walk into the bathroom for a long shower when you got home. The scratches on your side were bleeding, and the gash on your forehead was starting to swell into a scar with bruises as you shut the door behind you.

Both men exchanged glances with each other the second you came back into the bedroom, carefully crawling into bed between them. They were so lucky that you were strong enough to handle yourself. If it were anyone else, they might not have been as fortunate as you were. Even if they hadn’t interfered with your mission, you could’ve easily faced that special grade and wouldn’t have been off as well as you were. They needed to tell you how much you meant to them and how they were.

That way, you never tried to do a stunt like this again.

Suguru was the first to shift his arm, wrapping around you and holding you gently against him as Satoru leaned into your neck, gently peppering it with kisses. You melted into their gentle caresses, listening to their beating hearts. This was precisely what you needed after a long mission.

“Princess, this was a close call.” Suguru began gently squeezing you. “That was such a dangerous mission you were sent on.”

“Mhm, we were so worried about you, so scared that you would get hurt.” Satoru trailed his lips along your exposed collarbone. “And look,” emotion, his head towards the scratches on your side and the bruise forming on your head. “You did end up getting hurt. That’s something neither of us ever wants to happen.”

Concern was thick in their voices, and you couldn’t help but fill your stomach with guilt. They had warned you that something like this might eventually happen, and they were right. It did happen. You had gotten hurt despite handling yourself as long as you did. You had been training hard to keep up with your partners, and tonight, you thought you could handle this alone. Maybe you could save that child's life without the assistance of your boyfriends. But that special grade made you realize how weaker you were compared to Satoru and Suguru.

“I know.” You whispered, voice breaking as Satoru continued his exploration of your body with his lips. His hands gently grabbed your hips as Suguru slowly lifted your shirt for his best friend. “I-I know if—ah—if it wasn’t for—nngh.” Your mind went blank as Satoru trailed his tongue over your skin. Planting open-mouthed kisses and little nips over your stomach. “I—fuck I don’t know what would have happened.”

Satoru hummed, pulling down the sweats you had on. “We can’t let you do that again; it was too dangerous.” Suguru hummed, planting a kiss on the top of your head.

“Satoru is right; you got hurt. We hate seeing you hurt.”

“But you did so good, doing your absolute best to save a child in need.” Satoru moaned out in between kisses against your skin. “You’d be such a good mommy. You take such good care of our children.”

“You would be.” Warm hands up to your breast, squeezing them softly. “I think that’s what you were meant to do in this world: be the most amazing mother.” You moan, arching your back as Satoru laps at your cunt, his tongue swirling around clit, causing you to jolt back. “Isn’t that something you’ve always wanted since we got together? To have our children and be a stay-at-home mother?”

“I-I—haaaah—yes, I want that.”

Bingo, both men smirk as you shut your eyes tight, losing yourself in the pleasure. This was perfect. If they knocked you up, you’d have no choice but to decline missions. They wouldn’t have to worry about you being in danger. It was a win-win scenario for all of you. You won’t be in danger and have something you always wanted.

“Then let us breed you.” Satoru breathed out against your cunt. “Let us knock you up.”

Suguru’s fingers pinched and pulled at your nipples, tugging them before releasing them. “Please, princess, please, you know we’ll take good care of you. We always do.” There was something utterly manipulative and demented with the way they begged you to be the mother of their children; however, you were blind to the malicious intent behind their words. You knew your partners just wanted to take it to the next level.

That nativity was the sole reason you answered the way you did.

“Okay.” If you had known the truth that they were trying to baby-trap you, things wouldn’t have been so simple.

With your consent, both men were removed, and cock were pulled out. Both heads of their dicks at your entrance at the same time, itching to get inside of you. Shafts rub against each other as they begin pushing inside of you thick; their cock stretches you like you had never been stretched before. You gripped onto Satoru’s shoulders, wincing as both men pushed past your tight ring of muscles, sinking into your wet walls.

Your boyfriends grunted and groaned, forcing themselves deeper inside you until they were buried balls deep. You shivered and shook, crying at how full you were, stuffed with both men’s cocks. Seeing your tears and hearing your soft cries had Suguru pressing kisses down the nape of your neck while Satoru began thrusting in and out of you at a gentle pace.

“Look at you, taking both cocks so well.”

“Yeah, such a good girl for us~ going to be. Much a good mommy,”

“Yes, you will be.” Suguru moaned in agreement as he began bucking up into you in time with Satoru’s thrusts. “The perfect mommy~”

Satoru groaned, slamming his lips against yours, kissing you eagerly as you relaxed around them, making it easier for him to fuck into you. “God, I can’t wait to fill you up with my cum~ to watch your stomach swell with one of our kids.” Suguru’s hands squeezed your breasts as he slid his tongue up your neck.

“Yes, you’re beautiful, but I can only imagine how much you will glow when carrying our child. How your breasts will swell.”

“O-Oooh fuck~”

“Nngh fuck, that sweet cunt just twitched; you love this, don’t you~? Being bred by both of us. Imagining being so full of our cum that you’ll be pregnant by the end of the night?”

“Yes! Yes, I want that so bad!”

“Then be a good girl and take all we have to offer,” Satoru growled in your ear, slamming his hips into you, causing both you and Suguru to gasp. The dark-haired man was quick to recover, his hips meeting Satoru’s pace, bucking madly up into you with moans against your shoulder as Satoru grabbed the headboard. “That's right~ our perfect fucking girl is going to take all our cum. We're going to fill you up so good~ so fuckin’ good.”

“Nnngh~ yes,” Suguru whispered into your ear. “I want you to be ours in every way a person can be, Princess.”

Both their cocks inside of you felt so good; you were drooling over the way they slammed into you in sync, how they told you such dirty things. They desperately wanted to breed you, to make you the mother of their children. God, they made you so wet and horny; you tried to do that for them, wanted to take their cum, to be their partner, to be re e their children.

“Oooh fuck me~!” you begged, causing both men to grunt and groan as they slammed into you harder, trying to get deeper inside of you, to fill you full of their cum. “Yes! Yes! Yes! Faster! Faster fuck!”

“Nngh fuck~ fuck yes baby I'm going to cum~ take all of it~ yeah~ take every last fucking drop of our cum!” Satoru growled against your lips, your short breaths mingling with each other as the bed creaked and groaned under both means of frantic thrusts.

“Yea~ I want to be sure you're so full~ I have no intention of leaving this bed until you're bred properly.” a rough growl heated your skin as Suguru reached around, rubbing at your clit. “Now be a good girl and milk our cocks~ allow us to fill you~.”

You came squirming and shaking against Suguru, screaming against Satoru’s lips as he continued fucking into you, as chaste kisses were pressed into your mouth. Your tightening walls, the feeling of each other's cocks throbbing was enough to have your boyfriends stiffening before slamming deep inside the heads of their cocks, twitching as cum filled your womb, which left you gasping, nails digging into Satoru’s shoulder, leaving red crescent moon shapes in your wake as you shivered.

Both men were panting heavily, kissing you gently as they continued rocking into you. Filling you with more of their cum, only stopping when you made the slight sound of discomfort. “Y-You got me.” You whispered as Satoru pulled out first.

“Huh?” a white brow twitched up as Suguru gently helped lay you onto your side as he slowly fucked into you pushing their cum deeper inside.

“What do you mean, Princess?”

“Y-You haaah nnngh~!” you gripped the sheets as Sugurh grabbed your hips fucking you tenderly. “I-I know you got me p-pregnant.”

Satoru grinned, kissing you softly as Sugurh continued thrusting into you from behind. “Oh, sweetheart~ even if we didn't do that first round, you will be by the night's end.”

Each took two more turns making sweet, tender love to you. Filling you with their cum. You were so happy, drooling as they fucked you stupidly, until your eyes rolled back, and you passed out from the exhaustion and pleasure. The night had started sour but turned into something so romantic and loving. While you were blissful, your partners smirked, watching their cum leaking out of your cunt. Sure, they were excited to start a family with you. But they were more excited that now, you would be theirs and theirs alone.

No matter who the father was of the first child, the other wouldn't stop until you were full of the second. They fully intended to make sure you'd never leave their sight. For you belonged to them and then alone.

[ceruleanwhore]

Sariel is also a victim of the late king but no one talks about it

⚠ TW: Talking about grooming plus mentions of rape and suicide ⚠

(Also, heads up that there will be spoilers for Sariel's route in here.)

I haven't seen anyone talk about how Sariel was literally groomed by the late king yet, so I decided to just go ahead and do that. Please skip this post if this topic is something that could hurt you to read about.

First off, let's talk power imbalance. The previous king was, well, a king and, at the time he first met Sariel, Sariel was a poor 10 year old child whose sole source of income was crime. As a king, prev king was always going to have a power imbalance with just about anyone he ever met, but the power imbalance between him and Sariel is literally as skewed as it can get at the time they meet. Then, when you add in the part where one of the few and most important aspects of Sariel's backstory that we get in his route is how his dad just disappeared one day, it gets even worse and more complicated.

When the king met Sariel, the only appropriate thing he could've done would've been to find him a home and get him adopted or fostered or something, not bring him into the palace and give him a job with tons of responsibility at the ripe old age of ten. That choice was bad enough but it's worse because the job in question was to take care of this man's children and also do a shitload of emotional labor for him. The way the king used child!Sariel like a therapist and shared all his mental, emotional, and relationship issues with this child is a textbook example of grooming. Not to mention that this guy also gave Sariel whole identity so, for the rest of his life, Sariel's abuser is entwined with most aspects of his life, including something as simple as his name.

Somehow, this horrible situation got even worse because prev king attempted suicide and Sariel was the one who found him when he did that. I understand very well that suicide is not a choice and I would never blame someone for attempting suicide or dying that way, but when the person in question has already groomed the fuck out of the person who ends up finding them after their suicide attempt, that makes things quite complicated. Because of how the king had already groomed Sariel and, more specifically, dumped his mental and emotional problems on him, I think it's inevitable that Sariel would've felt responsible for that suicide attempt. After however long of being that sole confidant to the king, I can't imagine he wouldn't feel personally responsible for the king's mental and emotional struggles, up to and including suicide.

Another factor here that further complicates things is the complicated (read: shitty) nature of the king and his actions. We all know by now that two of the eight princes were conceived by rape, and Sariel knows that too but, in spite of that, we regularly get to see him defend this horrible king, insisting that he was complicated and that he never would've hurt anyone if it weren't for the one singular loss he suffered in his life. What this means is that we, the audience, have full knowledge of how horrible the previous king was and that he was a literal rapist and, therefore, it's in character for him to also be a groomer, but Sariel is in the thick of it and can't fully perceive or understand what happened to him. Instead, he continues to view the king as his "special friend" who was widely misunderstood and whom only Sariel was able to fully understand, so he continues to defend his abuser.

The other thing is what we see in Sariel's full ending bonus story about the journal that the king gave him on Bloodstained Rose Day. We know from the rest of his route and two endings that, as a child, he somehow ended up on the run/living a vagrant lifestyle with his father until that father disappeared one day but, otherwise, he has no clue who he is, where he comes from, or what the tattoo on his hand even was. This undoubtedly was a source of significant trauma and turmoil for him so, by having a lot of that information and being able to give it to him, the king had yet even more fucking power over Sariel. The worst part is that, when he gives Sariel the diary, the king even outright admits that he had this all along and chose to withhold it from Sariel to deliberately keep him from leaving the palace. He literally tells us directly that he's been abusing his power over this literal fucking child since he was ten fucking years old.

I know Ikemen never intended for us to see prev king's character this way and, like how we were supposed to look at Licht and Nokto's mother being an abusive cunt and instead somehow see a situation where there was no clear bad guy, Sariel is meant to tell us how to feel about the king. However, I think they accidentally set up a very clear case of grooming instead and it's all there in the text. I'm sure it won't happen, but I fucking wish that Sariel's sequel would include him realizing all of this, working through the trauma, and finally denouncing the late king, at least in private. I'd also love to see the sequel take Sariel and Emma to Obsidian and for them to get more info about his identity and family from Gilbert, since the kingdom he comes from was taken over by Obsidian.

[mr-spotatohead]

Sorry for bothering you, but what would it be like if the human reader changed the channel to watch another puppet cartoon, for exemple: Sesame Street.

( Would Wally be jealous? What would happen? )

-Green Feeling.-

Welcome Home x Viewer!Reader

Words: 1,411

|Contains: Jealousy.|

Synopsis: You accidentally made friends with a TV character. You don't know how, why, or the motive for you to genuinely enjoy his company… Although… He is a bit… too attached to you. You like the puppet, the problem is that you are afraid of what he might do in a bad mood.

You wouldn't say that you are childish… Yes, you like things related to a smaller audience, but that doesn't make you less mature. People find it strange when you spend your free time watching cartoons or children's shows, which interact with the audience. You never found this a problem, until recently. When you came home exhausted, and left a puppet show playing in the background you had never seen before, you decided to watch it. It was a normal show, with a blue-haired protagonist who likes to paint and talk to the audience.

You thought it was fun. Although you were almost drooling on the couch from sleeping. Even in this state you still enjoy interacting with the puppet's questions. Answering each one with a weariness combined with animation. You remember telling the TV your name, and it answering you with Wally. You remember literally talking to this character. It was a dream, it had to be, that's why you didn't give it much thought. It was very pleasant and nice. Until the next day you were sure you weren't dreaming. But still this character kept talking to you as if it was normal. Should you have reacted? Yes. And did you? … You still can't believe that you befriended a TV character, maybe you went crazy and didn't notice? Perhaps. But it doesn't hurt anyone, and honestly, you don't really care how it's possible. Now you were surfing the channels of your old television. Bored, you looked for something different to watch. The show your virtual friend was on wasn't on at the time, so you were looking for something to watch. And then you found something unexpected. Another puppet show. And it was one you used to watch a lot as a child! You couldn't help but put down the remote to watch this beautiful show called Sesame Street. So many memories quickly came back to you. You had this in love look on your face, really. A few episodes went by. And there you were, sitting on your couch with a big smile on your face. Laughing out loud between character interactions. You remember this episode, this scene now was the funniest part. It was a character interaction between Elmo and Zoe and the most real character possible… Rocko. You were holding in your laughter as you watched Elmo lose his temper with a rock. "You can't have that cookie, Elmo. Rocko wants to eat it." You had your hand over your mouth waiting for Elmo's response. Laughing a lot when you heard Elmo say that Rocko had no mouth. Whereas a few episodes ago, you saw Elmo get grossed out because he had accidentally grabbed Rocko's 'butt' instead of its hand. You started having a laughing fit, you had simply forgotten how good this series was. Not noticing the hours passing by, you continued to watch. One episode after another. Having fun with just one children's show.

Although you did notice something strange as the episodes went on. You knew that your TV was a little bad in quality, but you could see a strange silhouette in the background of the episode. Did the image of some scene burn in and stay there temporarily? Strangely enough. It was familiar. Letting the time pass a little longer, you came upon another familiar scene, laughing lightly and preparing to laugh out loud after a funny interaction again, realizing that the silhouette was gone. You started to laugh out loud, but you never thought your expression would change so quickly. You soon interrupted your laughter for a loud gasp as you were startled after the screen made a loud thudding sound, with a familiar character in front of it.

Your heart leapt so fast that you could have sworn you were going to throw it up. Coughing lightly as you looked at the glitchy screen with Wally in front of you, even though he had a smile on his face, he looked extremely angry. A little annoyed, you pinched the tip of your nose as you realized that it was only Wally, who had purposely hit the TV screen to scare you. Now you knew what or rather who that silhouette in the background was. Taking a deep breath, you huffed an irritated snort and leaned your torso forward. Speaking your displeasure. "Wally! That wasn't funny!" You let out a heavy breath as you watched the channel change on its own among the others until it reached the intro of Welcome Home. Ah yes, your virtual friend can control the channels on your TV. Not only that, but he can manipulate any electronic device within his reach. Your cable phone being one of them. Crossing your arms, you watched the intro go by and Wally appeared inside his house with his arms crossed too, with the same grumpy expression. You watched him tapping his foot on the floor impatiently. Watching you with an intensity that you had learned to get used to. "You know what else isn't funny?" The puppet finally spoke up, pointing an accusing finger at you, causing you to raise an eyebrow. "Replace me!" Wally accused you, his voice not as monotone as usual. It seems that this caught him in an unexpected way. You frowned sharply after his comment. "What?" You shook your head, not understanding. "Making me wait. That's not very neighborly of you, (Name)." Wally sighed loud enough for you to hear, you watched him walking in circles inside the small scenery on the TV. "I can't believe you decided on your own to watch something else when I was here!" Wally seemed to start talking to no one specific, since he had too much on his mind to look at you. That's when you realized. What time was it? Looking at the clock on the wall made you suck in breath through your teeth. Yeah… The time passed quickly. You looked back at the puppet on the TV, you frowned slightly. You knew Wally was a little… too clingy. You thought the reason was because no one really interacted with him. Literal. Since you were the first adult person not to avoid him after you found out he was real, you kind of became Wally's focus. Then you sighed, running your hand over your head. "Uhm… You're right, I really was late. I am sorry." You said looking at the character who stopped walking. "But you're exaggerating that I replaced you. I was just watching another show."

Although Wally was quietly watching you when you were speaking, your final words caused him to turn and move his arms around. "You were just watching another show?! (Name), you don't need another show to watch." The TV screen filled with glitches and you could no longer see the stage behind. Wally's figure was now close to the screen. Staring at you. "That show won't make you laugh like I do. That show won't cheer you up when you need it like I do." Wally raised his hand and touched the TV screen. His voice finally softened, along with his gaze. You swallowed dryly, looking at that puppet who had a great attachment to you. "(Name). I would give anything for your smile. So please, don't watch any other shows again." You stared at Wally in an awkward silence that made you sigh, a little nervous about the current situation. "Wally," You began, looking at the puppet who didn't break eye contact with you. "I'm not going to replace you or anything else you're afraid of. And if making you calmer means stopping watching other shows…. Then I guess I can do that." After you said that the TV went into a series of glitches that took a good few seconds, which made you a little worried. But then the screen soon returned to normal with the same classic Welcome Home scenario. And Wally had a big smile on his face. "Perfect! Well, now that this is settled. Tell me about your day!" Satisfied with your words, the puppet started a normal conversation. Making you try to ignore this situation. Well, your virtual friend is a bit demanding. But he is nice. It's easy to say that after this event you couldn't find another children's show on your TV, as if they mysteriously disappeared. Except, Welcome Home.

But this doesn't mean that you won't watch other shows and cartoons outside your home.

-no but, Elmo losing his shit over a rock is everything-

[siriuslyobsessedwithfiction]

Baghra Morozova is one of the most selfish fictional characters ever written. Not only she possesses no empathy, she has never had an aspiration or an ambition in her life. This is probably LB's fault because she didn't give her a personality except being a bitter nihilistic pessimist, but let's discuss the harmful ideology she lived by and tried to install into his son and Alina. And how Aleksander refused to learn that lesson from her.

Wanting doesn't make someone weak, nor it is a problem.

Darkling's infamous words "The problem with wanting is that it makes us weak" is purely an echo of his mother's teachings. Because Darkling's whole source of strength and motivation since he was thirteen was the want to make a better world for Grisha. Or at least a world where they wouldn't be hunted and shamed for existing. After centuries of loyal servitude to awful rulers he managed to create a safe haven for Grisha, but even there, they were serfs.

There is no denying that Baghra was an intelligent, ruthless, powerful, cunning and unfeeling woman. Unlike her son, who was prone to sentiment even though she did her best to weed it out of him, Baghra was not particularly emotional even when she was young. I don't know if she had some sort of mental condition or she was just that kind of person, but she lived for centuries and never had a dream to become anything. Creation of her son Aleksander served only one purpose to her - so she would have someone like herself. Someone she could share loneliness with. Because I cannot call Baghra's and Aleksander's relationship companionship. She made that decision when she was young, and after raising him, she often left him to his own devices, but never actually let him out of her clutches. She abandoned her other children because they weren't Darklings. She did not want a family, she wanted a reflection of herself who she could have a conversation with. Aleksander should have just brought her the mirror from "When water sang fire" which could create an illusion of a person's reflection being sentient.

Anyway, back to the point. Baghra was a part of a prosecuted minority for centuries and never tried to make a difference. Nor did she support her son when he tried. I can understand how at first she was solely focused on survival and that mindset stayed with her, but after both of them were centuries old, why didn't she do something? She clearly didn't fear death. She is content to sit in her hut, stroke fire and spit venom for eternity. Which is funny, because she's supposed to be inspired by Baba Yaga from Slavic fairytales, but she reminds me more of Nacarqeqia, a stereotype of a lazybones layabout lit ash-raker from fairytales, who has capacity to do heroic things by outwitting the opponents, but chooses to sit by the dwindling fire and complain and daydream instead.

When your kind has been subjected to genocide for centuries, it's not "greedy" and "corrupt" to take drastic action.

Tolkien pushed the narrative I agree with, that war is always horrible and it's not something to be glorified, which lots of works in fantasy tend to overlook. I agree with Baghra that power corrupts. But like @aleksanderscult and @stromuprisahat have already discussed in their analysis posts (check out their work), Aleksander did not want power for himself or to lift Grisha above other people. He wanted his kind to have basic human rights. I don't understand what LB was trying to say. That fighting for freedom of your people is bad? And Baghra is convinced it's best to do nothing, because humanity is already too messed up and there's no point in trying. Some wise ancient advisor she is.

What actual humanitarians think about not taking action to help your people survive

Nobleman Ilia Chavchavadze was a Georgian public figure, journalist, publisher, writer and poet who spearheaded the revival of Georgian nationalism during the second half of the 19th century and ensured the survival of the Georgian language, literature, and culture during the last decades of Tsarist rule. (A.k.a "Saint Ilia the Righteous". Ironic, I know. Like Baghra's father, Ilya Morozova in Shadow and Bone. But I wouldn't compare them.)

In his publication "Letters of a traveler", Chavchavadze writes his inner monologue, where he worries about his country and contemplates what to do, as he returns from Russia to his homeland. He writes:

"I went out from my room and looked over at Mqinvari, which they call Mount Kazbek. There is something noble about Mqinvari. Truly can it say: the heavens are my head-dress and the earth my slippers. It rose in the azure sky, white and serene. Great is it, calm and peaceful, but it is cold and white. Its appearance makes me wonder but doesn't move me, it chills me and does not warm me — in a word it is Mqinvari /frozen/. Mqinvari with all its grandeur is to be admired but not to be loved. And what do I want with its greatness. The world's hum, the world's whirlwind and breezes, the world's ill or weal makes not even a nerve in his lofty brow twitch. Although his base stands on mother earth his head rests: in heaven; it is isolated; inaccessible. I do not like such height nor such isolation nor such inaccessibility." This is Baghra's life in a nutshell. Not bothering to engage, standing still, isolated for centuries. Her connection to making at the heart of the world, her gift, her life, wasted.

Aleksander is different. He's constantly in danger, he is dangerous but in a different way, he stumbles, crashes, redefines himself, pushes forward no matter what to achieve his goal. -

"Thank God for the desperate, mad, furious, obstinate, disobedient muddy river Terek! Leaping from the black rock's heart he goes roaring and shouting on his way. I love his noisy murmur, its hurried struggle, grumbling and lamentation. The river is the image of human awakened life, it is a face mobile and worth knowing.

Stand still but a little while and dost thou not turn into a stinking pool and does not this fearsome roar of thine change to the croaking of frogs! It is movement and only movement, my Terek, which gives to the world its might and life."

I hope we can all understand this metaphor and what it stands for, I believe I have explained enough.

[noroi1000]

Kawaii Sensei

part two

paring: Student Gojo (18) x sensei reader (22)

Summary: You are their new teacher. You are young, and they consider you very loving and kind. You're considered cute by one student. You are his kawaii sensei. And he loves you...

Warnings: short NSFW

"Good morning everyone. My name is (y/n) (l/n). From today I am your new teacher." You said with a nice smile, looking at the three people in front of you.

Were you expecting a little more enthusiasm...

At least a little smile...

Meanwhile, you were standing there looking at the short-haired brunette who looked like she hadn't slept at all. On the other hand, they were dark haired in a bun with a neutral looking face (at least he looked nice), his face was neither serious nor smiling, so you consider it a good sign. The other boy with white hair looked like he wanted to leave here. As if he didn't want to be in this class at all...

"So..." You started clasping your hands together.

You're not much older than them... This is your first day as a teacher at this school.

You graduated from this school some time ago, but your skills weren't very high, so you couldn't count on being higher in the hierarchy. And since you like children, you chose to teach at the Jujutsu school.

Besides, teachers are very much needed in such a school.

Few people can teach in a school like this, and you were a sorcerer, so you had the opportunity. So you chose to teach kids instead of doing missions all the time.

"...Want to know something about me? Or tell me something about yourself?" You gave them a nice smile.

But the principal of the place came to the room. The man who just a few days ago became the principal.

He was the man you took over teaching this class. And you still did not expect what adventure awaits you while you teach this one white-haired boy.

He was practically your teacher a few years ago.

You even remember him well.

And he agreed to let you teach at least one class so that he would have a little less work.

He ran for the position of principal and succeeded.

Therefore, he will have a little more responsibilities. Now at least you'll do it for him a bit.

He's always liked you, that's why he let you go, and he believed you could do everything and look good.

However, you don't understand why he finds these three students troublesome...

Okay, even before you came here, you heard that the white-haired one is sometimes a problem. And sometimes with him his best friend.

You wish you had come here as their teacher now and not from their first day of school.

They are now in their second year. So they know more than the basics.

Besides, these two are already a higher grade than you...

It doesn't bother you because you don't care where you are on the level that much. Sometimes these divisions don't make sense...

You're semi-grade 1 and they're grade 1. And Yaga told you that their skill is still increasing so he's sure they're capable of going into special grade.

Therefore, you are not to save them.

You probably wouldn't be able to murder them in training... You don't want them to experience the same as you in training...

But they still look like well-built young men. So you can guess that Yaga has exhausted them already.

You're not a fan of 24/7 non-stop training.

Poor guys... You don't want to know what they went through before you were their teacher.

Now you're going to make sure they don't hate classes with you.

As far as you know, the white-haired one is Gojo Satoru, who possesses both of his bloodline's powerful techniques. Character description by Yaga: conceited, selfish, inconsiderate, irritating, but very capable and trustworthy. Addicted to sugar and sometimes childish.

The dark-haired boy is Geto Suguru. They both are best friends. He comes from a family of non-sorcerers and possesses the technique of manipulating curses. You are not to be nervous when you sense curse energy, because his cursed energy is just like curses. Character description by Yaga: more composed and calm. He can be like Satoru sometimes. A talented boy who will always get used to the situation.

And the girl is Ieiri Shoko. She's not often included in teddy bears because she's here learning to master the reverse cursed technique.

So far you've only received them. I guess you should make it.

"This is your new teacher. I have more responsibilities than looking after you, so I'm assigning you to her. Don't embarrass me in front of my former student." You looked at the man with a small smile and nodded that he might leave you.

As you stood in front of them, you began to get more nervous.

"I don't know where to start... I know you're training outside today... Sorry, but it's my first day as a teacher..." you said nervously. "The only thing I know about you is something from Yaga-san...your names as well as your skills. I'd like to get to know you more since we spend the next few years together. And who knows, maybe one of you will want to become a teacher later?"

You met the eyes of the white haired man.

You blush with shame. It must have been a bit visible, right? Since none of them even responded...

You hoped that someday you would be able to get close to them and start working with them normally.

It used to be. Half a year ago.

It was completely different now.

You were like a real teacher to them.

They did not expect that they would be able to be so close to the teacher.

They felt like you were their friend and not their teacher, even if you were giving them assignments or teaching them in class.

And there was something no one expected either.

According to one of them, you were adorable.

Cute sensei.

Of course you blushed when you found out. Because no one ever thought you were cute before.

But well, you didn't expect such a comment from anyone...

You were very protective of them.

You knew that your students liked you very much.

You got chocolates from Satoru on Valentine's Day. You don't know if it was a coincidence because he also ate his, or if he gave it to you on purpose.

You couldn't feel anything for the student... It was probably forbidden... You didn't want to take it badly.

So you stood on tiptoe and stroked his soft hair, enjoying the white stripes under your fingers.

You saw his blue eyes widen slightly as you did, and his cheeks flushed a nice pink.

You smiled at him, thanking him with all your heart.

It was the first time you got something for Valentine's Day from someone.

And you felt so good about it. Even if he was your student.

You didn't know that right after that he went to his friend with a big smile.

"Why are you smiling like that? And why don't you ever knock when you enter my room..." he muttered seeing the white haired boy sit down quickly on his bed and lay down with a big smile like an idiot.

It was as if he had overdosed on sugar even more than ever.

"Something happened to make you so happy?"

"She took the chocolates from me!" He said happily.

"Wait... Did you really give it to her?" he asked, his eyes widening slightly.

"Yeah! And she smiled! It was so cute! And you know what she did then?!"

"She's probably touched you somehow or said something nice... But there's no way she's kissed you... You'll have to wait until the grave with that fantasy...

"She stroked my head!"

"He often does this to us..." he replied.

He didn't want his best friend to get overexcited that you might let him in.

Geto knew very well that his best friend fell in love with you.

First they talked about you, and then he started to think you were cool. Until the end, he thought you were pretty and charming.

You never did anything they didn't want. You were still their teacher, but your teaching was so much better.

You weren't that strict, and you asked what they wanted.

You were kind and so soft.

It was cute.

And Geto might have expected Gojo to be attracted to you.

Someone who likes your behavior and enjoys your company.

Until one day he told him that he must have fallen in love with you.

He couldn't stop thinking about you.

He didn't like to see you walking next to anyone other than him.

He was even jealous that you gave him less attention than usual. Then he would come to you asking for an explanation of something he knew very well or wanted to ask for help with a non-existent problem. Those were his excuses to meet you to give him more attention than others.

"But she did it to me with such a cute smile!"

Geto didn't want him to be disappointed by unrequited love...

You were older than them. Perhaps you already had a boyfriend or husband. It would be very difficult for him to dissuade Gojo from loving you. But for the sake of his psyche, he wanted to do it.

He didn't want his friend to be heartbroken.

"What if (y/n)-sensei got other chocolates, like from her boyfriend?" He asked.

He preferred to gently show him that it may turn out that there is already someone in your life.

They didn't know exactly how old you were, and they didn't know much about your private life either.

There was no wedding ring on your finger, and you didn't talk on the phone often, which you basically would if you had a boyfriend or a husband.

It might also be surprising that you had a house near the school and when they were there because you invited them to dinner, they didn't see anyone but you there.

It's like there's no one else in your life.

Sure, Geto doesn't prohibit Gojo from having a happy relationship. However, he didn't want his heart to break if it turned out otherwise.

"I've never heard that she has anyone."

"Satoru, we don't even know how old she is."

"She's a little older than us. She's only just qualified to become a real teacher."

The dark-haired sighed.

"I don't want you to react badly, but we don't know what she thinks of you. She might as well consider you a nice student. I'm sure she would never play with your feelings, but I don't want you to be disappointed with your feelings." He said calmly. "This is probably the first time you fell in love with. You're happy, I get it. But..."

"I know. What do you say we ask tomorrow how old she is? I doubt she'll refuse to answer us."

That's how you ended up walking between them as you headed to the field to practice.

You felt more and more squeezed by them. Why did they have to be so tall?

You felt Satoru getting closer and closer to you.

Until you finally heard the first question you didn't expect.

"(y/n)-sensei, may we know how old are you?" he asked suddenly coming very close to you.

You looked at him questioningly. But you felt so small and intimidated by his eyes.

"I'm just asking out of curiosity... I've heard more than once that you're only a little older than us, so it's just curiosity."

"...Um... Satoru-kun... I'm actually 22 years old. Soon 23." You said calmly.

You couldn't stop thinking about the warmth of his touching your skin.

Satoru-kun is handsome, but you can't think of him other than as a student. It is true that your young mind is speaking here, telling you that you are of similar age and you could at least try. Because he seems to be interested in you somehow.

You like him a lot. Maybe if you weren't as a teacher...

He's 18. I'm sure he'll find someone better than you.

You were snapped out of your trance of thoughts by his next personal question.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" He asked looking at you.

You blushed and jumped back slightly at the question.

"S-Satoru-kun, I-I don't think it should matter, right...?" You said nervously.

Suguru didn't answer.

"I just wanted to know. A cool sensei like you doesn't deserve any asshole."

Your distraction made you really careless.

That's why you didn't even notice that you were about to come down the stairs. You were all red because of his words. And you didn't notice the dip under your leg.

"Wah! Be careful!"

You heard just that and felt him pull your arm back, wrapping his arms around you.

When you realized that you had almost fallen down the stairs, you were pressed against your student's chest.

If only you were older, he wouldn't even want to be so close to you!

You could have skipped a few more years until you were in your thirties!

Maybe then your mind wouldn't rather take vengeance to heaven when you look at your student you could practically say you love...!

You wanted to burn yourself with shame...

You were supposed to look after them, not them you.

"Wow, be careful, kawaii sensei." He said, pushing you away gently.

What did he call you?!

"Umm... What?"

"What?"

"Um..." you murmured.

"What "What?", Sensei?"

"...Nothing..."

You tried to leave to join Suguru at the bottom of the stairs.

But he grabbed your hand.

"Is it what I called you, sensei?" He smiled.

It was a cute but slightly cocky smile.

But with something like this on his face.

Maybe you can quit your job here before your face catches fire from the heat?

This was your second such situation.

First chocolates, then you hear a student call you cute, then he practically asks you to pat his head like you always did and now he hugs you, asks if you have a boyfriend and also calls you "kawaii sensei"?

What is this?!

You were nice to them because you wanted to. But you didn't expect that someone who didn't seem to mind having another teacher at first would suddenly start to be so close to you.

You are friends???

Are you any closer than you should be???

You are four years older than him!

And he is already an adult! You didn't expect him to act like that, he should be doing that to his girlfriend, not to the teacher!

He suddenly leaned lower to your face.

"You are kawaii sensei. My favorite teacher I've ever had." He chuckled and his lips curved into a kind smile.

Teachers can be close to students. And there is nothing strange about it.

But should it be that you feel butterflies in your stomach when he does something like that?

Should it be that he feels butterflies in his stomach when you're next to him? 

You tried to forget about this situation.

But he didn't know how long he would last.

You gave them a completely different job than usual. It was an art class.

You didn't feel like doing anything, neither did they.

So you wanted to teach them to do some origami. It can be very relaxing if you have to talk about it.

A change from those activities that even you get tired of sometimes.

You're also fed up with the fact that you feel so warm in this classroom, and your bed at home is often cold and empty.

Their energy here is nice. And there's only you in your house.

It would be a nice change if you ever had any visitors there.

Why don't you invite them to dinner sometime?

You practically didn't answer Satoru's question he asked earlier. What could you say? You don't have and have never had a boyfriend.

When you went to school here, you were alone in the class. Turns out your year didn't have that many sorcerers. However, there were more people in classes older than you and younger.

You tried your best to be a warm and kind senpai to the younger ones.

That's why you liked the idea of ​​becoming a teacher.

You calmly ran Suguru's fingers over the paper, showing him how to fold the paper properly.

Satoru wondered how nice your hands felt...

He wanted you to show him that too. And she touched his hand.

He was jealous of his best friend.

"Sensei! Can you also show me? I think I ruined it." He said, raising his hand to get your attention.

Honestly, you didn't expect them to be interested in doing this at all.

You walked over to the white haired boy.

He showed you a piece of paper in front of him.

"How do I start?" He asked looking at you.

"Bend the corners of the paper inwards." You said pointing to the right and left corners.

"How?" He asked.

He knew, but he wanted you to guide his hands.

You took your piece of paper and showed him how to fold it.

"Sensei, from what I can see, you folded the bottom corners of the paper."

"You have to do it with the upper ones." you said.

"will you show me I don't want to spoil it."

"What kind of origami do you even do?"

"I wanted from a heart template. It looks nice." He said calmly.

You also tried to stay calm.

"Fine, so bend like in the template I gave you, what to do step by step."

"Will you show me like you showed Suguru?" he asked with puppy dog ​​eyes.

Until you finally gave in.

You stood behind him, grabbing the piece of paper in front of him. And you folded the paper.

You gave him a list of how to perish the paper.

"How am I supposed to hold it?" He asked.

You felt like you were with a child.

But you grabbed his hands and fingers, guiding them.

You smiled slightly. You were curious how big his hands are compared to yours. And that really was the difference.

And he smiled at the feeling of your warm hands.

He tilted his head back, looking at you.

Sending you a warm smile.

"How about I bring you cookies tomorrow?" You asked pleasantly.

You could somehow distract yourself from how cold it was in your house sometimes.

You were smiling all the time at school for them. But you really wish you had the same at home.

I think you need to find yourself a boyfriend...

Because it's probably impossible for Satoru-kun to be so interested in you.

I was making cookie dough when he came home. Until suddenly you heard a knock on the door.

You quickly went to see who it was.

You saw Gojo who said earlier that he can help you prepare the cookies.

You appreciated his help.

But he came with other intentions.

Either you reject it or you accept it.

You either you reject him , push him away, or hit him back.

The moment he kicked off his shoes and the door closed, you felt his lips on yours.

When his body pressed you against the wall in your house.

He wanted to at least enjoy this one moment. Even if you could have rejected him.

However, you never behave the same at home as you do at school.

You are such a nice and sweet person. And such people who care for someone else cannot be neglected by being home alone. With no one around.

You could have pushed him away, punched him in the face.

But you didn't.

Especially after he mumbled into his declaration of love.

You didn't push him away. You didn't hit. You didn't reject his feelings.

You just accepted it.

He's young, but his heart doesn't lie.

He loves you and doesn't want it any other way.

He wants you to be together.

That's why...

That's why you didn't reject him. Because you started feeling the same.

Especially by his behavior.

The warmth he gave you.

You finished the cookies with him. With his arms around you.

With his mouth on your face or neck while you had your back to him.

Your house has become pleasantly warm. Thanks to him.

You waited for the cookies to bake, kissing without saying a word.

Was it really okay?

It was fine...

You weren't much older than him. He's an adult and he's decided he wants it.

Your bed hasn't been this warm in a while.

It got hot as you lay underneath him, your legs spread wide for him, as his oversized cock for a young man rammed into your virgin pussy. By ridding you of any illusions that he loves you.

His hands held you tight as he moved faster and faster, hitting your wet walls.

Your first was your apprentice. And you don't regret it. Because he is someone you love.

You're 22, and now you've found happiness.

You might not even have left Jujutsu High. You could have stayed there and watched him first appear there.

It would leave you a little more room for imagination.

You could see his whole body now. When naked, he hovered above you.

His muscles rippled with his every move.

And you can't stop thinking about how handsome he is.

Your back arched as he made you moan for him.

He beat against your body at a steady, hard pace as you got used to the new feeling of his cock stretching.

"Several times I've thought how nice it would be to have you like this..." he groaned. And his words mixed with his breaths and your soft moans as well as the sounds of skin slapping against skin.

Dirty scenes flashed through your mind as your student jerks around in his room saying something he would say to you.

And so it was.

He did it by imagining you underneath him.

That he was cumming on you instead of the sheets.

And now his erotic dreams have come true.

Because he could bury his cock in your tight pussy and touch your body. See you whole.

Hear you moan his name.

So your red face that contorts in pleasure.

After all, he had his kawaii sensei the way he wanted.

And he will no longer share your attention.

Because he is your warmth at home.

You are his happiness.

You could spend as much time with him as he wanted. You didn't have to worry about the cookies burning.

[ihopesocomic]

To add to how ridiculous it is saying that Careful should just leave as if it's that easy

She saw Hope coming back exhausted and accusing Jasper of killing Merry, Quiet, and Clever

And before that Vicious admits that Jasper wanted to kill Hope as a BABY

Anyone in her position would be terrified that if she stepped out of like that Jasper might kill her or her children

Hope had Adamant and Storm to support her when she left, if Careful left she would be alone with 3 cubs

Thinking that she's a dumb or a bad person or not a real victim for staying or not beating Jasper up is ridiculous

Not to mention her sister just got killed and her other sister is in an abusive relationship

And as much terrible as Vicious is,ofc Careful wouldn't just want to immediately abandon her sister like that, especially with how aggresive Jasper is, she loves her???

I will not tolerate Careful slander I love her >:/

I think part of the problem is that we're talking about animal characters and people have this idea that I Hope So is based in "realism" (aka edgy, tasteless storytelling) like My Pride is so things like infants and children being threatened/killed isn't something to really dwell on because 'well, that's nature'.

Except that's not the kind of story we're telling here. lol

If Careful's children were ever threatened or harmed, it would have an actual devastating impact on her. She wouldn't just shrug it off and have more kids like she's replacing a broken vase or w/e. She was rendered pessimistic and disillusioned by Cheerful and Bold leaving - hence her attitude in the prologue (which we intend to touch upon in the rewrite) - and they weren't even her biological children. Nor did they die. But she felt it was a loss nonetheless.

So, yeah, she doesn't want to dance with the notion of losing her own children. Especially through what she feels would be her own stupidity. Which is the most heartbreaking thing here: abuse victims don't need y'all criticising them on their indecision, they do a lot of that to themselves. - RJ

[warmilikeit]

Yandere Batfam x Neglected reader

Smut warning with original characters ⚠️ (no incest)

(gn reader)

________________________

Muffled groans were heard from a crappy apartment, Illustra- a wanted villain, she smiled as she kissed (name) deeply

(Name) Wayne, biological child of Bruce Wayne, born from a one night stand

As the child of a prostitute, Bruce didn't think that this child could ever be special

Focusing on his other much more worthwhile children, only giving (Name) a weekly allowance, letting them pick whatever school they wanted, whatever extracurricular, if they needed money, just tell him through Alfred

At first (Name) tried, when they saw how Damian got Bruce's attention by getting in trouble at school, They tried to do the same

But was met with a lawyer instead of his dad

They also tried with the other batkids, but it seemed like there was this barrier that was separating (Name) from them, like there was something different about them

So you wandered, then you met her, ironically while she was running from batman, she jumped into a random car, it was yours

You slept in your car because Jason was home, and you did not want to try to entertain that mindfuck

And it escalated from them, you knew she was a criminal, you knew she was a thief, she'd gift you diamonds and jewels, though she knows you're a Wayne and you don't need it, she loves seeing your reaction every time she remembers your birthday or was present at your events

The problem came tonight... While you and her were doing the horizontal tango at her place

Fucking Nightwing and Redhood burst through the door

"what the fuck?" You scream, yes you knew this was a possibility, for your lover to be caught, but in the middle of it!??

"(Name)!??" Redwood exclaimed

Now this was even more confusing

"How the fuck do you know my name!?"

Robin entered the room "Holy shit... Like father like child, a villain?"

"who the hell are you people!?!? Why do you know me!?"

___________________

"....."

Well this is fucking awkward

"you're batman?"

"yes"

"and these kids are your sidekicks?"

"yes"

"with me as the only exception"

"yes"

Damian laughed "at least you inherited the habit of shanking villains"

"Damian stop" glared Jason

"where's my girlfriend?" You asked

"in jail" Bruce answered

"let her go, or let me be with her"

"no, you're not throwing your life away for a villain no less"

"if I slap you that counts as a crime right?"

"(Name)..."

Bruce sighed

"you will stay in your room until further notice, I'll withdraw you from school, we need to investigate what she did to you"

Anger filled your body, no way he just insulted the one person who had been there for you "what? She didn't do anything! in fact you know what- she did do something! She was there! You weren't, don't try to make her out as someone who was hurting me!"

"Patience dad maybe they were brainwashed" says tim

"what? No I wasn't? What the hell?"

It was like this every time, no one could hear you, they could but they wouldn't listen, suggestion after suggestion they decide for you

It was hell...

You'd rather them ignore than dictate your entire life

Well too bad, you're on the spot light now

[gryficowa]

Boycott!

Tia… Supposedly "God's Gang" has a second episode (Strange after a specific reception…), although what offends me more is that "Christians" (Whose name I don't remember… Because Ninjew took all the memory with his name …) didn't know that pork (With cheese, but well, that's less important… Unless we consider Ninjew and his reaction as cheese important… In the sense that as I understand it, in Judaism you shouldn't mix milk with her baby… Wait, what, tia… I still don't understand anything, but yes, I'll skip this reaction to cheese because I don't understand it, ok?) is not allowed in a different religion… Ok, in a different context it makes sense, BUT I REMEMBER, THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN EACH OTHER SINCE YESTERDAY, BUT PROBABLY LONGER, IT HURTS ME, BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE AN ATTEMPT TO TRANSFER KNOWLEDGE TO THE VIEWER, BUT IT WAS DONE SO INAPPARENTLY THAT THIS CHARACTER SHOULD FUCKING KNOW IT

Now that I have your attention:

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

Yes, it pisses me off, I've been struggling for years to write the best script (that I can) and then you see this hole in the plot and it gives you a headache

And when I understood it, the Muslim character said "Hala"… I mean, I don't understand the context anymore, but "Haram" (Because it's a sin) would rather fit here, but that's carpentry on my part… The mistake I mentioned earlier is more irritated, if it weren't for him, I would have cared more about it, but it was so big that it reminds me of that atrocity from 2010… And yes, I watched a live video on YouTube with commentary (without it, I wouldn't have known that this thing had released a second episode)

You can simply see the typical problems of a novice creator (if there is a novice author), in short, illogicality, so that the viewer gets the key information, it would work better if someone from outside the gang created this burger, then it would make sense that the characters would talk that they can't eat it because it doesn't make sense, the characters have probably known each other long enough, so you understand… It's just a mistake of novice creators (and cartoons from 2010 and years before)

Remember to collect at the top!

[whenanafallsinlove]

hihi ana!! congratulations on 150!! can i get..

✒️"SAD PROSE" - send a character + your favorite folklore lyric, and I'll write a short blurb

with hitoshi & “the only thing i wanna do is make it up to you” from betty !! 🤍🤍

ahhh tysm elle! sending looove <3

✒️"SAD PROSE" - send a character + your favorite folklore lyric, and I'll write a short blurb

THE ONLY THING I WANNA DO IS MAKE IT UP TO YOU!!! -HITOSHI SHINSO x reader

"Please babe, I swear it wasn't on purpose!"

Shinso had been apologizing for the last hour, but you were still too angry and worried to even look him in the eye and engage in the conversation.

You continued walking through campus, looking in every corner, with a mopy Hitoshi by your side.

"Tell me how to help, I'm really sorry." He continued.

You sighed, and stopped on your tracks. You turned around to see him and finally find two seconds of patience to talk to him.

"Toshi, I know you're sorry. But right now I'm still angry and I don't feel like having a heart to heart; I feel like finding my cat before something happens to him." You turned around again and continue your walk.

Hitoshi knew he had messed up. You and him often had sleepovers in each other's rooms, loving to spend time together playing video games, reading, watching movies... But you always fell asleep too early, at least for Shinso's liking. So, whenever his insomnia was making it too hard for him to pass the night, he went out to the balcony and let the cool air swirl away his thoughts.

You never had a problem with that, you had even accompanied him in a couple of occasions. The only thing you had asked him was that he was careful with closing your balcony door, so your cat wouldn't take the opportunity to sneak out.

And, oops! This time he had completely forgotten about your cat (strangely, since he loved it too), and as you had predicted he escaped...

So now, while strolling through the entire campus you could only wish that 1. Your cat was okay; and 2. That a professor wouldn't find it, because you would probably have to give it out.

You weren't even that mad, you were just too worried. And Hitoshi's neverending apologizing was only irritating you more.

"Please, Y/n. I'll tell the others to help us, we'll make a search party. The only thing I wanna do, is make it up to you..." Shinso almost whispered, about to give up.

You took a deep breath, feeling guilty for making your boyfriend almost beg for your forgiveness, when he was probably as worried as you and already feeling accountable for the situation.

You walked up to him and hugged him; burying your face in his neck. He was startled by your sudden change of attitude, but he felt relieved, and hugged you back.

"I really am sorry, I promise you we will find him." He spoke again, giving you a small kiss on the temple.

You moved your face to meet his gaze.

"Stop apologizing; it's fine. I know he won't be missing for long." You said, offering a smile.

"What are you two problem children doing here? You're supposed to be at the dorms, aren't you?" A voice behind you spoke, making you falter and break away from Hitoshi.

It was Aizawa. But he was not alone; he was holding your cat.

You felt the blood from your face drop, but before the situation got worse, your boyfriend intervened.

"Ah... Sensei, can I talk to you for a moment?" He said, and Aizawa raised an eyebrow, before nodding.

Shinso and him walked away a few meters, and you couldn't understand what they were saying; but suddenly, you saw Aizawa handing your cat to Shinso, while he gave him a scolding look. Shinso then thanked the professor and started to walk back at you, with a grin on his face.

"Told you I would make it up."

"Shush. I'm just glad he didn't get lost. What did Aizawa say?"

"He said that if he sees it roaming around ever again, he's taking it."

"Oh."

"Yeah." He shrugged. "Don't you think I deserve a kiss for rescuing our son from getting kidnapped, tho?" Hitoshi spoke, with a smirk on his face.

"Ew! Don't say it like that!" You smacked his arm laughing, and kissing him anyway.

[sapphic-agent]

I think one of my main annoyances in Hori writing is him trying to redeem every villain and hero that some of them just doesn’t deserve that redemption.

Like; it’s reminds me too much of Naruto. But the difference is Naruto isn’t being held by modern standards since it set in a fictional world with ninjas while bnha is set in 200+ years in the future in modern japan.

I absolutely despise Endeavor and how he abused his family as a whole; in modern society he would have been put in jail, and yet he still gets a redemption arc. It’s feels like it’s cheapen all of the todorokis trauma.

And shoto being bakugo friend is another thing, since bakugo is so much like endeavor… like, if I had a classmate that act so much like my abusive parent that I absolutely despise I wouldn’t be close to them at all.

It’s gave me bad feeling how Hori just brushes all of the trauma the characters have from the actions of other characters selfish acts.

When I started reading the manga in 2015 I thought the concept is really good and having a main character with anxiety and socialization problems (in the start) made me hooked, because I had those things too. But looking at it now 8 years later I just feel so much dissatisfaction and disappointments..

You have a great point about Naruto. I mean, I'm not a fan of Naruto because of reasons, but it's the same concept as to why I like Vegeta better than Bakugou despite Vegeta technically being a worse person. Because MHA and DBZ are two very different shows. One is about becoming stronger and being able to face any threat to the world no matter what, the other is trying to push a narrative about morality and being a "true hero." The Z Fighters do have their own moral compasses, but it varies between every character. So there's no overarching theme that's beating us over the head.

Someone described this problem with MHA perfectly; it's constantly preaching about morality while willfully being tone deaf about its own overlaying issues. And that wouldn't even be so bad if so many of these issues weren't set up in the beginning to be addressed later.

I talk a lot about Bakugou, but I think we should focus on Endeavor like you mentioned. Not only are they similar in nature (temperamental, overzealous, dangerously ambitious), they're also two characters who benefit the most from the system in MHA.

...And it's barely ever acknowledged.

I mean sure, Dabi calls Endeavor out and it leads to the public losing faith in heroes. But not only does the family he abused and/or neglected choose to help him (I can't get over Fuyumi and Natsu taking blame for Touya when they were LITERAL CHILDREN wtf, not to mention Rei), why he was allowed to do this is never addressed. People knew he wasn't the kind hero All Might was, and it was something his fans admired along with his strength. Because as long as you have a strong quirk, you're admired in the MHA world and allowed to get away with whatever you want. Yet this is overlooked so easily.

(I like Hawks (because of Zeno Robinson mainly), but him dismissing this is so weird?? Why on Earth would Horikoshi go out of his way to introduce a character with an abusive father and make him an Endeavor fan? With no moment of clarity either?? There's something really off about that)

Bakugou's apology (one day I'll make a post critiquing this scene) is a little better in this regard as he does acknowledge that he was enabled because of his quirk. But again, it's really just skimmed over and only referenced to give Bakugou an excuse.

And the people who do question society and its system are either villains who are use it as an excuse to cause destruction and hurt people (the LOV and Overhaul) or bloodthirsty murderers (Stain). I would have loved for Horikoshi to introduce a group of vigilantes or anti-heroes who work outside of the HPSC and call out how discriminatory their system is.

Someone's talked about this before, but the Todoroki and Bakugou "friendship" was so forced and unnecessary. Bakugou has, at every turn, been completely unsympathetic towards the fact that Todoroki was abused and yelled at his sister for talking about it in her own home (but sure, let's call Bakugou an abuse victim I guess). Todoroki should have at the very least remained indifferent towards Bakugou like he was in the beginning.

Izuku deserves so much better than how Horikoshi treats him. He's either used as a tool to make Bakugou better or he's shoved into the background of his own show. He was so relatable in the beginning of the series only for the plot to suck his character dry.

[popculturebuffet]

Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck Retrospective: The Empire Builder from Callisota: "No Scrooge McDuck once had everything. Now all he has is Money and What Money Can Buy" (Patreon Review for WeirdKev27)

Hello all you happy people and welcome back to my look at The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck. After a long hiatus, it's almost over. Just two chapters left.

We've also got one I forgot..was banned. Yeah turns out a year ago Disney contacted rosa, told him this story was was banned and weren't really up to discussing it. As for why... well you can look above and get a pretty good idea. This story features Bombie the Zombie and Foola Zoola, characters Barks created... and characters who are entirely racist carcatures in their original form. Rosa DID do his best to give Foola depth, taking him from a one note villian to someone who didn't want a colonizer taking his land. Bombie.. really coudln't as he was a zombie and all that, but you can see from above why Disney wouldn't be crazy about reprinting Bombie and... I fully agree. As seen above, I can see WHY disney would choose to not want to print this story in it's orignal form as while Rosa did his best to fix the designs... Bombie still dosen't look that great.

The problems are twofold. The first is with Disney itself, who is unwilling to let anyone talk about it, is content to bury the story at at most suggested having people edit Rosa's art, something he's against. And I do get it: letting someone else walk all over something you carefully made.. isn't fair. I dont' agree with him on refusing to edit it due to being asked, as while as he says himself

“The Dream of a Lifetime” has only THREE panels of its 25 pages in which Bombie appears. Rather than ban this entire story forever due actually to only TWO of those three panels, the publishers suggested that I allow them to have Bombie redrawn. I would not allow art-tampering if my name is on the book. (I can tamper with my own art in reprints if I made some error, but I won’t allow changes forced on me.)

Look, I do think they should allow Rosa, if he's able as I know drawing is hard for him these days, to draw it and I do think just saying outright "you have to" instead of opening up an actual talk with him over the issue is scummy. Disney is being dicks and their possible "solution" of just removing the story is stupid. This is an integral part of life and tims and editing it is the better part. (As noted with dream of the life time it's only three panels).

That said while I love Don Rosa.. he should redraw it. He shoudlnt' of had his hand forced, again he deserves more respect and it's clear Disney is fairly hands off when it comes to it's comics. if he can't, then I do understand. But Rosa does have to understand.. this IS necessary. This WAS an error on his part as while he did do his best to make the characters look less racist and in Zoola's case an actual character, and was horrified by this chapter in Barks history in his commentary.. he has to understand times have changed. And while he considers the Don Rosa Library just for adults.. that's simply not the case. Jason Aaron , who wrote the recent Uncle Scrooge and the Infnity Dime, read these stories with his kids. Other people will do the same. And black children.. deserve to not have to see a racist caracture. I'm not saying ther eisn' ta market to have an unedited version with a warning label on it, Scrooge has adult readers, but I am saying these comics , while written smartly and fitting everyone.. are all ages and always will be. I'd rather the story be edited slightly to be updated than gone all together.

Let's be fair though: While I do think Rosa is being stubborn, Disney.. is still the worst and still shoudl've given him a more resonable chat than this. Disney clearly dosen't give one iota of a shit about these stories or how important they are to comics as a whole and while this chapter could use an update, it's callous to chuck it in a bin as some racist artifact when while the art.. again could use a slight touchup, maybe make bombie a full on green zombie like the 2017 cartoon.. the story itself.. isn't racist. Rosa took a racist old tale and made it a story of collonalism and scrooge's worst moment. The worst thing he ever did.. was forcibly take land from the people already living there and that's worth telling and Disney is fucking stupid for not getting that.

Lucky for me I own the story already, but I can't say that for everyone and hopefully at some point Disney gets their head and finger out of their ass and compromises with rosa while he's still around to compromise with.

For now the story itself.. and this is the one I was dreading. Not for all the above, i'd happily forgotten that till I went to get the image then had to dig into it a bit. Thank you reddit. No.. this is the sad one. See when we first met Scrooge.. Barks hadn't quite worked out who he was. He was always a bastard but he wasn't the layered bastard we know, one who will undersell his nephews but also do the right thing in a pinch. As a result he entered the story a frail old recluse donald hadn't met yet with Night on Bear Mountain, and earlier stories had him more as an antagonist before Barks took a shine to him and found out just how well the old man fit the adventure stories that he'd been telling with donald.

One of those early stories... was a massive headache for Rosa. Voodoo Hodoo, the story with the racist carcatures mentioned above, one where Scrooge gleefully admits to tearing down an african villiage and getting cursed as a result.

Like me Rosa had dreaded this part as how the hell would this fit: he coudln't ignore it due to his pride, trying to weave everything in, but it was incredibly hard to parse that with who scrooge became.. till it hit him: USE the fact it was horribly out of character for Scrooge. Have it be the one moment that in rosa's words "he became flintheart glomgold" that one moment of weakeness where he became his worst self for just one day, succumbed to every bad instinct he had did something truly unforgivable... and have it have consequences. Have his worst moment, his one bad day, be the reason his family left and he didn't reunite with them till inviting donald and the boys for christmas all those many decades later. It's why I dreaded this chapter: it's the one where Scrooge gains everything he ever wanted.. and looses what he had in the process. It's one of the hardest chapters to read and it's under the cut.

So we open with Matilda closing her scrapbook. Up to this point her scrap book had been the opening page, tracking her brother's journey.. but now she and her sisters are adults working for their brother, staying at the office while he travels the world and the seven seas building his empire and slowly filling his bin. It's a nice bit of symbolisim considering what's about to happen.

Scrooge returns as you'd expect.. inside a canon as he refused to pay extra shipping to ship himself. He could, as Hortense points out let someone else run the show.. but he refuses. No one else has his grit and while he dosen't say it... no one else simply has his stubborness. When mugged and having his hat shot he runs down the new generation of mcvipers in a flashback simply because they shot up his hat and cost him money. The man DOES need a better work life ballance.. but he isn't wrong. Scrooge is simply at his best when he's doing some of the work himself. His 2017 self does delegate more.. but truly thrives when his nephew and niece and later passel of nephews and daughter he never knew he had remind him of adventure. He dosen't always turn a tidy profit.. but the experince is well worth it and for every loss there's a gain.

This mindset makes a LOT of sense in story: We've seen scrooge struggle and scrape to get this far. Fight every minute as he will not settle for a life he does not deserve nor feels his family dosen't. Every time he seemingly got up the mountain and won... something shoved him back down with only a small handful of cash as progress, enoguh to get to the next adventure. Over that, with Rockerduck and Roosevelt's help, he learned he just.. loved the chase. He's in a comfy enough place where he can still keep going on the chase.. but every small loss isn't a gutting reminder he hasn't gotten anything but experince. He can take risks. He sometimes dosen't because he's a cheap old bastard, but he can adventure.. because he can afford it. Before it was just to survive.. now it's because it's what he WANTS to do. He wants to be richer than god, to keep going keep growing his empire and he was taught the only way to get that far is to do the hardest work yourself and maybe let others come to you for money once you got it.

Case in point Scrooge really didnt' see the need for a larger office staff, leaving only his sisters to run it.. and thus hilariously passes out when he finds they hired Ms Quackfaster. For those more familiar with Ducktales 2017 Quackfaster here is more timid, put upon back when it was entirely okay to abuse your secretary/office assitant. Ah the 40's.. please stay 50 feet away at all times thank you. He goes catatonic at finding out they have a full staff, but Hortsens is unphased throwing a whole cup of coffe in his face and making it clear that A) They couldn't do this with two people ya jackass and B) we're comnig with you.. ya jackass.

The girls have brought quackmore to office manage so they can go globetrotting something scrooge is suprisingly happy with.

Sadly this is about as light hearted as this adventure gets as we head into the congo.. where

The story strangely dosen't say, which is uncarctrastic for Rosa. This story has that racist habit a lot of stories do of just saying "Africa' instead of "what country exactly on the largest continent in the world". Which is not great when he was far more specific when we did the previous jaunt to south africa. Yeah... some oft his story has not aged well and Rosa can and should have done better. He does through research but here just... plunks a very plot importnat villiage int he middle of a giant continent.

Scrooge is intent to impress his sisters.. but instead shows them, and us, how far he's fallen: Scrooge does one of the oldest tricks in the colonalist playbook, offering the cheif a quarter for the land rights since the man genuinely DOSEN'T know he's getting screwed over. This trope is.. awful, that old "Oh stupid indgenious peoples they'll belivie anything. So it's not great.. but it is softend a bit as the chief offered a tiny war drum something sacred to him, something not worth money, but worth a lot to their small community.. and scrooge faked that gesture while really screwing the poor guy over. While the optics are sketchy.. the intent works: Scrooge has sunken so low that rather than make his money square and returning a heartfelt gesture of someones cutlure sincerly.. he tricks the person for his own ends.

The sisters call him out for this... and it's a scene I forgot.. but boy does it hit

Seeing Scrooge fallen this low.. is hard. While it's not the man gut punch of the comic, Don Rosa's not even close to done working the body, it still hits to see how much he's changed. It was to the point I THOUGHT this was a bit abrubt, that while it's been a while since the last chapter, it surely can't of been THAT long.

Thinking back though... this was set up most of the story. Scrooge's dark side has always been part of his character, especially in the comics: Even in the better days ahead in the prime of the barks and rosa eras.. he's still rageful, barely pays his family or workers, petty and often wont' do things he easily could simply to be a selfish dick. Christmas for Shacktown has him refuse to help pay for christmas for orphans even when Donald put in the hard work to get 25 dollars.. which is, to my shock 294 dollars and 17 cents in today money. So yeah donald gathered nearly 300 dollars in charity.. that scrooge refused to repay. I'd say he's the worst evil billonare in fiction but his competition is pretty stiff

Point is part of Scrooge's charm is he COULD be an asshole... it thankfully got toned down with time and Ducktales and ESPECIALLY 2017 Ducktales toned it the fuck down, the latter having what I consdier to be my faviorite version, but he's still some form of bastard, and his need to grow as a person or suprising bits of depth and humanity are what make him so fascinating. He's a dick.. but he has a lot of layers to him and a moral code.

This chapter shows just what thin ice that code is on: how it wouldn't take too much for him to tip over the line and become an even worse glomgold. While that darkness isn't there in the early chapters, as younger scrooge is both a tad more naive and way more kind and trusting it slowly builds: in Raider of the Copper Hill he nearly goes mad with power at just the THOUGHT of his newfound fortune and only having to sell his newfound wealth immediatly for pennies snaps him out of it. The Terror of Transval breaks his trust in most people completely, thanks flinty. In King of The Klondike while still sympathetic you can see his harder shell having fully formed, how he avoids other people, is rude to just about everyone and later in the next chapter, is fairly cold to people.It's been bubbling faster and faster: In the billionare of dismal downs, he snaps at the townspeople threanting to leave them all homeless out of petty spite. And finally in the previous chapter, he kicks those boy scouts out rather rudely, which bites him in the ass when they assume he's a foreign spy. The last part is just them being dummies, but there's this harsh sharp edge we simply don't fully notice forming.. because it's who scrooge is even after he takes about ten percent off. The guy is mean.

But Barks uses this opportunity to show why he's a hero.. by showing him, for one shameful moment, as a villian. As a pure monster who gladly tricks an indigenous person out of their land and his response to being called out on it by his anchors, the thing noticably able to snap him out of his worst insincts... is to say "i'm done playing fair."

Scrooge is often honest.. because he's got people around to curb his worst insincts. His family keep him grounded: having the goal of helping provide for them kept him honest, his dad kept pushing him away from his worst instincts and his sisters and mom kept doing the same.

The problem is.. slowly but surely.. he's just about lost everyone: His mentors are long gone or in the white house. He dosen't trust anyone enough to have actual friends. And as for his family.. h'es slowly lost them: His Uncles have passed by now, he lost his mom and found out in the worst way possible, and he just lost his dad. He has his sisters.. but like Donald and the Boys later, he's on an uneven enough playing field with them to ignore them if he wants. After all he provided for them, he gave them a home in america, what fucks should he give they don't care. Their the last tether he has to his humanity and he's kept them at arms length, keeping them at home whlie he journied and letting himself get more and more corrupt. Without the humanizing aspects of his goal to gain wealth, having saved his ancestral castle, given his sisters a good life and become rich, all that's left is gaining more and more money whatever it takes. Scrooge may be unscrupoious on a good day.. but he has enough honor to do the right thing, to be honest about his money. Without that is just the monster barely contianed under the surface and the last thing locking it out.. is about to go away.

So Scrooge confronts the Voodoo Part of the tribe, which while... once again about as researched as Tintin in Africa, is one of the better parts. Again Barks casual racisim.. shows a bit. It's something I didn't notice on previous readings but is kinda.. obvious now as the man just didn't bother ot put in the research he did for white legends and locations. He's not always racist, he put true effort into researching the dreamtime for the Dreamtime Duck of Never Never, but it's clear when it comes to africa he didn't really give a shit.

That said while he has issues I WILL give Rosa credit for how he redid Foola. The racist aspects are gone aside from fangs for teeth.. and characterzation wise he's treated not as some cheap villian.. but as a man who puts on scare tactics because he's used to men like scrooge: Greedy white assholes who try to take everything they can from his sacred land. Foola is unimpressed by this colonizing asshole and it's a part of the story that, unlike most of the other villiage stuff, holds up very well: Barks clearly respects Vodoo even going on one of his signature "old man yells at cloud" rants about how "traditional" zombies are nothing like the ones we know now. Foola is only in the story for a short while but makes a hell of an impression, being one of the few characters to truly best scrooge

Now Scrooge probably woudln't of takent his well in any form at any time. The diffrence is the scrooge later could at least be talked down by the nephews or would've barged back in solo to fight Foola. He also never would've done the racist offering a quarter shit to him or the chief. This scrooge.. does easily the worst thing Scrooge McDuck has EVER done in any medium.

I love the heavy shadows over his face in this scene, just the pure.. evil radiating off scrooge for a moment. Anger, malice.. we've seen it.. but we've never seen him as a complete and utter monster destroying people's lives and homes all for his greed and every minute of it is painful, seeing just how... Broken matilda is by it. You can see just how sad she is to see her brother not only tear her apart for no good reason but tear innocent people apart.. while Hortense.. prepares to pack.

Somehow scrooge manages to do MORE horrible shit, pretending to be someone else to get foola to sign the contract. Foola swears his revenge... and Scrooge returns not to his sisters forgiving him and gladly taking the money as he expected... but a letter

While dishonesty is kinda underselling it, it's a truly painful moment. It's also an awesome one as the whole time Scrooge has ignored what they've had to say.. and now he can't. All he can do is gripe about WHY he's sunk this low: that if the world isn't honest why shoud he be? It's a problem that feels extra relevant these days: if the world is a dumpster fire... why shouldn't I be one too? If nothing we do matters, what does anything matter?

I'd forgotten this scene.. but damn it hits. The one thing that gets through to him.. is his dad. He can lie to himself.. but he can't lie to his dad. And the answer to that hypothetical above was simple: to be true to yourself, to respect yourself enough not to sink to tohers levels.

This does convince scrooge to go reunite with his family.. but first he has bigger issues. Foola's back..a nd he's brougth bombie. And bombie's design isn't great, but Barks reimagines him well: more as an unstoppable juggernaught than a mildly racist zombie. Thankfully Rosa also needed to retcon something else: Scrooge looked like a young donald in the flashback, something that didn't really stack up with later versions, so in not ignoring this story, Rosa found a clever way to deal with that; his earlier disguise looked like donald, so bombie only goes after him when he has a hat on.

The next section is kinda weak, if understadanbly so: Rosa had to cover DECADES of Scrooge's life this time around, so we follow him as he doe ssome buisnessy buieness buienss and outwits bombie, along the way picking up a candy striped ruby. IT's all pretty standard though the climax of it.. is fucking amazing. Bombie follows Scrooge to the titanic. Where Scrooge dosen't notice the boat sinking because he's busy with bombie. It's a sequence I just kinda eyed over in past readings but in this one.. hot damn is it fun.

After he beats bombie we then get a montage as Scrooge makes a global empire, mostly nods to various barks stories I don't think i've read yet, like the gilded man of el dorado.. who then runs in fear as he forgets who he's dealing with. Nothing bad but it feels like it's there more to cover all the gaps in scrooge's history left before the finale than tell a story for the most part. There is one exception though: after he gets shoved off a cliff.. he finds he's picked up a new ability, one of his most famous

Also props to rosa for explaining the "how he can swim through coins" thing: As ducktales 2017 put it it's a hard won skill and just diving in would kill anyone else. Rosa like barks takes this seriously, as while this world has fantastical stuff in it he grounds it in the logical explanation, ones that don't feel like nitpicky fan wankery, but a logical reason why Scrooge can do the thing people know him for.

Turns out Bombie wasn't lost in the titanic... which makes sense: If James Cameron the Bravest Pioneer didn't find him while taking underwater footage of it, he must've been gone. The Chief of an Island scrooge is negotating with takes the ruby in exchange for binding Bombie for 30 years and Scrooge is sur ehe'll NEVER see him again.

Some time ,more finagaling and proftering later, Scrooge FINALLY returns home to a warm reception.. an ddickilsh bashes the mayor with the key to the city

Sadly his return to his office.. means our ending. And it's one of the hardest things i've had to write about. And I had to write about frasier mowing down the ACLU a few weeks back.

No this ending is simple but crushing: His sisters decided to let bygones be bygones, enough time had passed. Sadly.. Scrooge taking the long way round.. meant he just.. dosen't care. He brushes them off, storms into his office and when Hortense storms in.. he angrily tells them they didn't care when he was abroad all that time supporting them before. What he misses.. is that things changed. Two, when he started his trip, small children with no real agency seeing their brother off versus two grown women who simply want him to acknowledge them.. is diffrent. They don't need him anymore.. and Hortense tells him if he shoes them away NOW, it's over. And sadly.. Scrooge pushes them away. While before it was due to his darkest hour.. this time.. it's just due to who he is. Scrooge is a prideful old bastard who can't accept weakness and sees his emotoinal ties as just that. IT's why it takes him so long to actually admit, and rarely to their faces, he cares about Donald and the nephews.. and his sisters need and deserve that. THey deserve to be acknowleged. Donald and the Boys did.

Speaking of Donald he and Della were here and whiel Della was only a character enough at this point to get a cameo Donald... gets the last shot in.

Bout sums up their relationship really.. but it's also oddly sweet.. donald kicks scrooge's ass, literally and desrevedly.. because he made his momma cry.

Scrooge has a chance, to reconcile, to fix this.. but sadly instead...

God that last panel, his sisters sadly resigned to letting him go as the Bin towers over everything, showing off just how lonely he is and forever will be. Even if this story as a whole has a happy ending, this ending... guts you.

And somehow.. I found a way it guts me even more on a second reading. This.. is the last time Scrooge talks to hortense that we're aware of. He DOES see Matilda again, a story we'll certainly get to someday, and one of Rosa's finest.. but it's heavily implied Hortense and Quackmore are gone by the time Donald and Della are adults as we never see them and unlike Della, we never got an explination in the comics. Scrooge's last time seeing his sister was a terrible argument and him turning his back on his family out of pride. He lost so much time with her, her children and his family.. all for nothing.

The Richest Duck in the World is a good story.. if an uneven one. Parts of it are mildly racist, with Rosa again not having cared enough to do actual research this time and that's damming from a guy who prides himself on it, and it drags for a bit as Rosa has to stitch together decades of noodle incidents in Barks work. The titanic scene is great but most of it is pretty much fanservice and while I am a fan of Barks work, i'm not the super student Rosa is, so I don't get nearly as much out of it. I'm fine with fanservice, but the rest of the comic does a better job threading it in naturally.

That said while the chapter is uneven.. the parts it nails.. it really NAILS. Scrooge's darkest hour is truly chilling, a monsterous act that is truly horrifying to watch and the ending just hits like a truck. While we get a SLIGHT breather with Donald kicking his ass, it ends on a gut punch that reminds us Scrooge.. lost his family. The very thing he set out to help... he lost.

Thankfully.. this isn't the end. While this is the climax.. i'ts not the ending. So

Next Time: We end this trek as Scrooge gets to know his nephews and has to deal with an old foe. Till then thanks for reading

[the-other-art-blog]

Benophie wish list: Side plots

There's no way around it, Bridgerton has left only 15-18% of the total screen time to the main couple according to these graphs from tw. Individual screen time for the main characters changes, but this is an ensemble. Side plots took almost 50% of the total s3 screen time.

So, we're going to have side plots whether we want them or not, and frankly, they're necessary. Side plots ensure that the audience comes back season after season. I, for example, wouldn't have come back just for Kanthony or Polin if Benedict weren't in the mix.

Eloise (set up for s5)

I bet we will know what Eloise learned about the world during her visit to Scotland. Plus, I'm pretty sure Sophie will be her maid, which will open her eyes to a new social class: servants. Sophie will open her eyes to different views on marriage. For her, marriage is freedom. If El is s5, she needs to understand that marriage is a wonderful and exciting thing if you're with the right person (aka Philip Crane).

Sophie's witty personality and sass are perfect to counter Eloise. I think both women will enjoy the challenge and thrive because of it.

Frannie, John and Michaela

I think they will show the infertility storyline now so that by the time John dies there will be a son or Michaela will be able to inherit the title. I also hope they show Michaela being the biggest flirt and rake. What if she meets Ben at one of the parties! I'll talk more about Fran and Ben later.

The Battle of the Maids

Probably one of the funniest side plots for the matriarchs + more scenes about servants. In the book, Araminta steals maids and fights with confrontations with Portia and Violet about it. This would be a chance to bring back Polly Walker for a cameo + Lady D and maybe the Queen! It plays into the main story because that is how the Bridgertons have an opening for Sophie. Plus, the show has referenced a similar problem: in s2 Portia accuses Lady Cowper of stealing a maid, then in s3 when Lord Remington tells Pen that a Lady stole the host's housekeeper and that's why she didn't get invited to that ball.

Polin/LW

Jess already mentioned there's still a story to tell with Lady Whistledown. Now that Pen is no longer hiding, it would be interesting to see if the column retains its success. The allure to LW was her anonymity because she seemed impartial and therefore reliable. But if a Bridgerton is writing, how are people supposed to believe her? I wonder if this will play into Benophie. LW was very kind to Sophie, she never put in doubt Violet's story and always wrote good things about her. But, who is going to believe Pen's word when she tries to defend Sophie. Of course, she's going to do it, she's a Bridgerton. Moreover, her status as a wallflower allowed her to recollect information by hearing gossip or watching, but now that everyone knows who she is, they will be careful not to say anything near her. Or, they will try to manipulate her to spread false gossip.

Violet and Marcus

I think this will continue in Benophie season. I don't know if this will distract her from noticing that Ben is flirting with a maid or if it will make her ship Benophie even more. I plan to write a separate post on Violet and Ben's relationship. Her romance will make her want romance for her children even more and Ben already stated that Violet is obsessed with epic love stories.

The Queen

I don't know what they can do with her. The sparkler storyline was so stupid, but she was ok in part 2. I was hoping for the queen to be furious at Bridgerton because once again her match didn't work. But she seemed fine. Although, now that LW is out she's going to remember that the Bridgetrons always ignore her. Either she wants to meddle in Benedict's business or she completely ignores the family, which makes Violet nervous. Maybe they are falling out of grace with QC, and this makes Benophie story even more scandalous.

I know there's the theory that Sophie may be an illegitimate granddaughter of the queen. We'll see.

I do want QC to have something to do, even if it's just at the end of the season. I really want a scene between Benedict and QC, if only because Golda loves Luke T.

The Mondriches

Jess said that the show will continue to explore the friendship between Benedict and Will. So, maybe they help him realize how much Sophie means to him and that the sacrifice is worth it. I suppose they will continue hosting balls and being part of society.

Kanthony

I don't think they will have more than a cameo, tbh. Maybe they'll be there at the Masquerade and Benophie's wedding if there is a wedding. But Simone and Johny are too successful now, they won't have much time. I will also write more about Ben and Anthony in another post, but I hope we have a chance to revisit Sienna and show Anthony being concerned about his brother. I wrote a little scene in AO3 about it.

All of these side plots can be related to Benophie giving other characters their screen time while also focusing on the main couple.

Who shouldn't come back:

The Featherington sisters

They're done, they did well this season, and they had their redemption arc.

But there's no space for them! These are 8 sideplots!

Cressida

I used to like the theory where the Cowpers were Sophie's family but after s3, I want her out for good. Instead of showing remorse for her bullying, she indulged in self-pity for 8 episodes. And the worst part is that people bought it. At least book!Cressida was a bitch and she owned it.

I'd love to hear your thoughts about it!

[ilikepjo24]

@annie-handholder rebloged a post I made with some Ursa and Azula art (that does not belong to me, I just got permission from the artist to share it on this platform) and those were the tags, and I'd like to address them.

First of all, there's no indication of Azula being spoiled. Being a prodigy and being praised isn't the same as being spoiled, you are simply getting recognition for the skills you do have that are great and do deserve recognition. To assume that this recognition isn't essential and is actually spoiling a child will only serve to un-motivate them. So Azula receiving praise for being good at stuff is just a normal thing. You try hard and are skilled and you get praise as a reward. This isn't being spoiled.

Being spoiled is to be harmed in character by being treated too leniently or indulgently. This is a definition that I copy-pasted. This definition does not fit Azula. We see Ursa make an attempt to set boundaries and be stern whenever the situation called for it. We even see Ozai tell her to fuck off when she asks for credit for her own plan (which wasn't good parenting, it was toxic as well, but it was the opposite way. If giving your children too much praise is toxic then not giving them recognition at all for their own achievements and ideas is the other end of the rope, and both are toxic. You should find the middle ground and give your children the proper amount of praise).

Additionally, we don't see anything that would imply that Azula is being spoiled with material possessions. We see her get a gift once, but that's all. It's not like she goes around pointing at things she wants and everyone breaks their back to get her that thing. She's not obsessed with material possessions, as you'd expect a spoiled child to be.

Yes, Ozai did not address her bad behavior, in fact, he encouraged it when it didn't affect him personally. But he also nipped it in the bud when Azula did something that annoyed him. And Ursa addressed her bad behavior too. So it's not like Azula grew up spoiled and without rules because her parents let her do whatever she pleased. The problem is that the rules that were in place by Ozai weren't the correct ones. Instead of being a decent dad and person and teaching his daughter to also be a decent person, Ozai just taught Azula to not be a bother to him. And she did do that. So Azula did follow the rules that were in place for her. You wouldn't call a child that follows rules spoiled. At this point, you have to realize that Azula wasn't the problem. She wasn't spoiled. She followed the rules. The problem is that the rules in question were unreasonable. So you can't really blame the child and call them spoiled. You have to hold accountable the people that set those rules in place.

If Azula behaved the exact same way, but the rules she had to follow were the ones society has agreed upon, she'd be a model child. So she's not the problem. She's not spoiled. The problem is that she was playing a version of the game with different rules that the agreed upon, socially acceptable ones. The one to blame in this situation is the one that set her up for failure and taught her to play the wrong version of the game. I'm looking at you, Ozai.

The child isn't spoiled, she follows rules. The problem is the irresponsible parenting. So you can't just go ahead and paint Azula out to be the problem. It's shifting the blame from the irresponsible parents to the misguided child. It's simply not fair.

So if Azula wasn't spoiled, then why didn't she realize Ursa loved her?

Well, that's because Ursa wasn't that good at showing it. I have made multiple posts about how Ursa parented Azula, and so have a bunch of other people. The truth is, while Ursa was strict with Azula when needed, she was too lenient with Zuko, with who she clearly favored and spend more time with. I'm not saying Ursa didn't love Azula, but I am saying that Ursa could have done more to express that love, and then Azula would know it's there.

[anti-spop]

I especially hate that Catra was always invading Entrapta’s space. Like… It’s a teenager being weird and touchy and creepy towards an adult. Just imagine, reverse the ages, and tell me that doesn’t scream ‘predator’. Idk what the writers were thinking, but the fact that Catra is doing this a lot with an autistic adult really irks me. Are they implying something there? Because idk WHAT THE FUCK it’s implying, but I don’t like it and I feel like it’s intentional.

Anyway… Something something Catra is a teen being creepy to an adult. Something something predatory. Something something character ages. Something something treating autistic people like they’re oblivious, dumb, or younger children. You probably know what I’m trying to say here…

I agree, though I firmly believe that Entrapta was not initially planned to be an adult. I always thought she was the same age as the other characters due to her young appearance (like they didn't even try to make her look a little older?). I think the crew only decided to make Entrapta an adult later on so that shipping her with Hordak wouldn't be creepy.

But yeah, it doesn't help that an autistic adult woman is infantilized and bullied by literal teenagers. And rewatching Catra being inappropriate with her is also a HUGE red flag that is rarely called out.

Really, the problem with SPOP is that a lot of its issues seem to be poorly thought out. Catra and Adora being raised as sisters but ending up in a romantic relationship, when apparently they were always "the heart of the show". Catra being a WOC despite having no canon basis, and yet still being a stereotype that WOC (or latina women more specifically) are abusive and "savages". S/pinnetossa also being an "angry black woman x calm white woman" ship. Double Trouble, a canon trans/non-binary character, being a lizard that disguises as a little girl only to get money. Bow being the black best friend that gets little to no character development. So on and so forth.

I'm sure most of these issues weren't intentional, but that is not an excuse, because in the end it teaches wrong things to its young audience.

(Please do not harass the crew members.)

[yanderelovlies]

𝐼𝓉 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝒻𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝓊𝓃𝓉𝒾𝓁 𝒾𝓉 𝓌𝒶𝓈𝓃'𝓉.

note: this is a modern time set. I'm in a Joesph mood, so here I am. I'm gonna have a part 2 for this either tomorrow or the day after.

Fandom(s): SWWSDJ

Character(s): Joseph

TW: none.

"boyfriend....for hire?"

The short red head in front of you nodded. she leaned in close, resting her chin on her hand as she smirked. "Yep. that right there will solve all your problems."

you looked up from the paper clearly unamused by your friends' antics. "What are you talking about Vex?"

Her eyes narrowed, but her grin never wavered. "Well, you were just bitching about your upcoming family dinner, and how your parents keep trying to set you up....You know some will even sleep with you after times up."

You gasped before glaring at her "Vex"

she leaned back, putting her hands up in defense. "I'm just saying~ I mean, what could it hurt?"

You looked back down at the paper, still unsure. "It feels... wrong."

Vex shrugged before crossing her arms over her torso. "Give it some thought. you got a week before the dinner. just uh... let me know how it goes?"

.

You sighed, looking down at the same paper from a few days ago. You had been debating if you should or not. You understood your parents were worried, but you weren't ready to hear it again. With shaky hands, you reach for your cellphone and slowly type in the number. With a deep breath, your pressed call quickly brings the phone to your ear.

It rang a few times before a female automated voice came through. "Thank you for calling callin' for love~. Please wait for representatives to help you." Soothing jazz began to play through the speaker, only making you more anxious. You just wanted to get it over with waiting and make you overthink.

God, what if this was a mistake? what if they turned out to be a murder? what if they - "Thank you for calling callin'" for love, my name is Jasper. How can i help you?" you paused for a minute. someone was there. "Hello?"

"h-hello?"

"Hello! how can I help you...?"

"y/n, and um, I'm looking to hire a boyfriend f-for a family dinner?" God, you hated this so much! it felt so embarrassing!

"Sounds great, y/n!" You could hear the typing of her keyboard ad she spoke. "Now, in order to find the man perfect for the job, do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions?"

you nodded, forgetting she couldn't see you before responding "yes"

"Great!"

.

the questions took a good couple of minutes with her cracking a few jokes, making loosen up a bit. "Well, good news, darling. we have the perfect match for you! Give me a minute to transfer you to him."

"What his name?"

"His name is Joesph, and he is an actor."

you gasped "an actor? Why is he doing this job?"

Jasper giggled. "Why not ask him yourself?" Before you could respond, the jazz from before came back on making you slightly nervous again.

.

Joseph's feet rested on his coffee table as he scrolled through social media. He thought it was funny how his children's show captured more than children's attention. Scrolling through the latest fanart became his new favorite hobby.

An alarm siren rang through the speakers of his phone at the caller contact of his side job shown on his phone. Sighing, he picked up the call, his head falling back on the cushion. "Joesph speaking."

"Hey Joe! it's Jasper I got a job for you if your intrested."

He hummed, mulling it over. Having the extra money wouldn't be so bad, and it would be nice to go out. "Okay, Jasper. fill me in."

.

The jazz music continued to play as your anxiety grew. what if she was having more trouble than she let on. oh God, this was a bad idea! maybe you sho-.

"Hello? y/n?"

you paused again, not ready for whoever was on the other line. it certainly not Jasper anymore the voice deep and a males. "h-hello?" Your voice was quiet, and meek I'm return making you cringe slightly.

You heard an airy chuckle before he continued. "It's nice to meet you, y/n. I'm Joseph. now I'm assuming you're calling this line for specific reasons?"

"y-yes. I have a family dinner coming up....I really dont want to hear it from them..." You rubbed the back of your neck, glad you weren't making eye contact with the guy.

"I hear ya doll. My coworkers are the same way. So what day is this family get together?"

"Um, this saturday?"

You hear some rustling followed by papers being flipped before he settled down. "That's perfect, actually. I'm off that day so we can arrive together to make it more believeable."

oh God, this is really happening! you were gonna introduce a total stranger to your family just to get them off your back. "c-can we meet the day before? I'll pay for it if I need to!"

He hummed in thought "mmm how does dinner sound then? We have a day of filming that Friday, but I can meet you for dinner?"

Once again, you nodded before giving a verbal response. "That sounds fine. Um, do you know that mom and pops Cafe on first?"

"Cara's Cafe?"

"Yes! how does that sound."

he chuckled again, putting down whatever paper he was holding. "Sounds great, doll. Here, let me give you my number so we can keep in contact."

.

It was a good thing you took his number when you did. Due to come technical issues, filming took longer than he thought, so he texted you to let you know.

So now you sit at the booth staring out the window, trying to calm your nerves. it wasn't a real date. Yet you were still meeting a stranger like it was. "I should've had Vex ghost our date."

As soon as sighed the bell above the door rang. Looking up and away from the window, your eyes meet with the one most beautiful brown eyes. The mam attached to them wasn't hard to look at either. If you didn't believe he was an actor before, you certainly did now.

He talked with the waitress before making his way to your table. "y/n?" You go to stand up, but he stopped you simply holding his hand out for you to shake, smiling down at you. "It's fine, really. It's nice to finally meet you."

You take his hand, giving him a nervous smile. "y-you too, Joesph."

"Joe is fine, doll." He sat down across from you, the smile never leaving his face.

"Are you sure?"

"Well, seeing as we have to pretend we didn't just meet each other recently, I would say so." He shrugs

"Okay... Joe," it felt weird saying his name in such a friendly manner despite just knowing him, but at the same time, it felt....nice?

"So I'm assuming you wanted to early to get to know me better." You nodded,"Smart. Then let's get started, doll."

.

The "date" went pretty well, you felt. You leaned the basics of his life and even got to hear what him and his costars. He seemed somewhat laid back, which put you at ease. You might even have to thank Vex later for the suggestion.

A knock bounced off the walls of your quiet living room as you placed the finishing touches on your outfit. "coming!" You called gathering your phone and keys.

When you opened the door, you had to stop gasping. He dressed really nicely. it wasn't a suit and tie, but damn did he look good.

He eyes you up and down, giving a low whistle. "Damn, you clean up nicely, doll." He held out his elbow for you to take. "Are you ready?"

You shut and lock the door behind you before wrapping your arm around his own. "You know I could say the same thing about you."

He chuckled, watching your movements. "What can I say? I wanted to leave an impression."

The two of you were making your way to your car when you scoffed. "On my parents? why? you will only see them once."

"Who says I wanted to impress them?"

When the two of you got close, you unlocked your car. However, before you could open the door to the driver's seat, Joesph beat you to it, opening the door for you. You turned to him face slightly red with a raised eyebrow. "Man, you really want to be hired again, huh?"

He smirked and simply shrugged. when you got into the car, he shut the door before making his way to the other side and climbing into the car. "Show me your music taste doll."

.

Joseph would be lying if he said it wasn't awkward at first. He was surrounded by strangers, but he played the role of boyfriend pretty well. Their father even seemed to take a liking to him, even asking for his help with the grill, and even bring him a cold one whe. got one.

The can opened with a pop followed sizzling from the carbonation before he took a long swig of the drink. "So how did you and my kid meet?"

Joesph had just opened his can when he looked up at your father. "Online dating. They just...stood out to me."

Your dad looked him up and down as if trying to determine if he was telling the truth. "Did you find out what the something was yet?"

"No, but I plan sticking around to find out and after."

Your dad smiled, patting him on the back. "Good man, Joe. Now come on! these burgers aren't gonna flip themselves!"

.

You watched from afar as Joesph interacted with your family. He was certainly putting his acting skills to use as he happily talked with your father and uncle. Not only did he get along with adults, but the kids seemed to love him as well. always showing him the things they color or make in minecraft. God, how has he not settled down by now?

"You made a good choice hun." You jumped slightly as your mom stood beside you, watching the crowd with you. "Heck even your dad likes him, and that's feat of its own."

You hummed, taking a drink of the drink in your hand. "Yeah. It kinda surprising, honestly."

Your mom chuckled. "Me too, but he must see something in him. It must be your sign."

You scoffed, rolling your eyes if only she really knew. "Come on, mom, let's finish these sides before dads finished."

She watched you uncertain for a few seconds before nodding. "You're right. You know how your father doesn't like to eat cold burgers."

.

As the night came to a close, you couldn't help but feel anxiety. Due to your families curiosity, you didn't get to spend much time with Joe. At first, you didn't mind, but the more he interacted with your family or they said something sweet about him, you couldn't help but feel your heartache.

At first, you didn't understand why, but the more you thought about it, the more you couldn't deny that he was perfect. He got along with your family, polite to you, and even seemed to care as he would constantly check in with you through the evening. It felt almost cruel.

You knew from the start that this was all fake. You knew after tonight that you may never see him again. Yet your heart yearned for more. For something you felt you couldn't have.

"Is everything okay dear?"

You nodded "yeah sorry mom, ....just tired. Work and all."

You could feel her eyes on you before turning back to crowd "Your just like your father in that aspect. Lean on Joe a bit more. let him lighten your load."

You sighed "I think it's time for us to go mom. I still have work in the morning.

she nods in understanding, opening her arms to you. You wrapped your arms around her in a warm hug. "I understand, and please, you guys, come see us soon."

"We will, mom."

.

The car ride home felt weird. You both sat quietly as the soft sounds of the music you were playing flowed through the speakers. You wanted to say something anything really, but you didn't know what.

Joseph seemed to be thinking the same thing since he was the first to speak up. "You have a nice family doll... So friendly and loving."

You smiled, your eyes still trained on the road ahead. "Thank you...We try."

he hummed in response as the music began to fill the gap again. "You know this went so well it makes me feel like I should meet your family next." As soon as the words left your mouth, you felt yourself cringe.

Joesph was silent before letting out an unamused huff. "I would rather you not." You opened your mouth to apologize for making the comment, but Joesph continued before you could."They are awful. I would rather you meet my coworkers."

You closed your mouth, unsure how to take that comment. As you pulled into your driveway, putting the car in park, you sat there for a minute. You thought Joesph would have gotten out of the car as soon as it was parked with an awkward goodbye, but he didn't.

Instead, he stayed in the car with you, his eyes trained on you. "I....had a really good time, Joe. Maybe I can find another excuse to hire you again."

"Hmmm, counter offer. What if instead we go on an actual date? No company involved. Just us." You turned to him surprised only to be met with a slightly nervous look on Joseph's face. "I had a good time too, and I know a good thing when I see it. If you're down for it, I want to keep this good thing going."

You watched him for a couple minutes waiting for the got you moment, but it never happened. He looked at you earnestly yet nervously, waiting for your response. "Okay, let's try it."