#also it's incapable of making a continuous plot

[forestal-ramblings]

Using chat gpt for the first time and it can make a useful legal template for various documents if you fact check the laws and articles it references, but more important it can develop my shitty history ideas into fanfiction from my own character's.

[sunnibits]

is anyone else like a huge fan of various medias, huge fan of characters, loves exploring plots and themes and character development, genuinely very enthusiastic about storytelling in general… but like, somehow physically incapable of making plot lines you care about with your own original characters. or like straight up being unable to create ocs you’re actually invested in???

like, you know what you like, you enjoy so many stories, you spend so much time digging into and delighting in the themes and tropes you like, and yet every time you try to make an original concept yourself it’s just impossible to make something compelling to you???? which makes no damn sense bc it’s literally coming from your own head so wouldn’t it be as self indulgent and perfect for you as possible??????

or is this just a unique me problem bc I swear to god it’s driving me insane

[moralityandmusings]

DP x DC: Corner of Shadows

Alfred Pennyworth has been a lot of things in his lifetime: an intelligence agent, a friend, a butler, a pseudo-father, a pseudo-grandfather, a medic, and more. But the one thing that he rarely gets a chance to be is, well... wrong.

He'd noticed things in Gotham seemed quiet lately, though he was superstitious enough not to voice that thought aloud. A quiet Gotham was a plotting Gotham, and he was wary and alert for whatever she was brewing. It was odd though, since Batman and his affiliates had managed to arrest and incarcerate the most destructive of the normal rouges in Arkham. Alfred knew that wasn't a long-term solution, but it would hold them for at least a few months before they inevitably were broken out. Alfred's sense of dread peaked on a Wednesday afternoon in late April. He had been doing his day's tasks, notably at the exact moment he was dusting in Bruce's study, when he felt a chill. Now, Alfred had been the caretaker of Wayne Manor long enough to know it's secrets: what windows were sealed shut and which could sneak open, what rooms and hallways created drafts and where the origins were, and the most likely hiding places for stashes of coffee, weapons, or even people. Bruce's study had never once incited a chill.

Alfred, though, was a professional. So, he didn't even pause in his task. He simply angled himself to reach the next set of shelves and snuck a glance around the room under the guise of reviewing his work.

He noticed it in the far corner of the room.

In his brief glance, the corner appeared darker than normal, as though the shadows had warped themselves out of their normal crevices to conceal something or someone. He considered, for a moment, hitting the panic button tucked away on the shelf behind him. However, he was not one to back down from a skirmish, nor was he incapable of handling one measly threat on his own. No need to concern the family until he knew whatever shadow creature or demon they were dealing with.

It wouldn't be the first time Alfred has faced down a demon. It also wouldn't be the first time he'd come out victorious. "I'd rather hope you were not planning to remain hidden in that corner. If so, I'm terribly sorry to disappoint you." Alfred said, keeping his back to the corner and continuing with his dusting with a purposeful air of nonchalance and passivity.

Even without a straight view of the shadowed corner, Alfred could feel the tension grip the air. "If you are here to steal from Master Bruce or one of his children, I'd kindly suggest that you exit through whatever means you entered. If you intend to harm them, I'd suggest you reconsider unless you plan to challenge me. Contrary to my family's beliefs, blood does not magically disappear out of the carpet, and as I do not know what you are, I'd hate to have to take the time to figure out how to best clean up yours." It was with this thinly veiled threat that Alfred chose to turn around and stare down the corner of the room, hopefully engaging in direct eye contact with whatever creature lurked there, or at least close proximity to it. It was as though the shadows were fighting with themselves. Almost imperceptible to the naked eye, they seemed to elongate and shrink back in rapid succession. It almost appeared that they seemed to be anxious. Then, a voice. It was akin to nails scraping down a chalkboard or the explosion of static through a radio on full volume in close quarters. It was a violent and powerful voice that hinted at fear and destruction. "What makes you so sure you would win?" The shadows seemed to tremble. Alfred smirked.

"I've dealt with many things in my life. Enough to know that demons, wraiths, creatures of the night, and even the most violent humans all have one thing in common: they can still cease." The shadows seemed to tilt. Alfred paused for a second, it almost looked like when a child or dog would tilt it's head in confusion or thought. "Cease." The broken and grating tone suggested that the reply was not a question, more like a thought for itself.

"Life does not always end in death, and death does not always extinguish existence. However, even one that is dead can still cease to exist if given the right... persuasions." Alfred lightly grinned. He knew to an outsider that it would seem vaguely threatening, even if the grin was only created out of his own amusement seeping through. The room was still. The shadows had stopped their rhythmic twisting, finally stationary. However, they were still stretched and warped beyond their usual means. The being was still present, even if it had yet to reveal itself.

It seemed, to Alfred, the creature was thinking, and he, ever the polite host, chose to let it.

After a long, quiet moment, the being spoke again. Only this time, the broken static and sharp noises ceased. Instead, the voice of a teenager, maybe even a child spoke. "What if... What would you say to a being whose existence was a constant fluxuation of life and death? Constantly living and dying and living and dying again and again, a never-ending cycle. How would you handle a being like that?" Alfred paused for a moment. He didn't let his own confusion at the entity show on his face as he realized his assumptions about this being a demon or shadowed creature here to cause harm were wrong. He had a job to do, after all. And even if this was not one of the children he was tasked with helping raise, he would not harm or threaten a child. "I'd invite the being for a cup of tea." "You'd..." There was a long pause, even longer than the standoff from earlier. It seemed Alfred's answer had truly shocked the shadows. "Why?" "Life can be incredibly isolating. Death even more so. I'd dare say, young sir, that if one was constantly walking the veil between both, regardless of if they teeter more towards one way or the other, that the being could, simply put, use an ally." The tension that had begun to stifle the room dissipated almsot immediately. As the shadows started to expand out from the corner, slowly inching their way towards where Alfred stood as though expecting him to move, to strike, Alfred stayed perfectly still and poised. There was no flinching or startling to be perceived. The shadow stretched along the floor until it stopped about half a food from the tip of his left shoe. The shadows slowly, slowly, slowly crept the rest of the way until it barely brushed the top of the well-worn leather shoes. When he didn't react, didn't move away or lash out, then the shadows quickly receded back from whence they came. Then, in the blink of an eye, in the corner sat a boy.

As far as Alfred could see, he was thin, dirty, and the staining on his clothing suggested that he was injured or had been so recently. His pitch black hair was matted and greasy, the bags under his eyes and sunken in face suggested he had been alone, likely hiding, for much too long. His gaze, however, was strong. The direct stare he landed on Alfred suggested that he was being cautious and his tensed posture indicated he would bolt if Alfred handled this incorrectly. So, Alfred leveled his own gaze back, allowing for warmth and care to flood back into his features, casting out the cold and ironed exterior he had thrown on in the face of a potential threat. "So, young sir, would you prefer a black or green tea?"

[arting-block]

𝐛𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 | Eleventh Doctor x F!Reader

❝is that too much to ask for? to have your husband by your side every night, whispering to you in Gallifreyan to lull you to sleep?❞

summary: being pregnant with a timelord's baby isn't for the weak. you tolerated your husband's overprotectiveness, but building a robot to follow you everywhere was the crossing the line. what started as a scheme to gain some privacy turns into a a reflection of the complicated feelings your pregnancy brings.

pairing: eleventh doctor x f!pregnant!reader

warnings: pregnancy (afab reader), the doctor being very dramatic, mild angst, fluffy ending, suggestive comments/allusions to sex, some plot bc i have no self control, reader loves sleeping

words: 6.6k

a/n: another request sitting in my inbox that i tinkered with. i had a lot of fun with this prompt :) im also physically incapable of writing drabbles bc of course i am. slightly proofread. also if you keep up with siasl i am in the middle of getting 2 chapters out shortly!!!

“What about this one? This seems like a lovely lil’ jumper.”

The Doctor holds up the article of clothing. It’s a bright canary yellow, almost burning your eyes. His face is all giddy, practically shoving the small cloth in your face. 

You sigh, grabbing the small sweater from his hands and putting it back on the rack. The Doctor’s pout would’ve been cute if it was the first time he pulled that off. “You already spent half a thousand pounds on clothing alone. Focus, please! We’re here to buy me new shoes. The swelling’s been killing me.”

You gesture to the empty cart and continue walking deeper into the store. The slides you haphazardly threw on did nothing to support the arches of your soles and you have already outgrown all the other shoes you owned. Your feet are dragging your weight as you try to find the aisle you’re looking for. 

“What if she doesn’t like the clothing we got her?” The Doctor resumes pushing the cart, walking in tandem beside you. “Bought nearly every single color there is, but not yellow. What if she really likes the color yellow?”

Stopping next to a pair of sneakers on display, you inspected them carefully. Once you determined they had the right size and decently squishy insoles, you dropped them to the ground. Kicking off the flimsy blue slides you had on, you tried to shove your feet into the sneakers, using your Doctor as a balance. He lets you grip onto his bicep, even though you’re causing him to sway with your erratic motions. 

Still, the Doctor continues on: “Surely she would like TARDIS blue? Everyone does! Did you know blue is considered a soothing color—especially dark blue? Can’t go wrong with a good blue.”

Your foot managed to slip halfway into the sneaker, but you couldn’t get your heel inside. You gave a harsh tug on the Doctor’s sleeve. “Little help here.”

The Doctor is quick to help you to a small bench, letting you lean into him before setting you down. A satisfied groan left you, happy to finally get the extra weight off your joints. The Doctor kneels down, making sure your sock is still snug on your foot, before securing the sneaker. He even made sure the laces were not too tight. You gave your toes an experimental wiggle, happy to see that they fit you perfectly. 

Your husband doesn’t rise from his sport, still lost in thought about colors and your future daughter’s opinion of them. “I’ve always hated red. Didn’t like the way red things tasted, but I bought those little shoes anyway. Kids are more drawn to saturated colors so there’s a chance she might like red…no matter how unsavory.”

“She’s gonna love whatever we give her,” you say. You prop your leg onto the Doctor, who goes to work untying the laces. “Everyone loves blue, and she would be very grateful that you thought of red shoes even though you hate them.”

The Doctor puts on the slide you discarded back on your feet. There was still that distant look on his eyes, one that you often found whenever he worried about the baby in your stomach. “What about the yellow?”

You brush a rogue strand of brown hair, tucking it away from the Doctor’s eyes. When he looks up at you, you see the worry start to melt away. “I’m sure she would let us know if she likes yellow or not.”

— — —

Before your pregnancy, your worries were few and far between. Okay, maybe not so far between, but the Doctor took extra precautions to adventuring the moment you two got married. Your feet would ache from running alongside the Doctor and the Ponds. At most you would suffer a cut or bruise, bouncing back to full health in no time. In the beginning stages of your pregnancy, you could still outrun the occasional alien or keep up with the Ponds when walking around Leadworth. 

Now that you’re in the third trimester, your main worry is getting out of bed without pulling a muscle. 

The only adventure you’ve been going on lately are trips to Walmart for your oddly specific food cravings. Mostly for the selection of spicy chips and cheap cakes. It was all you would want to eat. You tried pulling the “eating for two” card, but eventually the Doctor had drawn the line at vanilla ice cream and pickles. Though, a few heated kisses bribe him to get them anyway. 

Your pregnancy was considerably smooth-sailing all things considered. Adventuring stopped by fifteen weeks and you stayed either in the TARDIS or at the Ponds’ residence. Alien medicine subsided most of the unsightly side-effects. But because your husband was the Doctor and your hormones were crazier than ever, it meant that arguments were (unfortunately) very common. 

How could the Doctor, the most intelligent, most caring, most accommodating husband in the universe simultaneously be the most irritating person to be around?

Privacy and his incessant need to protect you.

You silently hold a grudge in your heart towards Rory for toppling the first domino. As a nurse, he couldn’t help but track everything about your pregnancy. Vitals, nutrients, cholesterol, sleep, etc. To no one’s surprise, the Doctor encouraged it and often compared each other’s notes about the effects of a Time Lord pregnancy. Nerd shit. Whatever. As long as their testing didn’t coincide with your naps, you could care less. 

Then things escalated. The Doctor was suddenly very aware that you were carrying his baby—a Time Lord baby. You don’t know why it took twenty weeks for the idea to settle, but now you wished it never did. He was rightfully concerned about your baby and you didn’t put up a fight when the Doctor got a little clingier than usual. It’s nice to have the Doctor hover next to you like a shadow, his brows pinched in worry and his eyes filled with enough love to put Cupid to shame. But then there comes a time where the Doctor is needed. So Rory and Amy were left to care for you. No big deal. 

By twenty-one weeks? Surveillance of you became a full blown operation. The Doctor made an executive decision to install cameras and mics in every room in the TARDIS. You nearly ripped him a new one when he suggested putting some in the bathrooms. What started as a meaningful demonstration for his care about you turned into an obsession. Paranoia, even. If the Doctor wasn’t in your immediate vicinity, then he forced one of the Ponds to follow you around at all times. 

They were your best friends—your traveling companions. At least they had the sense to leave the room whenever you needed time alone with your daughter. They would engage in conversation and remained silent and out of the room when it came time for you to sleep. 

You tolerated the Doctor’s overprotectiveness because of the loss of his previous family during the Great Time War and past lovers. You can’t begin to understand the depths of his grief of losing countless people spanning hundreds of years. So you gave a little (a lot) of grace towards your Time Lord husband. How can you resist when he hugs you from behind and gently rubs your stomach with so much love and care? He’s just worried and you would be too if you were in his shoes. But the limit to his protectiveness apparently does not exist. 

There was a point where neither Pond wanted to follow you around the clock every single day. You foolishly hoped that their complaints would put an end to the Doctor’s paranoia before it spiraled out of control. But the Doctor also had to leave to go on supply runs and help random aliens across the galaxy you were residing in. The Ponds needed to go back to Earth for their own sanity which would last either a few days to weeks. 

So what solution did your mad husband come up with? Build a robot to follow you everywhere. 

“Mrs. (L/N), are you certain you want to continue exercising?”

You were huffing a storm, trying to keep an even pace ahead of the walking tin-can your husband built to be his personal snitch. The straw that broke your masked indifference towards the Doctor’s overprotectiveness. The moment J-ROD’s systems were firing sparked the end of any privacy you held onto. Years ago, during a trip to a future human colony, the Doctor came across a pile of scraps. It looked nothing like a humanoid robot. You had thought that the Doctor would simply take its salvageable parts and use it for the TARDIS. Apparently your mad husband was always a step ahead, working on his Justice-Robotics Of Defense in secret. You don’t know when he completed it, but you’re certain you’ve heard J-ROD’s muffled voice late into the night and your husband’s all too eager voice responded back. 

You chalked it up to another project he was tinkering with. Little did you know he was crafting up your worst nightmare. 

“You’re programmed to do as I say,” you snap. Your pace slows and you hear the heavy footsteps of J-ROD come closer, motivating you to keep going. “And right now I want to walk.”

Thankfully, the robot is incredibly slow. Unfortunately, you are eight months pregnant. You had barely reached the five minute mark of your “exercise” and the wind has already knocked out of you. Pure spite is what is keeping you from giving out. 

The day started with a frantic kiss on your cheek and the Doctor’s promises to be back before dinner. The TARDIS has a knack for muddling your sense of time. Dinner can mean a blink of an eye or a stretch of time that feels like days. Coupled with the fact that you’re carrying a Time Lord baby meant that you are terrible at judging when the Doctor would be back. 

J-ROD keeps their distance, not because they’re sympathetic to your sour mood, but because their rusty joints keep them from speeding up faster than a slow walk. Maybe if you grabbed a hammer from your husband’s toolbox, you could cave in their knees and keep them locked in a closet somewhere. A cramp emanates from your side and you stop to catch your breath. You can barely walk for five minutes, there’s no way you can muster enough strength to bash through metal. You hear the clank clank clank of J-ROD’s footsteps. 

It is the fact that the robot would follow you everywhere and stare into your soul that irritated you. It was his blocky metal body with brown crusted joints that creaked noisily to the point it drove you insane. The damn piece of scraps would frequently interrupt your naps with its loud voice to call the Doctor for his hourly reports. It’s programmed to stay at a minimum of a 30 feet radius near you. There was no escaping them.

Your husband promised to fix his creaky joints, the loud voice, and fix his programming to call at a time that accommodates your napping schedule. He was very apologetic and did his best to tinker with J-ROD the moment you brought up complaints. But your husband is also the Doctor and he cannot turn a blind eye to beings in need. 

The only reprieve to J-ROD is when the Doctor or the Ponds were around. You knew it was irrational to get frustrated at a rusty robot whose only purpose is to protect the person it was assigned to. If anything, they were the manifestation of your husband’s worry for you. 

But your grace can only go so far before the irritation wins out. You want peace and quiet. It’s been hours. The Doctor is out saving a ship from being pulled into an unseen black hole. The Ponds were back to their daily routine in Leadworth. You are stuck in the TARDIS, heavily pregnant, and narrowly avoiding tripping over your own feet in hopes that you get away from the walking piece of metal. 

“Your heart rate increased by a factor of 5% since the start of your walk,” J-ROD says. Their polite, robotic voice is activating the kill-switch in your hormone-ridden brain. “I believe it is best for you to stop exercising. The Doctor recommends that you keep exertion to a minimum.”

You stop, only because there’s a sudden cramp in your thigh. Your sudden yelp in pain alerts J-ROD. Their laser scan is warm as it hits all parts of your body. 

“My scans indicate that you’re experiencing minor muscle spasms in your right femoral region,” they state. “Sources indicate a good massage can allevia—”

“NO!” you shout. “No, do not come near me.”

“But—”

“You will do as you’re told!”

“As you wish.”

The pain is pushing you to your limits. If this keeps up you’re going to cry yourself into labor. You can’t break down in front of a robot snitch who will tattle to the Doctor. You do not need records of your crying archived. 

But then a lightbulb lit up in your mind. 

The cramp subsided, but you grasp onto it with a sharp hiss, loud enough for J-ROD to hear. 

“Fuck…I think it just got worse.”

J-ROD’s crusted hands attempt to reach your leg. “Allow me—”

You swat his hands away. “You know what would help me? An ice pack!”

“I do not follow.”

“Run to the kitchen and get me an ice pack for my cramp,” you explain with another loud wince. You double over, trying to put on your best performance. “I’m too pregnant and tired to move. So it shouldn’t be a problem to go to the kitchen real quick and come back?”

J-ROD is quiet, trying to process the request you are giving him. His processor runs through each command, making sure it doesn’t go against what the Doctor programmed him to do. 

“The Doctor has requested that I stay by your side at all times.” 

You roll your eyes. “He also said to do everything in your power to help me. I cannot walk back to the kitchen, but I really, really need that ice pack. Please? It would help me so, so much.”

Puppy-dog eyes wouldn’t work on a robot, but you tried to put on your most convincing pained expression on your face. J-ROD is still hesitant. 

“Please?”

A beat of silence before J-ROD’s creaky head nods. “As you wish.”

You contain your victorious cheer until J-ROD is out of ear shot. The kitchen is far enough that it would take a minimum of three minutes for him to fetch the ice before turning back to you. In order for your plan to work, you would need to act fast. 

You close your eyes, concentrating on one room that you would have complete and utter silence. A room that the Ponds had curated with everything you could need during your pregnancy. A clean room with ambient lighting, a large pillow on the bed to support your belly, and a mini fridge next to the bed. The bed was softer than clouds and the blankets were fluffier than a sheep’s wool. 

A small breeze hits your face. When you open your eyes, the soft yellow door to your private bedroom appears in front of you. 

Your smile lights up your entire face. “You’re the best time-spacecraft anyone could ask for.”

The TARDIS clicks open the door in appreciation. 

“Oh! Could you keep me as far away from the robot as possible?” You pause for a moment before adding, “And the Doctor as well?”

The lights in the room flicker twice. A resounding yes. 

— — —

“Gone? What do you mean she’s gone?”

“I went to get ice for her leg, but when I returned, she was no longer there.”

The hologram of the Doctor flickers as he runs through his hair in frustration. He had just saved a ship filled with thousands of people from getting spaghettified by a blackhole and not one moment later he gets news that his wife is “missing”. The Doctor doesn’t jump to conclusions just yet. He knows how much you hated J-ROD following you around. He really does take your criticism to his hearts—truly, he does—but he’s been so busy lately. Your pregnancy sparked a tsunami of anxiety he’s never felt before. He distracts himself with other things to keep his mind off of the fact that he’s going to be a father, again. 

He knows you’ve been a bit…antsy these past few days. Your fuse has been rather short and he tries his absolute hardest to appease your every whim. 

Okay maybe not every whim. He was firm in his stance with keeping J-ROD at your side at all times when he’s not there. Not even a strenuous night in bed would budge him (it took every ounce of willpower to stay firm in his decision). 

But the Doctor foolishly underestimated his own wife’s cunning. If you had your mind set on something, there was no law of physics that could keep you from accomplishing your goals. You weren’t really gone, just hiding from the robot.

Once he’s back in the TARDIS, you would come out and have a nice long chat about safety. 

“I’ll be there in a few minutes. Have you checked our bedroom? Bathroom? Closets? She has a track record of burrowing under the clothes like a cat.” 

“I’ve checked fifty separate bedrooms and bathrooms, the nursery, and the library.”

A frustrated sigh left his lips. 

The main lobby of the ship is lively with various beings, celebrating their survival. The Doctor, however, tucked away in his own corner of the room, overthinking himself to paranoia. You were fine, you had to be. You’re his beautiful, tough, resilient wife. There’s no way you can get lost in the TARDIS. 

But you were pregnant and out of sight from your automated caregiver. 

The Doctor is blunt with his good-byes, shouting at people to “get a move on!”. He pushes through the crowds of people bunched up in narrow hallways. The large cruise spaceship is bustling with vigor at the Doctor’s success. People rush to meet him, to give their thanks, but the Doctor has one thought on his mind. 

He practically sprints towards the TARDIS which he parked near the kitchen. Chefs and waiters jump out of his way, their food trays nearly spilling over the floor. 

“Sorry! Wife emergency!” he calls as he jumps over a trolley of food. 

The staff exchanges concerned glances as the Doctor forcefully slams into the pantry. The TARDIS slots perfectly inside, imposing and glorious in the low light. Some lingering staff peer into the pantry in curiosity. 

“Are you going to leave before the big feast?” one of the waiters asks. His large, bug-like eyes take in the blue space-timecraft.

The Doctor fumbles with this key and manages to get it into the lock. “I’ve got something much more important to worry about, but I’ll come back for dessert!” He slips in the TARDIS and slams the door shut. A half second later he swings the door open again. “Keep a baked alaska for me, would you? Love a fire on a dessert. Well my wife does. Remind me to come back for it.”

With a final slam of the door and click of a lock, the staff slowly inch away from the mysterious blue box. They didn’t get a chance to tell him that they have no idea what the Doctor meant by a “baked alaska”. 

A chef with a fish-like head leans over to his co-worker. “How are we gonna tell him the food’s ready though?”

“I don’t get paid enough to know,” the co-worker replies.

— — —

You nearly forgot how quiet the TARDIS can be without J-ROD or the Ponds constantly nagging you 24/7. 

After a lengthy shower you slipped into the comfiest pajamas. The temperature of the room was set, the lighting was subdued, and the comforter felt like pure nirvana. The pregnancy pillow that Amy bought fit snugly against your tired body. Your head was buzzing with dopamine, excited for a perfect sleep. 

No J-ROD to come to annoy you. Just peace and quiet. 

You get comfortable in the bed, hugging tightly to your pillow and closing your eyes. But there’s one thing missing from your perfect sleep. 

Your husband. 

He’s been gone an awful lot lately. It worries you how much time he spends doing quests across the universe and leaves little time to be with you. Of course you knew that saving people’s lives comes before everything else, but it still stings. The beginning of your pregnancy was wonderfully domestic. The Doctor was extremely caring, doting on you with so much love and attention that you were overconfident that your pregnancy would be the easiest in the universe. 

You noticed his demeanor changed when your bump started to show. His love for you never dulled if your sex life was anything to go by. He wasn’t angry or upset or disgusted by you. It was the fear that changed. The closer you approached your due date, the more protective he became. He’s lost so many. You know bits and pieces of his previous lives and the families he’s accumulated over his very long life. You were not his first wife, his first love, and your child was not his first daughter. 

You are his one true love. He whispers that title into your skin when he makes love with you. The Doctor said it when he first asked you to be his. The Doctor declares it loudly at your wedding. You feel it in the way he stares at you like you are the reason he even breathes at all. 

His tears dripped onto your first sonogram as he laughed with all the joy a father could have. His hands are warm against the growing bump in your belly. He doesn’t regret marrying you or having a child with you. At least, you hoped he didn't.

Behind that joy, you can see the what ifs intrusively pop into his mind. It’s scary to confront the idea that you are only human and that means you are always going to be vulnerable. He’s lost too many, all because they are near him. What does that mean for the closest person in his orbit?

Maybe you were too harsh to the clunky robot. But you wished that the Doctor himself would come to nag you instead of having a stupid robot to do it for him. Is that too much to ask for? To have your husband by your side every night, whispering to you in Gallifreyan to lull you to sleep?

You’re too tired to cry, but your heart feels heavy in your chest. You just wished that the Doctor would stop worrying and enjoy this pregnancy with you. 

It doesn’t take long for your eyelids to droop and the thoughts in your mind to fade. The TARDIS dimmed the lights the moment your heart rate slowed to a steady rhythm. 

— — —

The first thirty minutes of searching didn’t go according to plan.

Checking the cameras for your last known location and wrangling the TARDIS to reveal your room should’ve been the easiest task the Doctor had to perform. Just a couple of clicks, no big deal. 

What the Doctor didn’t anticipate was for the TARDIS to completely override his commands and show him a blank wall of text instead of the camera feeds.

SHE IS SLEEPING.

The Doctor could not believe his eyes. Does the TARDIS sometimes take him to wrong places or stubbornly not work? Yes, but never had she outright communicated that she’s actively defying him. 

“Well could you at least be so courteous and tell me where my beautiful wife is resting in?” the Doctor asks hopefully. “I would really, really appreciate it if you could ease my worry. C’mon Sexy, just for me?”

The text deletes itself before a new phrase appears. 

SHE WILL COME OUT WHEN NOT SLEEPING.

It’s times like these where the Doctor is aware that the TARDIS favors you over him. And she doesn’t make it subtle either. 

No matter, the Doctor is a master at figuring out a solution. It’s his bread and butter. Or fishsticks and custard. 

An hour passes and no sign of you. 

Does he panic? His two hearts are pounding and his clothes feel a lot damper than earlier. But that’s because he’s running around hallways, devising a plan to override the TARDIS’s control over the cameras. He never panics. Never. 

Hour three in for your search, the Doctor managed to land the TARDIS on top of Brian William’s lavender bush. He stumbles out into the yard with a jumble of wires in his fist and suspenders loose on his shoulders.

“Rory! Amy!” the Doctor calls as he barges into the house. 

He walks past a startled Rory, wearing a robe and a cuppa in his hand. The tea sloshes dangerously outside the rim of the cup with how fast the Doctor breezed by him. 

“Doctor? What are you doing here?”

Rory’s words reached deaf ears. The Doctor pulls the cushion seat from the couch, inspecting the inside and tossing the cushion over his shoulder. He walks to the mudroom to open the coat closet, splitting the racks of outerwear apart. “Amelia Pond! Where are you and your husband?”

“Doctor—”

“Not now Rory, I'm busy!” the Doctor interrupts while running up the stairs. 

“Doctor, I'm right here!” Rory calls. “Doctor!”

The Doctor rushes back downstairs and finally looks at Rory. The smile on his face is infectious. “Well why didn’t you say it before?” He walks down and gives Rory a big hug. It’s a miracle that the tea in Rory’s hand is not all over the floor. “Where's the missus? I have a very, very important mission.”

“Important enough to break into my dad’s house and squash his garden?”

The Doctor’s face turns serious. ”End of the world, galaxies imploding, world ending mission.”

Rory wiggles himself out of the Doctor’s surprisingly strong grip. He’s spent enough time around the Doctor to know when his sense of urgency and the dread in his voice are just hyperbole. “You said the same thing twice.”

“It means it’s twice as important to say.” The Doctor opens the cabinets and takes a porcelain mug into his arms. “(Y/N) is missing.”

That makes Rory’s thoughts screech to a halt. “W-What? Missing? As in ‘kidnapped’ missing?” 

The Doctor’s face looks grave, believable enough to have Rory’s stomach drop to the pits of Hell. “Missing as in the TARDIS won’t tell me which room she’s sleeping in.”

All at once Rory’s sympathies fly out of the open yard door. 

“When you said that galaxies might implode, I thought that there’s a Death Star the size of Andromeda that’s pointed at us. Not that (Y/N) got sick of you and quarantined herself.” Rory drops down on the kitchen table, finally getting a sip of his perfect tea. 

“First of all, she’s not sick of me,” the Doctor grumbles.

The Doctor yanks a follicle of Rory’s hair, to which the man jumped in pain. “Ow! What the hell was that for?”

“I’m the Doctor, she can never get sick. What a preposterous notion. I thought you got through medical school.” The Doctor grabs a slab of machinery from his pocket and puts the piece of hair into it. “And secondly, it is world-ending and galaxy-imploding because without her by my side, my entire universe is at stake! How am I going to be in tip-top shape to save galaxies if she’s not next to me? Think, Rory!”

Rory rolls his eyes, not wanting to give the Doctor more attention and potentially fuel his delusions. It’s nice to know that all these years, the Doctor is still in love and protective over you. However it gets to a point where the Doctor’s eccentric personality can get a bit…much. 

“Oh! Doctor is that you?” Amy asks, walking through the kitchen with her father-in-law in tow. 

Brian’s face lights up at the Doctor. “Ah, my favorite man!”

The Doctor jumps up from his chair with his hands held high. “More people for the cause!”

“I thought I was your favorite man?” Rory questions his father. 

“You’re my favorite son,” Brian corrects with a wink. 

The Doctor rounds the table and gives Amy and Brian each a rib squeezing hug. Amy returns with equal enthusiasm and a peck on a cheek. Brian pats the Doctor’s back with a smile before looking out to where the TARDIS is parked. 

Instantly Brian’s mood sours. “My lavenders! Oh, my poor sweet things.” 

“Lavenders? Really?” the Doctor asks, tossing his gadget at the table. “My wife is missing and all you can think about is squashed…purple…foliage? I think some hydrangeas will be far more fitting for your landscape. Squashing those? Now that would be a tragedy.”

���Wait, (Y/N) is missing?” Amy asks with a mouth full of a muffin. 

“Don’t,” Rory warns. “He’s being dramatic again. The TARDIS is just hiding her away from her mad husband.”

“Don’t listen to him Amy!” The Doctor zips through the kitchen, rummaging through every cabinet and drawer he can get his hands on. “This is a matter of life or death. Well, equivalent to death since it would be very hard to kill me. But it doesn’t mean the pain won’t hurt!”

Brian, Rory, and Amy watch as the Doctor takes miscellaneous parts from their kitchen and connects them to his lump of metal and circuits. Scraps of plastic jut out from the side, a few red and blue wires are exposed, and a shoelace from one of Rory’s shoes is dangling out of it. Rory thought better than to try to retrieve it; silently saying goodbye to his favorite blue shoelace with gold aglets. 

I’ll bully (Y/N) into buying me a new one, Rory vows. 

Amy flicks one of the exposed wires. “What exactly is this supposed to do?”

“Something to override a very smart and very stubborn machine,” the Doctor says, as if it was obvious. “Whenever I try to access my security feeds, the TARDIS scans my DNA and knows that I’m trying to locate (Y/N). The cameras are only accessed by me through the same recognition software. By taking a specimen from Rory, I would trick the recognition software and the TARDIS into revealing (Y/N)! Perfect. Spectacular. Genius, if you will.”

The Doctor presents his gadget with a smug grin and his head held high, like a primary school student showing off their baking soda volcano for their science fair. 

Amy takes one look at the misshapen heap of junk and asks: “Couldn’t you have just asked me or Rory to ask the TARDIS to reveal her location? We won’t need the cameras if we can ask the TARDIS directly.”

The smile on the Doctor’s face is wiped clean off. He mulls over Amy’s question in his head, not wanting to give her the satisfaction that—technically, hypothetically speaking—it could work. But his few seconds of silence and the look on his face told Amy all she needed to know. 

“My way is guaranteed not to fail,” the Doctor insists, snatching his gadget and going towards the TARDIS. 

Amy and Rory share a crisp high-five for her victory. 

— — —

You slept like a content rock for hours. Barely shifting in the bed with how exhausted you were. You would’ve kept drooling on your pillow if it wasn’t for the fact that the TARDIS decided to turn on the lights unexpectedly. 

“Fuck!” you groan, rubbing your eyes. It’s a little difficult to pull your body upright, but after a few tries (and grabbing onto the headboard), you hauled yourself up. “Please tell me you had a good reason to interrupt my sleep.”

Then you hear it.

The yelling. Things moving around. Shoes clacking loudly against the floors. The unmistakable voice of your husband barking orders and Amy’s shrill words directed back at him. 

The door to the room swings open with a disheveled Doctor entering in. His brown hair is flying every which way around his head. His cherry-red bowtie is askew, likely from fidgeting with it from worry. His face is flushed at the cheeks and tips of his ears—a telltale sign that he’s been running. 

When he sees your woken up and disheveled appearance, you see his face light up like a Christmas tree. 

“(Y/N)!” The way he calls your name like he’s coming home from war makes your heart pound in your chest. He gently presses you against him, burying his face into the crook of your neck. “I miss your skin. Have I ever mentioned your hormones make your skin feel amazing, I mean—”

“Doctor,” Amy warns, pointing a finger at him. The last thing she needs to see (or hear) is the two of you getting too lovey-dovey in front of her. 

“I’m here, I’m here, love.” You return his sudden affection, kissing the side of his neck and sighing. “What’s gotten into you?”

Amy and Rory drag themselves into the room looking like they’re one step away from passing out. Amy leans against the doorway, smiling at the two of you and Rory looks relieved for the shouting to be over. 

“Oh, you have no idea,” Amy groans. “Over six hours of scrambling around the TARDIS and having the Doctor yell at us.” 

“‘End of the world’ my ass,” Rory whispers under his breath. 

“Language!” the Doctor says, pulling himself away from you. “It’s true. The world was ending—or rather my world is ending. Which still counts since my world and the world overlap, but that’s neither here nor there. Point is…”

The Doctor hesitates. Yes, he knows he was being extremely dramatic and unnecessarily fretting over you, but he can’t help but care so deeply for you. 

Amy nudged Rory, nodding towards the door. “We’ll take this as our queue to leave.”

“And to rest,” Rory says as he stretches. 

Amy tugs her husband by the collar, giving you a small wink as she leaves. 

The Doctor looked like a sad, kicked puppy. His hair is still wild and his posture is hunched as if he’s carrying a heavy burden. His hand cups the swell of your belly, his thumb affectionately along the rounded surface. Your fingers glide through his hair, your nails lightly scratching his scalp as you tame his erratic follicles. 

When was the last time you got to touch him like you had all the time in the world? He’s always been a ball of energy, going every which way across the universe. You could never keep up with his movements, with pregnancy only slowing you down. Time spent together felt intense, irritating, or simply too emotional. 

You clear your throat, pulling his attention towards you. “I was really upset earlier. I mean really upset. I didn’t like how you would worry so much that I was starting to think that you were having second thoughts.”

“About?” 

“Fatherhood.” You feel the sting of tears in your eyes, but your resolve to get this off your chest won over. “You installed more cameras, you made the Ponds take turns to watch me, you built a clunky robot to annoy me everywhere…you were out there trying to save people but I felt so lonely here. I can’t enjoy my pregnancy if you’re not here with me.”

All at once, the Doctor wanted to grovel on his knees and beg for your forgiveness. You were right, his overprotectiveness was going too far. He knew on some level that he shouldn’t tell his pregnant wife what was good for her. He may be the Doctor, but he cannot control your feelings. 

The hand that was cupped around your belly moves up to your cheek. The Doctor looked at you like you were the most cherished thing in the entire universe. Full of warmth and love that showed he truly meant to have your best interest at heart. 

“You’re right, I’m sorry,” he admits quietly. Rarely does he ever say outright that he’s wrong, but he will push aside his stubbornness for those he loves. “You’d think that after nearly a millennium of time you are prepared for anything. I used to be a father once, long ago, so this shouldn’t scare me. But it did—still does if I’m honest. But there’s one thing I will never, ever regret.”

“Which is?” you hum. 

“Two things actually,” he corrects. “One was asking you to spend the rest of your life with me—”

You snort. “More like begging me to marry you.”

“As I was saying—” The Doctor pokes your side, causing you to squirm and laugh in his ear. “—the second was building this family with you. I was protective of you and our baby girl because you two are the most important things in this universe. Above jammy dodgers and those little rubber ducks that come in all those fun colors.”

“Those two things cannot be your second choices of ‘important things in the universe’.”

The Doctor shifts closer to you, bumping his long nose against yours. “If it were up to me, you would take all the slots in that ranking.”

You lean closer until your lips tickle over his. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

When he finally closes the small gap between you, the last thing on your mind was another nap. 

— — —

The TV in the entertainment room of the TARDIS glowed brightly in the dim room. Amy is tucked under Rory’s arm, stealing handfuls of buttery popcorn as they watch another superhero movie. Amy’s choice, of course, since she was the one who was able to override the TARDIS’s control over the cameras. Rory wasn’t too picky with films as long as there was good enough dialogue. 

“You can put down the umbrella,” the magician says through the screen.

The blonde hero, and lead character of the movie, wearily sets down said umbrella. A wind blasts his face before he is teleported to a different part of the magician’s home. 

Rory points to the magician, who is doing a location spell. “He could’ve saved us six hours of our lives and found (Y/N).”

“Just be glad the TARDIS didn’t spit us back out in space.” Amy sets the empty popcorn bucket down, never taking her eyes off of the screen. 

“I’ve been falling…for thirty minutes!” the deuteragonist yells in anger. 

Rory shrugs. “He deserved it.”

“Totally.”

Just as the main villain of the movie was getting revealed, the door to the entertainment room swung open. Bright light from the hallways spilled into the room, causing Rory and Amy to shield themselves like vampires getting scorched by sunlight.  

“What is it this time?” Amy growls, ready to throw a dense pillow to whoever interrupted her movie. She had to smuggle it from the future for crying out loud!

The Doctor pants from the doorframe. His appearance was more ruffled than they had last seen him, with the first few buttons of his shirt popped and his belt hanging loose on his hips. A few rosy bite marks are visible along his jaw and Amy fights the juvenile urge to gag loudly. 

“Can’t you put some clothes on?” Rory asks, turning away from the Doctor. 

Usually, the Doctor would respond with a snarky quip about how he already has clothes on, but no such quip leaves his lips. 

It takes a second for the Doctor to move his mouth to communicate his shock. When it does, it nearly leaves the Ponds speechless. 

“Her water broke.”

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@penumbra-the-unicorn @diligently-metastasizing

[iridescentmirrorsgenshin]

Kaveh is like this close to committing a sin with Mehrak, like he's playing a really dangerous game. It's just a matter of time Mehrak gets even more sentient when it's already this far. I know Kaveh keeps it in check, but man... I hope they'll talk about this one day. Either that or Kaveh will always brush it off, as if he didn't get some ancient core to build it??? Also, I always love your thoughts, thanks for loving these two so much!

hiya! thank you for your ask! i'm so glad you enjoy my posts :") <3 Mehrak’s existence is so ??? funny to me. we have tighnari’s story quest detailing the akademiya’s ban on research into mechanical lifeforms, directly alongside kaveh building his own mechanical lifeform and parading it around, sending it on solo coffee retrieving missions whilst everyone in sumeru looks on smiling <3

Mehrak’s legality hasn’t been mentioned at all in-game as of now, and as it’s been used consistently, both in kaveh’s hangout, a parade of providence, and now nahida’s birthday event, with not one mention of legality or potential trespasses, makes it seem that that’s how things will stay - especially since Cyno has met/is aware of mehrak’s existence during the battle scene during a parade of providence (then again, cyno did meet the wanderer during this event, and yet in nahida’s birthday event it seems he’s only HEARD of the wanderer through sethos??) but even then, since Cyno trusts Tighnari with karkata’s continued existence, it’s likely not a stretch to say that to Cyno, Kaveh can be trusted with Mehrak’s existence (it’s all very iffy)

Mehrak’s existence, overall, has had little focus other than its usage in battle, its official introduction in a parade of providence, where kaveh stipulates it has low intelligence, and was built to assist him, as well as being incapable of talking back and giving him ‘attitude’ (implicitly comparing mehrak to alhaitham), and in kaveh’s hangout when he works on designing a building. It’s only in recent events, such as cyno’s second story quest, and now in nahida’s birthday event, that mehrak has gotten more mentions, and now a spotlight, which is all in relation to coffee, tying back to alhaitham and kaveh’s improved relationship (the coffee analysis will be in the updated essay finally!!). as of right now, overall, mehrak doesn’t appear to be a major focus

It might be strange for the game to mention now that mehrak has been an illegal creation all this time, unless it’s a significant plot point that has to be resolved, but if mehrak is further explored, like in the temple of silence for example (hoyoverse I am once again asking), then perhaps this collective ignoring of a crime occurring will be explained away, if mentioned at all? It’s interesting that tighnari says it might be possible that this ban is reversed in the future, but as for whether that will actually happen, and the implications of this, aren’t clear

Mehrak’s accepted existence in general poses so many questions. I’m interested in the specifics of the ban, like does it depend on the autonomy of the machine in question? Abattouy aimed to make Karkata essentially human, capable of individual thought, processing, emotion, and conversation, which definitively broaches on the intersection of mechanical and biological life which caused the Akademiya to ban this type of research in the first place. So if a machine is able to act on its own, irrespective of human interference, then this is what the akademiya would want to prevent

In mehrak’s case, it’s unclear as to what its limits are, but from what has been shown so far, it seems that mehrak can only act on kaveh’s commands and when held in battle – it’s uncertain rn whether mehrak can act independently of this, but as kaveh invented it to only assist in certain matters, it’s doubtful. But then again, we don’t have a great scope of whether it can experience emotions, as it has shown signs of being distressed in a parade of providence when kaveh states that it can’t talk back, and when being scolded by kaveh in nahida’s birthday event

if mehrak has limited intelligence, it's interesting to compare mehrak with karkata. abattouy was attempting to make karkata understand human language, and be able to respond in order to have conversation, which was proved impossible, whereas although mehrak only speaks in beeps, kaveh is shown to have a thorough understanding of what it’s saying? Mehrak can be programmed to recognise people’s voices, but seemingly also language, as mehrak can obey spoken command, which is what abattouy tried to accomplish but was unable to with modern technology.

Mehrak, on the other hand, understands kaveh’s basic requests – which is made even funnier in kaveh’s old sketchbook, where he says that more than anything he really wants mehrak to understand what he’s saying. he got his wish but at what cost???

Mehrak being made from ancient technology, belonging to that of king deshret’s civilisation, offers many interesting paths that could be explored in future events, as besides the primal constructs roaming around, the puzzles in the desert, and now the temple of silence, no technology really exists from that time. Someone commented that mehrak’s presence in nahida’s birthday event, in conjunction with the event being based around ancient technology with the wedjat eye, could be highlighting mehrak’s irregularity in modern day sumeru – potentially foreshadowing for a future event that could further expand upon mehrak? If this is the case, I am all for it, there are so many questions concerning kaveh’s little light <3

[sanjoongie]

Breed! Chapter 4

Unfamiliar

ღPairing: Song Mingi x Reader (f) x Choi San ღGenre: smut with no plot ღAu/Trope: alien!teez, s2l, established relationship ღWord Count: 2,452 ღWarnings: the alien version of shower sex, san loves your thighs, breast play, some verbal/physical instruction from san to mingi, breast fucking, corruption kink (m), penetrative sex with no barrier, bukake, alien colored cum, ღRated: 18+ MDNI ღSummary: In which Mingi is sent down to replace Seonghwa in the experiment but even Mingi isn't insusceptible to the temptations of the human female ღDedication~  @mejuii & @downtoamagicalland beta readers who melted after reading this, enjoy their sacrifice. @smallfrye for suggesting mingi's nickname for reader and encouraging me through this chapter ღChapter 3~ Experiment | Sub Chapter 3.5~ Observation | Mini Masterlist | Chapter 5~ Speculate

You and San were cuddling post-coitus when a very tall, very intimidating new alien walked in. 

“Get up, humans. We have to start over because of you. Time to disinfect you and begin anew,” He informed you.

San pulled you close as you both stood up. “He’s…” his eyes went up and down the new alien’s body, “...big.”

“What do you mean by disinfect?” You peered up at the new alien.

He kept his eyes straight. “You were going to get refreshments but then you undid all the work Seonghwa performed so you will clean yourself and then I will resume Seonghwa’s duties.”

“And we may call you?” San put his head on your shoulder from behind you. You knew that move. He was trying to look cute

“Mingi,” The tall alien replied curtly, “Now follow me.”

You motioned for San to grab your clothes and then you followed Mingi through the alien spaceship. It was interesting to finally be removed from what was clearly some large room of observance. The stark whiteness continued in the hallways and there seemed to be no buttons or mechanics to prompt anything. And yet doors opened for Mingi. Perhaps it was a psychic thing?

“Do you read minds, perhaps?” The question came unbidden from your mouth.

Mingi sent a slanted look your way. “We do not.”

“Does the ship respond to you naturally?” You asked next.

Mingi frowned down at you. “We have inserted responder chips at birth… these questions are not in regards to the breeding mission and they will cease.”

You deflated, your naturally curious mind sad. San patted your shoulder. “All you need to know is that he’s about to fuck you, Babe.”

Mingi stiffened in front of you and then rigidly held out an arm to indicate the next room he wanted you to go in. Did he not like that word? Or his duty?

You opened your mouth to ask another question but Mingi cut you off with a sharp look. “No more questions.” He pointed to the center of the room. “Go.”

“Lowkey into you pissing this one off and see if he anger-fucks you, not gonna lie,” San whispered into your ear. 

“San, that one looks like if we piss him off anymore, he’ll just laser sword cut us in half, make an excuse to Hongjoong and they’ll go kidnap another female,” You shook your head, “No, I’m not risking that.”

San folded his arms behind his head. “Yeah, I also wouldn’t risk not being able to get fucked by him too.”

“No more speaking!” Mingi bellowed. 

With a flick of his wrist, some strange purple liquid sprayed out of a hose in the new room, covering your bodies. The spraying stopped and San looked at you with a question mark hanging over his head. You shrugged and started to rub what you assumed was soap along your body. 

San was so focused on his own body, that when he turned to ask if you could get his back, physically incapable of reaching with his arms, his eyes got a little glazed over. You were working up the purple liquid into some bubbles on your thighs. San did love your thighs. They were also very dirty from all the cum that had been dripping out of you with multiple climax’s inside of you--and San’s messy eating earlier, of course.

What didn’t escape San’s observations was that Mingi was staring--and not in the stern guard stance he had earlier. Mingi’s face had lost its hard quality and was now a little gobsmacked at you washing your body. You moved to your breasts and his mouth parted slowly. Then San had an idea.

“Babe, let me help you, you missed a spot,” San said sweetly.

You rolled your eyes. “San, if I didn’t miss a spot, the machine that sprayed--”

You gasped softly as San, softly but firmly, grasped both your breasts and rubbed his thumbs lovingly over your nipples. You whimpered at the sensitivity. 

San leaned closer to whisper, “He likes it, Babe.”

Both of your eyes slid back to the tall alien, who was currently biting down on his lip. The minute he saw the both of you looking at him, he attempted to snap back into place. “Hurry up! I’ve got a mission to complete.”

“I can help you complete it,” You chirped happily. “I just need to wash this off first.”

Mingi eyed you warily. San’s hands had thankfully moved to your waist, squeezing it encouragingly. Mingi’s wrist flicked again and another hose came out to suck off all the purple liquid. First it took care of San, who looked disappointed when it didn’t stay on his dick too long, and then it moved to you. You watched under your eyelashes when the hose got to your breasts, making them bounce with the motion of removing the liquid from you. Oddly enough, you felt pretty clean after the foreign way of ‘showering’ was finished. 

When Mingi spoke next, his voice was low and gravelly. “We should move back to the Room of Observation.”

“Wait,” You raised your hand. “You should inspect me to make sure I’m properly clean.”

San sniggered behind his hand and played it off with wiping his lips as if the machine could have possibly missed anything. 

Mingi frowned. “The ship hardly…” His words failed him as you ran your hands over your body. You even turned around, head looking over your shoulder at your ass and back. 

“Are you sure?” You turned again, cupping your breasts, looking unsure, “I don't think they're as clean as they should be.”

Mingi took a tentative step, caught between curiosity and detachment. “Perhaps I should make sure everything is in place before…”

You quickly grabbed his hand and guided it to your breast. Mingi’s face became less stoic and more open with wonder. “So soft,” he murmured under his breath. He brushed a thumb over your nipple, just like San had done before, and it puckered immediately for him.

“Ca-careful,” You whined.

Mingi’s eyes were big with worry. “It hurts?”

You swallowed, hard. Corrupting these aliens was now starting to become your kink. “You just have to be gentle. Please.”

“You could try using your mouth,” San said from behind, a shit eating grin covering his face. And sporting an obvious chubby, of course. 

“My mouth?” Mingi echoed.

“I’ll show you!” San announced cheerfully.

Mingi slid to your left side as San ambled up to your right. He cupped your breast like Mingi was and then lowered his mouth to the height of your nipple. With his eyes rolled upwards to stay locked with yours, he licked your nipple with the tip of his tongue before carefully surrounding his entire mouth around it. You whimpered again at the stimulation. And when Mingi copied him? Your eyes rolled into the back of your head. 

San popped off you. “See how she adores it? Doesn’t it make you want to do more?”

Oh, Mingi simply had no chance, caught between the two of you.

Mingi shook his head, almost as if he was struggling with a lust-filled mental fog. “I shouldn’t--”

“Don’t you want to fuck them?” San randomly suggested.

“Fuck…” Mingi looked beyond confused.

San’s expressions fought between excitement and seriousness. “Oh yeah, I love fucking her tits. You just smoosh them together and then you get all that softness surrounding your dick and it’s so good.”

Mingi looked at you next and you felt the weight of it. “You wanna fuck my tits, Mingi?” You asked softly.

Mingi nodded without truly understanding what he was agreeing to. You had a feeling that this was going to get him in trouble, like San had been for undoing Seonghwa’s ‘good work’ but you were too deep into this to stop. And you wanted to see how truly big Mingi was before he fucked you. If he fucked you. When he fucked you.

So you laid down and San looked at Mingi expectedly. Mingi discarded his robe absent-mindedly, eyes on how your boobs were pooling on your chest with the gravity change. Mingi was very hard and very big and you gasped. 

Mingi’s eyebrows furrowed in concern. “Is it bad?”

San threw his head back and laughed. He companionably clapped Mingi on the shoulder. “Oh no, my friend, she is very, very happy.”

Mingi sent many unsure looks at San but allowed himself to be directed so that Mingi knelt, knees on either side of your ribcage. San pushed down on Mingi’s shoulders, making Mingi straddle you. You reached for his cock, that bounced with the motion of San making Mingi sit and brought it flush with your chest. You pushed your breasts together as best as you could. You looked up expectantly at Mingi but he had his eyes closed, unable to handle even just the feeling of your breasts around his cock.

San pushed Mingi’s lower half forward, a gentle hand on the alien’s ass. Mingi made a choked noise, close to a whine as he was directed to thrust into your breasts. You could feel your chest and breasts being smeared with Mingi’s precum. 

“Just like that,” San coached Mingi in a low tone that was making your lower half even wetter than you already were from this scenario. “Isn’t my Babe good to you?”

Mingi opened his eyes, looking down his nose. “Human…” he whimpered.

You shook your head and tucked your head closer to your chest. You stuck your tongue out so you could catch the head of Mingi’s cock with it and it made him gasp. “Not ‘Human’, Mingi.”

Mingi’s face screwed up, the pleasure clearly getting to him. “Seonghwa chose--hhhhhhnnnnnn--something--ah! Ah!--pretty?”

You rewarded him with another lick to the head of his cock and he thrusted so sharply into your breasts that you had to adjust your hold on them. While you had been focusing on Mingi, San had been focusing on you. He knelt to where your legs were spread and was preparing to fuck you. It wasn’t fair if Mingi had all the fun, after all. 

“During our travels to your world, there was a wonderful comet that we came abreast of,” Mingi said tentatively. “My comet?”

You whined as San stretched you out. Mingi smiled tentatively, thinking that was a sign of your approval. “Perfect,” You said, clipped tone trying to not belay the situation behind Mingi.

“My Comet,” Mingi panted, “Can you.. Do more.. With your tongue?”

San chuckled behind Mingi and Mingi almost turned around to find where the male human had moved to before you quickly moved to catch the head of Mingi’s cock into your mouth. Instead of your tongue licking his slick head, you sucked lightly on the tip of his dick just before it receded and Mingi groaned loudly. The deep, cave-like voice made you clench and San fuck you a little bit harder.

You focused on keeping Mingi’s attention on you as San fucked you from behind. Normally, San was so aggressively verbal. You could tell he was holding back by the way his nails dug into the sensitive flesh of your inner thighs. His strokes would slow down when he sensed you tightening around him. He knew better than to let you cum before you got Mingi to. But San was simply a stickler for making you cum first above all, because he just wanted you spoiled.

“I feel…hot…” Mingi blinked wearily, sweat beading his hairline. 

“Don’t stop,” You said encouragingly, “I promise, it’ll be worth it.”

Mingi followed his pleasure, thrusting his cock in between your tits until finally he came. You have a second to close your eyes before he spurted all over your face and chest. You didn’t get to see what kind of face Mingi made when he came but you did get to hear his higher pitched gasps as he experienced his first orgasm. And lucky for you, Mingi helped gather some of his cum off your face so that you could at least open your eyes. 

Meanwhile, once San heard Mingi’s noises of pleasure, it was off to the races for him. He fucked you as accurately as he could, hitting that spongey part inside of you to make the two of you cum at the same time. You cried out and San let out a grunt and Mingi looked down at you in confusion. 

This time Mingi did turn around and when he saw what San had managed to do--and he had failed at--he grew back to the angry alien he had been before. “You tricked me!” He accused.

San grumbled back, “The way I had to beg for a boob job and she gladly gave it to you.”

Mingi stood up and began to pace. “I don’t understand!”

“Mingi, it was a way to ease you into it,” You pleaded with him.

You absentmindedly wiped some of his cum from your face and that’s when you discovered that his cum was a lovely light blue color. Was each alien’s cum a different color of the rainbow?

It was like San read your mind. “Skittles, taste the rainbow,” He whispered before collapsing into giggles.

“Mingi, what’s taking so--” Hongjoong stood at the door, in complete shock at the scene before him. 

Mingi looked worried. “I can explain!”

Hongjoong folded his arms over his chest. “Explain why, what I assume is your essence, is all over the female human and not inside of her and the human male is copulating with her instead?!”

“San was demonstrating!” You attempted to jump in.

“And Mingi was mimicking it with her breasts. It’s a common practice; practically a rite of passage between two male friends,” San added, picking up what you were putting down.

Hongjoong didn’t look entirely convinced but with a disapproving ‘tsk’ and a curt, “Back to the Room of Observation--all of you.” It seemed like he wasn’t going to fight it.

Mingi’s shoulders collapsed inwards in relief. He sent another look of confusion to San then you. San helped you up, offering his t-shirt to wipe off Mingi’s cum as he put on his shorts. 

You shrugged after wiping his cum from you. “You scratch our back, we scratch yours.”

Mingi didn’t look less confused by that idiom. “Humans are weird.”

“Says the alien that just vacuumed us clean,” San muttered back.

You laughed under your breath. “Back to the Room of Observation for us I guess.”

“You think the grumpy one will let you fuck her when we get back there?” San elbowed Mingi to get his attention.

Mingi winced. “No. I think he’s done with our mistakes.”

You swallowed hard and loud… did that mean Hongjoong was next?

ღChapter 3~ Experiment | Sub Chapter 3.5~ Observation | Mini Masterlist | Chapter 5~ Speculate Taglist: @hijirikaww @pyeonghongrie @flurrys-creativity @mingsolo @starlitmark @stardragongalaxy @k-pop-ology

Breed! Taglist: @tiny-apocalypse @is4b3ll3s @yourfatherlucifer @mulletjoonsupremacy @lavishloving

[cryingoverpalta]

Ok so I was thinking, what if PIDW wasn't a novel, but a drama available on streaming platforms? So when SY transmigrates into SQQ's body, he perceives everything around him just like the audience is seeing it on their screens: with the low-budget fighting scenes that had him obliterating his keyboard with bad reviews, the soundtrack (that is pretty well-done and he actually enjoys it, but that doesn't mean he likes to hear the same silly song every time something embarrassing happens to him), the landscapes that are obviously made with green screen… Even the fabrics of his costume look cheaper than they should, considering the status of his character. Also, for some reason, everything that should be off-screen in a normal filming set (be it cameras, directing staff, or make-up artists) looks like a blurry continuation of the background, making the whole transmigration thing even more nonsensical than it already is.

But nothing disturbes him more than the fact that, just like everything around him is made out of an artificial project, the people also look just like in a drama, because SY suddenly is surrounded by literal celebrities acting like they belong in the pages of a badly written xianxia novel. And ok, to be fair just this time, he's aware they are currently living in a xianxia setting, but his brain can't deal with this logic sometimes. Like, yes, Sha Hualing is a badass character and is always a pleasure to see her fighting choreography in first person, but SY can't take her seriously after seeing her face plastered on a big advertisement while waiting for the train home the other day. And don't even mention Liu Qingge, whom SY can't even look in the eye thanks to the sexy, shirtless photoshoot his actor was part of (that SY saw against his will, because he obviously wasn't searching for handsome shirtless men on the internet. The photos were everywhere; it was a matter of time for him, a chronically online nerd, to see them after going viral the way they did, thank you very much). God, he can't even stand his reflection without panicking a little over his new handsome face, wich also happens to be the face of the actor that always plays the most brutal villains, but is just a chill guy in real life—starring variety shows and giving autographs to the older ladies with a warm smile on his face; that kind of chill guy. If he's as trash as the villains he plays, SY will never know.

And the worst of it all is: Luo Binghe. It doesn't bother him too much at first; his white lotus era makes him look really young and sweet, even though there's an obvious layer of makeup covering his real age, and their feet are always blurry when they're together, probably hiding an uneven floor to make 15-year-old LBH look much shorter than him. But then the abyss happens (and GOD what a shitty green screen that was), three years pass in a literal blur, and the white lotus isn't a fake teenager anymore. And ok, SY can be straight, but he isn't blind; the actor was chosen as LBH for a reason. The man is gorgeous, with that strong jaw, intense eyes, and the height of a supermodel. AND he's talented; SY has seen his other roles and is a genuine fan of his work. So of course, he nails his acting as blackened LBH so much that SY is incapable of perceiving it as acting anymore.

Imagine his surprise when the show turns into a BL and he's suddenly kissing LBH with tongue and all! Sure, it has been a while since he can't see the man as anything other than LBH himself, but he still looks just like that handsome actor that even his little sister had a crush on at some point! What's with this nonsensical plot twist? Wasn't the stallion protagonist supposed to be papapaing the eleventh wife at this point of the plot? Hello?? System???!!!!!

The funny thing is: not even the papapa can escape from the blurry off-screen logic. Yes, SY knew the scenes were typical soft-porn with too much emphasis on doing close-ups of LBH's manly muscles and the wives soft, big chests (he went through a lot of those while watching the show, mind you), but he never thought their papapa would be just them being naked with poor illumination and blurred genitals. So SY never gets to see the Heavenly Pillar. But he feels it. Thoroughly. And for the first time in months, he wonders if it was just a PIDW thing or if the actor truly is talented in all areas of his life.

[rabbitsrants]

What do you think of D.C.'s M26, do you think it was just a fire of pairs for us Shinran?

SPOILERS FOR MOVIE 26

i think, in total there are two significant shinran moments worth talking about

i enjoy certain elements of the first scene:

ran impulsively goes after a member of the black organization and puts herself in danger because he poses a threat to haibara. their fight is AMAZING, i love how ran dominates pinga despite him attacking her with a knife

something similar happens in the manga as well (chapter 434), so the writing for ran absolutely tracks here

chianti sees the fight and interferes by attempting to shoot ran - shinichi barely manages to save her in time

here's the thing: i absolutely hate the writers for often reducing ran to a damsel in distress in these movies, that's an issue i'll further analyze in a bit

with that being said, i don't mind shinichi saving ran in this scene. it's an impactful shinran moment, cause so far the writing is similar to the manga

the only difference between chapter 434 and this movie is the fact that shinichi actually sees what's happening and is able to actively protect ran. i don't have a problem with that, because that's what shinichi and ran do - they protect each other.

what i love even more is how shinichi decidedly urges ran to stay put, i think that's also very in character for him:

he wants ran nowhere near the black organization, for very specific reasons that i'll get into another post

so far, this is a well executed scene, right? it's a very realistic, high-stakes moment that we'd expect from the manga. so far, so good, right? RIGHT?!

no. cause this is where the movie writers fuck up:

W H A T

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! SHE ACTUALLY STAYS?! AND WHEN SHIN TELLS HER TO RUN, SHE RUNS?! WHAT?!

this is is supposed be ran??? no fucking way.

my girl is the definition of reckless and stubborn. she's not just the type of person who'll enter a burning house to save a girl she barely knows (chapter 174), she's also the type of person who refuses to waste a single second when human lives are at stake. no matter how much shinichi begs her to stay away.

chapter 640

and she does this in chapter 822 on the mystery train as well: shinichi yells at the detective boys, sonoko and ran, he tells them not to leave their room, no matter what. and ran repeatedly attempts to go against his instructions because she's worried about haibara, despite receiving a text message that she's okay, btw. ran's intuition tells her that something is wrong with haibara, so she's gonna fucking look for haibara!!!

i need the movie writers to understand that my girl is absolutely unhinged. she cares about other people very deeply, to the point where she's incapable of watching from the sidelines as they potentially get hurt

so how would i have written this moment? what would've been a more realistic version of this scene?

shinichi and ran get into an intense fight: shin desperately urges ran to stay put, she refuses to listen. and then there'd be two possible outcomes:

a) ran continues to go after pinga and dies in the process (remember, ran was fully prepared to die for haibara in chapter 434)

b) shinichi realizes that he can't stop ran and offers her a safer way to help. ran accepts and they work together as a team to get haibara back

why didn't the movie writers go for this approach? my theory: they don't want ran to take a bigger role in these movies, so option b) was a no-go for them. obviously it'd make even less sense for them to kill off ran, but like i already explained, there's no way ran would just give up on haibara in that moment

so why include this moment at all? what's the point of starting such a strong scene if you're not gonna progress the plot?

the point is ran being a damsel in distress.

which brings me to the second shinran moment in this movie:

ran goes after pinga again and he kicks her off the balcony, she's about to fall and get hurt

kuroda ends up saving her and shinichi feels inadequate

..............

AGAIN, THERE'S NO PLOT PROGRESSION, THE ONLY POINT OF THIS SCENE IS TO MAKE HER LOOK WEAK

idk who this woman is but this ain't ran

HERE'S RAN FUCKING MOURI FOR Y'ALL

a woman who's consistently depicted as strong, fierce and very capable of protecting herself:

chapter 43

chapter 169

and that's not to say that shinichi doesn't worry about her sometimes, ofc he does:

chapter 493

but that doesn't take away from the fact that she's a fucking badass who can defend herself

and it's not just that she's capable of protecting herself, she protects shinichi too.

chapter 5

..........

it's like the movie writers read the manga, took note of moments where shinichi comes through for ran but completely forgot that it's mutual, they come through for each other:

chapter 389

chapter 1050

the movie staff doesn't get ran, they seem to have no idea how strong or caring she is and i hate how much it's hurting the fandom's perception of her

in conclusion:

visit the shinran library for more

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

hooo boy, i watched miraculous when five or six episodes of first season aired (i was aware of it when it was only two)! it was really cool to see magical girl superhero in Paris, who has a (semi-related) crush to his classmate, who's also a superhero and partner to her superhero persona - who said crush HAS A CRUSH ON SUPERHERO SELF! i remember when theories flew on identity of Hawkmoth and who could possibly be (wiki was also ambiguous on that, based on the factor of the same va, which - i mean, one va can do multiple voices, that was earlier practise for budgeting reasons)! it was nice to see heroes thru everyday lives (well, how much normal is up to debate), everyday strugles, akuma of the episodes, ways how the main heroine solves it, and (some debatable) lessons of the day - girl magical show, y'all! (even tho it was called Tales of Miraculous Ladybug and Chat Noir)

and then the lore at the end got complicated at the end of seasons! and we got a little more of lore building, and different vibes and dynamics according to that! we got more lore on some episodes, but still not rocking the main status quo story of the season!

and then S4 and S5 happened.

to me, the problem was there undefined, until, in your previous posts, you put the name on it: the writers are incapable of juggling and merging stand-alone episodes and overarching story. they started with stand-alones, but saw that the continuous plot had more success with older audiences (c'mon, scrambled episodes were partialy their tactic, whether the actual s1 scrambling was their intention or truly an accident of tv broadcasts).

and since most of the audience are online, they think that providing additional and vague explanations and lore can - let's be frank, cover their asses. (which, hello, one show with overarching plot did almost the same with their actual lore, and only the hardcores picked up on it - bad idea if you want to make deeper sense to the story)

they tried marrying the storytelling formulas (stand-alones and overarched) in S2 and S3, but it wasn't noticeable, remarkable, and didn't raise the fandom's ire too much - still not rocking the actual important boat, which is offline view on the actual show (kids stand-alone, just turn your brain off and enjoy!) (which, in fairness, Thomas worked on Totally Spies, and that show had some success). it was egregious when it became obvious and contradicting (bc tying all the episodes's lore details is REALLY the true detective work), WHILE STILL WORKING WITH STAND-ALONE FORMULA! (some speculation on my part: some leaks didn't help with the writing process; different writers for different episodes (good idea for brainstorming, bad idea for the core characterisation and story); and... well, they certainly aren't good, or at all, detectives, or long-time planners - i mean, you plan several seasons, but not the finer details? the devils are in them, not in investors whims and wishes in order to get money).

but the desperate hope, masochistic curiosity and the endless possibilities of lore and story are already deep in our brains and hearts that we have to see thru the actual chaotic dumpster mess of the show and how it ends - some love it, some hate the ride, some cope with fanfics, some with rants, and some left the train and are somewhere else. the rest who remain... well hello there! make sure you get enough rests, snacks, beverages of your choice and some meditations (any kind) to witness all!

anyway, that's my pov.

The writers apparently always wanted to tell a more complex story, they just couldn't early on because they'd sold the show as not having one:

So Sebastien sold the Miraculous series to broadcasters as a formula show. A person gets angry, is akumatized, then marinette transforms into Ladybug then frees the person from the akumatization and… The End. It's also for this reason that Marinette tries to confess her love for Adrien in every episode, but is unable to do so. But he tried to go against what he had planned with TF1, by slipping little extra stories into certain episodes. Audiences were receptive to these slightly hidden stories. The TV channel even asked Sébastien if there really were hidden things in the series, but he denied everything. Thanks to the positive reception from the public, TF1 agreed to develop the characters of Marinette and Adrien and flesh out the universe a little more.

My tin foil hat theory is that this conflict is at the heart of Miraculous' problems. The writers keep trying to make the show they want to make instead of the show they can make within the limits set by the higher ups and so you end up with the worst of both worlds. A show that's too serious to just turn off your brain and have fun with, but a show that's also too underdeveloped to tell a serialized story well. (Supporting evidence for this theory: the script for Chat Blanc getting rejected for being "too dark" leading it to be in season three instead of season two.)

I get the frustration of being held back from telling the story you want to tell, I really do, but I'm of the opinion that you should tell the best story you can within the limits you set instead of trying and failing to tell the darker grittier story that you really want to tell, but can't because no one will pay for it.

Context for that last bit;

So Sébastien started working with Thomas Astruc (the man who wrote and created the "Ladybug" project). At first, he didn't want to work on this project because he found it complicated. Thomas wanted to make a series for adults, but at the time, it was very complicated to make a cartoon for adults. What's more, they didn't have enough money to take on such a project. Sébastien finally agreed, but there were some changes to be made, which Thomas accepted.

(Note this is from the same interview linked above.)

[twentyfoursevenghost]

i have spent way too long trying to put this together ohhhh my god

to preface: i am personally not a wincest shipper, but i do enjoy gothic horror and talking about weird stuff so here we are. none of what i say here means i think anything happened between them in canon, cause i honestly don't, it's just a collection of thoughts about the way family is portrayed in the horror of Supernatural. also, this is pretty much entirely in reference to just the first five seasons because that's where i find this theme to be most glaring. okay cool thanks

long post under the cut

essentially, the first five seasons of the show very much fall under the American gothic genre, which revolves around the rational vs irrational, puritanism, guilt, the uncanny, and monsters. obviously a lot of that comes in the plot of the show itself, but we also see a lot of these points hit with Sam and Dean, the way they behave throughout the series- their relationship with their parents and the concept of family as a whole, their ideas about sex and romance, and their relationship with each other.

the amount of people thinking Sam and Dean are together and slightly line-crossing throwaways said by the guys is, frankly, fucking weird. but the family dynamic this show focuses on is fucking weird. if they had leaned more into this messed up idea they created, they could have made a very solid family horror. we see the crumble of the american dream and nuclear family- caring mom dies violently, working veteran dad turns into a cruel, abusive parent fighting (literal) demons. again, what better way to continue that theme of a disturbing tragedy under the surface than to imply the sons' relationship is incestuous?

there's also the fascination with purity and morality and how that relates to two people who spend their time in the grimiest, most crooked parts of reality. they know they're dirty and immoral, that there's something wrong with them that makes them incapable of being clean. between the two of them, there is so much guilt about that wrongness. again, a theme that would have really felt like something within the story if they had leaned into the idea of incest.

it's no wonder wincest "won" in the end. the reality of the situation was that Sam and Dean only need each other. they are each entirely fulfilled by the relationship they have with one another, no matter how much they try to say they aren't. no matter how guilty, disgusted, or stubborn they are about it, it's true. and that is part of the overall horror for them. because of their broken, screwed up childhood, they are extremely codependent and cannot escape the taboo reality they have created to cope. it's obviously wrong and condemnable, but so is the abusive and neglectful situation that would have led to it happening. the implication that because they were left alone to only interact with/rely on/comfort each other for most of their lives, their relationship took on the most unacceptable form it could is not completely out of the range of the type of crass horror the show is trying to convey.

i don't have to say that incest is wrong. however, i think it can be used as a very, very crude way to portray the type of horror Supernatural was going for- a vulgar exposure of the grit beneath the initially "perfect" family. it makes sense to be implied in a story that represents child abuse and neglect and its results in such an over-the-top, obvious way. therefore, i think the show could have gone a lot harder with it, and sometimes i think they maybe should have for the sake of not feeling so noncommittal when it is implied.

anyway hopefully this makes sense, thanks for reading my rant lol

[clueless-fan-critic]

Agatha All Along: the Magical Sequel to WandaVision

So…I’m pretty late to the bandwagon, but I finally got fully through the entire series.

And I loved it!!!! The lore, the atmosphere, the characters, everything fell perfectly into place. After finally finishing and rewatching the show, it has become my top favorite show along side WandaVision. I'm always a sucker for anything with witches, spells, deities, and other mythological elements. I've been a big fan of the Scarlet Witch, both in the comics and Elizabeth Olsen's stellar performance. But enough praise, let me explain what this show has in store.

Agatha All Along is the sequel series to WandaVision that follows Agatha Harkness, previously trapped in Wanda's spell, on a journey beyond Westview. And onto the Witches Road with a makeshift coven on her side.

With all that out of the way, I will examine the finer details full of spoilers and dramatic twists that are much better if you go into the show blind. Now, Down the Road We Go!!!

Down the Witches Road...

The Witches Road is the main setting for all the major conflict in the show with a magical MacGuffin playing a role for each of the witches. As they progress, each character fulfills their own desires by overcoming the trials: Jennifer Kale learns to be a witch without her powers, Alice Wu-Gulliver overcomes her family curse, and Lilia Calderu embraces life despite her upcoming death. However, there were hiccups along the way with Sharon Davis's death, Agatha confronting her mother's ghost, and Rio Vidal's reveal as Mistress Death. But the major twist is that... The Witches Road never existed in the first place and Agatha made up the Ballad to lure witches for her to absorb. And Teen, later Billy Maximoff/Kaplan, made it real in a way like Wanda's Hex.

What I could tell was that each trial played a role in a character's journey, magic, and an element they represent: Jennifer as potions and water, Alice as protection and fire, Agatha as spirit, Lilia as divination and air, and Rio/Death as earth. The trials were more or less reflections of the characters in essence like Alice's trial related to music and Agatha's trial was more about what she has become and is. In the end, many of the characters got what they wanted from the road ironically since Agatha only gathered the coven to gain more power for herself.

Witchcraft is a huge staple in this show that embraces the more mysterious and spiritual sides of magic. Making it distinct from Sorcery by the Masters of Mystic Arts which looks more like the Avatar's Bending Arts if anything. It gives us a different way of seeing magic used by actual witches with spells and potions and even riding broomsticks.

Although we don't really know why, I think Agatha's magic draining power is a "mutation" that makes her incapable of creating her own magic and instead steals it from others. We also don't get any clues to how she got the Darkhold, just a rumor about her giving up her son for it. Maybe someone gave it to her and manipulated her into seeking out Wanda by promises of giving her power or resurrecting her son. Those were the only plot holes that kind of bothered me in the end, but aren't important... yet.

One by One We Carry On...

All the actors portray their characters flawlessly, but I did not expect Agatha to remain the same evil character throughout til the end. I thought they would pull some sort of "Zuko" scenario in a short period. But no, they keep the same but more sympathetic and relatable. Agatha goes from an evil witch killer to a grieving mother who's also a witch killer. Despite falling in love with Death, Agatha still lost her child Nicholas Scratch and still continued building the legend of the Witches Road to pursue more power. While it doesn't justify her actions, we get a bit of an understanding into why she does what she does.

While Billy is a great character, I didn't feel he had those "Epic Epiphany" moments like with Lilia completing the Divination trial and her final showdown with the Salem Seven. I still think he'll go to that point in some other project but he does grow into a stronger character from his experiences.

One of the witches who stood out the most is Lilia Calderu. The strongest episode is Death's Hand In Mine where she takes center stage as the main character. Lilia was characterized in a very strong way where she's definitely not a Mary Sue who wins because it happens. We see how Lilia experiences time randomly and how much she struggles to live with it. She uses her Divination powers to outsmart the Salem Seven in one badass move, but ultimately sacrificing herself while finally reclaiming her power.

The only thing I felt was unnecessary were the Salem Seven. They only play the role as an obstacle rather than a major antagonist like Mistress Death.

Now that we finally know who Rio is, it makes sense with how she drops bread crumbs in her scenes including her arrival on the Witches Road, the Ouija board's message, and even how she talks with Agatha about their history.

The casting and dialogue feels both organic to the actors and technically skilled in how they include previous characters from other shows like Sharon Davis and Ralph Bohner/Randall. All without being forced or contrived, it feels necessary for Westview to become the place where magic goes awry.

With where the series end, I really want to know how they can top or connect this to the next saga.

What Lies Ahead...

With the overloaded schedule of upcoming MCU projects, sudden hiatuses, and crazy leaks, we can only hope for some definitive answer to how plot holes are filled in. Will we get the resurrected Tommy Maximoff/Shepard meeting White Vision? How did Agatha get the Darkhold before Westview? Is Billy going to become a Young Avenger with his codename Wiccan? And will we get a sorcerers vs witches battle? All completely up in the air and slowly driving fans psychotic with anticipation.

With that said, Agatha All Along is more than enough to keep us satiated with amazing performances, alluring settings and designs, and intriguing witch mythos. I am hoping for more witches and magic being incorporated into the MCU and having writers learn that a character doesn't need to be redeemed into a hero so long as they are compelling to relate to.

Now, What Will You Find Down The Road?

[thesilverlady]

saw a post about Ryan Condal's take on Aegon's relationship with his son and I want to vent because I really don't think the man has even bothered re-watching s1 to recall what he made.

Quote:

This is the thing that Viserys never did for Aegon. And Aegon did not study at the feet of his father. His father had his male heir and then essentially said, “Well, that box is ticked,” he was ill. I think he enjoyed having a son but didn’t put in the work the way he did with Rhaenyra when he was a younger man. And I think Aegon resents that and feels that part of the reason that he’s not seen as being suited for the crown or the throne is because he didn’t get that training from his father. So now he’s going to make up for that tenfold with Jaehaerys.

Let's start with Viserys' parenting, shall we?

"Viserys never did for Aegon"

In ep2 we saw a then healthy Viserys parading baby Aegon with pride and joy. It has been the only "good" scene we had between them because it's also the only time we see Aegon as a child. It's safe to assume that he continued to dote on his son during his toddler years and only stopped when Viserys became too sick or when Aegon started developing a personality.

Viserys had no reason to bring Aegon to council meetings, had no reason to groom Aegon as heir because he wasn't. That's the entire point. We also never saw him putting any work on Rhaenyra besides her serving as a cupbearer in ep2.

"He enjoyed having a son but didn’t put in the work the way he did with Rhaenyra."

What kinda of work did he put exactly with Rhaenyra? Rhaenyra already felt inadequate in the first episode because her father desperately wanted a son, when he murdered his wife and his newborn died, he named her heir. In ep2 when Rhaenyra makes a suggestion about how to handle the situation with Daemon Viserys dismisses her and it's Corlys who supports and backs her up.

In ep3 when celebrating Aegon's birthday, it's established Rhaenyra has been once more isolated at court. Viserys never cared about the gap he created between her and alicent when he decided to take his daughter's friend for a bride and unlike Alicent, he didn't even reach out when she was lonely.

In fact, in the same episode we see he's in a hurry to marry Rhaenyra off and he publically berates, scolds and humiliates her in front of people at court. In private, he still doesn't understand her nor does he try to.

The only time viserys was "good" to Rhaenyra was a) in driftmark during the fight between the kids and b) when he spoke in favor for her against Vaemond.

And those scenes aren't even in character for show Viserys if we're gonna be honest. They only happen because they must. The plot couldn't move forward otherwise.

"He [....] didn’t put in the work the way he did with Rhaenyra [...] And I think Aegon resents that."

Except he doesn't.

Aegon doesn't resent that because the show has never established any feelings of rivalry or jealousy between Aegon & Rhaenyra and that's because we didn't have a single scene between the two.

In ep6, a very sick Viserys is seen watching fondly both Aemond & Aegon training with Jacaerys & Lucerys.

It's conveniently forgotten that in the context Viserys enjoys watching all boys together. And he takes their "fighting" as something boyish and playful. He visibly gets upset when Harwin and Criston throw punches at one another.

The only time Viserys is shown to be taking a side between his children is in the Driftmark episode when Aemond loses his eyes. And while in that context he's protecting his grandsons and to an extention Rhaenyra herself. There are more reasons to feel disdain towards Viserys; like how he particularly talks to alicent in that episode, how he's rough with Aegon himself etc. Viserys is incapable of handling the situation. Even when his daughter who is also his heir gets injured, his solution is for everyone to go to bed and for tomorrow to depart.

It makes sense that Aegon would become resentful of Viserys as he grew older but that resentment has to do more about how his father treated his side of the family rather than how he treated Rhaenyra (who he has history of treating like garbage as well btw)

"So now he’s going to make up for that tenfold with Jaehaerys."

Y'know... I gotta love how people rant about the show making both sides neutral in order to 'show depth' and then you get their interviews and you see that depth is merely fans headcanoning.

Let me explain. At first glance Aegon looks nice with Jaehaerys. it's the first time we (viewers) see the kid and it's the first time we see Aegon fully happy. it's nice. Out of context.

Now let's take the context, a joyful Aegon walks into the chamber, he asks where his son is, he goes to check the blond one that sits few feet apart from her mother because Aegon can't tell the twins apart. He quickly realizes that's his daughter so he asks again. Helaena informs him their son is at their library, doing his custom and gently reminds him Jaehaerys shouldn't be disturbed. Aegon ignores that. He tells her the reason he wants him is because he wants to take him in the council meeting and "start his training", Helaena poses a question; what if Jaehaerys doesn't even want to be king - like Aegon himself hadn't wanted to - Aegon acts as if he didn't hear and he still seeks the boy out, forcing his son to attend the meeting upon finding him.

In the council meeting, Aegon's attention is mostly on Jaehaerys who seems to be annoying Tyland. Aegon encourages that behavior and seems to take joy from it. To the point where he (rather stupidity) almost humiliates Lord Lannister by making him act as a pony for his son to ride.

This is not Aegon being affectionate to Jaehaerys. This is Aegon acting the way he probably wished Viserys had acted with him; encouraging of his rebellious/misbehaving attitude, dismissing his council and putting down important people in favor of his son.

He's not breaking the circle of neglect; he continued it in a similiar pattern. Jaehaerys is incredibly young and easy to entertain. The exactly way baby Aegon was in ep2. Aegon already ignored the possibility his heir might not be interested in his so called duties in the exact way his own mother had ignored and kept pressuring him to take a role she was molding him for.

So, similiar to Viserys, Aegon might have adopted a different attitude with his son as soon as he'd develop a persona of his own. The seeds were already there.

Saying that Aegon was simply trying to be a good dad because Viserys was shit and he was only good to Rhaenyra and Aegon felt jealous of that ignores every single time of Viserys was a walking human garbage to everyone.

[nemesis-is-my-middle-name]

Hello! Convince me to listen to Malevolent! I tried and got about 6 episodes in and lost interest because it was just a trauma conga line with no actual plot it felt like, beyond just making Arthur suffer. I'm fine with hurting the protagonist but Malevolent is about more than just that... right? At least 50% or more of each episode beyond 6 is something other than just torturing Arthur?

i rambled a lot in my answer here so tl;dr: my overall advice would probably be to stick it out through part 9, and if there's anything in there that makes you go "what in the whole fuck (positive)" you're probably good to continue. if you still find yourself feeling consistently meh about it, it may just not be your scene, lol.

so. okay. well. here is the thing. "is there a plot" and "does the arthur lester torture ratio ever fall below 50%" are two different questions with i think different answers?

there is for sure A Plot. i can promise you that. i remember there being some intermittent doldrums throughout s1/s2 where i was also kinda like "is stuff going to start... happening... at some point?" i would say the tail end of s1 is where movement really starts to happen, and then the story continues to gain steam from there, HOWEVER. a lot of the plot is kind. of inextricably tied up with torturing arthur lol. it's multitasking. i don't really have a percentage ballpark but he's gonna continue to get the shit kicked out of him like he's got a quota to meet. but i promise other things do also happen. sometimes at the same time. maybe frequently at the same time.

i'm also maybe the wrong person to ask this particular question because idgaf about the plot lmao. like not just for malev, with anything i read or watch or whatever i barely care about The Plot beyond seeing what it does to The Characters. ive talked abt this before when comparing it to tma but if you want a plot heavy story i do not think malev is gonna be your scene. but also i might be wrong about this and someone else may have to chime in, bc like i said i'm paying so little attention to the plot that i'm like, not even sure how much of the story it occupies.

but on that same front malev goes HARD on the character dynamics tho. i would say 8/9 are where you really start getting the vibe of like, the overall tone and where things are going. like, beyond the plot, the vast, VAST majority of the story is i think about the development of john and arthur's relationship, and learning abt them both/their growth as individuals in relation to it. but the side characters are pretty consistently well structured and interesting in their own rights imo, Especially in s4+ (daniel my eternal fucking beloved).

so the real question is like. if you are the same kind of characterization and character dynamics freak as i am, you will almost definitely like malev. like if anything i think the fandom tends to undersell how fucking weird everybody is and how incapable they are of relating to others in a normal way. that may be all you need to hear. but if you want to know about how the plot holds up, i can't help you. you're gonna have to go ask someone else.

does... does that help. mutuals feel free to chime in if you have thoughts or if i'm wrong about any of this, like i said i have tunnel vision for the characters and i also don't remember what my first listen-through was like very well. so.

[freyaashrv]

my thoughts on the main story quests (spoilers: may 21 2025 update)

okay so this is just my thoughts kind of wilding all over the place in here but I hope you'll bear with me.

first of all : the shift in the narrative??!

Mr. sands' death, the way darko just fucking pushed him back into garnok and the portal?? the fact we can tell this is almost the end and I'm loving it, this has been going on for too long.

i LOVE that the dark riders just don't really answer to darko, and they don't listen to him. they were tied to Mr. sands and Mr. sands only, and we can only wonder why.

he was the one paying them, technically, so were they just doing it for the money and because they kind of loved being little shits, and he gave them the opportunity to do so while keeping them alive?

but it seems they actually want to set garnok free because they fought us when there was a chance it might be freed and the portal was open, but they didn't want to fight us anymore when the portal was closed with no chance to open it again anytime soon.

the nod between Katja and Jay when the portal was opening... I don't really know what to think of it, maybe they were just happy to free garnok, but I feel like maybe they have a plan together, and its first step is freeing garnok. not sure the others know about it. those two seem closer than the other dark riders, and I think nobody likes erissa. Sabine is a bit of a wild card. i think she might be the one that cares the least about garnok and all their evil plans to be fair, but maybe I'm biased because of the equestrian festival quests...

I would love for some type of revolution from the dark riders to happen, for them to decide it's not worth it without Mr. sands because darko is incapable of doing things right and leading them correctly, especially if they don't like him.

erissa is definitely batshit crazy evil. Katja and Jay are the smart, plotting evil type. Sabine looks more like I'm here because it pays the bills type evil.

sabine would definitely be the morally grey one to stop working for them first, I think.

I would also love for the soul riders to become a bit more morally grey too and emancipate more from the druids and fripp. especially fripp. I hate fripp. can you tell?

i hate that they just put everything on our shoulders and tell us, well, the fate of the world is on you! haha isn't that fun, you could be responsible for so much death if you don't work for us, so hey, can you train four times what the other soul riders do, then do all the work in missions, and risk your life everytime. everyone will die if you don't do what we say. isn't that fun? manipulating bitch(es)

I think the soul riders have already started to become a bit emancipated from the druid and I need them to continue in this direction.

also the quality upgrade in the animation is golden, you can tell they put so much work into this and as it comes closer to the end, it fits the story that we get more cutscenes with big things happening. all my love to the sso team making it happen, I'm sorry there's so much negativity on other platforms.

thanks for reading, I'll see you in the next one!

[gudvina]

I can't get over my conspiracy theory of Suzanne not having written SOTR. Like, I'm picky about books I like because of how the narrative voice is constructed. And TBOSAS and the OG trilogy have the same narrative voice- but not through the same character lens, if that makes sense. SOTR reads like an entirely different person wrote it. Like they were given TBOSAS, and the Trilogy, told to read them, and then write Haymitch's story, without any in-depth knowledge. Maybe it's partially because in Tbosas and the OG we got new characters, but everything in SOTR is recycled? Everyone is friends, and despite being a 'small town' all of them being close doesn't make much sense. Also, they tried so hard to make Lenore Dove seem interesting/someone to 'aspire to' but made her dumb, textually based on her actions. They also couldn't commit to it too hard because Haymitch teams up with Maysilee. And they pulled the stupid fandom 'omg she's his sister now/they're siblings!' thing that always happens when people want to act morally superior for bullying someone over a non-problematic ship. That is FANFICTION shit.

I won't deny that I also had the same suspicions at first, considering the way the storyline was constructed and, as you said yourself, the narrative voice of this book.

As someone who has always admired SC's writing, I find it extremely hard to concile Sunrise on the Reaping's writing with hers. It does read like a badly thought out fanfiction, like LD is a self insert character that was shoved into the narrative without considering how she'd work within it. While I often say I don't get how people love this book, I actually have to admit that I understand why it does; bringing back character that are tied to important characters in the other installments, for example, is a way to acclimate the reader to a prequel rather quickly

I don't completely agree with the idea of Suzanne having hired a ghostwriter, if I have to be honest. It's not that I think her incapable of doing that, this book at the end of the day is proof that money trumps quality, but I think a few reasons could explain why this novel's writing feels... different, let's say.

Firstly, this book, as I and many others already said, reads like a movie script and a way to add a few pennies to her pocket. Despite the fact that many say Suzanne Collins only writes when she has something to say, in this case she broke the formula, and decided to write this book to rectify the commercial failure that was TBOSBAS.

Secondly, even then, Suzanne had many ideas, but didn't know how to work them into the story without effort, so decided to cut many of them short in favour of an easy plot. And, I suspect, SOTR wasn't supposed to be Haymitch's book.

Thirdly, the Lenore Dove problem continues to be a marketing ploy; she's a strong call back to LG, her and Haymitch's relationship has a marketable catching phrase, and, most importantly, Suzanne Collins wanted to recreate the Everlark thing with them. Yet again, she didn't want to pur effort into writing her or the relationship, so in the end she decided to just write down other women to elevate her, but otherwise both her and the relationship seem to work very little within the narrative, despite the overbearing presence.

Which is interesting, because the ones she probably thought of as the strongest contenders to Lenore Dove (Effie and Maysilee) treat him with much better regard than his girl who lectures him and treats him like an idiot.

Fourthly, Suzanne Collins had only a few limits posed by her own self in CF/MJ, but the crux of the issue is that she kept writing herself in closed circles, making a lot of plots feel contrived and ineffective. I don't know why that is, but again, I suspect the reason, was the lack of effort into thinking the storyline through, and how to connect it from point a. to point b.

These are only a few reasons why I think it reads this way, and they might not be extensive, nor sufficient to someone who loves the books (they are not to me), but unfortunately I suspect reality is less cut and clear than we might perceive.

[ilikekidsshows]

On one hand, Ive been saying ever since Kuro Neko that Marinette has a god and victim complex and thinks reality starts and ends with her which constantly leads to people ending up much worse for it (Adrichat in particular) and nothing significant getting fucking done because of how irrelevant Marinette herself is

So sure, you can bet your ass i feel validated by the "Ladybug will decide for the world what the truth is" development and how much worse everything is clearly about to get. In that sense, I'll sure have the time of my life now lol

But on the other hand, nah, I still never wanted this. I'll have my fun with it now that I'm proven right because of how awful the emotional journey was for me watching all this unfold. I wasn't even surprised by Kwamis Choice or the season 5 finale, that was imo obvious ever since season 4. At this point, I'll just enjoy it as a salty bitch. Fuck it, I earned that when I called these awful plot resolutions years ago and I only get further validated for what I "salted" on Marinette.

Or, wait. Is it even SALT when I continue to be proven right over and over again? Sounds like I'm reading it RIGHT while Marinette fans still go on disregarding 90% of the show and then call themselves FANS Lol

---

What a time for the fandom, when describing what happens in canon counts as salt. Every single time "non-salty" people describe the actual, canon episodes, they have to accompany it with constant refrains of “but Marinette is really stressed”, “but Marinette is in a really difficult spot”, “but Marinette isn’t the only one doing these things”, “but Marinette is too young to be in this situation” or my beloathed “but Marinette has good intentions”.

That's why I've decided to embrace the salt.

Here's a really salty take: if Marinette is so incapable of answering for her actions, then maybe she shouldn’t be taking on so many responsibilities to begin with. According to all these defenses of Marinette, these supposed good faith takes on her behavior, she is too incompetent or emotionally compromised to be expected to act in a moral way, too young to make sound decisions about anything, too paranoid or blinded by her own sense of moral superiority to take perspectives other than her own into account and too weak mentally to handle her boyfriend having emotional needs.

If Marinette really is this incompetent and incapable, maybe she shouldn’t be having everyone else lie to Adrien based on her judgment call. If she really is so mentally weak that she can’t handle the grieving and changing of his world view that her boyfriend needs to go through in order to live his life to the fullest (or as fullest as a remote control robot can get), maybe she should just leave that to the other people in the know. Kagami wants to tell Adrien the truth, let her. And let her deal with the aftermath, too. Meanwhile Marinette can just skip off to be worshiped by her parents, friends and ex boyfriend, now that he’s back in town.

Yeah, Marinette would be the most selfish girlfriend ever for just dumping Adrien until he stops being sad, but she’s being one regardless. The only thing different is that then Adrien would know and maybe he’d reconsider if such a one-sided relationship where he’s expected to give all the support while receiving none in return is what he really wants and needs. Maybe Adrien should know, not only what he is and who his dad really was, but who his girlfriend really is: someone too weak to be his partner not only for the better, but also the worse.