#and i get people will be like oh she just fully believed he would win yada yada

[satoruxx]

literally the most unrealistic part of the leaks was that shoko wasn’t mad about the plan…

[sunfish5149]

After rewatching round 6 for the nth time I just realized Till Win is reflected in Ivan's blood and OH. MY BMFUCCKIGBGOOOODDDD I HATE THEM I HATE THEM O HATE TJEM they could never make me hate you ivan.

Till standing next to Ivan while his body is still cooling feels awfully a lot like how a person would mourn at their loved one's grave, but I think that there's a lot more going on inside Till's head, and this just saddens me. I would crumble personally if I was him, because to me, Ivan's death also feels like a slap to the face I guess? Because until now his crush on Mizi allowed him to be selfish, to believe that once she was gone, he would be left all alone. He gave up his will to live, accepted defeat without further struggle, because he idolized and idealized Mizi to a point where his whole life depended on her existence. Perhaps he does have a crush on Mizi, but I fully believe that it partly stems from the love and adoration he saw Mizi offer to Sua, almost like "what if I could have that too?". He could not bear to part with the love and salvation he saw within Mizi, to the point where he gave away his freedom just to be near her, just for the chance that maybe he'd finally know what it feels like to be wanted, to be loved. He selfishly cut away at all the bad parts in this picture that he did not want to see, the worthless parts, the painful ones, the suffering he has endured at the hands of his captors, and ended up cutting away at the people that might've cared for him, that still do, until nothing but Mizi remained, who he foolishly believed to be able to offer him what he so desperately wanted. He made himself believe that he was alone, up until he truly, truly was. Until when can a man doggedly chase after one person until the death of what I dare call " the closest thing to family he has ever had" drop like flies around him? Round 6 offers us an answer.

I believe that part of the reason why he stood there as Ivan bled out is him processing that someone actually cared about him, loved the parts of Till that he saw to be loveless. It also feels like a wake-up call, the cut up picture that he has constructed his life around has finally been proven as the lie it is. He can no longer be selfish enough to close his eyes on reality, on his obsessive idealization for someone who will never, who cannot save him, on the fact that Mizi already loves somebody else so dearly, because the love he was searching for in someone, to be returned, was right next to him all along.

Too bad he only noticed Ivan when he was bleeding out at his feet. This is the closest thing to salvation Till will ever get from someone, to love so dearly one would give away their life without hesitation, to throw away their freedom, to not cut away at the corners of this picture, but to see it and love it and do everything to preserve it. Should Till look at such a picture, he would find the pieces of paper he has cut of himself which he believed to be loveless, reflected back at him in that puddle of blood. (I wrote this part fully relying on the muscle memory of my keyboard because my tears were deeply obstructing my vision)

This sacrifice will either ruin Till or give him motivation to live and the tenacity to fight back and free himself from the prison he has willingly walked in, and to finally accept that Mizi is a lesbiab and a ferocious grieving woman kisser. oh my god.

Edit: I JUST REALIZED MIZI ALSO IDOLIZES SUA THE SAME WAY TILL DOES WITH MIZI I HATE THEM I HATE TJEM J HATWHENM

[a-dumb-sarcastic-bisexual]

short but chaotic Nimona headcanons

One time the boys were going through their baby pictures and laughing

And Nimona let it slip that she doesn’t have any baby pictures cause she was never a baby 

The boys being dramatic sappy dorks plan a whole day where they take stupid family photos 

And Bal being the most dramatic sentimental dork of all even goes as far as photoshopping Nimona into some of their old photos 

These photos were just supposed to be a cute little inside joke that they framed in their living room they never expected anyone to see them

But as time goes on and they make more friends people see those photos and draw their own conclusions 

And maybe Bal is incredible with Photoshop or maybe no one in the kingdom has critical thinking skills because people start to believe Bal and Ambrosius raised Nimona

There is a tw*tter thread of them commending Bal and Ambrosius for training to be knights and saving the day all while raising a child

Someone was talking to Nimona and congratulated her on being so brave

And Nimona was like “Oh you mean the battle with the director?” the person goes "Well yeah that too but I was also talking about your parent's split divorce can be so messy"

Most people know this is just a long drawn out joke that the trio doesn’t have the willpower to debunk

And some people are out here defending this story posting shit like “No a friend of a friend was at the institute at the same time and saw them with Nimona” 

The trio thinks it's fucking hilarious so they never bother to comment on it

In fact they didn't correct anyone until Nimona told the real story of Gloreth’s “Monster”

And they were really dragging their feet on telling people not because they were afraid of the backlash but because they knew the teen parent stories would stop 

Everyone is fully convinced that Ambrosius is the best secret keeper of all time 

He’s fucking not 

He’s a gossipy little bitch but the people who he gossips with are the real vaults 

Whenever he wants to gossip he'll talk to Nimona

And Nimona always drops his gossip onto Bal because he knows Bal will tell Ambrosius  

Bal usually doesn’t gossip but if Ambrosius asks him “What’s on your mind love?” more than once he’s an open book 

But the gossip never leaves their little trio no matter what 

Whenever the trio gets bored like on errand days or long car rides they’ll play a little game 

Basically they compare people they know to random objects or animals 

And they win depending on how accurate the object is or if it makes the other two laugh

Some of the accurate wins were Ambrosius pointing at a wet cat and commenting that it reminded him of Bal, Bal pointing at dog shit and saying “Look it’s Todd”, and Nimona asking “When did the director come back to life?” while pointing at flaming garbage 

And then there are the other answers like when Bal pointed at the air and said “Mom” Ambrosius just turns to him and goes “Bal you didn’t know your mom” and he just goes “Yeah that’s what she looks like in my mind” 

Or Ambrosius pointed at a cemetery and exclaimed “Mom!” And Bal goes “Love your Moms alive” and all he says is “Shh Bal let me manifest” 

[kalims]

— MALLEUS DRACONIA | red

or, malleus forgets to tell you that his grandmother is coming (only remembering the day she does) and you immediately have an inner crisis.

wc. 792 words

note. hey guys, I guess thats it

"my grandmother—" he paused. "she is visiting today,"

you promptly choke on the tea like you would with one of lilia's homemade 'fruit shake' that he'd mistaken salt for sugar, and apparently added eggs for more flavor. midst your heaping coughing session—with familiar care malleus' face scrunches up in concern. he places a hand over your spine, like it's honestly gonna relieve the sting in your throat.

as patient as ever he waits calmly till you've finished losing your voice. "are you all right, beastie?" he asks.

beastie. you didn't know exactly when he'd started calling you that. you supposed it had already happened before you fully realized it on your own. strangely enough it oddly feels more affectionate compared to his old 'child of man' though you do admit it was better with 'my'.

well the old one did hold some sentimental value. you never did let go of his tsunotaro nickname, no matter how much sebek yelled, and bemoaned over.

malleus didn't mind. he liked it as well.

your face shifts into a deadpan, rubbing your poor throat. at the very least he could have told you that after you'd finished gulping down that damned water! "given how I almost died—no." you answer curtly, voice wavering several times. to be met with a confused stare.

"but you are alive and well," he expresses the obvious. politely leaving his arms hanging by his sides uselessly. as much as he'd like to keep his hands on you he supposes he'd be stepping over boundaries and possibly making you uncomfortable. and malleus would hate it if it turned out like that.

"oh malleus, dear. you don't get it,"

the new endearment term causes warmth to bloom in his chest, his lips twitch to a small smile and he fights the urge to just cradle you in the palm of his hand—cherish you, and hide you away from everyone else.

because malleus believes no one would love you like he ever does.

"what do you mean? get what?"

"nothing,"

"how would I get nothing? It must be something,"

if you did answer his statement you know it would just keep going, into malleus not understanding once again. but you suppose it's what makes him lovable, despite the contrast of what you are thinking (his large frame, and his refined features you could spend a decade staring at) he's like a child with an innocence that not a lot of people have.

he is very genuine.

you should stop thinking about it lest you fall deeper.

"nevermind that. your grandmother? hello?" you flail your arms around. hitting malleus once but he doesn't even flinch.

"hello. it seems like I forgot to tell you."

ignoring the greeting in the beginning that probably responded to your hello that wasn't even meant to be one. you huff. seriously? it seems my ass,, it would've been nice, great even! if he told you days prior to her arrival. and not like.. hours before she does.

never did you expect to be introduced to someone's family member. based off the countless books you stuck your nose in, in general it's very,,, intimate? to be fair it's a very big step and you can't say you're ready for it.

what if she doesn't like you? you're literally this,,, human that doesn't have any strong titles or anything. just plain, boring and ordinary. you're only granted the privilege to be this close with malleus since you're only really the first person to show him kindness besides the people that grew up with him.

if it were someone else, would they be standing in your position right now? would they be the one being introduced into a slimmer of his personal life?

so you've heard. she is a very popular person, strong but kind. rough around the edges but she was a leader that briar valley needed. sebek often boasted about her. definitely not in the same tone that he uses with malleus but respect from sebek might as well be winning 1st place in a competition with thousands of other participants.

you aren't even scraping the surface of how hard it is to get it.

probably sensing your inner turmoil, and seeing the troubled look on your face malleus subconsciously leans in. to provide comfort, to become a shoulder you'd lean in without the royalty-commoner thing separating you two.

the look in his eyes softens. "what's wrong?" he asks you sincerely.

yeah what is wrong? it's not like you're in any place to care about her opinion anyways.. not at all.. you think stubbornly, sweatdropping at the amount of thoughts screeching about first impressions.

if you meet her then at the very least—you don't want her to hate you. because hating you means relaying the flaws she saw to malleus, then swaying him that you weren't worth it, then next thing you know you lost him.

I am totally calm. you think, not hearing his words.

malleus opens his mouth. closing it, opening it then repeat for a goon ten seconds. it's rare to see him pondering about what to say.

"you look like a fish." you say.

he wonders how you could be so calm when you looked close to walking out a second ago.

"that's impossible." he responds.

then there's silence. just comfortable silence that two people whose relationship peaked to achieve it have.

"don't worry. whatever she thinks, I still—you still will be my child of man." my grandmother. she certainly would have something to say of you.

but she once said that love is unexpected. sometimes it happens the least you expect it, it's unforgettable and it conquers everything else. if your love is strong then nothing will break it. she had told him, and if it were really true. he's sure his love for you knows no bounds.

warmth presses itself to your heart, it travels up to your brain till it forces it to make you smile. "thanks."

you put up an awkward thumbs up. "you'd be my tsunotaro forever too."

he smiles.

for you forever doesn't exist, to him it does.

a selfish part of him just wants you to stay with him till destiny's time is up. and if you want he'll give it right to you. for now he won't make the decision that isn't his right to. your mortality is a problem but no matter how much he wants to get rid of him it's not his choice.

he hopes your love for him is as strong as the one he has for you. but then again, he doesn't believe that the love he has for you is stronger than anyone else.

yes. he has all the time in the world to love you

note. even for just a sec it was really nice to write this. gasp, is this a calling for me?

[dangermousie]

In which I, of all people, make a post in praise of a love triangle

I hate love triangles. I HATE THEM. They never make any sense to me - either it's an OTP and an interloper (in which case it's not a triangle, go away interloper) or I keep going "make up your damn mind" and "why should I be invested in one ship when you aren't."

But Lost You Forever proves that like any other tropes I am not too fond of (slice of life comes to mind), it's not that I hate the trope per se, it's just that it's almost never done in such a fashion as to satisfy me and when it is...oh boy!

Because the love triangle of Xiao Yao with Tushan Jing and Xiang Liu (sorry, Cang Xuan, I love you, and I am rabid about the fact that the ML of this is not the romantic interest, but you are not ever a contender) makes me RABID. The acting, the writing, the possibilities.

In the first season, I never felt that Xiao Yao was in any truly meaningful way considering Xiang Liu as a choice for any length of time (I don't mean it NEVER occurred to her, I just mean it was little flashes that disappeared quickly.) But in this season, she very much does.

Why do I, the obsessed Jing x XY shipper love it so? Because it so makes character sense.

The reason she largely never considered him in s1 was because by the time any such consideration could occur, she already allowed Shiqi in her heart. There are flashes of what-if and the sexual chemistry with XL is off the charts, but she is hopeful and happy with Jing, she's experiences the giddiness of first love and first mutually accepted desire with him. XL is a what-if but a not a particularly longed-for one, if it makes sense.

But in this season, Jing broke her heart (whether she should have that attitude is a separate question of course, but she does and so here we are.) Which means that XY, heartbroken over Jing, has a little space and here is where it all starts coming rushing in vis-a-vis XL.

I love this because this is so so so so human and so realistic. As I was mentioning to @aysekira - despite demanding unrealistic permanent constancy of her loved ones, despite needing them frozen in amber forever, XY herself is not like that because few people are and it's healthy actually and she's healing! (Yes, Jing is not like that but to me that is actually a sign of how broken he is. Separate tangent tho.) And so yes, it's so human to, after a relationship ended, mourn and grieve but also on some level open your heart to other possibilities.

I genuinely believe that if Xiang Liu allowed himself to be with her, she would move on from Jing and be happy and fall in love with XL fully and eventually Jing be merely a memory in the corner of her heart (pleasant or sad, depending.) Just as if/when she and Jing get back together, she will move on about XL and he will be a memory the same way.

And it doesn't cheapen her feelings or their feelings or anything. It's just life. We are the sum of our choices.

I hate hate hate the concept of fated soulmates, of one perfect soulmate destined by fate. That's lazy writing, that's a crutch when you can't narratively show WHY these characters should be together.

And this show gets that. It gets it so well.

She could have been happy with Jing. She could have been happy with XL. Maybe in some other universe she met someone else entirely and was happy with them. Alternatively, if she remained a spoiled and petted princess of Haoling, she'd have never looked at Jing and most likely never looked at XL and they may not have liked her either (look at Nian - you cannot imagine either of the men liking her.)

Just as if Jing was never tortured into near-dissolution of his self by his brother, he would have been a very different person and not capable of winning her heart or caring to, or if XL had a different life, same.

There are so many possibilities and paths and choices and the fact that the drama gets it is one of the best things about it.

We watch Xiao Yao heal and grow up (in a way, she's so emotionally stunted due to trauma, we are watching her going through her teen years in some ways - figuring out who she is and what and who she wants.) And I love that one of the ways she figures out who she wants is by looking at what kind of life she can have with that person.

Anyway, this drama is a MASTERPIECE.

The end.

[nephriteknight]

so a while back i made a post about what my blorbos' playstyles would be like in botc/social deduction games in general, and at the time i didn't include tma because they have so much highly specific trauma and dangerous eldritch appetites that this would be terrible for, but i just can't stop thinking about the very silly scenario where the tma characters play botc together. it would go so badly.

the banned character list includes fortune teller, spy, snake charmer, oracle, evil twin, vigormortis, no dashii, pacifist, cannibal, cult leader, fisherman, pixie, golem, plague doctor, organ grinder, and ojo, because elias keeps cheating. ojo and oracle somehow keep ending up in the bag anyway.

daisy gets way too into hunting down the demon. Guns Will Be Drawn.

jon and tim handle this game Extremely Predictably. i just know s1 tim would adore botc but s3 tim is having an awful time. oh great yeah one of our friends is a shape shifting demon lying to our faces? perfect. jon is on the verge of a panic attack but instead of breaking down he's just interrogating everyone very aggressively. hey, at least everyone believes he's on the good team.

basira solves the game right away and spends the rest of the game trying to convince everyone else. only georgie believes her.

martin is very good at being evil in these kinds of games (and also benefits from people not expecting him to be good at it), so when he pulls the demon he could demolish good, but, uh, he's honestly not sure jon could handle that right now so he gets caught on purpose without letting anyone else realize he threw.

elias insisted peter would attend and he did not in fact show. luckily no one believed he would come so it's not really a problem. ("you called it a 'social deduction' game, elias, it's in the name! no i'm not coming--")

...annabelle's the storyteller? i mean. she obviously would if she was there. i feel like sasha gives me st vibes as well but i might just be projecting again.

multiple games are ruined because jon accidentally compels the demon to tell him their role. one of those was not fully an accident.

simon is having a grand old time but he really doesn't give a shit about winning/the game which is less of a problem when he's good but very much a problem for his teammates when he's evil.

melanie draws the psychopath "by chance" several times and enjoys it way too much. daisy handles an outed evil player whom town can't easily execute exactly as poorly as you'd expect. i cannot emphasize enough how unlikely it is that canon team archives could play this game without at least one person getting hurt, killed, or giving in to the dark powers completely.

helen is eating it all up. literally. (elias is still pissed that the spy got banned.) she still never outright lies, which unfortunately for everyone else but fortunately for her (and simon, who thinks its hilarious) means she can't tell outright truths when she's good either or it'll look suspicious when she's evil. no one is ever fully certain what she is or what she's doing. pure chaos and we love her for it. (we being me; team archives does not in fact love her for it.)

elias is still cheating, but when they threaten to fill the room with eyeless dolls he decides to quit while he's (not) ahead and just watch from his office like an eldritch twitch chat.

[r0ckgoblin]

Would that I- bella ramsey xreader

“true that i saw her hair like the branch of a tree”

summary: bella is a person of many trades, your favorites just so happen to be when they play guitar and sing. you have always admired this about her, as any friend would. b/c you and bella have always been supportive of each other’s interest, they always come to you first when he’s written a song or learned a new one. why would this time be any different?

a/n: idk how to write summaries… but anyways enjoy:) (p.s. hc wise, i think they listen to hozier…yea she definitely does)

warnings: unproper grammar(maybe) how i've passed all my lit classes i will never know. probably not fully proofread, i miss the smallest things smh

*all pronouns for bella used*

you wiggle the key into the stubborn door of bella’s apartment, eventually winning the fight against it. opening the door you’re met with the sound of guitar strings being plucked and you smile softly. setting your bag on the kitchen counter you begin wandering around looking for your best friend.

“hey bels?” you call out.

“in here” he says from the sunroom.

you laugh softly grabbing a small throw blanket from the couch.

"hi" you smile, bending down to hug her, finding it a little difficult due to the guitar in their lap. the smell of old spice wonderfully clouds your sense of smell as they reach up to hug you back. the two of you gently sway for a few seconds before you pull back to adjust yourself next to him on the small couch, covering your legs with the blanket.

"how was your day?" he asks smiling over at you.

"it was good, slow, it was just a lot of cleaning up some scenes" you exhale recalling your most recent project, a movie you had been working on for the last few months, one only the people a part of it and the people closes to you knew about. acting was stressful sometimes, but the final project was always worth it, and that's something you and bella could both agree on.

"those days are inevitable, but i believe in you." they say as the lean back to rest their head on your shoulder. this caused you to blush a light pink color, luckily, he couldn't see your face at the moment. you didn't know what it was but lately you've been feeling certain ways about your best friend, and you were scared you wouldn't be able to hide those feelings for much longer. the only thing stopping you was the incessant fear of losing her friendship if they didn't feel the same way.

after moments of peaceful silence bella breaks it be jolting up excitedly. "oh! i learned a new song!"

"really? show me!'' you smiled mirroring her excitement. for as long as you've known bella your favorite thing about them has been her ability to play guitar and sing. they were so good at it, and it seemed to be a big passion of his as well.

"of course! you're going to love it, it's a hozier song" they beam at you holding eye contact waiting for your reaction, which didn't take long because you immediately grinned so big.

" you learned another one? which one?!" you question with giddy.

"you'll have to guess."

"c'mon that's no fun" you whine putting on a fake frown.

"you'll live" she jokes.

"okay, fine go." you pout resulting in a laugh from her.

she plucks some cords before playing, listening to them intently. you just stare at him in awe. before you know it, you're hearing the first notes of hozier's "would that i". you gasp in amazement, and they let a small laugh leave their mouth, somehow without losing focus. as if it couldn't get any better, he also starts singing the words along with the music.

you feel your eyes water, you have no idea why that would be happening. was it the emotional toll of being in love with your best friend, someone who you've watched grow into a beautiful and talented human being? the fear that if you were to express how you feel, it could all turn against you, and you lose the one person who means the most in the world to you? or maybe it's just because the song is so beautiful? its defiantly the song.

you got so lost listening to his voice and the way the sun setting through the window made their skin glow and made his hair shine like honey. shit you were head over heels.

by down you had drowned out her voice due to your staring that you didn't even realize they had finished. not until they're talking directly at you. you blush a little realizing you 100% got caught staring.

"so what do you think?" she ask not making eye contact.

"i loved it," you smiled,

"thank you so much." he grins, and you swear you see faint pink on their cheeks.

"i, um-", you go to say something, but you stop yourself.

"what was that?''

"i uh... i should get back to my hotel.''

"just stay here'' she says but its more of a begging question.

"no, i can't, ive got an early morning and we both know i'm not quiet in the mornings, i wouldn't want to wake you that early.'' you try and lie.

"y/n please'' he begs, grabbing your hand giving you those big brown puppy eyes.

"i'm sorry.'' you shake your head.

they tug you closer, your chests touching. they stare you in the eyes, you notice her give a quick glance to your lips. you in return look to theirs.

"there's something uh... i've mean meaning to tell you," they exhale nervously, "and i really need to get it off my chest. this um..." they swallow hard, "this is harder than i thought."

"shut up" you say with a fake serious tone.

"what i haven't even gotten to what i wanted to say." they knit their eyebrows in confusion.

"you don't have to, if it's what i think it is, i already know," you smile, "because i want to tell you the same thing."

"y/n-"

"i like you, like REALLY like you okay!"

"i-" they were speechless. you two just stared back at each other, waiting for the other to speak.

"i like you two, like reeaallyy like you." they smile wide.

you smile and release a breath of relief, resting your forehead on theirs. you two stay like that giggling back and forth.

"can i kiss you?" they speak up.

"of course." you smile.

she then softly presses their lips to yours, grabbing your face, she deepens the kiss making it more passionate but soft. his hands travel to your hair gently brushing it while your hands find the small of their back caressing softly. this goes on until your both pulling away for air, laughing breathlessly.

"so... stay the night?"

you laugh hugging them as they spin you around like something out of a movie.

the rest of the night you spend cuddled on the couch watching your favorite movies until you're both passed out in each other's arms.

a/n: AAAAHHH LETS GOOOO!!!! so BAHAHAAHAH this took longer than i wanted and it's not even as long as i wanted it:( anyways here it is, i hope you really enjoy it. there will hopefully be more in the future:) feel free to request, also let me know if my replies are off bc i clicked on one of my post and it says my comments are turned off??? idk, but my asks should be on:) love you! have a great day/night!🫶

[silvervioletvalentine]

🐍Always rooting for the antihero🐍

Pairing : Fernando Alonso x Cherrie

Word count: 7k

Summary: in which he’s still the bad guy and poor Lance has no clue that his girlfriend is Alonso’s ultimate prize.

Warnings: smut. Angst. Sorry to the Lance lovers but his hearts getting wrecked. My bad. Alonso Is a cunt and so is Cherrie. Also my bad. Enjoy xoxo

When Fernando walked into the meeting room, the first person he saw , already sat at the end of the ridiculously large table, was his new teammate , the only one to arrive early first. Fiddling on his phone quietly as he sipped on a cup of coffee , only looking up from his screen when he heard the sound of the door opening, greeting him with a polite smile and a little wave, happy to see his teammate who he was quickly growing fond of.

"You're here early." Alonso commented with a raise of his brow, a small smirk already tugging at his lips as he slowly walked around the table to sit at the opposite end of Lance.

"If I had a woman like yours waiting for me back home ...I don't think I would ever arrive early to anything." He slyly remarked , keeping his tone joking. Despite the pinch in his stomach he felt, a certain smugness and cruel humour that could only come along with despicable actions.

One that absolutely no one could know about, certainly not his new, innocent and oh so naive teammate who had no idea what he was truly dealing with.

Everybody around them, including the fans and their team, were so surprised and delightfully welcomed the sudden , and unusual kindness that Alonso was giving to his new teammate . Always smiling, always friendly and so willing to help poor Lance out. Always clapping him on the back and ready to give him advice . Looking out for him on the track and off it too.

You could say that the two teammates had formed quite a close friendship between them, one built on respect and kindness. A certain understanding between them to have each other's backs.

Fernando was finally the good guy. And he was loving it. He embraced the wave of love and proud pats to his back. The smiles that their team gave them after each time he bigged his new teammate up to the press. He was eating it all up, the humourful grin never leaving his face, a certain twinkle in his eye that nobody could truly read. Everybody putting down his smugness and his overconfidence to winning, to finally being happy with his car and teammate. Believing that he had finally grown up and put all of his mischievous and revengeful ways behind him.

Because he was a good guy now. A good teammate.

He could only smirk to himself , barely hiding his shit eating grin behind his hand as he sat down in his seat. Looking across the table to see Lance smiling a little shyly, completely oblivious to the subtle hints that Fernando had been giving him all along.

With all of his sly remarks and lighthearted jokes.. the truth lied right there. For him to see.

But poor Lance was so oblivious and Alonso could only laugh.

"She's still your girlfriend right? You haven't lost her yet?" He joked yet again to him, still smiling as he pulled out his own phone. Just the two of them in the empty meeting room, knowing fully well that others wouldn't start arriving yet.

But Fernando knew that Lance would be Early. He was a good guy like that. Always stuck to the rules, always wanted people to see the best in him. Wanted to prove his worth and his loyalty to those around him. He knew that.

And well, he couldn't help but want to mess with him a little. Even if he didn't know it yet.

Because Fernando was not a good guy. Never had been , and had never claimed to be. And if everybody else wanted to see him in a new light, wanted to call him so many good things and praise him for being such a good teammate and friend to Lance.. well, who was he to stop them?

They didn't have a clue. and neither did poor, innocent Lance either .

He almost felt sorry for him. Pitied him a little really because he didn't stand a chance. Not against him, he wouldn't allow him to. That just wasn't how he lived his life.

He was never second best to anybody, he was the man. The main character and he planned to stay that way for a very long time, no matter who he had to crush to get his own way.

He was the antihero after all.

He smirked to himself as he looked down at the new text on his phone, biting down on his lip as he read her reply . A late one.  But hey, she still replied. He knew she would. She just couldn't resist him after all, and the feeling was absolutely mutual.

I missed you in my bed last night. Your hand is softer that mine. He had text her early this morning, as soon as he had woken up. Wishing she was there with him, despite knowing where she was and who she was currently with.

It didn't stop him. When had it ever? When he wanted something, he got it. End of.

You can't tell me things like that. Stop it. She finally texted him back. I told you it's over.

He let out a soft laugh as he quickly replied , it's never over with us though , is it? Before putting down his phone again and focusing his attention on his teammate opposite him.

Lance was looking at him with a confused smile on his face, laughing at little "yes. I'm still with her. Why wouldn't I be?" He answered his remark lightheartedly. So unaware of the game that he was playing.

"Do you know something that I don't?" He joked obliviously.

Alonso laughed. Loudly. He had to. Because the poor kid had absolutely no idea. It was pathetic really.

How could he be so oblivious? Was he really that dense? Or did the love just make him blind to what was truly going on right in front of him?

He smirked at him subtly , shaking his head almost fondly. "I know everything that you don't." He told him, that wasn't a lie.

He rose a brow at Lance slyly, keeping his tone light and joking as usual as he added "I was just wondering. Cherrie seems like the type of woman that's hard to keep."

Was he evil? He felt evil. He laughed again, taking a sip from the to go cup of coffee he had brought himself . Wondering what she was doing right now.

He knew how much she hated coffee. She always complained when he kissed her in the mornings, threatened him that she wouldn't let him anywhere near her mouth again until he brushed his teeth from the horrendous taste. He looked over at his teammate and saw Lance also sipping on his coffee, he wondered if she refused to kiss him after he drank coffee too.

He hid his smirk behind his cup, swiping his tongue across his teeth to stop himself from scoffing when he saw Lance shyly smile to himself, his cheeks going pink as he squirmed in his seat. Nervous underneath his stare.

"We're good, yeah." Lance nodded happily "she's coming to the race today actually. You'll probably  see her around." He told him.

Alonso smiled, pleased. "Will I? How nice. I've missed seeing her pretty face around here." He said lightly , picking up his phone again to pull up their text thread quickly. His heart beating excitedly in his chest, knowing just what would happen next.

See you soon? He sent to her smugly already knowing the answer.

Fuck you. She sent back immediately .

He grinned to himself happily. Fuck him she would.

-

Not even a few hours later and Fernando  let out a low groan as he pushed her heaving body against his drives room door, hiking up her hips around his waist as he held her up easily.

His lips attacking hers passionately as she moaned into his mouth, sucking on his tongue as she buried her finger into his hair, tugging at the soft strands until he was bucking his hips up against her own , finger digging into her thighs tight enough to leave bruises.

"It's over huh?" He breathed out breathlessly against her jaw as he pulled away from her lips to kiss down her neck , his tongue running over her delicate skin as he pressed her harder against the door, feeling her whole body shudder against him.

Cherrie just moaned in frustration when he put her back down on the ground, wasting no time in pushing his already loosely tied racing suit from his hips, down to the floor instead. Feeling his hands slide up her thighs and hiking her already small dress further up her hips, his eyebrow raising smugly when he felt no lace in his way.

"No panties?" He muttered, inhaling sharply as his eyes flutter in bliss, feeling her warm hand wrap around him, guiding him to where she needed him the moment .

Alonso leaning her back against the back of the couch as she jumped up ontop of it, wrapping her legs around his hips to pull him between her thighs , his face burying into her chest as he pushed into her with a low moan escaping his mouth, breathless as she clutched onto him with a pleasuree cry.

"So naughty. All for me?" He teased her as he pulled her head back by fisting her hair in his hand, his dark eyes hooded as he looked into her glaring eyes , pounding into her , hard.

Her body jostling against the couch as she panted, barely able to catch her breath enough to breath out a shaky "fuck you!" Not wanting to admit that everything she did lately , had been for him.

And not for her sweet, loving boyfriend who had absolutely no clue that his girlfriend was fucking his new teammate behind his back like this.

She was a cunt and she knew it. And she loved Lance, she did but Fernando... she inhaled sharply as she felt his hand slide around her neck to clutch at her throat , squeezing and applying enough pressure to have her seeing stars as she cried out in pleasure, feeling him in her stomach from how deep he was fucking her.

He was something else entirely.

"You are." He smugly muttered, looking down at her with a smirk as he thrust into her tight cunt, his breath hitching as he felt her squeeze around him, sucking him all the way in, so wet and warm for him.

Not Lance. Him.

"Does he fuck you like this? Can he make you feel this good?" He taunted her as he quickened his pace, hand still around her throat as he fucked her like a whore.

Her shrill moans and breathless cries filling the room, the thrill of knowing that her boyfriend could walk in anytime, only spurring him further , the pit in his stomach growing with lust and passion for the woman clutching at his shoulders, scratching up his back with her sharp nails .

His teammate was still around somewhere, speaking with their team about his strategy for the race. Blissfully unaware that his amazing teammate was fucking his girlfriend in his drivers room , just like he always did.

"Tell me!" He gritted out, still jealous despite the fact that he was the one with his cock in her tight cunt right then. Knowing that despite this, Lance was still the one who got to go home with her at the end of the night .

Alonso only ever got to have her in secret. It infuriated  him.

The anger only making him fuck her harder as she gasped and whined, their eyes meeting as she panted , barely able to keep her eyes open at all.

"No! He doesn't! He doesn't!" She almost shouted through a high pitched moan , clutching at the back of his neck as he kissed her desperately , their teeth clashing from the force of his kiss. "I want you...fuck!"

"That's it. Come on baby!" He gritted out As he pulled her flush against him, both of them reaching their peek "give it to me!" He groaned out lowly as they came .

His lips still pressed to the side of her mouth as he panted against her lips, his eyes fluttering closed as he held onto her tightly .

Feeling her inhale deeply as she tried to catch her breath back, body trembling as he slowly slid out of her, reaching for a tissue from the side table to clean her up. Keeping her close to the whole time as she slowly came back down to Earth.

He pulled his racing suit back over his hips as she pulled her dress back down her thighs, cheeks flushed and hair askew , barely able to meet his smug gaze as she pushed him away, sliding down from the back of the couch.

Clearing  her throat as she felt a different type of tension fill the room. Fernando simply staring her down without any shame , tiling his head at her.

"Come home with me tonight?" He knew what she was going to say, but he still asked her.

He always did.

She scowled at him, scoffing as she patted down her hair with shaky hands. Swallowing thickly as she made her way back to the door on trembling legs , the familiar slam of guilt hitting her as she avoided looking at him, heart pinching in her chest.

She had done it. Again.

She thought of her poor boyfriend and winced, feeling a little sick. Like she always did each time she did this to him.

Yet she never stopped. Alonso was right after all.

It was never truly over between them.

"You know I can't." She muttered to him, shaking her head scornfully . Wishing he would just stop giving himself hope all the time that she would chose him beyond sex.

Fernando just rose a brow at her, scoffing. "You can but you're too scared of what people will think huh?" He knew her all too well.

Smirking at her a little , laughing when she refused to answer him .

"When people find out that you're fucking your boyfriends new teammate . One Old enough to be your daddy.." he teased her lowly as he slowly walked over to her, gently sliding her hair over her shoulder as he leaned down to gently kiss the back of her neck. Breathing her in before she left him again.

She gritted her teeth guiltily , angry with him for making her feel this way. For making her Feel this good.

"No one is going to find out." It came out as a threat as she shrugged him off her. Glaring at him "this isn't happening again." She lied as she pulled open the door quickly before she could fall into his arms again.

It would be too easy.

Fernando just smiled at her, even passing her the leather bag she brought with her sweetly . Kissing her cheek goodbye.

"Sure. I'll see you tomorrow then? Same time? Same place?"

All he got was a middle finger and the slamming of the door in his face before he burst into laughter , shaking his head to himself smugly as he threw himself down onto the couch he had just been fucking her up against.

Poor Lance. He thought to himself with smirk. He'd find out eventually.

He always won in the end.

Cherrie had thought that they were doing a good job of keeping their affair hidden from those around them.

She always made sure that he left no marks , always escaped straight after the deed was done. She had made sure for so long that there was no evidence and no trails to what they were doing, it had been their little secret.

And maybe the dirty secret between them could have been kept forever if Alonso hadn't suddenly decided that no longer did he care to be discreet , and no longer did he want to share her with her oblivious boyfriend , who was none the wiser to what they were up to when his back was turned.

Because no longer did he act like it was a secret. No longer did he double check that the doors were locked behind them. No longer did he look around to make sure that nobody could see them when he kissed her in a darkened hallway.

He didn't care about anybody finding out anymore, why would he? He wanted people to know. Wanted Lance to find out the truth so that he wouldn't have to hide his affections and his love for Cherrie in public anymore.

So despite her warning snarls and gritted teeth, mutttered threats for him to behave tonight , he ignored it all.

Because honestly , he didn't give a single fuck about anybody else. All he wanted was to have her for himself. He didn't care who knew .

So that night when a few of the drivers were having lunch together at a fancy restaurant, he smoothly slid into the seat beside Cherrie at The table before her boyfriend could slide in next to her.

Simply grinning up at his startled teammate who had been about to sit down beside her , Lance looking down at him in confusion , while Cherrie just glared at him silently , her heart rate increasing dramatically once she noticed the mischievous and uncaring look on Fernando's face.

"What?" He spoke up as innocently as possible , smirking to himself as he ignored the 'I will kill you if you do this to me tonight.' Look that he was getting from the woman beside him.

"You're always beside her. It's time that you let somebody else have a turn at entertaining her man." He kept his tone joking , despite meaning every word.

Lance , poor , oblivious lance, just shrugged with a easy going smile on his face . Taking the seat opposite them at the table instead , right beside mick.

"I hope you're ready to hear all the details from her shopping trip with the girls then. She hasn't shut up about it since she got home." Lance joked back, giving his girlfriend a smile , Cherrie only managing to give him a small one back. The guilt slowly eating her alive .

Fernando just hummed , turning his head to peer at her with a small smile on his face .

"Buy anything pretty for me?" He lowered his voice as he teased her, so only she could hear him as the conversations picked up around the table. Leaving him to his mischief.

Cherrie inhaled Sharply as she felt his warm hand land on her bare thigh underneath the table , narrowing her eyes at him warningly .

Eyes quickly glittering around the table to make sure that nobody was paying attention to them. Mick, Pierre and Lance already chatting about the last race while Lando and Charles, who was seated on the other side of her, talked about gaming together sometime again.

"Well, depends. I don't think you have the legs for a Chanel mini dress." She hissed at him underneath her breath , face slowly colouring as she tensed up in her seat, feeling his hand slowly crawl higher and higher up her thigh. Squeezing her leg gently as goosebumps littered her skin.

Fernando just grinned at her smugly "I look good in anything." He remarked arrogantly before muttering "how did you like the lace set I bought you? I had it sent to your room last night." His mind already running wild with imagining her beautiful body in the lace lingerie .

She just looked at him for a moment , chewing on the inside of her cheek as she tried not to inhale the warm scent of his cologne, eyes lingering on his cheeky smile and crinkled eyes. Heart beating like a drum in her chest.

Why did he have to be so handsome? She thought to herself in misery. Why did he have to have such a boyish twinkle in his eyes? He was just her type and he knew it.

He was going to kill her at this rate. Squirming a little in her seat as she felt her stomach tingle as his fingers rubbed soft circles onto the inside of her thigh.

Spelling out his name on her skin with his fingertips.

"You shouldn't have. What if Lance had opened it and seen the little note you left with it? It's like you want him to find out." She muttered at him, on edge and guiltily lustful as she tried not to linger on how good he looked in his unbuttoned white dress shirt and dark blue jeans.

Alonso just chuckled , not replying for a moment as their food was served. Seeing the red wine in her glass and the champagne in his own, he swapped the glasses and gave her his own. Knowing that she didn't like red wine at all.

He glanced momentarily over at Lance, silently shaking his head at how her boyfriend didn't seem to know her that well at all. Why had he ordered her red wine when she hated it?

Then he glanced at her pasta salad and rolled his eyes as well , swapping his plate of steak and rice to her without a single word being spoken .

"I don't give a shit." He simply mumbled as he took a sip of the red wine, nodding at a speechless Cherrie, who was smiling to herself at the way he had silently swapped their foods and drinks without even saying a thing.

"You look very fuckable tonight." He whispered to her slyly after taking a bite of the pasta salad, scrunching his nose up a little at the bland taste.

Cherrie flushed, shaking her head at him scornfully. "Very romantic. You really have a way with words." She muttered , unimpressed. Taking a large swig off the champagne . Having a feeling she was going to need more than one glass.

Fernando smiled at her genuinely , nudging her shoulder with his. Unable to take his eyes off her "you look beautiful my love."

She smiled.

Neither of them noticing the way Charles was looking at them from where he was set beside her, his eyes widening as he leaned back in his seat and caught sight of fernandos hand on her thigh.

Closely Watching the way the older man was whispering to cherrie, who was giggling quietly at whatever he was telling her. Both of them looking like they were in their own loved up bubble.

He couldn't believe it .

He looked across the table at Lance, amazed at the sight of the driver laughing loudly at something Pierre had said. Oblivious to what was going on right in front of him.

But Charles wasn't . And he could only feel his pity and anger grow as he watched them beside him , flirting and exchanging familiar touches all throughout the night.

Blinking in disbelief when he watched Fernando lean his head down halfway through dinner to kiss cherries bare shoulder gently , Cherrie just smiling at him with stars In her eyes.

After so much booze , he couldn't hold it in any longer. Once he noticed Fernando being distracted by Pierre asking him a question about racing, he leaned in closer to Cherrie with a deep frown on his face.

"What the hell are you doing?" He snapped at her quietly in disgust . Eyes glaring into her own .

Startled, she swallowed nervously and looked back at him with wide eyes. "Eating?" She answered the obvious .

Heart pounding nervously in her chest once she noticed the way Charles kept looking between her and Fernando , who still hadn't taken his hand off her thigh the entire dinner.

Charles scoffed lowly at her, shaking his head scornfully . "Your boyfriend might be oblivious but I'm not." He let her know angrily "how could you do this to Lance? I can't Believe you..!"

Cherrie was quick to hush him, shooting him a glare that had him leaning back in his seat quickly . She had always been a very intimidating woman when she wanted to be.

"Shut up. You don't know what you're talking about." She spat back at him underneath her breath .

Charles scoffed even louder than he meant to, making the drivers around them look over at them curiously.

Fernando tilting his head curiously once he noticed the glare that he was receiving from the Ferrari driver, he simply smirked back at him. Amused at his attempt at intimidation.

It wasn't going to effect him because he simply didn't give a shit about what he thought.

The only person he cared about was himself and Cherrie. Nobody else mattered to him. End of.

"I'm going to the bathroom. Excuse me." She quickly made her excuses to the table, hurriedly getting up and stomping off to the toilets , panic and frustration filling her veins.

Just wishing that Alonso could have kept his hands to himself and stopped himself from flirting with her every five seconds at the table. Maybe then Charles wouldn't have been any wiser.

She wondered what it said about her relationship that Charles had noticed their closeness all night but  her own boyfriend hadn't. Who only looked startled at the sight of her rushing off to the bathroom all of a sudden.

"Excuse me." Charles also muttered, sending them all a tense smile . "Need a piss." He blurted out ungracefully before hurrying down the hallway after her.

Wanting to find out what the hell she thought she was doing, wondering how everyone else could have been so oblivious to what had been going on right beneath their noses the entire time.

He caught her arm in his grip before she could disappear into the woman's bathroom , Cherrie slapping his hand away from her arm with a aggravated huff.

"What?!" She snapped at him uncomfortably , shifting on her feet when she saw the glare he was aiming at her.

Charles pursed his lips and shook his head at her in disgust . "Fernando? You're messing around with your boyfriends teammate now? What the hell is wrong with you?!" He almost shouted at her in disbelief .

Having always thought of her as a sweet, innocent woman who would never do such a thing.

How wrong he was. And how wrong they were about Alonso’s new , nice guy act too.

"You don't know what you're talking about." She repeated to him. Unable to look him in the eyes, instead she looked down the hall to where the exit doors were. Wondering if she could make a break for it.

Charles looked at her in astonishment "you're kidding me! He had his hand between your thighs the entire night! Flirting with you and - I heard him say he bought you lingerie? Do you think I'm stupid?!" He snapped at her, upset for Lance.

He was such a nice guy. He didn't deserve this.

Cherrie just shrugged her shoulders, getting pissed off at him for cornering her about something that wasn't any of his business in the first place.

"I think you're a lot of things Charles. But a snitch isn't one of them , right?" She levelled him with a threatening glare. Voice cold and cruel. Truly not giving a shit about what he thought anymore.

Charles was speechless . He could only look at the beautiful woman in front of him in stunned silence , unable to believe how she was behaving. This wasn't like her at all.

"You're a lot of things too but I didn't take you for a cheat Cherrie." He spat back at her , shaking his head "was it just with Fernando or another driver too? I see You clearly have a type!"

He was so lucky that she couldn't slap him without everybody questioning them.

So instead she settled on shoving past him with a snarl "fuck you Charles! Shut your mouth!" The warning was clear.

Charles let out a unamused laugh as he watched her walk away. "Oh fucking you is invitation only now? How lovely!"

She just stuck up her finger at him behind her back, not looking back as she stormed away angrily.

Fernando only looked up at her calmly when she stomped back to the table with a look of thunder on her face , announcing to them quickly that she was going back home.

Lance looked at his girlfriend in confusion , raising a brow at her in concern. "What's the matter? I'll come with you -" he made his way to get up.

Cherrie quickly waved him away, unable to look him in the eyes. Swallowing dryly as she met Fernando gaze, seeing him already quirking a eyebrow up af her, nodding subtly to the front doors of the restaurant.

You want to go? His look asked her.

She inhaled deeply and subtly nodded her head yes, before addressing her boyfriend again.

"No! No. You stay. I just have a headache and want to go to sleep." She laughed fakely as she pulled on her coat "all that champagne probably."

Lance was still frowning at her, despite sitting back down in his seat at her easy command .

"You sure? I don't want you to go alone-"

Fernando slowly stood up as well, smiling at his teammate . ""I'll take her home. Don't you worry about it Lance. Enjoy the rest of your night with the guys." He told him casually as he pushed his seat in, grabbing cherries clutch bag from the table too.

He even winked at her boyfriend too "have some more champagne eh? She's alright with me." He said to him as he gently placed his hand at the bottom of her back, guiding them away from the table and to the front doors instead.

Just as Charles came back from the bathroom , his eyes widening even further as he watched Fernando smugly raise a brow at him, daring him to say something to him.

He stayed silent. Too shocked to speak. Unable to believe how oblivious they had all been.

"Oh okay." Lance agreed easily. Smiling at them both brightly . "I'll see you later then babe." He directed towards his silent girlfriend leaning against Fernando side, yawning to herself as she glanced impatiently at the doors.

She just hummed . Not giving a scowling Charles another glance before Fernando guided them both away. Leaving just as quick as they arrived.

Charles inhaled deeply as he watched them step out onto the street. Watching closely as Alonso stroked the back of her head tenderly , giving her a soft smile and kiss to the side of her head, Cherrie beaming up at him as he led them away to his car before speeding off without any hesitation .

Alonso took a left turn at the end of the road.

To get to Lance's and Cherries apartment you had to turn right , not left . Charles could only swallow uneasily.

His silence only lasted another hour before he finally broke it after another bottle of champagne reached his system .

After Hearing Lance questioning whether he should call his girlfriend or not to see if she was doing okay.

He couldn't hold back his scoff. Lance, Pierre , Lando and mick looking over at him in surprise , shocked to see the look on his face.

"Why bother calling her? You might as well call Alonso seeing as he's with her." He said to him bluntly . Still reeling from what he had seen.

Lance frowned at him, confused. "He'll have dropped her off by now. Probably in bed at his own home." He said naively .

Pierre looked at his best friend warily when he let out a loud laugh , grinning in disbelief at the Canadian driver.

"You really believe that mate?" He slurred out incredulously.

"Yes?" Lance looked at him with a frown. Not understanding what he was going on about.

"Charles.." Pierre warned him, already having a feeling that what he knew wasn't going to be good for Lance to hear.

Lando and mick just looked between them in confusion , silently watching as Charles laughed and laughed and laughed. Even though nothing was funny at all.

"Mate.. Alonso has had his hands on your girlfriend all night. Kissing her shoulder and jaw.. and you're telling me that you have no clue to what's going on?!" He exclaimed in disbelief. Looking at him like he was stupid.

And maybe he was. Lance swallowed , heart dropping down to his stomach as he looked at the ferrari driver silently . Thinking back over the night. Having seen the two of them close but...

"He's just a friendly guy Charles." He weakly excused as his world came crashing down against him.

Lando looked at them in shock, finally catching on to what Charles was insinuating.

"Nando is fucking Cherrie?!" He gasped. Mouth wide open.

Poor mick was gaping at them too while Pierre already had his head in his hands, wondering why his friend couldn't stay out of other peoples business for a change.

Poor Lance. They all thought with a pitiful wince. Said driver paling horribly as the ugly realisation of truth finally set in.

"They wouldn't - I mean- he's older than her-" he stammered out in denial.

Pierre had to wince at that "I mean..she did date that forty year old football player before she dated you. So I don't think age is the problem .."

Lance glared at him angrily "no. It's the fact that my girlfriend is apparently fucking my teammate, that's the problem!" He snapped furiously . Heart breaking in his chest. Having trusted the both of them dearly.

"Maybe she isn't.." mick weakly tried to offer, wincing when Lance let out a mixture between a laugh and a cry. Burying his face into his hands as

the pieces all fell into each horrible place for him.

"She travelled to Spain for a whole month over our break. Told me it was for a girls holiday." He muttered. Feeling sick now as it all added up.

Lando grimaced , sharing a look with the others, no one knowing what to do or say at all.

"Mate...Alonso lives there. How did you not realise this sooner?" He muttered in shock. They all were.

Lance sniffled , Downing his glass of wine in one go. "Because he was so nice. But apparently he's just been pretending to be so that I wouldn't find out that he's been screwing my girlfriend the whole time." He groaned in misery "oh god. How long do you think this has been going on?" He dared to ask.

Charles just scoffed "ask the fucker. He's smug enough that he'd tell you. He's not feeling guilty at all. He's just left with your girlfriend man.. and you let him!"

Lance cried "well - how was I supposed to know that they'd been having some fucking affair the whole time?!" He exclaimed through his tears as he brought out his phone. Quickly bringing up his text thread with his teammate. His eyes blurry with tears as he typed out

How long have you been fucking my girlfriend Fernando?

Not even five minutes passed before his phone buzzed on the table in front of him. All of the drivers leaning in to see what he had wrote back to him.

"Oh fuck man.." Pierre grimaced to himself in disbelief , sharing a shocked look with Lando and mick who were gaping at his phone , stunned .

Nearly a year now. Our anniversary is next week. The thing is Lance , is that when you have a woman like Cherrie .. you have to hold onto her tightly otherwise somebody else will steal her away from you.

And maybe you should have tried remembering how much she hates red wine and salad. Maybe you should have took more care to ask where she was and who she was with.

You didn't even buy her flowers for her birthday. I took her home with me instead while you got drinks with the boys …

Now I'm going to buy her flowers for the rest of my life. Because I love her and she loves me.

I guess I'll See you in a few weeks teammate! adiós!

Then a picture was attached to the message, Lance in a state of shock as he looked at the picture that he had sent him showing them both cuddled up on a private plane .. an arrow drawn on the photo with the words 'going home.' Plastered on it.

He dropped his phone back to the table with a clatter, feeling Pierre and Lando pat his back in pity while mick just kept looking at Fernando's texts in disbelief .

"Guess he wasn't kidding about being the anti hero after all." He muttered to himself in shock.

By the time that they managed to drag a tearful Lance back home to a empty bedroom, her clothes all gone from her side of the wardrobe. They were already half way across the world, a smug Alonso holding a sleeping Cherrie to his chest as they traveled back to Spain again. To start brand new together. Just like he had planned.

Because he always got what he wanted in the end. No matter who's heart had to be broken in the process.

He won.

[uptoolateart]

Hey, hey, hey - time for a Gabriel analysis!

So. After we learned that Gabriel Agreste wasn't his original name, my mind jumped to Andre Bourgeois, who also once had a different name. In keeping with the themes of the show, we are seeing that secret identities don't always come with masks and comic book names.

We had a hint of Gabriel's secret past in Psycomedian, when Harry visited and alluded to his Gabi days. How, oh how could the Gabriel Agreste we all know have ever been friends with someone like Harry Clown? This is only possible if he was once a different sort of person.

We had further clues in Gabriel's vision of the past, in the time burrow in Evolution - and in Emilie's video messages left for Nathalie, and the photographs of Gabriel, Emilie and Nathalie on some expedition, seen in Passion - and in Amelie's accusation that Gabriel has changed, in Emotion.

Adrien is also aware his father has changed with time, demonstrated when he tells Gabriel that Emilie once said they came from different backgrounds.

The photos shown in Revelation finally gave concrete evidence that Gabriel used to have an adventurous spirit and he used to smile. He was fun...but something changed...and I don't think it was just Emilie's death that caused the personality shift. Based on casual comments Adrien has made throughout the series, his father has been strange for years.

Gabriel tells Adrien that he and Kagami are 'of the same design' - and we know he means this literally. But taking it as a metaphor...for two seasons I've wondered what Emilie's parents were like. We can infer that she comes from a wealthy, 'important' family. Maybe Gabriel struggled to fit in and win the approval of his in-laws. Maybe he never felt good enough. When he tells Adrien things like, 'You're clinging to Marinette because her mediocrity lets you shine more,' perhaps someone once talked like that about him. With that kind of background, it would be unsurprising that he decided to try to forge a new identity.

And let's remember that Gabriel is a designer. His whole empire is founded on inventing personae. Even beyond the sentimonster aspect, he tells Marinette that he designed the image the world holds of his son. Everything is his invention. That speech in Pretension proved just how deep his God complex runs - he fully believes he has made the world in his image. Even the episode title - Pretension - smacks of the image he is presenting to the world in lieu of truth.

At this point, what we're seeing is a 'new money' stereotype - a self-made man who now spurns those who remind him of where he came from. It's one of the most shameful things about him. No matter how much fame and money you get...you can't forget your roots, people. Maybe that's easy for me to say because I'm not rich or famous. But I just can't imagine turning my back on my own origin story. It's what makes you who you are. Gabriel clearly didn't want to be that person anymore...and that's sad.

What's also fascinating is that, if we zoom in on those pictures Nathalie took in Revelation, we see that once upon a time, Gabriel - Gabi Grassette - was a punk. Let's take a moment to appreciate the spiked hair, makeup, leather jacket, ripped jeans, and dog collar - not to mention that smirk. And far from being ashamed of his work with Harry Clown as a human frites (who, by the way, reminds me so much of Mr Banana), he was smiling about it. Man, he loved it. Contrast that with Gabriel in Party Crasher - 'JOY.... What's going on in my HOUSE!?'

If it were at all possible for the old Gabi to meet Cat Noir, I can imagine him loving Cat's costume. On that note, I can't help but compare that dog collar with Cat's bell. I've said before that I see the bell as a symbol of Cat being domesticated and under control. Gabi probably saw his dog collar more as a rebellion, but maybe it too is a symbol of how he once felt controlled by someone.

The thing is...the punk movement was all about anti-establishment anti-authoritarianism. Today, Gabriel is the establishment he once rebelled against. It makes me think of John Lydon of the Sex Pistols turning Conservative and advertising butter. Musicians like Donovan - not a punk, but in a similar category, as a 1960s hippie - are rare for maintaining that same spirit all through their lives.

Gabriel is a 'sell-out'. He gave up that spirit and became someone unrecognisable. Those photos demonstrate that Emilie isn't the only body buried in a 'basement' in the Agreste mansion. There is a different person buried under the cold veneer that is Gabriel - a person Nathalie probably misses. I expect that's why she's stuck with him all this time, despite her better instincts. Something tells me Gabi would've made a better father.

The irony is that Adrien's moments of rebellion are probably one of the few things he has in common with his father, if we look far enough back in Gabriel's past. That, and their temper - and randomly breaking into eccentric dance and song. Gabi might have appreciated Adrien more for standing true to his principles. Maybe Adrien sometimes reminds Gabriel of himself and he can't stand it - can't stand thinking of what he's lost along the way.

I believe Gabriel exists in a perpetual state of regret. Part of him probably misses Gabi, too. After all, Gabi got Emilie. What has Gabriel got? Wealth, sure, but Emilie's dead, Adrien all but hates him, Nathalie's wasting away, and Gabriel himself has only weeks to live.

If you think about it, Gabriel's whole quest has been about getting a do-over. He wants a second chance with Emilie - a second chance for Nathalie - a second chance at his own life. He then tells Adrien that his greatest wish is to try to reconnect with him...because he knows he doesn't have much time left with his son. Even then, though, his selfishness prevails. (Psst, Gabi...you can't make up for years of terrible parenting with banana pancakes.)

Thinking of the snake miraculous, the second chance lets you know what's going to happen, enabling you to make better decisions the next time around. In other words: it's about learning from your mistakes. Gabriel never learns, and it is his refusal to accept destiny and his own human fallibility that is causing his disintegration.

The more Gabriel necrotises, the more we can see this as his 'sins' catching up with him. He doesn't seem to grasp that all the blackness devouring him is, in a way, the blackness of his own heart. Even if he erases the whole world, he can't erase his deeds. If he managed to get his Wish and bring Emilie back, she would be horrified. She'd wonder where her Gabi went.

Gabriel is proof that 'evolution' isn't always positive. He reinvented himself once, and now, because it didn't go the way he wanted, he's trying to reinvent things again. Tomoe also hints at a belief that the solution to her problems is to make the world anew - to get a second chance. Felix tries this, too, when he creates the red moon to wipe out all people except his select group.

But Felix does learn - Ladybug helps him see that even if you erase all the people causing you so much grief...you still have to deal with that pain. What Gabriel fails to see is that - like Cat Blanc on the roof, all alone without his lady - destroying your witnesses won't remove the witness in your own heart.

Even if Gabriel wiped everyone else's memory of his crimes, he would still know what he'd done. And when you cross those kinds of lines, you can never go back to who you once were.

Please no post-Revelation spoilers in the comments :)

[randoimago]

Hi I had this really funny idea but can I please have headcanon reactions from yuji megumi nobara gojo JJK with a first year reader who is their friend/student in gojo's case but also a friend on how do you think they'd react to the reader believing in stuff like the paranormal magic and aliens i.e. the strange and fantastical

I like to imagine the reader has the logic/mindset if things like curses and cursed energy existing it means it doesn't rule out the possibility of other strange and unnatural things existing as well

Fandom: Jujutsu Kaisen

Character(s): Gojo, Itadori, Megumi, Nobara

Note(s): Okay but this is a really funny idea.

Gojo

Gojo is very amused at the concept of aliens existing. Space is huge so he wouldn't be surprised if something is out there. Probably contemplates if he could fight an alien and win.

He would inquire about why you believe in such things. He never really paid much attention to the idea of aliens besides in movies and stuff so listening to you explain would be a good way to pass the time.

Might try to figure out a way to incorporate this in training. Gojo would have you go on a tangent about aliens and magic while also focusing on using your own abilities on something, just to test how much control you have.

Itadori

Oh he's so with you. He doesn't know lots about space and stuff, but he loves movies. He thinks it'd be cool to see little aliens. So long as they don't try to harvest everyone.

Would sit and theorize with you what aliens would even look like. He's seen so many movies and there's all kinds of iterations of them. It becomes less of agreeing that aliens exist to, "Okay but hypothetically, what does their food look like?"

Itadori would never question anyone's believes (unless it harms someone else). And the idea of aliens isn't as far fetched as other conspiracy theories he's heard. He's just happy to have someone to geek out with a bit.

Megumi

He kind of gives you a look like you're a bit dumb. People are dying and curses are running around causing chaos. How are you spending time thinking about aliens?

Megumi isn't trying to discredit your believes, he just thinks there's better things to focus on than if aliens and magic exist.

He is a bit relieved that you think magic is separate from what jujutsu sorcerers are able to do. He already had lengthy debates with Itadori about how it's not the same thing and he would get a restraining order if he had to deal with that from you too.

Nobara

She isn't too sure about aliens. If they exist, then she fully believes they would've invaded by now. What she does believe in are cryptids. I can fully see her saying that kappas are real.

Nobara also knows for a fact that tanuki also exist. If you ask how she knows, she'll say that Maki's sister looks like one.

It is a nice break away from things to just talk about aliens, cryptids, and other things people believe in.

[d1xonss]

Desert Rose

Chapter 38 ~ Worries and Apologies

✧ Pairing : Daryl Dixon x Rose

✧ Era : Season 3

✧ Word Count : 5k

In this chapter ~ After Andrea left the mere second she could, the rest were forced to think over what she had told them. It all led to worry breaking out among the group, affecting Rose the most as she thought of the different scenarios of what could happen to the people she loved. However, Daryl was right by her side to calm her nerves and assure her of the things she feared the most. Not only that, but she also received a long and overdue apology from a certain someone.

About an hour had passed after the heated conversation, before Andrea finally made her big decision to head back to Woodbury. I wasn't exactly surprised in the slightest however, and it's safe to say everyone was feeling the same way as we watched her gather her things. She squirmed a little uncomfortably under all of our gazes, but I thought it was well deserved, watching her visibly turn her back on all of us.

Though Rick insisted for her to take one of our cars to drive back there instead of walking the whole way, which I thought was a little too generous, but I managed to keep my mouth shut. Though I quickly offered to get one of our cars and drive it up myself so she could take it, only really doing it so I could bring back the shittiest one we had. Rick was an idiot if he actually thought I was about to bring back one of the nice ones just for her to take it away and ruin it.

I pulled up far enough so they could open the gate for me as I drove in, veering it off toward the side and putting it in park. Andrea was right by the door as I slightly stepped out, staying in place as I told her how to work this one.

"Okay, this one's a little testy so go easy on the breaks and...oh, you see those wires?" I asked as I gestured to the loose ones under the steering wheel, seeing her nod in return, "Don't touch them." I concluded with a bitter smile before fully exiting the car.

Walking back over to the others, I stood next to Rick who only gave me a pointed look as he noticed what I had done, though I only shrugged in response.

Andrea then glanced around to every single face as we waited to send her off, nodding to herself as there was a little sympathy in her eyes. "Well...take care." she muttered before fully getting into the vehicle, closing the door to take off.

My eyes followed the car, watching Merle pull open the gate for her before I raised my hand up to flip her off as one final goodbye. But Rick quietly scoffed as he reached to push my arm back down, sending me another disapproving look.

"Oh, come on." I muttered, "Take care? Really?" I asked in slight disbelief.

He shook his head, "I know."

Everyone silently watched the car drive further and further away as a new feeling washed over us all. It was uncomfortable and tense and I could tell some were losing hope. After the things that Andrea informed, her begging us to just cooperate so we wouldn't lose this battle, it affected us in some way. Almost like another harsh reality check just like the monsters that were still left in the field.

Once the car completely disappeared from view, I quietly offered to take watch for a little while so Maggie and Carl could rest and have a break. I also found I just wanted a little time to myself, to sit outside and feel the sun on my skin, allowing myself to think over the things we were just told.

Night had eventually fallen but I was still outside watching everything around me even after hours of being out there alone, keeping my eyes peeled for any type of threat. Well, besides the obvious ones that were still snarling on the fields. It was quiet though as I sat by myself, though I didn't mind because of how many more things I was still thinking about over and over again like some kind of broken record.

Andrea showing up mixed in with the conversation I had with Merle left me feeling empty. I wanted to believe that we would win this, that we would get through it, but I honestly wasn't so sure anymore. With my eyes focused on all the walkers in the field, it was just a reminder of what The Governor was capable of. It scared me so badly thinking about the possibility of losing my family, but it was all I could seem to think about. I would rather sacrifice myself a thousand different times before accepting the loss of anyone else. We had already witnessed too much death, experienced so much grief, we didn't need any more of it.

My mind seemed to continue to stay on this loop for what felt like forever as I spaced off. That is until I heard quiet footsteps coming up from behind me and I turned over my shoulder to see Daryl, with a small smile on his face as he made his way over. Though I couldn't find the strength to smile back.

He plopped down next to me with a sigh, "You been out here a while." he stated the obvious.

I only shrugged, "...Just thinking."

"Thinkin? About?" he asked while nudging me.

I sighed as I turned to look out at the fields once more, "Everything."

He nodded and stayed quiet, as we let the calmness of the night do all of the talking we needed to fill the silence. I slowly moved to rest my head on his shoulder while the gun laid lazily in my lap, my eyes watching the walkers move back and forth like clockwork against the gates as they growled. He rested his head on top of mine and delicately moved to place a hand on my thigh, rubbing his thumb lightly over the fabric of my jeans.

I let my mind wander back to The Governor once again and let my anxiety take over as I started to fidget with my hands a little. I couldn't stop. It was like a constant spiral of thoughts were just spinning around my mind, taunting me almost. Seeing how far they could push me before I would just completely break down. But Daryl noticed almost immediately and gently placed his hand on top of mine to get me to stop the moment he realized.

"You okay?" he asked softly.

I slowly lifted my head to look him in the eye, taking in a soft breath, "I'm scared." I admitted, letting the words come out only above a whisper as if I was dreading to admit the defeat out loud.

He his face drastically dropped, bringing me into his arms as he hugged me and pulling me closer to his chest. I squeezed him tightly, as if I were to let him go, he would slip away from me again. The thought of him leaving scared me, but the thought of losing him for good terrified me.

He slowly let go of me and place his pointer finger under my chin so I would look at him, "M' gonna protect ya no matter what." he assured me.

I shook my head, "That's what I'm afraid of."

His expression morphed into confusion, "What do ya mean?"

"I know you would protect me; you would take a bullet for me. But that's what scares me. I don't want to lose you again."

"I ain't gonna die on ya-"

"You don't know that." I was quick to defend, "Daryl, it was hell when I lost you the first time, and that was when I knew you were alive. I don't even know what I would do with myself if you..." I trailed off suddenly.

He shook his head, "Don't think like that."

"I'm just trying to be realistic. After Merle and I talked-"

He huffed out a breath that made me stop in my tracks, "I fuckin knew that's what this was bout, Rosie he's just tryin to get in yer head. It's the only thing he's good at."

"No, he's not." I quickly said, "Believe me I thought that too at first, but he was right...and that scares me too."

He sighed heavily as he tried to think of the right words to say to me. His eyes held so much emotion and all I wanted right now was to get a peek inside his mind and get even a glimpse at what he was thinking. Know exactly the things he wanted to say and piece it together myself.

"I dunno what's gonna happen." he finally spoke, "I can't sit here and tell ya that everthin is gonna be alright cause I don't know that. But I do know that all of us together are strong as hell. We've all been fightin left and right since the beginnin and always had each other's backs, that's somethin that won't change. I think we can beat this as long as we have everyone else, and that's all that matters."

I was taken aback for a second at his words, feeling myself smile a little, almost in pride. "When did you get so wise?" I asked teasingly as I nudged him.

He rolled his eyes, "When my girl started to freak out about all of us dyin. We protect each other. We survived this didn't we?" he asked, gesturing to the field of walkers.

My eyes followed to where he pointed, silently nodding my head in agreement, "Yeah... and you're right. We just have to fight like hell."

"Yeah...and m' more than ready to do it." he stated.

I tilted my head as I looked back over to him, "Why's that?"

His gaze then ducked down a little to try and hide the redness in his cheeks, but I still saw. I always did. "Cause I finally got something to fight for." he said quietly.

A growing smile spread across my face as I stared at him lovingly, "Me too." I whispered.

He looked back up at me and smiled, gently cupping his hand on the side of my face to pull me in for a sweet kiss. I now found I couldn't stop thinking about what he said to me, and how safe I felt in his arms. How he was able to calm me when all I could seem to do was worry. Flipping it completely like a light switch. I was so deeply in love with this man.

He then broke away after a moment or two, pecking my lips once more before fully pulling back, "Alright, come on, let's get ya inside. You need some sleep."

I didn't argue with that, mostly because I could slowly feel the drowsiness sneaking up on me and I knew I had stayed out there for far too long. Though I silently knew in the back of my mind that if he hadn't come out here to drag me back in, I probably wouldn't have for the rest of the night.

As we walked back into the prison, Beth's soft and gentle voice filled the air as she sung, echoing around the cement walls as we made our way through. We walked into the cellblock to see it being lit up by a few candles with the group sitting around just enjoying Beth's harmony along with each other's company. I found myself trailing in slowly, leaning up against a wall next to Hershel and Rick, Daryl following right by my side as we all stood in silence for a moment.

"Andrea's in a jam." Rick suddenly whispered over to the three of us quietly, bouncing Judith lightly in his arms.

"We all are. Andrea's persuasive, this fella's armed to the teeth. Bent on destruction." Hershel said bluntly.

Daryl tilted his head a bit toward him, "So, what do you wanna do?"

"We match it," Rick said, "I'm going on a run."

I looked towards him, noticing how tired he looked, "I can head out tomorrow." I offered instead.

He shook his head, "No, you stay here. You and Daryl keep an eye on Merle for me." he spoke before looking directly at Daryl, "I'm glad you're back, really...but if he causes a problem, it's on you."

He nodded his head in understanding, "I got him."

"I'm gonna take Michonne with me, and Carl. I think he's ready. I'm counting on you two to hold down the fort for me." he nodded to Daryl and I.

"You got it." I assured him with a small nod.

The conversation ended there, all of us just tuning back in to listen to Beth while we embraced each other's company. I truly wanted to cherish each moment I had like this, not knowing when it would be the last. Even after Daryl's reassurance, there was obviously still a little worry I had in the back of my mind, though I had hope we would all make it through just like everything else.

But I also grew to think about if and when we moved past this, what would be the next obstacle? What would be the next thing that threatened to tear us apart? I didn't want to waste it, any time I had left with the people I loved and kept the closest to me, I would hold it near my heart forever. Never wanting to take any of it for granted.

My eyes then scanned around the room at everyone and paused briefly on Glenn who was surprisingly already looking at me. We hadn't spoken a word to each other all day besides the little argument we had earlier. He had no idea how badly I just wanted this to be over, to be able to apologize to each other and actually stand to be within the same room without tearing each other apart. But I knew I should at least wait until tomorrow.

Right now, I was enjoying this peaceful moment with my family. A moment that I really needed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~THIRD PERSON POV*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next morning everyone woke up early and Rick kept his word as he packed up and headed out on a run with Michonne and Carl. Though the real reason he wanted to bring the woman along with them was because he simply didn't trust her to be at the prison with everyone else. He would've much rather her come with the two of them so he could keep an eye on her, see how well she would do with scavenging, how well she could watch their backs. How well she could potentially fit in with the rest given some time.

But with that, they gathered their things and all hopped in a car and took off down the gravel road, hoping to find the weapons and ammo they so desperately needed. With how low they were running recently, they would need everything they could get in order to make it through this sudden reality.

Silence fell over the prison as everyone kept to themselves for most of the day it seemed like. All of them just did their own thing, but still helping out in some way. Someone would watch Judith, two or three people at a time would keep watch, and some others would help with making food or doing a weapon check.

Daryl was currently keeping watch in the silence, and that alone gave him some time to think. He found he was slightly stressed even though he would never admit it out loud. Rick leaving him and Rose in charge of the whole group made him feel uneasy for some reason, especially when they had to watch their backs twenty-four-seven now. He never really liked the idea of leading a group and was always somewhat glad Rick stepped up to fill that position because he knew he could never do it himself. It was truly too much responsibility, and worry filled him at the thought of something happening while he was out.

But he quickly reminded himself that it was just for the day, and that he had Rose looking out for everyone too. He wasn't in this alone; he never was. It was something he was still getting used to.

His mind then began to wander to the conversation him and Rose shared last night, mindlessly glancing over to the spot they sat. It hurt him to see how worried she was about everything, even though she had a very good reason to be. Worrying about everyone else around her as well as him.

Though he didn't think she quite understood just how much he cared about her. Yes, she knew, but did she actually understand? It was like ever since he laid eyes on her, he felt the sudden urge to protect her. No matter what it was. He would protect her from the whole goddamn world if it were possible, wanting to shield her from anything that could hurt her.

Though these feelings of overprotectiveness confused him in the beginning of it all, not wanting to get attached, he found he still did with just a snap of her finger. But he wouldn't want it any other way.

The man truly meant it when he thought she brought out the best in him, because it was nothing but the truth. It was like he became this whole entirely new person when he was around her. He was soft and kind instead of cold and distant like he used to be. But he soon realized he wanted to be a better person for her. It now all made sense on why he was feeling these different things for her, even in the beginning. He was so in love with her, but his heart knew it before his head could even comprehend it.

Though now that he was thinking about it, his face scrunched up a little as he wondered what she was doing right now. He had gotten up earlier than she did and slipped out of their cell quietly so she could sleep a little longer, and he's been outside ever since.

"Hey Daryl!" he heard a voice suddenly call.

He turned around to see Maggie standing there with one hand blocking the sun from her eyes, "I can take over if you want to relax a bit?" she suggested.

He nodded his head, "Thanks." he said before switching places with her, turning to head back into the prison and out of the baking sun.

When he made it over to pull open the heavy door, making his way into the common room, he stopped dead in his tracks with furrowed brows as he almost didn't believe what he was seeing. Merle was sitting down at one of the tables with Rose placed right across from him, playing cards together peacefully. He stood back for a moment in complete silence, watching them with a small smile on his face and his arms crossed over his chest as he was almost curious to see the interaction.

Rose sighed in defeat as she glanced up, "Alright what do you got?" she asked the man.

Merle gestured out to her, "Please, lady's first."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, laying down her cards that clearly weren't a very good pair. Daryl couldn't really tell what they were from where he was standing, but just by seeing the look on Merle's face, she had clearly lost terribly.

Merle started to chuckle, placing his cards down flat on the table right after her, "Ace of spades little lady." he bragged.

"How?" Rose questioned, with shock clear in her voice.

He shrugged, "Years of practice. Give up yet?" he asked while gathering the entire deck in his hands.

"No...I'll win one game, I can feel it." she said oh so confidently with a smug smile.

Merle chuckled at the girl before taking a brief moment to really look at her. There was no denying that there was something about her that drew him in. Though not in any romantic way, he couldn't really pinpoint what it was. She radiated a very good energy that he desperately needed, and he couldn't help but wonder if that was part of the reason Daryl was with her.

She made him somehow feel warmer inside even though he hardly knew her at all. It was a little concerning to him considering Merle didn't really care much for anyone, but as he spent more time with her, the man grew to care the smallest bit for Rose. But he would rather die than say it out loud of course.

He then snapped out of his thoughts and started to shuffle the cards expertly on the table, "Alright suit yourself. But just know this will end with me winning the twelfth game in a row." he spoke cockily.

"Well, it's a good thing we aren't betting on anything then, isn't it?" she questioned with a tilt of her head.

He chuckled quietly to himself as he started to pass out the cards. "Careful, he cheats like there's no tomorrow." Daryl's voice suddenly spoke from the entrance.

Their heads turned towards the right as they looked at him and Rose instantly smiled, "Hey, where have you been?"

"Been out on watch for a few hours," he muttered as he moved across the space to take a seat next to her, "What're ya playin?"

"Playin rummy, and your girl here hasn't won a single game." Merle stated.

Rose placed a hand over her chest in mock offense, "Wow, you know in my defense it's been a while since I've played, okay? No need to get cocky."

The brothers chuckled quietly, while Daryl then spotted some soup Rose had been eating right beside her, reaching his arm around to take a spoonful into his mouth. Rose never took her eyes off of the cards she was dealt, but she wordlessly pushed the bowl closer to him so he could have as much as he wanted. Daryl mumbled a quiet "thank you."before taking another huge bite into his mouth, while Merle looked at them with a scrunched up face.

"Y'all make me sick." he said.

"Shut up." Daryl muttered as Rose peered over her cards to send him a glare.

He chuckled to himself before perking up a bit to watch the two closely. He didn't know if he liked the idea of his baby brother being in a relationship let alone watching it unfold in front of him. He thought relationships were a waste of time and always ended badly, at least they always did for him. But what Merle really couldn't wrap his head around, was how Daryl was able to get her in the first place.

He knew how awkward his brother was around women, so when he saw their interaction as they tearfully parted ways just days prior, he was truly shocked. Daryl was never good with women and had never really been in a serious relationship before, so Merle thought that they wouldn't last long at all.

But as he watched Daryl help her put her cards in place, seeing her laugh quietly about whatever he was whispering in her ear, a thought crossed his mind that maybe they would be okay.

"Put that one down." he muttered to her as he ate another bite.

She glanced at the card before raisin an eyebrow toward him, "Isn't this kind of cheating?" she asked.

"Nah." he shrugged, watching her place down the card anyway.

After a few more long rounds, Rose was finally successful as she had won a game all by herself and feeling quite proud about it too. The Dixon brothers were amused at how happy she was, clapping her hands excitedly with a wide smile on her face. And although Daryl would never admit it, he liked seeing his brother and his girl get along. He didn't want them to get too close however because he knew deep down that his brother wasn't the best person, but he still wanted them to get somewhat comfortable around one another considering the man was still his family.

Rose then got up from her seat after the last game came to an end, "Alright, I'm going to stretch my legs, do you know who's on watch?" she asked Daryl.

"Maggie took over for me, but I dunno if she's still out there." he informed.

She just nodded and headed out for some fresh air, practically skipping out of the prison to talk to Maggie about her fantastic win against Merle.

Daryl watched her walk all the way outside, before turning back to his brother and raised an eyebrow at him in suspicion, "Ya let her win." he said.

Merle only shrugged, "Don't know what you're talkin about."

His eyes narrowed for a moment as he saw right through his lie, but said nothing as he nodded in response, before dealing the cards again to play a round with him. Though he couldn't stop the knowing smirk from forming on his face as he thought about how his brother was becoming a little soft for the girl he loved so deeply.

Rose made her way outside and went up to where Maggie usually was when she kept watch but she scrunched up her face slightly when she wasn't there. Her eyes then panned around before her face fell slightly at the person she saw standing on the other side instead. It was Glenn, and by the looks of it he hadn't seen her walk out yet.

She didn't want to be in this constant fight with him anymore, but at the same time didn't know if he would be willing to talk to her, and she didn't want to get him all riled up again. She then just decided to look out at all of the walkers surrounding the fence, avoiding looking in his direction as she got some sunlight on her skin. This all felt so stupid, fighting constantly about pretty much nothing when the both of them knew they should be cherishing these moments instead.

Ever since the first few incidents with The Governor, the reality check being thrown in their faces, they shouldn't take anything for granted. Not anymore.

"Hey." his voice suddenly spoke from next to her, nearly restarting her heart.

She jumped slightly at his sudden presence as she didn't even hear him walk up to her, "Jesus...Christ." she enunciated as she held her chest, feeling her heart pound beneath her palm.

He laughed lightly, "I-...sorry." he spoke a bit sheepishly.

"It's okay." she reassured.

The two seemed to stand in awkward silence for a few long and lingering moments, before Glenn tried to keep the conversation going, "So...what are you doing out here?"

"Oh, I just...needed some fresh air. I felt like I was inside for too long..." she trailed off.

There was another silence and it was clear neither one of them knew what to say. Glenn for one wanted to apologize for being such a dick to her recently, he wanted to explain that it wasn't her, and it was just because he was angry about everything that had been happening around them. One thing on top of another. He truly missed her a lot, catching himself a number times the past couple of days trying to look for her to tell her something. But then remembering that they weren't really speaking.

Rose on the other hand, just wanted to talk to him like normal again, whether he apologized or not. She understood in the back of her mind why he had been acting this way, and it wasn't his fault. He had every right to be angry about the situation and what The Governor did to both him and Maggie. She just wanted her best friend back.

The two of them then both inhaled suddenly as if they were going to speak at the same time, laughing quietly to themselves as they seemed to be thinking the same thing.

Rose gestured to him, "You first."

His eyes softened as he glanced towards her, "Rose I...I just want to say I'm sorry. I've been such an asshole to you recently and you haven't even done anything wrong. I'm just- just so angry at like... everything. And I just want this to be over- The Governor I mean, and the things I've said to you recently...I didn't mean any of it. I'm just sorry. You think you could...forgive me?"

She didn't say anything as he finished speaking, only bringing him in for a tight hug almost instantly. He was shocked at first at the quickness of her actions, but then wrapped his arms around her with a growing smile on his face. A wave of relief washed over him, knowing she wasn't upset anymore and wanted to be done fighting just as much as he did.

"I'm sorry too." she spoke gently as she pulled away, "I'm pretty sure I've said some fucked up things to you too and you didn't deserve that. I just miss you."

"I miss you too." he expressed, "God, you have no idea how hard it was to not talk to you, I have so much to tell you." he said.

She laughed lightly at his excitement, "Well, tell me everything."

He smiled brightly, "Okay, okay, so there has been one good thing that's been happening in the midst of all this bullshit..." he stated before pausing for some dramatic effect, "...I'm going to ask Maggie to marry me."

Her eyes widened and a huge grin was plastered on her face, "Oh my God!" she pushed his shoulder lightly, "Oh, that's so great, I'm so happy for you!"

"Do you think she'll say yes?" he asked sheepishly.

She scoffed, "Are you kidding me, you guys are so in love it makes me want to vomit. And that's coming from me." she gestured.

He laughed at her words before reaching down and fishing through in his pocket for a moment or two, pulling out the ring he had seconds later to show her. She gazed down to look at it and her smile got even wider if that were possible, watching it glisten in the sunlight.

"Wow this is so crazy. You're proposing." Rose almost squealed.

"I know." Glenn squealed back and took her hands in his as they jumped up and down a few times from their excitement, laughing loudly together as they did so.

They then spent the next few hours together on watch, talking constantly the entire time. There was never a dull moment as they sat out there together, not once. Both of them felt utterly relieved to have each other again, especially when they didn't really know what the future looked like for them. The two hoped that everything would work out, but nothing is guaranteed these days. All they knew right now however, is that they had each other again.

~ Thanks for reading!

[darklinaforever]

“Sarah J Mass continues the trend where abusive relationships are portrayed as completely acceptable.”

Um... Feysand is abusive ? Is Elriel abusive ? Nessian is abusive ? Rowaelin is abusive ? Manorian is abusive ? I... WTF ?!

Apparently, from what I know, people are saying that Feysand is abusive starting in book 4, when... no ? Yes, it sucks that Rhysand hid the pregnancy problem from Feyre, but you know what stress can do to an already stressed pregnant woman ? A miscarriage. And clearly, even if Rhysand wasn't perfect on this one, the risk and fear it provoked in him made sense. Making a mistake in a healthy relationship isn't the end of the world, especially with such a complicated situation, essentially dead end. The purpose of this plot specifically being Nesta's rescue for her relationship with Feyre. Maybe SJM didn't handle the scenario very well, but that's okay in itself. Especially since Rhysand planned to talk to Feyre about it at one point or another. He wasn't planning on hiding it from her until the birth or never telling her ! What would have really been toxic is... oh I don't know, absolutely wanting to risk having your son at the risk of Feyre's life and the baby no matter what by hiding it from her ?! (And let me have a doubt, but Rhysand's life was just as threatened as Feyre... If one dies, so does the other. No ?!) Also, it's a fantasy universe... I mean, a mistake in a couple of two immortal Fae essentially caused by the fear of the death of your partner and your baby... Uh, I think we can forgive, right ? This is nothing compared to the whole relationship Feyre had with Tamlin !

I've literally seen people say that if Feyre had died at the end of the book, it would have confirmed that Rhysand was toxic / abusif, but in what way ? I remind you that Feyre knew about it at that time and that no matter if she would have known from the start, there was no solution for Feyre's case ! It was literally a no-win situation ! Rhysand would have been abusive of what ? For getting her pregnant ? Knowing that Feyre wanted this baby and was the one who decided to have one ? Also, these people were even talking about the fact that Rhysand would probably have blamed himself for Feyre's death but believed that he had done the moral and right thing... Like WTF ? Did these people even forget that Rhysand would have died with Feyre if she was fucking dead ?! They don't even make the effort to pretend they know what they're talking about ! Seriously, the reasoning of the antis is slammed to the ground.

Rhysand essentially wanted to avoid any risk of unnecessary stress to Feyre (because once again it's fucking dangerous) in the sense that he hoped to find a solution to save her before telling her about the problem. And then, even if he didn't tell her right away after understanding that no, there was no solution, I would like to see you there telling the love of your life that she is inevitably going to die during delivery with the baby, when she was so happy and impatient to have this child and start this new chapter of your life together ?!

Oh, and apparently the protective shield was toxic... You know, that same shield, brought in with the new threat emanating from the mortal queens, Beron's schemes and fucking Koshei... (Knowing that Rhys literally said in book 2 that he would be terrified to see his soulmate pregnant while they were surrounded by enemies, and the idea of ​​what he would be capable of doing if Feyre was expecting a child and that she was threatened or harmed. Well I don't even see how this shield thing would shock the reader or be out of character for Rhysand...) This same protective shield that Feyre accepted despite gently making fun of it with Cassian, and that Rhysand then lowered so that she could be in contact with their family members whenever they wanted and / or whenever the moment presented itself once they were able to fully master it. So basically she could still touch her family / people she wanted... (Especially since Feyre may have a shield on her, but she is not kept locked up. She is free to go out and do what she wants. At one point, Feyre even says that she should accompany Nesta, Casian and Azriel into danger, after Rhysand says the same thing, then Rhysand corrects it by saying that they should accompany them both. Not that she shouldn't go. He's not fucking controlling her !) The real toxicity would have been keeping the shield on under all circumstances despite the conversation Feyre and Cassian had about it the first time he was addressed.

[dre6ming]

TDBR - the Oscars

TDBR series

Masterlist

TDBR imagines Masterlist - short stories

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To be added to my tag list click HERE

Pairing: Austin Butler x singer/ actress fem reader

Warning: fluff

Plot: after Austin wins his award you bump into his ex girlfriend into the Oscars bathroom.

Word count: 2000

Disclaimer: everything fake, no shade no nothing, just respect for all parties and remember this is all FICTIONAL

"Baby, I'll just go to the bathroom ok? I'll find you after?" I whisper to Austin who turns his head to smile at me. "Sure honey, you feeling ok?" He asks, his attention, that was previously directed at the lady engraving his name on the golden statue, now fully directed to me. "Yes, I just need to use the toilet." I explain, caressing his shoulder, giving his bicep a reassuring squeeze. "Ok, be careful!" I see him lean down to kiss me, but we are still not public so I take it upon myself to dodge the kiss. "Sorry." He mumbles, looking apologetic. "That's ok, see you soon!" I wave at him before turning around on my heels and finding my way to the bathroom.

I've got to admit it's pretty crazy, even now after all the success I've had in my career, to see myself surrounded by all these people I looked up to. I look to my right and there is Jamie Lee Curtis talking to Robert De Niro, so I have to stop for a second to just gawk at them. But only for a second, cause I don't want to be caught being a weird fangirl. As I keep walking trying to redeem myself, I bump into Pedro Pascal on the way. He and I are going to be starring in a new HBO series called "The last of us". We already filmed a couple of scenes but he and I have yet to be on set together. "Pedro, hi how are you?" He smiles at me. "I'm good good, you were incredible up there, looking fantastic. A big slay I'd say!" I can't help but laugh a bit too hard, resulting in a funny sound to come out of my nose. "Oh my, Ped, that's that's exactly right." I giggle wiping some tears from the corners of my eyes. "Listen I was on my way to the bathroom, so excuse me. Oh I almost forgot are you coming to Baz's after party? I think I send you the invite didn't I?" I ask. "Yes yes of course I'm coming, gotta watch out for my little girl." Pedro jokes, making us laugh at how serious he's taken to the role of the father figure for my character. "Ok dad." I scream running past him laughing. At this rate I'm collecting fathers like they're infinity stones.

The bathroom is not as full as I expected, that's mostly because all the big categories have been announced by now and a lot of people left for the after parties already. It's a bit tricky getting to do what I need to do in the long dark blue sequence dress, but I manage. I take a good look at myself in the mirror as I'm washing my hands, taking note that a bit of my mascara smudged, so I use a clean tissue paper to wipe that off.

"Excuse me?" A voice calls out as I'm concentrating on getting the mascara situation under control. I toss the tissue in the trash and turn around to see who was call me. I'm stunned the second I'm face to face with the person who just spoke. "(Y/n), oh my goodness I thought that was you, who else would wear a huge navy sequence dress." I can't believe my eyes, Vanessa Hudgens is standing in front of me, looking gorgeous in her black skin fitted dress. "Oh, um hi!" I put my hand out to shake, but she surprises me by pulling me into a tight hug. "You look so beautiful tonight by the way, I wanted to get to talk to you on the carpet, but you were caught up with other interviewers. I didn't want to crowd you." To be honest I avoided her on the carpet on purpose, sure my relationship with Austin isn't yet confirmed to the public and all, but the rumors are there and I'm sure she's seen most if not all of them. "Oh yeah, I was pretty crowded. It's a bummer I didn't get to talk to you, you always give such great interviews." I say, meaning every word, because in truth she is amazing at interviewing people and to not admit that would be a blasphemy. I wasn't avoiding her because I have something against her, in fact I'm actually a big admirer of hers. Austin told how things went down between them and I trust him, from his side nothing bad went down, but there was heartbreak and hurt so I can only imagine that for her it was at least as painful as it was for him, if not worse.

"That's ok, I'm sure we'll get to do it for another carpet, maybe at the Met this year if you're going." She's so sweet. "I think I am, it really depends on how my filming schedule goes."

"Oh hell yeah I saw you and Pedro Pascal got cast for that HBO series, congrats." I blush at all the compliments she's directing my way, toying with the necklace around my neck. "Vanessa, I-" the words just don't seem to come out of my mouth, because frankly I don't even know what I want to say. She seems to understand that I'm having a hard time communicating what I want to say and her features soften as her big smile comes a soft smirk. "Listen, I've seen the rumors, I don't hold it against you or him, if they are true. He was an amazing boyfriend and well maybe we both could've done better to stay together, but I don't think it was meant to be." I can see she speaks from the heart. "I just, I know his side of things, he only has good things to say about you, but.."

"Honey if the one thing holding you back is me, I want you to know you have my full support. Austin deserves to be happy, doesn't matter who it's the one taking care of that as long as he's happy." I'm surprised to say the least, but I think coming off of what Austin told me about her, I expected this kind of reaction from her. "That's so nice of you to say, I just-" she shushes me when the door opens and someone comes in. "Let's go out." She motions her head towards the door, looping her arm around mine and leading me out. "Thank you!" I whisper to her.

"So I need you to know there's no bad blood." She tells me truthfully. "I believe you, but with everything going on I just, I'm scared of people finding out and I don't know how much longer we can keep it under wraps, I mean you saw him." Vanessa seems to understand exactly what I mean. "Longing stares and tight hugs. Oh we've all seen him, you are clearly the better one at hiding all this." I laugh nervously, wondering just how bad Austin is making things look from an outside perspective. "It's not too bad." She chimes in, probably reading my thoughts. "Eh I can try and fool myself, but... in the end we will make it public so there's no more speculations, but we don't want that to overshadow our careers, so we wanted for award season to be over." I explain one of the reasons we're being so private. "I get that. Oh and here comes lover boy." She says looking over my shoulder and before I can turn my neck to look behind me, a hand settles on my hip. "Hey Nessa, what's up?" Austin says, pulling me closer to him.

Vanessa notices the small gesture, throwing me a knowing look. "Nothing much, just talking to (y/n). Congratulations by the way, it was well deserved!" She says, gesturing to the award he's holding in his other hand. "Did they engrave it?" I ask, looking down at it. "Yes, look how cool it looks." Austin says excitedly, holding it up for me to read. "Did they spell your name wrong?" I ask faking concern. "What?" He panics immediately taking a closer look at the award. I can't help but burst out laughing at him. "You little minx!" He teases kissing my cheek, before I get the chance to dodge it this time. "Austin!" I warn looking around worried someone might've noticed. "Sorry." He says quietly.

"Don't be, you look cute together. You actually seem very happy Aus, I'm glad for you. I have to get going now, but I wish you both the best. Have a good one!" She says. "Thank V, you look happy too, I saw you were engaged, how's that?" Austin asks her. His question makes me look down at her left hand, where there is in fact a big beautiful diamond ring. "He makes me happy. I'm glad we both got to be in love again. It suits you." Her words make me wonder how can she see that he's in love with me. I look at his face and don't see anything that could scream 'I'm in love', but like on cue he feels me looking at him, so he turns his head to me. That's when I see it, that glimmer in his eyes, the one that not only screams 'I'm in love' but also it projects it out into the world. "Yeah I think it does. She's the one thing that got me through this whole thing. I have you to thank for all of this, so thank you!" Austin tells her and I can see his words touched her.

"You're welcome Austin, send me an invite to the wedding." Vanessa says, giving him a quick hug and disappearing into the crowd. Wedding? His wedding? With me? She couldn't have meant that? Right? "What's wrong? Did she say anything?" Austin looks over my face and I catch myself in his eyes, looking terrified. "Oh no, no, she was actually really sweet." I avert my eyes from him, this way preventing him from looking straight into my soul as he usually does. "Then..? Oh was it the wedding comment?" Austin catches on either way. I blush deeply and try to shake my head, but there's no point in denying. "Honey she meant that as a joke, ok? I'm not proposing. Not now at least."

Not now, so he's thought about this. "Not now?" The words come out of my mouth before I can stop them. "I mean, maybe sometime in the future." Austin clarifies licking his lips anxiously. "Not the near future.." he keeps going hoping to calm me. "(Y/n) I know it’s too soon, but I can't lie and say that I haven't thought about marrying you, ok? I have and I know we are not ready yet."

"Yet? Ok but how will you know when I'm ready? Cause you might be ready faster than I am, since your older and I don't expect you to wait for me." Austin chuckles, brushing back his hair. "Honey, I would wait for you a thousand years and then a thousand more. And if you never want to get married, that's fine too. Now what do you say we go home and change to go to Baz's party?" Austin caresses my cheek, smiling softly at me. "Ok." I sigh, holding my dress up and walking towards the exit where Matt waits for us to drive us back to Austin's place so we could get changed for the after party.

"Can you believe I won this?" Austin asks still looking in disbelief at his award as I lean my head on his shoulder, looking down at the golden prize in his hand. "I can." I say, kissing his neck, feeling his hot skin against my red lips. "Now you're mine." I giggle as I lick my thumb to help clean off the red lip stain. "No, leave it." He says taking my hand and holding my knuckles. "Ok my winner! I love you!" I close my eyes and relax next to him. "I love you too!" Austin tells me kissing the top of my head, letting me lean on him.

Tags: @galaxygirl453 @rainydayz101 @samaraannhan20 @marlowmode @myradiaz @areuirish @micaelainthe60s @homebodybirkin2003 @pennyroyalcreep @purejasmine  @strokesofstokes @lanasfloridakiloss @denised916 @kibumslatina @macey234 @melodixs-blog @shantellescrivener @chewiethecatus @guacala @fangirl125reader @father-of-2cats @lucid315 @melodixs-blog @ilovehobi101 @richardslady121 @jensmithin @julie181 @chrisevansgirl34 @ranaissingle @onecrazydirectioner @maria-1287 @austinbutlerssimp @kingdomforapony @acoolnight @tarot-sybarite @goldenmarygio @frozenhuntress67 @anonyboo63478338 @littlewhiterose @thefallofthedamned @1eminicookie @rose-deathman @iheqrtaustin @desitravelsblog @prompted-wordsmith @austinsvlrslut @crystallizedth0t @hertvgirl @peanutbutterinacup @austinswhitewolf

[still-a-morosexual-help]

I CAN'T

That's was really good chapter, really good

I can feel that MC was really triggered when Belphie go for attack, body remember everything...

Also, I started to love Asmo, I mean I always love all of them, but no, Asmo plus one favorite, favorite trio😭😭😭😭

THEY'RE DIDN'T HESITATE AND BELIEVE MC, I JUST CAN'T

Sol Is awesome and I'm so glad to be here with him, I always loved him, but I didn't get enough of him, so yeah, win not only for Mammon stan, but for Sol stan, my two precious white haired grandpa

Sol is so protective of MC

That line was so powerful, where he was be like, and you think that I'm not angry? 🤗

I want to know what happened to him, I HOPE WE'LL KNOW, I need more lore, bc he was almost dead and Barb helped him, what the fuck happened between them >_<

Also, fuck you Belphie, NOT HIM TALKING ABOUT HONESTY LOL still my little meow meow

But I really interested...how Beel and Satan would react on that. Want to believe that Satan on our side. I mean, humans didn't get him, pls he's my favorite too....

13 IS MY WIFE AAAHHHHHH

she was so sweet and liked our soul, awwww

And I really feel bad for MC, I love angst for my girl, but... It's hurt. Your family doesn't know you, some of them want to kill you, and you can't make yourself to hurt them because of love, but also cant tell them that you know them and you're family :(

They may be strong in every aspect, but still.

Lucifer is not angry, but more feel betrayed and hurt, I think that's the case :(

Pls let MC get some rest, bc I'm worried bc of that promise 🙂

Also that moment with choosing side...was interesting. I love how Sol so protective of own people and how he wanted to be powerful, now everything makes sense. But a little sad, that it doesn't seem that MC with him on this. MC not attached to the own world, sometimes I feel like that they're doesn't have a place in the world bc they're not exactly human, not demon and not angel, really interesting moment

And have a good day!

Yes!! Yes! Everything you said! You basically summarised all my thoughts!

The Asmo-Levi-Mammon-MC friend group is so wholesome!!!??? I love that the three of them believed MC no questions asked! And Levi, in Nightbringer, before he gets more used to being a demon is so shy??? I want to squeeze him. And Asmo's so sweet!????? They can be mean, obviously, but it's nowhere near what they are like as fully fledged demons

The Solomon backstory and his relationship with both Thirteen & Barbatos was so good! Also Candy!! I'm so glad we got to find out more about her too

Thirteen & Solomon technically being roommates? The fact that Thirteen actually really cares about Solomon!? I'm😭 That Barbatos really cares about him as well🥺

Oh! Oh! Yes Solomon saying the you think I'm not angry line while just 😊 smiling was amazing. Man was fucking livid

He cares about MC so much, and he cares about humanity so much that if it comes to it he would fight viciously against people he has come to consider his friends and he expects MC to be the same. Because Solomon's been without a human friend/companion for so long and he finally found someone like him and he expected them to hold the same views and ideals as him because of course when you ask a human to choose between humanity and demons they'll choose humanity no matter what bond they have with the demons right!? Except MC went haha actually.....lol and then gave the grimoire to Lucifer with 0 hesitation and then promised to protect them & bring happiness to them in a place they were told not to make promises (my bet is it'll make their promise binding and they knew that too right!? Because they spoke about not making promises there twice with Thirteen. and if that's the case that means they knowingly made a binding promise meaning if it comes down to it if there's a war they'll never be on humanity's side) God, Solomon must be devastated

Also the fact that Nightbringer was right about what MC will choose!?

Satan might actually just not pick a side? Like he wouldn't be bothered to go out of his way to help MC the way the other three did, but at the same time if it meant going against Lucifer......

Beel, I'm not sure. Because as of rn MC hasn't had a big bonding moment with Beel and it's just been 1yr since they lost Lilith. He may not hate humans the way Belphie does but I feel like he'll take Belphie's side, the same way he did in that Devilgram where Belphie protested the exchange program

Lucifer was definitely hurt and scared and covering it up with anger

And yeah I get the same feeling that general MC doesn't really have anything in the human world. It's kinda been hinted at in the previous seasons as well and nightbringer might as well have confirmed it during the last lesson

In conclusion,

Let MC take a fucking nap

[starsurface]

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Regressor Reiko w/ CG Rain (Fic)

Rain was very glad that Mileena had given him a second chance. Even after his . . . accident with Havik, she had granted him mercy. Something he desperately tried to show her was a good idea. Put on close watch sure, but granted his spot back as their high sorcerer.

Reiko . . . was not too keen on the whole second chance thing.

It was weakness, granting mercy for an enemy. Letting an enemy that hates them and wished them dead in their own home? It made no sense! Shao, if he were here, would never allow this. Then again, Kitana was the General now. And Reiko was now her Lieutenant. A second in command who refused to listen . . . Unless her plan was . . decent enough. Which, unfortunately, was surprisingly more often than not.

"I can't believe they gave us a second chance!" Reiko complained as he burst into Rain's room, causing the guards at Rain's door to roll their eyes as he passed by. "It is humiliating, Rain!"

"Hello to you too, Reiko," Rain greeted, pausing his reading. "And for your information, I am quite glad they gave us a second chance."

"It is humiliating, Rain!" Reiko whined, stomping his foot. "How can you be okay with this?"

"You're stomping your foot again," Rain pointed out, returning to his book. "Are you feeling small, Reiko?"

Reiko whined again, stomping his foot. He hated being easy to read, especially from Rain. The supposed half-god and he were good friends, childhood friends at that. Both were taken in by the royal house at a young age.

"No," Reiko grumbled, walking over to Rain's bed, where the demi god was laying at. "Just thought you could use company instead of your stupid reading . . . What are you reading anyhow?"

"Book of Magic," Rain explained, showing Reiko the book. He could tell that Reiko wasn't fully regressed. He most likely began to feel small and rushed to Rain, as he usually did.

"Lots of words," Reiko grumbled, snatching the book from him. "Looks boring."

"Hey!" Rain said, going to snatch the book. Reiko giggled and stretched his hand out further. "Give that back Reiko! You're going to destroy it!"

"Will not!" Reiko complained as Rain snatched the book from him. "Hey!"

"Will too! Plus, Tanya got it for me," Rain said, getting off his bed and heading towards his bookshelf, putting his book back in it. Reiko began to get off the bed too- "Don't try it, it took forever to reorganize the last time you tried looking for a . . . picture book."

"Or Warrior Cats?" Reiko asked

"No, haven't gotten that either," Rain rolled his eyes. "I can't believe the first time you've ever been interested in my library, you wish for a children's series. I guess it makes sense, with your current headspace-"

"Raiden recommended it!" Reiko tried to defend himself. "And I not small."

"Oh so now we're taking book recommendations from the people who kicked your a- I mean, your bum," Rain teased him, receiving a glare from Reiko.

"I could take him again!" Reiko cheered, grabbing Rain's pillow and punching it. "And dis time I'd win!"

"Don't punch my pillows!" Rain complained, walking over and snatching it. Reiko huffed, rolling over and onto the floor. "Really Reiko?"

"There's nuffing to do!" Reiko complained, hiding his face in his hands. "Nuffing fun at all!"

Rain didn't like play fighting or telling outlandish stories, things Reiko liked while small. When Rain was small, he liked to be read to or go outside and make Tanya catch frogs for him. Reiko didn't complain while watching him . . . Okay, sometimes he did. But he always meant well!

Reiko had obviously come to him while small and wanting attention. Feeling more playful than usual. Rain still remembers when Reiko only came to him when he negatively regressed. Where Reiko would cuddle up to him and Rain would read Nursery Rhymes while the boy tried not to sob into his arms.

"Oh, come here," Rain sat on the edge of his bed. Reiko looked at him confused before sitting beside him. "What kind of shape do you want?"

Reiko looked confused until Rain raised his hands, forming water that flowed around them. Reiko loved this game! Rain hated using his powers for 'silly reasons', but sometimes he'd make fun shapes or let water run on Reiko's skin.

"Sphere!" Reiko decided, patting his lap excitedly.

"Alright," Rain smiled, forming the flow of water into a sphere, holding it for Reiko to see.

"Pretty!" Reiko gasped, putting his hand into the sphere, giggling as his hand got wet. He immediately tried to touch Rain's face, which Rain gently pushed his hand away. Much to the boy's dismay. He would have complained, but he'd have to splash Rain's face with water later. "Do a star!"

"Can I hear a please?" Rain smirked.

". . . Now," Reiko grumbled, crossing his arms.

"That's not even close," Rain said, but formed the sphere of water into multiple tiny stars.

Reiko gasped and tried to grab one. Whining and pouting to Rain when his hand went through it. Rain rolled his eyes and formed some of the starts into a fish.

It swam towards Reiko, kissing his nose and splashing water onto Reiko's face as the shape disappeared. Reiko laughed and clapped his hands.

"Again Rain!" Reiko demanded, tugging on Rain's shirt.

Rain eyed him.

". . . Please?" Reiko quietly added.

"Why of course," Rain agreed. "What nice manner you have, Reiko."

"Shush it!" Reiko pouted.

He went to lightly hit Rain, even though he knew it was naughty of him.

Although his anger quickly disappeared as another fish reappeared. Rain smiled at Reiko's easily distracted attention. It was easy to watch him . . . Fun even. He would have to schedule more little times with him again. . . Maybe they could even invite Havik. . Maybe.

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

I wrote this before I knew Rain was just a sorcerer in MK1, that's why it mentions to him being half god!

[pessimisticpigeonsworld]

Sansa Following Cersei Will Not Make Her Queen

I'm sure a lot of people have seen how stansas like posting about how Sansa will become queen because she learned from Cersei. Example below. I'm going to talk about why that doesn't make sense in both the show and the book.

Example:

First off, the obvious: Cersei is not a good ruler. In the show, she is a tyrant (except in season 8 where everyone is just fine with her for some reason). She blows up Baelor's Sept to get rid her political rival, she doesn't care about the smallfolk or even lesser nobles, and she gets rid of anyone who criticizes her. How exactly is she a good role model?

You could say: "Oh she's doing the opposite!" Is she? In the show, she almost gets Jon killed in the Battle of the Bastards (and looks very disappointed when she sees he's alive) and helps cause Rickon's death by hiding the truth about the Vale Knights. Jon and Rickon are her political rivals and she is directly involved with what happens to them by deliberately hiding information, which she had no good reason to hide btw. Her undermining of Jon continues is season 7, where, when Jon is gone trying to get allies to save the fucking world, she encourages the Northern lords to literally speak treason by saying they should've chosen her over Jon. She also for some reason doesn't take into account the fact that Jon is planning on bringing back a giant army when she's making food storage plans. Why not? Is she hoping Jon will fail? Either way this follows show!Cersei's shortsightedness.

We have further proof of her being like Cersei when Daenerys arrives at WF. D&D have literally confirmed part of the reason Sansa didn't like Dany was because she's pretty. Putting aside how sexist that is, that kind of pettiness is not something you want in a ruler. We see how it negatively affected Cersei's reign as she alienated and eventually killed her allies because of Margaery's beauty and conflicting goals. If Daenerys hadn't gone randomly insane, would Sansa have pulled a Cersei and tried to get Dany killed? Well we'll never know, but considering how quickly she betrayed Jon when it meant undermining Dany, I wouldn't put much past her.

In the same vein as the Dany jealousy, is the whole "Not one of us" mentality. Throughout the show Cersei constantly utilizes this view as support for why she doesn't trust anyone. This greatly sabotages her reign and makes her completely isolated thus furthering her mental spiral (both in the books and the show). Again, not a great thing to emulate, but show!Sansa fully embraces this rhetoric when she encounters Dany and her people (which is super xenophobic btw). If it weren't for Dany being in the North, Sansa and everyone else would be wights and the Night King would be winning. And yet, Sansa is outright hostile to Dany (where is Sansa's courtesy which is her armor?) running the risk that Dany will leave. And if what she believed about her being insane like Aerys was true, shouldn't she be worried about being fed to dragons (even though Dany wouldn't)? This is so very reminiscent of Cersei and Margaery and the ending is very much the same.

In the books, yes, Sansa has learned some valuable things from Cersei. However, she doesn't want to be like Cersei, and that's something I admire about her. Book!Sansa is not on path to be queen, and that's ok, in fact, with her role models being Cersei and fucking Littlefinger, that's a good thing.