#and now i have to suffer the consequences. and hes nice to me at least i can say that

[fooltofancy]

have finally caught up on the shoh alpha and let me just say that i am slightly desperate for someone to acknowledge how colossally fucked up and not okay this man is.

[gaybox]

ive entered the jealousy phase

[ineffablyruined]

Chekhov's Contract

Back again for Day 3 of the Nice and Accurate Prophecies event.

How Will Our Hero Cope?

Today, we let's talk about Crowley. Within the span of a few hours, Crowley has gone to Heaven and learned of another plotted End of the World, watched the closest thing he has to an archnemesis (Gabriel) run off with his demon love of a meager four years and suffer no consequences for it, and left his heart shattered on the floor of the bookshop as the love of his life chooses a job promotion over him. He's not doing great. So what is in store for Crowley in Season 3?

It's honestly hard to predict because there is just so much open space to play with. He could do anything and not one of us would be surprised.

Sleep for a century? There's precedent. Get extremely drunk for weeks on end? That's on brand. Go tit for tat and take a leadership position in Hell just to cancel out Aziraphale in Heaven? Seems unlikely, but I also wouldn't be surprised at that level of petty lashing out.

But I did find one thing. At least, I think I did.

There was, I have now convinced myself, a Chekhov's Gun in Season 2 that I haven't seen anyone talking about. (Apologies if you're out there screaming and I just haven't seen it. I did try searching!)

When Beelzebub kidnaps Crowley from the Bentley and takes him to Hell to discuss the Gabriel situation, they make an offer to Crowley that Crowley later accepts. And what is that?

Find Gabriel for me and you can have whatever your nasty little heart desires.

And what does Crowley do in Episode 6? Finds the writing on the box that tells everyone Gabriel is in the fly. He finds Gabriel for Beelzebub.

Just to emphasize that again - Crowley fulfills his side of a verbal contract forged with the Grand Duke of Hell.

He's now owed whatever his heart desires. And as we've seen, Heaven and Hell operate like businesses. Contracts must be fulfilled. (Excuse me while my little lawyer-nerd heart sings over here.)

And we also know that he's aware that Heaven has plans for Armageddon 2.0.

Where he would absolutely deserve to wallow after all the utter bullshit drama he's gone through, I don't believe that's Crowley (no matter how much fun it makes to write in fanfiction). Crowley isn't just going to sit back and watch the world burn.

In the past, when Crowley has wanted to run away, it's only ever been with Aziraphale. Sure, he threatens he's going to head to Alpha Centauri even when Actually rejects the offer, but he doesn't do it.

And now? Running away with Aziraphale isn't an option because he's gone.

Crowley has nothing left to lose. So he's going to throw his entire self into saving the world, with reckless disregard for his own safety.

And he's going to have a blank check from Hell to do it.

[loveydovey-leviathan]

"promise"

leona x gn!reader

summary: leona pushes you away because he wants you to be happy | 2k words

cw: very loosely based on the song "promise" by laufey, reader is yuu, farena uses yuu's happiness against his brother, kinda ooc, leona doesn't know how to handle his emotions or problems, he's a dick but when is he not, leona pushes you away and he doesn't communicate properly, reader chooses leona over their world, happy ending because im not one of those writers who likes to see everyone suffer /j

.

The day Leona had was too nice and the night too beautiful for him to be putting up with his perfect, always-the-first-choice, thinking-he-knew-what-was-best-for-everyone, and quite frankly just plain annoying older brother.

"What do you want?" he grumbles as soon as he answers the call, lying down on his bed.

"What, I can't call my younger brother just because?" Farena chuckles, a sound familiar to Leona but he knows him well enough to realise that he has an ulterior motive besides just checking up on him.

"You don't call unless it's to tell me something."

"Now, I know that's not true! I've called you plenty of times but-"

"Spit it out."

The voice on the huffs, but it's followed by a few seconds of silence. Leona is about to hang up before Farena finally breaks it.

"I know about your relationship with the Prefect of Ramshackle Dorm, Leona. Did you really think you could hide it from me.?

"I never hid it from you."

"Then how come you didn't tell me? It's been months!"

"I don't tell you anything."

"I know that but I thought you'd tell me this at the very least," another sigh from the King. Leona waits for him to continue because there's clearly more to this pointless conversation.

"Leona, you may not be King but you still have responsibilities to uphold."

"I knew what I was getting into when I chose ___."

"Yes, but do they know?"

"Of course, they do, they aren't stupid."

"Are you sure? And I mean absolutely sure, no doubts whatsoever and everything was made crystal clear since the beginning. I'm not talking about the stupid part, in case you were wondering."

"What are you getting at," it was more of a demand than a question.

"You're a prince, Leona! That's what I'm getting at, you can't be selfish like this!"

"Yes, I can," Leona knew he was selfish, but so many things had been taken from him purely by chance, but you chose to love him. He was your first choice and he'd love you for the rest of his life, consequences and stupid responsibilities be damned.

"I meant concerning ___. They're from another world, correct? Would you make them choose between you and the family they have back in their home?"

Leona doesn't like to think about it. The thought is shoved into the far corners of his mind, where worries as heavy as this are left to fester, waiting to attack on lonely nights. He grips his bed sheets tight.

"You should consider their happiness as well, Leona," he knows that, everything he's done was in an effort to do so– to prove to you that you weren't going to regret loving him.

"And if they do choose you, and if this relationship lasts until both of you graduate, do you think they'll be happy here with you? It's one thing to date during school, but when you leave its confines and truly become a Prince, will they still be happy with you? Royalty has always upheld a tremendous amount of responsibility, and the spouse of said royalty is expected to share that burden alongside them."

Once again, Leona doesn't answer, and Farena sighs. It's one of finality and exhaustion.

"I hope you think about what I've said tonight, Leona. Good night, and I'm always here when you need me," the call ends and the second son puts down the phone. He doesn't know how long he stays awake staring at the ceiling, but by the end of it, he clenches his fist even harder and grits his jaw. He loves you too much to be selfish.

━━━━━━━

You find Leona under his usual spot in the botanic garden. He’s as pretty as always but it’s immediately evident to you that something is wrong. His body is too tense, there are dark circles under his eyes and his tail is lashing side to side in a rapid manner. 

“Leona?” you call to him, but he doesn’t answer, though you know he’s awake. You step towards him and sit down near his head, expecting him to drag your body nearer so he can lay on your lap. He doesn’t move.

You know him much more than he thinks you do, so there isn’t a doubt in your mind when you ask “...Did your brother call?”. At that, he finally raises an eyelid and his mouth moves to form the question you’ve become used to, ‘How’d you know?’ but only a sigh leaves his lips.

Suddenly he sits up, and you notice that there’s at least a foot of distance in between you. He stares at your face for a while and the silence as you wait for him to say something stretches more than it should– something is wrong and even though he isn’t acting that weird, there’s a heavy feeling in your gut that spreads to your chest and onto your fingers, begging to hold him.

So you do. You scoot closer and entwine your hands with his. He hesitates for 1, 2, 3 seconds before squeezing back and tucking his head into the crook of your neck like all he wants to do is hide away. Gently, ever so gently, you place his head onto his usual spot on your thighs and he buries his face in your stomach. The action is tight and desperate, his body curls as though he wants to mould his very being to you. It cracks open your ribs and makes your heart bleed because when he hurts, you hurt with him.

The rest of the lunch break is quiet but he doesn’t fall asleep. And when you leave you don’t see him for days.

━━━━━━━

He senses you before he even hears your footsteps, before the warm and familiar sound of your voice fills the hallways of this school. It’s always been like that with you, he realises. He doesn’t even have to search for you– it’s like he already knows his place in the world and that’s by your side, so he just gravitates towards the one he’s given his heart to. But he makes a conscious effort to ignore the tug of his legs that instinctively wants to be near and moves away. 

He knows he should just tell you, end it all before he hurts you and the poison in his veins that tells him he’s never going to be good enough taints you as well– which you aren’t, you deserve so much more than a second no-good prince– but he’s also selfish, and he figures out that he is also a giant coward.

The voice that tells him so screams at him when he breaks his promise and goes back to you, tail between his legs and shame on his shoulders weighing him down. It always happens when he’s delirious on sleep deprivation because he can’t close his eyes without seeing you and the hurt expression you try to hide when you think no one’s looking. He tries to push you away, or rather to pull himself away– but he can’t stand the thought of you going back to life without him even though his conscious mind wants you to. 

When he first showed up at your doorstep, the betrayal and shock pummelled his soul to the earth and made his heart drop to his gut. But you didn’t say anything when he barged into your personal space and wrapped himself around you like he never left. He half-expected you to demand why he’d been so distant but all you did was hug him back so tight his heart lodged in his throat and tears welled up from the choking feeling. You took him by the hand and you both slept on the couch that night. By the next morning, he was gone without a word and the guilt felt even heavier, knowing he got your hopes up. He promised himself he wouldn’t do this again.

That night repeats days after and the cycle repeats. His visits don’t have a pattern. Sometimes, he comes after 3 days, others a week or more. By the third visit, you look tired- of him. He hates it but somehow it feels right, not in the way he likes but in the way you’re supposed to. The way you deserve to. Maybe if you hated him you wouldn’t hurt.

━━━━━━━

He’s lost count of how many times he’s visited but tonight when he sees you, you look angry, rightfully so. You’re undeservingly patient towards him. When Leona sees your face, you’re angry– furious at him. You look like you want to throw him across all your furniture in hopes that he feels the same way you feel.

“Leona–” he hates the way you say his name. It’s angry and cruel and deserved. “-- what the hell is going on? You won’t tell me what happened to make you act like this and then you ignore me for days right after–”

“Nothing’s going on,” he stubbornly grumbles. Like he’s said every time you’ve asked. Every time he says this you look increasingly frustrated because it’s obvious that he’s lying– and your eyebrows scrunch in exasperation once more.

But this time your face falls and his heart stops.

“We can’t keep doing this anymore, if you don’t tell me– then I can’t be with you.”

He doesn’t know why he’s so frazzled– this is what he’s been waiting for because he was too much of a weakling to tell you himself, why he started all of this in the first place.

But he misses you, and he’s selfish. He always has been and he doubts he’s ever going to change.

“Would you choose me?” The question makes you pause.

“Leona, I did choose you–”

“If you could go back to your world, would you still choose me?” Would you pick me first?

You’re silent then. His palms almost bleed with how hard he clenches his hands as he waits for you.

“...Yes. Yes, I would. If you tell me why you’re acting like this.” He doesn’t know if you’re telling the truth, if you’ll still tell him that if there really was a time you had to choose between him and your world. But he’s so tired, and he loves you more than the amount of stars there are in the sky.

“I got a call from Farena,” this makes you hesitantly reach for his hand. He meets you halfway and you rub your thumb over his knuckles. The action makes him want to tear up– you’re still so gentle with him after everything.

“Do you think you’ll be happy with me? When we both graduate and I have to help my brother rule, will you be happy?”

He feels your hand on his cheeks, lifting his head to look at you properly. The look in your eyes isn't angry or hurt, it’s soft and understanding. He almost forgot how it felt to be on the other side of your affections.

“I knew what I was getting into when I chose you. You’re rough around the edges but you make me happy in ways no one ever did, like no one ever could.”

He moves his arms to hug you but he stops, still not sure if he’s allowed to. You meet him halfway and he buries his face into your neck. You feel tears stain your shirt and he lets out a sigh so deep and tired it makes you smile.

“Haven’t been able to sleep without you, herbivore.”

You chuckle, “Guess you aren’t getting rid of me then.”

“...Sorry.”

“I know. I love you.”

“I love you too, more than anything.”

You hold him with enough love to break his heart all over again, and he holds you like a beast who doesn’t deserve it but will gladly take anything you give him.

[queen-haq]

Fic: Grudgingly Yours, Part 12

Grudgingly Yours, Part 12

Summary: You are a general surgeon, working in a hospital that’s slowly sucking the life out of you when one day you’re given the offer of a lifetime.

A.K.A  - An arranged marriage fic :)

Pairing: Billy Russo x You

Rating: R

Masterlist (contains links to my other stories and this one)

Chapter 12

You were seething with anger. So frustrated, you wanted to scream with rage. How dare Billy do this? How dare he fucking threaten you? And on top of that, he hurt Calvin – did he really think that would score him points? Was he really that stupid?

“Stop dragging your feet.”  Billy ordered from the other side of the room, packing your clothes into your suitcase. The entitlement in his voice was so infuriating, you picked up the closest pillow to you and threw it at him. As soon as it struck his back, he turned around. For a second he simply stared at you, and fear trickled down your spine. This was a man who kidnapped your friend and tortured him. He had you cuffed and bound a few minutes earlier. As much as you prided yourself in being strong and resourceful, he was an actual soldier, a psychopath and rich. He could kill you in a fit of rage and suffer no consequences.  

Then he smirked, his handsome face breaking into a magnetic smile while he retrieved the pillow from the ground. “If it’s a fight you’re looking for, I’ll give you one when we get home.”

His friendly demeanor did nothing to alleviate your anxiety.

Throwing the pillow back onto the bed, he turned around and continued to pack your things.

Half an hour later all of your stuff was packed into a suitcase which Billy was carrying to the elevator. “Rest of your things?” he prodded.

“Storage.”

“We can get it tomorrow.”

You didn’t respond.

The elevator ride felt distinctly uncomfortable, with Billy’s eyes on you the entire time. His gaze felt intrusive, like he was trying to crack through your brain and see every running thought inside your head. You tried ignoring him but it seemed to make no difference.

When you both reached the underground parking lot, you headed towards your car. “I’ll meet you there.”

“Nice try.” He gripped your elbow, maneuvering your body towards the guest parking spots. Once he reached the Wraith, he opened the trunk and stuffed your things inside before pulling open the passenger side door open. “Get in.”

You eyed him suspiciously. “I need my car.”

“We can pick it up tomorrow.”

The bastard had an answer for everything. Fuck him. Angrily you slid inside, wishing you could at least have the satisfaction of slamming his door shut. He closed the door and circled the car to get in. Defiantly you opened the door on your side and slammed it hard.

“Feel better?” he asked, sliding in next to you.

“Fuck off.”

There was his smirk again, goading you, but you chose to ignore it.

This was the first time you were in his car, sitting beside him while he drove. He was a smooth driver, expertly gliding his way through traffic like he did everything else. Prick.

“Where’s Calvin?” you asked.

“He’s fine.”

“You need to let him go.”

“I will,” he replied, nonchalant. “As soon as you keep your end of the deal.”

“I’m already moving back in. What else do you want?”

“A guarantee that you won’t bolt.”

“You’re the one who runs, not me,” you retaliated.

“I’m here now.”

You scoffed, shaking your head at his audacity.

 “So are you gonna co-operate?”

“I don’t have a choice, do I?”

“There’s always a choice. You’re smart enough to make the right one.”

“I wish I killed you before.” You expected him to snark back or maybe ignore your hostile words. Instead he smiled, a tender, affectionate smile that made your heart skip a beat because it caught you completely unaware.

“You’ll get lots more chances now. Promise.”

Your eyes locked with his, and for a second the world stopped. You forgot how exhilarating his attention could be, making you feel like you were the only person in the world who mattered to him. You were special, you were important, and just as quickly, he would turn on you and throw you aside. Irritated with yourself, you glanced out the window.

Minutes passed before he spoke again. “He’s a decent scammer. Not great, but good enough to fool a lot of people.”

You scowled. “What are you talking about?”

“Your buddy, Calvin. He’s ripped off a lot of people with some kind of Ponzi scheme.”

You recalled the portfolio Calvin shared with you, how the returns on investments seemed too good to be true. Fuck. Even though there was nothing to arouse your suspicions at the time, a part of you had known something was wrong. But there was no way you were going to admit that to Billy. “Yeah, sure. Whatever.”

“I had someone look into him.”

“And I’m supposed to believe you?”

“Want to see what the investigator dug up?”

“Not interested.”

He cocked his eyebrow at you. “Scared to find out the truth about fuckboy?”

“Don’t act like you were punishing him for being a swindler.”

The car came to a stop at a red light, he turned towards you. “I don’t give a fuck about that. He is where he is because he touched you. He. Touched. You. After I warned him not to. And he will pay for that. How much depends on you.”

“Don’t you dare! I’m not responsible for this, you are! You’re the fucking psychopath. You don’t get to put this on me.”

Swallowing the angry lump in your throat, you stared straight ahead. But he didn’t. You felt his eyes digging into you until a car honked from behind. That seemed to snap Billy out of his daze and he started driving again.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence, with you contemplating Billy’s murder.

***

It was strange to be back in the penthouse that had been your home for a short time. Everything looked the same yet it all felt different. Tainted. You knew you’d have to return eventually because Alistair was an asshole and would make you, but you purposely avoided thinking about living with Billy again. A part of you had hoped he’d avoid you after humiliating the way he had, but you should’ve known that wouldn’t be his way. He liked playing with your emotions, softening you up before going in for the kill, and tonight was the beginning of the same cycle. All the bullshit he spewed was intended to make you feel something for him again but he’d made a big mistake in underestimating you. Because you felt nothing for him anymore. Nothing. And that wasn’t going to change, no matter how much he tried to manipulate you or threaten you with Calvin.

The lights turned on automatically as you entered your bedroom. Anita must have cleaned it after you left, because it was perfectly pristine. As Billy brushed past you carrying your luggage, your body stiffened. Everything about him felt obtrusive and too close. He was back in your life, in your head, in your room, and now in your things as he started to unpack your luggage.

“Stop touching my stuff,” you snapped, grabbing the skirts he was holding in his hand.

“I’m trying to help.”

“I don’t need your fucking help.” You stormed over to the walk-in closet and started hanging the clothes up.

“Fine. Then I’ll go make dinner.”

“Hope you choke on it and die.”

That elicited a full-fledged chuckle from him, which agitated you more. At least you’d get some satisfaction from pissing him off but he seemed determined not to be provoked. Jackass. Over the next hour while you put away your things, your brain spun with anxiety. You didn’t do well with uncertainty. You were a problem solver and that’s how you got through life. Anticipate. Plan. Execute. Except there was no way for you to anticipate the curveball Billy threw at you. You were prepared for Alistair, but not Billy. And now you had to find a way out of this situation. Not to mention rescue Calvin too. Fuck. You needed to know details, exactly what Billy had planned and then find a way to get through it.

“Dinner’s ready.”

Hearing his voice calling from the kitchen, you made your way to the ensuite bathroom. You took your time in freshening up, washing all the make-up from your face. You stared at your reflection in the mirror, once again pondering Billy’s sick mind. Did he really expect you to play along? Was he so used to women being doormats that he honestly thought you would just roll over and give into him? It was obvious he had no idea who you were. And all signs pointed to him being exactly like his grandfather, a rich, entitled bigot who got off on controlling you. Well, fuck that.

After changing into an extra baggy lounge set that did a remarkable job of making you look dowdy, you sauntered over to the kitchen. What you found there was a complete surprise. The small table was adorned with fresh flowers, your favourite bottle of wine, and candle lights. He had also plated the pasta, which looked unbelievably good, and was already seated and waiting for you. What the fuck? Did he think the two of you were going to have a romantic meal together?

“Seriously?” Your eyes narrowed onto him, shaking your head. “This isn’t a fucking date.”

He looked unmoved by your lack of enthusiasm. “Doesn’t mean we can’t eat.” He stood up to pull your chair back. “Sit.”

“Are you asking me or ordering me?”

He cocked his eyebrow. “Does it matter?”

“You’re unfucking believable.” Refusing to give into him, you walked to the table but ignored the seat he held out for you. Instead, you took another empty seat.

He smiled, and started pouring you a glass of wine. When he tried to hand it to you, you stared back at him defiantly. “Not in the mood.”

“It’s your favourite.”

“Not anymore. You’ve ruined it.”

He smirked. “Fine. More for me then.” Deliberately making a show of enjoying the wine, he held your gaze.

“Tell me what I have to do to get Calvin away from you.”

There was that dark glint in his eyes again, the one reminding you of who Billy truly was. “Let’s have dinner first.”

“I’m not eating with you.”

“If you want to save Calvin, you will.”

You shook your head. “That’s how it’s gonna be from now on, isn’t it? You think this is how you’ll control me. You’re exactly like Alistair.”

“I’m nothing like him.” Jaw clenched, eyes darkened with anger, he moved towards you. A part of you was glad for striking him where it hurt but you didn’t like the closing distance between you two. Especially when he sat next to you.

You didn’t like his proximity, the way his body was turned to you. You were the sole focus of his attention and it made you uncomfortable, reminding you of how easily he played you in the past.

“I don’t want to control you.”

The softness in his voice was a ruse, you reminded yourself.

“That’s not what this is about,” Billy continued.

“What is it gonna take for you to let him go?”

He paused a few seconds before answering. “This. I want this. Dinner. The two of us. Every night.”

“Why? What are you hoping to get out of it?”

“I just want to have dinner with you. That’s all.”

“But it won’t stop at dinner, will it?” You sent him a bitter smile. “How long before I have to fuck you?”

“You’re the one who keeps bringing up sex.” He smirked. “Do you want to fuck me?”

“Go to hell!” His eyes wandered over your face, like he was memorizing every inch of you – and it made your heart beat faster. Immediately you chastised yourself. “How long do I have to suffer these dinners with you?”

“Three months.”

You scoffed. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

He shrugged his shoulders. Throwing one arm around the back of your chair, he leaned in. “This is what I want. Three months. After that, I’ll let him go.”

“You’re gonna hold him hostage until then?”

“Don’t worry about him. He’s being looked after.”

“I’m supposed to take your word for that? How do I know you haven’t killed him already?”

“I haven’t. But if you want proof, I can show you.”

Your face twisted with disgust. “You’re getting off on this, aren’t you?”

He didn’t respond, still peering at you closely. When his fingers slowly smoothed over the loose strand of your hair, you steeled yourself to his touch. “That’s not why I’m doing this.” There was longing in his gaze, his voice hoarse with emotion.

It was incredible how convincing he could be but you saw him for what he was – a manipulator.

You touched his hand to brush him away but the instant you made physical contact; sparks flowed through your veins. You withdrew immediately. “Then tell me why.”

A heavy sigh escaped him, he finally leaned back against his chair and you breathed a sigh of relief. “I love you. And I want you to love me back.”

The sheer audacity of his response, how he casually stated his intention – it was so flabbergasting that you couldn’t help but laugh. You laughed and laughed, while he simply studied you with a serious expression on his face. And when you struggled to catch your breath from laughing so hard, he handed you the glass of wine from earlier. This time you took it, your throat parched, and swallowed most of it in a big gulp.

“Easy there.”

You put down the glass. “You’re unbelievable.”

“You wanted the truth.”

“Oh, I know.” You gave him a condescending smile. “So I fall in love with you in this pipe dream of yours, and then what? You dump me? Humiliate me again? This time in front of dear old Gramps and the whole family?” Your smile stiffened. “Is that the plan, Billy?”

His voice was sincere, regret looming over his face. “I’m sorry about what I said to you at the wedding.”

“Nothing you said or did was a surprise. It’s what I expected from you.” It wasn’t true, he shattered you that night and made you doubt yourself – but you would never admit that to him. You stood up, casting him a snide glance. “You want me to be your puppet? Fine. I will. Because you’re holding someone I care about hostage. But don’t think for a second I’ll buy your bullshit act. I know you. I see you.” You bent forward so that you were at his height, staring into his eyes directly. “And I’ll never love you.”

Grabbing the bottle of wine, you turned your back on him and sashayed back to your room.

A/N - Sorry about the long wait, lovely readers. With the holidays and me getting into another fandom, I was a little negligent towards GY. But I'm back now :) Hope you enjoyed the chapter. And, as always, comments are loved and cherished :)

[inkybinkyboink]

"all the marauders died", "they all got murdered", "but peter betrayed everyone", "they're straight anyways"

SHUT UP.

BEACH EPISODE HEADCANONS

i've no doubt in my mind that this has already been written somewhere just in a different font but im high off of river water and algae right now so call me freddy mercury the lead singer of hit 70's band Queen because Don't Stop Me Now.

james is the one that organized it and man like lobbied for this okay

he waited MONTHS for everyone to have a day off at the same time and he took it and RAN

and lucky for him, it's the perfect day. it's a sunny, hot day in the middle of august, the clouds are simply beautiful, but it's still nice and sunny like i mean perfect

don't ask how, i don't know, but i think it would be really funny if james drove a minivan. mom drives a minivan and he picks everyone up

peter has to be shotgun because he gets mad carsick

james also tries so fucking hard to bring snacks for everyone but he forgets that sirius is allergic to nuts and half of the food he brings has nuts in it

just hear me out okay i think it would be really funny if big bad sirius black was allergic to peanuts

sirius would also be the one to dress the most unconventional for the beach and then whine about being uncomfortable the entire time.

remus and peter are certified Staying on the Beach™ boys. peter because he's scared of the sea and remus because he's still got cuts that are healing and he'd really rather not literally put salt on an open wound

sirius also burns like paper and is too stubborn to put on sunscreen

remus likes finding stones to skip, though

"i'll stay here and guard the snacks" -peter pettigrew

if there's a dock or something james is jumping off of it without hesitation

he gets into a diving competition with sirius to see who can make the biggest splash which ends when they jump into each other while diving into the water

finding seashells 🤝 remus lupin

peter would fall asleep in the sun and they would all absolutely bury him up to his neck in sand

they pester remus for bringing a fucking book to the beach

i mean this so sincerely and honestly with the most love and adoration in mind but the way james potter turns into a fucking 5 year old boy at the beach is insane

"guys watch me do a flip", "look, i can do a hand-stand in the water", "dude that wave was totally a shark fin", "do you think if i drank an entire redbull i could swim across the atlantic?", "i can totally see the coast of canada from here

james and sirius definitely have yet another competition to see who can hold their breath for longer.

on at least one occasion remus has to drag sirius out of the water because he might as well be fucking drowning and remus is the only one who has first aid training

the drive home is silent because everyone's asleep except for james who now realized it would have been way easier to just use magic transport and is now suffering the consequences of his own actions

prize for most sunburnt goes to sirius

prize for best sandcastle goes to peter

prize for most seaworthy goes to james

prize for best seashell collector goes to remus

[itsabouttimex2]

Read your villain thing, just to be clear, do you think redemption means a character had to be punished? Because you talked a lot about punishment and I think you mean that if a character isn't punished as equally as they harmed, it's not a redemption. Which I guess is a view you can take, but it's not mine at all

A punishment is literally anything that counts as a “consequence for being an evil person who hurts others for fun/power”.

The only qualification I have is that they have to happen outside of being immediate self-defense. Losing a fight doesn’t count.

They don’t have to be equal- but having characters face something as simple as generic consequences for their actions helps polish a redemption arc and make it seem more authentic- the world feels more alive and real when characters are allowed to have negative responses to those that have hurt them.

Here’s a few “punishments/consequences” Red Son faces for all the shit he’s pulled:

(And thinking on it now, I might move Red Son into my “actually redeemed list” if I ever remake it. He goes through quite a bit of development- I might be being way too harsh on him. Then, he’s still totally unrepentant for hurting innocent people and trying to take over the world… hmm.)

(Footage gathered for Red Son)

Vocal and vitriolic distrust from at least two people who have every reason to distrust him. These people dislike the idea of working with someone who has openly and happy hurt them.

MK at least questioning working with him- he vouches for Red Son anyways, but it’s clear that he has at least some doubts, too.

Clear and open distrust from someone he was constantly hurting/trying to hurt/actively working to subjugate to his family’s whims by attempting to take over the world. Mei performs a “team-up” because the world is in danger, but still actively dislikes him.

Physical assault (played for comedy).

Teasing and mockery (played for laughs).

The butt of more disrespect- the characters have no reason to trust or respect this guy, and it’s portrayed very clearly that they don’t.

It takes an entire training arc that leaves Red Son sincerely opening himself up for this to changed- Red Son has to actively work to help Mei before she’s willing to cozy up to him.

And even after all this?

He isn’t given an immediate and universal pass that makes every character magically okay/friends with him.

THIS is what “punishment” is to me.

I don’t want these characters to break and bleed and die. I don’t want them getting dragged to the underworld while screaming in terror. I don’t want them on the ground with their teeth broken and their pride destroyed.

Consequences don’t have to be violent. They don’t have to be vengeful. They can be, but I don’t need them to be.

So what do I want?

I just want; in-universe, for people to care enough about how they and their loved ones have been hurt to have negative reactions to the pain and suffering they were caused.

And Red Son is actually a pretty good example of that, as it turns out.

As opposed to Macaque, who actively has potential consequences REMOVED-

Tang telling Wukong to not attack him after Macaque forces Tang to complete the Samadhi Fire ritual under the threat of ending Mei’s life.

Why? Why does Tang blame himself for something he was forced to do to prevent a dear friend from being murdered in cold blood?

Tying him up was good- especially with how MK snapped at him to be quiet and how Sandy flipped him around- they dislike him for his crimes, so treat him as a pest- that’s nice!

And then one of the worst moments in the series occurs-

MK giving him an awful “you aren’t a bad guy” speech before Macaque has done a single kind thing for anyone.

Macaque is not “playing” at being a bad guy. He IS a bad guy.

Up to about 27:49, Macaque spends nearly every last moment he gets being an unrepentant and murderous individual who takes open joy in hurting others. It’s not like he’s trying to spare unrelated individuals or going out of his way to avoid hurting people- he openly revels in attacking Ao Guang, assaults Tang, etc.

HE IS NOT SECRETLY A GOOD GUY DEEP DOWN.

“Not meaning it” or whatever is not an excuse for doing evil things!

Like, the most “kind” thing he’s done by now is drag an extremely exhausted and injured Mayor to the team- with no effort or work put in on his part. It’s not like he was out fighting the guy.

It’s the equivalent of your cat dragging in a dead bird and pretending they caught it themself.

Like, oh, “he doesn’t get a bowl of noodles” from MK or whatever, but it’s pretty clear MK was saving those for himself- and Wukong steals them to be petty.

And then comments on the caliber of Wukong’s character in Season Four like Macaque has any right to say anything about anyone- especially the people he’s openly tried to murder and in general be unpleasant towards.

“Wukong was power-hungry,” whines to MK the simian who was so power-hungry that he spent days/weeks manipulating MK to steal his powers.

How does MK respond to this?

Oh, he doesn’t. Because if you’re Macaque, the writers… I don’t know, actually.

Why wouldn’t they have MK defend his mentor, or call out the blatant hypocrisy that he was a victim of?

Seriously, what the hell?

How does Mei respond to a team-up with the guy who violently attacked her uncle and held her life hostage, leading to a chain of events that very well could have killed her?

She doesn’t! Because if you’re Macaque, the writers will write out character traits like “fiery and prone to losing her temper” or “loves her friends and family” to justify her not having a negative response to him doing genuinely awful things so they can have a team-up.

Like, revisit pictures one, three, and four.

Mei is not a gold-hearted sweetie who “simply can’t bear to hold a grudge”! or anything. She should absolutely have a comment here. She should be distrustful. She should be at least cautious.

But she’s not, despite Season Four working to exemplify her negative traits like being trigger-temper and impatient.

Because she’d be going against Macaque-

And the writers will do anything with him BUT acknowledge his crimes or genuinely having intriguing or complex moments between him and his victims.

——

There’s one last comment I’ve got to respond to, and then I think I’m done with the “redemption talk” stuff. ​

I’ve pretty much spilled out all my feelings on Macaque’s arc by now- there’s nothing left I can say.

But I’ve enjoyed talking on it, and I’ve enjoyed seeing the counterarguments! It’s been nice to see why people like his redemption arc, even though my own personal feelings on it are unchanged.

One person pointed out that Pigsy does at least have a moment of apprehension about trusting Macaque, which I hadn’t remembered, and I’m glad they brought to my attention! (This only makes the writing worse. Pigsy cares more about a secret being kept by Wukong than someone trying to murder him and his son in cold blood, because… because.)

I also noticed that I got something else wrong- Macaque wasn’t yet infected with the Lady Bone Demon’s power when he sieged Ao Guang’s palace- which actually makes it harder to justify, because we can’t even say that he was “rushing to save himself from an internal and imminent threat. He was just being a monster.

Also I’m pretty sure people are getting sick of seeing it, haha.

[tetta-kissaki]

💰 𝘿𝙄𝙍𝙏𝙔 𝙈𝙊𝙉𝙀𝙔— 𝘏𝘈𝘑𝘐𝘔𝘌 𝘒𝘖𝘒𝘖𝘕𝘖𝘐

⚠️ 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨— 18+/𝘧𝘦𝘮 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳/𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘤𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘴/ 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨/𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭 (𝘧! 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨)/ 𝘶𝘯𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘹/𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦/𝘱𝘦𝘵 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 (𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭)

The tall double doors leading to the inside of Hajime Kokonoi’s mansion are wide open as they usually are on Fridays. The Bonten guys host huge, lavish parties that go on all weekend. Kokonoi is always the host, Rindou Haitani provides the music, Ran Haitani brings hundreds of guests each weekend, and the rest of the gang brings the booze and other refreshments. The party doesn’t start until Manjiro Sano walks in, and doesn’t end until the last guest leaves.

You’re not here to party, though. You’re not the type of girl to get hammered and dance and fuck the night away, which is the purpose of these parties. No, you’re here for one thing and one thing only- The money. Hajime Kokonoi is loaded and you’ve heard the rumors of his basement being filled to the ceiling with cash. 

You slip through the door and before you can get any farther, you’re greeted by none other than Ran Haitani, “Hey, there, cutie. Glad you could make it! Uhh… what was your name again?”

You give him your name and he follows with his scripted monologue about where the drinks are and to find him if I need anything, though he is arguably the least reliable one in Bonten. By the time anyone could possibly need anything from him, he’ll be hammered and elbows deep in pussy. 

When Ran’s attention is on other girls, you sneak down the big marble staircase. You see a giant door and try to open it, but it’s locked. You take a bobby pin out of your hair and successfully pick the lock. You open the door and a choir of angels sing as you see hefty stacks of bills piled up to the ceiling like the rumors said, and each stack had to be at least $10,000.

You question how easy it was to get into this room full of money and if he’s so rich, why doesn’t he invest in better security? 

You shrug it off and put the pin back in your hair before you begin to shove wads of cash in your bra. Once you’re satisfied with the amount you turn around and your heart drops to your stomach when you see none other than Hajime Kokonoi standing in the doorway with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

“You must be new around here.,” Koko playfully sticks his tongue out. 

“Yeah.,” You nod, “I was just… looking around. You have a nice place.”

“You’re funny.,” Koko closes the door behind him and locks the both of you in the room. For each step forward he takes, you take a step back. “You know, I’m very particular when it comes to my money.,” He informs you, “I count each and every penny twice a day. A bit excessive, I know. But if even a cent is missing, I’ll find who did it. When I find them, they suffer the consequences. That being said- you’re not hiding anything from me, are you, sweetheart?”

You shake your head. You’re determined to walk out of here with a small fraction of Kokonoi’s earnings. Surely, he has enough that he wouldn’t miss a few bands.

“Yeah, let’s see about that.,” he harshly pulls the straps of your little black dress off of your shoulders, revealing a strapless bra overflowing with money. “Hmm.,” He hums as he wraps his arms around you and unclasps your bra and stacks of cash fall to the floor as your plump breasts are exposed. He looks down at the bills on the floor, then up at your chest, watching your bosom rise and fall as you take deep breaths. 

“Now, usually there’s a harsh punishment for people who try to take my money, but…,” Koko’s eyes meet yours as he drops your bra on the floor, “…since you’re new, I’ll let you off on a warning. On one condition, of course.”

“What’s that?,” You ask as you study his features. He’s intimidating but, God, it’s so sexy. You bite your bottom lip at the thought of his touch. 

“Well, you are a beautiful girl.,” He tells you. He strokes your cheek with the back of his hand. He then turns his hand over as he touches your breast, his thumb circling your hard nipple. “Come with me.,” He demands.

Kokonoi unlocks the basement door and you pull the straps of your dress up just enough to cover your nipples; though it doesn’t do much good as the straps keep slipping down your shoulders and your tits keep falling right back out. He opens the door and grabs your wrist, taking you back up the marble staircase. The muffled music from the party outside breaks the silence. He pulls you down the hallway and opens a door that leads to an office. He lets go of your wrist and pushes you in before entering himself, locking the two of you in once again. 

Koko puts his hand on your lower back and walks you over to the ornate wooden desk in the middle of the room. He keeps his hand on you as long as possible as he walks around to the other side of his desk. He pulls a pair of handcuffs out of a drawer and returns to you. You put your hands behind your back for him. “Good girl.,” he croons as he tightens the handcuffs around your wrists and bends you over on the desk. 

He walks around the desk one more time and you look up at him. “Open up.,” He commands as he shoves his hand in his pocket. You open your mouth and he shoves a big stack of cash into your mouth to act as a gag. 

Once he’s behind you, he pulls the bottom of your tiny dress up, revealing your ass in an even tinier pair of lacy underwear. You hear Kokonoi inhale and exhale before you feel the sting of his belt hitting your ass. You let out a muffled groan. He spanks you until your eyes well up with tears. You hear his belt drop to the floor followed by the sound of him unzipping his pants, dropping them down to his ankles. 

You feel his hands squeeze your ass cheeks. The feeling of his hands gently massaging your backside right after those spankings is a feeling you couldn’t even put words to. You don’t need words, anyways- the fluid pooling up in your panties says it all. You feel Kokonoi’s thumbs under the waistband of the undergarment and he slowly pulls them down. “Are you ready for me, pretty girl?,” He asks, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Uh-huh.,” You utter, the dollar bills in your mouth muffling your voice. 

“Good. Stand up straight.”

You straighten yourself out and he picks you up bridal style and you step out of your panties. He lays you down on the desk top, on your back with your knees up. He repositions your body so your head is hanging upside down off the side of the desk. He takes a second to look at your pretty face as he removes the money from your jaws and tosses it on the floor. He then moves closer and grabs your breasts. All you can see are Kokonoi’s balls as he shoves his erection in your mouth.

With each thrust, he squeezes your tits a little tighter while fondling your nipples. You feel a gush in your cunt as his tip pushes the back of your throat. You can’t help but gag, which just makes it all the more satisfying for Koko. The sound of heavy breathing and and gagging fills the room as he fucks your throat. He groans as he cums in your mouth. 

He pulls his dick out of your throat and looks into your bloodshot, teary eyes as you swallow the semen in your throat. He huffs before he bends down and picks the money back up from the floor and shoves it right back in your mouth. He then walks out of your eyeshot, taking his time getting to the opposite side of the desk. He takes a look at your tight, pink cunt, your pleasure dripping onto the desk. He grabs your legs and pulls you closer to him. 

He leans in closer and a moan escapes your throat as his tongue meets your clit. Pleased with himself, he continues to lick the sweet spot so he can hear that pretty sound some more. He stands up straight and puts his hands on your hips as he pushes hard cock inside of you. He watches your stomach cave in as you take deep breaths. 

“You’re doing so good, pretty girl.,” Koko grunts as he makes love to you, “Fuck, you’re so beautiful.” His words make you even more wet and his length makes your toes curl. He cums inside of you once again, another groan slipping from his lips. You pivot your hips as he continues to thrust and your moans grow louder as you begin to climax. Kokonoi holds onto your hips for dear life as he fucks you a little harder. Your eyes practically roll to the back of your head as you reach your peak. 

Now that he’s finished with you, Kokonoi pulls his pants back up. You catch your breath and watch as he opens the drawer on his desk, pulling out a small key. He helps you sit up as he tells you, “You did such a good job for me, sweetheart.” He frees you from the handcuffs and puts them, as well as the key, back in the desk drawer. You pull the straps of your dress up on your shoulders, covering your chest.

He starts to walk out, leaving you seated on the desk. When he approaches the door, he glances over his shoulder at you, watching as you take the cash out of your mouth, unsure what to do with it.

“Keep it, sweetheart. You deserve it.,” Koko sticks his tongue out amorously before he unlocks his office door and steps out, heading back to the party.

𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘦

🏷️ 𝙏𝘼𝙂𝙎— @rainyrindou @qupidology @milky-aeons @7surugi @arlerts-angel

[lynn-tged-posting]

tged webtoon ep 159 spoilers and thoughts below the cut yep just the usual

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JAVIERS FACE LMFAO "wow. these people are so weird. thank god im the only normal person here" jesus christ this entire estate is insane /aff

also i think im required to inform that i sent this panel to some of my irls because they're also civil engineers, and i asked if they recognized any of this and they said "oh god yeah"

so we can pleasantly confirm that the adaptor/artist are still referencing real civil engineering stuff!

while we're still here at the start of the ep/my thoughts i do wanna say, the whole "ugly" gag is getting. a little too well worn

it is really well drawn! the artist is very skilled at drawing exaggerated expressions and its always fun to see, but i think this is like the third or fourth time now that this has been used, and i think my brain is just tired of the repeated schtick. i dont hate it, but the funny has moved on for me

i really hope that in this next arc we see a return of a devilish or conniving lloyd, rather than silly "ugly" expressions; its funny when he looks stupid but id like a better balance, which means i want more instances of him looking cool and smart as hell!!!

of course these words will. probably fall on deaf ears its not like i can message the artist/adaptor directly lmfao but yknow its the thought that counts i guess. actually i might be using that phrase wrong not sure

ANYWAY ANYWAY verkis looks so pretty here,, i like that he confirmed lloyds intentions w the jewel of truth . truly a man who wants to do Nothing thats so real of him me too bud

AND THENNN my personal favorite peak of the episode THE SWORDMASTER SYNDROME KICKING IN AAAAAHHH AAAAHHHH

IT MAKES SENSE THAT LLOYD PUSHING HIS MANACIRCLES TO THE LIMIT WOULD BE THE LAST PUSH HE NEEDS TO BECOME A HIGH LEVEL SWORD EXPERT and now hes suffering the consequence of not dealing with this earlier </3 get overstim'd idiot shouldve taken a break before this happened bozo!!! /j

i really really REALLY love how the text and the effects were drawn in these panels and the following ones (thats three reallys!!!)!! the visual echo and then the sudden sharp jaggedness, it really shows how much OUCH and impact it has and i really really love it YEAHHHH PUT LLOYD THROUGH THE WRINGER YEAHHH YEAHHH

AND THEN JAVIER KEEPS LOOKING SO FUCKING HAPPY THROUGHOUT THIS EPISODE PLEASSEEJ LKAJDFLKSJDFLKJSDFLK JHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAH he's having a grand ol time lmfao now his noble can experience what he had to go through!!!

ALSO ALSO CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW THE VERY FIRST THING THAT LLOYD LOOKS AT WITH HIS NEW HEIGHTENED VISION IS JAVIERS FACE AND HOW PERFECT IT IS HELLO HELLO HELLO HELLO you could have looked at anything else and yet the first thing you narrow in on is javiers face IM SHAKING YOU LLOYD

no seriously wow he's so pretty ALSO THE FUCKING. HAND POSE IM CRYING

also its really really fluffy nice that javier helped lloyd with getting used to his senses! though they couldnt really do anything abt his insomnia

i had heard that some really cute moments got cut from the novel in this little timeskip here which is like awww i wish we got to see it like, that short bit with the "ugly" gag could have been replaced with the moments from the novel and itd still fit the episode length! at least i think

(like i was told that lloyd gets called "good boy" by javier. like. WHAT. WHAT. GOOD BOY??? GOOD BOY??? AND THAT GOT CUT?????? GOOD BOY!?!?!?!? i told my irls abt this and we collectively had a stroke i wish it made it in bc javiers face when saying that and lloyds reaction wouldve been PRICELESSSS)

oh but also back to talking about javier helping lloyd out, i think its really really cute,,, i know its not explicitly said or shown but i want to think that javier is able to repay the lullaby in a sense by doing this. i really like that javier not only depends on lloyd, but lloyd depends on javier too, and they can rely on each other. thinking about that makes my heart warm and my feet kick and then i start giggling like a maniac

anyway few month timeskip and lloyd u look tired as hell im so sorry buddy

though honestly i really like how he looks in this panel for some reason HAHAHAHA idk him just looking grumpy and tired is fun bc u dont really see it that often u usually see him being silly or evil more so this is a nice panel to have heehee

disgruntled tired sleep deprived engineer now aint that the realest STEM experience ever,,, shaking ur hand lloyd i get u i understand

AND THEN THE END OF THE EP HI RAPHAEL the angel arc!! i guess!! idk the names of these arcs

i wonder how he'll try to enforce this,,, and i wonder how lloyd will get out of it,,, like did tkobai ever go over the angels and what they do? does lloyd know about them?

i did see pics of what he looks like from the novel and we were SO robbed of very pretty long wavy hair, it seems the artist just chopped it all off,,, uueueueueuee

i posted abt this on twitter already but my singular cope is that we actually just havent seen the rest of his hair and its just in a ponytail and its like really really thin and we'll see the rest of his hair soon trust <- copium pumping

and a bonus little illustration, happy chuseok!!!

thats all from me!!!!!!! IM REALLY EXCITED TO SEE WHERE THIS ANGEL ARC GOES and whether or not lupellan and wrot,,,, whatever his name was are going to interfere also,,, triple clash!!! also if he'll ever overcome his insomnia,,,

see yall next week :3

[emsylcatac]

I told myself I wouldn't write anymore but guess I lied and made an exception for tonight oop-

(no beta so sorry if some grammar's weird. also no leaks please I haven't read any & I'd like for it to stay that way)

I might add a 2nd chapter to fix that mess but when will this happen? will this actually happen?? who knows certainly not me

*****

“And then I had lunch with Nino,” Adrien said. “That was nice. We hadn’t managed to eat together for at least a week.”

Ladybug smiled. “I’m glad. I can’t picture you two being separated for too long.”

“Well, we don’t really have a choice this year. He picked literature, and I picked scientific. We’re not in the same class anymore,” he shrugged with half a smile, before brightening up. “But we still see each other during the breaks!”

Adrien then launched into an explanation of the rules of the latest board game he and Nino had played during the afternoon break. He kept looking into Ladybug’s eyes all the while, delighting in the way they lit up at his enthusiasm, and taking pride in the small chuckles that escaped her lips when he retold a particularly funny joke he’d made.

Ladybug loved hearing about his day. He knew she did because she always asked about it, every day when they reunited, sitting cross-legged face-to-face on the floor. And every day, she nodded along his stories and encouraged him to tell her more.

And Adrien loved telling her about his day. It had taken some time before he allowed himself to fully recount every detail that had happened, having never really been used to talking about himself at all with his father. But unlike his father who would cut him with a stern look or – he later realised – a twist of his ring, Ladybug never seemed tired to hear him talk.

Once he finished telling her about how Tom Dupain had insisted –again– on giving him free chouquettes when he stopped by the bakery, Adrien asked: “And you, my Lady, how was your day?”

She smiled sadly, in a way he was now too familiar with, and his heart dropped. 

Of course.

“Oh. Right. You can’t tell me. I forgot.” 

Like every single day. 

He looked away from her, not wanting to see the pity nor the apology he was sure to find in her eyes. The red kwagatama on his neck suddenly felt too heavy.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, and he knew she was. It hurt nonetheless.

“That’s okay,” he whispered back, knowing well that it very much wasn’t. Adrien was scared it never would be.

“You’re allowed to be angry at me, you know,” Ladybug said, not for the first time since he’d started meeting her in secret.

“It’s not your fault. It’s my father’s,” he spat out the word. “And I’m…” he sighed, and with it let all his energy leave his body. “Ladybug, I’m so tired of being angry at people. I can’t… I can’t be angry with you on top of it.”

It wasn’t entirely true. A small part of him was angry with her, but he knew that she was suffering from the consequences just as much if not more than he did. And he truly was exhausted of feeling angry all the time, at his father, at Nathalie, at his mother, everyone who pretended they wanted the best for him but ended up destroying themselves instead; at Félix for keeping him in the dark, at himself for being too stupid to see what had been right under his nose. The list was long enough as it was and didn’t need to include Ladybug, who was a victim of his father's power hunt just as much as he was.

“But you’re allowed to be,” Ladybug said softly.

He felt a tear prickling at the corner of his eye.

“Oh, Adrien” Ladybug breathed, and he hated himself for how sad he’d made her sound. She extended a hand towards him. “I really want to grab your hand.”

He sniffed, and whipped his stray tear away before a stream could run on his cheek. “I really want you to grab my hand, too. And kiss it.” He reached for hers back but stopped millimeters away.

Ladybug smiled shyly, and he could guess the ghost of a blush creeping up her cheeks. “I want you to kiss my hand, Chaton. I always loved when you did it.”

This time, he felt his own cheeks lit up. They got lost in each other’s eyes, hands never quite touching, lulling Adrien further into the illusion that what they were sharing now was real.

But as it always did, reality found a way to crash down on him like the cold in the night right before dawn. Except unlike dawn that promised warmth and light, Adrien’s world stayed cold and dark as his phone rang. He glared at the traitorous device until he saw the name of the caller.

“Who is it?” Ladybug asked.

Adrien smiled bitterly. “Marinette.”

“Oh. Um…” Ladybug wriggled awkwardly. “Are you going to answer her?”

Adrien wasn’t sure he felt strong enough for that. But he had promised her and himself that he’d be there for her, no matter what. 

So he took a deep breath, and picked up the phone.

“Hey. What’s up?”

Sniffles greeted him on the other side, and he instantly felt bad for guiltily spending time with Ladybug when he could have been supporting her.

“He made me another strawberry tartlet. Tom– I mean, my dad. He…he told me again how much ‘she’ used to love them. He told me again how ‘she’d’ always steal some from the bakery counter as a kid. He thinks because ‘she’ loved strawberries that I would too.” Marinette let out a sob. “Well, you know what? I don’t love strawberries. I’m tired of strawberry tartlets. They’re fine, but they’re not my favourites, they’re her favourites. And I’m so sick of pretending they are to not hurt him.”

Adrien listened as she caught her breath, feeling at a loss for words.

“I loved my dad’s strawberry tartlets,” Ladybug interrupted sadly. “It reminded me of the picnics we shared on holidays in the countryside when I was a kid. We’d always eat some by the river.”

Adrien nodded in acknowledgement. It made sense that Marinette couldn’t understand what made this pastry so special.

“I’m so sorry, Marinette,” he whispered so quietly he wasn’t sure she heard him. 

“Everyone…everyone expects me to be just like her and I keep disappointing them because I can’t satisfy the expectations they have of me,” Marinette choked. “They want me to like sewing, they want me to wear pink… I can’t with pink anymore, all my bedroom walls are pink, everywhere I look there’s pink, it’s too much! I feel like… I feel like I’m suffocating.”

Adrien squeezed his eyes shut, fighting against tears that were threatening to take over him. She sounded so broken. He knew she was, of course he did, but he hadn’t realised how much she’d been holding in all this time. How much she’d been pretending for their sake – and as someone who’d mastered the skill for most of his life, he couldn’t let her suffer from it. 

And holding onto her ghost that he wasn’t quite ready to let go just yet wasn’t going to help her. It wasn’t fair to either of them. He knew all too well how to grieve someone he’d lost. But how did he grieve for someone who was still there?

Adrien took a deep breath, trying to get his voice under control. “I’m coming over, okay Marinette ? And then, I’m taking you to the store.”

Ladybug nodded in encouragement.

“And…and you’ll pick whatever colour you like. And I’ll… I’ll help you repaint your room with it, okay? How does that sound?”

Marinette sniffled. “Any colour I want? What if it’s something she hated?”

Adrien’s voice quivered. “What matters is what you want. I think she’d…I think she’d want you to feel good.” Ladybug smiled softly, nodding. “I want you to feel good.”

“Thank you, Adrien,” Marinette whispered. “I really…I really appreciate it. I’ll get ready,” and she hung up.

Adrien stared at his phone silently for a long time, before snapping his gaze back at Ladybug. 

“My Lady, I’m so–”

“Don’t,” she lifted a finger that went through his lips. “Don’t apologise. Especially not if it’s to take care of me,” she smiled. “Thank you for that. I really admire you, you know.”

“I really admire you too,” he said quietly.

“You should tell her that,” she replied. “She’d appreciate it.”

“I will,” he vowed.

He didn’t want to leave Ladybug just yet. But he knew it wasn’t reasonable to drag this on, and Plagg or Tikki would be coming back soon anyways. He really didn’t need to go through another lecture of how him meeting Ladybug hurt him more than it did him good, and that Marinette hadn’t given him her kwagatama for that.

Adrien spared one last glance at Ladybug, took a deep breath, and let his eyes flutter shut.

“End of reunion,” he whispered.

When he opened his eyes again, he was alone in the quiet of the room.

[loomimoosh]

Ok I'm going to say this out loud because I can't include it in my rewrite because of the way I've butchered the family tree but

Squilf should have gotten with Rainwhisker.

Look, let me lay this out.

Sootfur dies during the badger attack and Squirrelflight is the one who has to break the news to Rainwhisker. He says he'll talk to Sorreltail about it, but he appreciates her trying to save his brother even though it was too late. He opens up a little about losing their mother to badgers as well, and thanks her for trying to help Sootfur, but knows it was too late for anyone to have done anything.

In the coming moons, Rainwhisker is plagued by thoughts of badgers. He had lost his mother and his brother to them. His sister was poisoned by someone who, if you consider the canon family tree, would have been their half brother, a person who later killed their father. Rainwhisker himself was attacked by an owl in his youth. It's easy to see how he could have become convinced that the world was against him.

Squirrelflight has been struggling, herself. Being batted between two toms who are both increasingly bad for her, not being able to help her sister, all of ThunderClan struggling to settle into their new home...Squirrelflight has learned that she thrives on helping others. And here's someone who she tried to help and failed, and now he's suffering for it. Tossing and turning in his sleep, scared of his own shadow, trying his hardest every day and still coming out worse for it.

They're both struggling, is what I'm saying. And they could find some comfort in each other. They're both good cats, if a little spunky. And having someone be nice to her after all the nonsense Brambleclaw and Ashfur have put her through could really help Squirrelflight. They don't have to collide fast. Just enough to consider each other as trustworthy.

They could be friends. Coworkers, at least.

They fill their days with service, trying to build a life after a tumultuous move. Everyone has lost. Everyone is struggling. They're no different, no more special than anyone. So they both, individually, put that aside. Everyone else seems to be doing the same. If nothing else, it gets her mind off her relationship issues.

And then Leafpool approaches Squirrelflight. Leafpool is pregnant. She doesn't have to say who, Squirrelflight knows. But this is bad. Even after the messiness, no one would understand like Squirrelflight does. It was a brief moment of insecurity that is now having consequences. Leafpool is scared.

All Squirrelflight wants to do is help. But she can't take the kits without a father. She's seen how Daisy and her kits are treated. These kits deserve a normal life, free from the judging gaze of their peers. A good, loving family. Squirrelflight can give them that. But they need to be ThunderClan.

Leafpool insists; it can't be Brambleclaw. She has her own reasons, and Squirrelflight isn't sure she agrees with those reasons, but she'll agree to the stipulation. It's the one demand Leafpool makes. And Squirrelflight knows her sister. She knows how scared she is. She wouldn't even dare ask if it wasn't important enough. If the choice is Brambleclaw or the nightmare that comes with revealing the truth, she'd rather take the latter. And that alone is enough for Squirrelflight to agree to it.

But she doesn't think she can trust Ashfur, either. Not after what he did. Not after Hawkfrost.

Someone she can trust. Someone who understands the struggle of wanting to do anything to help your sibling, and not being able to do enough.

Her mind goes to him.

And so she asks. Carefully, as to not reveal the game. But she asks how he would feel about something like that. If she needed a favor, would he help? If she needed a fall guy, would he do it?

He's a little scared. He won't give a clear answer. There's something big she's not telling him.

But he promises that she can trust him. He just needs to know.

Her words are his secret. He'll take it to his grave. But he can't promise more if he doesn't know the promise he's making.

And so she tells him. In a moment of weakness, she tells him.

Leafpool, Crowfeather, the kits, everything. She feels vile telling this secret to anyone. But he listens, and he takes it. He takes it all to heart.

And it excites him, honestly.

The idea of being a father. Of having someone else to love. He's lost all but one of his favorite people. There's nothing he'd love more than being a dad, honestly. And he'd protect them, and he'd love them, and he would take every burden he could off her shoulders, if nothing more than for the love of being the father he never truly had.

He wants to do this.

And that's the thing that gets her the most. It's no longer that she's asking him to do this, to make a sacrifice for her and her sister. Now, he's begging her to let him love these little things he's never met, who haven't even been born.

And it's done.

And something happens to him. This idealized life he has in his head becomes his reality. He spends time with her, every day, talking and doting and being so excited about this. She knows it's because she's the only one he can talk to about this. But it's a good show. Whispers start to pop up. Natural whispers.

She's not even the one who's pregnant, but the show fits the narrative so well that no one questions it. Save two. But he becomes a different cat when they're involved. He stands up to Brambleclaw, taking the heat for her. He upstages Ashfur, showing her genuine kindness detached from romance.

And when the time comes, he goes with them. Sees the faces of his kits on day one as they wiggle at Leafpool's belly. It's unconventional, but it's his.

It's no small miracle that one of them is the same cloudy gray that Sootfur was. Another the same dark shade that Darkstripe was, and her and the third, a little golden kit, both have the fur that he does, the kind that squares the face and broadens the shoulders.

They're perfect.

When the six return to camp, Rainwhisker keeps his word. He loves them like his own, and no one questions a thing. Sorreltail coos that Hollykit looks so much like him, reminding them of their mother.

And Jaykit has his eyes.

And when the others whisper about those eyes, call him broken, Rainwhisker is quick to shut the whispers down. He doesn't let the words linger.

When Jaykit begins to echo them, he reassures his little warrior. No one, not even Jaykit himself, will say those words to his son.

Their relationship is just a show, Squirrelflight is painfully aware. But day by day, she starts to see him. Past the pain and misery and loss is a cat whose life has been in the name of love. And he's strong, and sweet, and he does everything for others. Wouldn't let her suffer a day in her life if he had the choice.

It's starting to feel less like a show.

And when Jaypaw is apprenticed to Brightheart, Squirrelflight knows he's right to be insulted. Firestar sees them both differently.

But not Rainwhisker. And he's quick to say as much. Telling Jaypaw he knows Brightheart is a good mentor. A fantastic hunter, a thorough thinker, and a kind soul.

She and Cloudtail had trained him, after all. It's only fitting for his son to be her apprentice, too.

It makes Jaypaw feel better, even just a little. Like he's not as broken as the others say. Rainwhisker sees past all that.

He has a way with words. An honest way. A good heart, a warm smile. It's not just pretty words he says. He's so genuine in what he says.

Squirrelflight starts to wonder if those pretty words he tells her are more true than she believed.

She feels lucky to have had him in her life.

She wonders if it's too late to ask him to stand beside her.

[molarbeardoc]

HUR HUR HUR HUR HUR HUR HUR HUR HUR HURRR

HUR HUR HUR HUR

HUR HUR HUR HUR

HURRRRRRR

HUR HUR HUR HUR HUR HUR HUR HURRRRR

HUR HUR HUR HUR HUR HURRRRRR

HUR HUR HUR HUR HUR HUR

HUR HUR HUR HUR

HUR HUR HUR HUR

Hur hur

Aka PART THREE!!!!

You were supposed to perfect.

You were to rule beside me on this disgusting wasteland.

To make them all grovel at our feet.

To destroy ANYONE who stood in our way.

The others may have assisted in your creation. They may have helped you crawl. They may have fed you. They may have checked your vitals, monitored your every move, written down everything you DID in their presence.

And while I did as well…

I did it with the promise of you becoming something great…

I taught you to speak.

I even remember your first word: beaker!

I spent hours in that DAMNED building, helping you walk on your own two legs.

I showed you the marvellous wonders of the world, even the ones I found pathetic and vile…

When you were sick, I never left you alone.

When you were hungry, I was always the first to feed you.

Even during the storms!

When the bolts of Zeus and the lion roared vicious and earthquaking thunder, every time you were afraid…

I…

NEVER…

left your side…

So why would you think it was okay to leave mine?

Was what you saw so overwhelming that you’d think you’d steal my life’s work without consequences? Was what you read so aching that you just HAD to run away?

To run away from them?

Run away from me?

That’s not how this game works…

When you go against me, you are going against life and death itself.

You are a peasant and I am royalty.

You are but drop of water while I am a mighty blaze

You are prey and I… the predator

Do you understand now?

Do you understand the great turmoil you’ve brought on not only yourself but those around you?

I fail to see evidence that you do..

And while I yap and yowl and hiss and snarl and whisper and retort…

You’ll never believe until I SHOW you, why everyone fears me..

A man’s words mean nothing when it comes to his actions. Shall he fail to fill his hole, it will become his new grave. It shall hold him until he sees his last sky, breathe his last breath, feel his last touch, smell his last aroma, and hear his last song. It was hold him for before he dies and after he dies.

Fortunately for me,

Gods do not die…

When you’ve angered them, there is but one way to appease them.

Through sacrifice…

Your suffering will be eternal.

And I’ll make sure to include your acquaintance in your turmoil…

.

..

…

It had been a fun-filled day! The two had spent it making new conspiracies theories… Well at least Bive did. She managed to make them all connect in one way or another. Split was a different story. She somehow managed to get Bive to play a few of the games that were in the dinner.

Note to future self: Bive is really good at air hockey. Guess when you’re a paranoid detective looking for danger around every corner, you’ve gotta be quick on your toes!

They had stayed there virtually all day! It was nearly dark when they had finished. As the two made their way back to the elevator, Split glanced down at her flea-ridden hairy friend, noticing her tired expression and feeling a side of self-pride rising in her chest.

Her plan had worked perfectly.

She was exhausted. Split wondered how she even managed at all, she looked as if she were about to fall over.

"Hey Bive..?"

"Mehm?"

"You alright?"

"Mhm…"

Split gave her a concerned smile. Maybe she should stay with her? Just to be safe of course.

"Uhh so… Would you mind if I stayed over tonight?"

"No."

Oh…! It was pretty straightforward. That’s pretty nice actually. They get to have a sleepover! Darn she’s gonna have to go back and get some clothes.. Oh well!

.

..

…

Eventually the two made it back to the funny maze, of course after visiting Split’s floor to allow her to get her sleepwear, Split having to guide Bive away from any walls to ensure she didn’t walk into them. As well as keep her away from Scary Mike and Fleshy. Scary Mike was, of course, Scary Mike; randomly appearing in hallways as its corrosive black oil (🇺🇸) dripped from the walls and evaporated once it disappeared. It even reached its hand from around corners trying to grab at one of them as if it intended to cause harm but would always evaporate into cloud of foul smelling smoke before it could.

Fleshy, however, wasn’t actually a problem. If anything it was more of a sweetheart, curiously watching and following the two while babbling random nonsense. It even went as far as the help guide Split to Bive’s corner of the maze whilst protecting the two from Scary Mike, hissing and growling at it every time it saw it until it saw the cloud of smoke.

In all honesty, as weird as her roommates, if you could even call them that, were, they seemed interesting and were decently enjoyable company. She might have to visit more often just so she can speak with the fleshcousin. Maybe even befriend it like she did the other! Who knew they were all such sweethearts?

Once they made it to Bive’s part of the maze, Fleshy gargled a difficult to understand farewell before leaving, disappearing around the corner as if seemingly purred. Fleshcousins are weird… yet cute in a silly way.

It was rather chaotic. Papers and empty styrofoam coffee cups littered the floor, causing the Fruit-taur to wonder if she ever cleaned. Well… Now that she thought about it, she never bathed. It made sense for her not to clean up. As they descended deeper she started to take notice of red string, old photographs, and even thumbtacks on the floor. If that wasn’t bad enough, there was writing on the walls made with white paint or lead.

They were either equations or some sort of question that related to one of her theories.

`2 + 2 IS 4 NO MATTER WHAT!`

`Clown military hiding inside cacti?`

`Snow soldiers collaborating with Gnarpians?`

`Government using sonic waves to make people hungry to buy more products from companies?!`

Okay Split could see that partially happening it wasn’t too unbelievable.

"Wow… You must be hard at work here huh?"

"Mhm.."

Split continued to look out for any stray thumbtacks before coming to a stop as two made it to her 'room'. It had the basic necessities as well as coffee maker, tiny mini fridge, and her famous corkboard.. And it was much larger than she expected. How much free time did she have? Uh… Oh well!

After getting dressed, she sat beside Bive, watching as the detective fought to stay awake before eventually succumbing to sleep.

Split watched as she fell still completely, the only indication of life being her side rising and falling.

It took her longer to fall asleep but her own thoughts kept her busy until she did. Why didn’t she sleep often? Is it insomnia? Or did she just not like sleeping? Why wouldn’t anyone like sleeping though? Did something happen that made her just stay awake?

For now, her questions could receive answers later as she slowly drifted off into her own peaceful slumber.

Perfect…

HI HI HI HOPE YOU ENJOYED. PART FOUR IS GONNA BE DEVASTATING RAHHHHH BATS EYELASHES MALICIOUSLY

[auspicioustidings]

Lost Boys Part 6

Summary: The final part of this series! Leaving it open as a bit of a sandbox so I can come back and do drabbles when I feel like it :)

Words: 1.8k

CW: General dubcon nonsense

She swore Graves and his Shadows knew exactly what she had done on her break. They watched her pass their stalls with amused and part way hungry eyes. A hand ran through her hair that caused a shiver right down her spine.

“Vargas darlin’? No accounting for taste. Next time you come to me or mine and we'll treat you right hm?” 

Jesus. Graves was something else with that molasses drawl of his and those baby blues seemingly always sparkling with some sort of mirth. She held her head high, flipping her hair over her shoulder and winking at him.

“You'd fleece me out of every cent I own.”

“Aww come on now, that's not a very nice thing to say.”

“And that's not a denial.”

“It's in my nature to want to make advantageous deals, not my fault when fine folk agree to them.”

“Good thing I'm not fine folk then so won't be tempted.”

He laughed in delight. Philip Graves loved someone with some wits about them. It was all too easy most of the time to kiss someone's soul away at the crossroads when they foolishly offered it up. Humans were so greedy for wealth, fame, power, love. This one was fun, messing with creatures that should terrify her. As far as he could see she was reaping the benefits while suffering none of the consequences. Oh she would make a wonderful demon, an even more wonderful victim. He could imagine how satisfying it would be to slide his tongue past her teeth to seal an oath where she gave her soul to him. Delicious, it had been too long since him and his Shadows had eaten something so decadent.

“You'll find I can be very temptin’ darlin’.”

“Well there appears to be a line, so better up your game.”

Preacher laughed as she walked past, absolutely aware that he would take that as a challenge. Let him honestly, the people on this boardwalk were ridiculous and she could play along. Especially if it got her head that good on breaks. 

-

The rest of the shift was fine, no more sneaky handsome distractions. Alex sent someone else to take over for the evening shift, not making an appearance himself. Maybe he was embarrassed after shoving his tongue down her throat. Or maybe he had went home with Alejandro. Again, none of her business.

By the time she was heading home the sun was dipping beneath the horizon, darkness coming quickly. She had never really minded the night time, it was more like an old friend than a threat. She preferred to work during the evening and she knew she'd have to get over her apprehension at seeing Simon or Johnny again, but one day of avoiding them wouldn't hurt.

“Hey wait up!”

Oh Christ, it was the 3rd one of that little trio jogging up to her as she walked home. She didn't slow, just raised an eyebrow and continued on her way. He jogged ahead and then turned, walking backwards so he could talk to her as she moved. Cute.

“We didn't officially meet did we Preacher? Kyle Garrick” he said, thrusting a hand out.

She didn't love that Alex had already told this man her nickname but she was nothing if not polite, so she took his hand to shake and only rolled her eyes and stopped walking when he instead took her knuckles up to press a kiss to them.

“Look buddy, I'm not going to fuck you.”

Kyle choked out a laugh. Johnny had not been kidding when he said she was a feisty little fucker. 

“Even after all the work I put in stocking your house?”

“So it was you that broke in. Not as romantic a gesture as you seem to think.”

“Hardly breaking in, you invited me. Already too fucked out by then for us to have some fun, but you're looking thoroughly unfucked right now. Heard Ale got his tongue in you well enough, but I think you need something more substantial.”

Preacher spent at least 2 whole seconds trying to maintain some sense of decorum before giving up.

“If I need something more substantial, I'll ask Konig.”

That definitely got him annoyed, stepping forward and jamming a hand between her legs to cup her cunt over her jeans.

“You won't, not when you know how well we fuck. You think Ghost and Soap gave it to you? Doll I'd destroy this little pussy, you'd never want anyone else again.”

Preacher partly believed him if she was honest, his two friends had been hands down the best fuck of her life so it would follow logic that he'd be incredible as well. Didn't mean her pride would allow it when there were frankly, a lot of other options. She leaned forward to purr into his ear.

“Would hate for you to do that to Alex, thought you were friends. Not very friendly to ruin his chances given that he kissed me today.”

With that she pushed away from him, his hand falling away as she started walking again. Her blood was certainly up, she'd be needing to take care of herself when she got in since her pussy throbbed from his aggressive proposition. 

Every fibre of Kyle's being wanted to eat her. The only thing keeping him glued to the spot was Price's oppressive aura nearby, warning him to leave it alone. Fuck. The delicate skin of her throat would shred like tissue paper under his teeth. He had licked her blood off of Johnny when he had it smeared across him so he knew she tasted fucking divine and that had only been cold blood, not warm and pumping the way it was inside of her.  

He watched her for far too long before finally being able to move, heading back to the den.

-

As Gaz paced their den Price only laughed at his frustration, commanding Johnny to calm him down. Not even MacTavish's sloppy mouth could make him stop thinking about her. They decided between the 4 of them that she was going to be theirs and she was going to do it willingly. Especially now that the others had an eye on her, it was a matter of pride to win her fair and square. Well, win her of her own volition at least even if their methods could technically be thought of as cheating.

After all, they were vampires. How hard could it be to seduce one little human?

–

“Y'all understand?”

There was a chorus of eager agreements. The Shadows would get this new girl off of amusements and into the games. She had been a temptation already, but seeing that everyone else wanted her? That really sealed her fate as soon to be theirs.

Demons were basically built to seduce humans after all. It'd be easy. 

-

Horangi couldn't move for the heavy weight crushing him, not that he'd be able to move if Konig got off. The fuck had been cathartic for both of them, thoroughly exhausting, leaving him boneless.

“I want her.”

“I know Ko, when have I ever not gotten you something you've wanted?”

Shifters were feral things, but it meant they courted far better than any other creature could hope to. It was in their instincts to seduce a mate. Shouldn't take much effort at all.

-

Rudy groaned and then immediately started huffing. The taste of her he could get from Ale's mouth just was not enough. The night only got worse when an unwelcome visitor swam in.

“What are you doing here?”

“Alejandro I'm wounded, you don't think I may just want to visit an old flame?”

“Try again.”

“Your little Preacher, I want her. We both know there is a lot of competition for such a sweet thing. So why not work together?”

It made sense. If Ale and Rudy had to share her, better it be with another siren. It was agreed they'd do it without their song to prove that they had won her with her enthusiastic and uncharmed consent. If they did it any other way no doubt it would make them look weak, like they couldn't claim a human without the use of their powers. 

Sirens weren't just charming because of their song, they could seduce humans just fine without it. And this human? They were confident about their chances.

-

“Farah please” Alex pleaded, a blade against his throat. 

His own fault really for just wandering in when he knew how she currently felt about him. He had saved her, but he had refused to go with her and Kate, had chosen to stay with the creatures that had wanted to eat her in the first place. 

“Where is this change of heart coming from?”

“...there's a girl. They've kept her alive for now, but they're not the only ones after her.”

“And she belongs with her own kind.”

Alex nodded and Farah took the blade away. Finally he got it. She'd like to meet this girl who had finally pushed him to come back to his senses, come back to her. 

They had hunted monsters of all types, hunting a human should be easy. It would be wildly satisfying to rob all of these creatures of someone they wanted to claim for themselves, shove it in their face that they could never compare to the affection humans held for one another. 

-

Preacher sighed in contentment, all cosy and ready for bed. She was just making a cup of tea when the door went. It was pretty late for visitors, but then it wasn't like anyone here was normal.

Really she shouldn't have been so happy to see him, idiot that he was. But it had been a while since Keegan’s smug little grin had been on her behalf. 

Keegan knew she'd survive, but he was feeling feral over the mixture of scents clinging to her. These fucking animals had all been pawing at her by the smell of it. 

No matter, he had been laying groundwork for years. And now here she was, in his home, ready to fall head over heels in love with him. He'd make sure of it. After all he knew the monsters that made their home in Santa Carla, and none of them had ever come up against someone quite like his Preacher before.

They stood no chance.

-

Little non-canon bonus round because I think it would be neat if Preacher was, in fact, secretly just a dragon hoarding fuckable monsters

It was nice having Keegan close. He was the first of her hoard after all. And now she had so many more to add! Preacher thought she was going to like Santa Carla just fine.

[sapphic-agent]

Can you please get into how much the fandom demonizes Rei? Like, I’m not disagreeing that she wasn’t the best mother. But people really turn this woman (who is financially, socially, AND emotionally dependent on her husband and Clan!) into some abusive mother who WANTED to burn Shoto’s face! When it’s obvious that she was begging her mother to take her away from the house because she was too stressed out from Endeavor’s influence and Touya’s death!

I don’t know, I just think she’s not a perfect mother, but nobody can be a perfect mother. She clearly did her best with what she had, and who would’ve believed her if she said Endeavor was an abusive husband and father? The police? Other heroes? No! I bet Endeavor would’ve claimed that SHE was the terrible parent and that she was suffering from PPSD (which, she probably was, four kids, two of which were born when Endeavor started getting obsessed with overcoming All Might? She definitely had that) and she would’ve ended up in the hospital no matter what.

Let's talk about it😈

So I was actually skimming through the manga where Shoto mentions this. He says that his mother was pushed and pushed by Endeavor until she just broke. And I love this because Shoto understands that his mom was in a shitty situation and never intended to hurt him. Unlike this shitty fandom, he's aware enough to see who was the abuser and who was the one who made a mistake.

Let's go over Rei's past for a minute. She:

Grew up in an environment that was at the best neglectful and at the worst abusive

Was sold like an object (and yes this is canon, the Himura Clan canonically sells their children it was a forced marriage, not an arranged marriage)

Married Endeavor and had Touya at 18

Already, she was dealt a shitty hand. Endeavor is also four years older than her, so he was 22 while she was only barely an adult. Even outside her being bought by him, there's a huge power imbalance here. Even if he was polite and nice in the beginning, she was at a major disadvantage in their "relationship."

One of my gripes with Horikoshi and the later parts of the manga is the retcon of the Todoroki past. How Shoto tells the story and how it's portrayed later are very different.

In Shoto's version, Endeavor hit Rei for defending him from Endeavor. In the Touya flashback, she tripped. In Shoto's version, Endeavor only saw his children as means to an end. In the Touya flashback, he's portrayed as caring about them. In Shoto's version, there's a menacing and villainous aura surrounding Endeavor. In the Touya flashback he's portrayed normally.

And this is done to make Endeavor look more sympathetic. Which is bad not only because he was an abuser who doesn't deserve sympathy, it also antagonizes Touya and Rei in the process.

(People could argue that Shoto's love for his mother and young age make him an unreliable narrator. But to me this is dismissing the victim. Shoto might have been young, but he recalls enough to tell it in excruciating detail. It was a huge part of his life and writing it off like that does him a disservice)

So there are two instances specifically that people demonize Rei for.

1. Shoto's Burn

Now this is the one that is her responsibility. My thing is though... No one ever said it wasn't? Least of all Rei herself. Once she saw Shoto again, she immediately apologized. During the event itself, she realized what she did and broke down and tried to fix it. She also spent 10 years in asylum paying for what she did (which is more consequence than Endeavor faced btw).

The thing no one seems to acknowledge about this is that this didn't come from nowhere. She didn't do what she did out of cruelty or hatred towards her son. She did it because Endeavor had abused her to the point of insanity. To the point where even seeing them in her kids' faces caused her to have a complete mental breakdown. Which is understandable due to the physical, verbal, financial, and sexual abuse he was putting her through.

You know, there's an irl story like this. A woman was suffering from severe PPD and other mental issues after having four kids I think it was. Doctors and everyone repeatedly told her husband that she souldn't have more kids. He didn't listen (I'm not sure if SA was involved here but I'm inclined to believe it was) and they continued to have more. Eventually one day she snapped and killed her children.

PPD is seriously dangerous when it's left untreated, even worse when that isn't the only thing going on. Rei was no doubt suffering from the ramifications of that, but on top of everything else Endeavor out her through I can't believe she didn't break earlier.

2. Touya's Situation

It baffles that people find it in themselves to blame Rei but feel sympathy towards Endeavor over Touya.

Because on top of every instance of abuse I mentioned above, Rei was also taking care of four kids completely by herself. That would be hard even without her own and Touya's mental issues.

From the manga panel I provided, she was the only one between her and Endeavor taking Touya's mental well-being seriously. She knew how having more kids would affect him and she was right. She was the one who had to deal with Touya lashing out when Endeavor ignored him (which also contributed to her breaking down and burning Shoto due to Touya emulating Endeavor).

Rei is a character who's been judged so unfairly. Partly because Endeavor fanboys, partly because Dabi/Shoto fangirls, and completely because of the misogyny that runs rampant in this fandom. She deserved so much better.

I have a fic giving Rei the justice she deserves if anyone's interested. It features my OC who happens to be Rei's quirkless younger sister. Give it a read if you want

[billpottsismygf]

Rogue

Oh wow, I have some complex feelings to work through with this one. Up front, really fun idea and very funny script and performances. There were quite a few moments that had me laughing out loud (the shed, the OK exchange) and I love the whole set up of these aliens who want to cosplay as humans in the regency era. It also connects nicely with Rogue's love of DND. I feel like I might have missed something when they seemed to know that the Duchess was a Chuldur, but I'll see if I catch that on rewatch or not.

As always, I adore Ncuti here. He's so funny and charming as the Doctor, but I particularly loved that we got to see his darker side here. It was only a glimpse, but that line about 600 years being a long time to suffer was quite chilling and very reminiscent of the "he was being kind" speech from Family of Blood. Indeed, it is quite a ruthless end for the Chuldur! They're sent to a random "barren" different dimension! It reminds me quite a bit of the relocation gun from Rosa and how much it was shown to be one of the worst things you could do to someone (and Ryan uses it on the white supremacist guy). Brutal!

Ruby and the Doctor didn't get to spend much time together this episode, which is a shame because we haven't seen all that much of them together for three episodes in a row now. I can't help but think it's a sad consequence of the tiny episode run that we barely get to see this Doctor and companion interact, so although I loved the Doctor calling her his best friend, and I especially loved her giving him a hug at the end and making him deal with his emotions, I don't feel that connection as much as I'd like to. Equally, when he's devastated to think she's been killed, it would have hit so much harder if we'd seen them build up a real relationship. They have a lot of natural chemistry, so you still very much believe them as best friends, but it feels like we're missing a bit of the depth there.

Okay, now, the romance! I was quite apprehensive about this one because it looked like there might be something going on between the Doctor and Rogue, and that was further fueled by a comment Millie Gibson made in an interview about this episode showing a different side of the Doctor. The reason that made me apprehensive is entirely down to my personal preference, which is that I like it when the Doctor is more a-spec. As it turned out, this episode managed to be both better and worse than I worried. Better in that it was beautifully acted, had fantastic chemistry, and I loved the scandalous gay dancing (very reminiscent of the Torchwood episode Captain Jack Harkness). Worse in that it wasn't just something happening to the Doctor, that he's swept up in, but instead something he's actively pursuing.

Again, this is entirely down to my personal preference for the Doctor's characterisation, but the way that this pushes further than other instances of romance/kissing/etc. upsets me a little. It reminded me somewhat of The Girl in the Fireplace in places - inviting him to see the stars; the tragic ending - but the difference with that one is that she kisses him. I don't know, it's a relatively small distinction but one that matters to me. The Doctor has had romances before, and the more overt they are the more I dislike them (eg. all the River Song stuff), and nowhere has the Doctor more actively flirted with someone new, expressed attraction to them numerous times and deliberately kissed them than here.

On the other hand, it's very gay and I have to like it at least a little for that. It gives us a more obviously queer Doctor than Thirteen and Yaz and they had a whole arc! (Not to bash Thirteen and Yaz; I actually quite liked how that went down in the end, but again that's due to my preference for an a-spec Doctor, which jived very nicely with Thasmin.) Obviously, this doesn't invalidate any readings of the Doctor as aro and/or ace, especially as that can mean many different things, but it messes with my personal view of the Doctor's sexuality, and how I prefer them to be portrayed. For me, if the Doctor is going to participate in sex or romance, I'd rather it be understated and uncertain or unintended from the Doctor's end. Now I know what to expect from this one, I may become desensitized to it with time and enjoy it more for its merits. Still, I can't change the fact that it's just fundamentally not what I want from Doctor Who the character.

Misc

I love that the battle mode for the earrings came back. I wondered if it would when it was first mentioned, then promptly forgot about it entirely.

The comparisons between Rogue and Captain Jack Harkness are obviously numerous, and it's very funny to me that Jack would definitely be pissed off that he lost out on kissing the Doctor like that to someone who was basically a carbon copy of him.

More singing, since people are taking note of that. Love a bit of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory!

I was cringing a bit while the Doctor was dancing to Kylie, but also glad he got to do that after the Master has had several camp pop dancing moments.

Speaking of Kylie, I wonder if the Doctor has ever noticed her uncanny resemblance to Astrid Peth.

We got a nice little flashback with Carla telling him to keep Ruby safe as well, which reminded me a lot of Jackie.

The faces of the Doctor's various incarnations looked a little strange. I couldn't actually tell who some of them were meant to be. Am I crazy or was one of them Richard E Grant, like from Scream of the Shalka (and the Great Intelligence)?

I said this already in another post, but it was dedicated to William Russell and I criiiiiied!

[grondds-and-roses]

A million bad scenarios played repeatedly inside Gimli's head. Some were worse than others, some were better but they all had the same gut wrenching outcome. A hobbit buried six feet underground, two others sobbing in each other's arms and losing the trust of the one in minas Tirith.

Gimli shook his head. He tried to think more positively, but a deep fear had lodged itself into his heart when he discovered that the young hobbit wasn't with his cousin and Sam and nagging Aragorn and Gandalf about their health. From the corner of his eye, he saw a dead troll and as he turned to look at it, he wondered if the one who slayed it was still among them and would live to tell the tale.

And that was when he saw it. A hairy foot underneath the troll's corpse.

A yell escaped his throat as he ran to the troll, a cry for legolas' help as he somehow managed to get the troll off the hobbit underneath it.

And then everything went still. He held his breath, his heart probably stopped for a moment too. His only thought was a never ending string of no no no no no as he stared down at the quiet, still hobbit whose sword was still in his hand. He dare not touch him, because he knew what he would find. Not a single shallow breath or even a flutter of a heartbeat.

"He is still breathing." Legolas' relieved voice disturbed the unnerving stillness and everything started moving again as gimli fell on his knees beside the hobbit, breathing deeply as if a huge weight was just lifted off of him.

"Come on. We need to get him to Aragorn now if we want to know how he got himself under a troll." He heard Legolas say as the elf started to pick up the hobbit.

"No," Gimli said, maybe a bit too loudly judging from his friend's expression. "No, no I will take him."

The next few hours were all a blur as the healers treated Pippin, discovering a new hurt with each removed piece of armour, his cries joining those of the wounded men around him.

At last Pippin lay quietly in a small cot in one of the tents with Gimli, whose body was now suffering the consequences of carrying a troll all by himself, and Legolas, who was urging Gimli to rest. But Gimli couldn't rest, at least not yet, as he started noticing the dried troll's blood under Pippin's nails and behind his ears.

"How about we make a deal?" Gimli told Legolas. "If you bring me a clean cloth and some water, I will sleep for as long as you wish me to."

As Legolas went to fetch Gimli's desired items, the dwarf ran his fingers gently through the hobbit's hair.

"Now we are going to get you all nice and clean. I know it isn't a proper bath, but you can get one as soon as you get better, and you have to get better for I have promised your cousin that I will take care of you and bring you back to him and a dwarf never breaks a promise. You don't want me to go around breaking my promises now, do you?"

It might have been a trick of the candlelight, but Gimli willed himself to believe that a smile flickered on Pippin's lips