#but personally i think it could’ve been better

[unmarlou]

never you-or-him.

pairings. patrick zweig x fem!reader.

summary. on the morning of your wedding, art’s best man has some unresolved feelings.

lacy says. would u guys hate me if i said im actually not a patrick girl like at all 😞. the canonical lack of deodorant i just </3.

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“you’re marrying him ‘cause that’s what your parents want.”

his cologne is prominent and sharp; nothing at all like art’s, which is soft and ample and lingers but never boisterously. patrick’s is arrogant, loudly head-splitting. you recognize it as the same he’s worn since high school.

patrick has always had this incessant need to invade your personal space. he’s towering over your side without conviction, staring down at your unwilling face like it’s his place to do so, like this is nothing short of natural for the two of you.

you can hardly believe his nerve to waltz into your supposed-to-be moment alone before walking down the aisle and make a remark so aggravating - disturbing the peace in all ways he’s intended.

despite your better judgment, you go from firmly staring into the full length mirror ahead to his insufferable face. your chin raises in challenge while unwaveringly cold and unimpressed eyes hold his, and this, you know, is nothing short of natural for you two.

clear traces of his amusement live to irk you and it takes everything not to give him what he wants, but alas, you speak, “get the fuck out of my face.”

however it comes out as juvenile annoyance - patrick hears every iteration of you he’s ever known; from ages twelve to today.

you say it as he’s only inconveniencing you. and when you step off the pedestal to escape him, he simply laughs: airy and low. you’ve turned away but the lines of his smirk taunt you from behind.

sun light is streaming in from the line of shade-drawn windows on the back wall, making an already stuffy room feel impossibly warm. in a poor and feeble attempt to busy yourself, you fiddle with your bouquet on the coffee table. pathetically moving and petting pedals that were in perfect shape as is.

“this is all so you can live a cushy life - just like they want for you,” his voice is raised but not in any way that alarms you, “i mean, he’s the ticket to a pretty seat on the board, right?”

his lack of fear to speak freely eats at you - is it because he’s never been told he can’t? or because he’s only ever been told he can’t? these thoughts you’ve had since you first met him have never relented, and now being subject of his rash tongue, they persist.

without conscience, your eyes roll and your head shakes.

“you’re gonna be a trophy wife to a husband that wins a less than optimal amount?”

the only thing you can think to say is, “art wins.”

air shoots out of his nose in borderline astonishment, “for now. and when he gets comfortable, then what?” something tells you he isn’t really looking for you to answer.

he’s quiet for what could’ve been only a second or two but it’s deafening for your eager ears. you start with a peek over your shoulder, and in seeing his still silhouette, you turn fully.

his suit is tailored nicely, clean. it lines his body well, the black and white contrasting with his features in a way you can only think is sophisticated - handsome. you realize this is how you’ve always imagined he’d look on this day, though not as the best man.

he puts in hands in his pockets, and his voice lowers to a level of privacy that you all too well, “you’ll resent him for not being your picture-perfect champion anymore. you might already.”

you refuse to let your face fall despite him amplifying the sickening voice in the back of your mind. this horrifying talent of his supersedes him.

it’s disturbing, how well he sees right through you. his nod is slow and deliberate, antagonizing, accompanied by the raise of his lips, “don’t think the world hasn’t noticed you stopped playing since your engagement. i would never ask you to do that.”

“he didn’t ask me to do anything.”

true.

“but he didn’t tell to continue either, did he?”

goddamnit.

he tilts his head softly, you know it to be the same he’s done for years, when he’s trying to see you clearly and get you to see him; in his fleeting moments of humility, as if to say, it’s only me.

and it just so happens, in the same moment, that the previously uninteresting wood flooring requires your attention. in your periphery, you see his head straighten and nod once again.

just below and beyond this room is another, filled with everyone you’ve ever known. and they’re waiting for an age-old tune to play, so they can stand and turn to watch you walk down a single strip and say two - life altering- words to a man that isn’t the one standing directly behind him.

patrick’s dress shoes click as he takes steps towards you. his hands remain rested in his pockets, and he once again, never looks away from your unwilling-to-meet-his-face.

you aren’t sure why, because he’s actually a good amount away from you still, but there’s a second where you anticipate his hand reaching up and tucking a spare piece of hair behind your ear.

“we were going to be the best. all three of us - together.” his tone has returned to normal, and just as normal goes between you two, his irrational words irritate you.

he speaks from a place of, unrecognizable on his part, privilege.

“we were kids. we all had sappy pipe dreams.”

“is that what you think this is?”

for the first time since he’s entered the room you raise your voice, unable to contain your irate disbelief, “of course it is. wake the fuck up, patrick.” you’re staring at him with more than just anger, “life goes on - we can’t be teenage prodigies forever. despite your lifestyle, some of us have grown up and moved on.”

“oh yeah, talk to me like you’re on some fucking moral high ground. ‘grown up and moved on’ means being miserable for the rest of your life?”

your tongue finds home in your cheek, “shouldn’t you be having this conversation with him? you might have a better shot at ending up with one of us.”

he ignores this comment completely. it’s only in this brief interlude that you take the time to notice the gap between you has become significantly smaller.

if there’s anyone you’d go toe-to-toe with, it’s patrick.

“you two have no passion.” he’s smiling, boarding laughing.

simply to be combative, you reply, “how could you possibly know that?”

“you’d never argue with him like this.”

in this transient moment, as you stand face to face with him, you allow yourself to admit what you’ve always known: you’re seeing everything you’ve ever wanted.

after today, after this very interaction, you’ll probably go on to name one of your future children after him, on art’s proposal and your forever compliance. they’ll end up calling him uncle patrick and whenever he visits you’ll pretend that he’s just an old friend, not one you’d spent most of your life imagining as their father. you’ll evade his looks, and do everything in your power to not give him the same.

upon this revelation, you see no harm in speaking once more, leaving it all to rest in this room you’ll never revisit, “it was never you-or-him. it was always you,” he’s listening intently, eyes fixed, “but you’re too much of an asshole to see me as anything other than a competition.

i wanted it to be you today,” he could never begin to imagine the screaming matches you’d have with your parents, over wanting to be with him rather than - not just art - but anyone, “you couldn’t clean up your fucking act…”

you recognize the look he’s giving you, it’s the same you receive when under him. your chest warms with satisfaction, accomplishment, and lifting your white dress slightly, taking a step to close the space, your breaths become shared. you lower to a whisper and twist the knife, “you could never get on one knee.”

silence is pervasive, with the expectation of your breathing. you watch his every move: as he looks you up and down, seemly noticing your wedding dress for the first time. he trails over it, again and again, making you feel like a new item in a display case.

when he finally comes back to the only thing he’s ever been sure of, your beautiful face, he smiles; lines taunting and all.

it occurs to you, you’ve never seen him so angry.

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navigation.

[in-my-loki-feels]

💙 President Loki + Don

A prompt so nice, I answered it twice. <3 Second fill is under the read more. I didn't set out to have them connect, but you could read it that way.

💙 drunken kiss / tipsy

“This is everything?” Loki asked, frowning as he held up one of the many miniature bottles Don had brought home. 

“Well, not everything. It’s a pretty big store,” Don said, sitting beside him on the couch. “I got a few options since I didn’t know what you’d like.”

After sneering at Don’s beer and refusing to even consider the wine at the grocery store, Loki had demanded Don bring home something more potent for him to enjoy on the nights he was there. Don, who mostly stuck to hopps-based beverages, had made a special trip to the liquor store and brought home a variety, though he stayed away from the wildest flavors. Somehow, he couldn’t imagine Loki liking watermelon-flavored anything. 

Halfway through sampling the collection, Loki showed no sign of being affected by the amount of alcohol he’d consumed, other than a light flush in his cheeks. Don guessed it was the different physiology.

Loki snagged the sample bottle of coconut rum, twisted the top off, and downed it with the same determination Kevin and Sean used when forced to take medicine. He made a face after finishing it and threw the bottle over his shoulder. 

“Hey! You don’t have to drink it all, you know,” Don said. “I could’ve finished that.” 

“Of course you would’ve,” Loki said. “You and your horrid taste.” 

“What can I say, I like sweet things.”

Don gave him a sly grin and Loki’s eyes widened when he caught the implication. 

“How dare you! I am not sweet.”

“No, but you are very cute when you're drunk.” And he was definitely getting there, if he wasn’t tipsy already. His posture had already softened out of its usual stiff bearing, leaving him slumped into the couch. Not to mention the bottle he’d thrown. 

“I'm not drunk,” Loki said primly. “As if your Midgardian alcohol could compare to what we serve in Asgard. Now there one could have a drink worthy of a god! Golden ale, brewed to perfection. The finest mead, sweet but not overly so like these abominations.” He gestured at the collection of bottles on the coffee table. 

“Oh yeah? Tell me more.” Don smiled innocently when Loki shot him a glare. 

“Mock me if you dare.” He snatched up another and downed it before Don could warn him. “Eugh! What was that?” 

“Bailey’s,” Don said and chuckled when Loki glared at the bottle like it had caused personal offense. “I like it in coffee.” 

He was expecting the reaction this time, so when Loki’s arm came up, Don caught it, plucking the little bottle from his hand and setting it on the coffee table. 

Loki gave him a look bordering on a pout—Don waited for a lecture about grabbing him—and then his half-lidded eyes took on a calculating light.

“Come here, I need something to chase away that vile flavor.”

Don was more than willing to be pulled closer for a kiss, but his eyebrows shot up when Loki deepened it. Loki’s mouth was a nightmarish cocktail. The Bailey’s and rum were the strongest, but underneath that were hints of gin and whiskey and everything else Loki had had so far. It was very distracting, as was the hand sliding up Don's thigh. 

When their lips finally parted, Don was halfway into Loki’s lap and felt he should be tipsy himself from second-hand exposure. He sat back, watching Loki's expression turn considering.

“All better?”

“I think I need another taste,” Loki said and drew him back in.

💙 drunken kiss / tipsy

Don should've known the alcohol would be stronger on Asgard—they were gods, after all—but the ale he'd been offered had gone down so smooth, he couldn't resist drinking more. Thor didn’t help by constantly refilling his flagon. 

Flagon. That's a funny word, he thought with a giggle, followed by, Uh oh. The giggling was a bad sign, but also everything was looking a lot blurrier than it had before. Thor suddenly slapped him on the back, nearly knocking him over, and raised his flagon for another toast. Don grinned and did the same. 

When he finished his drink, the room was spinning, so Don put his head down to wait out the dizziness. 

The next thing he knew someone was yelling. 

“He’s from Midgard. Did you give any thought to that before trying to drown him in ale?”

Oh, that was Loki. 

“How were we to know it would affect him so? He showed no hesitation when accepting the drinks.”

That was also Loki. Don giggled again.

“Thing 1 and Thing 2,” he mumbled. Sean and Kevin loved Dr. Seuss. 

Silence. 

“See, he's fine.” That was Thing 2. 

“Brother,” said Thor. 

“Don’t.” Ooo, Thing 1 sounded mad. 

Don made the monumental effort to lift his head. The room was still swaying unsteadily but gradually the shape in front of him resolved into something he recognized. 

“Hiya, handsome.” He tried to reach out to touch Loki’s face and missed. He didn’t realize he’d tipped sideways until Loki caught his arm. “Wuzzat an earthquake?” 

“We’re leaving. Stand up,” Loki ordered.

Don did, or tried to. His legs didn’t seem to want to cooperate. When he said as much, Loki closed his eyes briefly. Uh oh. Someone really was mad.

“Stop. Talking,” Loki snapped and hauled Don to his feet. Don swayed before Loki wrapped an arm around his waist to keep him upright. 

Don beamed up at him. “My hero.”

A range of emotions crossed Loki’s face but Don couldn’t follow them. Someone snickered and Loki shot a glare in that direction. Don tried to twist around to look, but Loki turned him with the arm around his waist. Suddenly, their guest room was in front of them, where the rest of the dining hall should’ve been. 

“Huh,” Don said. The room spun again as he was deposited on something soft. “Bed? How’d this get here?” 

“Is every thought going to come out of your mouth, or will this stop at some point?” Loki crossed his arms and glared at him. Even irritated, he was unfairly handsome.

Loki raised an eyebrow. Oops, guess that thought escaped, too. 

Don patted the bed. “Wanna join me?”

Loki’s eyebrow crept higher so Don grinned, hoping to win him over. He felt less dizzy now that he was horizontal, but he’d feel even better if Loki kissed him. He always did. 

Loki uncrossed his arms and bent to put one hand on the bed by Don’s head, trailing the fingers of his other hand across Don’s cheek. He rounded out the touch by rubbing Don’s bottom lip with his thumb. 

“Is that so?” he murmured, then lowered himself to replace his thumb with his mouth. 

Don didn’t have that much experience, but he couldn’t remember a time kissing had felt like this, like a fire was lit the moment their lips brushed, one that only burned hotter and hotter with each nip of teeth or brush of tongue. Like he could drown in these sensations, let himself be swallowed up by the hunger that rose up in Loki whenever he got his hands on Don. A hunger only rivaled by the desperation Don felt driven to when Loki drew out their pleasure, tormenting him—

“Don.”

Don blinked his eyes open to find Loki braced over him, once again annoyed. 

“You fell asleep. While I was kissing you,” Loki said. 

“I did?” He didn’t remember that. Wouldn’t he remember that? 

Loki closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then threw himself to the side, landing on his back with enough force to jostle the mattress. Don stared at the ceiling for a moment, then rolled onto his side and felt around for something to put under his head. Now that Loki mentioned it, he was feeling sleepy.

The pillow he’d found rose and fell with a sigh. 

“I hope you have the most monumental headache come tomorrow.” 

The words vibrated through Loki’s chest up into Don’s ear, leaving him with a smile as his thoughts slipped away. 

From this ask game. Other ficlets here.

[2rats1gogh]

Just watched a video essay about Lady Jane Grey and it got me thinking about Rhaenyra.

The people rallied behind Mary Tudor, she was the rightful queen whilst Jane was nothing more than a puppet for the Dudley usurpers. Sound familiar?

Although reluctant at first Mary was forced to execute Jane because her throne couldn’t be secure with such an obvious threat looming over her. Again any of this paralleling someone?

Mary then goes on to become a tyrannical ruler who executed thousands of people in a span of only four years. Maegor with Teats anyone? 

So would England have been better off with Queen Jane I rather than Bloody Mary? Likewise, would Westeros have been better off with Aegon II and the more grounded Hightowers rather than Queen Rhaenyra who worships at the alter of Targaryen absolute?

OMG ABSOLUTELY YES.

The story of lady Jane Grey is actually so sad because like? Who usurped who really?

If i’m not mistaken, Jane could’ve been considered the rightful heir, since the previous ruler, Edward VI, named her his heir. He hated his sister, Mary, because she was a catholic, while he, alongside Jane, were protestant.

But if you think about it, it doesn’t even matter. Because as long as there is a strong, and very power-hungry contender to the throne, who fully believes they are in the right, and just taking something that belongs to them (whether or not it actually does) they are willing to kill any other person with a claim, again, whether or not they are legitimate or an usurper. They know that their own claim could only get them the throne, if there is nobody else who challenges them.

Same thing goes for Rhaenyra. She is a great parallel to Bloody Mary, while Aegon could be considered a parallel to Edward VI.

After the deaths of their fathers, both older sisters were dismissed in favor of a younger son. So, just like Mary never accepted Jane as the heir to her brother, Rhaenyra tries to take down the entire green faction, and even puts a bounty on baby Maelor’s head. Both were eventually remembered as violent rulers who didn’t even rule for that long.

[sasukeless]

recently (like two months ago) I saw an SS and her moots talk about Sakura's confession "it's been years and people still misunderstand this moment" and also adding that she thinks she should explain the moment in detail some day to people who don't get it lol

sakura’s confession is smth i try to avoid talking because honestly a really big part of the hate it gets is due misogyny and men with r/niceguy complex that are actually more mad that sakura never ended up falling for naruto than anything else. so i try to not get into it.

however i still think acting like the whole confession is just her being a good friend and thus this action should be free of criticism is a very empty take

yeah, sakura believes her confession is for a good reason because she’s trying to protect naruto but it still doesn’t make the whole thing less messed up. she is trying to manipulate and lying to him after all and no matter if it’s for his own good or not that’s still a pretty shitty thing to do to your friend. and it gets even worse when you actually realize what her thinking process was here because her whole confession is just her thinking that since she has “feelings” for him now, naruto will suddenly be okay with his best friend being killed. it’s honestly a very shallow view she has of him and shows how little she understands naruto (ppl often say nrsk is the better ship because they spend so much time together but what’s the point if even after all that time she doesn’t get him at all?). and the whole confession fiasco could’ve ended there but the fact that she hears naruto stating that he STILL wants to save sasuke and she decides to go against his wishes and plans to kill sasuke behind naruto’s back anyway is just. ? people bring up the fact that she did this because she didn’t know about the massacre but naruto prior knowing about the massacre was still begging on his knees for sasuke’s life.

and it’s not the first time sakura tries to use her feelings to manipulate others. her two confessions to sasuke are also about using her feelings for him to get him to abandon his goals. you either accept this is just part of her character or you just don’t really like her canon self and also take away some of the nuance she has in favor of making her a flawless person

but Anyway. the fact that any time the confession gets talked about every incel comes out of the cave to act like it’s a crime that sakura isn’t romantically interested in naruto and that’s why hinata is the superior fc everr makes any possible discussion about this scene annoying

[artdcnaldson]

Idk if this is where you want to go with your Olympics au but I PERSONALLY am way more into the idea of the reader thinking she's getting away with something and being all manipulative only to later find out that tashiart have been pulling the strings the whole time- tashi noticed you first, encouraged art to go after you, him telling her all about what you do when you meet and then one day you make a plan to see him but he doesnt show up, tashi does and you're like.... ok this is it this is the end and she's like hmm... did you like fucking my husband? And I've run out of coherent thoughts but it ends with her making you watch them hook up etc etc

I mean come on who can outdo king and queen snake artashi???

Oh Tashi definitely knows exactly what’s going on. It’s not planned by her because you’re neurotic and obsessive and not in a cute sexy way, but in an Amy Dunne sort of way, and she’d find someone a little more well adjusted to be her husband’s pet. You’re good at tennis too, which is disappointing because if you devoted more of your energy towards improving instead of fucking her husband you could’ve made gold at the games, could be ranked higher period.

When she shows up at your door you’re expecting her to slap you, to tell you to stay away, but she only talks about tennis at first. She sees promise, and potential, and you could be so much better if you’d just channel your energy into the game instead of trying to steal her husband. He’s not going to leave her, he loves her and loves their daughter. All you’re doing is fucking up his game and distracting him. If you really cared about him you’d want him to excel at what he’s good at.

That’s not all you’re doing. You give him things she refuses. You love him, honestly. You’d be better for him, nicer, sweeter, more devoted. You’d let him quit tennis, if he wanted. She wouldn’t let him do that. You’d quit tennis and just spend the entire day waiting for him to come home to you like a devoted pet. She just doesn’t get it.

She doesn’t tell you to stay away, and you know Art’s going to come right back. He loves you, it’s meant to be, etc etc etc.

[prfctmxxnlight]

milkvans thinking they did something by saying only bylers hated the season finale

i’m sorry but if byler would’ve happened i would still think it was a shitty finale because it is

[five-flavor-soup]

i genuinely, really like aang, but keeping his writing in book 3 and his writing in the comics in mind, i don’t think it’s all that implausible for him to get the sort-of-antagonist role in fics depicting katara-ships other than KA.

reiterating, i like aang: he’s adorable, he’s funny, and he’s nice. but i believe there’s something to be said about how his ‘niceness’ is written and seen as being The Reason he ‘deserves’ a love interest. his thinking is self-centred, and though that’s a believable flaw for a kid who’s, like, twelve, we’re shown that it’s a consistent character trait which is never treated as an issue… even though it is. (and if he’s mature enough to start dating the girl he’s going to marry and have children with, he should also be mature enough to be criticised for his less-than-savoury parts of his personality, no?)

it’s not OOC to write him as being possessive of katara even when they’re not dating, because he canonically is. it’s not OOC to write him as not respecting and/or noticing katara’s boundaries, because he canonically blows past them. the ideas that he might not mature much later on, that he might be wilfully and forcefully oblivious to any discomfort in the KA relationship, that he might continue shoving katara(‘s culture) aside—none of that is necessarily OOC, because aang does not go through significant character development in book 3 + the comics.

in The Promise, there’s that weird moment wherein aang is briefly anti-miscegenation and doesn’t change his mind until katara reminds him supporting that would affect him (him!!! his relationship with katara alone!!) personally. in TLOK, there’s the suggestion that aang never actively pushed for bumi & kya to learn about air nomad culture and there’s the heavy implication that aang never told the air acolytes about bumi & kya’s existence. additionally, tenzin doesn’t even have a hint of water tribe heritage anywhere in his house to honour katara’s side: he’s all air nomad (though?? nuclear family dynamic), in spite of being mixed.

don’t get me wrong, i vastly prefer fic and hc’s in which aang is a katara supporter first and foremost, and that’s also how i prefer to move through a fandom space barring meta and analyses. but i also don’t think making him jealous and petty when she dates someone else is a misinterpretation of the text we’ve been given; canon!aang shows the signs to become that way, and it’s not wrong to read his future self that way nor is it incorrect fandom-ing to highlight these traits

[dykedvonte]

A Defense of Benny Gecko

Benny is more of a capable leader and person than people give him credit for.

Seeing as no one challenged his position as head Chairmen for 7 years and even then he only loses the position if he’s caught, killed or forced to leave. Yes, it’s also likely House wouldn’t have allowed him to be killed but he sure as hell would of found a way to remove him if he was causing too much unrest within The Tops power structure. Even Swank and Tommy don’t outright dislike him and more so are concerned with his recent secretive and shady behavior, emphasis on recent.

Taking all we know into consideration, Benny likely knew the future direction that he wanted to take Vegas but was so caught up in the plans to acquire Vegas that he didn’t think of how to make his dream a reality. Something he admits to in canon. I see this being used as the main argument that Benny doesn’t know what he’s doing at all but I see it more in the same vein as you can’t really plan something from nothing. The transformation of Vegas is a sensitive thing that he can’t really work on until he has it. The only reason he ran to the Fort prematurely is the Courier who was causing so much of a stir he would’ve likely been found out much faster, making all that planning for nothing if he didn’t take that chance.

Benny is careful (well a lot more careful than he is regularly depicted in fanon), the Courier being able to trace him was dumb luck on their part and his hair being noticed at the Fort is a realistically small oversight that even Caesar is disappointed in because he admits Benny got farther than he should’ve been allowed by his legionaries. The fact he can plan an ambush on the Courier or tries to quickly and concisely clean up lose ends that don’t lead back to him shows he’s not just acting on impulses or in the moment decisions. Or rather he’s quite good at thinking them out, whether they work depends on how you play really. This is all to say it’s 100% believable that Benny could lead an independent Vegas (house was basically setting him up to do that). If he had known explicitly that House was setting him up to replace him, he likely would’ve bought more time by getting in closer, learning more of the system to then flip House’s edge to his favor. Again something he was doing already but likely without the knowledge of House’s feelings on him personally.

No matter what, Vegas’ future was tied to Benny; House’s plans for him, having to get the chip and if he had somehow succeeded. It’s also interesting that of all the people vying for control of the dam/Vegas, Benny’s plans are the only ones actually oriented towards a new future, not a recreation of something long past.

[ozcarma]

Does anyone else feel like the incinerator gun chair room from Zero Time Dilemma would have better fit C Team instead of D Team

[mickeym4ndy]

Tee, your tags on the Yev post are so correct! I absolutely think Mickey would have had a bigger storyline with Yev (and Svetlana) if he'd been in s6, alongside him and Ian being awkward exes who get back together eventually. I wanna do something with that in the s6 au I'm planning to write at some point, because it's so important for Mickey to be able to make a concerted effort to be a better man and dad than his own father was. And we know he's so much better than Terry, but Mickey ofc is so afraid of becoming his dad. And loving Yev and being there for him as a father is a way for him to heal from that generational trauma and not let himself be that person <3

Yes exactly!! I really think that this scene:

Was setting up a storyline for the next season where Mickey builds a relationship with Yevgeny. Like to me, this looks like as much as he is struggling, he does love his son (and this is the first time he’s realizing that).

I made a post about this before and @atthedugouts mentioned in the tags that so much of Shameless is about whether a child will repeat the sins of their parents or make different choices and break the cycle, and there was sooooo much to explore about that with Mickey & Yevgeny.

Which would’ve been such an interesting storyline. Not that Mickey would ever be as bad as Terry, but I think it’s something he’d struggle with within himself. I could actually talk about Mickey in season 6 & 7 for hours lol, I have soooo many ideas. And Mickey & Yevgeny is my favourite unexplored storyline.

I’ve said before I think it would’ve ultimately changed Gallavich’s dynamic a bit, not at the beginning, but eventually (things change when you become a parent, your kid needs to come before your partner sometimes, and Mickey for the last few years had put Ian first for everything) and that’s something I think they’d need to work out while they’re in the midst of the re getting to know each other/ getting back together stage.

But even outside of his relationship w Ian, in general it would have been so fascinating to see how Mickey grapples with trying not to be like his dad while loving Yevgeny but also struggling with how he was conceived and how traumatizing it was for him.

I think maybe he’d overcompensate a bit - be soo hard on himself if Yev ever simply fell over and hurt himself a bit while Mickey was watching him. Or if Mickey was ever struggling not to lose it while Yev’s crying (because it would be so overstimulating for him). Even though it wouldn’t be his fault I think he’d still struggle and blame himself and fall back into the “oh god I can’t do this I’m just like my dad” sometimes.

And he’d then try so hard to be better and be there as much as he can almost to a fault. And you’re so right it would’ve been such an opportunity for him to heal and to break the cycle. I think it also would’ve put his own childhood into perspective - he wants to protect Yev from anyone that would hurt him, so it’s so jarring for him to realize how much he was hurt and allowed to be hurt when he was a kid.

I’m also in general not a huge fan of the throuple storyline. So I would’ve LOVED to have seen Mickey & Svet be a coparenting/accidental bestie duo throughout the season (it wouldn’t have been like that straight away but eventually) and all the hijinks they could get up to - scams, funny stuff with Yevgeny, maybe going out to find real jobs together, if Mandy called Mickey about the dead guy and he brought Svetlana along (I need post murder sibling bonding pls). Just in general being a little unconventional family, because we know family is super important to Svet.

Also at this point most of Mickey’s family is gone and Ian’s broken up with him. Svet & Yev would be all he has left. It makes sense that he’d end up relying on & cling to them. (This is another reason why I think Gallavich would be different when getting back together after being apart for the better part of a year, both of their priorities would have shifted a bit).

Sorry this got so long, this is just one of my favorite topics I could genuinely talk about it for hours😂 I can’t wait to read your season 6 au fic!! Already know it’ll be so good!

[m4ndysk4nkovich]

y’all who act like monica ruined frank are so annoying for SEVERAL reasons (especially because there’s more proof frank ruined monica) but y’all will NEVER acknowledge queenie and sammi. sammi was around six years older than fiona, and frank was younger when she was born, but he still ditched her. he knew she existed but still chose to be an absent piece of shit. also, he was an addict since he was young! if i can find an exact moment where this is stated, i’ll tell you all, but i distinctly remember hearing it multiple times and i know others did, too. just because frank did coke for the first time with monica does not mean she ruined him; ultimately, his alcoholism, mother, and narcissism are what ruined him- not that.

[queencaramilflinda]

Everyone during neverafter 15: oh my god these social interactions are going horribly they’re all doing so bad!

Me, neurodivergent and cannot read social cues: idk mostly these seem fine

[nylwnder]

hiiii just wanted to share this *really rough* little thing i finished today just cause 😗🫶

[eye-of-yelough]

@gaychocolatehomicide was gonna write this as a reply but it would’ve got too long.

tbh “he cheated on Lae’zel with Minthara” was a huge oversimplification. as i mentioned in my last post, he falls in some twisted kind of love with Minthara (secondhand Gortash feelings. ive said before that Gortash is like heroin to Aeryn, and if that’s the case, Minthara is methodone) pretty much At First Sight.

But then Minthara leaves the morning after, and while he misses her terribly, he’s not gonna chastise himself. He’s not even sure he’ll see her again. So when Lae’zel and Astarion make their moves, he’s not gonna say no. He will do the exact opposite, he will be so overeager it actually makes Astarion hate him a little bit. but they still fuck. because they both hate themselves. messy bitches. and he kinda gets sucked in by Lae’zel. even though it’s not how it happens in-game, (at least not with how i play) Lae’zel’s “source of bruises” scene happens before they reunite with Minthara. and he agrees because he genuinely really likes lae’zel. and then when they do reunite with Minthara literally like 6 or so hours later….

It just goes to shit. Emotional cheating all the way. thinking about her every time they have sex, confiding in her in a way he doesn’t with anyone else, keeping her permanently in his main party, the “power suits you, i killed the tieflings to impress you, i envision you in my heart as a lover” stuff while Lae’zel is like. 15 feet away. So long story short she sees it coming and the only reason she doesn’t dump his ass first is she just. doesn’t get the opportunity before they sneak off together to fuck on Ketheric’s throne 😬

as for how Minthara feels, if she comes on to you and you tell her you’re with someone, she says “you can be with me instead” like she has NO qualms about being a homewrecker lmao. as long as Aeryn breaks up with Lae’zel immediately after, so he can be hers alone, which he does. ultimately, despite the awfulness and hurt feelings, it kinda works itself out. Lae’zel is professional like that.

if that’s not awful enough for you, you’ll be happy to know that he also cheats on Minthara with Gortash like 9 days later. because he’s literally the devil. Minthara isn’t professional like Lae’zel is, that whole mess gets UGLY. but then he kills himself in Gortash’s arms in the Astral Plane and Lae’zel, Minthara and Shadowheart save the day, so. it’s not all bad.

[coyotebrained]

You have to think things will get better, otherwise what is the point!!! You have to hold out hope that things will get better and then maybe one day things will feel safe and be cool and everything will be fine (at least as fine as it can be)

[milogoestogreendale]

thinking about how in the brightest timeline elroy was probably an original group member instead of pierce