#even though its not really fair to him and she would absolutely hate anybody doing the same to her

[13eyond13]

.

[heresathreebee]

The One Where She Got A Dog

Yelena Belova X Reader

Summary: how Yelena became a dog mom Masterlist Part 2

Tags: E | 1.8k words | scary movie, winter, secret pasts, sapphic

AN: Black Widow movie really got me in my feelings about those characters, Yelena in particular. I havent watched The Thing in almost a year please look the other way if movie events are out of order.

Pretty Russian girls are not usually your type, but fuck if you weren't absolutely obsessed with this one. You laughed when she told you she was from Ohio.  She laughed when you said you were too. 

Aquavit and your grandma's biscuit recipe brought her into your cabin on the edge of the world where she admitted to you she had never seen John Carpenter's The Thing before. You turned it on just as the snow storm set in and wrapped up in your thickest blankets with her. You're trying not to get your hopes too high but she's not shy about asking you to scoot closer. 

"Skäl," you cheer just as the ominous opening credits end and they find the mysterious ship in the frozen wasteland of antarctica. 

"Have you ever been?," Yelena asked. 

You grimace at the strong taste of aquavit. It's like vodka but with caraway for 'flavor'. You look at her from the side and poor yourself a second shot. "Been…?" 

"There." She points at the screen. 

"I have actually," you admit in a way you hope is flat and uninteresting, "have you?" 

Yelena shook her head. It's possible she might think you're being sarcastic (you cross your fingers under the blanket and hope she does). She's smiling at you, thinking something (but still watching the screen with interest). 

She drops the subject until you have to pause the movie to pee. You unwrap yourself from the cocoon of blankets and as you stand she asks you another question. 

"What were you doing there? in Antarctica, I mean." 

You sigh and pretend to brush something off of your pants. "Science trip with my parents. Shitty vacation for me I'd rather be in the Bahamas." 

You resist the urge to look at her. After taking care of business, you come back just in time to put the biscuits in the oven. You hear Yelena lean into the kitchen archway as the floors creak immensely here. 

"No timer?," she asked. 

"No timer," you confirm. "I use the timer of my heart." 

Yelena scoffs. "Please don't burn them, I'm curious about these… what are they– pastries?" 

"Something like that." 

The two of you went back to the movie just as the gang on screen is trying to decipher who is human and who is not. You feel like something between you has changed and sadly not for the better. 

But she can't know. 

"I hate this part," you say, making absolutely no move to avert your gaze. 

Yelena is startled when the doctor's arms become trapped in the bear trap belly mouth of the "man" on the table. She quickly covers her eyes and giggles manically, slapping your chest for the vague and unhelpful warning. You realize she's not as close to you as before…

There's 20 minutes left of this movie and you haven't seen a single thing on screen. Yelena stopped asking you questions when you stopped being coherent with your answers. All you can think about is telling her. 

But you can't tell her. She would never understand. You barely understand and it's about you. 

"I lied." Your heart beats in your throat as you see her face you but you can't look at her directly for fear of losing your nerve. "About the science expedition? That's not why I was in Antarctica…" 

Yelena seems to wait for you to continue but… 

"Eh, no offense but, " you gesture with your hand, "I don't really know you like that." 

Yelena gave your reply a single nod. "I suppose that's fair." 

You can't help but fidget in your seat. "Idliketo" 

"What was that?" 

You cleared your throat. "I said… I said I'd like to. Know you like that, I mean…" 

Yelena gives you a smile. "I would like to know you like that, too." 

The movie ends, the biscuits are not burnt but buttery soft and golden brown, and the blizzard outside has subsided some. It's still going but at least it's not buffering the doors and windows like before. 

"How can you watch that film in a place like this?" Yelena cannot get enough of those biscuits, stuffing them in her mouth 2 at a time. "Does it make you paranoid?" 

"Yes it does," you say, putting your coat on, "I think that's what makes it so much scarier–  looking outside and being scared every person you come across ain't who they say they are. Sometimes its not a bad thing though... I think it is rather… poetic, too." 

Yelena's eyebrows furrow. "Where are you going?" 

You put on your boots and hope the duct tape stays on the hole you covered earlier. "Dogs are out in the shed. It's heated and they have food, but not for days and I'd rather have 'em in the house where I can take care of them." 

As you finished your sentence you reached for the door,  but stopped when you noticed Yelena getting dressed too. She gives you a nod as soon as her hood comes up, and you give this brave thing an appreciative once over. 

The snow that nearly all melted before is up to your knees now. Fresh, white, and fluffy. It muffles sound like the world's sidelong turning. The odd snowflake wafts lazily from the sky, but for the most part it's died down. You teach back and take Yelena's gloved hand to keep from staying too far apart. 

"You know I always wanted a dog," she said. She could have said it in a whisper from 100 yards away and you still would have heard her–  that is how eerily quiet it is. 

Yelena squeezes your hand and you squeeze back. She's probably remembering the movie. You try to distract her by saying, "Oh yeah? You can have one of mine then." 

Yelena laughs, then stops. "You serious?" 

"As a heart attack." You finally reach the door to the shed and unlatch the door. A chorus of barks begin and you charge forward to nudge them back to give Yelena space to come in as well. "I do some breeding up here–  just a side job. They're usually working dogs but they can be pets too." 

Buck licks your face from chin to forehead and you push him back. "Down, boy! Show some respect!" 

Yelena has two of the mongrels circling her, sniffing all her clothes and demanding to be pet. "That's Burt, Barney, and Bella. Buck's my stud, but these heathens are going to a farm. They've got sheep to watch." 

Yelena chuckles as her hands get covered in slobber. "I love them." 

They're almost grown, three quarters the height of their father. Buck didn't even look in Yelena's direction because he knows you give him treats. You take your scarf off as the heat of the shed threatens to smother you and search your pockets for jerky.  

"She's in there with the new puppies." You point to a darkened closet. "Don't get too close now, she's still a little protective." 

Yelena creeps closer. You see her look at you from the corner of her eye. Probably terrified by the morphing dog scene from the movie. You give her an encouraging smile and tell her where to find the light. It's a pull cord and it bathes the room in a warm golden yellow light. 

Yelena's heavy, controlled breathing turns into a coo. Mama dog is laying on her side watching the newcomer closely. There's a pup asleep in the nest of her legs, another chewing on the hay that litters the ground, and the last one is biting their mother's ear. Yelena looks back at you with an adorable pout on her lip. 

"So cute…" 

You chuckle and put your arm around her. Buck knows to steer clear of mama dog and slinks off. You make your guest walk closer with you to show mama she's got your confidence. 

"Yelena, this is Beyonce." Mama dog's ears perk at the sound of her name. "Beyonce, this is Yelena. Be nice." 

You reach down and scoop up the hay eating puppy at your feet. "This one's always hungry." 

You put the pup in her arms and scoop up the biter. "This one likes to play. All the time. Got more energy than the blue Energizer bunny actually." 

The pup in question is literally trying to wriggle out of your hands in its eagerness to climb you and eat your hair. 

"And that one sleeps a lot?" Yelena nodded her head at the last pup. 

"Pretty much." You put the writhing excited puppy down before it hurts itself and look up into the rafters. "And then there's the climber…" 

You both turn your heads when you hear a tiny bark. A cute little face stares down at you from the rafters and there's a feather stuck to its nose. You shake your head knowing this pup got it from ripping up pillows in another part of the dog house. 

"Better go get her," you said, not moving an inch to do so.  

Yelena sees your challenge and rises to it. As if trained to do exactly so, she assesses the wooden interior for foot and hand holds. You can see the wheels turning in her head as she calculates what will and won't support her weight. In the sweep of a single moment, she rises from the door and swings herself into the rafters using a build up a momentum to propel her fast in an upperward direction. She completes the climb and balances with ease, reaching out to collect the happy wagging miscreant from her mountain top, tucks her in her jacket and climbs a different way down. 

You stare at her. "Were you raised by trapeze artists?" 

Yelena laughs. "I thought everybody was." 

The pup is safe and happy and eager to explore its new friend. Yelena lets her lick, sniff, and scratch at her skin, her clothes, her hair. The pup catches Yelena with a tiny lick right on the tip of her nose and Yelena looks back at you with adoring eyes. 

You smile. "Got a name for her already don't you?" 

"Yes," Yelena whines, "no, are you sure about this? I should probably tell you I've never had a dog before…" 

"I can tell your good people," you reply. "And smart as a whip. You'll adapt, just call me if you ever need anything." 

~

Three weeks later you get a phone call from an unknown number. It's Yelena giving you an address and making you swear never to tell anybody about it. You don't have any friends so it's an easy secret to keep. 

You drive a few miles south and stumble upon a stationary trailer in the middle of nowhere, nothing but clearings and trees and sky. Actually very similar to your own home. 

The door opens and Yelena greets you with a beer and the pup under her arm, already almost a foot bigger than she was before. 

"Her name is Fanny." You both laugh yourselves hoarse and pile into the trailer to puppy proof the place. 

[theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin]

In your latest post, you said that Dumbledore MEANT to put Harry in a abusive household. That, or when he found out he did nothing to stop it. Why is that?

You’re going to get a lot of people angry with me. Well, I suppose they’re already angry. Somewhere out there, on the wider internet.

Right, anyway, the evidence of Harry’s abuse is so overwhelming that it seems improbable to me that Dumbledore wasn’t aware of what was happening. More, every interaction he has with not only Harry, but characters in similar circumstances, lends me to believe that in the event that Dumbledore does know he’d take no action.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: Scene 1

We start out the entire Harry Potter series with Minerva and Dumbledore waiting in the early dawn for Hagrid’s arrival and to place Harry with the Dursleys. Minerva immediately announces her discomfort with this, 

She specifically says the following:

"You don't mean — you can't mean the people who live here? Dumbledore, you can't. You couldn't find two people who are less like us."

Lily Evans’ relatives are infamous enough such that Minerva McGonagall, who is presumably not as close as her like aged peers (i.e. Sirius, Remus, and Peter) knows about them.

Granted, some of this is anti-muggle sentiment. Minerva isn’t sure that suburban muggles raising a magical child like Harry Potter is a good idea. Nevertheless, she has deep misgivings, and relays them to Dumbledore.

We know from further evidence that Dumbledore is perfectly aware of what Petunia and Vernon are like as well. He gives Harry to the Dursleys anyway.

Dumbledore, for his own reasons, chooses not to listen.

Dumbledore’s Letter to Petunia

Dumbledore writes a letter to Petunia, knowing it is highly necessary, as he gives Harry to the family. The letter is... vaguely threatening but in a very polite Dumbledore way. It pretty much implies “Take Harry, or else, also be nice to your dead sister.”

The point is, Dumbledore is aware that this letter is highly necessary. And then... other things happen.

Dumbledore Sends Hagrid

Dumbledore sends Hagrid to pick Harry up.

Ordinarily, in such circumstances, Minerva is sent to introduce muggleborn children to the Wizarding World. “Perhaps she was busy,” you say, too busy for Harry Potter? Wizard Jesus and the child of perhaps her favorite students who she openly favors throughout the series?

“Perhaps Dumbledore was being nice to Hagrid, and he had an errand to do anyway,” well, it’s all well and good to be nice to Hagrid, but is he really the best guy to introduce anybody to the Wizarding World?

This is Hagrid, the likelihood of him having taken Harry to an exotic pet shop where Harry then gets eaten by the Chupacabra is 95%. The 5% where it didn’t happen is because Hagrid went to the pet shop alone and some, distant, rational part of his brain told him that Harry would want the pretty owl vs. the one-eyed blood sucking rat demon in the cage next to her.

You don’t send Hagrid if you want a child returned to you with all its limbs intact.

So why do you send Hagrid?

When you want someone who’s so painfully oblivious, loyal, and stupid that they could stare a hellscape in the face and wouldn’t even notice.

Hagrid gets a firsthand view of Harry’s living conditions. He learns that Harry’s relatives have been actively blocking Harry’s letters, that they have run across the country to avoid them. He sees the state of Harry’s clothing in comparison to Dudley, how thin Harry is in comparison to Dudley, and the way the family interacts with each other.

Harry’s child abuse is staring Hagrid right in the face.

Minerva would demand that Harry be placed somewhere else, they can find some other means of protecting him.

What does Hagrid do?

He gives Dudley a pig’s tail illegally and proceeds to tell Harry that Dumbledore is the greatest man who ever lived. 

Other Evidence Comes to Light

Other characters start getting pretty big warning signs that all’s not right at the Potters.

Ron and Hermione know the situation is “bad” and that Harry’s relatives “hate magic”. They’re also kids and don’t really understand what this means, the idea of being abused and hated by your guardians is unthinkable to them and Harry doesn’t come out and just say it.

That said, they’ve seen enough that they drop hints to those around them. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are told about the bars on Harry’s window. Ron was so concerned about Harry in the summer after first year that he steals his father’s car with Fred and George to go pick him up. That is not normal behavior, that is deep concern for your friend.

Despite all of this... nothing happens.

Hermione spends far more time at the Weasleys then Harry ever does. Every summer, he returns to Privet Drive, and it’s likely if Arthur and Molly did have concerns Dumbledore told them off.

Arabella Figg

Arabella has been keeping an eye on Harry for years. She’s noted some very disturbing trends and been witness to years of the Dursleys interacting with Harry Potter.

She passes this information on to Dumbledore.

He knows how bad it is.

Harry Potter

Harry tells Dumbledore he does not wish to remain at the Dursleys, he notes that they don’t like him and he doesn’t like them. Now, he tries to downplay it, but this is a child saying some pretty disturbing things. You don’t brush this off.

Dumbledore does.

Dumbledore Visits the Dursleys

In book 6, Dumbledore visits the Dursleys and sees, in person, how bad it is. However, he shows no surprise, only vague disappointment in Petunia. Tsk, tsk, Petunia, I thought you were better than this.

He offers a few threats and then he and Harry go on their merry way.

Severus Snape

Snape is Dumbledore’s spy who reads Harry’s mind for half a year. Granted, Snape is a bastard who loathes Harry Potter, but he sees evidence of the Dursleys abuse of Harry.

We know, from what he relays to Dumbledore later, that he had at least some concern for Harry and was very disturbed by Dumbledore’s plan to murder him in cold blood due to the horcrux.

I think it’s very likely Severus Snape knew and told Dumbledore that Harry was being abused. I’m sure Albus’ response was, “Bitch, I know, would you like a lemon drop?”

Point being, there is no conceivable way that Albus Dumbledore, even if he was the world’s dumbest man, didn’t know exactly how bad it was. He let’s it happen anyway.

But What About the Blood Wards?

Dumbledore eventually tells Harry that the reason he can’t run away from Privet Drive is because of the blood wards created by his mother. They can only be applied if he lives with blood relatives and protect the Dursley house as long as Harry considers it home.

Now, this is a bit suspect given that Harry really considers Hogwarts his home, Privet Drive is just that hell hole he has to go back to every summer. Even the Burrow is more his home than Privet Drive so... That doesn’t sound right.

More, though, there are other means of protection.

There’s the Fidelius which Dumbledore casts on Sirius’ house in book 5. Given that, Harry really could have lived with Sirius (well, Sirius is not in a good place to have a kid around and that would be a disaster and a half). Point being, Harry could be raised elsewhere and there are wards that could protect him.

More, Voldemort and the Death Eaters are out of commission for thirteen years. Indeed, we see Dumbledore up Harry’s security detail by secretly assigning the Order to tail him after fourth year.

So, for a very long time, it’s not about Harry’s protection and when it does become that we see Dumbledore make significant changes.

So, what could it be?

Well, let’s look at Dumbledore’s other actions. Dumbledore prevents Harry from becoming prefect because “he thought it would go to his head”. Which, Harry should absolutely not be made prefect at all, and Ron’s a laughable candidate too but...

To me that’s very telling.

I hate to say this, but this is Dumbledore, but I think he has a very similar reasoning behind Harry going to the Dursleys.

He doesn’t want Harry to be corrupted by the Boy Who Lived persona. He wants him in a certain state of mind when he enters into the wizarding world and... Frankly, he wants him vulnerable. Dumbledore, in time, will need to either murder this boy or have him kill himself. If Harry has a halfway decent guardian, that task becomes a hell of a lot harder.

Harry has to love the wizarding world so much, trust Dumbledore so much, that these things are worth dying for.

You Mentioned Something About Dumbledore’s Other Actions?

Dumbledore has no sympathy for victims of child abuse.

Tom Riddle, an impoverished orphan loathed by those in his orphanage, he thinks is the very devil and sends him back into the Blitz with a smile and a wave. Enjoy the bombs, Tom, hope you die.

Severus Snape, the half blood child of an abusive muggle father and absentee mother, who is nearly murdered by Sirius Black via Remus Lupin, is told to shut the fuck up and sit down before he ruins the lives of his betters.

Dumbledore has a very bad track record with this and, well, Harry Potter is not an exception.

To be fair, I think the wizarding world has not concept of CPS or even child abuse. There’s no hint of a foster system, you go to the closest relative of the godparents. So, I think to them, you’re stuck with whoever you’re stuck with and if your uncle rapes you then it sucks to be you.

[modernpaw]

It's a Beautiful Day for a Wedding (Part 1)

Charlie Barber x Female Reader

Summary: When your ex-husband shows up at your cousin's wedding, old wounds can't help but resurface. Lucky for you, a certain theater director is also in attendance.

CW: Divorce, painful breakup, implied past infidelity, AFAB reader,

Words: 1.3k

It's a beautiful day for a wedding, you think. The sky is a brilliant shade of blue, and the sun is just warm enough to be considered pleasant. You stare out of the window of your cousin's childhood bedroom, looking down at all the guests milling about in the sprawling green below.

Today is your cousin's wedding, and although there are seven years between you, she's chosen you to be her matron of honor.

"Okay, I'm ready!" she announces as she comes out of the bathroom. You turn around to look at her and immediately let out a gasp. She looks absolutely stunning.

"Oh my god," you whisper. "You look—"

"Hideous?" she volunteers with a grin.

You chuckle and nod your head. "Yes, very hideous. The poor groom is going to be so traumatized."

You two have always been close, likely on account of her having lost her mother at a young age and there being no other children in the family, but while most family ties eventually weaken, yours have only gotten stronger. In fact, even though you moved away to New York for work, you two have kept in touch.

The door opens and the rest of her bridesmaids stream in. As they fawn over the bride, you try not to remember that time in your life when you were in the same position.

How many years has it been since your own wedding?

Fortunately, the wedding coordinator clears her throat, interrupting your thoughts. She gently ushers everyone out the door, instructing them to take their places on the lawn. It's almost time for the ceremony to begin.

You go over to the bride to give her a hug. "I love you, babe" you whisper in her ear.

As you pull away, she takes your hand for a moment. "I'm sorry he's here," she says softly.

You swallow the lump in your throat. She's referring to your ex-husband, of course. The same man who divorced you two years ago and said he made a mistake marrying you, the same man who quickly jumped into a new relationship with a much younger woman at work (yes, at work, where up until a year ago, you also happened to be employed at).

Unfortunately, he's also the same man who's stayed great friends with your cousin's soon-to-be husband.

"Don't be silly," you say, putting a hand over hers. "Steve has every right to be here, and, you know, we're good."

Lie. You hate the fact that he's here. And while you two aren't on hostile terms, "good" doesn't really cover it either. In fact, his is the last face you want to see right now. But your cousin doesn't need to know that. Actually, nobody does, and you intend to keep it that way.

Everybody's always talking about how your divorce is still the smoothest sailing separation they've ever heard of, like you went on a cruise or something, and you can kind of understand why. After all, you went out of your way to make it as pain-free as possible for all parties, except maybe for yourself.

That's the beauty of working in public relations. You're so used to handling other people's image crises that when it was time for you to handle your own, putting a positive spin on the matter had been laughably easy.

Nobody knows, not even your cousin, how bad it had been for you. Nobody knows how difficult it had been to pretend to be cool about it all because—guess what—even after all the things that happened, you still didn't want anybody, most especially your loved ones, to think any less of him. Nobody knows how you wanted to turn in your resignation as soon as you heard about them dating, but waited at least a year after to make sure people wouldn't make a big deal out of it.

One entire year of smiling, still doing your best work, being pleasant to him and his new girlfriend.

It was worth the sacrifice though.

You moved on. Not only did you start your own company, you also relocated to a different neighborhood, one that seems to love you as much as you love it. You now have a favorite pizza place, a local theater group you support, a bakery you frequent. You've been slowly rediscovering yourself as a person.

But then, just three months after your divorce date eclipsed its one-year mark, he sprang it on you. Said that he still has feelings for you. Said that he's confused.

You fell for it, too.

For several months, you tried to make it work, gave the two of you another chance. Until you learned that he's actually still with her, that he still has feelings for her, that he's just as confused as ever. And that's when you realized that he was never going to give you the love you know you deserve.

Hell, it was like going through the breakup all over again.

Your cousin sighs in relief, and you smile back, squeezing her hand affectionately. This is her day, you tell yourself firmly. However awful it might be to see your ex-husband again, you know it's all worth it.

As the orchestra begins to play Pachelbel's Canon in D, members of the wedding party start making their way down the aisle. You try not to fidget as you wait your turn. As the matron of honor, you're the last to walk before the bride herself. You check to make sure that your smile is still plastered on your face. Playing happy has become almost second nature to you now.

At least, your gown looks amazing, you think. In fact, everyone's dresses do, and that's because your cousin, a brilliant fashion designer, made sure that each gown suits the style every woman in her party is comfortable with. God, your cousin is an amazing person. You're so glad she's marrying someone who adores her wholeheartedly.

The wedding coordinator calls your attention as your turn comes up. "Ready?" she asks with a smile.

You nod, smiling back, You know how this works.

Walk slowly. Smile pleasantly at everyone. Keep the bouquet up.

You spot your ex-husband almost immediately on the right.

Walk slowly. Smile pleasantly at everyone. Keep the bouquet up.

Somehow, you manage not to lock eyes with him, only recognizing his person by the color of his coat and the buckle on his belt. Even more miraculously, your smile stays put.

Walk slowly. Smile pleasantly at everyone. Keep the bouquet up.

You then turn your gaze to the left. The view there must be better.

Walk slowly. Smile pleasantly at everyone. Keep the bouquet up.

That's when you nearly trip. While you've accounted for nearly every possible scenario in this wedding, including the prospect of seeing your ex-husband's girlfriend, the one thing that you didn't expect, the one person you didn't expect, was Charlie Barber, director and owner of the local theater group in your neighborhood.

Also. The man you've been fantasizing about for the last month and a half.

To be fair, he looks just as surprised to see you. Pleasantly surprised, you hope. He gives you a small wave. Caught off guard, you break character and raise a hand to give him a small wave back.

You reach the end of the aisle and take your place by the other bridesmaids. At the opposite end stands your cousin, along with her father, waiting to make her entrance.

The orchestra plays the last few notes of Canon in D before transitioning to a song that, at first, you don't recognize. It's light and playful and feels perfectly like two people in love. That's when you realize that you've heard it before. It's from one of Charlie's plays!

Is that why he's here?

Your eyes land back on Charlie, and to your surprise, he's looking right back at you. You try not to make a big deal out of it, especially since he's not the only one looking at you right now. Even without turning your head, you can tell that your ex-husband is also staring at you.

It's a beautiful day for a wedding, you tell yourself again, almost like a mantra. You just hope you survive it long enough to appreciate it!

Read Part 2 here

Tagging: @cornmousequeen, @fizzywoohoo, @paper-n-ashes@morby

If you would like to be tagged in future adcu stories or only those for specific adcu characters (which I cannot promise will actually happen), let me know! :) Otherwise, thank you for reading!

[nootnootbitch]

𝘼𝙩𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙊𝙣 𝙏𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙣 𝘿𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙣𝙨

today I’ve got Armin, Eren, Jean, and Connie!!

Sweet Sweet Armin (best boy)

He’s unbelievably kind to you. Everything he does for/to you, he wants to make sure you’re comfortable. Definitely the type to ask for a kiss often before he gives one.

He likes to read to you. Any kind of book. If you buy it he’ll read it to you. Before bed, in the middle of the day, while you’re cooking. He never gets tired of it.

“What’s this? Another book? Sure I’ll read it to you now if you want! This never gets old.”

He LOVES beach dates also. So often you guys have dates where you chill out by the ocean. While you build sandcastles or rest or do whatever, Armin’s out looking for the most beautiful seashells to be found at the beach.

“You having fun over there? Cool! Look what I found! Aren’t these seashells pretty? The way that the glow under the sun reminds me of you.”

He’a pretty protective. More protective than jealous. He’s not Mr.Macho Man so he has to find different ways to keep people away from you.

He likes it a lot when you cup your hands over his cheeks. It makes him blush softly. And a smile spread across his face. And nuzzles his face more into your hands and just likes to sit there like that. Its the cutest thing ever.

“I love when you do this! It always feels so nice in your hands. You’re amazing. I love you so much.”

tsk tsk Eren

He isn’t very verbal about his love. But it’s okay because his physical touch makes up for it. His hands are always on you. ALWAYS. When you’re walking his hand is on your hip. If you’re sitting down somewhere, he’s holding one of your hands.

He lets you do his hair. He’s got a lot of it and doesn’t care much at all for styling it. So sometimes he lets you braid it or curl it etc.

“Fine, you can do my hair. Braids? Again? Fine. But don’t do a bunch like last time.”

He likes to do anything you like to do. Or at least that’s what he tells you. He just doesn’t care much and he’s down for anything. You plan the dates. Sometimes you guys just stay home and have dinner.

He doesn’t like seeing you around other people. If you’re around another guy and he feels like the guy is interested in you, he’ll pull you away. He’s done it before. You had to explain to him that he can’t do it every time he gets jealous. So he stopped doing it... as often.

“Oh hey! Who’s this? Doesn’t matter. Come here let’s go to talk to that wall or something...”

He would wrap his scarf/sweater/jacket around you. Cliche I know but he does it.

“You look cold. Here just take my jacket. Are you cold?”

He loves more than anything when you’re hugging and you lay his head on your shoulder. It remind him of how he used to do it with his mom when he was a lot younger. He finds something really comforting about it. And even though he never says anything, you can always feel him smiling into your shoulder.

Good ole Jean

He’s so sweet. He cares about you so much. He wants to stay tough though. Maintain that tough guy persona and all that. He kisses you A LOT. Just soft kissed on your forehead or on your cheek. Or he’ll hug you.

Don’t tell him because it’ll make him blush but he has the warmest hugs. You could and you have fallen asleep in his arms before. He thinks it’s adorable seeing that you feel comfortable enough to fall asleep in his arms. He mutters and says things that he doesn’t like to say often out loud to you while you’re sleeping. After he’s done admiring you he falls asleep too.

“I appreciate your trust. You’re adorable all wrapped up in my arms. I wish we could stay like thief forever.”

Don’t call him Jean-boy. He hates when anybody calls him the name except his mother. And even when she call him that he pretends not to like it.

You guys go on dates to festivals. Fairs. Parties. You dance. And you drink and eat. Simplistic. It may seem like there’s thousands of people around but trust in this, Jean only sees you.

“I didn’t even realize how many people were here. Never mind them. Want to dance with me? I’ll even spin you a couple times...”

He loves when you put your hands over his ears. Often Jean puts his hands over his ears during stressful situations. But when you do it, no matter the situation it calms him down. A lot.

GOOD DAY MR.SRINGER

Wow Connie. Does this man joke or what? He is constantly cracking jokes with you. ALWAYS. If there’s an opening for a joke, he will take it. They’re never extremely funny but sometimes they’re just stupid enough that you laugh so hard you fall out of your seat. Or you laugh at him laughing at his own bad joke.

“Oh come on! That one was funny. Look at you’re laughing! Haha don’t deny it! Besides you look so pretty when you laugh at my jokes.”

He teases you constantly. Sometimes you’ll tease him back. Connie thinks it cute when you try and tease him back so he really get’s into it. Sometimes though, he might take it too far and that’s when his loving side really comes out. And he tries his absolute best to make you feel better.

“Listen, I’m sorry. I love you. I didn’t mean it like that. I love you. I’m sorry. Did I mention how much I love you? Uhhh wanna hear a joke?”

Picnic dates. He likes to be out in the open. Not because of nature but because being inside all day and doing nothing isn’t a always appealing to him. So you guys will pack up some food on a not tooo sunny day and go find a grassy patch to sit out on.

Connie absolutely adored when you play with his fingers. There’s just something about it. He thinks it’s so cute. It makes his heart stop.

THE END

💃🏽 ✨ 🕺🏽

also new theme guys 😈

[theonceandfutureking6481]

BBC's Merlin Season 1 Episode 1: The Dragon's Call Analysis

*SPOILERS- FOR THE WHOLE SHOW*

So I just re-watched episode 1 of Merlin, The Dragon's Call and I thought I'd post my thoughts here, since this is the kind of thing I always wanted after I watched Merlin for the first time. Sorry, it's quite long!!

This episode is great fun to watch but also really interesting from a thematic perspective, as it introduces all the key characters and many key themes that continue throughout the show.

Setting it up as subverting traditional telling's of the legend

The wonderful thing about Arthurian legend is how many ways you can tell it, there is very little canon, it's whole point is that it has been reinterpreted time and again to say different things, be that as it may there are traditional elements which tend to remain constant and Merlin keeps some of these but many it takes out and it sets that up here.

The introduction is like a fairytale, "the young warlock arriving at the gates of Camelot", feels very much like the introduction to a fairy tale. This is on one hand telling us that this is a story we know like any fairytale, but the very fact that Merlin is young shows us that it is going to be different.

On the side, I love the line "A boy that will in time father a legend", because there's just this wonderful gap between the audience and the characters (as there is throughout the whole story), we know that Merlin will do great things, we know that Arthur will too, they are stories we have heard (tying again into that fairytale esque introduction), and its wonderful to know that, to see Merlin and know that he is destined for greatness.

Introduction to characters:

I haven't got a specific section for Merlin here, but its sort of strewn throughout everyone elses.

Morgana:

If you know Arthurian legend you will know that in many (even most) versions of the story Morgana is a villain, so her introduction here is both scary and fascinating. She is so clearly not a villain, and you wonder (if Merlin stays true to this element) what is going to change and happen that she will become one. I knew from the start that Morgana would become a villain (I had heard a lot of spoilers), so it was especially tragic and interesting to watch her character arc because I always knew. Interestingly she is immediately set up in alliance with Merlin, even though they barely interact. We know that he is a sorcerer, and her first lines are oppositional to Uther's stance on magic, she out of everyone in Camelot seems the most likely ally. This is the start of what becomes parallel character arcs, Morgana and Merlin are both fighting for magic to become legal but they end up going about it in different ways, and one is the main villain, the other our hero. They are the same and yet opposites, and the setting up starts from here.

Arthur:

Arthur appears quite simply to be a spoiled bully, not exactly what we expect from the King Arthur we know and love. The position he starts in though is important for a key element of the story which is Merlin and Arthur creating a better world in many ways directly oppositional to Uther's teachings, based on love, kindness, willingness to put others first and respect for others. Uther's world is one where strength is rewarded and he is (in a more adult way than Arthur) a bully, as we learn later he is someone who takes his anger and fear out on others, who takes advantage of his position to hurt people even those he loves. Uther can be a good king, but not when it asks him to make sacrifices of his worldview or things that really matter to him. Uther teaches Arthur some important things but there are many things Arthur has to unlearn, and these bullish tendencies, and lack of respect for others inherent in them are one of them. We do however see Arthur's inherent nobility and goodness in this episode. When he lets Merlin go because even though he's an idiot "he's a brave one", it shows us how Arthur respects what people do rather than who they are. Uther wouldn't of let Merlin go (though to be fair Uther probably wouldn't of picked a fight with a peasant), he would have thought that the law had to be upheld no matter the individual circumstance. Merlin attacked the prince that is definitely illegal but Arthur respects his courage (even though it came at the cost of his humiliation), and there is something different to Uther in that, even good.

Merlin and Arthur:

This episode aside from setting the tone for the more hilarious aspects of Merlin and Arthur's relationship establishes some other interesting things about what they are going to be to each other in this version of the story. Traditionally Merlin is Arthur's teacher, often tutoring him as a child, obviously this doesn't happen here but they retain that element of teaching here. Kilgharrah literally says that maybe it is Merlin's job to change the fact that Arthur's an idiot. Merlin challenges Arthur from the start, willing to criticise him and treat him as an equal (which Arthur actually appears to love), and we see perhaps what Merlin is going to teach Arthur and the more noble elements of Arthur's character that Merlin's going to bring. It is also only within the context of his interactions with Merlin that we see Arthur's best side (at least in this episode). Merlin shows Arthur that he has to treat all people with respect, Arthur recognises that Merlin is brave and full of qualities that Arthur himself admires. When Merlin saves Arthur's life you can see Arthur re-evaluating everything he thought he knew about him, there is a respect there.

Arthur's Mum Igraine

She's not a big part of this episode but she was mentioned and I think its interesting how she's represented. In many ways her representation is highly simplistic, she falls to the fate of many fairy tale mothers in being dead before the story begins, she's a plot device. She is presented (not outright but implied) with all the stereotypical virtues mothers are ascribed with, the woman who's trying to kill Arthur this episode talks to Uther about how hard it must have been for Arthur to grow up without a mother. It's not a huge scene but its an insight into Arthur's character, he was brought up with all the hate and bullishness of Uther without a mother who could have taught him love and kindness. As we later learn Igraine's death triggered the great purge, her loss very much symbolises the loss of love within the kingdom, both in what Arthur's like at the beginning as well as what Camelot has become under Uther's leadership.

Gwen (and Merlin):

She is wonderful and sweet and interestingly (especially for an audience that knows Arthur is going to marry her one day) a servant. It is interesting that the two people who become in the show (and we know as an audience will one day be) closest to Arthur are servants.

The thing about Arthurian legend is that typically its very much set within a context of Medieval feudalism, which means stringent social barriers. The code of equality inherent in the idea of a Round Table is equality among nobles, the code of chivalry is a code of honour for knights not for ordinary people. It's a reflection of the social realities of the era that inspires much of the aesthetic of Arthurian legend as well as the era in which most key tenants of the legend were formed. In making Merlin (Arthur's teacher & (in this show) best friend/soulmate) and Guinevere (Arthur's wife) servants, this show is changing this idea for one more reflective of our own times. It is about absolute equality of all people, and as I've said already the inherent value that every single human being has and the individual capabilities for nobility and goodness and everything the Knights Code admires. It thus sets the tone for what Arthur is going to represent, not just the ideal of knighthood and courage but the ideal of kingship for all people and the ideal of the world that matters to every person.

The self reproducing nature of love and hate

This is an idea which I've always viewed as the main theme of Merlin, the idea that hate begets itself, as does love. This episode is a perfect encapsulation of that theme which recurs again and again. Uther kills a man who is innocent (in the sense that he didn't actually hurt anybody) and the man's mother seeks vengeance and in doing so kills more innocent people because she hates Uther enough that she doesn't care who else she hurts to get at him. This happens again and again in the show, but what this show does that I love is turn it into a main theme by depicting the reverse. Arthur and Merlin are great because they act against this world of Uther's creation, they act with love and compassion and respect for all people, the ends rarely justify the means and most importantly, especially when their actions seem morally grey, they are always motivated by their love for others (not fear or hate- unlike Uther and any number of villains). Uther is the main villain of the show precisely because it is his actions that create every other villain they encounter, Morgana sums it up nicely and somewhat ominously (given what side she ends up on)- "the more brutal you are the more enemies you'll create". Uther views that brutality as strength, but it is the weakness at the heart of his kingdom, it is what makes Camelot a worse place it is what puts everyone he cares about in danger. Essentially the plot of the first episode sets up the cycle of violence that Uther started, though it doesn't set up Merlin and Arthur as breaking it it does set up the idea of equality and respect for all people that Arthur will learn and is essentially opposed to the brutality and cruelty and hate represented by Uther.

Fun non-analysis things

It mightn't seem like it but I do actually watch Merlin for reasons other than copious analysis of themes. It is a highly enjoyable show with characters and relationships (Merthur but also just generally the wonderful representation of friendship and loyalty) I love, and its actually really funny.

Gwen saying "Who'd want to marry Arthur" is peak comedy because we all know, well you.

The weird set up in Gaius' first scene as him being bumbling and slightly insane (in the mad wise old man sort of way), there is literally no carry through, he's not even like this in the rest of the episode, but its hilarious so who cares.

Merlin and Arthur's whole exchange is the funniest thing and Arthur had every insult coming. Also this is exactly how you set up enemies to lovers.

All the writers names begin with J? It's just something I notice every time the intro credits roll and it's just funny (Julian Murphy, Johnny Capps, Jake Michie and Julian Jones)- also two Julian's, I mean what are the chances?

[pandawriterstuff]

Pinehallow Summary & Character List

This is my main WIP, if I'm complaining about characters doing whatever they want, this is them.

Pinehallow Summary-Monty, an eleven year old boy who has spent most of his life traveling from place to place with his in-demand lawyer mother, Irene, is sent to live at his uncle's horse ranch because she thinks he needs roots. Used to nearly everyone but his mother not being around long enough to get to know, Monty is more than a bit uncertain about this. But in scrambling to find his place in a town different to anything he's ever known, he finds friends, both human and animal, makes discoveries, and even manages to foil a plot against Pinehallow Ranch itself.

Character List

Monty (Montgomery) Cade Waller- Main character, 11, white. Monty is curious, bright, and more than a little awkward. He has a tendency to state the obvious, which can be endearing or annoying depending on your perspective. Big vocabulary and grown-up way of speaking because he’s spent more time around grown-ups than other kids. He’s quietly stubborn, particularly when it comes to being told he’s wrong when he knows he’s right. Insecure about socializing and friendships because of constant moving and traveling. Can’t hold a grudge for the life of him, even when he likely should. He likes bugs, birds and turtles, would rather read nonfiction than a story. Fills lonely afternoons with sketching, nature sketching on the ranch.

Irene Waller- Monty’s mother, 36, white. Irene is a powerful corporate lawyer, either full of energy or exhausted, never in between. She loves using words to sway minds and deciphering documents to find exactly what the opposition doesn’t want her to find. Sometimes Irene wishes she was using her skills in more meaningful ways, but also really likes the money, the traveling, and the competition. Has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of show tunes from musicals. She has a hard time letting people get close. Would stab someone for her baby, but knows it’s better to teach him to stab for himself. Only partially joking. Dolly Parton is her hero, and as much as she loves her music, it’s Dolly the business woman and Dolly the philanthropist that she strives to emulate.

Keith Waller- Monty’s uncle, 34, white. Horse Rancher. Keith loves working hard and getting dirty, and if he’s not exhausted at the end of the day he’ll be looking for something else to push him there. Otherwise he gets antsy. Loves animals and absolutely will not tolerate anyone mistreating any of the animals on his ranch-ordinarily he’s very careful of his size and strength, in that situation, all bets are off. Times that by about ten for any of the ‘barn rats’ that help around the ranch for riding lessons/time. Loves romantic comedies and telanovas and doesn’t care who knows it. Keith doesn’t read a lot, it never came easy to him, but if he’s taking a long trip he’ll always check an audio book or two out of the library instead of just relying on the radio.

Juniper - Keith’s goddaughter, 15, white. She has a calm, confident personality with a smile for most everyone she meets. If she doesn’t have a smile for you and it isn’t because her head is in the clouds over a girl, you’ve probably earned her scorn and will be ignored as much as possible. Juniper raises rabbits and it’s taught her patience, and a lot about unfairness when a kit doesn’t make it. She helps out with riding lessons at the ranch in exchange for riding time of her own, and has become a fixture, spending more time there than she does at home, and when she can get away with it, school. Loves sunflowers and her sunflower comforter is probably her most prized possession.

Nell - Caretaker/cook for the ranch house(would cooking lunch for the workers still be a thing on a modern ranch?). 38, white(?). Not about to put up with nonsense. Will make you cookies if she doesn’t have to put up with nonsense. Please. At one point she wanted to be a chef and has a year of culinary school under her belt, but quickly decided the super fast paced and competitive environment wasn’t for her. Anything that was making her hate one of her favorite things that fast could not be good for a person. She intends to live a long, long life and that kind of stress can just walk right out of the door. Loves to go on long walks, often into the hills (BLM land) behind the ranch. (maybe she was taught/took a class on foraging, and teaches Monty to find wild onions and stuff? But this would mean *I* have to learn about foraging in Idaho.) This leads to a contented, if often silent, companionship between her and Monty, who desperately wants to explore/record/sketch everything about the natural world of his new home, particularly the parts that are off limits to him without an adult along.

Ray- Family Friend/Co-Owner of R & M General (designed to feel vintage, but shiny. Bit of a tourist stop now, they decided to lean into it.), 50, Black. He uses his background in chemistry to make amazing looking candies and chocolates, using that to deal with a time he used it in less pleasant ways when he was in the military. He never expected anybody outside of his small town, or maybe the folks at the county fair to make so much fuss over them. This might embarrass him, if he weren’t so delighted. A cheerful man with a dreamer’s heart, a magazine once referred to him as a small town Willy Wonka. He dotes on his wife, often making and gifting her small surprises. An amputee in honor of my Grandpa (missing left leg at the knee, possibly missing one arm as well, but I’m not sure how that would affect candy making.). Has certain parts of his past he just doesn’t talk about.

Mavis- Co-Owner of ____ with Ray, 48, Black. Fierce and kind in equal measures, Mavis believes in protecting what’s hers, and as far as she’s concerned the entire town of (oh my god, it needs a name) is included in that. Mavis is very selective about the battles she fights, but when she chooses one she throws herself in whole-heartedly. On several committees around town, she’d be on more, but then she wouldn’t have enough time to really get into the work of the ones she loves. She knits in her limited free time, often while listening to the news, but sometimes opera. Has started knitting stuffies in the shapes of the more unusual candies Ray makes, it’s silly, but fun, and tourists and the local kids love it. Still head over heels for Ray, even though his often dreaming about things for ages instead of just doing them is also still baffling to her.

Leanna - Juniper’s sort-of girlfriend, 15, Vietnamese. Quiet, a little cynical, but very empathetic. She avoids the news because it’s that or be mad and want to cry all the time-until she hears about something she can’t not research, and goes on a 24 hour google search and learns far more than is probably good for her about a species going extinct due to logging in prohibited areas, or genocide being covered up by claims of violent uprisings. She loves manga and comics. Leanna sometimes tries for a cottagecore* type aesthetic, but mostly thinks it's too much work. She’s starting to worry about what she’s going to do with her future, and people telling her that she’s only 15 and doesn’t have to worry about it yet is NOT HELPING.

*even though cottagecore isn’t a thing in the early-mid 2000s this is maybe/vaguely set in. Shh, let me have this. Anne of Green Gablesesque maybe?

Winnie - Leanna’s mom, 45, Vietnamese. Widow? A little ditzy, but a lot loving. Everyone in town is convinced she’s the stoner type of hippy, but no one minds as she’s someone who truly wants to know how you’re doing when she asks and strangely almost always has very spot on advice. She’s rarely on time anywhere, but that’s because she’ll have stopped to talk, and often to help, whoever she’s run into. Leanna and her bicker over this when she’s late picking her up. Always wears bright colors. Loves Agatha Christie books. Calls everyone, even people 50 years older than her, hon.

Logan - Juniper’s stepdad, 40, white. Kind of a jerk, but most of the jerky things he says are actually jokes that fall flat or have simply gotten old. Tries really hard, like *really* hard, but has a tendency to get annoyed if people don’t appreciate his efforts right away-more in his personal life than professional, possibly because of his profession. A contractor, hard worker, loyal, has worked for the same company since he was twenty even though they don’t often treat him right. Sometimes tries to buy people’s affections. Wants to have better communication with Juniper, but it’s gotten really hard the last few years and he’s never quite sure why.

Candice - Juniper’s Mom, 39, white, works at a nursery that sells seedlings and baby fruit trees, has a cheerful, calm personality, but a lot softer and more lowkey than Juniper’s version. Very house proud, but has a ‘maximalist’ approach to decorating-everything is in its place, but there are places for lots of things. Loves spending time outdoors, but would rather spend it tending her garden than hiking or riding, preferably with a cup of tea by her side. On the weekends, a fruity beer or wine instead. Wants to go on one of those train rides where you get to drink wine, eat canapes and try to solve a mystery, thinks Winnie might be a good candidate for someone to go with her.

Ura - a ‘barn rat’, 12 and a half, white(maybe a Czech immigrant? 2nd generation?) . A cheerful, rough and tumble boy who is always climbing things, and often being told to stop when he gets too high for other people's comfort. Ura is fearless when it comes to physical feats, but has a fear of ‘slimy’ things like worms and frogs. He has a thick layer of pudge and a big appetite, but is athletic and strong enough that anyone bullying him over it would be doing it at their own peril. Not that he’s the type to start fights, or even finish them most of the time. Doesn’t feel he quite fits in with his family, who are all more serious, reserved people. Redwood is his favorite of the horses, and Keith has all but given up on telling him that sitting on the floor of Red’s stall to talk to the horse isn’t exactly safe.

Elliot - Ray and Mavis’s son, Black, 19 and a college student-maybe/probably at U of I. Lives on campus, but comes home at least a couple weekends a month. Has an older car that he and Ray fixed up together, that is his pride and joy. Quiet, with an irreverent sense of humor that he unleashes somewhat at random. Interested in robotics, engines and mechanics and generally has some project he’s working on, a piece of which may or may not be in his pocket. Often has oil, grease, or ink on his hands, either from working on or designing a new project. A bit of an overachiever, he can spread himself thin trying to live up to all his responsibilities at once. He’s best friends with Randy, a friendship his parents want to disapprove of, because the few times Elliot’s gotten into trouble not only was Randy there, but 99% of the time whatever it was is Randy’s idea, but never quite manage too.

Randy - Handyman at the ranch, mixed race Hispanic and white, 21. Technically head handyman, because the old head retired six months ago, and is a little young/inexperienced for the job, but he’s not the type to back away from a challenge and has risen to the occasion beautifully. Loves rock and metal music, and spends a lot of his free weekends at concerts, the ones crammed into little venues and bars where people are practically on top of each other and the beat is so loud and solid it throbs through you, connecting you to everyone even before you hit the mosh pit, are his preference. He’s been working at the ranch since he was 16, and feels like he has a claim on it, not afraid to speak up if he thinks a decision Keith is making isn’t right or that he isn’t taking something important into consideration. Can be a bit wild when he’s not being the responsible one, definitely doesn’t always think before he acts.

Alma - Local artist/worker at R & M’s, Hispanic, 25. Alma is a painter and poet, a confident young woman who’s figured out that half of surviving as an artist is being your own agent/a salesperson as well, and in addition to several shelves at the R & M that hold postcard prints of many of her pieces, both the coffee shop and cafe have some of her larger paintings displayed, and she always has a booth at the Saturday market, though the majority of her sales come from her website. Alma is cheerful, and likes to tease, and growing up the middle child of four brothers, is very able to hold her own in verbal sparring. She’s close with her family, still living with her parents, and while at first her father was dismayed at her choice of career, he now hands out her business card to basically everyone he talks to.

Miriam - Nell’s Mom, white, 71, a little deaf, speaks loudly, partially because of the deafness, partially because she spent too long letting other people push her around and when she hit about 50 decided she was going to be the one talking over people now. She’s earned it. Age has made her more delicate than she likes, bruising and scraping easily, but she’s determined to do most things for herself. Those that are beyond her she has no problem loudly ordering someone else to take care of. Volunteers a lot, often fosters kittens for the local animal shelter. Used to chain smoke, quit when Nell was a teenager because she kept leaving pictures of diseased lungs everywhere. Still uses the candy ones as a substitute.

Places

Unnamed Town- Somewhere in Latah County, Idaho, where there is not already a town in the way. Around 200 years old and has grown and shrunk and grown again, and currently has a population of about 12,000. Having grown out from a traditional mainstreet, _______ no longer has the western style boardwalk seen in old pictures, but it does have a large cluster of local businesses and ‘hot spots’ still along that old main street, a coffee shop, a diner, a combination bookshop and independent library, a hardware store, a bar, a few places I haven’t thought of yet, and of course R & M General. There is a historical barn half a mile or so away from mainstreet that has been converted into a theater/meeting hall/dance hall, and a community center was added onto it in the early 90’s. During the summer there is a farmer’s market on the property every Saturday. The elementary school and junior high are all on one property, several miles out of town, because the majority of families live on farms, ranches or small rural properties rather than in one of the neighborhood clusters in the town itself. The junior high is 7th, 8th and 9th graders, in a newer two story building, and the elementary school is divided into lower and upper elementary with the bracket shaped building basically being cut in half, K-3 on one side and 4-6 on the other. The high school is outside of town on the other side by several miles, and actually serves kids from another town(s) as well. There is also a trailer park with about forty units, not exactly sure where it is yet, but Miriam(Nell’s Mom) lives there. There is also an animal shelter, a vet’s office, a cemetery, and a couple churches, and I’m sure more things to come.

R & M General (working title?)- Ray and Mavis’s store, a general store with a candy focused twist. A vintage Pepsi sign, neon still bright, and a charming green glass juke-box filled with hits from the 1940’s onward grace the front porch of the R & M, along with a long bench that locals are encouraged to use for a spell or to listen to a couple songs, provided they can behave themselves (teenagers arguing over who their favorite member of the rat pack is might be amusing, considering they were already ‘mom and dad’, or at least older brother and sister, music by the time Mavis and Ray were teenagers, but when they get loud it also gets annoying.). The store itself still has the original wooden counter up front and built-in shelves along the walls, but all refinished and polished to a high shine. A mixture of display types going down the middle of the store, barrels and baskets filled with skeins of colorful yarn and cloth or Mavis’s knitted stuffies(and during winter sometimes socks and mittens), other sewing and craft supplies, display racks with local arts, postcards and carvings, sometimes wind up toys made by Elliot, and of course many, many displays of candies and chocolates. They also have a lot of dry goods, and some of the simpler candy types have little instruction booklets and the ingredients it takes to try out making them yourself stocked in the same display, drink coolers, and sometimes have local produce available. Basically, they have a bit of everything, except for building equipment/home repair supplies, and that’s because of the hardware store across the street.

Pinehallow Ranch-A sprawling 100 acre ranch in Latah County, Idaho where the Waller family has been doing something or other with horses for four generations now. Originally it was a horse breeding ranch, but Keith and Irene’s grandfather felt the money was in training horses, and offered boarding as well, and Keith has continued to build that up, offering lessons for a variety of styles, ages, and skill levels. Butting up against BLM land that allows additional grazing and trail riding, the ranch has four pastures, a large corral, a medium sized indoor arena and two horse barns, one for boarded horses and one for the ranch's own stock, and an equipment barn, an old bunkhouse that is mostly used to store feed-though Randy has slept there when in between places, mostly unbeknownst to Keith-and some smaller equipment sheds, placed where they’re needed. The main house is an L-shaped ranch house with a porch that goes around the entire long front of the house with a large herb/kitchen and rock garden arranged around that. There are treed pockets scattered here and there, left alone as the rest of the ranch was developed, but the creek Monty and Juniper sometimes hang out at is on BLM land, as is most of the forested area around the ranch.

Pinehallow Taglist @sleepysera @enchanted-lightning-aes @odysseywritings @thegreatobsesso @writing-is-a-martial-art and @hiitsolivia If anyone else wants to be added just interact with the post :) (My more advanced tumblr knowledge has led me to believe this is better than asking people to reblog/comment to be added, but if I'm wrong just let me know.)

[seijorhi]

Lev pretending to be innocent in front of the reader but is actually her stalker with those cat eyes. He asks help from her and they gradually get closer until he gets her all alone in her apartment under his care

Absolutely! Lev is prime stalker material 👀 poor reader

Lev Haiba x Reader

TW stalking, manipulation

Harmless

“Don’t you think he’s just a little… I don’t know, creepy?” your best friend murmurs in a pointed tone, stirring the sugar into her coffee. 

You bite back a sigh - it’s a conversation you’ve had countless times before and it always ends the same way. You defend Lev, chastise your friend for her paranoia and distrustful nature and eventually she relents with an unconvincing ‘if you say so’. 

“He’s harmless, honestly - Lev wouldn’t hurt a fly and he’s actually very sweet once you get to know him. I don’t know why you’re so against him. He’s a good friend.”

She huffs, taking a slow sip of her drink before she replies. “Well for one, he’s like an overgrown shadow. I swear, every time we’re out together we always seem to just magically run into him, all big and looming, and he’s always staring at you like he wants to gobble you up - just you by the way, he outright ignores the rest of us peasants - it’s like he’s obsessed with you or something, and-”

She keeps talking, but honestly you kind of zone out a little bit. You can’t judge her too harshly. She’s always been protective of you, ever since you guys were kids, you suppose it’s only natural for her to be wary of Lev.

And she’s not wrong per se. You do have the strangest habit of running into Lev around town, but it’s how you met, after all - quite literally running into the 6’5” giant as you were exiting the exact same coffee shop you were currently sitting in.

Spilling your piping hot coffee all over somebody else’s sweater doesn’t usually have the makings of a burgeoning friendship but Lev had been so sweet about the whole thing, blushing and bowing, shooting apology after apology (despite the fact that it was mostly your fault) that you couldn’t help but offer to buy his drink in compensation for ruining his morning - and more importantly his clothes.

Lev, grinning brightly, had agreed with a single condition - that you joined him. And really, after pouring hot coffee all over him, it was the least you could do.

“Hey, are you even paying attention to me?!”

You jerk a little, shaking yourself out of your reverie to find your friend glaring at you. It lacks any real heat though, and she just rolls her eyes and gives a long suffering sigh. “I’m worried about you, Y/N. Didn’t you say that some of your stuff has been going missing lately?”

An old picture of you and some friends on vacation, a necklace you used to wear religiously and you could swear that you’re missing one of your favourite bras and some panties, but… sometimes stuff like that just gets misplaced - it’s not like you’re exactly the tidiest person around. 

Still, you can’t help the way that your brows furrow at her implication, “I said I misplaced some things. Are you honestly suggesting that Lev broke into my apartment to steal that stuff?” you ask with a snicker. The very idea of the silver haired giant sneaking around your tiny apartment is ridiculous!

Your friend’s pointed silence speaks volumes. 

“Oh, come on! He’s just a friend - a little excitable maybe,” and very affectionate, always swallowing you up in tight hugs, fingers constantly seeking out yours - but somehow you don’t think that part will help your case, “but he’s just a big softie.”

She scoffs, folding her arms over her chest. She doesn’t speak for a long moment, but when she does, she reaches across the table to grab your hand in hers, squeezing it lightly. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I’m being a jealous, judgemental bitch because I don’t like the idea of anyone else coming to steal you away from me,” she smiles self deprecatingly, but there’s an real edge of worry in her eyes that makes your stomach twist, “but you’re the most important thing to me. I don’t want you getting hurt, and I get bad vibes from that guy.” 

You open your mouth to retort, but she just shakes her head, “Just… just promise me you’ll be careful around him, alright?”

Wordlessly, you nod.

As much as you try and dismiss her concerns, as days pass you begin to wonder if maybe she isn’t wrong.

Not about Lev of course - he might be a little over exuberant but you know he doesn’t mean any harm by it - but you think, well… you’re starting to think that maybe somebody’s following you.

At first it’s just the tickling sensation on the back of your neck. When you run to the corner store on your lunch break to pick up a snack for the afternoon a shiver runs down your spine as you get the strangest feeling that somebody’s staring at you - you can feel the weight of their gaze burning into your back, but whenever you turn there’s nobody there.

There’s never anybody there.

But… didn’t you shut the door to your closet before you left for work that morning? You could have sworn that the window to your second storey bedroom was locked.

It comes to a head one night after work. You leave later than you normally would, having lost track of time trying to get some last minute emails off and by the time you actually get out the door it’s already dark outside and it’s pouring down with rain.

You’re halfway home when you get that prickling feeling on your skin, and your gut tightens uncomfortably. Tentatively you slow, shooting a furtive glance over your shoulder. The streets of the city are normally busy at this time of the night, but the rain’s driven people away - there’s not a soul in sight, including any wannabe stalkers.

The tight grip on your heart eases and you force yourself to relax. You’re imagining things now, you think with a shake of your head and a breathless laugh. 

Nobody’s out to get you, you’re fine.

Except the prickling sensation on the back of your neck doesn’t go away, and with every step you take the discomfort in your gut becomes harder and harder to ignore. Fingers flit anxiously at your side, your grip tightening on the handle of your umbrella. The rain’s loud as it crashes around you, but as you turn down the music coming from your headphones you swear that you can hear heavy footfalls behind you.

All it would take is another quick glance to confirm your suspicions. It could just be another person out in the rain trying to make their way home, same as you. It could be all your head, paranoia brought about by your friend’s worries. But fear has clawed its way up your spine - it’s late and you’re tired and scared, rational thought has left the building and you don’t think about any of that before dropping your umbrella and taking off into a sprint.

You don’t look back.

You don’t stop until you're back in the safety of your apartment with the door locked, blinds shut and the deadbolt in place.

You’re still trembling twenty minutes later when there’s a knock at your front door.

Your heart leaps into your throat at the sound, your entire body tensing, and for a single moment you debate not answering the door, but… you let out a sigh, shaking your head. You’re being ridiculous.

A quick glance through the peephole sets your heart at ease. Standing in the hallway dressed in a slightly damp black overcoat, his silvery-grey hair dusted with rain, is Lev. 

Relief floods through you as you quickly work at the locks, flicking open the deadbolt.

“Hey, Lev,” you murmur somewhat sheepishly, stepping back to let him come inside.

His green, catlike eyes light up at the sight of you, and he doesn’t waste a moment before leaning down and enveloping you in a tight hug - never mind his wet coat. You let yourself relax into the embrace - the comforting warmth as he wraps himself around you and strokes your back. “Y/N! I’m so glad you’re home! I know I’m kinda stopping by unannounced and all, but I was just on my way…” he trails off as he pulls back slightly, eyes narrowing as they flicker across your face.

“Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” he murmurs, his hands still entwined around your waist.

You smile tightly, biting down on your bottom lip. Should you tell him? There’s still some part of you that thinks maybe it’s all in your head, that you’re working yourself up for no good reason, but what if you’re not? What if there is somebody who’s-

There’s an insistent tug at your waist and your eyes dart back up to find Lev’s frown deepening. “Something’s wrong, tell me.”

A blush finds its way to your cheeks as you carefully unwind yourself from his hold and make your way back further into your living room, “I- you’ll think I’m being stupid I guess, or paranoid, but…”

“But?” he prompts.

You take a deep breath, fingers twisting in front of you, “I think that somebody might be… following me?” you phrase it almost as a question, carefully watching his face for any sign that he might start laughing at you. But he doesn’t - Lev’s features are perfectly blank as he stares back at you, and you rush to fill the sudden heavy silence that falls between the two of you. “I know it sounds insane, but my friend got me worried the other day, and things have been going missing from my place and I’m almost positive that somebody followed me home tonight and-”

“Hey,” he says, quickly stepping forward to close the distance between you. He reaches for your hand with a soft smile and you let him take it, offering a shaking smile back when his thumb smooths over the back of your palm. “I believe you. You don’t need to be scared, I’m here for you.”

You nod, swallowing down your nerves once more. 

“Do you… do you want me to stay tonight? Or at least for a few hours, you just look so fragile and frightened, I hate the thought of leaving you like this.”

Lev’s eyes show nothing but earnest concern as he studies you with a pout, and this time when your lips curl into a smile it's with genuine gratitude for your friend.

You should say no - it’s hardly fair for you to impose on him over something you’re not even sure is real, but… “Actually, that sounds good, if you don’t have plans of course - I don’t want to spoil your night or anything,” you mutter with a blush.

Lev just shakes his head with a soft laugh, “Of course not. You’re my only concern tonight, angel.”

You try not to let the relief show on your face too much. You’ll feel better knowing he’s there with you, and if nothing else you know he’ll take your mind off of things. It’s just what you need tonight - a friend. “Thank you,” you say warmly, dropping his hand so you can make your way back into the kitchen. “I was actually just about to start dinner, have you eaten yet? I was thinking pasta, but let me know if you feel like something else.”

He watches you for a moment as you open the fridge and bend over to rummage inside. “Pasta sounds great,” he calls back, shedding his damp jacket and making his way over to hang it off the coat rack by the front door.

Busy in the kitchen, you’re none the wiser to the soft click of locks turning, the deadbolt sliding back into place.

[seerofmike]

The Writing In Apex Kinda Sucks And Also They Use Ship Bait As A Plot Device I Hate It Here

a stupid essay/rant encouraged by @zombiegloss that originally started as a youtube video script so if its like. weird at points. this was intended to be a verbal rant SNZISKSIA

basically i'm gonna talk abt the caustic-wattson-crypto relationship drama and how i think it was mishandled and how much the writers kind of Suck because i Can

you are free to disagree with me on any of my points and think that this aspect of the story was handled well, this is just my opinion, and i'd love to hear your thoughts and counterpoints !

first, addressing some things:

i know this is a battle royale and not necessarily a story-based game, so i can’t expect it to have masterful witcher-style writing.

but with the direction the game seems to be going; putting quests, evolving interactions, and comics in the game, plus coming out with a lore book and hinting at something bigger in the future, i think it’s fair to criticize it for lackluster writing, especially since what i’m criticizing has been something present since Apex’s story technically began.

secondly, i am not a professional writer. i’m a high schooler who writes as a hobby. i don’t have the decades of experience that some of the apex writers do, and i can’t claim to be a better writer than they are--but i also don’t have to be a five-star chef to realize that something tastes bad. when i critique something and give suggestions, i am not saying i could’ve done it better. i’m just bringing up what i think could have worked.

third, before i upset anyone , when i say a relationship is badly written, i’m not telling you that you can’t ship it or that your ship sucks. i’ll briefly touch on the shipping aspect of this and how it’s a detriment to the story but Ye

okay, so with that out of the way, let us Begin

relationships are often the emotional core of a story, and how strong your reaction is to conflict in these relationships depends on how the story sets them up. if you want the audience to care about these characters and what they go through, you need to develop them and establish the type of relationship they have well. it’s why so many people cried in the last episode of telltale’s the walking dead. you’ve spent roughly 12 hours bonding with clementine and protecting her, and your relationship with her is part of several story beats as well as character beats for lee. 

when these two characters’ relationship reaches its peak at the end of the game, it’s powerful, and it’s emotional. you care. you feel something, and the fact that you have to choose what to do to lee only makes it more gut-wrenching. 

now, the walking dead is entirely story-based and especially character-driven, so it may be unfair to compare it to apex, but i just wanted to lay the groundwork down for what i think is a strong relationship that makes you feel something when conflict arrives, in this case the conflict being lee getting bit and clementine having to decide his fate.

the broken ghost in general is kind of not-good sometimes, tom casiello previously wrote for soap operas and you can really, REALLY tell sometimes.

this story feels like it should’ve taken place a little later, and that we should’ve had a season to actually set up the characters and their relationships, but that’s a story for another day.

to put it bluntly, the set-up for the crypto, wattson, and caustic conflict is done poorly. for caustic and wattson's relationship it’s a little better, but not by much. 

wattson and caustic having a relationship was hinted at in season 2, when her lore indicated that caustic was among one of the Legends who comforted her after her father died. In season four lore materials posted on Twitter, an email from Jacob Young states that Caustic is acting paternal towards Wattson. In season five, interactions get added to the Game, and this is the first time we actually see their relationship in action, as they have unique revive voice lines for each other. in the quests, when wattson is injured, caustic lashes out at loba and attacks her out of what seems to be anger at wattson’s current state.

Side Note this plot point was really stupid and done for cheap drama because she literally wakes up like two chapters later and they don’t even give her anything to say it’s just suddenly oh yeah crypto and wattson are working together. the same exact injury thing happens to octane later but nobody gIVES A SHIT because again, it’s just cheap soap opera drama.

their relationship might seem a little bit sudden for anyone who wasn’t on top of twitter lore drops, but like, it’s okay, i guess. i’ll give it the slightest credit for at least establishing something between the two in terms of voice lines and stuff, even if for some it might seem like it came out of nowhere.

what did come out of nowhere, though, was crypto and wattson’s friendship. in the quests, crypto and wattson are tasked with rebuilding the broken ghost because of their respective skills, and they’re seen talking in chapter six while they work on it. we’re not really given a clear timeline on how long the story in the broken ghost is, but i think it takes about a week, maybe.

unlike wattson and caustic, their relationship has been given absolutely zero material to work with before now, not even a passing glance in the trailers--which is a little weird considering crypto took down the repulsor tower and destroyed wattson’s home, but. Whatever.

tl dr of the chapter: crypto and wattson talk to each other while doing nerd shit, crypto laughs at wattson’s bad pun, and then suddenly they’re BESTIEEEES, until a couple dozen lines later in the same chapter. then they’re Not.

crypto’s drone gets hacked by revenant while everyone was kind of on edge after the reveal of a spy in their midst, he gets framed as the spy by caustic, anddddd wattson gets upset.

before i get into how dumb this storyline is, i’m gonna talk about the set-up to this conflict.

we have been given no reason to believe that these characters have ever talked to each other, and quite frankly, their friendship doesn’t really make sense.

ignoring the fact that crypto destroyed wattson’s home--which she probably doesn’t know about, so that’s forgiven for now--crypto is a paranoid guy. in the lore book he makes people stand on fucking footprints in his house so he can scan them for weapons and listening devices, and he apparently doesn’t stick around much after the games and nobody knows anything about him because he doesn’t talk to them.

a key part of crypto’s story is the fact that he is undercover and afraid of anyone finding out anything about him ever. him becoming friends with wattson kind of comes out of the blue, and we’re not even given a reason as to why they supposedly became close in the first place. i would kind of understand if like, maybe he draws parallels with her and mila in his mind and it makes him open up a little more, but that doesn’t happen. he just laughs at her joke and suddenly they’re friends.

maybe they’re trying to go for this ‘wattson can become friends with anybody’ angle, kind of hinted at with caustic but not really we’ll get into that, but that also? kind of doesn’t make sense since so many of her voice lines straight-up say she doesn’t understand people and electricity is more her thing, but honestly, she also does have those really friendly elements in her voice lines too, so its not as egregious as what they did with crypto.

their sudden out-of-the-blue friendship would’ve been fine if they spent a little more time fleshing it out, and giving us something to work with, but instead, the story immediately tries to rip it apart and frame it as this grand conflict where crypto is framed as the mole, crypto then accuses caustic, and wattson feels betrayed.

except it doesn’t really work, because we don’t give a shit. for several reasons. 

one: crypto and wattson became friends and then ended their friendship in the same exact chapter. they did not speak to each other onscreen until this chapter began, you can read the entire quest on the wiki and see for yourself that their interactions up until that point were nonexistent aside from mentions in the narration that they were building something together.

the reason wattson feels betrayed is kind of stupid too. why does she really care that much if one of them betrayed loba? nobody else really cared about the fact that one of them was a spy, in fact, nobody even seems to like loba that much, and they just found out that loba’s been lying to them this whole time, and wattson was conscious for that conversation and had a speaking line, so she’s fully aware of the situation. 

maybe it’s just like, the idea that one of them lied, but that’s still kind of a weak reason. 

this entire betrayal thing is just dumb, and it gets even worse when you realize that there could have been an actual legitimate reason for wattson to feel betrayed by crypto--even if it still would’ve come across as weak conflict because of their newly established friendship, it would’ve made more sense than this. 

Crypto destroyed Wattson’s home. He took down the tower and then all the flyers and stuff invaded Kings Canyon and made it their bitch. Not only that, but Wattson considers the Syndicate her family. The Syndicate are the very people who framed Crypto for murder and he’s trying to take them down. 

They could’ve set up actual conflict with these things, and it almost seemed like they would, because Caustic briefly brings up that Crypto could be working with Revenant because he has something against the Syndicate but then that doesn’t really go anywhere and we’re just back to Wattson feeling betrayed because either Crypto or Caustic was a spy and she doesn’t know who.

Weak conflict could’ve been made better by a strong relationship and a weak relationship could’ve still been interesting with strong conflict, but both the relationship between Crypto and Wattson and the conflict that drives them splitting up as friends were really weak and didn’t make much sense. 

It would’ve been ten times more interesting if Wattson found out Crypto ruined her home, the arena she grew up in, and was now participating in the Games to take out the people she regards as her family. That’s where her distrust could’ve manifested and conflict could’ve began, but instead it was the stupid betraying loba thing. why do you care. you just started talking to this guy like 2 hours ago.

also caustic’s whole reason for framing crypto feels stupid as fuck. he didn’t just frame crypto randomly, he framed him specifically because he doesn't want him to influence wattsob because he likes her Big Brain, but this is the FIRST time we have seen those two interact. 

what influence is he talking about? wraith and wattson have been shown to be friendly with each other in the trailers, according to tom’s tweets, and in the story too so why doesn’t he frame her? at this point the audience had slightly more build-up for those two’s relationship than crypto and wattson and a betrayal storyline would’ve felt a little more deserved if still weak.

this is the point where i briefly want to touch upon shipping, and the fact that part of this conflict feels driven by shipbait. 

aside from their relationship coming out of nowhere and the writers trying to make the stakes seem high and deeply emotional to the characters involved (despite this essentially being the first time they’ve ever interacted) tom casiello literally addresses shippers in a tweet regarding chapter seven, and as the story between these characters progresses, it becomes clear to me, at least that the crypto-wattson thing is just bait for shippers, and it’s lazy. 

it’s easy to get away with giving your characters little to no relationship development if you’re just counting on shippers to do the heavy mental lifting for you

why should i put any effort into making this relationship seem believable? people are going to see a young guy and a young girl having bare minimum interaction and assume there’s romantic interest! then i don’t have to do any work, see look, it’s a ready-made relationship wrapped in a bow for me! all that’s left for me to do is give them conflict so i can keep teasing shippers with lines like ‘you never deserved her’!

i think it’s reasonable for me to suspect shipbait, since tom casiello likes doing darksparks shipbait on twitter, and i’m like, eighty percent sure mirage and bloodhound suddenly being childhood friends in the book is shipbait too, because these characters were the number one ship in apex for a long time despite little to no interaction, and then all of a sudden in the lore book they’re childhood friends despite this literally never being mentioned before?

like bloodhound is set up to be mysterious and nobody knows what they look like, or where they’re from, or who their family is--except for mirage Apparently, who played with them when he was a kid on their home planet, and has seen them with their mask off, because bloodhound did not wear a mask when their parents were still alive.

its weird.

i’m pretty sure they’ve said somewhere they were working on this book before apex even came out, so i could just be completely wrong and they always planned for mirage and bloodhound to know each other, but if that’s the case, why did they never mention it like they did octane and lifeline?

i refuse to believe MIRAGE never brought it up either like ‘heeeeyy bloodhound remember when we used to throw eggs at our parents lab haha wanna go do to that to bangalore’s room’ 

[silence]

‘good talk buddy’

ANYWAYS I GOT OFF TOPIC. POINT IS, shipping is a detriment to the story because the writers don’t feel like they actually have to put any work into establishing or developing the relationship between characters when they know the community’s just going to do it for them anyways, and that they can put in shipbait and it’s fine and it makes sense when it really doesn’t.

imagine watching captain america civil war after not seeing a single other marvel movie.

why would you care about the avengers splitting up or tony and steve butting heads or steve’s commitment to bucky? you wouldn’t care, at least not as much as someone who’s seen all the movies and knows the relationship between the characters and why the sokovia accords exist in the first place. you don’t have context and you don’t have any reason to be emotionally invested in these characters’ relationship.

 this feels like that. the writers tried to squeeze this relationship and stuff into a single chapter and we don’t fucking care unless we were already invested in the idea of their relationship (shippers) because we barely spent any time with it.

so to summarize this little section, the set-up of this storyline Kinda Sucks! crypto and wattson barely seem to know each other, because we the audience barely saw them together and the writers are relying on shipbait in place of a relationship.

wattson and caustic are a little better but not great, but the conflict is stupid and it only gets stupider.

moving onto summarizing the rest of the broken ghost, gibraltar and caustic talk, caustic LITERALLY confesses to being the mole and says he framed crypto so he couldn’t corrupt wattson and to appear innocent because his identity was suspected, then that wraps up the season storyline.

season six begins with new voice lines, where wattson has had enough of crypto and caustic’s shit and is all passive-aggressive and going ‘this doesn’t change anything’. she has to decide who to trust, and how to figure out The Truth for herself because she’s not a little girl anymore. crypto and caustic are both trying to convince her they’re innocent and it creates some interesting conflict.

just kidding. it’s terrible conflict. you want to know why?

BECAUSE GIBRALTAR TRIED TO TELL HER THE TRUTH, RIGHT AFTER THE SEASON 5 QUEST HAPPENED, AND SHE LITERALLY REFUSED TO HEAR IT.

LIKE THERE’S A SEASON 6 LOADING SCREEN WHERE HE’S TELLING EVERYONE THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED, AND WHEN HE GETS TO WATTSON AND IS LIKE HEY I KNOW WHO THE MOLE WAS AND WHY THEY DID IT, SHE JUST GOES i dont wanna hear it. i need to think

IF YOU WANT THE TRUTH WHY ARE YOU REFUSING TO HEAR IT

SHE SPENDS ALMOST TWO ENTIRE SEASONS MAD AT CRYPTO FOR SOMETHING HE DIDN’T DO BECAUSE SHE TOLD GIBRALTAR TO FUCK OFF WHEN HE TRIED TO TELL HER WHAT HAPPENED

ITS SO DUMB

i think it was towards the end of season 6 or the beginning of season 7 where apex posted this picture of wattson asleep at her desk where she has a letter from gibraltar on it that looks like it tells her the truth, so she knows now, she knows what happened, but NOW her issue is the fact that she doesn’t know anything about crypto.

WHAT THE FUCK. WHAT IS YOUR GODDAMN DAMAGE. YOU DON’T KNOW SHIT ABOUT BLOODHOUND EITHER ARE YOU THIS UPSET WITH BLOODHOUND TOO?? HAVE YOU EVER TALKED TO PATHFINDER. DO YOU HATE PATHFINDER TOO

oh but she was friends with crypto and now she’s mad that he lied to her EXCEPT THEIR RELATIONSHIP WASN’T BUILT UP WELL SO IT JUST FEELS STUPID. THEY SPENT LONGER BEING NOT-FRIENDS THAN THEY SPENT BEING FRIENDS. THEY BECAME FRIENDS IN ONE CHAPTER AND THEN IMMEDIATELY AT THE END OF THAT CHAPTER THEIR FRIENDSHIP ENDED AND THEN WATTSON SPENT LIKE 2 SEASONS MAD AT HIM FOR SOMETHING HE DIDN’T DO . 

AND THE WRITERS TRIED TO RECTIFY THIS BY SAYING OH SHE’S NOT MAD ABOUT THE TRAITOR THING SHE’S MAD BECAUSE SHE DOESN’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HIM AND IT’S LIKE WHY THE FUCK DID YOU NOT MAKE THAT CLEAR WHY DOES SHE SAY ‘IT DOESN’T CHANGE WHAT YOU DID’ IN HER VOICE LINES WHY DOES SHE CALL HIM A TRAITOR IF HER CONFLICT WAS HER NOT KNOWING MUCH ABOUT HIM . WHAT DID HE DO. 

HE JUST STOOD THERE AND LAUGHED AT HER JOKE AND THEN HE GOT FRAMED AND THEN THAT WAS THE END OF THE CHAPTER AND NOW SHES SUDDENLY LIKE IM ACTUALLY MAD BECAUSE YOURE A LIAR AND I CANT TRUST YOU EVEN THOUGH I NOW KNOW YOU WERE FRAMED I STILL DO NOT LIKE YOU AND HES LIKE YEAH THATS MY FAULT

The Caustic voicelines are stupid too, again his reason for framing Crypto was stupid and a lot of his voicelines just seem to be that shipbait thing again but like from the angle of overprotective dad who doesn’t like the new boyfriend. it’s stupid but not as egeregious as this next part which is

crypto telling wattson his identity.

CRYPTO was framed for MURDER and is paranoid and can’t trust anyone and doesn’t talk to anyone and the last time he did talk to someone he got framed for Another thing and the person he was talking to turned her back on him and actively refused to know the truth for like 2 seasons and then he went This Is Fine I Can Tell Her My Identity

the stupidest update to this storyline was crypto telling wattson the truth

why did they do it on the dropship where there are presumably syndicate members and other legends around.

why didn’t he scan wattson for listening devices like he did for pathfinder in the book.

why is he telling her his identity when he knows she has very close ties to the people that FRAMED HIM for MURDER. Does he trust her that much? WHY? They spoke to each other in a chapter and then spent two seasons not talking to each other beyond passive-aggressive BS. why are you so fucking stupid taejoon

their relationship was so poorly set-up that even if the writers maybe intended for them to come across as close friends who had spent weeks bonding, it really feels like they became friends in a single conversation, had a falling out, and now crypto suddenly trusts her with his identity after an undetermined amount of time because he wants to be friends again. 

that does not make SENSE this conflict feels contrived AS FUCK and the resolution feels even worse and unearned UGGGHHHH

it honestly comes across as crypto feeling desperate for friendship, and maybe this would’ve worked better if that’s the angle they played it as.

he’s been alone for roughly two years, and just wants a friend, and he’s honestly so lonely he just breaks down to the first person who’s really talked to him. it could’ve been an interesting little part of his character, and they could've gone into depth about how much this situation has affected him, but that’s not what they’re doing. he’s still paranoid and anxious and doesn’t trust anyone, except for wattson, because the plot needs him to or else there won’t be any stupid soap opera drama.

and to rub salt in the wound, wattson’s new voice lines with caustic have him telling her that she forgave crypto.

WHAT ARE YOU FORGIVING HIM FOR. ARE YOU FORGIVING HIM FOR BEING FRAMED? WHY DID HE HAVE TO APOLOGIZE TO YOU WHEN YOU WERE THE ONE WHO REFUSED TO HEAR THE TRUTH?

 did the conversation just go hey my real name is taejoon park and something bad happened to me and she went aight i forgive you WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT

Caustic’s new voice lines to Crypto where he’s like ‘what did you tell her’--YOU TOLD GIBRALTAR STRAIGHT-UP YOUR EVIL MASTER PLAN LIKE A SUPERVILLAIN AND NOW YOU’RE SURPRISED WATTSON AND CRYPTO ARE ON GOOD TERMS NOW?!

THAT’S LIKE TELLING SOMEONE YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER AND THEN BEING SURPRISED WHEN YOU BECOME THE VICTIM OF IDENTITY FRAUD. YOU SET YOURSELF UP FOR THIS WHY ARE YOU ACTING LIKE CRYPTO DID SOMETHING SINISTER OR LIED OR WHATEVER. WHAT THE FUCK. WHY DO YOU HAVE LIKE 3 BRAINCELLS

this is at like ten pages already so i’m going to just try and wrap this up quickly. 

it’s frustrating seeing this storyline play out when there are actually good relationships and storylines written into apex. i’m kind of getting tired of the loba and revenant conflict, but we at least had set-up to it in the form of a few animated shorts and it doesn’t play out as stupidly as this story does. bangalore and loba’s friendship is actually developed well, even if the point between the end of season 5 and season 6 where they suddenly talk like each other feels like it could’ve used a little more. 

where crypto and wattson having an established friendship in the broken ghost failed, lifeline and octane’s established friendship works because we’ve been told since octane’s release they were childhood friends and given lore materials that indicate they’ve known each other for a very long time.

apex wants this storyline between crypto and wattson and caustic to feel dramatic and tense and ultimately rewarding when crypto and wattson did become friends for real and stuff, but instead it just comes across as hollow and empty. 

there’s nothing there. it’s a case of tell, don’t show, and it looks like this stupid conflict is gonna keep going for another couple of seasons at this rate. 

side note: this entire script was written before the new twitter comics

please tell me ur thoughts and feel free to respond with ur own lil essay

also believe it or not this is not the "shipping is a detriment to apex's story" essay i was gonna write this is a completely different essay that has some overlap SKXISOSOW

[carter-13]

fuck it, here’s a wholeass post about the skrull sharon theory because literally nobody can stop me.

so! for anyone who’s somehow managed to miss this, there’s a relatively prevalent fan theory right now that the sharon shown in tfatws was in fact a skrull. the reasoning behind this is that there was a VERY significant change in her personality, ideals and motivations that happened offscreen, with the audience left knowing virtually nothing about what her deal is. her being the power broker goes against everything we’ve seen of her so far, and against her comics character, so it seems like a very strange decision.

coincidentally (or not!) this happened at the same time marvel just so happens to be setting up secret invasion - a project that presumably follows a plot similar to the comics in which key characters and prominent figures are replaced by skrulls. with sharon’s current powerful status, she would make an ideal person to replace, and the fact that she was alone in madripoor for several years (note: she wasn’t actually blipped, and the reason for her being shown as missing in endgame was due to her status being unknown by the avengers) means she would be easily swapped without anybody noticing. additionally, the only post-credits scene after the tfatws finale was sharon getting a pardon. this is interesting since the two most recent projects (far from home + wandavision) both had skrull post-credits scenes. what if tfatws’ post-credits scene was secretly a skrull scene too?

altogether, these things seem to make for a plausible theory that would explain some otherwise very strange writing choices. however, right now, i just don’t think it holds water for a few reasons.

first up, there’s the fact that this would undermine sharon’s current anger directed at everyone who fucked her over. because man, was she ever fucked over. she effectively became a fugitive for the guy she kissed, only for him to leave her stranded for years before promptly travelling back in time to be with her great aunt instead. endgame steve, man. the fact that she’s bitter about this is very much justified, and i don’t really like the idea of them just getting rid of this entirely by turning around and stating that actually these were never her own feelings all along. plus, the idea of them waving away the anger of specifically a female character doesn’t feel like a great choice. the mcu is still very much in its baby stage when it comes to writing female characters who are allowed to actually show emotion, so i doubt it’s something they’d really want right now.

second, i think secret invasion probably won’t play out the way a lot of people are expecting based on the comics. the skrulls in the comics have served as an allegorical tool a few times. in the early years, they were mostly a stand-in for the red scare (pretty cringe stuff). during the plot of secret invasion, though, they read more as an allegory for religious extremists infiltrating a society in order to destroy society. if i’m being entirely honest, i kind of hate it. this run was published in 2008, right when the ‘war on terror’ was a significant focus of american media. as a result, the skrulls were written as a not-so-subtle stand-in for islamic extremists, which is exactly as bad as it sounds like. i definitely don’t have the time or the knowledge to fully break this down, but just know that it’s insensitive at best and downright harmful at worst. i’m sure there are things to like about secret invasion (hey, the un-fridging of bobbi morse! can’t complain there!), but i think an adaptation of it would be absolutely abysmal without major changes.

luckily, there’s fair reason to assume there will be. captain marvel handled skrulls very differently to the comics, instead making them a stand-in for an oppressed minority of immigrants. it’s overall an adaptational choice i like very much, as this is able to do good rather than harm. this also, however, means a by-the-book adaptation of secret invasion would be catastrophic. making your immigrant allegory secretly evil is pretty inexcusable, and i doubt there’s a way they can pull it off without it coming off exactly as xenophobic as it sounds.

because of this, for the plot of secret invasion, i think it’s more likely that the skrulls will instead be working alongside fury as allies. this isn’t a post about my own personal secret invasion theories though, so i’ll leave that there. my point is that so far, we don’t have any reason to assume the skrulls are evil aside from how they’ve been portrayed in the comics, and i don’t think for these reasons that the comics are a good basis for theories on this particular topic. tldr: the skrulls haven’t been shown to be evil yet, so assuming a villain is one is a bit of a jump.

additionally, the argument that sharon being the power broker means she’d be a good target for a skrull is a pretty flawed one. for sharon to have this power in the first place, she would already have to be the power broker, which means her new character direction can’t be waved away like that. the alternative here is that she was replaced before the skrull became the power broker - however, a fugitive ex-agent who can’t leave madripoor without fear of being arrested is pretty low down on the list of desirable situations, so i doubt any skrull would want to be her in the first place. she had very few existing links, and no real connection to power before clawing her way up through Crimes™️. in short, it doesn’t really make sense.

finally - and this is more of a personal preference - it just feels like lazy writing. i know, i know. the tfatws reveal wasn’t exactly paddington 2 levels of media artistry. but undoing a character’s arc (even if that arc was offscreen!) by just stating they were a skrull all along is pretty lame. it sets a bad precedent for the future. i don’t like erasing bad writing with more bad writing, and i don’t think the skrull theory really solves anything here.

so yeah, here we go, i don’t think sharon’s a skrull. could i be wrong? absolutely! this might actually be the most glorious, incredible twist of all time. or maybe it’s a horribly written twist that i’ll hate. either way, i don’t currently think it makes sense, so here’s this. sorry for the horrible formatting (mobile, lol) and the rambling (maybe i’ll clean this up later, maybe not, who knows)

[stones-x-bones]

What A Doll || Rio and Bex

TIMING: Current PARTIES: @3starsquinn and @inbextween SUMMARY: Bex and Rio have a chance meeting outside the local co-op. Only, something else meets them there, too. CONTENT: One wasted sandwich 😔

It was strange, being back in the world, so soon after something that should have made her give more pause. It was even stranger being out without someone tirelessly following behind her, making sure she was okay, that she was being safe, that she was taking care of herself. It was...a little overwhelming at times. Suffocating. Maybe not in the same way as being back home, but it still made her antsy. It was just one little trip to the store down the street for groceries. With Morgan still dealing with the anniversary of her death, and Mina bruised and broken, someone had to do it. Honestly, she’d forgotten what she originally had come to the store for, but the walk had already exhausted her. And so Bex sank onto the bench outside, instead, and leaned back, rubbing her chest, wincing with pain. The scabs were still fresh, and she always had to be so careful not to tear them open. Healing slow was literally the worst. Rubbing her eyes, she tried to motivate herself to stand back up and head into the store, but something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention instead. There was a strange doll-- rather frightening looking, actually (but then again all dolls were frightening to Bex, it was the empty eyes, probably)-- all by itself on the bench next to her. Had that always been there? It was possible, she wasn’t exactly the most attentive right now. Glancing around, all she saw was one other person loitering around. “Excuse me?” she called out to him. A rather scrawny looking boy. She didn’t judge. “Is this yours?”

Instead of buying anything resembling a responsible, normal adult at the store, Orion left the place with a bag full of snack foods and shoveling a deli sandwich in his mouth. Of course he had enough manners to refrain from eating the sub inside of the place, but out on the sidewalk anything was fair game. He had taken a pause, hooking the bags of junk food under his arm to free it enough to take bites from the food. A drink was stuffed under his arm, but he wouldn’t be able to gracefully get to it until he finished the whole sandwich. He knew he wasn’t coordinated enough to switch things around without risking dropping everything. The only people around were a girl and a creepy looking doll sitting on the bench beside her. Rio had moved away from the bench when the girl had come to sit down, it hadn’t seemed super polite to continue eating his food while hovering near her. He had just assumed she had been here before and left the doll behind. That, or a kid had forgotten it and left it behind. Either way, Rio didn’t like making eye contact with it. Instead, he mostly ate his sandwich while staring at the brick wall side of the building. That is, until the girl on the bench started talking to him. “Huh?” Rio asked on instinct, mouth still full of food. He blushed and quickly looked away to finish chewing. “Sorry uh- that was rude.” He finally swallowed the last bit and turned back towards her, “The doll thing? No uh- definitely not. It’s not yours?”

Bex frowned as she watched the boy swallow the bite of sandwich. At least he had the decency to stand away from her while he shoveled it into his mouth. But she was more perturbed by his answer. If it wasn’t his doll, and it wasn’t hers, someone must have left it behind. She scooted away from it and looked back at him. “No,” she answered back, “it’s not mine.” That meant it had to be someone else’s around, right? “Maybe it’s someone’s inside?” she asked, standing up stiffly to look around, squinting into the store. “I was supposed to pick up food for dinner, anyway, I guess I could go check around inside.” But, what if whoever’s doll it was came back and it was gone? Would they be mad at her? For taking it? But if she left it here, what if someone else came by and stole it? “Or, do you think we should just wait here to see if someone comes back for it?” The words were out of her mouth before she even realized. She didn’t even know this boy, and yet she was signing him up for doll duty. “I-- I mean, you don’t have to stay. I didn’t mean to imply that you had to! I just am, you know, worried. What if some child left it behind?” She went to look back down at the doll, but it was gone. For a moment, she just stared, not believing. Blinked slowly as if that would make it magically reappear. “Wh...where did it-- Oh god!” she jumped when she looked up, because the doll was now sitting on the windowsill next to the boy. “How’d it get over there?” 

Though a doll shouldn’t be particularly frightening, Orion didn’t like learning that it didn’t belong to the girl on the bench. There was certainly a normal and reasonable explanation. This was just any other doll, left behind by a distracted kid. That made sense. Automatically jumping to the theory that this was somehow ill intentioned or supernatural was probably a stretch. Right? Regardless, Rio’s mouth settled into a worried line as he stared at the thing and the girl spoke. Soon she had basically suggested that the two foster the thing until its owner came back around. “Oh no! It’s fine. I don’t mind it’s just- do you really think that anybody is going to come back for that thing?” Rio asked, pointing at the thing and cringing at it. It wasn’t particularly well kept. It seemed like something that a parent wouldn’t exactly cry at the idea of losing. And if they were anything like his parents, they probably would have refused to go back for it anyways. For many reasons, Rio hoped that there weren’t many parents in the world like his. Not that it mattered, Rio had always hated dolls growing up. He didn’t like waking up and making eye contact with them. In spite of having no real reason to stay, Rio had his sandwich to finish anyways. He might as well hang around while he finished his lunch. He glanced down at the sandwich to take another bite, only looking back up when he heard the girl freaking out. “Wha-” Rio started to question, freezing mid chew when he realized that the doll wasn’t there anymore. How had she moved it so quickly? He had only been looking down for a second. His head swiveled when he saw what the girl was looking at, jumping when he realized how close the doll sat near him. The drink slipped from his arm and hit the ground, as did a chunk of the lettuce from his sub. But Rio was already jumping backward and sliding closer to the bench and farther from the doll. “Um- so uh- I really don’t like that Is this a bad time to mention I never liked dolls?”

“Oh, yeah, m-me neither,” Bex said, backing away as well. All she’d wanted to do was go to the store on her own for once, and of course White Crest was pulling out some stupid, strange, weird bullshit. She should’ve stayed home. But Mina was hurt as well, and Morgan was being-- well, not Morgan, and Deirdre was at work, and Bex wanted to just be able to do something for them. Like pick up damn groceries. She shook her head, glancing sideways at the boy again as he shoveled more sandwich into his mouth. How could he eat at a time like this? “Well, what should we do with it? Just leave it? What if it--” But when Bex turned to look back at the doll again, it was gone. Her eyes searched frantically until she saw it sitting behind the window of the store. It’s creaky head turned to look at the two of them and one of its little wooden hands raised up in a wave. Bex jumped, stumbling into the boy. “Did you see that? Did that thing just-- you saw that, right? I’m not going crazy, right?”

He shouldn’t have even been surprised that haunted dolls were added to the long list of horrible things that happened in this town. Despite how unsettled and afraid he was of a teleporting doll that had chosen a spot next to him to land, Rio found it oddly calming to keep himself busy by slowly taking bites from his sub. Something about still moving his hands kept him grounded from spiraling completely. The girl asked exactly what he was wondering. Did they leave the thing? The obvious answer was yes, they absolutely turned and ran for the hills and hoped that the thing lost interest in them. But the part of him that clung onto the idea of being a scribe hesitated. Perhaps Rio didn’t know what to do about this, but didn’t his basic knowledge of the supernatural make him uniquely qualified to try to help? That tiny bit of confidence he had was tested even further when the thing disappeared again, reappearing behind a window seconds later and turning to make eye contact with them. To prove that it definitely wasn’t a misunderstanding, the arm began an almost mechanical wave at them. “Definitely saw that. Definitely hate that.” The girl stumbled into him and he just caught himself before steadying the two of them. With no other ideas, Rio raised his arm in a small wave back to the doll. He looked back over to the girl and shrugged, “I didn’t know what else to do. Maybe it’s a… friendly creepy doll?”

The nonchalance with which this boy was regarding the situation was stressing Bex out. Maybe she was just overreacting. If he wasn’t so worried, then she didn’t need to be either. But how was she supposed to not be? The doll was moving on its own! And smiling! And waving! She grabbed his arm when he went to wave back at it. “Don’t do that! What if you make it mad? What if it notices us?” Well, that was silly-- it had clearly already noticed them, hence the waving. She backed away a little further. “Maybe we should just...leave? We should just leave. It was really nice meeting you, I-- I think. But we should just g--” she started, but a thumping stopped her. She looked back at the window and watched as the doll smashed its head against the glass. The window cracked, Bex jumped. “It-- what is it doing?” It smacked its head against the glass again and Bex jumped, again. She moved behind the boy. “D-do something! Make it stop! O-or--” she looked left, right-- no one. When had the street gotten so deserted? “Make it go away!”

Orion wasn’t sure if it was because this girl was freaking out that Rio was forcing himself to maintain some semblance of calm or if this creepy doll had finally been his breaking point. He always figured he would stop being surprised by the crazy things in this town eventually. He just figured it would be… bigger. “Sorry! I just thought maybe not waving would make it mad too!” He wasn’t up to date on the morality and ethics of possessed dolls. Finally, the girl suggested the same thing that Rio had been considering. Leaving. Of course it was the most logical thing to do in this situation, if Rio wasn’t so dead set on making sure nobody else got hurt by this thing either. Though a quick glance around showed him that besides the two of them the area was mostly deserted. That helped ease Rio’s conscience at least a fraction. “Yeah uh, maybe you’re right.” Rio agreed, still not taking his eyes off the doll as he answered the girl. As he was watching, the waving arm froze in place. Rio tilted his head, wondering what had caused it to stop, only to let out a scream when the thing twitched back alive and started slamming its head against the glass over and over again. Apparently that had been the breaking point for Rio, who began jumping back and forth from one foot to the other as he muttered, “Oh god! Oh god! Oh god!” over and over again. “I-I don’t know what to do! I have no idea what it's doing!” Or why it hadn’t just teleported again. Clearly it had a flare for dramatics. The window gave out eventually, shattering as the doll paused from the victory before slowly tipping forward to stand up right between the broken glass. “I’ve decided that waving at it was definitely the wrong choice. I think it hates us.”

The glass shattered and Bex leapt a few feet in the air, scrambling behind the boy. Her chest was pounding and she was ready to simply turn around and go home, no groceries in hand. But then the doll was standing up and looking straight at them-- perhaps through them?-- and she tapped urgently on the boy’s shoulder as he began jumping from foot to foot. “D-do something!” she said, “can’t you do something? What-- where’s the shop owner!?” The alarm began to blare and someone inside began shouting. They ran towards the front and saw the shattered window, glaring the two of them down. “I-it wasn’t us! It was the doll! It was--” she pointed urgently at where the doll was, except...it wasn’t there anymore. “What? No. No! It wasn’t--” but the man didn’t believe them, simply yelled at them to stay put as he went to grab the phone to call the police. Oh no. Bex could not get in trouble with the cops. Her parents would be notified, then. She couldn’t let that happen. She yanked on the boy’s arm. “We have to go!” she said, dragging him away from the bench and down the street. Taking an alley would’ve been the ideal thing to do, but as soon as Bex’s eyes scanned the entrance, she saw the illusion of a wolf standing there, hunched back, eager to pounce. She blinked it away and turned to look back at the other boy. “Hide, we need to hide!” she announced, shoving him towards an abandoned building just as she heard the store manager shouting. She turned to look back at him once they were inside and said, “We’ll be safe in--” but shrieked once again as the doll came into view, hovering behind the boy’s shoulder. “Watch out!”

Of course the store manager wouldn’t believe their story about an evil doll breaking the glass. The doll sure knew when to disappear, but Orion wasn’t as convinced until the girl was physically pulling him away from the bench and away from the store. Added onto being haunted by a doll, now he was a suspected criminal. Though he supposed a broken window wasn’t exactly the worst crime he had committed. He let the girl lead the way, jogging along behind her as she pulled him down the sidewalk. She turned towards the alley, but cut away from it quickly and opted to hide out in an abandoned building instead. Odd choice. He wasn’t sure what about this scenario screamed safe to her, but if they could at least get away from the deal he supposed he could worry about getting an updated tetanus shot later. “Why is this thing so interested in us?” Rio questioned, bending over to catch his breath. He didn’t consider himself special enough for evil dolls to take a liking to him. The girls warning made him jump and spin around. The doll had abandoned physics altogether at this point, floating above the ground at eye level with Rio just feet away from him. Rio fell backwards, his back smacking against the dirty concrete floor as he tried to slide away from the thing. “Please don’t hurt us. I have no beef with dolls!”

The boy tripped and fell over almost the instant he turned to see the floating doll. Bex didn’t know what kind of magic or other was responsible for a floating doll that was stalking them, but she wasn’t about to let it kill them and steal their souls, or whatever possessed dolls did. So she took her purse and swung it as hard as she could, strangely reminding herself of the first time she’d met Mina, whacking the cockatrice her purse then as well. The doll went careening away and slammed into a wall, flopping to the ground. She turned and yanked the boy up. “C’mon, move!” she said, shoving him yet again towards the back of the house now. Floorboards creaked beneath their feet as they ran but Bex was pretty sure they’d managed to escape the thing for now. The back of the house was eerie and cold and she shivered, rubbing her chest as it gave a throb of pain. “D-do dolls usually get possessed here? What do you think we d-did to it?” She couldn’t think of anything. A sudden thumping sounded and she jumped again, slapping a hand over her mouth to not make so much noise. She motioned for the boy to shush himself too if he needed to, backing them up against the wall. God, what would she tell Morgan and Mina if she came home all gashed up from a doll? She wasn’t going to let that happen. She could be strong, right? She could be strong. She gave him the hush motion before leaning to peak around the corner. 

Bad idea. The doll appeared right in front of her and Bex screamed again, leaping back as it flew straight at her. She tumbled to the ground, landing hard on her back, bones rattling as she did. The doll turned and flashed red eyes at the two of them, before its jaw dropped open like a nutcracker and it bellowed a screech. “YOU SAT ON MY BENCH! YOU GOT CRUMBS ON MY BENCH!”

Orion had no idea what this doll was actually capable of, but he took the opportunity that the girl gave when she whacked the thing across the room. Rio scurried to his feet and followed her again, this day turning into more of a scooby doo chase scene than Rio had originally intended. “I can’t say that I’ve ever seen a possessed doll.” Rio shrugged, but he couldn’t say that it didn’t happen either. A lot happened in this town that he didn’t know about. 

The two stayed there for just a moment before the girl peaked around the corner and was assaulted by the doll. When the thing screamed, Rio could do nothing but cover his ears and flinch in pain. It had been so loud and guttural, sending shivers down Rio’s body. “You’re mad about the bench?!” Rio questioned when he could finally force himself to speak, “Can’t we just clean the bench?” But the doll didn’t seem like the particularly forgiving type. He owed it to the girl to help her out the same way that she had helped him. He used the only weapon that he had, the remaining bit of his sandwich and chucked the thing at the doll with as much force as he could. The sandwich could never do much damage, but the hunter strength at least added a bit of power behind it. The sandwich exploded on contact with the doll, sending lettuce, deli meat and bread flying all over the place and sending the doll flying back. Rio bent down to pull the girl onto her feet and did a quick once over to make sure she was fine. “Don’t think that’s going to keep her occupied for long. You got any ideas?”

Bex had never expected a deli sandwich to work as a weapon, but she’d also never expected to be chased by a haunted doll into an abandoned house on the side of the street-- so, really, that was her bad. Anything was possible in this place, wasn’t it? Bex had an idea. She watched the doll careen back to the floor as sandwich garnishes exploded all over. She bit her lip and struggled to her feet, looking at the boy. Make sure you trust someone before you expose yourself. Morgan had warned her very specifically, and so had Nell, but she didn’t much think the doll was going to stop chasing them, and she had to do something. “Can-- can you hold it still for a second? I just n-need a few seconds!” she said to him, looking him in the eyes for the first time. God, he was scrawny. He had bright blue eyes, shaggy hair. She was pretty sure she had more muscle than him. This wasn’t going to end well, was it? “Just a few seconds. Trust me, okay?” The doll was groaning with its effort to stand back up, wooden limbs creaking like the floorboards had under their feet. Bex  scooted behind him and put a broken piece of wall between her and the doll before closing her eyes and gathering her energy in the pit of her stomach. If she could make birds and pots explode, she could make dolls explode, too.

“Hold it still. Got it.” Orion gave the girl a thumbs up, but he was anything except confident. He had absolutely no interest in getting close enough to that thing to keep it still, less than no interest actually. A negative interest. But, perhaps if this girl had an idea than it was worth taking a risk. With a sigh, Rio glanced back at the doll, creaking its creepy little doll body as he twisted and turned to get itself back up. “I just wanted a sandwich” Rio mumbled to himself, shrugging off his denim jacket. He was thankful that he had worn a long sleeve under it today. He crossed over to the thing with an equal sense of purpose and apprehension, haphazardly tossing the jacket out toward the thing. The doll did not like that. As soon as it landed on top of her, the thing lifted into the air. Rio jumped forward, grabbing onto the sleeves of the jacket and slamming it back into the ground, wrapping it up and weighing it down. “Got it!” Rio yelled at the girl, who was now out of view. If he couldn’t hear her he would be afraid she had left him. Though the doll wasn’t particularly strong, it was tenacious and loud. The thing continued to scream as it bounced back and forth under his jacket. Rio wished that he could cover his ears, but instead squeezed his eyes shut and tried to focus on other noises to drown out the sound. Whatever idea this girl had, he hoped that she was almost ready.

Concentrate. She needed to focus. She needed to gather all her energy in one place and then focus on what she wanted to do. And what she wanted to do was destroy that doll. If it was in pieces, it couldn’t hurt them, right? Bex opened her eyes and turned around the corner sharply when she heard the other boy yelling that he had it. It was struggling mercilessly under his jacket. She tried to remember what it looked like under there, sending the energy in her stomach out. She thought about the bird exploding and the pot smashing and the sidewalk groaning under Mina’s feet. She thought about the grass she’d decayed and the windows she’d shattered in her own home. The doll began to howl, screaming as if in pain. For a moment, she wondered if she should stop. Could ghosts feel pain? But then it burst from the boys jacket, fissures of cracks all along its wooden body. It was working. Bex bit down on her tongue so hard she felt it splitting. The doll screamed and thrashed, banging into beams, knocking through walls. With one final push, Bex threw everything she had at the doll-- and watched as it shattered into a million little wooden splinters. But so did the beam beside it, and the ceiling and the stairs collapsed. The house groaned around them. Bex fell to her knees, suddenly weak and exhausted. She looked at the boy. A piece of ceiling collapsed between them. “We have to--” she tried to say, her voice horse, “--get o-out of he--” The walls buckled. The house was caving in. Bex shoved herself up and ran towards the boy, grabbing onto him, tripping over pieces of wood, just as the walls came down, and everything else in the house with it.

The first tearing noise was only slightly worrisome. Orion didn’t start actually freaking out into he saw the seam of his jacket pulling from each other. “Uh- Might want to hurry it up there” Rio called out, but he wasn’t sure if he could be heard over the angry doll. He fell backwards when the seam finally split entirely and the doll flew up into the air. “Crap, crap, crap.” Rio repeated quietly to himself as he crawled across the floor on his back and looked up at the thing. It was all cracked. How had that happened under his jacket? He didn’t have much chance to think about it before the doll exploded entirely, along with some other parts of the house. The force pushed Rio back further, hitting a wall with a groan. He could hear everything in the place shifting. Drywall was cracking and the entire foundation shook. He pushed himself up just in time for the girl to run over and grab a hold of him so they could rush to get out. They were so close to the door, but Rio knew that time was running out. If they could get close enough, they might be able to minimize the damage. “Hold still!” Rio yelled, knowing that running at this point might actually be more dangerous. He grabbed the girl and pushed them both onto the floor, flinging himself on top of her and trying to cover as much as he could. Then he tucked his head under his hands and hoped that they had gotten clear of most of the damage. 

It was so loud. Bex didn’t really expect it to be so loud, though, as it all came crashing down on them, she figured that she should’ve expected it to be. The weight on top of her pressed her into the floor-- it was the boy, shielding her from the falling debris-- and she felt her breath wheeze out of her. Black ate at her vision, and then bits of rubble filled the rest of it. Wood and brick and dry wall collapsed on top of them and Bex let out a scream, pain erupting in her body. Her chest was killing her, the world was spinning. She tucked her head in as much as possible and waited. 

She wasn’t sure if she’d passed out, but when her eyes finally opened again, it was dark. She coughed. Dust coated her face, her body, sticking to the blood that was sticky on her forehead. The crushing weight of the was making it harder to breath. She turned as much as she could to try and see where the boy was, make sure he was okay. “We have to...move…” she groaned, shaking his shoulder gently. “Help me...move this…” It was just a doll, she’d just destroyed the doll. Why had the whole house come down? Had she done that? She pushed against the pile of rubble on top of her and heard it shift, felt the strain in her arms, and the pain in her side. Oh, that wasn’t good, was it? She turned to look. It was bleeding. Her eyes went back to the boy. It dawned on her what she had done. She had intentionally used magic and it had worked. Sure, a house had collapsed on them, but she’d done it. She’d used magic. She couldn’t help the grin that spread on her face, despite the weariness in her body. “C’mon,” she said again, shoving against the piece of wall that was blocking them, “let’s get out here.”

As far as crumbling buildings went, Orion was pretty sure that they got lucky with this house. It had clearly been abandoned for a while, no furniture or other added heavy objects to add to the debris. That didn’t stop the pain as each pieces struck his back and legs. He could feel himself being crushed further and further into the girl beneath him. But he kept his knees firmly against the ground and his back arched to try to give her some breathing room. When the sounds finally stopped, Rio let out the breath he hadn’t known he had been holding the entire time. His entire body screamed at him. His head felt like it was swimming and he found it increasingly hard to focus on the pile of debris resting on top of him. But the girl finally shook him back to reality. He tried to ignore the pain and instead pushed upward, lifting remnants of the house with him. “You’re bleeding. Crap” Rio noticed it quickly, the smell adding to the mixture of nausea that he was starting to feel. But it helped motivate him more, pushing his strength into shoving larger pieces away. The girl was working on a piece of drywall and Rio shifted his direction to add his strength, pushing the piece aside and finally opening up a path for them to get out. “Yeah. Getting out of here is good. Do you need a hospital?” Rio asked, slowly pulling himself onto his feet and offering a hand to her. He wasn’t quite ready to take stock of his own injuries yet.

Bex shook her head furiously. Bad idea, though. The world tilted on its side and she felt a wave of nausea take over her. She clutched her head, holding still for a moment. A path finally broke open and she crawled out, taking his hand. Her legs shook visibly as she stood, but she was still smiling. Blood smeared across the side of her face, her hair sticking to it. “Did you see that?” she said in an exasperated voice. “I did that! I did it!” she turned to look back at the collapsed bit of the house. In the distance, she heard sirens wailing. Someone must’ve called 911 when they heard the noise. She pushed against him again. “Crap, we gotta go--” she started, but her voice, and her legs, gave out mid sentence as she fell against him, gripping tightly to not fall all the way down. They were both covered in soot and bits of dry wall debris, they looked a mess, they couldn’t be caught like this. “I’m sorry. Sorry. I’m a little-- tired.” Exhausted. She’d used too much energy. “My name’s Bexley, by the way,” she muttered, trying to stand herself back up. She felt like she could sleep for a million years. She really wanted to shower. “What’s yours?”

The house caving in had almost distracted Orion from the fact that the house hadn't just fallen randomly. It had been blown to pieces beforehand. Before he thought it had was an aftereffect of whatever the doll had been doing, but the girl made him slowly realize that it hadn’t been the doll at all. She actually had had a plan when she told him to hold it still. “Wait- that was you?” Rio asked, abandoning the exhaustion and pain to actually laugh. “Holy crap!” Magic. He wasn’t sure what exactly, but some kind of spell. The sound of sirens only momentarily distracted him before turning back to her. “Besides a building falling on us, that was so freaking cool!” He was almost excited enough to forget how sore his body was. But he was reminded when the girl practically fell into him, sending a whole new wave of pain cascading throughout his body when he caught her. He resituated her, wrapping her arm around his shoulder to try to give her some support. It would be fine as long as he could keep his own footing. “Orion. Or Rio, really. Most people call me Rio. It’s nice to meet you.”

Bex laughed, too. It hurt, but she laughed. Mina was gonna be so mad. Morgan, too. She’d collapsed a house on herself and she felt as if she’d been wrung through a steamroller, but she laughed. And it felt-- good? It felt strange. It felt new. And exciting. Her entire body was still buzzing with the after effects of the magic. Was this what Nell meant? When she said it made her feel connected? Bex looked over at the boy as they started limping their way out of the alley and away from the building-- and the store. And the bench. The stupid bench that had gotten them into this whole mess. Because of a haunted doll. Bex laughed again. “It’s nice to meet you, too.” She leaned into him enough to support herself, but he looked just as banged up as her, and the back of his shirt was bloody with cuts from using his own body to protect her. “You were pretty good back there, too, you know,” she told him, giving a crooked smile, “are you-- do you like, know about all the weird stuff here, too?”

Orion really wanted a shower, but he would focus on making sure that Bexley was safe first. She hadn’t taken to the idea of a hospital, so he supposed he’d have to settle on taking her home instead. He couldn’t exactly argue against it when he had no intentions of going to the hospital himself. There was no point in him getting checked out for wounds that would heal in a couple of weeks anyways. In the meantime, he would just be a bit sore. “I mostly just screamed and lost my sandwich.” Rio shrugged, uncomfortable with taking credit for any part in the eradication of that terrifying, bench loving doll. There was probably more that he could have done. “Yeah I uh- I’m familiar. A bit.” A bit of an understatement, but right now it was a start.

Bex hung on Rio like a lifeline. She was really grateful for him. Honest. She’d probably be a lot more banged up right now if he hadn’t blocked most of the rubble. “No, no. You helped a lot, trust me,” she said with a nod. “Thank you.” And she meant it. It was strange, though. Most of her experiences in White Crest so far had been horrifying. The vampire, the wolf, her own magic. But that-- well, that had felt different. Had been different. She’d been able to do something. To fight back. She didn’t know how, but she’d done it. She’d blown up the doll just like the cockatrice and she’d helped someone. Saved someone. Maybe that meant she could save Mina, too. Next time, she could do something for her. She pressed her hand to her chest and felt the bandages rub on something wet. “Fuck,” she muttered, looking down. Red stains were dripping through her blue-- now brown and black and red-- dress. She frowned and looked over at Rio. “Yeah,” she chuckled softly, “me, too.”

[raineydaywrites]

working on from then til now (part 2 of 5)

link to part 1 (x) link to ao3 (x)

Angus didn't sleep much the night after he'd learned what Taako had done. He tossed and turned, replaying the evidence over and over again in his mind.

Technically, Taako didn't mention where exactly all this had gone down. So Angus couldn't actually confirm it, really.

But the few pieces of specific information that he had been able to pry out of Taako had been damning enough.

And what were the odds that there had been two instances of traveling chefs poisoning their audience in the same year?

Angus had to face the facts, little as he wanted to. It had been Taako. There was no other explanation.

Taako had killed his parents- but it had been an accident. He hadn't been trying to hurt anybody. The image of the violent criminal who wanted to hurt others that had lingered in Angus' mind for so long when he thought of his parents' killer was no more. It had never been true in the first place.

There was no malicious intent behind the death of his parents. It was just an accident.

A part of him felt better to know that. He liked Taako, and he didn't want to have to turn him in for murder. The fact that it had been an accident, that Taako so clearly regretted it, that he'd worked to make sure that nothing like that ever happened again, meant that Angus could try to- he wanted to forgive him. He really did.

But there was another part of him that was screaming at the injustice of it all. There was no villainy behind his parents' deaths. Just a simple mistake. There was no true justice to be had. He could ensure that his parents' killer be caught, but it wouldn't make him happy, because he cared about Taako, and he didn't feel that Taako deserved that.

His parents had died and there had been no purpose to it. No sense. It hadn't done anything for anyone. It was just unfair.

Angus was aware that life wasn't always fair, but never had he felt such rage about that fact as he did now. He found himself thrown back into the mindset he'd had before, whenever anyone talked of justice. He didn't want his parents' killer to be punished, especially not now that he knew the man in question. Knew him to be likeable, and decent, and someone who was currently risking his life to try and save this plane, no matter how aloof and selfish a front he put on.

Angus didn't want Taako to be punished. He could tell that Taako had already spent a lot of time punishing himself.

He just wanted his parents back.

-

When Angus finally got some sleep, it was restless and frightened. He dreamed of his parents' killer- the anonymous figure that he'd always envisioned before, twisted together with Taako now in a way that felt deeply wrong. The grin on dream-Taako's face was twisted and inaccurate, and the wizard seemed to tower over him in a way he never did in reality.

And the dream changed, as Angus proved Taako to be guilty- a moment that had always felt triumphant when he dreamed or imagined it before, that now felt rotten and sickening.

He saw Taako curled up, vulnerable, dying, all because he made a mistake. A really bad mistake, yes, but a mistake regardless.

He saw the disgust and despair of the other Bureau members when they looked at both of them. How could Taako do something like that? How could Angus endanger their mission by turning him in?

He saw the world consumed in darkness, the relics left to roam free, destroying everything in their path until there was nothing left.

He woke feeling no more rested than he had been when he laid down.

-

Taako had known that this would happen. He should never had told Ango about the last show. The kid hated him now. He'd acted like it was okay when they'd spoken, had seemed to be really interested in the weirdness related to his Umbra Staff, and Taako had hoped that would be that. The kid would let it go, stop asking questions and move on to something else.

He should have known better though, especially considering how much info the kid had pried for before the Staff had it's weird freakout and burned the wall.

Angus had insisted on drawing the word, saying that it was important to keep a record of all pertinent case details- the nerd- before Taako had figured that it might be a good idea to magic the wall back to its normal state. Didn't want the Director on his ass for vandalizing or whatever, especially because he didn't think 'my staff has a mind of its own' was a very believable or reassuring excuse.

But it wasn't gonna matter anyway. Because Angus hated him now, and he was going to tell the Director everything, and she'd kick him out because why would they keep a murderer on staff when they had two other perfectly capable Reclaimers in the form of Magnus and Merle?

And Taako really hated that thought. Not just because he didn't want to have to go on the run from the law again when the Director or Angus let the authorities know about him, either.

He liked it here. He liked Magnus and Merle, working on a team with them, being friends with them. They were comfortable in a way that he couldn't explain but really appreciated. And he liked the Director too, especially when she let herself joke around with them as she did on rare occasion. He liked Davenport, even though the guy couldn't communicate much. He liked Killian and Carey, and Avi and Johann. He had fun messing with Leon for his and his friends' amusement.

He even found himself really liking the whole 'saving people' thing, which he hadn't expected. He was selfish, always had been, always had to be. He hadn't thought that saving other people would feel as fulfilling as this. But there was something really satisfying about it, and even if he didn't think he'd make heroing a full time career after he'd finished up this stuff and got himself enough good to have a real good setup, he kind of understood now why some people did.

And now he was going to lose all of that.

Angus had been alternating between completely avoiding him and spending time with him but being super skittish and distant the entire time. Probably was hoping to get more information out of him before turning him in.

Angus had asked Taako where exactly all this had gone down, after the other questions. Taako's self-preservation instincts had finally kicked in to do their job then, and he'd refused to say, but he'd answered a bunch of other important questions first, like when it had happened, how many people had died, and several other very pertinent details that would make it very easy for anybody to connect it to Glamour Springs, let alone someone as smart as Angus.

Really, Taako thought that he probably deserved this. He had killed all those people. He hadn't meant to hurt anybody- oh fucking gods, he'd never meant to hurt anybody- but he had. He wasn't just going to hand himself over or anything, but yeah, he probably deserved to lose out on having this sweet setup.

Still, didn't mean he had to like it. Didn't mean that he wasn't absolutely kicking himself for admitting so much of that stuff to Angus.

With everything else he stood to lose, he found it surprising that the one he kept coming back to was the loss of Angus' respect and affection. He hadn't even realized that he particularly valued that in the first place. Little shit could be fun sometimes, but Taako had really only agreed to teach him out of boredom and guilt for the whole silverware incident, not because he really craved spending time with him.

But he just couldn't seem to shake the image of Angus' horrified expression out of his mind. Kid had looked absolutely heartbroken.

Well. Everybody had to learn that even the people you look up to most will let you down eventually. It was a good lesson, would save the boy a lot of pain in the future.

Taako still hated that he'd been the reason that he'd learned it.

part 3 (x), part 4 (x), part 5 (x)

[arlakos]

Marinette’s list of Parisian Warcrimes (Or why I need to vent about all the bad stuff Marinette has done)

Yeah, I’m doing this.

People be talking on Tumblr about why Marinette is the best character in the show and talking shit about every other character, from Adrien so I think I'll do what I do best and piss off people.

 You want another Adrien salt Fic about why he’s a stalker to validate your sensitivity to everything that triggers you?

 You want another AU where Chloe goes full-on villain and asshole mode so that you can be just another Astruc stan?

 Do you want another Lukanette fanfic because Luka is the ‘Better Adrien’ even though all he does is play a guitar?

TOO BAD! THIS TIME WE BE DOING SOME MARINETTE SALT AND WE GOING IN HARD! WE ARE GONNA BE RUNNING THIS BLUE HAIRED GIRL INTO THE GROUND THE SAME WAY THE FANDOM TREATED THE OTHER CHARACTERS!

THIS IS PAYBACK FOR ALL THE SALT FICS THAT HAVE BEEN FORCED TO SEE THAT DON’T EVEN BOTHER TO USE NATURAL LOGIC!

(And I'm gonna love every bit of it)

So without further ado, Marinette is sentenced to be salted on the following charges:

Having a planner that tracks Adrien's every location/activity so she can stalk him at all times and actively uses (Stormy Weather).

Using her powers to prevent Adrien from dancing with another person (yes, even if that person is Chloe) (Bubbler)

Stealing Adrien's phone (Copycat)

Reading other peoples letters, even if they did throw it in the garbage (Dark Cupid)

Abandoning Paris (Ladybug Origins) (Yes I know people are going to be angry at me especially for this one, but if Everyone gives shit for Chat Noir for doing the same thing in Syren, then Ladybug gets it as well. No double standards on this post)

Literally destroying Max’s hopes and dreams by beating him in a game entering a tournament just so that she could be with Adrien. I don’t care who was better in the game or won, Marinette had no prior interest in the tournament and even knew how much Max wanted to enter, yet still done it anyway the second she realized Adrien was there. Yeah, others will say its cute that she wanted to be with Adrien, but if she really wanted to spend time with him, all she had to do was, you know, ASK LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!!! (Gamer)

Ladybug not listening to advice on where the akuma is all because she didn't like Chloe. who made a small lie before to her. Yeah Ladybug, someone making a little lie to save themselves embarrassment is really valid enough of a reason for their opinion and advice to be worth nothing. And it caused another akuma, good for you. (Antibug)

Oooh, a big one...Marinette stalked Lila and Adrien pretty much all day, under the guise of ‘not liking liars’ (yeah right) and once she had a ‘valid’ excuse to pretty much ruin Lila’s chances of wooing Adrien (whether or not she had an actual chance is irrelevant) she transformed into Ladybug and ABSOLUTELY EMBARRASSED HER AND HUMILIATED HER right in front of Adrien, when she could have just pulled her aside and just told her off in private and quietly so that she wouldn’t do it again. When Adrien questions her says she did it with the excuse of ‘not liking liars’. (Volpina)

Not telling Fu who the book belonged too when questioned on where she got it. I get that this was an excuse to prolong the shows run time, but if you were going to bring this up in the show and pretend that what Marinette did wasn’t a big deal, then they shouldn’t have added it in the first place. (The Collector)

Not bothering to tell her grandmother the truth and sneaking off to hang with her friends. (Befana)

Ladybug leading on Chat Noir. If she really didn't want to go, she could have just outright said No and be done with it, instead of just a ‘maybe’. (Glaciator)

Ladybug Literally not telling Chat Noir about the Guardian or where the hell all these heroes are coming from. There was literally no excuse, Adrien didn’t need to wait ‘until he was ready’, he literally became a hero the same time as Ladybug, it wasn’t like he was ‘the new guy’ and Ladybug was ‘the more experienced one’. I can give this to Fu as well, but I still feel that Ladybug should’ve told him regardless from the get go, she trusted a man she hadn’t properly met until 1 season later more than her own partner who stuck with her since day one. (Syren)

Taking pollen away from Chloe... yeah this really doesnt count. I just simply liked Chloe’s face in Malediktator when she saw Pollen again.

Talking shit about Chloe behind her back then acting all friendly to her as Ladybug when she needed her to become Queen Bee. Not really bad, it's just incredibly rude. (Maledictator)

Again, the same shit as Stormy Weather, instead of being punished for having the planner that details every bit of Adriens day to day activities, she gets rewarded by the writers. Not so much a Marinette crime as it is and ASS-truc crime. (Troublemaker)

Snooping through Marcs Private book, annoying him when he wanted to be isolated, and just straight up not having Marc give him the script himself. She could have tried just bringing Marc to Nathaniel and showing him the script together. (Reverser).

Making a lie about organizing a party when she definitely didn’t plan one. Yes, even if she was going to do it afterwards and planned to make the pastries herself for the party. She really is a hypocrite when she comes to lying, even though that’s a personality trait the writer's press is the reason why she hates Lila. (Season 2 Finale-Catalyst and Mayura).

Sabotaging Kagami’s attempts at being with Adrien. (Animaestro)

Marinette telling her Grandpa that rice bread is better than wheat bread. Anybody who has tasted bread would say otherwise. Although to be fair I blame Tom for this and this isn’t really as bad as the others (Bakerix)

Marinette throws Chat under the bus by pretending she loves him and leaving him to face Tom when the entire thing was her fault. I know she did it to protect her identity, but it still was an ass thing to do, and Chat found Marinette in her own house, Marinette could have used any excuse, including but not limited to, baked goods. (Weredad)

Marinette... LITERALLY... TRIED TO BREAK INTO ADRIEN’S HOME... ALL BECAUSE LILA WAS THERE...if the fireman was smarter than most other characters in the show he could’ve literally called the cops on her, leading to her getting arrested and Gabriel (or even Adrien) filing a restraining order against her. That and she steals Juleka’s bike. Not cool dude. (Oni-Chan)

Marinette not making it very clear to Chloe that she can’t get the miraculous back under any circumstances due to her exposed identity, especially after Chloe claims she’ll need them again. (Miraculer)

Marinette sneaks into the boy’s party despite wanting bro time, all because she wanted another botched attempt to confess to Adrien. (Party Crasher)

THAT CREEPY SCENE WITH THE ‘ADRIEN WAX STATUE’. I dont want to talk about it. You know which one I'm talking about. If you don’t, thank god, but IF YOU THINK THAT WAS CUTE IN ANY WAY OR THAT ITS ADRIEN FAULT BECAUSE HE STOOD STILL, YOU NEED TO GET YOUR HEAD CHECKED. (god i still have nightmares) (Puppeteer 2)

Not really a crime, but talking literally all the miraculi when you only needed a few. What would happen if she screwed up and Hawkmot got all the miraculous, or lost a few for the Akuma to obtain? (Kwamibuster)

Marinette (or Lady Noire) being an absolute dick to Misterbug during the entire time they were fighting Reflekdoll, insulting Misterbug for misusing his power when she does the same thing and claiming Misterbugs usual job is ‘easy’. Yeah...no. Fuck you Lady Noire, go eat a cataclysm to the face (Reflekdoll)

Marinette sabotaging Friendship day for Kagami just because she didnt want the latter to see Adrien.. at all. (Ikari Gozen)

Claiming Adrien is a good guitarist when Luka is an actual one. Not a crime, just dumb (Desperada)

Giving a Miraculous to Adrien when she can’t even control herself around him and could be distracted (Desperada)

Being too cute in that picture Marinette and Adrien sleeping together on the train. Yes i know this isn’t a crime, i do like some stuff about her, i just think the pic is really cute. (Startrain)

(Look at it, they’re adorkable. Awww....)

(Wait, aren’t I supposed to be salty?)

NOW, for the biggest crime of them all...

Literally not confessing to Adrien even once. Aside from the fact its turned the ‘romance part’ of the show into a joke, Marinette not telling Adrien the truth already or lying about her feelings is the reason we have the ‘Marinette is just a good friend meme’. No wonder he thinks you are ‘just a friend’. THAT’S ALL YOU HAVE BEEN TELLING HIM. 

My evidence? EVERY SINGLE EPISODE!!!

...

Ahhhh. Much better.

Well, now that I have successfully gotten rid of all that anger and salt and manifested it into a physical memento of my anger for this show and its main character, I’m going to relax while people get mad and triggered that I insulted the ‘Perfect Marinette’ and leave me angry messages. For all those that listened and don’t hate me or even agree with what I have said, thanks for reading my large amount of vented writing. I hope you have a pleasant day.

Let's hope for season 4 of Miraculous to be better now that Zag is back. The fandom knows we don't need another salty season.

[jamr0ck83]

If Nobody is Racist, Then Who Exactly is Keeping Systemic Racism Going?

Everybody seems quick to insist that they’re not the ones who are racist.  So, then who is?  If it’s only the people you say, then why are we like this as a country?

Recently, someone with which I somewhat briefly attended grad school for education (And no, I don’t want to talk about what happened with that whole endeavor) posted the following image to their Facebook profile.

On its face, it seems like a completely reasonable and acceptable statement, and as such, it was generating some likes.  At the time I first saw it, I think there were 6.  But before I, too, submitted my approval of this image, I thought a little more about it, and its implications.  And I realized that I didn’t really agree with it.  I knew the person who posted it had no ill intentions, and I think they even found the image on the profile of another POC.  But the more I reread the sign featured, the more I was sure that it was not a true statement.  I knew that my stance was not going to garner nearly as many likes or other accolades as if I had posted a phrase like “Black Lives Matter”, which at this point, it seems like all reasonable people are able to agree that they do (or at least it’s the obvious appropriate thing to say in this moment).  I knew I might receive some pushback or criticism, and while that did admittedly make me nervous, I knew that I needed to speak up in this way and in this moment.  And I was willing to deal with whatever consequences came my way.  I decided it was that important for me to make a case for a diverging opinion.  So, I typed out the reply below and posted it.

I want to agree with this, but I'm not sure if I do. Please hear me out. It is entirely possible to be a Trump supporter and not be a person who has ever uttered a racial epithet or been otherwise explicitly or overtly racist. However, I do believe that there are degrees of racism, and if you're someone who has responded that "all lives matter" or "blue lives matter" when another person asserts that black lives matter, I would argue that you are on the spectrum of holding onto or entertaining some form of racist ideology. If you watched the video of George Floyd having his life choked out of him and then watched the footage of riots from that first night in Minneapolis and thought "It's a shame that guy died, but what they're doing now is uncalled for", this might indicate that you prioritize law and order (no matter how unjustly they are being enforced) over the life of a man whose only transgression was that he was black, and that, too, places you on that spectrum of racism. Racism isn't always waving a confederate flag and yelling at POCs to go back to where they came from. Sometimes, it's knowing that the politician you support will turn a blind eye to or even praise people who march around with tiki torches yelling, "Jews will not replace us" and wanting to vote for him anyway. Sometimes, it's hearing black people beg to have full access to the citizenship rights that are due them but deciding it's more important for you to vote for the guy who advocates for you to keep your semiautomatic rifle. If you are deciding that your wants (not needs) have priority over the humanity of POCs, then I would argue that you are on the spectrum of racism. And that demands some self-reflection. Complicity is part of what makes racism so destructive. What's the point of knowing better if you refuse to hold others accountable for doing better?

And then I waited.  I waited for blowback.  I waited for pushback.  I waited for agreement.  I waited for literally anything anybody might feel compelled to say.  But the only feedback I received was a single “like” whereas the post itself had garnered six additional since the posting of my comment.  So, people obviously disagreed with my stance but couldn’t bring themselves to make that known in any kind of direct fashion.  And frankly, that concerns me.  A great deal, in fact.  And there are a couple of reasons why.

Firstly, and this is something of which I was starting to become more aware even months before the death of George Floyd and these subsequent protests, white people are very quick to assert that they, themselves, are not racist.  They are also quick to assert that most people who look like them are not racist.  According to them, hardly anybody is really, truly racist.  But if that’s actually true, then why is this country such an absolute mess, and why have we been that way for centuries?  It’s as if the term “racist” is being reserved for truly egregious and over-the-top cases.  And everything else is just the way people are.  White people seem to have a very specific and narrow idea of what racism looks and sounds like, and that allows them to never truly have to consider whether they, themselves, might be racist.  Or if their family members are racist.  Or if the politicians they actively support are racist.  Under their definition of that word, it barely applies to anyone. And as a black woman who considers herself knowledgeable of both history and current affairs, I will confidently say that this is wrong.  

I have had people who cloak themselves under the banner of liberalism say some things to me that would make me raise an eyebrow if I knew at all how to move that particular facial muscle. And no, it’s not the times when the racial epithets and slurs are used that I feel compelled to do this.  It’s actually the times when I’ve made some sort of assertion about the impact of oppression on the lives of black people today, and I am met with sentiments such as “It’s not fair that we keep getting blamed for everything” or “You weren’t a slave, so the legacy of that institution doesn’t create any modern-day problems for you” or “Slavery ended over a hundred years ago, so why do you keep wanting to bring it up? Why can’t we all just move on?  Life is hard enough”. (That last phrase is a direct quote from a white woman who replied to something I said on Instagram regarding the role that white women have historically played in the role of oppressing black bodies.  She objected to my assertion that this is an issue that is rarely discussed, because dwelling on it would cause white women to feel discomfort, and that is in direct opposition to this silent societal code we all seem to follow that says that we must do whatever we can to prevent white women from feeling uncomfortable.  Ironically, she was shutting my argument down, because it made her uncomfortable.) Also, I’ve been told that the ways in which I have experienced oppression throughout my life just aren’t true, that I must be mistaken and that I am making something be all about race when it’s not about race at all.  And finally, I’ve been told the oldie but goodie “I don’t see color; I just see people”.

To the people that are brave enough to read this right now, I will submit to you that these statements and sentiments all reek of racism.  Every single one of them.  And every single person who uttered these phrases would have gone to the grave denying that they could be considered racist.  And sorry, people who made these statements, but this assertion by you would be wholly incorrect.  By so narrowly defining what racism is, we have given many people permission to absolve themselves from any responsibility for how it continues to thrive in American society. Nobody needs to look inward; nobody has to come to terms with any mindsets they might harbor that are truly problematic. And if nobody is willing to deal with anything or even acknowledge it, how are we going to change anything?  If we can’t even recognize and talk about what racism is, how are we going to put an end to it?  And the short answer is, we’re not.

My second concern is that, while it seemed like almost no one who saw my comment agreed with it, no one felt compelled to say anything, give any sort of reason for WHY they disagreed with it.  Maybe it’s because I’m black that they felt like they should just let me get on my soapbox and say what I needed to say, and that would be their form of allyship (even though at the end of the day, them doing this was just a dismissal of everything I said so they could go on with their lives, which kind of flies in the face of being an ally).  When these protests first started, I think many black people were reasonably skeptical about the degree to which we could rely on non-black allyship for the duration of however long we needed it.  We wondered if the outrage and fervor exhibited was sustainable.  And we wondered if white allies, specifically, were truly willing to endure discomfort if it would eventually lead to the advancement of our movement.  And I hate to say it, but I feel like the instance of this post about racism and who it applies to gave me substantial reason to believe that they are not.  The fact that there are people aligning themselves publicly to the BLM movement who are already seemingly unwilling to settle in their discomfort in order to be a more effective agent of change greatly concerns me.  It indicates to me that for some people (not all, but some) a lot of what’s going on right now is an exercise for them in anti-racism theater.  To put it simply and bluntly, they are not “in it to win it”, because “winning it” requires that they sacrifice more comfort than they are ready to do.  And while that’s certainly not everybody who calls themselves an ally, I worry that it represents a substantial number of people who we are currently relying on as allies who really aren’t.  And when they start drifting away from the protests and the posting of hashtags because this movement is no longer the fun, new thing we’re all doing, the people who remain are going to have to pick up the slack and work even harder to account for their absence.

To be clear, I’m not trying to knock anyone who wants to be an ally or make it seem like I want to nitpick at everyone and that there isn’t anything that any non-black ally can do that would truly please me.  If that’s what you are thinking now as you read this, I would implore you to reconsider. Because that perspective is one that stems directly from the notion that we are trying to hurt people’s feelings. It stems from this idea that it is our responsibility to make our white allies feel good about what they are doing right now so that they will continue to feel encouraged, or else they will walk away.  But this movement is not about pacifying white people’ feelings, whether they consider themselves to be allies or not.  We are not here to make you comfortable.  We are here to seek the justice that we are due.  We are here to seek the rights of citizenship that we have been routinely denied.  We are here to put an end to systemic racism.  Catering to allies’ feelings is nowhere on that list.  It’s not even a close fourth.  We need people to put their own individual feelings aside (discomfort, guilt, or whatever else) and help do what needs to be done.

And I realize this might be a harsh reality check, I do, because I know that many black Americans have spent a significant portion of their lives doing whatever they could to make white people comfortable.  During slavery, we performed their backbreaking hard labor so they wouldn’t have to but could still reap the financial benefits.  In modern times, many of us deliberately hold back a lot of ourselves in white people’s presence, because it’s always been an expectation that successful black people who have properly assimilated in the larger American society need to make sure that nothing we do resembles anything that might make them remember that we are not the same color.  For many black women, this means stifling their voices and hiding their frustrations, because nobody wants to deal with an angry black woman.  For many black men, this might mean being keenly and constantly aware of their physical stature and proximity to other people, because they don’t want anyone to find them intimidating in any way.  I think white people take these acts for granted because we’ve always done them, but they are not “just the way we are” or “just the way we like to be”.  They are a series of survival skills that we have been forced to adhere to, because to refrain from doing so would allow others to perceive as people they’d rather not deal with, if possible.  That means, we wouldn’t be the ones who get into the good school or get the good job or even get to keep our lives.

I have been deemed a quiet person my entire life, and while some of that is due to my genuine introverted nature, the majority is supplemented by the fact that, in most situations, if I am given the choice between being the quiet and unassuming black girl who nobody really has a problem with or the more vocal and passionate black woman that asserts herself but then has to deal with the consequences of nobody really wanting to be around her, I choose the former.  And I started choosing it at a very young age; I was definitely still in elementary school.  It starts that early.  Because we know that early.  We know that this country was not designed with us in mind unless it was to depend on our labor or our ability to entertain.  We know that the system is literally rigged against us in such ways that, if we were to inform white people of all those facets of oppression, they would accuse us of being paranoid.  Actually, that is precisely what happens when we try to tell people about our experiences of being black in America.  There are a lot of people out there who are masterful at gaslighting and being utterly dismissive of our struggles.  And that is a response that is literally for the sole purpose of driving the other person to the point of insanity.  So, for the most part, we stopped telling you things, because you weren’t really listening, anyway.  And we realized that, if we were going to make it in this country, then we really did have to work twice as hard, be twice as amiable in demeanor, and twice as resilient. Was that fair, for that to be put on us? Of course not.  But we shouldered that burden.  Because what was the alternative?  So, we did it, and we’ve done it fairly quietly for a very long time.

But we’re tired.  And we’re angry.  Because no matter what we do, people keep killing us for little to no reason and then justify it to say that we must have done something to deserve it. “Well, you should’ve known that wearing a hoodie makes you look threatening.”  “A toy gun could look a lot like a real gun, so that’s an honest mistake on the officer’s part.” “Oh, wait.  You were minding your own business sitting in your apartment when somebody shot you?  Well, were you really living beyond reproach and therefore entitled to keep your life? You sure you’ve never done anything wrong? Don’t you smoke weed sometimes?”  These are the ways people have justified our deaths.  And I would argue that all those statements and sentiments are couched in racism.  All of them. None of it is okay, and it all needs to end.  And we need everyone we can get to commit to joining us in this fight.  But if you’re really going to sit there and maintain the party line that racists are really few in number and that you, the non-black ally, don’t need to consider the ways in which you might harbor some racist ideology, then you’re not ready to be an ally.  And you can’t help us.  And you won’t help us.  Because as soon as things get a little less trendy or a little more uncomfortable, you will prioritize that over our humanity.  And that, in itself, is pretty damn racist.

[iaintyourbro]

I always try to remain neutral and balanced. There are things that I agree and disagree on both sides, but for the most part of it, I support the Cloti side more. Tbh and fair, both sides have flaws. CAs are usually irrational and aggressive. CTs always had an upper hand, most of them are rational, but sometimes they don’t realize that they’re being overweening to the point that they’re disrespecting/hating other people. Wish fans wouldn’t obsessed on such things, cuz its dangerous 😅

Hey anon.

As somebody who is new to the online world of “Fandom” but a veteran FF fan, it’s pretty insane to see what’s been going on for the last 23 years. I agree, I think it’s unhealthy the amount of obsession some folks have with this. I also think you are seeing an uptick in extreme behavior for a few reasons:

COVID-19 Quarantine and people not being able to go out and do other things

The fact that Remake came out during the height of most countries’ quarantines, so it’s really all people focused on.

Official accounts promoting Cloti content over CA content. 

Plushie War of 2020 (see previous bullet)

Remake just coming out added a lot of new fans, an ending that was open for people to go ham on theory crafting, and reignited some older fans that may have been very active a long time ago, but hadn’t been until recently. 

I have not run in to many extreme Clotis, and I definitely haven’t run in to ones that are as bad as some of the CAs on Twitter. However, I do want to make it clear, that I know for a fact that the majority of CA shippers are normal, level headed people, just like the majority of Cloti shippers.

Shipping is a fun thing to do, but it’s not the whole story. Especially in the case of FF7. It’s kind of comical that a game that was very unromantic is the most fought over when it comes to romance... 

I think when you see Clotis getting defensive, it’s because they feel like they constantly have to be defensive. They see things that are completely wrong about the story and go on the defensive to try and say “No, this isn’t true, here is the quote/moment/whatever.” to make sure bad information isn’t being put out. I should say, not just Clotis do this, either. Plenty of CA fans have come to defend the story of FF7 because they care about the STORY and FACTS over their ship “winning” the canon argument. 

My experience - which isn’t a ton - with the extremists on the CA side is when you do present them with facts, they block you or call you some nasty name and then block you. I laugh at this, honestly. I also won’t go down to that level because even if they are bat shit crazy in some cases, I know there’s a person on the other side of the screen... and some of them really should get checked out for mental health purposes. The amount of anger that comes from some folks is just... abnormal. In other cases, for ones that are extremely offensive, I’ll block them preemptively for my own mental health. 

I also don’t tolerate Anti-Tifa or Anti-Aerith bullshit. There are other Anti-Groups, but those two are the largest. Anybody who has to vehemently attack and tear down one of the girls clearly sees them as a threat, in my opinion... to whatever their ship is. It also just isn’t very motivating as a female to see them doing that all so their “waifu” gets to “win” the guy... It’s a bizarre mentality to me. It plays down their characters as just thirsty women trying to get with a guy, and both of them deserve so much better than that.

I know how I am with this stuff. I go with whatever ship is “obvious” to me in games and media. So far, for main couples, I haven’t been wrong... but honestly every other FF slammed them in your face. (I didn’t play XIII... so I’m not too familiar with that one, but.). It doesn’t mean I’m always right, it just means I follow the story and am usually fine with whatever the “end game” couple ends up being. If I don’t, I won’t play the game again, and I absolutely won’t go online and try to prove why I’m right about this obviously non-canon ship. 

If Aerith was clearly the end game, I’d probably be a CA shipper. To me, it never was, though. My rational side could not justify it with her being dead. At 13 and at 32, I can’t comprehend it. Cloud is 21 years old and knew her for a month - that’s my biggest thing. She died in front of him, he had just tried to kill her so yeah, that’d mess you up... but in terms of pining forever or wanting to die to reunite with her... it’s disturbing and unrealistic.

If SE wanted to revive her, they would have. They created X-2 and give you a “Perfect” ending so Yuna and Tidus could be reunited... and then write a novel after it to kill off Tidus and have Yuna get with another guy... The major theme of FF7 was about loss and life. Bringing her back would shit all over that. Keeping her alive in Remake would also shit all over that. 

In ACC you get to see her happily walk off with Zack. It’s not like SE left her to be all alone. She has her first love with her after it all. This may go against the life and loss thing, but most people believe in some type of afterlife, so it’s fitting to me to showcase it. 

In any case, thanks for the ask. This is longer than it should be, but Twitter has been pretty bad lately, so I guess I have a lot of feelings about it.

[ladyfawkes]

This work originally written for Rapunzel Appreciation Week, Day Two prompt of “Sunshine”. Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Tangled (2010), Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon) Rating: Mature Word count: 2443 Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel Characters: Rapunzel (Disney), Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider Additional Tags: Sexy Times, Short One Shot, Fluff and Mush Summary:

It's Corona's worst thunderstorm in literal years, and it's currently pouring buckets outside. As Captain Fitzherbert arrives back at the palace from his daily morning rounds, he is told by his new wife that the rest of the day is theirs to have.....Court had been canceled as they couldn't have people waiting outside in the rain.

Eugene cannot wait!!! He and Rapunzel's duties had amped up exponentially since they'd come home from their epic 3-month honeymoon. During the past 4 months, they'd barely had any intimate time together at all.

What, exactly, does his sweet wife have in mind? Two words: PILLOW FORT!!!!! Full fic included under the jump.

The day had dawned dark and rainy, that in itself being unusual for Corona. Naturally, Rapunzel always had particular worry for Corona’s guards now that her new husband had been made Captain nearly a year ago. What made this particular storm more dangerous is that it was a thunderstorm. And having a thunderstorm as close to the water as Corona meant it was bound to have more than its fair share of lightning. The guards were always in far more danger during a thunderstorm than the average Coronan citizen, given that they wore so much metal; metal armor, metal helmets, and had metal weaponry. By 10AM, Court had been canceled for the day when it became apparent that the rain wasn’t going to stop and it simply wasn’t safe for the people to queue up outside. Eugene never missed his patrols, though. Rain or shine, light or dark, he was there -- reliable as clockwork. He shocked a lot of people with just how smoothly he slipped into and assumed his new role as Captain. That’s not to say he didn’t also have his fill of trifle, finicky, and annoying minutiae about being Captain. The Guard had just recently brought on dozens of new recruits. About half the current guard contingent was due to age out in the next few years and Eugene saw this as the perfect opportunity to give the entire system a much needed overhaul. After Rapunzel had been crowned queen, she naturally gave Eugene her blessing with anything and everything he needed. And although training never went as smoothly as he hoped, Eugene had never stopped coming up with ways to become more efficient, faster, better, stronger. And Eugene never expected more from anybody than he expected of himself. Considering Rapunzel’s amped up queen duties in combination with Eugene’s amped up Captain duties, they had seen precious little of each other since their spectacular three-month honeymoon. Neither one of them had found time just yet to have trained a proper assistant or protégé, so until they could find a proper rhythm and people who could reasonably run the show when they needed to step away, they were the sole persons responsible for their respective occupations. Rapunzel was quite lucky that her father was still willing to step in during a pinch. Eugene had no such luxury, however. He’d been having a devil of a time finding a willing and able second-in-command. As such, he hadn’t really had much of a break since they’d returned from their honeymoon. Not that he’d complain too much to her. He was just being his same loving self with Rapunzel, during the small times they actually did get to be with each other, giving 80-85% of the conversation time to his ‘darling wifey’ and all of her concerns and worries. Eugene stepped into the castle foyer around 10:30 AM with a flourish, saying, “Whew!! It’s certainly been a soaking wet morning!!” If anybody deserved a respite right now, it was her hard-working dripping wet husband. He removed his bicorne hat and poured the rain off of it back outside before allowing the servants to close the doors behind him. The Captain had been absolutely drenched, gratefully allowing the footmen to take his hat, cloak, coat, and his riding boots and stockings; then he slipped on an offered dressing gown and into some warm slippers. “Thank you, everyone!” said Eugene, who was clearly relieved to have their care and attention. Then Rapunzel was present to hand him a warm towel so he could dry his hands, face, and hair. She noticed in particular the rivulet that ran down Eugene’s perfect nose; its slope was just right for its own tiny waterfall whenever liquid streamed down his face. Eugene was now speaking into the towel about the goings-on of his morning as he mopped up his face. “Ah!” he said as he put a still-damp arm over Rapunzel’s shoulders, “that’s more like it!” Rapunzel next handed him a steaming cup of tea which he also accepted gratefully. He and Rapunzel walked toward their bedroom suite. So hypnotized by Eugene’s nose was Rapunzel, that after he finished taking a sip of tea, she had reached right over and booped his nose. As he was mid-sentence and her gesture was completely unexpected, Eugene stopped in his tracks and turned to gaze at her with a quizzical smile on his face. “Now what was that all about?” Rapunzel grinned cheesily and mysteriously replied, “Hmmm….I guess you’ll just have to see!” and then she skipped a little down the corridor, emitting a high-pitched giggle, with a very amused and intrigued Eugene in tow. Rapunzel may have been a queen and his wife by now, but she was still so charmingly….herself.  When they got to the suite, he could see some changes had been made in his absence.Their huge bed and nearly all of the furniture in the room had been shifted over closer to the giant fireplace to better avail themselves of its warmth. Just about every inch of furniture had been draped in some type of sheet, duvet, or comforter. The corners had been weighted down by heavy cushions, poufs, and pillows. “What’s all this for?” Eugene asked in wonderment. Tall standing candelabras also circled the outside, lighted wicks casting the otherwise storm-darkened room in a soft rosy glow. Rapunzel excitedly lifted up one side of the bed-blanket bungalow she’d created and let him see inside. It was a rather impressive space, if she said so herself, and she wanted to rattle off to Eugene how she’d engineered it to make sure the center wouldn’t fall in while they were inside, but that would require explaining lots of math with which Eugene was not familiar. Point being….she was proud of it, and her grin showed this pride even more with the way Eugene was looking around at it all. “On rainy days, Pascal and I used to make pillow forts next to the fireplace. It was so very drafty in the--t--uh, the old place, with only that one small fire in a huge fireplace, and Pascal and I would have to make the fire wood last for insanely lengthy amounts of time.” The word ‘tower’ had basically become a taboo word in their personal lexicon, so they did their best to avoid saying it. “So this is a pillow fort, eh?” said Eugene, his smile getting larger and larger as he looked at the pillows and cushions bunched around inside the blanketed big top. Just outside the entrance lay platters of hot tea, hot cider, and their respective favorite snack foods and sweets. Eugene reached over and snagged a cupcake piled high with blue and pink swirled icing and a cherry in the center. Rapunzel nodded excitedly. Even now, going on four years later, she and Eugene were still having fun sharing with one another the various things they’d each missed out on due to their respective limited childhoods. “I’ve heard of these things,” Eugene said, a huge grin across his features, “I’ve just...never seen them. We never had pillows and almost never had blankets at the orphanage.” Of course, Rapunzel had known this….and that’s why she thought it would be the perfect rainy day to show Eugene that you could just as easily huddle together for fun during inclement weather rather than merely out of necessity or desperation. Eugene despised heavy rain almost as much as he hated snow. So Rapunzel was determined to make this a great indoors day he’d never forget. “I only have one question,” said Rapunzel, her hand hovering over the tie of his dressing gown. Eugene’s look of boyish wonder switched instantly to one of the intrigued fox….. “Ask,” he replied, an arching eyebrow disappearing under his still-damp hair. “Do you want to shower together now or after, ah, tea time?” inquired Rapunzel. “‘Tea time’, huh?” echoed Eugene, a grin threatening to erupt across his face. “Is that what we’re calling it now?” he teased. Rapunzel playfully slugged him and coyly turned away, saying, “Maybe…” Eugene considered for real this time, “Well, I’ve got to go back out on patrols in three-ish hours so…” he stopped when he saw Rapunzel shaking her head. “...no?” “I’ve instructed Nigel and Max to cancel all of your duties -- and mine -- for the rest of the day. They were only too happy to agree. Apparently, uh, your men have been complaining endlessly to them about how you’ve turned into a complete grouch recently.” Eugene smacked his forehead. “And here I thought I was doing well covering for it.” “Turns out the whole palace knows that despite our best efforts, our new respective duties have pulled us away from one another too much lately. When Faith and Nigel saw what I was wanting to do with the furniture in here…..and how I’d ordered our schedules cleared, welllllll…” “Say no more,” said Eugene, as he set down his empty tea cup and as-yet-untouched cupcake. By the time Rapunzel had turned around to face him again, he had stripped down completely and was now standing next to what was left of his soaking wet clothes. Rapunzel bit back on the giggle she felt, upon seeing how quickly Eugene had availed himself to her, once he learned they could just play the rest of the day. It was just so darn adorable seeing him standing there, buck naked, now sporting his most eager puppy-eyed face. He had clearly missed her even more than she had missed him and thus required zero encouragement. But she was still gonna make this even more fun nonetheless….. Rapunzel donned her doe-eyed sexy face and slowly sauntered up to him, reached around his back, and oh-so-lightly dragged her middle fingertip up Eugene’s spine. The whole time, she still held his gaze. He shivered and his nipples instantly hardened more than they already were. Rapunzel then slowly continued following the line past his spine, just as lightly following the line between his cheeks with her pinky. Eugene inhaled deeply as his adept wife carefully built his anticipation...as well as his erection. He reached out to undress her…..yet she danced out of the way. “Ah, ah,” she admonished playfully, “not yet!” She reached for the table behind him and grabbed the cupcake he’d chosen earlier, again darting out of his considerable reach as he tried to catch her. Rapunzel carefully pulled out the cupcake paper, broke off a small piece of cupcake, and said, “As long as you promise to behave, I’ll share some cupcake with you,” she said coyly. Eugene pretended to pout for a time but Rapunzel held firm, slowly feeding small morsels of cupcake to herself as they spoke, enrapturing him even further. It didn’t take long before Eugene caved again….anything to get her closer to him….. Then Rapunzel fed the cupcake to Eugene and as she did, she “slipped” and smeared some of the pastel frosting across his face. “Oopsie!” she demurred, biting the side of her lip, and blinking her long eyelashes up at him. He smirked…..and suddenly grabbed Rapunzel’s right hand, saying, “Here, let me help you with that,” and proceeded to artfully lick the cupcake-and-icing-coated fingers of her right hand. Eugene carefully started with both tips of her first and second fingers, lightly massaging his tongue back and forth between them, ending with a swirling motion and light suction, and nibbling at the web between her two fingers. It was such a perfect simulation of what he’d done with her on their wedding night that she nearly abandoned her plans right there. But!! She was determined to see this through….in the best way, of course. Eugene stood back, complete with Cheshire grin in all his nude glory, prepared to playfully gloat over how easily he’d caused Rapunzel to lose her composure. “Now,” his wife said, “it’s my turn to assist you,” she insisted, and she abruptly threw her arms around Eugene’s neck. Instantly, he threw out his arms to catch her as she leapt off the floor and would’ve pulled them both to the tile, had it not been for Eugene’s quick reflexes. “Whoa!!” he exclaimed. Now situated right where she’d planned, Rapunzel turned toward Eugene, and proceeded to carefully lick off the icing she’d smeared on his face. “You little cheater!” he exclaimed with delight, and he held her to him even tighter. “Only because,” -lick- “you cheated” -swirly-lick- “first!!” and she gave a sucking-kissy-lick as a finishing flourish.   “Just for that, I’m taking your dressing gown, naughty girl,” and before Rapunzel knew it, she was standing in front of him, wearing her adorable blue nighty…..and only the nighty. Eugene had magic hands, in that he could make items of clothing disappear faster than Rapunzel could blink. “So,” he said huskily, “a dressing gown and nighty is all you were wearing when you came to greet me once I came back?” She circled his arms around her. “Yes,” blinked a sloe-eyed Rapunzel, as she had linked hands with Eugene and held their hands behind her back. “That’s…..hot,” he said, unlinking hands with Rapunzel in order to embrace her, that almost-grin hiding behind his eyes. “Actually, it was unsurprisingly cold,” quipped Rapunzel, who was only half-joking. Eugene threw back his head and laughed in spite of himself. “Go ahead, laugh!” Rapunzel said with feigned indignation. “My nipples and pleasure-boat are now half-frozen,” she pouted. “Oh no, tut tut tut,” Eugene clicked his tongue and shook his head. “That simply will not do! We must warm them!” He pointed toward the ceiling, saying, “Corona will never have a frigid queen as long as I’m around!” he declared proudly. Now it was Rapunzel who threw back her head and laughed. Eugene reached down and placed one hand on either side of the hem of Rapunzel’s nighty, looked her in the eyes and said, “May I?” She grabbed his wrists and tugged them upward in reply and quickly the little blue nighty joined their dressing gowns and Eugene’s sopping wet clothing on the floor. At last, they climbed into the epic pillow fort and Rapunzel got to show Eugene just how amazing life could be during inclement weather--as long as you had decent lodgings and even better company. And Eugene got to remind her just how warm and happy her pleasure boat could get, as long as she brought along a personal hot rock….. @s-vnshiine @gleamful-lanterns @eugeneismyqueen @autumn-ravenclaw