#god is a duo that may potentially never meet. one half this time started out human named anthony. the other half is the main villain

[bvd11975]

it’s 4am and i’m existing here thinking about how the only friend (and potential partner, the lines are vague and blurry) nestor makes is the exact person she has to trick and sacrifice since he’s half of the problem and also the only possible solution to ending his literal other half.

and once she’s dead she spends the rest of her time in the afterlife trying to find him and hoping he wasn’t wiped from all of creation.

[subpar-ghoulfriend]

Let’s have a baby

yandere!EraserMicx PREGNANT!Reader 

A terrible mix up leading to an accidental pregnancy? Or something more intentional? Either way now you were pregnant with (none other than the beloved power couple heroes) Eraserhead and Present Mic’s child. Time to discuss how co parenting is going to work. 

TW: pregnancy, artificial insemination, yandere elements, mentions of stalking, alludes to potential custody battle

You had been avoiding the two men for the past week, which was challenging seeing as they managed to find your phone number, address, and place of work. Any time you blocked their calls they got a new number. Two Pro Heroes versus a twenty something civilian, it was only a matter of time until you were cornered.

Now the couple stood between you and your apartment. You had a long shift at your job as a pet groomer and just wanted to get some rest.

Present Mic was the first to speak. "Hey lil momma, we heard you had work today so we brought you some dinner. We thought we could talk over a nice meal."

You had no response. You were tired, both physically and emotionally. You had been put through the ringer ever since meeting them at your doctors office. It was a total Jane the Virgin situation. You went in for an assessment about some supposed ovarian cysts and unknowing left artificially inseminated. There was a supposed mix up, a digital glitch that somehow merged your chart with the surrogates - apparently your names were super similar. Two weeks later you were called back into the doctor's office and informed of what took place. And now you were in this living nightmare.

And the two heroes had nothing to do with the error. There was totally a surrogate. They hadn't paid off your provider. And why would they? You had never met them - although given their patrols they may have seen you once or twice...

They were tearful when they were informed of the mix up, they had been waiting patiently through the whole process and now everything was thrown in chaos. They offered to compensate you for your service which sent you into a blind rage. They just assumed you would carry a child, a child with half of your DNA, and then give YOUR baby away. Rationally you understood that they had planned to be be the only parents to the child, but that was with a professional surrogate who understood the process, who didn't want the child in their life, just happy to help out a loving couple. But that wasn't you, you grew up wanting to be a mom, and now they would take that from you.

What if they tried to legally take sole custody of the baby? Surely they had some pull in the judicial system. Besides, they were a solid couple with money, while you were alone with no family and working two jobs. The thought made you sick to your stomach.

You were shaking as you tried to push past them. Maybe they would just disappear if you ignored them, a girl could dream. But instead they tagged along inside. Albeit you weren’t fighting them on it, you knew this had to happen eventually.

Aizawa easily found the cluttered dining table in your small apartment. You flinched when the loud one tried to help you shrug off your backpack. Taking a seat on the couch you waited for them to start berating you.

"Come sit at the table, dinner is getting cold," Eraser spoke for the first time.

"I'll eat later, I'm not hungry."

"You may not be, but the baby needs to eat."

You glared, how dare they insinuate you didn't know what your child needed. If your body was hungry, you ate. If you were full the baby was full too.

But, you complied, not wanting to argue, "Fine, but I ate a snack not too long ago."

As you ate, Mic kept you company, picking at some left overs, they clearly ate before their visit. Aizawa was rummaging through your place but you managed to hold your tongue until he began throwing things out of your fridge.

"What are you doing?" You hissed, getting up out of your seat.

"Mic and I will bring you groceries tomorrow. The food you have is barely safe for an adult, let alone a fetus."

"Are you kidding me? It's not like I'm chugging alcohol and living off Twinkies. Hey! I just bought those turkey slices. How is turkey bad?" You whined.

To make sure you wouldn't dig the food out trash he dumped it out of his container.

"Zashi, don't let me forget to empty the trash on our way out. Do you know how much salt is in deli meat? And there's no way you can drink any of this while you're pregnant." He gestures to the cans of soda.

As the frustration built you had to fight back tears. They couldn't come in to your home and start throwing out your things.

"Some of us don't make ridiculous money, I'm buying what I can afford and the doctor never had any problem with my health." You hissed.

Hizashi felt the tension thickening, "Hey hey hey, it's okay. Sho and I will go get you some good stuff. We just gotta watch out for you and baby."

And that was the end of your resolve, you stomped past the Hero and locked yourself in your bedroom. Finally tears began to drip down your cheeks.

Back in your kitchen Mic was chiding his boyfriend for being so tough on you.

"So I should just back down while she stuffs herself with junk food?"

Mic gave him a shrug, showing him a bottle on your counter, "At lest she's taking her prenatal vitamins?"

Grabbing the keys to your apartment Aizawa instructed Mic to wait with you while he got you better groceries. He would make copies of your keys on his was back.

You prayed they would leave soon. You were laying in your bed having cried yourself out. Barely into your second month of pregnancy. You still had to endure this for at least seven more months, but most likely much longer.

Next thing you knew you were opening your eyes and the clock read seven AM. By now your uninvited guests must be gone. Nervously you sat up, praying that you'd skip the morning sickness just once this week. You had always had a weak stomach and even the doctor was surprised you were already experiencing the symptom. Unfortunately the minute your feet touched the floor you knew what was coming. You sprinted to the restroom, not even checking to see if the duo had left.

God this was terrible, you didn't just hate throwing up, you were terrified of it. What if you started and never stopped? But it did come to an end. You wiped the water from your eyes and took a moment before standing from the floor. You screamed when a hand slid under your arm, helping you up. Another set of feet rushed to the bathroom.

" What's wrong?" Hizashi huffed as he skid to a stop.

You pulled arm free from Aizawa's grasp. "What are you two still doing here?"

You turned in the faucet to rinse your mouth. Trying to calm your stress, the nausea was trying to return.

Undeterred the scruff pulled your hair into a bun before rubbing your back. You debated returning to bed but that wouldn't get them out of your apartment. You told them you need to sit down, both of them nodding, still wearing their concerned expressions. They got you a glass of water before joining you on the couch. Stubborn men, you sat at the end of the couch so they couldn't both sit, but Mic decided to perch himself on the armrest.

He started petting your hair, "You feelin better little listener?" You nodded in response.

"I got you more food, let us know if your hungry."

You sighed in defeat, "I'm barely two months pregnant, I can fend for myself. What did you all want to talk about?"

You anxiously placed a hand on your stomach. Both men felt their hearts flutter recognizing your maternal instincts kicking in.

Aizawa let Mic begin, he was the more gentle of the two.

"Well, we figured we got off to a rough start. You got put in a tough situation. We shouldn't have assumed you didn't want a child so we're not mad at how you stormed out. But either way we expect to be in our baby's life. The two of us talked it over and we don't want to fight you if you want to be in their life too. So if you wanna be the mommy we're cool with it."

You could blame your reaction on your hormones for your response but you didn't, "Geez thank you so much for allowing me to be in MY child's life."

Aizawa placed a hand on the back of your neck, giving you a gentle massage. "Okay then, the three of us are gonna have a baby. That means you have to stop ignoring us. We can raise the baby together, without involving anyone else. But if we have to, we can always go the legal route for the baby's best interest." 

He knew it was a low blow, but the couple needed you to stop fighting them. Your eyes snapped to his and you shook your head in protest.

"Okay then we're all the same page," Aizawa reassured you.

Mic cheered, "Now we can focus on the fun stuff."

"Hun," Eraserhead caught his attention. "There's still a few more important things to figure out. We don't want you going back to that doctor. They're incompetent. We scheduled you an appointment with another's clinic for next week. Okay?"

You couldn't find your voice after how easily he threatened to take your baby. So you just nodded. Half listening.

"Good. We also went ahead and programmed our numbers into your phone. We need to be able to check in with you."

"Okay, but I can't use my phone at one of my jobs."

"About that lil momma," Mic started. "You work a lot, which is totally bad ass, but we don't think you leave enough time to rest and take care of yourself."

You tried to protest but Aizawa cut you off, "You also shouldn't be working around so many animals. Even though we love animals, they can be unpredictable and one dog can trigger all the rest into a frenzy."

You were dumbfounded, "I've never heard of anything like that happening. One of my coworkers was pregnant last year, she worked until her maternity leave. Plus I need to be able to pay my bills. And don't offer to compensate me again."

"Why do you have to view it as compensation? We just want to take care of the mother of our child. Just think about it. Mic and I have to go take care of some business but we'll be back later this week."

---

Back at their home Hizashi was dramatically splayed on their bed.

"Babe why are you pouting?" Aizawa asked.

"Why can't we just bring her home already?"

Aizawa sympathized with his better half, but they needed to be methodical. He reminded Hizashi that they didn't need to cause her even more stress, especially so early into the pregnancy. If they played their cards right they would have their happy little family soon enough.

If they could ease you in to the relationship everything would be easier in the long run. They had been managing just fine until now, they could wait a few more months.

He joined Hizashi on the couch. Mic was comforting himself the way he usually did when he felt like this. He was scrolling through the countless photos they had collected since their chance encounter with you over a year ago. 

[daydream-believin]

MERLIN’S APPRENTICE & MERLIN’S CHAMPION || trollhunters

warnings: swearing

a/n: if rott gave me anything it gave me this idea

I KNOW I SAID “JUICY” BUT REALLY THAT WAS JUST THE ANGST POTENTIAL,, THAT IM NOT INDULGING IN THIS POST IM SORRY LMAO

OKAY WHAT IM REALLY TALKING BOUT HERE IS A GOOD MERLIN/ARTHUR BUT IT ACTUALLY WORKS

no sorry i haven’t seen bbc merlin don’t come for me i’m ignorant

OKAY SO

we know douxie kept an eye on the human trollhunter and co

but douxie’s really having a hard time convincing himself he’s just doing his job

he’s actually enjoying this a little too much despite how boring staying in the shadows is

and he’s kinda worried?

so he’s got this bright idea: you know what would better help him keeps tabs? if he befriends this person

and so he does

fuck merlin’s shadows

sod the rules

ofc he’s very up front about knowing they’re the trollhunter and that he’s merlin’s apprentice

we wouldn’t want that to become a huge festering secret that eats douxie from the inside out until the inevitable reveal when merlin calls them both to help with the arcane order and they realize they’ve both been lying to each other’s faces for months/years and neither of them know if they could ever trust the other again, right? — phew *catches breath*

but before you know it, mr. casperan and mx. trollhunter are best friends

he’s basically the toby to your jim

and you’re very happy to have a best friend like douxie

he understands that monster hunting hustle

he’s the only person you can vent to and actually talk about what’s going on without sounding like a loon

and douxie likes being able to tell someone all his frustrations with merlin, since you’re also in that boat with him

you spar sometimes. it’s fun, but you’re very careful not to accidentally hurt your friend (he’s extremely careful not to hurt you or wound your ego by effortlessly wiping you out)

ofc, there’s the occasional, brushing of hands, faces a little too close together, accidentally winding up on top of one another, purposefully winding up on top of one another 👀 you know how sparring be

you and douxie are a duo. a duo who have become trollmarket’s resident troublemakers, to vendel’s exasperation

you guys tease each other a lot

you do a lot of stupid shit, cause hey, now you have magic armor and a magic sword and a magic best friend, did you think you wouldn’t get up to some shenanigans?

douxie is your impulse control and he’s not a very good one, as he’s just as bad

truthfully archie has the brain cell

and pranks? gods the pranks. you two are always either pranking each other or you’re teaming up to prank some other troll who said smth mean to you in the pub. vendel had to personally put a stop to it (read: chew you out)

doux thinks the world of you tho, you’re such a noble knight, and likes to tell people about how you’re a cinnamon roll, so innocent, so pure

and then they meet you and you directly contradict those statements

trollhunter: i’ve never done anything wrong in my life, ever

douxie: i know this and i love you

(spoiler: you’ve done lots and lots of wrong)

doux spends an awful lot of time slinking around trollmarket now, and he’s in the know for everything that’s happening

(no more being kept in the dark for this wizard apprentice)

and doux knows merlin won’t completely approve of this, but hey, it’s not like he’s helping and thus directly disobeying

really, he’s not helping you at all, it’s really fucking annoying

okay so mayyybe the occasional healing spell. you’ve got those puppy dog eyes he can’t say no to

but you understand his sense of duty, or whatever it is that drives a follower, technically being a follower of merlin yourself

you respect the old geezer (as you have not been turned into a half-troll yet) as a wise mythical figure, and as your best friend’s father

and what a perfect match you are for each other, champion and apprentice, mutually being screwed over by a guy you both think has all the answers

you and douxie help each other grow in your self-worths, that you two are more than the chances merlin has given to you

unfortunately, mortifyingly, you have caught feelings.

douxie has also caught feelings, and is saying nothing yep you have enough on your plate without him putting this on you so he’ll just quietly pine and suffer don’t mind him choking to death in the corner when you take off your helmet and throw back your hair

y’all’s problem really starts manifesting itself as protectiveness. you are really protective of your wizard and he is really protective of his knight

lots of things said that are Not What Friends Say but neither of you really want to be the one to point that out

lots and lots of i love yous that slowly get more and more serious until it’s not exactly platonic anymore

and it’s just really nice to have someone to get coffee (or your favored hot drink) with at four in the morning after a tussle with a troll

and that’s basically how you and douxie spend the bulk of trollhunters, just vibing

as much as you can vibe, with all the changelings and shit trying to murder you all the time

then merlin wakes up and shakes up your world

you are aware of your impending doom

you’re aware of it

merlin keeps looking you up and down like he’s mentally making up the measurements of your coffin

and tbh the idea of fighting gunmar freaks you tf out

and you’re supposed to win that fight?

gods

you’re preparing for your nightmares coming true soon

truthfully you knew your fucking job had a 100% mortality rate

you don’t want to die with regrets

so

you spill

you spill all the things you’d wanted to tell him and how much he means to you and that you couldn’t bear it if you were a goner before he knew

miraculously, douxie feels the same and tells you all the things he’d been holding back and and what you mean to him and how much he wants to protect you, that you’re gonna make it, if he had anything to say about it

and everything is perfect for one night

now you have a real reason to win

not that saving humanity isn’t a big responsibility on your shoulders and definitely A Reason

but knowing douxie’s waiting for you, for the life you’ll build together after this, the peace you’ll both have, it’s absolutely a big motivation to give your all and come out victorious and survive

hahaha loser you don’t know about the arcane order

and then merlin uses your microwave to cook a weird potion

you and merlin are alone in the house, but there’s no real mind games necessary. you may have grown past thinking he was a god, but in the end, you’re still a follower of merlin, and if merlin thinks this could give you an edge, well, who are you to question his methods

doesn’t mean you aren’t nervous as your master hands you the bottle

yet you don’t even hesitate to drown yourself in the black abyss of the tub

whatever it takes amirite?

and now you’re a half-troll

a sexy half-troll, if you do say so yourself

yeah, no ‘i’m a monster’ angst here, you’re loving the power-up

you’ve got to treat it like a cool new power-up or you will cry actually tbh i lied about the no-angst thing a new body is disorienting

your only real concern is douxie

not concerned for long tho, he sees you and the first thing out of his mouth is “nuclear!”

and he senses your concern, so he does go out of his way to assure you that boy, girl, enby, or half-troll, he loves you for your soul, darling

also again half-troll! you is hot as hell so he’s not really losing anything here 👀

he makes sure you know that too, not to let any insecurities fester

him raking his eyes up and down you gives the opposite effect of the dread merlin sent down your spine doing it

anyways,,,

doux helps out a lot more in the eternal night

like helps merlin re-defeat and re-seal morgana

he’ll do it again in few weeks but with a bigger role you know, this is practice

thank merlin for that edge YOU ARE THE LAST TROLLHUNTER YOU ARE VICTORIOUS YOUVE GOT GUNMARS HEAD IN YOUR HANDS HAHAHA

but now you’ve got to go to new jersey

douxie’s been instructed to stay in arcadia tho 🥺

it’s okay, you’ll see each other again soon

sooner than you realize

and until then you talk each other to sleep every night over the phone <3

merlins glad, actually. he’s glad hisirdoux found some solace. even if it is with the lamb he was raising for the slaughter. maybe things will go okay for them. the time map suggests it might be so

hisirdoux may have done things in a way he didn’t quite approve of, but that’s because he’s becoming his own wizard, and merlin is proud

[luxekook]

chapter seven.

⇥ pairing: ot7 x reader

⇥ genre: college au with fluff, smut & angst

⇥ summary: a series in which the reader meets (and falls for) seven members of the Beta Tau Sigma (BTS) fraternity

⇥ word count: 3.6k

⇥ warnings: 18+, lots of cursing, general chaotic energy, poly relationship, a short confrontation, mentions of slut-shaming, switch!reader, dom!joon, switch!jin, sub!jimin, library shenanigans, an abundance of coffee, punishments, spanking, bad puns (jin is in this chapter, DUH), many nerd references uwu

© luxekook. please do not repost, modify, edit or translate.

characters | prologue | one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine

Chapter Seven

Quinn Library – 3:54pm

The end of September passes in a blur of studying, partying, volunteering, and spending time with friends. The month’s conclusion also includes the increasing presence of seven boys in my everyday routine.

Since giving Taehyung the suck of his life in the bathroom of Hannigan’s, I have been basically fighting off the seven of them for a moment to breathe. But, sometimes breathing is overrated when being smothered by affection.

Going from being single to essentially dating seven people is quite the adjustment. I found myself growing attached to them – something that both excited and scared the shit out of me. We haven’t discussed labels or anything, but I figure it’s only a matter of time. The boys have apparently been planning an elaborate first date for this upcoming weekend, and I feel like they’ll probably ask to make it official then.

My stomach erupts in butterflies at the thought, and I take a calming breath. No need to overthink such things.

While it might be unconventional by some societal standards, polyamory is simply a way to love. Why should love come with confines? With binary expectations? The saying ‘love is love’ gets thrown around a lot, but I believe it bears repeating.

Jenni and Luna have been nothing but supportive to me over the past two weeks. They even came with me to volunteer this past weekend because they - and I quote - wanted to ‘check out our vibe’. But, I wholeheartedly expect that the real reason had actually been for them to feel out the boys’ intentions.

Why did I suspect this? Well, because Jungkook had come up to me within the first fifteen minutes at the worksite quivering in fear over how ‘scary my friends were’ and how ‘Jenni had cornered him to interrogate him while Luna hovered behind her, menacingly holding a nail-gun’.

I had never felt more loved and supported by my friends.

My phone dings, and I quickly hasten to put it on silent, shooting an embarrassed and apologetic look around the library. It seems like most people have headphones in, and I let out a sigh of relief. No one wants to be that one loud person in the library.

Checking my notifications, I smile when I see it’s a SnapChat from Hobi in the group chat the boys created a few weeks ago. My thumb swipes it open, and I barely contain myself from announcing to the whole library how vibrantly handsome one of my potential boyfriends is.

I quickly send a SnapChat back of me and my stack of books in the library with the caption ‘send help in the form of coffee’.

Immediately, Taehyung sends a flurry of heart eyes emojis in the chat, Jungkook sends a ‘noona is so cute’, and Yoongi sends back a picture of a black screen with the caption ‘come nap with me’.

God, I would love to nap with Yoongi right now… Alone time with the older boy is so elusively precious. One day last week at their house, I had mentioned wanting to learn piano. Yoongi had just grabbed my hand and tugged me to his room. We had spent a couple hours together in the small corner of his room playing on his keyboard.

Well, he had been playing; I had been fumbling around like a buffoon - half uncoordinated in general and half flustered by how good Yoongi looked playing. His hands had been so nimble as they flew over the keys, crafting melodies I could only assume he had composed. His focus had been so fucking hot as he nodded slightly along to the tempo in his head, his eyes shooting over to look at me every once in a while.

My hand kink? Activated.

My willpower to not kiss the shit out of Yoongi? Nonexistent.

When Yoongi had paused in between songs, I may or may not have grabbed him by his shirt collar and kissed him. His blushing attempt to dodge me had been so cute; and when I had stopped trying to kiss him, he had pouted and then kissed me instead.

What a cutie…

A giggle draws my attention from my reminiscing. At first, I pay it no mind, taking it as a directive to dive back into my studies. But then, the whispering starts.

“I heard she’s fucking her way through the whole house.”

“Isn’t there a term for that?”

“Yeah, a frat rat.”

I slam my 500-page textbook closed and stand, leveling the duo of gossiping girls with a glare that could make grown men cry. It had before when I had to properly eviscerate my uncle in defense of feminism at our last family gathering. What a time that had been.

“Is there a problem?” I force the question through gritted teeth, stalking over towards their nearby table. I relish in the way they gape at me, eyes wide and pupils quivering, “I’m sorry. I’m afraid my complaint jar is at capacity. Please don’t try again later.”

The girl on the right gulps, “No-nope, there’s no problem! We were just leaving. Right, Janika?”

“No,” The girl who had called me a ‘frat rat’ just moments before crosses her arms and stands, “I do, like, have a problem.”

“Janika,” The other girl tugs on the sleeve of the one standing, “Don’t.”

“Yeah, Janika,” I smile, “Don’t.”

I can see the moment she snaps.

“You’re, like, such a fucking bitch! I don’t know what they all see in you. Oh wait, yes I do. You’re fucking easy.”

I consider myself to be a patient person, but having to endure this type of rant against my character - and against women’s sexual freedom in general - has pushed me well past my limits.

“Now, listen here, Janika,” I take another step forward, “You can keep talking your shit. I really don’t give a flying fuck what you think about me. But I really advise you to google ‘how to stop slut-shaming for dummies’ because it seems like you need a crash course.”

Janika’s face darkens, “Whatever. They’ll get tired of you anyway.”

“Yeah,” I let out an amused laugh, “I’m sure they’ll get real tired of me choking on their dicks every night.”

Letting out a gasp, Janika whirls back around to face her silent friend, “Let’s go. I don’t want to, like, be around her any longer.”

“Buh-bye now,”I wiggle my fingers in their direction as they shuffle out of the library.

Smiling in satisfaction, I head back towards my table. Without hesitation, I gather my books and belongings and head upstairs to the quiet floor. Any more distractions or confrontations would probably make my blood pressure pop off the charts.

The quiet floor, as one of my safe havens, is home to several small private study rooms. Peering into each, I start to lose hope that any would be available. Finally, the very last room proves me wrong, and I swing open the door and almost in tears over the sweet, sweet solitude.

This particular study room is tucked away in the very far corner of the library’s second floor. Not many people are aware of its location, and it seems that paid off for me today. Plopping my things down across the table in the center of the tiny room, I follow suit and drop down into one of the two chairs adjoining the table.

What a clusterfuck of an afternoon… This sadly isn’t the first time I’ve heard some comments being made about my association with the BTS boys, and I knew it wouldn’t be the last. Yet, part of me knew all along that this would be the trade-off.

After all, what are a few irrelevant opinions to seven gorgeous and loyal partners? Inconsequential - in my opinion. That is the reason why I haven’t breathed a word of the backlash to anyone.

Sighing, I flip open my textbook to where I had been before being rudely interrupted.

The amygdala plays a key role in emotion and behavior…

“Noona?”

I jump a half-mile out of my chair, slapping a hand over my pounding heart. Jimin had somehow managed to enter the room without my knowledge. Had he fucking teleported?

Holding a giant iced coffee in one hand and a cinnamon bun in the other, Jimin beams at me and ignores the fact he just scared the living shit out of me. “Hi, noona! I saw your SnapChat while I was in class, and I came here as soon as I could.”

I stare dumbfounded at the angel before me. Jimin is slightly out of breath with reddened cheeks and a sweaty brow. His black track-pants are slung low on his hips, his long-sleeve white t-shirt clings to his torso, his black duffle bag thrown carelessly over one shoulder. He must have run over straight from dance class.

Standing abruptly, I stalk over to where Jimin is still posted up by the doorway to the study room. Toe to toe with him, I blurt out while still half in a daze, “You really brought me coffee and food?”

He eyes me warily like I might suddenly jump on him at any moment. Shifting his weight back and forth, Jimin hesitantly replies, “Um, yes?"

I take the coffee and cinnamon bun from his hands, place them on the table, and then tackle him with the biggest hug. "You absolute sweetheart!" I murmur into the crook of his neck, "This made my day. Thank you, Jimin-ie."

His hands tentatively wrap around me, pulling me closer. "You're welcome, noona. I just wanted to do something nice for you.”

“Well, I really appreciate it, baby,” My lips brush over the crevice of his collarbone and relish in his shudder. Bringing my head up to face his, I smile widely at him, “Can I kiss you, Jimin-ie?”

“Yes,” He sighs out, eyes already closing in anticipation. I press my lips to his, still smiling softly against his mouth. His lips are plush under mine, velvety soft. My tongue swipes across his bottom lip and— Is that coffee I taste?

I pull back, “Jimin, did you sip my coffee on your way here?”

The boy looks rightfully alarmed, “I– y-yes. But only a little, noona!”

Cute.

“Hmm,” I trail my fingers down his chest, “I guess I’ll make an exception for you this time since you were the one to bring it for me.”

Jimin relaxes slightly, but his expression is strangely disappointed. I stare at him quizzically, and he blushes.

“What is it?” I lean against the table, facing him.

He clears his throat, staring intensely at the ground, “You can still punish me if you want, (y/n)-noona.”

My eyebrows shoot upwards at his offer, and then I let out a slight chuckle, “Oh, Jimin… That would be a favor to you, wouldn’t it? My baby boy wants to be punished, hm? Did dance practice make you all hot and bothered? Jungkook tells me that has been happening to you lately.”

Jimin’s face explodes in color as he mutters, “That little bitch will pay for this.”

Suddenly, the door swings open with a resounding thud, nearly clipping Jimin in the shoulder.

“Your savior has arrived!” Kim Seokjin announces loudly in spite of the studiously silent atmosphere of the quiet floor. His hands hold two steaming hot travel mugs, which I can only guess are filled with the elixir of the gods (aka coffee).

Seokjin’s eyes glance around the room as he takes in the fact that I’m not alone as he obviously had expected. “Wait, Jimin-ie? What are you doing here?” Jin’s eyes flick down to the coffee and cinnamon roll that lay on the table. “Goddamn it!”

“You were too slow, hyung,” Jimin smirks happily as he takes a seat in the chair I had previously vacated. He slouches smugly as he stares up at the fuming older boy.

“Too slow?!” Jin roars.

“Jin,” I chastise, circumventing around him to shut the door.

“Sorry, babe,” Seokjin says while still glaring daggers at the all-too-pleased Jimin. Suddenly, his expression changes into a sneaky look that makes me both want to run and jump his bones. “Well,” He waves the two coffee mugs around in the air, “I made these myself - with love. I didn’t buy that generic shit; I brewed it, baby.”

It’s Jimin’s turn again to look disgruntled, and I can’t help but laugh at their antics.

“Any and all coffee is appreciated and loved by me – the more the merrier. So, thank you both,” You say, taking one of the travel mugs from Seokjin. Kissing his cheek, you turn back to sit opposite Jimin at the table.

“She kissed me on the lips!” Jimin bursts.

“Park Jimin!” I cry as Jin splutters some sort of incoherent rant about fairness and equality.

Jimin holds eye contact with me, still leaning back in his chair like he’s the king of the fucking universe. But, he’s not; I am.

My chair hits the wall behind me with a bang as I stand, planting my hands on the table to loom over Jimin. “Do you think it’s fun to push your hyung, Jimin? Does it amuse you to be a little shit?”

I can see the moment that Jimin decides to be a brat. His eyes heat up in a challenge, and he firmly answers, “Yes, noona.”

“Get up.” The change in my tone is apparent. Jimin gulps. Getting to his feet, he stares back at me expectantly.

“Jin,” I address the older boy while still maintaining eye contact with Jimin, “What kind of punishment do you think I should give our Jimin here?”

Seokjin rounds my other side, grinning, “Well, (y/n) darling, I believe he should get spanked.”

“Interesting choice,” I murmur, turning to face Jin, “That’s what you’re going to get then.”

“What?” Jin squawks, arms waving rapidly around in the air, “But I didn’t do anything!”

“Nothing is what you should have done, Jin,” I push him against the wall, “You know better than to let Jimin rile you up like this.”

Those plump lips of his pout dramatically as he whines, “But, (y/n)…”

“But nothing,” I say and then whirl around to face the other boy. He’s still standing where I left him with his eyes glued to the pair of us. “Jimin,” I hold his gaze, “You’re going to watch. You’re not going to touch yourself, your hyung isn’t going to touch you, and I’m not going to touch you.”

His eyes widen comically, “No! That’s not fair!”

“Do you want to be gagged, too, baby boy?” I ask, cocking my head slightly. Seeing his emphatic head shakes, I grin. “That’s what I thought. Now, stay.”

Turning back to Jin, I smirk slightly as I ask, “Punishment now or later?”

Seokjin’s eyes scrunch cutely in confusion, “What?”

“You see,” I move closer to him, my body brushes his, “I think you earned a punishment, but I think you also earned helping me punish Jimin.”

A wide grin crosses Jin’s face as he glances back at the corner Jimin is stewing in. “I would be honored to help you punish him, babe.”

“That’s what I figured,” I smile briefly at him before slowly sliding my hands up his chest to rest on the nape of his neck. Holding them there, I press the lightest of kisses to the corner of his lips.

Jin’s breath hitches in his throat.

I run my tongue against the seam of his mouth, taking my time and savoring the sweet taste of him. His lips part to let me in, my tongue sliding across his. I grind against him as we kiss, moving my hips in such a way that makes him groan and lean back harder against the wall.

“What the fuck is going on in here?”

Ripping my mouth from Jin’s, I turn to face the newcomer.

Namjoon stands in the doorway holding yet another cup of coffee, his face thunderous. "What do the three of you think you're doing? This is the goddamn library, you heathens!”

Seokjin jumps out of his skin in fright, pushing me away faster than I can anticipate. Stumbling back, I crash into Jimin – who apparently had ventured out of his assigned corner. Brat.

“The shades were open!” Namjoon continues to rant as he flicks the aforementioned item down to cover the door’s window, “Did you want people to see you?”

He reads the expression on my face correctly, “Oh, but you did, didn’t you, (y/n)?” Namjoon approaches where I’m still captured in Jimin’s embrace. Glaring down at me, he taunts, “So quick to stake your claim; but, make no mistake, they were mine first.”

Shaking out of Jimin’s hold, I straighten, raising my chin to meet Namjoon’s gaze full-on, “That’s interesting. I didn’t realize you were so lenient with your partners.”

Jimin makes a choking noise behind me. Jin stands behind Namjoon, waving a hand in front of his throat to clearly tell me to stop talking. I keep going, “Perhaps I need to teach you how to discipline.”

Namjoon flips me around, shoves Jimin out of the way, and bends me facedown across the table.

“Jin,” He says, his voice growly, “Stand in the hall and let me know if you can hear us.”

The sound of the door opening and closing alerts me that Jin followed Namjoon’s instructions without a word.

“Jimin,” He continues, “Hold (y/n)’s hands out in front of her.” Jimin ascquieces, staring apologetically down at me as he tugs my hands towards him.

“This is cute,” I say, “I always love holding Jimin-ie’s hands.”

Thwack. The stinging imprint of Namjoon’s palm on my ass burns deliciously. I arch my back, looking over my shoulder at him with a half-smile. “Do it harder, daddy.”

A breath sucks in between his lips as I utter the word I know will get him feeling as hot as me. “You’re playing a dangerous game, baby girl,” Namjoon grits out, his jaw clenched tightly.

“Oh, daddy,” I say, “Don’t you remember? I’m the fucking Queen.”

“Was that a chess pun? Nice.” A muffled voice followed by a squeaky laugh sounds through the door.

“Seokjin,” Namjoon seethes, flying over to open the door and drag the older boy back inside, “I thought I told you to let me know if you could hear us.”

I tug out of Jimin’s gentle hold, straighten back up, and then situate myself into a sitting position on the table.

I watch amusedly as Jin shimmies his way out of Joon’s grasp, “Yah! It’s not my fault I get intense FOMO. Don’t hate the player, hate the game. Besides, I only heard you because I had my ear pressed to the door.”

Jimin stifles a giggle. I let out a full-on laugh. Namjoon mumbles what sounds like a plea to some higher power under his breath.

“See what I have to deal with?” Namjoon turns to me, shaking his head. “Are you sure you want to sign up for this?”

“That depends,” I swing my legs back and forth as I stay perched on the table, “Are you going to keep spanking me?”

The boy who had just unhesitatingly bent me over to punish me now blushes and rubs the back of his neck. “I mean, probably? You have quite a mouth on you, baby.”

Hopping off the table, I laugh, “Good answer. Ten points to Gryffindor.”

“Woo!” Jin cheers, “Nice job on the House Points, Joon-ie!”

“I am in love with idiots,” Jimin sighs.

Grabbing my phone from my backpack, I let out a slight yell as I read the time. “Shit, shit, shit, shit!” I scramble to shove all of my textbooks back into my bag.

“What is it, noona?” Jimin worries, appearing next to me. “Are you late for class?”

“No,” I cry, “It’s so much worse. I’m late for my weekly Animal Crossing discord chat! Heath is gonna kill me…”

“Heath?” Jin scowls, “Who is this Heath you speak of?”

“Chill, fam,” I shrug my backpack onto my shoulders and stare contemplatively down at the three different coffees. “You can’t get jealous every time I mention a new person. What’s next? You’re gonna come for Tom Nook?”

Namjoon - who must play Animal Crossing - stifles a laugh as Jin pouts. “She has a point, Jin.”

“And so does a pencil. Big whoop,” Jin scowls with his arms folded.

“Aw, Seokjin-ie,” I coo, reaching over to pinch his cheek, “Don’t be mad. You’ll get to spend all day with me on Saturday after volunteering! What are we doing, anyways?” I level Joon with my best side-eye as I ask that question, knowing he is more likely than not the mastermind behind our planned date.

“It’s going to be great, noona!” Jimin pipes up, hugging me from the side, “You’re going to love it…You’re going to love us.” He murmurs the last part, probably not meaning for me to hear; but, I do.

God, I do.

“We’ll pick you up before volunteering,” Joon says, “Just bring yourself and a change of clothes.”

“What?” I decide - fuck it - and attempt to grab all three coffees, “No overnight bag?”

Jin, who had just taken a sip of his own coffee, spews it everywhere. “Pack one,” He gasps out in between coughs.

Laughing, I walk to the door, which Jimin kindly opens for me. “Okay, I’ll think about it. Ah, I’m so late. Jimin and Jin, I’ll punish you at a later time. Joon, you can try to punish me at a later time.” Living for their astonished expressions, I wave as best I can with three coffees in hand, “Bye, babes! Text me-e-e.”

As I make my way out of the library, it hits me that I only have one more day to prepare for this date. Fucking hell…

a/n: this is such a filler of a chap with a tinge of drama mixed in, hehe. the next one is gonna be that date tho uwu stay tuuuuuuned and thanks 4 reading

taglist: @catsandstrawberries @h5naaa @meowmeowyoongles @leftflowerprunedonut @rjsmochii @athletes-of-god @karissassirak @cage7241​ @weallhavesecretsinthebestway @cvbachacbitch @honeyspillings @valiantcollectorofsandwiches @fivesecondsofsarang @oii-f-eli-x2 @joonsroses @theevilyouknow @jooniescupcakes @expensive-grl @i-dont-even-know-fck @doingmybestalltheftime @fangirling-all-the-way-tbh @laced-brds @breeeeh17 @lpayne612 @peachyharmoney @rilakoya @chulchuchi @tabula-rasa0 @guccishookv @nomimits7 @i-like-puppy-mg @s-noir @anna-sorel @im-a-space-child @yeontanismypresident @drowning-in-oxygen @team-wang-puppy @lvvegood @anongirl007 @may114 @r-e-d-i-s-h @unatempesta-dipensieri @dragon-rider-with-a-book​ @blueberrygeniejam @wondrsblog @vi-hoshi @kirbykook​ @katemwatson​ @kawaiikpoplover268​ @amsteramyy​ @sami4life @a-feeling-of-euphoria​ @the-jackals​ @bubbletae7​ @platinum-grenade​ @bunnyboyenthusiast @brightly-byun @oofmeintheheadpls​ @sadboibts @lidda​ @goldenwidow3​ @t-mel19​ @lmkjimin​ @psiphidragon​ @jeon-joker​ @sathom013​ @lustremyg @ggsmashgg​ @justyouraveragerando​ @shadowstark​ @our-little-meow-meow @baby-hobii @toddsgirl27​ @mythicalmeep​ @asifetch7​ @kassandravictoria​ @eltrain80 @briannasthings​ @bumblekey93​ @ohmwreckr @beach-bitch-bitch-beach​ @softchimmee​ @kookoo-kachoo​ @lenuminous​ @ass-hole-in-one​ @peaches-422​ @spacejooon​ @sleepyje0n​ @uxwi​ @tellmeyoulovemepls​ @yady24​ @lovesick-heart0​ @redirect-min​ @hopetookourvibe​ @noonaduck​ @mini-coop25​ @multifandomgirl29​ @rhd31​ @yoongixvevo​ @sweetnspicy93​ @kuppyjiminie​ @love-and-other-possibilities​ @fuckyouandtheboatyoucamein @rvnchr4nd4​ @geminidrawsstuff​ @livorna​ @naajix​ @minjoonhome​

another a/n: if u asked to be added to the taglist and u did not get tagged, u might be one of the couple ppl that i couldn’t tag [check ur settings, fam!]

[destinys-dragon]

A Battle for All

Characters: Patton, Logan, Roman, Remus, Janus, Virgil

For: @littlebigmouse

Warnings: Gore, Extreme Gore, Unsympathetic Patton, Unsympathetic Janus, Unsympathetic Logan, Major Character Death, Betrayal, Body horror/gore

Words: 2,500

Hey Mouse, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! I was your gifter this year for the @sanderssidesgiftxchange and I gave you a super hero Au with a side of gore [Or rather a main course of gore] I hope you enjoy it!

This was it, the battle for all the marbles, or as Morality said, "All the cookies in the cookie jar." Whatever you wanted to call it, this was the most important battle. Here and now, would decide the fate of the world. Sure, you hear that in all the superhero movies to get the action and the thrill up, even if the heroes always win in the movies. This though, this was very, very real, and all the heroes could feel a deep fear fill them. It wouldn't stop them from protecting the entire world, and they would do everything to make sure that the world was saved. It was still an unsettling feeling, to be staring potential death straight in the face, your future becoming less clear by the second.

Sanders University, the place they were meant to defend, held the key to world domination, at least to the Troublesome Twosome that was Deceit and Logic. The university was famous for its advanced technology, some of which could give normal humans pseudo-Superpowers, putting them on an even playing field with natural born Supers. The Twosome's plan was to engineer as much superpowered technology as possible, to create an army of villains that would help them conquer the entire world. First they would start with the University itself, but with how much super-tech was in there already, they wouldn't have trouble building a small army to defend it while they work on bigger projects.

The Prince stood on one end and the Duke on the other. In between them stood Anxiety and Morality, their healer and shield respectively. The Duke was holding a thunderbolt in one hand, preparing to throw it should the villains pull any tricks. Prince was holding a pen in his hand, preparing to draw up a weapon or something that would protect them. Anxiety had his hand out, ready to heal the team and get them back to the fight. Morality was empty handed at the moment, giving the villains a smile as if they were just naïve children instead of people bent on world domination.

"Now kiddos," Morality started, holding his arms out in a gesture of peace. "We really don't have to fight today. If you would just willingly come with us we can help you," he assured, making sure his voice would sound even and calming. "Please, don't do this. It would only end in disaster and chaos for everyone, including you two."

Deceit chuckled quietly, which cued Logic to break out in maniacal laughter. Morality cringed and even the Duke shuddered, which was uncommon since he was rather creepy in his own right. Prince and Anxiety looked unamused, even if Anxiety's hand fell to his side, where a short sword, crafted specifically for him by Prince, rested on his hip.

"Oh Morality, darling~" Deceit purred, elbowing his laughing companion in the stomach, who wheezed and went silent, rubbing his stomach as if that would make the pain go away. "That's exactly what we want. Chaos and disaster are what will help us take over this worthless world. Soon, oh so soon we will rule and you will be powerless to stop us! Now, get out of our way and we may spare your lives, if you beg that is." He waved his arm in a big gesture to the building behind the trio of heroes, the one that held the key to their dream.

"Never!" Prince snarled, a sword held in his hands. "We shall never let you get past any of us! We will put our lives on the line to protect the world we love! You'll never win, so give up now and walk away!"

That made Deceit laugh again, wiping a tear from his eye with a gloved hand. "Oh Prince, foolish fool, you will be made to eat your words. I can assure you of that. Logic, if you will."

Logic stepped forward, snickering as he pulled out a remote with a single, red button. He pressed it, causing a dozen cars to crumble and meld together. After a few seconds a giant metal golem stood behind the Duo. Logic cackled, covering his mouth as he snorted. "Be-ha- prepared to meet m-my greatest creation to date, the car golem!" He announced, pointing forward. "Go! Wreck, maim, DESTROY!" He shrieked, doubling over with laughter.

The golem seemed to come to life, surging forward towards the heroes. It was coming fast, intent on ending the battle and the heroes once and for all. It had no mind, no heart, no soul. It had a purpose though, a sole purpose it was destined to complete. End the heroes and leave not even a single one standing.

Morality stepped in front of everyone and summoned a giant dome shield, covering all four of them. Prince and Duke stood behind Patton, while Anxiety put all his energy and focus into keeping Morality's shield strong, which meant using all he had to heal it.

"When I lower the shield go for the weak spots in it's limbs!" Morality shouted, crying out when the Golem pounded on the shield, putting a giant crack in it. They all heard Anxiety let out a sharp exhale, slowly forcing the crack to close. "Damage the legs and arms, rendering it useless!"

"Yes Sir!" "Yes Daddy!" The twins spoke in unison. Morality couldn't help hide an eyeroll at the Duke, but now was not the time to lecture him on his inappropriateness.

"Ready?" He asked, taking a breath. "GO!" He cried out, forcing the shield to burst outward, which made the golem fall back. Morality fell back at the force he used to push the golem back, Anxiety quick to Morality's side to heal him and boost his energy.

The second the shield went down, Prince took towards the right and Duke went left. They were in perfect sync, each summoning their sacred weapons, a paintbrush and a bolt of lightning respectively, charging forward and removing it's limbs.

Prince let out a loud cry, circling around the golem and fleeing the scene. The circle glowed green and vines, flowers, and even tree branches sprouted around it, quickly tying the golem up. The thing let out a loud, metallic screeching noise of distress, before the Duke acted.

He took the precious time where the golem was immobilized and used the pulsing thunderbolt in his hands to slice and dice it's arms and one leg off. The golem continued to shriek and cry out, thrashing around with it's one leg, until Morality came through.

He had moved forward, leaving Anxiety in the back to watch their back. He summoned a small shield, one that was a simple circular shape, save for the spikey thorns and notches in it. He threw it as hard as he could, watching as the killer frisbee cut halfway through a leg, rendering it a mostly useless, twitching lump to the golem.

It continued to try and get to the heroes, but it only managed to flop around uselessly. It was rather useless, slowly going still as it died.

"Fuck yeah!" Duke cheered, before letting out a choked cry as a large snake plunged through his chest. His eyes went wide and he coughed out a sickening mixture of spit and blood, slowly going down on his knees. He reached out, as if to beg for help, his body going still as the snake again plunged through him, tearing his throat in half. His mouth was moving as if attempting to speak, before he fell face down, poised in a silent scream.

Deceit stood behind him, wiping his gloves with a white cloth. It was covered in a layer of blood, but the cloth cleaned the majority off. He tossed it on the corpse, looking at the heroes, who were looking at them in a mixture of shock, fear, and horror.

It was broken as Morality let out an ear piercing shriek, followed by Prince crying out in absolute anguish.

"Remus!" He shrieked, struggling to breath and looking like he was moments away from fainting. "Oh gods, Jesus god WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" He cried out, Patton's shrieking sobs becoming a dull noise to him as his rage filled. "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

He charged forward, unaware that the Golem was sliding painfully slowly towards Patton. He continued moving towards Janus, aiming punch after punch, kick after kick at the monster who murdered his brother. Deceit only dodged out of the way, not even bother to strike him.

Eventually, he ducked behind Prince, sweeping his legs out from under him. "Oh dear Princey, don't worry, you'll see him soon,"  Deceit purred, stomping on the hero's back, relishing in his shrieks of pain. "But look, here." He bent down, grabbing Prince by the hair and pulling his head up to make him look towards Morality.

Morality was on his knees sobbing. The golem was squirming closed to him, using it's half destroyed leg to slowly roll itself over. Roman was shrieking and begging Morality to do something, only to watch as Anxiety sailed past him, sprinting like his life depended on it. "No Virgil stop!" He begged, not wanting to lose two friends and his brother, he wasn't sure if his heart could take it.

Roman could only watch in horror as Virgil shoved Morality, the golem landing on top of the healer, crushing him to death. Roman let out a scream of pure anguish just as Logic began cackling with glee. He couldn't see Morality from behind the golem, but he was so sure that both of them were dead.

Logic danced around, watching the golem start to become consumed by rust. After it was fully rusted, it broke apart into dust, falling to the ground in large, clumpy piles. Even the limbs that were cut off were turned to dust as well. And Virgil? He was laying on the ground, flattened into a bloody clump of human and clothes. The lump didn't even look remotely human, but Prince found he couldn't look away, and he was glad he didn't.

There, next to what was Virgil, was Morality. He was alive and well, Roman hadn't lost everything! He went to call out, only to watch as Morality spit on Virgil's remains, climbing to his feet. "God, I can't believe he was that stupid. Though I suppose his foolish need to jump into bravery was admirable," he commented, brushing himself off. He reached down and grabbed something off of Virgil's remains, but Roman couldn't tell what it was.

Morality walked slowly, painfully slowly, over to Roman, who was confused. He let out a cry when his hair was let go and his face met painfully with the pavement. He ended up biting down on his tongue on the way down, causing his mouth to fill with a metallic tasting liquid. Blood, he thought distantly, but he wasn't able to comprehend it with how quickly his brain was shutting down.

He was rolled over, coming face to face with Morality. "P-Patton?" he croaked out, spitting up a glob of blood that got onto his pure white suit, or a suit that had been pure white. Now it was caked in dirty, boot prints, and even his own blood.

"Oh Princey, sweet sweet Roman," He cooed, brushing his thumb over Roman's cheek. "You're an absolute fool." Patton slowly held up the short sword, Virgil's short sword, pressing it against Roman's throat. He let out a soft whimper, unable to stop the noise from leaving his lips.

"Why?" He choked out, spitting a glob of blood onto Patton's suit. He saw his leader, former leader, cringe but shrug it off after a moment.

"I'm so tired of being treated like the innocent little healer on your team. I can't tell you how many times you've just left me to get captured, used me as bait...you even used me as a human shield once or twice instead of our actual shield, the guy who can make them out of thin air." He grabbed Roman by the chin, forcing the hero to meet his eyes. "I'm not meant to be bait or a human punching bag to protect you selfish lot. I am my own powerful person, stronger and better than all three of you worthless buffoons. I may have been your leader, but I was treated like trash by all three of you. But now....now that won't happen ever again!" Patton chirped, a bright cheery, but equally eerie, smile on his face.

Roman heard Deceit chuckle, looking away from Patton to watch as the villain walked towards the university, Logic right on his heels. He watched as Logic's lips moved quickly, mostly likely talking about whatever wicked plans he wanted to try on poor unsuspecting people.

"Don't take too long, darling!" Deceit called, loud enough for the pair to hear. “We need to get our plans into motion, we've already been set back quite a bit."

"Yes Deceit, I understand," Patton assured, looking back at Roman, who was petrified with fear. "I'm so sorry Roman, but this is your final scene. The curtains have been called and your act is through," he whispered, plunging the knife deep into Roman's chest.

Roman coughed up blood, reaching with one hand to try and pull it out to no avail.

Patton looked rather bored, but delighted at the same time. "This is goodbye Roman, I can't say I'll miss you or any of the others." He gave Roman a big smile, his deep brown eyes looking more golden as he twisted the knife that was lodged in Roman's chest, twisting it to cut deeper into the hero's body.

He felt Roman slowly going limp, the last few strings that he used to cling to life snapping as he let out his final breath. Patton shuddered in pleasure as he felt the man's last breath tickle his neck. He felt a rush, a thrill, he felt almost drunk on this feeling. He let a small grin cross his features, cackling as he pushed the corpse off him. Rising to his feet he felt a need, a deep hunger for more. He wanted more, he needed more of this feeling.

Patton licked his lips, groaning as the few stray drops of Roman's blood hit his taste buds. That felt good. So very, very good.

He brushed himself off, walking towards the University with a smile on his face. He had a mission after all, and world domination sounded just as glorious as crushing these pitiful heroes. Maybe more would come to play with them, that would be fun. If he were lucky, Deceit would let him keep one as a treat, a very special one just for him. Patton had to prove himself, and now that he was seen as an equal, he was never going to disappoint Deceit. He was going to show he earned his spot, and earn his spot he would.

[natsubeatsrock]

Lower Your Expectations for Nalu

I'm going to start this post off more generously than I normally would. I don't have any real reason to. I just kind of want to reach some of the Nalu fans with this section. (Nalu fans probably shouldn’t want to read the rest.)

Generally speaking, it's better to lower your expectations for a ship becoming canon. That way, you are pleasantly surprised to see how it will happen. Sometimes a relationship should have more subtle canonization than a bombastic showing. If Mashima plans to make Nalu canon, we should be patient to see how it happens. It’s not impossible for Nalu to have some impressive showy way it becomes canon. However, it’s worth letting Mashima do his thing and let the chips fall as they may.

Alright, the kids are gone. Let's do this for real.

I've been running this blog for just over six years. You'd think that, at this point, it would be hard for me to be surprised by this fandom. I've seen all kinds of things happen, and that should be the case. I joined during a rather tenuous time where fandoms were more willing to go at it.

As it stands, the Nalu fandom is the gift that keeps on giving. Whenever I feel as though I can't think of anything else to say about this ship, something happens, and I'm brought back to writing about it. You'd think it would be me talking about how the ship functions in canon. However, fans seem willing to bend over backward to sing Nalu's praises.

I'd respect it if it weren't Nalu we're talking about. This might be one of the most overrated ships in anime. I'll never understand how most people who watch this series even passively wanted these two to become a couple. All the couples Mashima's written over the years, and this is the one he'll be judged for? (Also, maybe Gruvia, but we talked about that already.)

Still, I do have to give this some fandom credit. Mashima has taken nearly every possible opportunity to feasibly advance this ship since the Grand Magic Games ended (arguably even before that) and passed on doing much with it. On some occasions, it feels as though Mashima is directly mocking the idea that Nalu could possibly become canon. And yet, fans believe that Nalu will become canon at any moment because he draws a Twitter pic of them once every three months or so. (Yes, I did edit this sentence since Nalu Day. What of it?) 

Recently, I got an ask comparing the Nalu fandom to the MAGA crowd. I'm not personally vindictive enough against Trump or his supporters to affirm that comparison. Though, I can't act as if I haven't been thinking of an analogy to describe Nalu fans. I think a better comparison might be fans of the Dallas Cowboys. 

Cowboys fans seem to believe that their team can win the Super Bowl any season. That's not an inherently problematic perspective to take. You should hope that your team will do well. However, this often manifests itself in confidence that ignores the faults within individual Cowboys teams and the strength of their opponents. Not to mention, this ignores the objective fact that the Cowboys haven't done well in the playoffs for 25 years.

I don't think it's wrong for fans to believe that their ship will become canon. I don't know too many fans who wish their ship doesn't become canon. However, I always worry about the fans who believe their ship happening is an inevitability. Especially when things seem to be pointing away from the possibility of it happening. This is usually a recipe for toxic fandoms.

But, let me humor the idea for a moment.

What if Mashima really plans to make Nalu happen in the end?

As I'm writing this post,  we're currently in the middle of the fight between the third Dragon God. We're getting close to the real conclusion of that battle. But after that, there are two big arcs until the series truly ends. Three if they decide to have one last battle against the quest-giving dragon.

If Mashima's going to make Nalu canon, how would that work now?

There's the "realization" route. This is the one I probably see the most. Natsu and Lucy could come to the clear realization that they have come to love each other throughout the series. Of course, you'd have to imagine that whatever would bring this on is more powerful than thinking the other has died. 

Twice, throughout the series. 

Each.

On top of several other crazy things to happen to them over 600 chapters of material spanning a decade and a half. Yet, I'm supposed to believe that some random new moment will change the tide for Nalu.

The other way to do it is to have a confession. Either Natsu or Lucy decides to share with the other the fact that they are in love. Their feelings are reciprocated, and you can figure out the rest.

Depending on who you ask, we've almost gotten this a few times. Lucy's had a few opportunities to talk about her relationship with Natsu and has been fairly nice about it. A few times it's hinted that there might be more to their friendship but nothing concrete. I've even seen it hinted that Natsu was going to confess in chapter 545.

But, that's just it. We've only gotten hints at the possibility that there's more. If Natsu and Lucy actually like each other romantically, why not make it clearer earlier?

"It's because he's being subtle about their shared romantic feelings."

Yeah, I have reason to doubt that.

Jellal and Erza have feelings for each other implied throughout Fairy Tail. Sure there's explicit stuff like their meeting before the Grand Magic Games started. But there's been plenty of subtle stuff surrounding their relationship. People make hints at their potential romantic relationship all the time in canon, even as recent as the last arc.

I feel like I say this a lot when talking about Jerza. But really think about the arcs they're together in. There's Tower of Heaven, Nirvana, the Grand Magic Games, Tartarus, Alvarez Empire, and Aldoron. Their relationship is brought up or hinted at in Fantasia, Tenrou Island, Avatar, and Mercuphobia. While that looks like a large amount of material, Jerza doesn't take up much space in any of these arcs. Outside of the Grand Magic Games, Nirvana, and Alvarez, these are small moments between the two of them at best. Sometimes it's even less than that. And yet, the ship makes sense to the vast majority of the fandom.

But that might be an unfair comparison. Jellal and Erza have a history dating before the series started. 

Let's use a ship that involves characters that met after Natsu and Lucy. Gray and Juvia. (Wait, these guys again?)

The big thing with this ship has been how Gray feels about Juvia. We've known how Juvia feels about Gray literally since they met. However, we've seen Gray slowly change his views on Juvia. We didn't just jump from enemies to lovers. There was a subtle shift as the series went on.

Do you really think that Mashima couldn't do better with Natsu and Lucy? His main duo? The series is only possible because the two meet each other. But I'm supposed to believe that Mashima didn't want to make a Nalu romance seem more explicit?

If you were to ask me, the most likely route for Nalu now is a much less sexy option. If Nalu were to happen, it won't happen in a grand showing of affection. It will just... happen. We'll likely skip to some random point in time after they beat all the dragons and see them as a couple. Maybe we'll se an Earthland Nasha.

This isn't something anime/manga fans aren't used to. I know everyone likely thinks of a different series that has done this over the years. People will rag on series like Naruto and Bleach for doing this. For what it's worth, I do like both of those series and their endgame ships. 

That said, I have two problems with this option. 

First, Nalu doesn't have the kind of setup that those other ships have. You're not getting characters openly confessing before a fight. You're not getting two characters flustered over the prospect of feelings suggested to each other. Heck, you're not getting a "Silver Ray" situation.

"What about those times when Lucy was asked if she likes Natsu?"

Again, Lucy's not openly agonizing over that as part of their relationship. If this was something we were supposed to seriously consider as an option for her, we'd know.

Even then, this would only show that it's one-sided. Natsu hasn't had any similar moments where he considers liking Lucy. Anyone bringing up the waterfall scene is speculating at best. Do you really expect me to believe that Mashima will change that this far into the series?

But this doesn't even get into the second problem. Is this how you'd want Nalu to become canon? 

I've said this before, but Nalu has been expected to become canon for close to a decade. That almost feels like an exaggeration. But one of the big chapters I usually point to for Mashima potentially making Nalu more overt is Lucy Fire. That chapter turned ten years old this past March.

Nalu fans have been inventing all kinds of scenarios and situations about how Mashima will make their favorite ship happen. Wouldn't it be disappointing for fans to see that this ship would happen without any of the pomp and circumstance you'd expect a ship like this to get?

I know plenty of people who were disappointed when their favorite ship just became canon without a lot of lead-up. I didn't love getting to the end of Bleach without knowing more about how Ichigo and Orihime got together. Yes, I know the novels exist, but I (literally) paid to read the manga. I'd like to have seen it happen in the manga. (This could be about Naruto, but I only own The Last.)

This is why I believe Nalu fans should lower their expectations. Do you know the fantasy fans have for Nalu happening? Natsu and Lucy finally being hit with the overwhelming realization they love each other? A tearful confession of their feelings for each other capped with a kiss? All of their friends cheering them on, knowing they should have been a couple a long time ago? Maybe even a glimpse at their wedding and their future kid?

Congratulations, that was Rave Master's main couple. Don't expect the same thing for Nalu. If Nalu will happen, it will look much more disappointing than what fans believe it will look like.

At this point, I'm even not sure that Nalu will happen. Mashima has made every version of Nalu look more romantic except the original. I can't apologize for my skepticism on its prospects. Even actual Nalu fans are worried about if it will happen. I will enjoy seeing more of this salt in the future.

Now, there's one question you might be asking of me. How will I react to Nalu happening?

I don't have some back-pocket post prepared in case Nalu does happen. Heck, I thought of making one but ended up writing this post instead. 

However, I have been wrong about future events of Fairy Tail in the past. If I'm wrong and Mashima does make Nalu canon, then I'll talk about it. I highly doubt it will make me like the series less. It certainly won't affect anything I'm doing with the rewrite, given my rules for changes. Consider that I've been able to talk about Gruvia negatively at this point in the series. I'll absolutely continue to talk smack about Nalu if it ends up canon. 

That said, I have reason to believe that I'm right about the direction Nalu will take. And if I'm right, don't expect my tone on Nalu to stay the same. At the very least, I can promise a third Nalu edition of "My Incredibly Unpopular Thoughts" if Nalu doesn’t happen. I haven't done one in years and I can't think of a better way to celebrate the ship dying once and for all.

[kenzieam]

Not You - Chapter One

@jewels2876​​​​​​  @moonbeambucky​​​​​  @jeremyrennerfanxxxx123​​​​​​  @iammarylastar​​​​​​@captstefanbrandt​​​​​​  @badassbaker​​​​​​  @pinknerdpanda​​​​​​  

I know I’m forgetting people, sorry. If you want in, hit me.

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Rating: M

Warnings: Language, general nuttiness, smut, major angst, drama, potential infidelity

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FEEDBACK IS LIFE, Y’ALL

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So... I know I should be finishing my old stories...

But I’m not, lol. I keep getting new ideas.

*********************************************************************

In this one, Bucky finds his dream woman, the one who takes his breath away but what if she’s already taken? What’s more important, your own happiness or the happiness of others, namely your friends? And, if you have to steal it, was it yours to begin with??

********************************************************************

Bucky turned away from the sink, nearly dropping the glass in his hand as his heart exploded into a frantic, startled tattoo.

The girl met his eyes shyly, looking quickly away and Bucky swallowed hard, hearing his pulse hammering in his veins. “Can I help you?” He asked, voice raspy. Christ, in all the time he’d been tending bar he’d never been so simply struck by someone before.

“Um, may I have a white wine, please?” Her voice was soft and cultured, sounding faintly European in the way she pronounced her consonants.

“New around here?” He inquired, if simply to keep from gaping at her simple perfection.

She gave him a guarded smile. “I guess so. I’m supposed to be meeting an… old friend, but there was a mix-up with flights.”

Bucky poured her drink, waved off her money. “On the house,” he pronounced and, this being the fourth double shift he’d worked this week as a favour to his boss and a co-worker with a family emergency, they’d better not squawk going over the receipts later.

“Thank you.” She murmured demurely, lids fluttering closed as she took a sip.

Bucky glanced across the bar, there was no one needing his immediate attention and the siren song of this woman was too strong to ignore. “I’m James.” Somehow his nickname wouldn’t fit the moment, he thought as he extended his hand to her.

She smiled softly, still shy. “Valentina.” She offered after a faint pause, reaching up and taking his hand, he felt her softness against his callouses, a faint tingle where they touched.

Bucky opened his mouth to continue, to ask her more questions about herself, an ember of attraction beginning to glow brightly in his chest. Did she feel it too?

“Hey!” One of the waitresses, Teagan, bellowed from down the bar. “I need four beers!”

It was on the tip of Bucky’s tongue to tell her to come around and grab them herself, but Teagan was a brat who’d either make a mess or take a bottle for herself if he didn’t watch her. Why the boss hadn’t skidded her by now was anyone’s guess, but Bucky imagined it involved a good oral game. At least she’d propositioned him at least once and he’d said hell no.

With an apologetic glance Bucky turned away, quickly filling Teagan’s order but then a crush of orders came in from individuals bellying up to the bar and he was tied up for far longer than he wanted. Finally, he had time and stepped in front of her, noting her empty glass. Valentina was texting, frowning at her screen. She glanced up and startled, an unguarded smile lighting up her face and making Bucky’s heart stutter anew.

“Another?” He managed to ask, voice cracking. Jesus, he’d never been so simply taken by a woman before and he’d spent enough time as a bartender to read her body language too. The feeling was definitely mutual.

“I’ll just have a water, please. My… friend will be done work soon; I should get going.”

Faint panic gripped Bucky’s heart but he made himself pour a water like a sane person. “I, um….” He licked his lips.

“I need an order!” The other waitress, a cougar named Lola, yelled. She would never go behind the bar, preferring to trying to chat up the nearest guy while she waited for Bucky.

Shit. He needed more time.

“I… can I have your number?” He blurted, feeling like a thousand different kinds of fool, mainly a lovestruck one.

Surprise flitted across the girl’s face, then a tentative smile. “I shouldn’t…”

“Please?”

“Hey!” Both Teagan and Lola were there now, hands on jutted-out hips.

“Just give me a minute.” Bucky pleaded, turning away from Valentina and rushing over, mixing drinks like a madman, throwing furious glances at the waitresses, who snapped gum and stared vapidly at his manic movements.

Finally, he thrust the last glass at Teagan then turned back to Valentina, an apology dying on his lips.

She wasn’t there.

He’d missed his chance.

Fuck.

********************************************************************************

Her skin was unbelievably soft, her scent a heady mix that made his pulse race and nestled deep in his soul. His body responded to her readily, heart hammering in his chest as he caressed her shoulder, pulled her down to meet his greedy lips. She moaned and writhed against him, grinding her core against his painfully hard cock.

Peeling off her shirt he kissed first one breast than the other, slowing down to lav attention to each when she moaned again, fingers clawing through his hair to hold him close.

“More, god Bucky-” she whimpered, tugging almost painfully at his locks.

“Fuck-” drawing out the curse, morphing it with a groan of need, Bucky rolled, pinning Valentina beneath him. Grinding his hips to hers he reveled in her gasp, her stuttered hitching breath.

He couldn’t wait any longer, pulling at her panties, a feral growl spilling from his lips when she matched him, yanking at his jeans, pushing them down over his ass just enough to free his cock and then he was pushing inside her, into her sweet heat and fighting off his rushing climax at the ecstasy found there.

“God, baby-” he gasped, hips thrusting helplessly, hopelessly caught in sensations and pleasure. Never before had he felt such bliss, been so ensnared in the web of a woman.

Valentina moaned, arching up to pull him deeper, legs wrapping around his hips, tangling with his jeans still bunched there; her voice broke as she whimpered his name, clawing at his face to pull him down to her mouth again, her desperate kiss stealing his breath with it’s intensity.

He could feel his orgasm rising dangerously fast, but he didn’t care, couldn’t and wouldn’t stop such a freight train of heavenly sensations, he only wanted Valentina to crash into the abyss with him.

And then she tensed, walls tightening around him as her own climax hit, crying out his name and dragging him right down with her. With a roar he surrendered, giving into his release with a shudder, face twisting as his cock throbbed almost painfully inside her, spilling his seed in thick pulses-

Bucky startled awake with a gasp, hand still gripping his shaft, the waves of his powerful orgasm still crashing over him and, even as the shudders of pleasure skated across his skin and through his body he winced, feeling a thick, creamy mess pooling on his belly.

Jesus Christ.

He hadn’t had a fucking wet dream in years, and yet ten minutes contact over a bar-top with a beautiful stranger had him spilling in his sleep like a teenager.

Groaning, he glanced down at himself then cursed. Fuck, he had laundry to do now too, he hadn’t shot so huge a load in a long time; fuck, this woman had him all sorts of tangled up.

And all he had was her first name. Not even a goddamn phone number.

Still grumbling, still wincing and cursing himself, Bucky rolled from the bed, used the already soiled sheet to wipe his belly clean then pulled them from the bed and piling them in the corner to launder later, storming nude to the bathroom he and Steve shared in their two-bedroom apartment, not caring whether his oldest friend got an eyeful or not.

Only once the water grew cold from the scalding he’d set it at did Bucky emerge, toweling off and striding back to his room to pull on sweats and grab a coffee. Steve had set some brewing before leaving for his morning run and Bucky needed a hit of caffeine like he needed air.

He’d just taken a sip when the front door opened and Steve walked in, glistening with sweat and still breathing hard.

“Morning,” Bucky grunted.

“Hey, Buck. How’s your morning?”

Trust me punk, you don’t want to know. “Fine.”

“Got to sleep in at least, that your last double shift for a while? What was that anyway, four in a row?” Steve moved past him, pouring an ice water from the fridge, and swallowing half the glass in one go.

Bucky grunted in answer, but Steve had always been the more loquacious of their duo.

“Work tonight?” Steve continued, reaching for a box of cereal.

“Nah, night off.”

“Good, Sam wants us to come over. His girlfriend’s moved back, and he wants us to meet her.”

Bucky frowned, trying to remember. While he was friends with Sam, it was Steve who worked with him and was the closer of the two. Then he remembered, she’d grown up with Sam, gone all through grade school with him, just like him and Steve, and they’d been roommates all through university, also like him and Steve. Apparently, they’d started dating after graduation and, when she’d been offered a special project in Europe almost two years ago, they’d gone long-distance, her moving across the ocean and Sam moving here, becoming immediate friends with Steve when they started working at the same job together.

“What’s her name again?” Bucky asked, not really caring. His mind was still stuck on the mysterious Valentina, not on Sam’s girlfriend, whom he wouldn’t even know from a hole in the ground, he’d never even seen a picture of her before.

“Lev?” Steve replied, quirking a brow. “Something unique like that, yeah… Lev, Sam calls her Levi.” He pronounced it like ‘levee’, shrugging.

Bucky nodded absently, Valentina’s hypnotizing violet eyes holding his attention. God, she’d had the most beautiful eyes, slightly upturned at the corners, long and full lashes; and her hair, an auburn shade like he’d never encountered. Either natural or the best damn dye job he’d ever seen, she’d stood out from the crowd with her looks alone, not even counting the magnetism and aura she gave off…. Christ, he was in trouble.

“You there?” Steve’s amused voice broke in, his punch harmlessly bouncing off Bucky’s powerful shoulder.

“Huh?” Bucky rolled his shoulders, shrugging off the hit. He hadn’t had much of a chance to hit the gym this week, what with working so many doubles in a row, and he needed to go; blasting away all his frustrations and anger lifting weights and hammering at the heavy bags kept him level and calm, soothed the latent edginess of his soul, which had, upon reflection, gone strangely serene last night when he’d laid eyes on Valentina too.

“You’re a million miles away, jerk.”

“Oh, yeah, sorry. Just-” he broke off, wiping his mouth with his hand and shaking his head.

“A girl?” There was genuine interest in Steve’s voice; while he didn’t begrudge his oldest friend’s continued one-night stands, he’d always wanted Bucky to find someone to share himself with, someone to soothe the man’s seeming natural-born vulnerability and loneliness that not even close friendships could compensate for.

Bucky felt a thrill at the thought. Yes, this was about a girl. The first time he could honestly say that. His reddening face answered before his mouth could and Steve hooted, slapping him on the same shoulder he’d just punched.

“Really?” The blonde’s eyes were sparkling. “Tell me.” He snagged the milk from the fridge and poured some over his cereal, overfilling it in a way that always made Bucky nervous. The man’s milk to cereal ratio was whack.

Bucky hesitated, struck with the sudden incongruous thought that speaking her name aloud would somehow puncture the spell, convince the universe to rip her away, make her all a figment of Bucky’s imagination.

“Her name’s Valentina.” He couldn’t help a quirk of his lips when Steve let out a girlish squeak and clapped his hands, as if this were the best news he’d heard in years.

“And?” He prompted, leaning against the counter, picking up his bowl of cereal and lifting the spoon to his mouth, brow raised in question.

Bucky let out his breath in a rush, not able to hold it back anymore. “And she’s fucking perfect, man. I mean, I saw her, and it was like… fuck, I mean she just… grabbed me.”

“Like literally?” Steve grinned, milk dribbling off his chin when he gave Bucky a smartass grin.

Bucky rolled his eyes and continued. “No, but Steve…. Her eyes, Jesus, and her smile? I… I didn’t know what to do, it was like I’d just ran into a brick wall or something.”

“And her? What was she like? Was she hit too?”

Bucky nodded slowly, replaying her actions in his head. “Yeah, I think so.” A huge grin split his face and he was suddenly struck with the urge to throw his head back and roar.

“What’d she say? Did you guys talk?”

Bucky shrugged. “We didn’t get much of a chance, I had Teagan and Lola last night-” he threw Steve a look because Steve knew as well as Bucky how useless both waitresses truly were.

“Bummer.”

“Yeah. I asked for her number but then got busy and… fuck man, when I turned back, she was gone.”

“Shitty.” Steve commented, shaking his head.

“I know.” Bucky felt a moment of real panic but forced himself to breathe.

“You want to skip Sam’s tonight? Go over there and see if she comes back?”

He was torn, he really was. Would she be back? For all their pretend animosity, Sam was a real friend to him though, and he hadn’t seen the smirking bastard in a few weeks, he needed to go. “Nah, I should go see Sam, it’s been awhile.”

Steve noticed his struggle and considered. “Chap working today?”

“Yeah,” Bucky replied.

“Ask him to keep an eye out. If she shows, he can give her your number. He owes you.”

He did. “Yeah…. Okay. I got a bunch of errands to run today anyway, I’ll stop by.”

“You want me to wait until you’re back to go to Sam’s?”

Bucky shrugged, they only lived a floor apart, Sam being one down from them, its not like Bucky would get lost, but he appreciated his friend’s consideration. “Yeah, thanks.”

“No problem. I got a few things to wrap up too, see you later?” Steve had finished his cereal and was already walking towards his bedroom. He and Steve had been roommates, in one apartment or another, for years but this was far and away the nicest, a pre-war building neither would be able to afford alone and, until a few months ago, Sam had been in the same boat, but his roomie, a quirky, somewhat eccentric kid named Tony, had left. It was good timing that his girlfriend was moving back now, almost fated.

“Later.” Bucky called, then forced his mind away from Valentina. He’d get nothing done today if he let her stay there.

*******************************************************************************

Later that night, Bucky followed Steve absently down the flight of stairs to Sam’s floor. He’d gotten all his errands done, convinced Chap to keep an eye out and had even had time to fantasize about Valentina in the shower, groaning her name in release as he’d stroked himself to completion, pulsing his thick seed onto his fingers and the shower floor. He’d leaned his head against the tiled wall, breathing heavily and wishing feverishly for the real thing before straightening with a growl and finishing his shower, body still aching with want.

Steve knocked and waited; usually they’d just knock once and head on it, but neither wanted to walk into something they didn’t want to see.

After a moment, the door was thrown open and Sam’s familiar face split into a huge grin. “Hey!” Always a happy, personable guy, there seemed to be an extra level in him tonight, no doubt finally having his girl back with him. “Sit down,” he pointed to their usual perches on the couch and armchair. “Lev will be right out.” He focused on Bucky. “How you been, man? It’s been a while. Steve says you’ve been pulling doubles down at the bar?”

“Yeah,” Bucky answered, leaning back in the chair, and getting more comfortable. “Chap’s mom fell down and banged herself up some, I took his shifts so he could go help her for a few days.”

“You’re too nice, man.” Sam grinned, shaking his head. “Steve said Teagan and Lola were there? Christ, what a pair.”

Bucky quirked his brow in agreement. “Yeah, it was special all right.”

“Sam?” A female voice called.

“Yeah, baby?” Sam leapt to his feet. “Lev’s pretty jet-lagged, she was sleeping most of the day.” He explained as he disappeared down the hallway. Quiet voices too low to make out floated back but Bucky caught something that sounded like ‘you look fine, baby girl, before Sam reappeared, his huge grin back. He glanced over his shoulder, pulling gently on someone’s hand, then turned back to his friends.

“Steve, Bucky, this is my girlfriend, Lev. Lev, this is Steve and that’s Bucky.” He pointed to each man in turn, but Bucky’s eyes were locked on Lev.

What the hell?

What kind of cosmic fucking joke was this??

Leaning into Sam’s side, nestled into his one-armed embrace but staring at Bucky with shock equal to his, was a heartbreakingly familiar face.

Valentina.

[themachiavellianpig]

“I’m Telling My Story”: Ainsley Whitly, The Prodigal Daughter

Throughout the first half of season one, we can see a great deal of how Martin Whitly’s actions affected his wife and son, both of whom are still actively struggling with the guilt of having been in some way intimate with such a man. Ainsley, in contrast, seems relatively unaffected by the situation and even describes herself as “lucky” in comparison to her brother- she is at least five years younger than Malcolm and seems to remember little of her father, giving her a significant emotional disconnection from his crimes. In direct contrast to her brother, she can hold down a steady job, engage in close relationships, and doesn’t appear to be in any kind of therapy. Unlike her mother, she isn’t even shown to be self-medicating in any way - she simply does not seem to need such coping methods. 

This relative stability is a gift, one for which Jessica explicitly gives herself credit: “Do you sleep at night? ...When you close your eyes, do you find peace? That peace is because of the choices I made. You can thank me any time you like.”  (1x03)

And it’s a gift which, arguably, Ainsley squanders over the course of the first half of season 1. 

“I don’t remember my dad. I was forbidden.” In the first ten episodes of Prodigal Son, we get to see some of the time immediately before and after Martin’s arrest, all from either Malcolm’s or Jessica’s point of view. We see nothing at all of Ainsley, except for a brief shot of her being held by her mother during Martin’s arrest. Given that Ainsley was only five years old at the time, this is admittedly unsurprising. Her memories of that time, so far as we know, are limited to Malcolm’s reassurances (“I was only five when Dad was arrested, I don’t really remember it. But I remember you. Telling me everything was going to be okay when you knew it wasn’t.”, 1x01). 

But she would certainly remember what happened afterwards, in the twenty years between Martin’s arrest and the first episode of Prodigal Son. We do not know exactly how Malcolm and Ainsley grew up following Martin’s arrest, but we can make certain deductions. 

Malcolm, as the person who discovered Martin’s true identity, as the one who was clearly and obviously traumatised by the discovery, would likely have been the focus of Jessica’s attention - in the same way that any child in crisis would be. Jessica’s active concern for Malcolm continues into the present day, clearly signposted in the first episode: Malcolm: “I assume you don’t break into Ainsley’s place like this.” Jessica: “God, no! She’s perfect. You’re my only concern.”

Additionally, we know that Martin Whitly, perfectly understandably, becomes something of a ghost in his former home. All reminders of him are packed away - there are no photos of him, his private study in the basement is walled up and forgotten, leading Malcolm to hide certain reminders of happier times in a shoebox under his bed. We don’t know exactly how Jessica navigates this particular transition from well-to-do nuclear family to tabloid fodder - how she told Ainsley the truth about her father or, quite frankly, if she ever did explicitly. Did Martin become something which simply was not spoken of in polite company, or indeed any company at all? 

Ainsley’s choice of words in 1x03 (“I was forbidden”) suggests a harsher line than simple silence, potentially indicating that questions about Martin were not only frowned upon but actively discouraged. Martin Whitly, loving father, was gone for good; the Surgeon was all that remained, and the Surgeon was not to be discussed. As early as 1x03, Ainsley even says that she has no idea what being back in contact with Martin will do to her brother’s mental health because she has no knowledge of who or what Martin Whitly really is. 

Just like Malcolm and Jessica, Ainsley seems to be struggling with having a connection to a monster. Regardless of the fact that she doesn’t remember having a familial relationship with Martin, he is her biological father - and if her mother and brother can’t give her the answers that she needs about him, she’s going to go straight to the source instead. 

“Martin Whitly is your biggest fan.” Ainsley’s decision to meet with Martin in episode four is prompted, I would argue, by a combination of curiosity and, let’s be fair, the sort of spite that springs up when a controlling parent tells you not to do something - after all, she only goes to visit Martin after both her mother and her brother have done the same thing, all while maintaining that nobody should ever go and speak to the Surgeon. But I find it very interesting that she only makes the decision to visit him after her mother lets slip a brand new piece of information: 

Ainsley: Thanks to both of you, he doesn’t even know I exist.  Jessica: He knows all about you. He watches you every day. He daughter, the ace reporter. Martin Whitly is your biggest fan. 

This information, it should be noted, is only news to Ainsley. We, the audience, see Martin watching one of Ainsley’s broadcasts in 1x02; in episode 1x03, he asks Malcolm to “Please tell your sister that her diction is impeccable!” and, in the same episode, he compliments Jessica on her excellent childrearing (“You did well, Jessica. I am so proud of him, and of Ainsley, and of you, for raising our beautiful children.”). 

And, from my perspective, this information is also profoundly creepy. A convicted serial killer obsessively watches all of a homicide journalist’s broadcasts? That’s a two-parter of Criminal Minds right there. 

But to Ainsley it’s a link, a connection, to a part of her life which she has never really been allowed to engage with. The trauma of Martin Whitly is written large on her mother and brother, but her trauma is second-hand and reactionary, which is admittedly a great improvement on the alternative, but would Ainsley see it that way? All children want to do is feel like they belong, and being the one left out - even the one left out of trauma - is never pleasant. 

Now, through an offhand comment from her mother, Ainsley knows that her father is interested in her, and in her work - in direct contrast to her mother, who supports her work idly, never really watching her reports (“Not with the sound on!”, 1x01), who finally starts to tell her something real about her father and his opinion of her and then immediately tries to shut the conversation down (“Can we please talk about something else?”, 1x04).

And so Ainsley heads off to see her father for the first time in twenty years. 

“You made him out to be just a monster.” We, the audience, had a full two weeks to wait between seeing Ainsley in Martin’s cell and hearing anything of the conversation that they shared, which was genuinely one of the most infuriating cliff-hangers I’ve seen for a while. 

The meeting with Martin undoubtedly rattles Ainsley, albeit not in the way she expected. As Jessica points out, Ainsley went to that cell to meet a monster, and instead found a seemingly loving father (1x06). A man who regretted his absences in his daughter’s life and had filled the gaps with daydreams of “birthdays, piano recitals, dancing with [her] at the debutante ball” (1x06), daydreams in which, judging by the fantasies shared with Ainsley, he plays the starring role of Devoted Father. This conversation could have been repeated between any father-daughter duo separated in television plotlines around the world - the cause of that separation is so overlooked by Martin’s little fantasy to be actually hilarious. 

And, by this point in the series, we’ve seen both Malcolm and Jessica be taken in by Martin’s acts, not to mention all the people that Martin had fooled during his days as an active serial killer, so it’s hardly surprising that Ainsley is at least a little taken in as well. The split between Martin-the-father and Martin-the-serial-killer is also one that has preoccupied Jessica and Malcolm throughout the twenty-years and it’s one that Ainsley, through her lack of memories about Martin, has been spared up until the moment she comes face to face with him, and asks him the “most important question”: ” “Was it real? … Did you love us or was it just some psychopathic act?”

The surviving members of the Whitly family may never really know the answer to that question - and it’s a question which has no easy answers. Which would truly be worse - being an unwilling cover story for a monster, or genuinely being loved by a monster? 

But, for Ainsley, the question is no longer about what her relationship with Martin was; it’s about what it could be - or, more precisely, about what it could do for her.   

“Ambition is not a dirty word.”  The decision to interview Martin is one which, full disclosure, makes perfect sense from a professional point of view; an interview with a notorious serial killer, particularly one who had never spoken publicly about his crimes before, would be a feather in the cap of any crime journalist. She is also arguably the best choice to conduct such an interview from a creepy mercenary perspective - her familial relationship to the Surgeon gives the interview a sensationalist angle which would be impossible for any other network to easily duplicate - and, unlike the rest of her family, Ainsley has not yet been traumatised by Martin Whitly. 

Of course, it's the ‘yet' in that last sentence that has Jessica and Malcolm so worried about Ainsley - her visiting Martin might be less immediately damaging that Malcolm or Jessica coming face to face with their own personal demon, but it's still very unlikely to be healthy. 

Interestingly, Malcolm's concerns about the interview seem to be extremely focused on Ainsley's immediate personal safety ("You’re putting yourself in his cross hairs"), and his reaction on learning that she's already seen Martin is to ask if she is okay. Jessica, as the only member of the family who really remembers the immediate media aftermath of Martin's arrest, becomes far more focused on the potential PR concerns: 

Jessica: Ainsley, if you do not have a plan to make him look bad, he will look good. Tell me you understand. Ainsley: Mother, these are the questions I sent. Not the questions I’m going to ask.  Jessica: Alright. I see what you’re doing.  Ainsley: Good. Can you stop worrying?  Jessica: I am far more worried now.  Ainsley: What? Why?  Jessica: Thinking you are more clever than Martin Whitley, that’s the worst mistake you can make. He’ll exploit that. He’ll find a way to come off sympathetic and you will be sitting there like-  Ainsley: Like what?  Jessica: His accomplice. 

Jessica, as we learn later in the season, was herself questioned by the police about her role in Martin's crimes, and I am sure that the media speculation around the Wife of the Surgeon would have been horrific and heartbreaking. She clearly does not want Ainsley to put herself through the same thing - and she certainly does not want Martin to have any opportunity to manipulate the wider population, as he has so easily manipulated his own family in the past. 

This is not to say that Jessica has no concern for Ainsley's safety - her immediate reaction to the potential interview is to get the entire thing blacklisted by the network itself. It's only when Ainsley reveals a willingness to outplay her mother at that particular chess game that she relents - not to give her blessing, but to step back and allow Ainsley the dignity of her own choices. 

And, potentially, Ainsley does take some of her mother's fears seriously - she insists on keeping Martin in his restraints during the interview, despite technical concerns from Jin the Cameraman, and she makes sure that the red safety line on the cell floor is in shot. She even refuses Hair and Makeup the chance to make Martin look anymore physically presentable before the interview begins.  

The interview itself, however, does not go exactly as Ainsley had clearly wanted it to - first, Martin neatly sidesteps her attempts to throw past crimes in his face, then her brother interrupts with police business, then her cameraman gets stabbed. All in all, hardly a good day at the office.

The interplay between Martin and Ainsley hashes out the timeless question of what really makes a person - Ainsley focuses on the lives her took, complete with grisly details ("Billy Franklin, age 23. Aced his LSATs, wanted to become a civil rights lawyer. You removed his heart to see how long he could live without it. He died a gruesome, agonising death. My question is why?", 1x07), Martin fights backs with the lives he saved ("How about Corey Goldstein, age 10? A brutal car accident left him with a surely fatal aortic rupture. Until he landed in my OR, where I saved his life.") and the medical procedures he developed ("Did you know they named a medical procedure after me? ...I’ve heard a rumour that doctors still call it the Whitley, in hospitals all around the world", 1x07). 

It's a far more complicated portrayal of evil that Ainsley had prepared for - she has no good response prepared for the accusation that Martin did some good in the world, unlike her pithy retorts about particular victims and what Martin did to them. We don't get the chance to see if Ainsley would have been able to retake control of the interview, given Malcolm's interruption, as his arrival gives Ainsley a very different line of attack - the only line of attack, it must be said, that ever seems to really rattle Martin. Ainsley is the only character in the first part of season 1 to really get under Martin's skin - but she can only do it by using her own brother as bait: 

Ainsley: So. I mentioned a number of your victims earlier, but I’d like to discuss one more. Malcolm. Malcolm Whitly.  Martin: I’m not sure I understand Ainsley: You claim to care about your son, but what you did twenty years ago harmed him irreparably.  Martin: Well, that’s not true.  Ainsley: Isn’t it? He’s been diagnosed with complex PTSD, generalised anxiety disorder, night terrors. Dr Whitley, do you know what happens to the human body when it withstands that much stress for that long a period of time?  Martin: I’m not sure that’s relevant-  Ainsley: He was fired from the only job he was ever good at. He hasn’t been in a stable relationship for years. And the ten years he went without seeing you were by far the happiest, healthiest of his life.  Martin: Well, that’s absolutely not- Ainsley: What does that say about you, except for you’re an absolutely terrible father?  Martin: I’m not.  Ainsley: He just wanted to love you. And you caused him so much pain.  Martin: Stop it.  Ainsley: What kind of a father does that?  Martin: Stop it! I was a good father, damn it! 

This interaction goes on to form a crucial part of the interview - Martin's loss of control is featured in the introduction to the actual broadcast (as seen in 1x10) - and it was not at all discussed with Malcolm beforehand. We, the audience, are not entirely clear on how much information Martin had about his son's condition prior to Ainsley’s disclosure- he would have known some things, noticed symptoms such as the hand tremor, but that is still potentially miles away from Malcolm's having his mental health history spelt out like that in front of Martin and, potentially, in front of everyone who watched Ainsley's interview. 

It's a successful and potentially satisfying manipulation of Martin, to be sure, but it's also a heart-wrenching violation of Malcolm, and Ainsley never seems to notice. 

In a matter of hours, Ainsley double-downs on the notion of violating the privacy of others when she films Martin perform surgery on Jin the Cameraman, stabbed in the patient-uprising which Martin himself engineered. We never get to see Malcolm's reaction to his violation - he doesn't seem to challenge Ainsley on it directly in any way - but Jin does (1x08). Jin, when he wakes in the hospital to find that Ainsley filmed the surgery and didn't tell him about it, has a very simple and understandably reaction. 

Jin: What is this? You filmed my surgery? Ainsley: I was going to tell you. I just- I- I- I got so caught up in the adrenaline and it was so compelling- Jin: Oh, was it? Was it compelling when I almost died?  Ainsley: We went there to get a great story and we got one. I was doing my job!  Jin: I understand. This is who you are. I just don’t think that’s the kind of person that I want to be with. 

And Ainsley doesn’t try to apologise to her boyfriend, or try to explain herself any further - she leaves Jin in the hospital, taking the interview footage with her instead. 

“I’m telling my story!” The interview, despite the various dramas around it all, is eventually broadcast. Thanks to Jessica’s well-thrown shoe (seriously), we never get to see the interview in its entirety (which is a great shame, seeing as we only see Ainsley get a few minutes of usable footage in 1x07), but we do get to see the introduction: “Dr Martin Whitley murdered 23 people as the Surgeon, making him one of the world’s most deadly serial killers. I’m Ainsley Whitley for American Direct News and the Surgeon is my father.” 

The clips that we see include Martin's lose of control at being called a terrible father, which strongly implies that at least some of the section concerning Malcolm was kept in; we have no idea if the footage of Jin was used, although I'm assuming that he would have had to give permission for his own surgery to be shown on national television and, given his reaction in the hospital to the footage, I'm equally comfortable assuming that he would not have given such permission. 

While Malcolm tries to watch the interview, possibly to support his sister, possibly to torture himself futher, Jessica is adament that she will not. Her initial plan seems to have been to pretend that it never happened; she only speaks to Ainsley about it when Ainsley pushes past her joking “no comment” to challenge Jessica on her perceived lack of support for her daughter's professional accomplishment. 

This pushes Jessica to have perhaps the most genuine and honest conversation with her daughter about Martin and their past which they had ever had (1x10):  Jessica: Your father destroyed us. Your brother and me. You put him on television and let him talk about it. You have gone and soaked yourself in blood. The press devoured us twenty years ago, and now they are at it again.

This information is given calmly, perhaps even dispassionately: for Jessica, the destruction of herself and her son is a simple matter of fact. Not to be spoken of, of course, but ever-present and utterly undeniable. She does not even become angry until Ainsley accuses her of "playing the victim": "I am not a victim! But there are victims. Real ones. How do you think those twenty-three families feel when they see you on television? And why is the story never about them?"

The story is not about them, of course, because for Ainsley, the story is currently about her. Ainsley's newfound 'ownership' over the Surgeon story is clearly spelled out in the interview's introduction ("the Surgeon is my father"), her reaction to the paparazzi outside her mother's home ("Any breaking news about my family is mine to report") and, finally, in her retort to Jessica's challenges over the entire interview: "I'm telling my story!"

But, as we've discussed earlier, Ainsley doesn't actually have a story with the Surgeon. In the real-crime biography of Martin Whitley, she's a footnote at best. Jessica, who married a monster, Malcolm, who unveiled a monster, the twenty-three or more people who died at the Surgeon's hands, the hundreds of people, including Jin, who had their lives saved by the Surgeon, they all have a story with the Surgeon. Ainsley simply does not. And in her attempts to create one during the first half of season 1, she only really gets anywhere when she uses the stories of others - her casual retelling of the horrific things the victims went through, her reveal of Malcolm's mental health diagnoses, her filming Jin's surgery.

Ainsley’s lack of personal connection to the Surgeon was her greatest asset in a very broken family at the beginning of the series; her attempt to create such a narrative when none organically existed has been the cause of pain for plenty of people other than herself. 

All that remains to be seen is how this narrative - either genuine or manufactured - continues to develop in the second half of season 1. 

[jtrbluv]

perfect harmony | jjk

pairing: jungkook x reader (again oml)

genre: fluff, implied smut ahadhjndkd

warnings: implication of sex

word count: 2.4k

summary: one-night-stand. which according to the trusty urban dictionary means, “hooking up with someone for one night of sex with no strings attached and hoping to never see them again.” you and partner of choice for the night, Jeon Jungkook, have had a handful of one-night-stands. why did this one stand out much more than the rest? college!au

A/N: i didn’t intend on writing another jungkook fic but i had gotten this request and shoot this was for sure a challenge to write hahaha. this is definitely the closest i will get to a ‘smut’. tbh i’m not really satisfied with this but like i’m never satisfied lmao. anyways, enjoy! thank you so much for this request anon!

47) “I thought it was a one-night-stand... and now we’re married.”

♫ ♫ ♫

It’s a rather cliche story. Jungkook was the handsome, seemingly perfect music major that girls of all ages would coo and awe over. You, on the other hand, majored in music as well, and happen to run into the young fellow every day. The two of you were both known to be very well-rounded and talented students, being at the top of the class and both exceeding in the same field. The odds always seemed to be in your favor as you two had never been paired up for any assignments or projects.

While the two of you were at the top of the class, you both had usually gotten paired up with students on the other side of the spectrum that happened to be struggling and failing. You, in particular, had grown accustomed to that, and you had hoped it never changed.

College parties and college boys had led you to have your own fair share of sexual experiences. Most of them being absolutely platonic and lasting for a single night, also known as, a one-night-stand. It happens, and along with Jungkook having the reputation of a seemingly perfect music major with the good grades and teachers following his beck and call, there was another side of him that everyone was aware of as well. That Jungkook with the chiseled body and the washboard abs, known to be good in bed, and also known to be a player. In regards to that information, you avoided him as much as you possibly could outside of school premises. You didn’t want to be the next person on his smash list.

“Miss Y/L/N and Mister Jeon, may I please speak to the two of you at the end of class?” your teacher Mrs. Lam questions the two of you one day as the hem of her skirt brushes along the side of your desk.

You turn around as Jungkook exchange confused stares before looking back at your teacher as you suddenly respond to clear the silence, “Yeah, of course.” She nods in agreement as she travels back to her desk. Your brows furrow in confusion, trying to think of what she was possibly going to talk to you two about. Jungkook taps you on the shoulder as you lean back in your seat to hear what he has to say, “Do you think we did something wrong?” he asks you. You pause for a moment, but not being able to think of any sort of time in this class where you two could’ve possibly caused any trouble. You two have always done the complete opposite in retrospect. You whisper back to him, “Not that I know of. Can you think of anything?” He scrunches his face, trying to possibly recall anything, “Nope, nothing.” You try to think of something, anything,

“I mean, we’re all doing our final projects, but it’s all individual, so it can’t be that,” you suggest.

“Yeah, it can’t be,” he replied. The final project was to compose your own song and it would count for 15% of our grade. Ms. Lam had made it an individual final to the dismay of many students who wished to get the guidance and help from the two of you.

“I guess we’ll just have to find out.”

“Yeah, well, it’s most likely not something bad, if it wasn’t for us, half the class would be failing.”

“You’re right.” you chuckle, turning back to face the front of the classroom.

Twenty-minutes quickly went by as the bell rang and signaled the end of class. Music happened to be your last period which is why she had the time to talk to the two of you. You packed up your belongings as you and Jungkook stood up from your seats. You looked back at him as you nodded at one another and walked up to the front of the classroom.

Ms. Lam looked up from her desk, “Oh, hello. You two aren’t in trouble of any sort, I was just wondering if you were willing to do something extra for the class. You see, the rest of the music department teachers and I are picking the top two students for each class to compose a song together,” she began to clarify.

Together? Oh god.

“It won’t count for your grade at all though. It’s just for us music teachers to see the true potential our top students hold.”

I mean, that’s sort of a relief.

“It also is optional of course too, but almost all the classes are deciding to participate.”

Well, that doesn’t mean we have to.

“After all, the winning duo does win $500,”

WHAT? $500?!

“I know for a fact that if I had an opportunity like this in college, I would snatch it.” she finishes off with a smug smile.

“I’ll do it.” Jungkook quickly replies, looking back at you, waiting for a response. You couldn’t just say no, and you weren’t going to. This is $500 we’re talking about, and you were going to win it.

“Me too,” you hesitantly answer back, a smile spreading onto your teacher’s face.

“The deadline is in exactly 3 weeks! I wish the best of luck to both of you. I believe that you two have a very good chance of winning.” your teacher finishes, as you two exchange ‘thanks’ and head out.

“So, when do you wanna start?” Jungkook asks, looking back at you as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

“I’m basically free whenever. Just text me, and we can figure out times.”

“Will do. We can work at my place if you want, my roommate is usually out until really late, but I’ll let you know,” he suggests.

“Alright, that’s cool, I’ll see you around then.”

“Okay, see you around Y/N.” he responded with his signature smile, heading the opposite direction. This was going to be interesting.

-

The next 3 weeks had gone by extremely quickly. Almost like a blur. Most of your nights were spent in Jungkook’s dorm; exchanging ideas, making beats, writing lyrics, and recording. You two would frequently sneak out just to get some food, and to be honest, you had both gotten comfortable with another fairly quickly. So quickly, it scared you.

There were several nights that you had accidentally fallen asleep in his dorm, and instead of waking you up and having him feel your wrath, he would carry you to his own bed and tuck you in while he slept on the floor. You felt really bad every time it happened, but you seriously couldn’t help it sometimes. You’d wake up to a set of his clothes to wear and walk out to see him stumbling around in the kitchen, hair ruffled and sticking out everywhere, attempting to make you breakfast. It had soon started to become one of the best things you could possibly wake up to in the morning.

You undeniably began to see him in a different light and wanting to be much more than just project partners, but you tried to put those feelings aside. You thought of him differently, and he wasn’t just what everyone thought he was. He was so much more. He was a sucker for love songs. He liked spending most of his free time playing video games and composing songs on his own. He even let you into his private folder of songs that he’s never let anyone listen to and all you can say is, wow. They were all so amazing, it left you speechless every time you listened to some of his works. His compositions were just so timeless and reminded you of all the R&B songs you know and love. His voice. It’s almost as if you’re put in a trance every time you hear him sing. His voice held so much emotion and control, it’s almost as if he truly meant those lyrics and was singing it to someone, and you wished that someone could be you.

You truly did hate the fact that you were falling for the boy. Almost every girl in school has fallen for him, and you didn’t want to be next up on his list. You didn’t really know what to think at this point, he didn’t really seem like that type of person the more you got to know him, and when you truly thought about it, you’re not that innocent either, and sometimes resorting to sex is what you did to take your mind off of things. It is college anyway.

-

You two had met up for your final day before the due date, making minor tweaks and going over everything. Not to be biased, but you really did think that the song you two made was pretty good. You loved the beat and its harmony and you and Jungkook did a pretty good job of displaying the emotions of the song. Bonus points for your voices blending very well together.

It was 1:30 in the morning and you two had finally agreed that you were done,

“Let’s listen to our Grammy Award-Winning single shall we?” Jungkook teased in a voice mimicking a host of an award show.

“Yes, you dumbass.” you chuckled, shaking your head as he gave you one side of his headphones.

You both sat in silence for 4 minutes, assessing the song and basking in the creation that you two made together. Everything worked out just the way you two wanted, and both artistic flavors were shown in the song itself. The song was amazing, and so was his voice, as always.

The song ended as Jungkook slowly put the headphones down before slowly looking back at you. You looked back at him and into his eyes, you hated the fact that you were falling for him and falling for him fast, but how could you not. Everything about him was just so ethereal and beautiful, to the way his eyes glimmered to the way he smiled.

You two sat side by side, staring into each other’s eyes not knowing what to say. You couldn’t take it anymore so you broke the stare, a deep flush of pink rushing to your cheeks. He gently takes your chin and turns your face to meet his once again. Your breath hitches and your eyes go wide at his actions as he starts to lean in. You could see all his features at this point. You had gotten so close that you could probably even count his eyelashes too. You close your eyes lean in as well as your lips meet. The lavender scent of his cologne was dizzying as well as his cherry-flavored lip balm. His lips were soft and pillow-like as they gently massaged your own. The kiss had started off slow but had soon escalated as you both crashed against his sheets and the rhythm of your kisses had started to become faster and faster. Parted lips had allowed access for tongue as he soon started to travel and explore the rest of your body that would later on leave visible marks the next day. Your bodies were pressed against another as you both fumbled with each other’s clothes, quickly throwing them off to the side. You both relished in the indescribable sensation that was each other. The rest of the night was filled with roaming hands and dancing fingers, gentle touches and rough ones too, lustful eyes and moans of pleasure. It was everything you both wanted and needed and more. Fuck, what did you just get yourself into?

You wake up to the sight of his muscular chest in front of your face, reminding you of the chain of events that had occurred the previous night. A twinge of guilt as well as regret rose within you for what you were about to do. Never speak a word to Jungkook again. If you win, you split the money and part ways, and if you don’t, even better. His arms were wrapped tightly around you in a warm embrace, his hair messily hanging in front of his eyes while his lips were slightly parted open. You blindly grab your phone on his nightstand and check the time, it was 4:45 in the morning. More than enough time to slip away and go back to your dorm unnoticed, he was a heavy sleeper anyway. You figured it was better to try to dismiss your feelings for the boy and make an attempt to go on with your life. College was coming to an end and you figured you didn’t want to spend your last weeks drowning in the seas of unrequited love. You’ve had enough of it.

You slowly and carefully try to slip out of his tight hold, resulting in a tiny whimper on his part. Your eyes widen until you see him begin to fall back into his deep slumber. You quietly put your sweats back on, rubbing your eyes in an attempt to actually see. You shove your phone back into your pocket and look back at the sleeping boy. He really was so beautiful and you know a part of yourself would hate the fact that you’re doing this. You step closer to the bed as you lean down towards him, holding your hair back, placing a chaste kiss on his cheek. You took a big, deep sigh, beginning to take in what you were about to do. Goodbye, Jungkook.

-

“Damn, I thought it was a one-night-stand… and now we’re married” you mused, lying down on top of your bed, your husband Jungkook right by your side.

“Yeah, but hey, that song we made together was pretty good, wasn’t it?” he questions you, propping his body up on the bed with his elbow, looking down at you.

“It did win after all,” you nod in agreement, a small grin spreading across your face, reminiscing in the project that brought the two of you together in the first place.

“Soooo,” he chimed, brushing his hair back, “you up for round 2?”

You gasp while your brows furrow in utter shock as you throw a pillow at him and push him off the bed.

I guess some things just end up working together in perfect harmony.

-

-

-

MASTERLIST

[psychoblue9]

More Tokusatsu AU craziness, here’s Violent Athena!  This would be towards the climatic finale of the series...

Saori Kido, heir to the financial empire known as the Graude Foundation, was adopted by Mitsumasa Kido as an infant after the wounded Aries Mu and the dying Sagittarius Aiolos teleported to his mansion’s doorstep with her in tow.  While Aiolos could not be saved, Mu told Mitsumasa that the baby was the reincarnation of Athena and needed to be protected at all costs.  He also told Mitsumasa that the reason they teleported to his estate was that the baby’s mother told Mu that if something were to happen to her, the Kido family would where to go.  

Meanwhile in Sanctuary’s headquarters in the outskirts of Athens, the newly crowned Pope Arles cursed his weakness and entered deep thought.  The baby Athena was not like previous incarnations of their treasured goddess.  Born to the Angel Bilquis and the Gold Saint Aries Mu after a tryst that formed following the two Pantheons joining forces to seal away the treacherous “Lord of Hell” Lucifer, this new baby had the potential to totally unravel whatever hold Sanctuary had over the remaining Pantheons.  When Arles, back then known as the leader of the Gold Saints “Gemini Saga, attempted to tell Pope Shion, he discovered Shion using forbidden arts in an attempt to create artificial Spectres.  The constant stream of blasphemy caused Saga to lose control of his better half, and in a rage Saga slew Shion and took his place in an attempt to “right the wrongs.”

As his rage abated, Saga realized in horror what he had done and quickly set out to discover what Shion had been up to.  As it turned out, Shion was attempting to reverse engineer the “Specterism” plague that befell Sanctuary during the previous Holy War of the 18th Century.  Saga had walked into the final testing stages that would turn a possessed human back into their former self.  Shion had left enough of his notes for Saga to complete the cure, and quickly put the experiment to rest.  Saga decided that he would honor his former Pope by finishing what he started and reclaim Sanctuary’s glory.

After allowing the child prodigy Hornet Milo to kill Bilquis, whom Arles poisoned with dark energy so that she appeared to have gone mad, he attempted to poison the baby Athena, as well.  The goal was simply to present the possessed Athena to his former comrades and cure her in order to boost his cult of personality among the other Pantheons.  Aiolos walked in by happenstance, and in the struggle he learned Arles’ true identity.  Saga quickly overpowered his former comrade and ordered his death when Aiolos snatched Athena from her crib and brought her to Mu.

Finding Athena was easy enough for Arles, who could sense her Holy Cosmo all across the planet, but it was pointless to go after her now.  The window had passed, and he needed to ensure that Sanctuary would not suspect him for foul play.  As he gathered his allies and removed those who may one day rise against him, an even grander scheme formed in his mind.  Perhaps Athena being born of an Angel and a Gold Saint was not a blasphemy, but a blessing in disguise.  When she reached maturity and awakened to her true self, Athena would possess the most powerful vessel ever.  It might even one day surpass the height of Athena’s divine flesh prior to the end of the Age of Myth.

If this vessel could be that powerful...perhaps it would be possible for it to become a vessel for another entity.

19 years later, Saori Kido awakened and her godly Cosmo was felt all across the world.  It would signal a months long campaign for Sanctuary to reclaim the “ripened” Athena from the traitors who whisked her away.  Mu, who had adopted the identity of billionaire weapons developer and head of Graude Foundation’s R&D Division “Mutsuki Zeto,” had prepared two teams to meet Arles’ assault: the noble “Zodiac Knights” led by Pegasus Seiya who fought to protect all innocent life from Sanctuary’s tyranny, and the unrelenting “Zodiac Horde” led by Unicorn Jabu whose sole purpose was to protect Saori and inflict harm upon anyone who put her at risk.

During the conflict, Arles discovered that the Knights’ Andromeda Shun was the vessel for Hades.  Under the advice of his twin brother Kanon, who was now acting as his kagemusha for the Gemini Cloth, Arles waited for Pisces Aphrodite to repot the successful assassination of longtime Sanctuary target Pandora Heinstein, and sent him to Japan for his next mission.  As Aphrodite headed to Japan, Kanon sent a message to Siren Sorrento under the “Sea Dragon” codename that the time had come to awakening their secret God Poseidon.

On the surface, it appeared that Saori’s protector and old childhood sweetheart Julian Solo and her trusted Saint Andromeda Shun were going to be pitted against one another with the hopes that one angry God killed the other.  Shun had been forcibly awakened as Hades with a dart laced with Pandora’s blood, and Julian through the vase containing Poseidon’s seal soul being undone by Sorrento.  Because neither possession was natural, the hold of them was not absolute, and the Zodiac Knights were able to restore their teammate by sealing Hades’ soul within the now-empty vase.  Sorrento volunteered to ensure the vase would not fall into the wrong hands, but two days later Julian discovered his body with no vase in sight.

In reality, Sanctuary had planned this chain of events from the beginning.  Kanon had acquired the Sea Dragon moniker from Sorrento’s late father, whom he had killed to cover his tracks that his “youthful romantic indiscretions” with the fiance of the Solo Shipping Conglamerate’s heir resulted in the birth of Poseidon’s next vessel.  He was imprisoned by his brother when Shion got word of this, but now it was an avenue of Arles’ greatest triumph.  Because he was fathered by a Gemini Saint, it meant that his possession would be a split dichotomy instead of a gradual transformation like Saori into Athena.  This gave the Knights a chance to reason with Julian and work together to stop Hades.  

Now Hades’ soul was sealed entirely within the vase, and Arles quickly went to work on the next phase of the plan as Aphrodite returned to Sanctuary with the vase in tow.  Arles withdrew his troops from Japan and accepted Saori’s proposition for a final showdown.  Three weeks later, Saori and the Zodiac Knights arrived at the Aries Temple, where they were immediately ambushed by 500 of Sanctuary’s best soldiers.  In the conflict, Saori was wounded by an arrow, and Arles telepathically challenged the Zodiac Knights to conquer the 12 Houses if they wished to save her.

As the Knights marched up the temple, the Gold Saints still loyal to Athena hurried to the Aries Temple in an attempt to stop the venom that had entered his bloodstream.  As the final temple was cleared, Libra Dohko had successfully nullified the arrow’s venom, but in doing so sealed the fate of himself, Scorpio Milo, and Taurus Aldebaran.  The venom was only a decoy, a medicine that kept Saori’s soul pure from the true purpose of the arrow.  The reality was that the arrow contained the entirety of Hades’ soul, warped by Arles’ Judeccan Sorcery to be more susceptible to consumption by Saori.

The dark wave of violent intent was felt all the way in the Pope’s Sanctum, where Aries Mu and his protege Knights were on the cusp of victory against the fearsome duo of the Gemini Twins.  Realizing that he would likely never have a chance to admit to Saori that he was so much more to her than just her mentor, Mu used his Starlight Extinction to teleport the Knights as far down the Temple stairs as he could muster.  As for himself, Mu opened a portal to the crawlspace between realities known as “the Void,” and let nothingness swallow himself and the Gemini Twins before they could stop the Knights.

Back at the foot of the Aries Temple, the Zodiac Horde finally arrived to provide reinforcements, but realized it might already be too late.  Instead of Athena taming Hades’ soul with her purity as Saga had hoped, instead the two souls fused together into something new and twisted.  Dohko, Milo, and Aldebaran had been reduced to bloody slush, and in place of the Nike Staff was the Sword of Kers.  Once hailed as a Goddess of Righteous War, Saori Kido had instead turned into an entity of Ultimate Punishment, triggered by even the slightest scent of moral decay.

As the smell of humanity’s sin entered her nostrils, Saori Kido reached for her blade and prepared to begin her judgment of her charges.  Athena had been reborn, and nothing would ever be the same again...

[noodlecupcakeswritings]

Madness is like Gravity - Chapter 6

Warnings: Language, Drinking, Drugs, A very awkward dinner, Oswald is a fucking wine Aunt, Arguing, Tension

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Chapter 6

Emerald’s P.O.V

Jerri and I had both found jobs in the next two weeks. Jerri’s being a little more on the illegal side but I didn’t mind so much. I had found myself a quiet little desk job but it would pay the bills and was giving me the normality I wanted so I couldn’t complain. Jerri had insisted that tonight we go out to celebrate at this new club that had recently opened up. It couldn’t hurt. I changed into a simple black bodycon dress and matching heels. It kinda looked like a mother/daughter duo going to a club.

We arrived around 8:30pm and Jerri headed straight to the bar to get us the first round of drinks. It was nice to let loose and not have to worry about being lectured by some control freak. No more men for now, it was good to stay single and focus on myself for a change. After the first drinks, I ordered some shots. The club was full of people, the music loud enough you had to shout to hear each other.

I checked my phone and noticed a missed text from Oswald. I opened it up and frowned. Would you like to come over tonight? Ed and I miss you. Urgh. I knew exactly what that meant. They didn’t miss me as such. Jerri noticed the frown on my face and raised an eyebrow. I showed her the text and she shook her head. “Let me text him back,” Jerri spoke. “No. I'll just ignore it.” Jerri snatched my phone from me and began texting. I tried to get my phone back from her but she dogged my various grabs. Once she was done she let me have the phone back. I dreaded to think what she had sent.

Go fuck yourselves. Great. “Don’t worry about that short little dick. You’re with me now and we don’t need his fucking money. Nor do we need anything from him anymore. You’re a free woman now,” Jerri explained. That may be true but she didn’t need to send Oswald a rude text. The last thing I needed was him to be pissed off with me. I quickly sent a text back apologizing for the last text.

Jerri came back with another round of drinks, which we quickly downed. She led me over to the dance floor as the song changed. One I actually recognized too. She's Gone Away by Nine Inch Nails. As we danced to the music I began to feel a little odd. I wasn't drunk, this was something else. I brushed it off as to drinking on an empty stomach. I'd be fine. No more drinks tonight. I continued to dance, losing myself to the music.

My stomach continued to feel worse and worse and the dull ache in my head had become a throb. I needed some water or something. I took a step over to the bar and stumbled. I righted myself before trying again. I managed to get across to the bar, my words slow and a little slurred. Thankfully the bar tender couldn’t turn down someone that just wanted water. I downed the glass quickly in the hopes of feeling better sooner rather than later.

I heard sudden loud laughter, flinching at the sound. I glanced over to find a guy dressed in black and white Arkham clothes. I frowned, what the fuck? I'd seen fanboys like him before, what kind of club was I in? I clutched my head as another wave of dizziness hit me, when i looked back over the guy was gone as if he hadn’t been there. Maybe it was just the dark lighting making me see things. Jerri was soon by my side, tugging on my arm. “You ok?” She asked. “I don’t feel so great.”

Jerri didn’t seem to hear me, “listen there’s this guy I want you to meet, he's super cool.” I groaned as Jerri dragged me away from the bar and further into the club, I thought I caught sight of another guy dressed like Jerome, this time wearing the magician suit. I looked back only again he was gone. I really had, had too much to drink. Jerri and I stopped near the back of the club and she sat us down in a booth with what I was guessing was the supposedly ‘cool guy’. His hair was dark and slicked back neatly. He wore all black except for large grey winter coat.

“Emerald meet Dwight. Dwight meet Emerald,” Jerri introduced us. Dwight smiled at me and removed his leather glove to shake my hand. I accepted the gesture, doing my best to try and keep focus. My vision was starting to blur. “Nice to meet you,” Dwight spoke, his gaze intense. I managed a ‘you too’. It felt like the room was spinning and I was gonna throw up. I couldn't do this right now. Jerri and Dwight began talking but it sounded like I was underwater, everything was muffled and distant.

I managed to get Jerri’s attention, “I need to go back to the apartment.” “Your fine, you’ve just had too much to drink.” She dismissed me and continued her conversation. I made a sound of annoyance, the sickness feeling getting worse. I closed my eyes and leaned back in the booth. I took deep breaths, focusing on just my breathing. It still did nothing to make me feel better. I leaned my head on the wall and eventually passed out.

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I awoke in my room, in my bed. My head felt like it was going to explode and I still felt queasy. What the hell had happened last night? How much had i drank? It must have been a lot with this kind of hangover. There was a soft knock on my door and Jerri came in carrying a glass of water and a pack of tablets. “Hey, sleeping beauty, it’s gone two. You really got hammered last night,” she spoke. “Do you remember anything from last night?” “Not really, but that means we must have had a good time, right?” “I feel like something happened.”

Jerri shrugged and handed me the water and tablets. I took two and sat up. How did she seem completely fine if she couldn't remember last night? “I feel like I was drugged or something,” I said more to myself. “Really? You think someone spiked your drink?” “Yeah. I should probably go down to the hospital.” I began to think the worst. If I had been drugged which probably would have been Rufilin, what if I'd been taken advantage off as well.

Jerri frowned, “you think their gonna give a shit about you down at that place. Emerald those rich fucks in this city don’t care about people like us. Trust me when I say that nothing bad happened to you last night. I was with you the whole night and yes whilst your drink may have been spiked, nothing else happened. Look if it makes you feel better I can send some people round to ask questions at the club.” “Would you?” “Honey you know I’ll do anything to make you feel better.” I smiled softly, “thank you.”

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll make you some breakfast. How does an omelette sound? Or are you going to hurl at the mere mention of food?” I made a fake hurling sound, making her laugh, “I think I’ll be able to manage.” She left my room, going to make the omelette. I hope she added plenty of bacon and cheese. I forced myself out of bed and into the shower. The warm water helped to make me feel a bit better. I changed into some comfortable clothes and dried my hair before heading into the kitchen. Jerri set down a plate of food in front of me and sat down opposite me.

I managed to eat about half of it. I didn’t want to overdo it and make myself sick. I glanced at my phone to find a text from Oswald. Please come over tonight. Ed’s insisted on bringing his girlfriend and I need someone who isn’t a complete nerd to keep me company. I snorted. Jerri looked up and I showed her the text. She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “Just another excuse to get you into bed,” she spoke. “I don’t think it is. I don’t see why you don’t like him. He was the one that bailed you out. he gave us this place.” “I’m grateful and all but I don’t like people that think the sun shine out their own asshole.”

I sighed, I knew it was better not to get in to an argument. I text him back. What time? “You’re not going. I mean why would you even want to go? Why would you want to see the bitch that took everything away from you?” Jerri asked. “I’m just doing Oswald a favour. He’s done so much for us, it’s the least I could do.” “Why doesn’t he get that bald freak to keep him company?” Ok now that struck a nerve, “don’t talk about Victor like that.” “Oh, please don’t start defending him as well.” “Jerri if you don’t like them that’s fine but I’m not gonna let you insult them to my face.”

I got up from my seat and headed back to my bedroom. I began to look through my wardrobe for something to wear tonight. Something that could potentially grab a certain someone’s attention…not that I was playing homewrecker at all. But she’d taken him from me, it was only fair to try and do the same. Eventually I picked out a short, off the shoulder dress that showed the right amount of leg and cleavage. And it came in his favourite colour. Green. I curled my hair and put on some makeup before slipping on my heels. My phone buzzed once more. Victor’s on his way to pick you up now

I smiled to myself and headed into the kitchen. Jerri was making herself dinner. She turned to look and me and wolf whistled. “And just a few hours ago you were recovering from a hangover,” she marvelled, “Let me guess Penguin brought that dress for you?” “Don’t start-“ “I’m not, just asking a question.” “Yes, he did, what about it?” “Nothing, just thinking to myself that Jerome would probably like it on you.”

My stomach sank at the mere mention of his name. God why did it still hurt to even think about him? It had been a year and a half since that night and in that time, I had fallen in love twice. It’s not like I was struggling to move on. Yet there was heavy feeling in my chest once more. I guess you never do get over your first love. I forced myself to smile. “He probably would,” I replied. “Well try and have fun tonight. If I get call from the GCPD telling me that you’ve murdered the bitch I’m not going to be surprised.”

My phone buzzed, showing a text from Victor letting me know he was outside. I said goodbye to Jerri and went outside. I got in the car and Victor drove back to the mansion. “I didn’t think you’d make such an effort considering the circumstances,” Victor commented. “Well considering the circumstances maybe I want her to feel uncomfortable.” Victor chuckled, “now now play nice.” I faked offence, “I don’t know what you mean.”

Once we reached the mansion, Victor parked the car and opened the door for me. I headed inside where Oswald greeted me, with a hug. I smiled, returning the hug. “Well don’t you look lovely tonight,” Oswald spoke. “You’re the third person to comment on my dress tonight. Are they already here?” “In the dining room.” “If you said I would have been sooner.” “I’ve managed.” I still felt bad that he’d been left alone with the two of them for god knows how long.

Ed stepped into the hallway and froze as he saw me, looking me up and down. I smiled to myself, tossing my hair back and walking over to him in confident strides. “So, where’s the lucky lady?” I asked. “Emerald-“ he started. I looked into the dining room to find her. She was sat by the fire in a figure hugging simple black dress. Her blonde hair was styled in a cute little updo. She looked like one of those classic Hitchcock blonde beauties. She turned to me and got to her feet to greet me.

She shook my hand and smiled wide, showing her perfect porcelain teeth. “Lovely to meet you Emerald. Eddies told me so much about you,” she spoke. “Sorry, he hasn’t actually told me your name,” I smiled back. She looked over my shoulder at Ed, her smile fading a little, “oh. I’m Isabella.” “Now that we’re all here shall we sit for dinner?” Oswald interjected. Oswald and I sat down opposite the two love birds and soon enough the first course was brought out.

“So, Emerald what is it you do?” Isabella asked me. “Well I’ve just recently started a new job in an office block. Nothing too interesting. What about you? He really hasn’t said much about you.” Her smile faded again, “I’m a librarian.” “So, you’ve read everything?” “Not quite everything, but I do like classic romance novels. Like Romeo and Juliet, Antony and Cleopatra,” she spoke in a dreamy tone, glancing at Ed. “I wouldn’t consider those romantic. I mean didn’t they both end in tragedy,” I held back a wicked smirk. She might fucking end in tragedy if she wasn’t careful. Ed cleared his throat and attempted to steer the conversation in a different direction.

Instead we ate in silence. Once we were all finished and waiting for the main I thought of another topic. “So, Isabella, doesn’t it make you uncomfortable to be the only one who hasn’t been to Arkham Asylum. The only one here who hasn’t killed someone,” I spoke. “Emerald, we don’t have to talk about that,” Ed cut in, glaring at me. “Why? Haven’t you told her?” “Told me what?” She asked. “Stop it!” He snapped.

Oswald was smirking in amusement before taking a sip from his wine. “I want to know,” Isabella spoke. “Well I suppose I have to tell you now. Ed went to Arkham for murdering his ex-girlfriend who looks an awful lot like you. All you’d have to do is dye your hair strawberry blonde and put on some glasses and it would be like seeing a ghost,” I explained. Ed was gripping his wine glass so hard that I’m surprised it hadn’t shattered yet. Various emotions flashed across Isabella’s face. I decided to ‘lighten the mood’. “Hey, it’s not as bad as some of the things Oswald and I have done. We’re probably the more dangerous people at this table,” I smiled.

The second course arrived and we ate in silence. Only small talk was made. Until the third and final course. Isabella had continued to glance at me throughout the main course as if she were trying to read me like one of her romance novels. “I know where I recognise you from now other than Oswald’s mayor campaign,” she spoke. “The news, the papers?” “Yes, weren’t you one of the people that held the children’s hospital charity gala hostage? Along with the other blonde…Barbara Kean and…wasn’t it Jerome Valeska?” Of course, most of my non-Oswald related public appearances would be alongside Jerome. God why was everyone having to bring him up tonight?

“I was,” I spoke, less confidence in my voice, “excuse me.” I got up from my chair and left the dining room. I was not breaking down in front of that bitch. I leant against the wall and took a deep breath to stop myself from crying. I heard footsteps come after me. Probably Oswald to see if I was ok. I turned to see Ed instead. He didn’t look like he was in the mood to comfort me either. Once he was close enough to talk to me in angry hushed whispers, he pushed me against the wall hard.

“Are you trying to ruin my relationship with Isabella because your still bitter?” He hissed. “I don’t know what you mean. I’m just telling her the truth. Maybe I should tell her how you didn’t even bother to actually break up with me first before getting with her.” “You told me that you were ok-“ “And I was fucking lying to get you away from me. I couldn’t stand to be around you. I’m still hurting and I’m going to be for a while, don’t you dare expect me to just get over it.” His grip on my shoulders loosened a little, “you still didn’t need to tell her those things.” “Well look at it this way. She hasn’t run out of here screaming for help. You’ve got yourself a keeper.”

I shoved him back and headed for the door. I grabbed my coat from the coat rack and quickly put it on, fastening the buttons. “Emerald,” Ed called after me. I sighed and rolled my eyes before turning back to face him, “what?” “I still care about you.” I felt my shoulders slump at his words. Why? Why the fuck did he have to say that? I felt like screaming at him. Talk about toying with my emotions. Asshole.

Taglist: @my-world-of-imagines, @belathora, @edweirdoddlepot

[stylessemantics]

X. Something About Sharing

Also called: Sharing is Caring Prompt: All Harry has ever known is to share with y/n. and vice versa. So when she’s knocking on his door, betrayed by a business/job opportunity and now needing a place to stay, he’s glad he’s chosen a one bedroom flat because all he knows is to share with her, to the point where they are both sure they are currently sharing her pain and his happiness to help her get to a happy middle and feel better, but Harry doesn’t know if she’s also sharing that heavy thudding of his heart that is suddenly very loud.

Notes: May have a part two. 

In which Harry and Y/N share pretty much everything.

All Harry and y/n have ever known is to share with each other. When he was younger Anne worried that Harry, even though sweet and caring, was never into sharing much with other kids in his class or even with his sister Gemma, but that had seemed to flip 180 when y/n’s family moved right in front and something in little Harry’s mind sort of triggered. He would claim that it was unfair he had a sister and y/n had no one, so he took it as his job to make sure she felt that. Whatever it was, Anne was grateful Harry was learning the valuable “sharing is caring” lesson after all.

No one expected the duo to be so tight, but Harry and y/n kept surprising people through the years as they stumbled through every single stage with the other close behind, holding their hand, to the point where Gemma thought maybe her mom had given birth to twins that were now reuniting. The bond only grew stronger, along with them, making it seem like Y/N and Harry sort of shared everything, from material things, like toys and clothes and even food – half of their closets at each others’ place, and no smoothie gone without two straws – to not so material things, like their actual feelings. To them, there was no point in being afraid, there was always someone there to go through it all with. Everything good was enhanced, everything bad was split into survivable doses.

It was freaky that y/n knew when Harry was feeling down before even seeing him – well, it was already freaky to see one without the other close by to begin with, but nevertheless, the bond was sort of telepathic – and how Harry knew exactly what y/n was craving while on her period and he stopped on his way home from soccer practice to buy it for her. How they managed to not get sick at the same time was beyond people’s minds – except there was that one time when they both caught the chicken pox and were quarantined together in y/n’s room for a week, not that anyone could complain –

Sharing with each other was all they knew, all through grade school and high school, to picking the same colleges – shocking everyone by choosing different majors, but they are, after all, two separate individuals no matter how little it seemed like it – and working together at the bakery down the block and saving up to share a flat through uni years. 

Sharing with each other was the closest thing to home they had, no matter where they were.

Living with Harry was easy for y/n. And vice-versa, especially after having had a taste of it with the whole chicken pox thing. What wasn’t easy was knowing in the back of their heads that when uni ended, at some point, they would eventually have to split. Harry knew keeping in touch with y/n would always be easy, but he wondered if it would be the same after having so much of her, for so long. And just like they thought, eventually they moved out to one bedroom flats, a few towns and 5 hour car ride away from each other, in order to grow as functioning members of society and keep a job. None of their friends understood why they picked one bedroom flats – and frankly, when asked, neither did them – even though unconsciously, they both felt like having more bedrooms would make the place too big, and hoped that whenever the other visited they could just slot together into one bedroom and share everything like they had always known to.

And then, the time to share an incredibly small, but somehow comfortable space – in Harry and y/n’s terms – came around 

Y/N had jumped at the chance of a new job. While she was ok at her old one, she wasn’t fully happy or pushing her full potential, it was time for a change, time to move up the chain and do better things. And the best part was that it meant some great news for her and Harry. She had packed all her bags and wanted to keep the surprise until last minute, but she couldn’t contain herself the moment Harry facetimed her like he did every other day.

“I’ve been shat on by a bird fo’ the second time this month, y/n” was the first thing he said when she answered, and she rolled her eyes at the statement. “Classy, Harold. Real nice” “Tell tha’ t’the bird! Going ‘round like tha’” “I’ll hand-wash it if you need me to, stop whining” “Yeah, I’ll send you a shit-stained shirt by post, return it nice and clean, please” Harry mocked and dismissed her comment as he settled himself on his desk at work. She could tell he was at his office by the decor on the walls behind him. He worked at a creative boutique, designing for magazines and blogs of different brands and he claimed it was a very creative and relaxed place to work at. Normally during lunch time he was alone and used the time to call y/n. “There might be no need for that” she double tapped her phone to switch to the other camera, showing Harry all her belongings in boxes and bags, bare walls and closed curtains. “Where’re yeh going?” “I might have been offered that job I mentioned last month” she tapped back to the front camera so she could catch Harry’s face as he pieced together the information. Last month, she had briefly spoken about a job opportunity, one so incredibly good, Harry joked it couldn’t be legit, but quickly got on board with when she told him it meant it could also move her to his same town and put them at a tolerable 20 minute distance – which compared to how they grew up as neighbours and lived together through uni, was still very much, but not as much as being 5 hours away – and giving them the chance to do what they knew best, be close to each other. 

“No fucking way!” He exclaimed, jolting up from his seat and adjusting his headphones, making sure he heard her correctly. “Surprise!” Harry’s hand was covering his jaw dropped mouth. Y/n would be so much closer. Something felt so right about that, despite whatever doubt any of them had about the new job. He was trying to hold back tears, too emotional to deal with the information he was being handed. “When do yeh get here?” “Tomorrow!” and they continued chatting giddily until Harry was called back to work by his boss, hanging up under the promise that y/n would go directly to his place upon setting foot in his town. She had a copy of his keys anyways, and was welcomed to invite herself in and make herself comfortable after her meeting with her new boss.

But that didn’t happen. 

The following day, Harry took off early from his work to try and be home to receive y/n, after she’d sent him a text that the meeting seemed like it would take longer. And a bit longer turned into a lot longer and a lot longer and a lot longer, for it was starting to get dark outside and Harry’s anxiety was about to bubble over before there was a knock on his door. He immediately expected the worst. Y/N had keys to his place for god’s sake, there was no need to knock, ever. But he put on a smile, because the most important part was that she was finally there, and he opened his door ready to engulf her in his arms, something he realised she needed the moment her angry face and glistening cheeks caught his eye. She didn’t get to spit a full word out when Harry had wrapped himself around her and rubbed calming circles on her back. She didn’t need to say a word. Harry just got it.

He pushed and pulled her bags inside his warm flat, as best he could with one hand, the other still holding onto her frame, refusing to let go. Her belongings long forgotten by the entrance as he carried her to his bed where he could properly cuddle her and hopefully help her feel better. She continued sobbing softly, although the look on her face let Harry know she wished she wasn’t crying over whatever it was that was happening. Harry knew she was upset, he didn’t have to see her, he could sense it, and he also knew these tears were not ‘I missed you so much’ tears. Something had happened.

It wasn’t until after a cup of warm tea and some crackers that y/n finally sighed, ready to tell. Something short of an hour had passed and Harry never pushed, only shushed her little whimpers, knowing she would tell whenever she felt ready to tell. The best thing of knowing each other so much is how soothing the other can be. He didn’t need to ask anything; he knew what tea to make, how to make it, with how many blankets she’d want to be wrapped around and what film he’d eventually slip on the dvd player to cheer her up. He knew which one of his fuzzy socks she’d like to wear and what snack she’d love to have and he’d stocked up the night before after learning the news of her move. He was ready for everything and anything. Even for this, still unknown, upsetting thing.

“It was a scam” she hummed at the end of her tale. The job offer that both her and Harry briefly worried over, turned out to be just that. The too good to be true thing y/n and Harry had naively called it. And now, just how they had overlooked those details because the promise of being close again seemed worth every aching wave, they felt defeated. Sure, Harry would be fine after all, but he didn’t grow up sharing everything with y/n not to feel as betrayed and exhausted as her over this. They shared feelings in a spiritual level not even they understood, but learned to accept and work with. They would share her pain, and perhaps it would make it easier for her to handle, that’s how wonderful their friendship was.

Harry reached over his counter, caressing her cheek with his thumb, the palm of his hand resting warm on her face as he soothed her once more. “It’ll be okay, y/n” he whispered but she didn’t believe it. What was she going to do? She had moved her whole life for this job, it was an irreversible trap and now she had… “I have nothing” she buried her face in his chest, full body flush against him in look for comfort, and he let her get it out of her system.

Well. She had something, she realised as Harry kissed the top of her head. “You have me, okay? And you always will” and she nodded, knowing well that it was true.

It was in an embrace as tight as that one they shared in his kitchen, that they laid in his single bed for the night, deciding to catch some sleep and calm down. The single bed was a grand idea, any more space and they would feel like seas apart. This was more than enough. The closeness was all they needed to relax.

For the first time since he’s known y/n, Harry found it impossible to sleep next to her. Something was off, and it wasn’t the fact that she had lost it all. It wasn’t that she didn’t know what she would do, for she knew that she had a home with Harry if she ever needed it, and most likely that’s what was going to happen until she got back on her feet, and while she would hate to be a burden, they both knew the plan wasn’t as insane, and she knew in the back of her head Harry would never feel like she bothered him.

Even so, something felt askew. It didn’t have to do with her, but with him.

His chest ached. It was a weird sensation. He had it the night before and assumed it was excitement over seeing his best friend again, but it hadn’t calmed down since her arrival, if anything it had doubled – tripled even – and he didn’t know what was going on. What confused him tenfold was the fact that she slept soundly. He was glad, don’t get him wrong, she needed it and deserved it after such a day. But it was strange that he was feeling something that he couldn’t place, something so bizarre, so strong, and their almost magical bond had not woken her up from her slumber as it did Harry.

He didn’t know what it was but it choked him up more when y/n cuddled up to him, arm resting on his chest, breathing hitting his neck, legs crossed over his, tangled in a mess of long limbs. He felt warm, like he needed air, but he was worried he’d wake her. Whatever it was, it was too strong to ignore any longer. It would be a lie to say he didn’t have a single clue as to what he was feeling. He refused to name it for months, but he couldn’t deny it any longer.

All he’s ever known is to share with y/n. From material things to memories and feelings. Tears of fear and anxiety threatened his eyes when he thought that maybe, just maybe, there was one feeling they weren’t sharing. That there was one emotion that wasn’t as strong in both their bodies like every other one was. They shared it all, but maybe they didn’t share the heavy thud of his heart against his ribcage. So strong he’s surprised she cannot hear. Maybe they don’t share the complete adoration Harry has for her.

And Harry was terrified of it.

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think please! This will have a part two and instead of leaving all of you in the suspense and since I've written a lot of things where Harry doesn’t get the girl in the end, you guys can rest assured that something good will happen for this one. 

Smooches - Iv. x Masterlist || My Ask

[elizabethrobertajones]

“The Most Meta Finale”  Or, on trying to disown old canon since season 11.

To be honest, I was going to spend today re-watching some season 6 episodes to see if I could come up with a much more modest plausible theory about the reason there was so much AU and time travel nonsense especially in the latter half of the season, was because of a theme of shattering canon, quite deliberately. In a way of staking a claim but also washing hands of messing up the stuff that came before. And instead I ended up giving myself a migraine seeing canon since season 5 as something that's been repeatedly disowned and carefully distanced from over and over.

In 5x22 Chuck ends the story with his definitive THE END on the whole mess. Of course it's a bit ridiculous because season 6 was already long foretold and the story was going to have to continue. But Chuck sits there representing the author, in a very unsubtle way, with his finished drink, finished manuscript, and all cleaned up, washing his hands of the Chuck the Prophet persona and going on to chill out and enjoy the ~finished story~

6x15, though, represents in the most meta ridiculous ways the trouble the show felt, or lampooned itself being stuck with, having to continue on into season 6, with the theme in 6x15 and then seriously in 6x20, being what to do when the original story was over, and how to continue on. In The French Mistake "Bob Singer" dismisses the entire idea of season 6 out loud, rolling his eyes at the fact they're continuing to make the story. At the end of the episode he is killed off, and "Kripke" is taken out with much dramatic fanfare (and the same music as 6x18's cowboy confrontation, which amuses me no end and is another weird link between the episodes about travels in time and space, testing the bounds of the universe they're written in, and breaking them.) Of course killing "Kripke" off is the very unsubtle message about the death of the author, a metatextual image that goes with God leaving the story and sending it off into the wild. Kripke (the real one) wrote 6x22 as his final episode, before leaving it all in others' hands since then. On pretty much every level of the story it's handed off to writer after writer.

I think it's interesting that the "original story" is captured within the show as the Winchester Gospels (and my tag for that has plenty of amusing exploration of the ways this makes canon fascinatingly more complex) - but also that it makes SUCH a clear divide between the Original Story aka the subject of the Gospels, and what comes after. Charlie giggles in delight at discovering that the seemingly random hunters she meets later in their story have been the subject of the books and have such a meta backstory, and in 8x20 their lives are turned into a low key conflict between the real and the novelised in the way Charlie interacts with them. 

In 10x05 they see their lives from the outside, Marie's canon which echoes their lives up to the point the Original Story ends, and we get another line which is one of my favourites in that episode, dismissing everything that comes after 5x22 as terrible fan fiction. Not that Calliope thinks she did much better...

I've written somewhere else about the meta episodes or characters such as Metatron showing the writers' anxiety about taking on the story, and it often comes with this deep horror of the weight on them to continue the story, the meta story within the story also making this shove on them that shackles them to this narrative of the Original Story. I also should have really included Metatron being waved off into the Empty or wherever in between Chuck's disappearances but I ran out of gif space up there... 

Rewatching 11x20 recently I was deeply struck by how alike Metatron and Chuck are even down to their little curly haired vessels, though of course with wonderfully acted different bearings to make their personalities and place in the story clear. 

Metatron has his own huge part to play in representing the story and the deep, deep anxiety they had about following on from it. In 9x18 Metatron burns a copy of Tall Tales while trying to stand above the old canon, and Chuck takes him to task for it in 11x20, and Metatron folds and admits he's a terrible copy-cat writer, the anxieties you can see all over his appearances in Carver era while trying to wrangle the story in his favour. And in the end Chuck leaves his desk with a manuscript on it again just like in 5x22, though this time going to what he thinks may be his end:

These moments of trying to end or box off old canon with Death of the Author moments are incredibly numerous. We have Chuck leaving in 5x22, "Kripke" dying in 6x15, the entire plot of 10x05 being about Calliope coming to consume the author, and the meta nonsense there, and then Metatron's death, Chuck slated to die but saved by network panic about what you can and can't show on screen... 

This shot of Chuck was a zoom out in comparison to the zoom in on dead "Kripke", but feels very similar, especially with Amara having raged at him about the story, after in 11x20 Chuck refused to allow it to be her story. Of course the resolution allows the suppressed, forgotten, fridged feminine side of the story to be released, and Mary is brought back. And after Chuck and Amara - now joint authors of the story with her action to bring Mary back creating the narrative of season 12 and flipping the influence from the douchey male creator to the women whose stories were never told, we've had ANOTHER absconding of the authors of the story, once again leaving the story in a sort of 5x death of the author situation, and once again like season 6, which season 12 mirrored in many ways, scrambling to understand their ends of the story.

I think the destruction of old canon seems almost like a necessary sort of household chore on the story - a chance to try and reclaim it, to put it into the hands of new author figures within the story, and an attempt for those left behind after showrunners and enormous creative influences like Edlund (who set Metatron up to go, threw him at the story, and left) or Robbie (who set Chuck up, threw him at the story, and left) have gone. Once Carver left somewhere before the end of season 11, we entered the rather strange world of the first time since season 2 not having part of the "Carver Edlund" duo the show's own God was named after on the writing team, and Dabb, who had been with the show almost as long as Carver and written more episodes than any other writer by like, the end of season 10, so will probably hold that title forever now, was left to remove the characters related to all this from the show, to start fresh.

And it seemed like everyone was having a stab at telling the story - the BMoL in particular twice referenced 9x18 and Metatron in a bid to wrangle control of the story with face on talking to the camera asking for stories or typing them - although lampshaded that the story really wasn’t going their way.

I find it really fascinating then to look back to season 6 and these other examples of trying to disown and distance the story from the old canon, to try and strike out and say the story now belongs to someone else, that these old parts of it are no longer our parts of it, though they influence us and we draw from them. If season 6 was using these AUs and time travel stories (The French Mistake, My Heart Will Go On and Frontierland) to explore the shattering of the world (before 6x21 and 6x21 explored smashing open Purgatory and bringing in new monsters and new plotlines to change the game for season 7), then season 12 referencing the most meta of all these examples when bringing in its own AU seems to me to be very deeply relevant.

The premise of the AU is one that in a way wipes the slate clean - removing the Winchesters, their entire influence, trashing every single word in those gospels, so the story can never happen that way, in a way is the freshest start so far. If season 13 focuses on characters like Michael or Bobby's experience of this AU and give us another history, an explanation of where it all went different, which all seems fairly likely at this point that we should learn more and understand the motivations and lives lead in the Winchesters' absence, then I think this really will live up to the threat that this was the most meta finale yet. A throwaway reference to the French Mistake doesn't SEEM to make it all that meta on the surface. But in the immediate context of the episode, the AU's description, of being turned on Mary's deal not being made, was used to absolve her and lift up Sam and Dean in the context of their own world - that they'd made the right choices, that they had authored their own world far better than it would have been without them.

I am very curious to see what Dabb does with his clean slate, after he used season 12 to try and tie up as many loose ends as humanly possible, and churn up references to almost every part of old canon into the story to give it another hearing, another perspective, another chance to be told. I think season 12 was very much the tidying away season and an AU with potentially completely different rules, and definitely an entirely other history and sets of characters, is an interesting way to re-make the show in... something's image. I suppose these thoughts are for revisiting in the aftermath of the end of the season and whatever that ends up bringing...

[shuuenmatsuri]

@colored-in-sapphire

HELLO I HOPE YOU HAD A GOOD TIME THE PAST FEW DAYS WHETHER YOU CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS OR NOT. i, a person who no longer uses tumblr, am your secret santa here to deliver the ca and db content. sorry i can’t write e-noru or b-ka so i just did this. there’s no were near as much c-ta kicking in this compared to last year, but i hope you enjoy this nonetheless! 

A few weeks before Christmas, C-ta arrived early to the abandoned school building as always. After tossing his bag onto a random desk, he sat down and took out his phone. He had about ten minutes before A-ya would come in. There wasn’t much to do besides respond to some texts from his classmates.

To his confusion, only three minutes had passed when he heard footsteps. A small part of him felt anxious (the stories a-ya tells can get scary sometimes, but he’d take that to his grave), but he didn’t move. Those stories were just that in the end, stories. So, there’s no phantom coming by right now.

As he expected, the footsteps didn’t belong to some apparition. It was just D-ne. She rarely came early, preferring to find B-ko first and walk over together. D-ne only ever came early to mess with him. But when she put her stuff to the side and leaned on the desk, facing the door, C-ta thought that she may just honestly be early for once. Maybe B-ko was busy, and–

“B-ko and I are going Christmas shopping together!”

And right as he thought that, she had to say something. he would’ve ignored her, if it wasn’t for her grin. It was as if she was mocking him—scratch that, it’s D-ne. Of course, she was mocking him. Why else would she come here when no one else was around? This happened every single time.

“Try announcing that to people who would give a shit, and not me, thanks,” he says with a scoff, turning his attention back to his phone. God, why did he ever come here early? Wait, it was so he could be here when A-ya came. Right. He tried not to sigh. Showing weakness in front of D-ne was dangerous, because she’d never stop poking at him about it.

“It’s a date, you know. A date. I’m going on a date with B-ko, and you aren’t going anywhere with A-ya, are you?” she said, her grin never faltering. How did such a small smile look so big and pompous? Were the levels of smugness inversely related to smile sizes?

“As if I’d tell you of all people anything about my plans. I wouldn’t put it past you to show up randomly and ruin everything,” he replied, sending a glare her way. C-ta knew the glare would do nothing to her, but he wanted to send one nonetheless.

Footsteps stopped D-ne from speaking further. They both turned their direction to the door and saw the other two members of their group walking in. Immediately, D-ne went over to B-ko. Now, C-ta was by no means religious, but the relief of not needing to speak to D-ne anymore was strong enough for him to consider thanking some higher power. Whatever that stopped D-ne from talking deserved thanks.

He drowned out the conversation the two girls were having and asked A-ya about any new rumors. That sent A-ya into his usual storyteller mode, calling for everyone’s attention. Did he make any acknowledgement at D-ne’s frown? Of course not. Did it satisfy him immensely? Absolutely. Petty revenge was wonderful.

The four of them spent a little more than an hour conversing about rumors. Somewhere in that hour, A-ya went on a mini-rant about how the holiday season made people even more interested in boring fluffy romance.

“Even more than usual, all people want to hear about are about dates or other mundane things. I can’t even get a word in edgewise to start any rumors, not even when people start asking about B-ko or—”

“Don’t you dare spread more rumors about me, jerk!”

“I just said I couldn’t do anything. Even that chatty classmate of mine didn’t take the bait. It’s annoying. This entire season is annoying.”

Though this kind of topic would make normal people unhappy—speaking negatively of good things tended to upset people, after all—C-ta couldn’t help but smile. It was just so refreshing to see A-ya get worked up over something (though to everyone else, there was no difference from the usual pessimism. but c-ta knew). And when B-ko questioned about any potential Christmas-esque ghosts, A-ya just sighed more.

“None. There’s only the typical movies which sometimes feature ghosts and have zero scare potential. And those aren’t rumors to begin with, so there’s nothing.”

The meeting ended soon after, A-ya having no more interesting stories to tell or things to rant about, and the four of them split into their respective duos. C-ta heard snippets of the girls’ conversation as they left, picking out where to shop in a few days. A-ya heard too, if the blank stare locked onto their retreating figures meant anything.

“Do you want to go anywhere for Christmas, A-ya? With your parents or something?” C-ta asked as they began walking out.

“My parents got off work for once because they wanted to celebrate as a family, so there’s that planned. There’s nothing else besides that, and I don’t really want to do anything else.”

Disappointment made C-ta sag for a second, before quickly bouncing back up. He couldn’t let A-ya see that. But honestly, hearing that A-ya’s parents were off was a shock. For a while, C-ta’s dragged A-ya into spending Christmas with his family instead. Guess not this year. “Oh? No plans for some rumor spreading in the markets?”

“Like I said, everyone’s too focused on holiday cheer this year for that to have any effect.” A-ya made no mention or reference to C-ta’s sad display, thankfully. Instead, all the other boy did was frown.

C-ta used all his willpower to not laugh. A-ya just looked so unhappy, like some frustrated cat! He still smiled though. He smiled all the time, so it wouldn’t seem out of place. Unfortunately, that smile turned anxious at his friend’s next words.

“Maybe I should bury you in snow this year. There’s got to be some sort of spirit summoning that involves that.”

“Please don’t.”

The days after followed a similar pattern, up until the school released them for a break. On the last day of school, the group somehow ended up discussing their plans. This was a surprise for two reasons: one, plans like this were usually discussed earlier than this, and two, C-ta did not anticipate this group having this talk. But here they were, discussing winter plans as if they were like all the other students.

“D-ne and I are going shopping. I thought it’d be nice just going around some malls or plazas and seeing the decorations. Not on Christmas day, of course. Nothing’s open then, and I’m having dinner with my family.” B-ko said, starting the conversation. When she finished, she looked at the others expectantly.

“I’ve been invited to a few parties here and there, and people begged me to at least come, so I have that. I don’t plan on staying at any for more than an hour, though. I doubt any will be fun,” C-ta said, realizing that neither of the other two would start talking first. “I also celebrate with my family, and usually A-ya would join, but…”

“My parents managed to get time off so we’re together for once,” A-ya supplied, giving a light shrug.

Oh, C-ta did not like that smile D-ne had. It was just like the grin she had a few weeks ago. “Oh, so you’re not spending any time with C-ta this break? What a shame. I didn’t think you guys would go anywhere, but I expected something at least.”

“I’m surprised too! Maybe you guys can do something else before or after Christmas? Like playing in the snow,” B-ko said, with considerable less malice than D-ne. Her interjection was fast enough, and idea filled him with enough dread that he couldn’t boil over D-ne’s mockery.

“I do not want a repeat of me getting buried in snow.”

The others laughed at that (a-ya only had a small smile but c-ta will count it as a laugh), despite him finding no humor in this whatsoever. He got sick a couple days after last year’s impromptu snowball fight. Sure, there were some good moments, but he spent the rest of the break sick and miserable. He couldn’t even get out of bed to check on A-ya most of the time. What if something happened? It was a terrible week.

“I think that suited you, though.”

“I don’t acknowledge your opinions, witch.”

The conversation continued with more references to C-ta’s misfortune last year. D-ne spent half of the time smirking at him instead of focusing purely on B-ko, which he ignored. He refused to respond to her taunts (and they were taunts, even if she directed nothing at him). When the meeting finished, B-ko and D-ne left first like usual. Despite the holiday, everything seemed to go by as usual.

Except for the actual holiday, in which C-ta would not be spending with A-ya. Despite knowing for weeks, the thought still brought about a bitter taste in his mouth. Or maybe as the day drew closer, the more it ate at him. He wasn’t angry at A-ya’s parents by any means, but it just felt so… unreal to him. It was only one holiday, and it’s not like the two spent every moment together, and yet…

It felt so off. It felt so wrong. And C-ta hated this feeling. It was like a carpet was suddenly yanked out from under him, or he had no balance.

Even their walk home, filled with their usual banter did nothing to reassure him. Nothing’s changed, they were still best friends, everything’s the same… Like B-ko said, they could plan something else to make up for it. But whatever they planned wouldn’t be the usual Christmas together. It wouldn’t. And maybe that’s why C-ta couldn’t bring himself to ask about it as the two walked into their houses.

A few days passed by uneventfully until the 23rd. Today, D-ne would meet up with B-ko around 1 P.M. and they’d start their trip around town. The plan was to start at the mall, look through all the shops, and then move to some plazas to look at decorations. She brought enough money with her to buy one or two things to not seem suspicious; the idea was to go Christmas shopping, but that was just an excuse to spend time with B-ko.

Thinking about how great it would to be with B-ko alone for several hours and imagining how cute B-ko would be, D-ne arrived at their meeting spot twenty minutes early. There was no way she’d make B-ko wait in the cold! And there was also no way she wouldn’t wave to B-ko as soon as she came, so D-ne just kept a lookout.

To her excitement, she saw B-ko walk over ten minutes before their meeting time. She knew B-ko would come early, but ten minutes early? Maybe she was as excited as D-ne. Just maybe. With a smile, she called out to B-ko and began waving. B-ko smiled in return as she rushed her way over.

“Jeez, I thought ten minutes would be early enough! You haven’t been here for long, have you?” B-ko asked, smoothing her clothes. She looked adorable.

“No, no! I just got here myself!” D-ne said, laughing lightly. Moving closer to knock shoulders, she pointed to the mall. “Shall we go?”

The smile B-ko gave her could melt glaciers. If only she could’ve taken a picture of the moment. “Of course!”

They walked to and through the mall rather close together, partly because it was cramped, and partly because D-ne wanted to brush arms together. B-ko didn’t seem to notice, or care. Hopefully it was the latter. The shops had nothing of interest, especially not when B-ko was with her, but D-ne spent some time away from B-ko in the shops. It’d look a bit too suspicious, a bit too much like a certain boy.

Being separated also meant there were chances for B-ko to find something interesting and walk over to show it to her. D-ne took these as opportunities to take a picture (with permission, of course) under the guise of sending whatever item B-ko picked up to the others. It wasn’t really a lie, since D-ne did send some pictures with mocking captions to C-ta (cropped, so none of b-ko. he didn’t deserve any pictures of her).

Unfortunately, D-ne stopped after a few pictures, because she got too distracted. Whenever B-ko rushed over to here with a cry of “Hey, D-ne!” or “D-ne, look at this!”, she felt too giddy to do much besides pay attention. And sometimes, whenever B-ko handed something to D-ne, their fingers touched. There was nothing else she could do besides go along with B-ko’s pace.

By the time they finished looking through all the shops, several hours passed. It was half past four and the sun began to set. D-ne couldn’t believe that time went by so quickly, but she was snapped out of it when she felt something warm on her hand.

B-ko was holding her hand.

She made out some words like “too many people,” “gotta get to the plazas,” and “might get lost.” But as they walked out of the mall, all D-ne could focus on was B-ko’s hand in hers. She couldn’t even think, her mind was blank. Without realizing, she squeezed.

B-ko squeezed back.

Somewhere along the way, the two girls found themselves on a decorated street. The soft white lights strung around wrapped around lampposts and hovered above. D-ne came to a stop, causing B-ko to look at her with confusion.

“B-ko, the lights are so pretty!”

“Oh, yeah! I’m surprised to see the street so decorated, but it’s nice.

“Hey, let me take a picture of you here! It’d be perfect!”

“H-Huh? Well, if you really want to…”

They had to let go of each other’s hands, but D-ne found it to be a necessary evil. She could always try holding B-ko’s hand after, too. But this was a one-time opportunity for the photo. Taking out her phone, she pointed the shutter at B-ko. With the lights glowing behind her and her smile, B-ko really did look like an angel.

After taking several shots for good measure, D-ne told B-ko she was done. Putting away her phone, D-ne had no idea what the other was doing.

So, her face when she felt B-ko wrap an arm around her waist and heard B-ko go “say cheese!” was one of utter surprise. She heard the shutter go off, but B-ko still didn’t let go.

“Hey, I want one of you smiling too!”

She burst into the biggest smile of her life.

Though D-ne forgot about the pictures she sent because of the rest of her night, the reluctant recipient did not. C-ta was downright pissed at all the pictures she sent, with messages geared to pointing out how he wasn’t doing anything with A-ya. She stopped after six, but it was infuriating nonetheless. And since he wasn’t doing anything with A-ya, there was nothing to distract him from his annoyance.

Hell, he couldn’t even check up on A-ya most of the time! Since his parents were off, A-ya spent his time around them in the kitchen or the living room. It’s not like A-ya was never in his room, but he wasn’t there enough! What was C-ta supposed to do?

Sure, there were the parties his classmates were holding, but he would barely ever go to them normally! And when he was in this shitty of a mood? No. Absolutely not. Instead, C-ta spent his days up until Christmas moping around (but not enough for his parents to think anything of it, oh god no).

And when he woke up to a Christmas day where A-ya wouldn’t be coming over?

It felt like shit.

Reluctantly, C-ta got up before his parents came banging at his door for not being awake on this fine, cheery, wonderful Christmas day. He need time to shape his face into something presentable. Dunking his face into water was a good start.

He came out of the restroom to see his parents setting up the table for three. Three. He felt his stomach sink. This was the fucking worst. And to his horror, his parents noticed his face fall. They reassured him, but he refused to listen, zoning out their words. He put on a smile, of course, but he didn’t want to hear anyone say it’ll be alright and he could spend time with A-ya later. It didn’t change how A-ya wasn’t here now.

The dinner was agonizing. It took all C-ta had to not look at the empty seat, acting as if everything was fine to his parents. They ate slowly while they spoke, and C-ta slowly eased into the same persona he put on in class. He shoved down all his negativity. He’d acknowledge it later, but not now, not now, not in front of others.

When the meal was over with, his parents suggested a movie. C-ta bit the inside of his mouth. He wanted to rush over to his room instead and check if he could see A-ya, but he knew that it was pointless. So, he agreed, and they all sat together on the couch and watched some run-of-the-mill romantic comedy. His parents enjoyed it at least, and focused on the movie completely. It gave him some time to zone out again, and this time he thought of nothing.

Without him realizing, his parents went on a bit of a movie marathon. Did he just waste several hours doing nothing…? Looking at the clock told him yes, yes, he did. God. It was late enough to start cooking dinner, so he offered to help his parents. He didn’t actually want to cook, but he just needed to do something.

He tried not to think while he helped. He tried not to think of when he was a kid and baked Christmas cookies with A-ya. He focused on cutting the vegetables perfectly, on getting the exact amount of liquid in the measuring cups. And when dinner came along, he just ate food and listened closely to his parents. By giving himself enough stimulus, he could distract himself.

But when the day was over, and nothing was to be done, there was nothing he could use as a distraction. When his parents finally decided to turn in, C-ta rushed up to his room. The utter dejection he felt when he couldn’t see A-ya made his throat burn. He thought being sick for weeks last year was bad? He’d take that over this in a heartbeat.

When he threw himself on his bed, he couldn’t fall asleep. It didn’t surprise him at all—he spent today doing nothing, so how could he be tired. With a sigh, he sat up against the wall and took out his phone. He read the texts he got from his classmates, most of them pictures of the parties he missed. There were some holiday wishes, the goddamn pictures D-ne sent…

He got a phone call.

C-ta blinked, doing nothing for a few seconds besides letting the phone vibrate in his hand. He was too out of it to read the caller ID, but maybe it was important. With a sigh, he rubbed his eyes and saw—

“A-ya?!”

“Don’t yell.”

When he realized who it was, C-ta pressed answer as soon as he could. He spent so much time just looking at his phone, and the call could’ve stopped at any moment. Belatedly, he realized he was shaking.

A-ya called him. He called him! This meant something, this meant that A-ya missed him, or A-ya was thinking of him, or something. C-ta felt like he was in space, like he was floating. After a day of not hearing A-ya’s voice when he should’ve been here, he could hear it again. There was some semblance of normalcy again. He could breathe. He was breathing like normal again.

At least, that’s how he felt until he noticed that A-ya wasn’t talking. He did call him, right? So why wasn’t he saying anything? Unless it was a misdial, and he didn’t want C-ta to pick up. That would be embarrassing as hell, but he could manage with that.

But what if A-ya called to tell C-ta that he preferred spending Christmas with his own family and not with C-ta? What if his silence was just him thinking about how to phrase it? What if A-ya never wanted to spend Christmas with C-ta ever again? That can’t be right, but what if—

“It was weird not hearing you talking about whatever today.”

Those words stopped all the fears he had. C-ta laughed, the first laugh he had today. “Oh? Did you miss me? Haha, you’re helpless without me, aren’t you? Should we ask our parents to have a joint dinner next year, if your parents can get off again?”

It was just a passing thought to keep the conversation going, but A-ya answered anyway. “… It wouldn’t be that bad.”

Ah, this was bliss.

[invertedfate]

[SUBMISSION] How I believe the Pacifist Run shall end.

NOTE from Dorked: This is purely speculation, of course! But the person who submitted put a lot of time into it, so I thought I’d share their thoughts. --

So what I want to do here is state both how I think the Genocide Run will play out.

So let’s start with the Pacifist Run from the current part in the comic.

Okay so I think that the MTT events, including the trial will be MTT giving Frisk subtle hints while also putting on a show for his fans, though I think Undyne will at least try to sabotage at least one of them.

Anyway the Mufftet fight would likely be similar with Muffet fighting Frisk until maybe a spider informs Muffet of Frisk’s friendship with Asgore, as he is friendly towards the spiders, and then letting them go. 

Anyhow I think that after whatever the final event is (Likely the trial), Papyrus would go ahead or be left behind for some reason (maybe MTT pulls him aside to tell him something), Undyne would likely take the opportunity to chase Frisk to MTT Hotel, using her gun blaster thing to fire at you, where Sans or MTT himself would likely tell her in a kind way to back off, to which she’d reluctantly oblige.

If it’s Sans I’d say he’d still take Frisk into the restaurant where’d Frisk, Papyrus, and Sans talk about their remaining journey ahead, with Sans telling Frisk to at least try and make it easy on Toriel once they face her and maybe giving them a potential warning about Flowey as I think deep down Sans is a little suspicious of the weed. Then the duo go on their merry way with Sans wishing them good luck.

If it’s MTT, I think he’d likely show Frisk around the hotel in a prideful kind of way perhaps, but also stopping to warn them about the fact that Frisk’ll have to face him in the Core but he’ll try to go easy on them and that Undyne rigged the Core up with heaps of traps (likely the Core song is so serious and gives you a feeling of dread)

Either way, maybe with a quick stop at Burgerpants’ stand, they head into the Core with Frisk likely failing on at least one of the traps, causing reloads till they master it. I personally think there wouldn’t be any more mercenaries as I think Undyne wouldn’t be too quick to trust them. 

Anyhow, they eventually make it to where MTT resides, where he says a few boastful words, maybe subtlety dropping hints to Frisk on how to beat him, and then he transforms into MTT Spiral.

I personally think MTT would make a few of his attacks miss, either blaming himself or Undyne, saying that the body was a tad flimsy. Either way, Frisk beats MTT Spiral and heads to the elevator to New Home.

But Undyne blocks the way.

Here’s where I think Dorked would get creative in the fact that maybe they manage to temporary slow Undyne and get into the elevator, where somehow she’d accidentally cause the elevator to malfunction sending the duo into the True Lab.

Frisk and Papyrus would likely have to reactivate the elevator in the same way as canon (though it’d maybe be the one in Undyne’s Lab this time around?), with the duo splitting up likely to find the keys. Frisk would likely encounter the majority of the amalgamates (maybe there’d be different monster fusions than canon?) being simply horrified by what they see with good old Captain Cryptic maybe taunting Frisk on how scared they are being.

Anyhow, the duo would eventually meet up with Frisk asking Papyrus about the amalgamates and Papyrus maybe half telling the truth and half lying, but ultimately alluding to Undyne being involved, be it perhaps an accidental mention.

And oh hey! What'dya know, with the elevator reactivated, our favorite fish comes stepping right out of it.

Undyne begins a heroic monolouge but is cut off by Frisk whom flings angry questions at Undyne about the amalgametes, who (judging from that last ask to Undyne) just gets angrier at the accusations and begins a fight with Frisk.

The fight would be similar to the Lab fight but with more attacks from Undyne, with her and Frisk still arguing about the amalgamates as well as things like setting monsters free, wanting Frisk’s soul, etc. Undyne would likely start spewing plain biased against Frisk, maybe doing two things, A. Making Undyne do a VERY violent and long attack that brings Frisk to one HP and is about to do another to finish them off when Papyrus blocks it with a bone attack or one of his concoctions perhaps or B. Making Papyrus see just how biased and violent Undyne is being and decide to protect Frisk. 

Either way Undyne and Papyrus argue back and forth ( ACT->STAND GROUND!) with Frisk watching, with Papyrus maybe saying something that shocks Undyne and makes her run away, angry at Papyrus or makes her just back off but warn Frisk saying that if they hurt Toriel, even Papyrus won’t stop Undyne from killing Frisk. 

Anyhow, Frisk thanks Papyrus for standing up to Undyne for them, and they go back up to the lab with Sans saying Undyne went off somewhere (maybe to watch Anime with Alphys or tell the rest of the Guard that Frisk is going to New Home and to be on alert in case they kill Toriel) and he teleports them to the entrance of New Home.

Anyhow, they re-meet up with Flowey and after exploring some of Toriel’s house and connecting some of what they see to items in Asgore’s house, Frisk asks Papyrus and Flowey a simple question, “What happened here?” to which Papyrus and Flowey retell the story of Chara and Asriel with Flowey perhaps leaving out some personal details and maybe causing him to have some burst of feeling causing him to vanish before the Judgement Hall.

Anyhow, I personally think that they don’t meet Sans at the hall, but Asgore, saying that he has decided he needs to make amends with Toriel and that he wants to help Frisk help her. Papyrus would likely reveal his relationship with Asgore here as well. 

Here, I think Asgore and Papyrus would go ahead to A, Search for Flowey or B. Check is Toriel is actually there. Either way, I think Frisk would hear the voice of Captain Cryptic, who may actually reveal that they are the fallen human, Chara Dreemurr. They speak to one another, Chara asking Frisk questions they’ve been meaning to ask them as well as Frisk asking them some questions as well. In the end, Frisk gives Chara some reassurance/courage that they’ve long needed, not wholesomely taking them out of the dark place they are in, but shedding some long needed hope in their life.

Anyhow, they first examine the coffins with Asgore falling quiet until they leave the room, heading to the Throne Room where Frisk tells Papyrus and Asgore that they need to start mending Toriel’s hurt before they feel Papyrus and Asgore should intervene. The two agree with Papyrus being a bit more relucatnat about Frisk facing Toriel alone but understanding and believing they can lift Toriel’s spirits. Frisk heads into the Throne Room.

Toriel sits on her throne, around wilting flowers, being that her depression made it that she no longer felt like gardening was important. She sees Frisk, becoming surprised but then sad, simply telling Frisk to follow her to the Barrier. They follow her to the Barrier with Toriel asking if they have anything to do and then saying she is sorry for what she is about to do. She breaks the MERCY button and the fight begins with Frisk fighting off Toriel while trying to appeal to her, with Frisk slowly getting through to her until her sadness overtakes her and she just collapses. Frisk talks her up but despite their best efforts, she still thinks the Underground is beyond hope of being a noble place and that due to this, she, Frisk, and Asgore could never be allowed to live together peacefully.

On top of this, just like canon, Flowey tries to kill Toriel.

But Frisk takes the hit and dies, appearing as a soul.

As Papyrus and Asgore enter, seeing Frisk’s soul as well as Toriel looking in shock and fear at both Asgore and Papyrus’ arrival as well as Frisk dying, Flowey absorbs their soul as well as the other 6, turning into Asriel Dreemurr again, though a more powerful and nightmarish looking version, due to actually having seven human souls this time around. If this was in-game, you’d take control of Papyrus with Toriel and Asgore as party members, all trying to appeal to Asriel, but failing, as Asriel pelts them with his new extreme god-like powers, until Chara , having gained enough courage to appeal to their best friend from speaking with Frisk earlier, subconsciously appeals to Asriel, begging him to stop and apologizing for pushing Asriel so far during their plan. This appeals to Asriel, reminding him of his and Chara’s memories together and gets him to revert and break down, releasing the souls, restoring Frisk, and breaking the Barrier. Asgore and Toriel have a heartfelt farewell with their lost child after he informs them that he can’t maintain his form for much longer.

News spreads like wildfire across the Underground of the Barrier being broken, and as all the monsters are packing up, Frisk and Papyrus speak with the now retransformed Flowey with Papyrus and Frisk convincing him to come with them to the Surface, and with Papyrus promising that he will find a way to restore Flowey to Asriel.

Our tale ends with monsters looking upon the Surface and Chara finally being at peace. -- This was an interesting read! Overall, my plans are VERY different from what was described here, but it was still cool to see some detailed guesswork. Thanks for the submitting! :D

[thegloober]

Kiernan Shipka Casts Indelible Spell on Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

by Matt Fagerholm

October 22, 2018   |  

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All it takes is one great role for an actor to be rediscovered. Kiernan Shipka had already proven herself to be a formidable talent, growing up before our eyes on AMC’s “Mad Men” while displaying impressive range in a diverse array of genres—from the moody supernatural drama of Andrew Proz Palermo’s “One and Two” and the rousing adventure of Nickelodeon’s “The Legend of Korra” to the uproarious satire of her Funny or Die web series, “Child Star Psychologist.” 

Yet it was her startling dive into horror, courtesy of Osgood Perkins’ masterful 2015 debut feature, “The Blackcoat’s Daughter,” that revealed the astonishing breadth of her potential. Shipka played Kat, an alienated girl yearning to fill the void left by her absent parents. After answering the call of a horned demon that may or may not exist solely in her head, Kat undergoes a malevolent transformation that brings her a strange sense of empowerment, especially when it terrifies her peers. Aside from one climactic howl, she never raises her voice, even when hurling an expletive at a pair of bewildered caregivers. Overcome by the sudden power that has taken hold of her speech, Kat stares at her prey with fierce eyes as a tear rolls down her cheek. Later on, when she calmly raises her arms and replies, “Hail, Satan,” she appears fearsomely in control rather than out of her mind. Like Norman Bates, she’s simply focused on getting her job done, no matter how gory it may be. 

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As confirmed by Shipka in a recent BUILD interview, “The Blackcoat’s Daughter” turned out to be a crucial inspiration for Archie Comics CCO Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa when developing the small screen adaptation of his own recent comic book series, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Whereas “Riverdale,” Aguirre-Sacasa’s hit show on The CW Network, echoes “Twin Peaks” in its self-aware subversion of the squeaky clean adolescent archetypes once modeled after Andy Hardy, his reimagining of Sabrina’s teenage witchery pays homage to numerous genre-defining classics, lending a cinematic aura to its metaphysical mischief. Though Sabrina couldn’t be further removed from Kat in terms of her thriving social life and sunny disposition, she also lost her mother and father at a young age, and is on a journey toward finding her place in the world. Melissa Joan Hart’s sitcom incarnation of the character had no knowledge of her own capacity for witchcraft until she turned 16. The first season of Aguirre-Sacasa’s “Sabrina” series, debuting on Netflix this Friday, October 26th, opens with its titular heroine counting down the days on her calendar—in one of many shots evocative of “Blackcoat”—toward the same pivotal birthday. What makes Shipka’s Sabrina more in step with the original comic book character dating back to 1962 is the fact that she is well-aware of her magic from the get-go. This is an origin story not about discovering one’s powers but learning to own them.

Kiernan Shipka and Michelle Gomez on Netflix’s “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.” Photo credit: Diyah Pera/Netflix.

Aguirre-Sacasa provides a stellar showcase for many of the abilities she utilized in Perkins’ film, from her lovely singing voice to the arresting strength she derives from her vulnerability. No special effects or badass one-liners are needed for Shipka to register as a towering force onscreen. She traumatized me in “The Blackcoat’s Daughter” without the use of demonic prosthetics (quickly scrapped by the director), and on “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” she casts her indelible spell with the layers of emotional nuance rippling across her face. Just as Kat’s world was shrouded in brown colors intended to signify the snugness of her newfound identity, the red glow of Sabrina’s wardrobe conveys a very different type of warmth. How refreshing it is to see a modern series built around a teenager whose most defining feature is an innate goodness.

Though each hour-long chapter of the show is linked by a continuous narrative, the “Adventures” in the title correctly suggests an episodic use of secondary conflicts that Sabrina must face in her everyday life. The child of a male witch and female mortal, she is dubbed a “half-breed” (or “mudblood,” as termed by J.K. Rowling), requiring her to straddle the line between the magical realm and the human one occupied by friends oblivious to her bloodline. The observation made by Aunt Hilda (a delightful Lucy Davis) that Sabrina’s father could’ve been a movie star “like Cousin Montgomery” is a sly nod to the star of Sol Saks’ beloved sitcom, “Bewitched,” about a witch-turned-housewife who refuses to suppress her otherworldly skills, much to the dismay of her mortal husband. In her stubborn battle against various forms of oppression at school, such as library censorship and hazing rituals, Shipka’s Sabrina is a kindred spirit of Elizabeth Montgomery’s Samantha. She is a terrible liar precisely because she is so sincere, yet with the aid of her witchcraft, Sabrina pulls off some satisfying pranks that earn many of the show’s biggest laughs. A priceless bit involving truth extraction reminded me of the “Bewitched” episode where Samantha’s husband, Darrin, is hexed by his mother-in-law, causing him to speak only in toddler-appropriate language at a business meeting (“I made a boo-boo,” he explains). 

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Kiernan Shipka and Ross Lynch on Netflix’s “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.” Photo credit: Diyah Pera/Netflix.

Never verging into the family-friendly silliness of Hart’s “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch,” where the protagonist had a penchant for inadvertently turning mean girls into pineapples, “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” still peppers its increasingly grim subject matter with richly earned bursts of euphoria, starting with Sabrina’s dance to “Be My Baby” after professing her love for mortal boyfriend Harvey Kinkle (Ross Lynch). Like Shipka, Lynch is remarkably gifted at portraying shunned youth on the cusp of destruction, as seen in Marc Meyers’ “My Friend Dahmer,” and it’s a joy to watch them both liberated by the inherent sweetness of their characters, not to mention the palpable chemistry that they share. Episode three contains a beautiful sequence of consensual intimacy triggered by Sabrina’s urgent request that Harvey check her body for a birthmark. What could’ve devolved into a squirm-inducing leering session instead becomes a touching portrait of Harvey’s sensitivity. He handles her body with the utmost respect, while insisting that he strip down as well because “fair is fair.” 

Apart from its nostalgic trappings, the appeal of “Stranger Things” lies in its endearing band of misfits that drive the story, and there’s no question they’d get along splendidly with Sabrina’s cherished companions. Instead of exchanging witty banter with her cat, Salem (whose dialogue is limited to expressive meows), she finds an even better scene partner in Ambrose (Chance Perdomo), her pansexual cousin whose exuberance masks an underlying bitterness at the curse keeping him housebound. Sabrina’s school chums, Rosalind (Jaz Sinclair) and Susie (non-binary actor Lachlan Watson) further expand the show’s fully dimensional inclusivity, while the aunts that raised her—the irreverent Hilda and uptight Zelda (Miranda Otto)—form a most amusing comic duo. 

Rather than settle on derivative formulas, the show often soars to the provocative heights of Broadway’s “Wicked” and Robert Eggers’ “The Witch,” which both illuminated the exhilarating aspects of defying gravity, breaking free of societal strictures by “living deliciously” (Sabrina notes that there are many “delicious” reasons to be a witch). Of course, devoting one’s life to the Dark Lord comes with a price, and when Sabrina questions why their unholy leader is terrified of granting women freedom and power, the response she receives is unfiltered perfection: “He’s a man, isn’t he?” 

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The show is at its best when skewering the patriarchal oppression of organized religion, an ancient scourge no less prevalent in the witch’s own belief system that hypocritically derides the “false god” of Christianity. “Why must I save myself for the Dark Lord?” Sabrina demands, “Why does he decide what I do with my body?”, to which Zelda sighs, “Should’ve been homeschooled.” The crimson hue of Sabrina’s attire is mirrored by the apple she plucks off a tree, a biblical symbol of the knowledge God had intended on keeping from Eve. Her refusal to blindly obey orders breeds a healthy level of skepticism, especially when confronted by the sort of frightening fanaticism memorably explored in the original “Carrie” and “The Blackcoat’s Daughter” (for more context, read my in-depth appreciation of Perkins’ film here—after seeing the film, of course).  

Lachlan Watson and Jaz Sinclair on Netflix’s “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.” Photo credit: Diyah Pera/Netflix.

The coven’s High Priest, Father Blackwood (Richard Coyle), and Sabrina’s principal, Mr. Hawthorne (Bronson Pinchot), are equally loathsome examples of puritanical masculinity, yet neither are a match for the manipulative games of Mary Wardell (Michelle Gomez), a mysterious, ever-watchful teacher on par with Severus Snape. Just as Sabrina’s pals debate the symbolism in their favorite movies, particularly “Night of the Living Dead”—which is referenced at the beginning only to later become unearthed, so to speak, toward the end—the show’s thinly cloaked commentary provides viewers with plenty to chew on. An episode deftly timed for Thanksgiving is chock-full of metaphorical subtext regarding the Native American genocide, while Principal Hawthorne voices the misogyny of men complicit in sexual abuse who label the #MeToo movement a “witch hunt.” Among the many shared understandings that exist between Sabrina and Harvey, one is the plight of being torn between two worlds. In Harvey’s case, it’s the world existing inside the local mine overseen by his father (Christopher Rosamond), and the one existing outside of it, above ground. Harvey’s dad may be the show’s most monstrous character of all, embracing a tragic occurrence as an opportunity to publicly shame his son while spewing propaganda about his chosen way of life, which is as destructive to the environment as the man’s words are to his family’s mental health. As a rebuke against the tribalism keeping witches and mortals apart, the program illustrates how their worlds really aren’t all that different from one another, and how Sabrina’s unwillingness to conform flies in the face of them both. 

With season two currently in production and slated for release next year, “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” could theoretically join with “Riverdale” in creating its own comic book-based expanded universe. Aguirre-Sacasa already has ideal subject matter for a cross-over in the form of his Afterlife with Archie series, where the red-headed hero must team up with his buddies to combat a zombie apocalypse when it reaches their hometown. Sabrina’s town of Greendale is right next door to Riverdale, a fact mentioned only once this season, and that’s probably a good thing. Having the show debut on a network separate from the one airing “Riverdale” provided enough distance for it to have a tone and charm all its own, avoiding the pitfalls of interconnected exposition that mars many a Marvel vehicle. 

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If anything, “Sabrina” has more in common with the other seasonal 10-hour epic released on Netflix this month—Mike Flanagan’s riveting limited series, “The Haunting of Hill House”—yet their most glaring similarities aren’t worth replicating. Both shows incorporate cartoonish CGI (though “Sabrina” thankfully has far more practical effects) as well as use the repetitive refrain of “I have to fix this” so often in later episodes, it seems designed for a future Netflix drinking game. Weirdly enough, the best episode in each of the shows is the fifth one—both benefit from an ingenious structure that probes deeper into the minds of its characters. The longevity of Sabrina’s adventures has yet to be determined, but with Shipka and the gang signed on for the full ride, I’d gladly follow this witch to the moon and back.

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