#how about we take this sad man who at his prime was so good...and give him a boyfriend

[allpromarlo]

i'll defend cam newton with my life

[piratefalls]

welcome back to the latest edition of biweekly fic recs! as always, mind the tags, if you can't leave a nice comment don't leave one at all, and happy reading!

masterlist.

There's No Problem That San Diego Can't Solve by @historicallysam

Alex doesn’t even bother knocking; he simply twists the knob on the door and shoves it open. His eyes narrow as the door bangs against the wall and he sees Henry on the phone. Maybe (definitely) it’s rude but his blood is fucking boiling so he doesn’t really care.

All the Ocean was Sleeping by @sparklepocalypse

The worst part about being a siren in the modern era, Henry ponders as yet another ship flies past his cove at a speed that he knows will disturb the anemone gardens below, is the yacht bros. Between the sound of their vessels’ motors and the dissonant noise the humans call music, Henry’s singing has no chance of attracting anyone’s attention.

cause you're a classic, and i'm reckless by @firenati0n

“I've, actually, uh. I've never done this before.” At this, Henry stops short, takes a second as his gaze moves up and to the left, trying to recall something. “I've seen your films. You most certainly have done intimate scenes.” Alex clears his throat. He hopes his nerves aren't completely obvious, the slight waver in his voice about to give him away. “Yeah, well. Never with a man, so. Not at this scale, anyway.” “Would it help to, er, practice?" Henry winces a little as he says it, which does not inspire confidence. But Alex is shocked nonetheless. What the fuck?

Over Land and Sea by SatinBirds

Alex and Henry come from very different worlds, and still, they manage to find each other.

Clean Slate by smc_27

“Henry.” Pez comes over, puts both hands on Henry’s cheeks and looks him dead in the eye. “You are not a sad man who’s gotten dumped. You’re in the prime of your life, and I quite desperately need you to act like it.” “The prime of my life,” Henry scoffs, more incredulous than questioning. “I’ve just gotten out of a 15 year relationship, endured a divorce, am suffering an almost impressive case of writer’s block, and your hands are like bloody icicles.” Pez grins, doesn’t take his hands away. “Explain to me how this is my prime. Please.” Pez tilts his head, and sounds entirely serious when he says, “Literally anything can happen from here.”

in bloom by stutteringpeach

Yoo, can u hook me up with some flowers?? It's the busiest day of the year for florists. Alex texts Henry with a last minute request.

here is a map (with your name for a capital) by @alasse9

That day at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, Alex comes across the very same Prince Henry who just dismissed him having a panic attack in a bathroom. The choice Alex makes then has ripple effects neither of them could have ever expected. What's the story like, when they actually are friends all along? “So, you’re going back to England tonight, and you’ll spend the next three days pretending you two are the closest and best of friends until we can put this mess behind us.” And there are reasons he hasn’t told anybody this, good reasons, even though he’s sure June and Nora saw through him ages ago. Faced with his mom’s disappointment, though, and with the realization that the entire world apparently thinks he hates Henry and would willingly shove him into a fucking cake, he can’t stay quiet. “But we are friends,” he says, vehement and serious. “We have been for years. He’s—he’s probably my best friend, actually, along with Nora.”

thoughts of you consume by yrsonpurpose

Henry sees Alex appear on the red carpet in a blue suit that screams sex on legs and is ready to throw away all attempts at concealing their secret relationship in the name of dropping to his knees at the first available opportunity.

eyes on me by matherine

Alex’s hips buck back against Henry’s mouth the moment his tongue does more than tease, and Henry squeezes his hip in gentle consternation. But before he can say anything, Alex is already rambling. “Sorry, I’m — I’m sorry, I know you said not to move, and I’m trying, I — I’m trying to be good, I promise,” he blurts, voice shaking ever so slightly from something that certainly doesn’t sound like pleasure, resolutely refusing to turn his head so that he can meet Henry’s gaze from where he’s positioned behind him. Henry’s heart aches. “Alex — love, it’s alright. Where’s your mind?” Or: Sometimes, Alex needs a distraction. Something to take the edge off, to scrub away at the stress of the day. Some days, it works better than others. 

the evolution of intimacy by Poutini

There’s no spontaneity anymore. One might think this boring. That the novelty had worn off. The spark snuffed. Absolutely not

Want Me by OrchidScript

Henry had always been weak for a nice smile, but his was impossible to ignore. Blame it on summer heat and a fresh flush in his cheeks. Blame it on sunset painting the outdoor bar sweltering, romantic colors. Blame it on two healthy glasses of albariño thrumming in his bloodstream, or the good music floating on the air. Henry could blame it on anything liked if he thought long and hard about it, but that didn’t change much at the end. The core remained the same: he had been gone from the jump. -- Henry and Alex hook up on a vacation in Spain. Henry falls a bit deeper.

fill my lungs with sweetness by @priincebutt

Henry George Edward James Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor wakes up at 3 AM on his birthday to an empty bed. What could Alex possibly be getting up to at 3 AM the night before his birthday? The possibilities are endless.

got myself in quite a tangle by coffeecatsme

"It seems I've gotten myself in quite a tangle." "Tangle?" Henry's voice is hoarse, eyes darkened as they travel over Alex's body. They stop at his crotch, and Alex can see it even under the dim lights—Henry's growing hard too, a visible bulge pushing at his sweatpants. Alex's cock gives a desperate twitch. "Y'know, I was trying to put them around the tree," he starts, gesturing at the plain tree at the corner. It's clear he didn't even attempt to touch it. "And somehow I've managed to completely trap myself. Can't even move my hands." Henry makes a desperate noise at the back of his throat as his eyes snap up to Alex's face. Alex flashes him a suggestive grin, teeth biting down on his lip. "Seems I'm completely at your mercy."

The Forces of Chance and Coincidences by @stellarm

Bad weather leads to a late flight that leads to no one being where they wanted to be, but maybe everyone was where they needed to be.

I've never felt safer (than when I'm with you) by viciouslyqueer

Alex takes the bag and opens it slowly, careful not to rip it, and gasps quietly as he sees what’s inside. “H, you didn’t…” Strong arms wrap around his waist from behind, Henry’s chest warm against his back. “Do you like it?” Henry asks in a whisper, resting his chin on Alex’s shoulder. Alex doesn’t know what to say. Gingerly, like he might ruin it with even the smallest touch, he takes out the silky fabric and holds it up in front of them. It’s a gorgeous dress, fancy too, in a deep red color with thin straps and an open back. It’s long, almost touching the floor even as Alex holds it up and has a slit on the left side that would probably end a little above Alex’s knee.

An Amateur's Guide to Professional Gift-Giving by anincompletelist

Alex, a former-law-student-taking-some-time-off turned professional part-time gift giver, is tasked with finding a gift for the most high profile client he's ever worked with, both in and out of the world of law. It turns out finding the perfect gift for the Prince of Wales might be easier than he'd anticipated.

Love At First Bark by everwitch

“I still don’t know your name, do I?” Henry watches Alex where he’s crouched down in front of David and gently scratching David below his chin. David absolutely loves Alex. Henry can relate. “It’s David,” Henry supplies. “Cool,” Alex says. “And what’s the dog’s name?” Henry blinks at him. “... David?” “What?” Alex exclaims. He looks from David to Henry and then back at David again. “Wow, okay, that is a choice.” Henry wants to sink through the earth and never come back up again.

don't let me get drunk again by headabovethewater

Alex had never wanted to cancel plans as much as he had while watching Henry pull a pair of light wash, tight jeans over his stockinged legs and bare ass. Christ, he’s getting hard thinking about it now.

The Beginner's Guide to Floristry by clottedcreamfudge

As if there's anything romantic about it; as if it's not the most humiliating death Alex can imagine. This is why he doesn't do relationships. This is why he never will. The risk, as far as he fucking sees it, is too great. -- Hanahaki Disease is a fictional disease where the victim of unrequited or one-sided love begins to vomit or cough up the petals and flowers of a flowering plant growing in their lungs, which will eventually grow large enough to render breathing impossible.

Everything you take, you make it better. So go on, take forever by @hgejfmw-hgejhsf

It's 2024, and nobody knows they're engaged. But they will, just as soon as Alex can decide what to wear to his birthday dinner. Henry has an idea and a special gift to match.

false pretenses by rizcriz

Henry spins around, glaring at Alex. “For christs sake,” He hisses, holding a hand out between them. “Can we just not? I do not have the capacity to pretend to hate you today.” Alex splutters as Henry turns on his heel and starts to walk away. He stares after him helplessly. “Pretend?” After a beat, he starts to follow after him, “What the fuck do you mean pretend?” Three years of breathing down each others necks, fighting every time they come in contact with each other. And if Henry is saying every single thing on his end has been pretend, Alex Claremont-Diaz is going to have a fucking breakdown. Because he has been harboring this stupid fucking crush and burying it beneath false antagonism, meeting Henry where he’s at, for three years, and if Henry is implying that they’re both faking it— -- or, Alex learns better.

turn the desert to glass (you would be the one) by @taste-thewaste

Henry and Alex's domestic bliss has lead to some changes in Henry's body. Henry doesn't really mind being a little chubby, but he wonders if Alex does. Alex, it turns out, does not. Not one bit. He does not mind one bit, and he is more than eager to prove it.

coming on fast like good dreams do by cricketnationrise

When Henry recovers from his unexpected factory reset, he still can’t really breathe properly and somehow Alex is still standing in front of him with a hopeful and excited expression on his face. “Run that by me again?” he asks faintly. “I need your help.” “Right…” “I need you to edge me. Like a lot,” Alex says with a shrug. Nope, it’s not any clearer a second time around.

as always, let me know if you want to be tagged in future lists, whether you're a reader or writer!

tagging @starkfridays @stilesgivesmefeels @midnightsfp @sarahjswift @enablelove

[devilart2199-aibi]

IDW collection reading update! :D 📖 (Fixed!)

Phase 2 volume 4 done! This volume included: Monstrosity, RID issues 12-18 and MTMTE issues 14-16!

I ended up reading all the way to Phase 2 volume 6 before finishing this update so my notes are a bit scattered! Anyway! As usual my thoughts are below :3 ⤵️

Monstrosity:

This story is set in the past, when Optimus has assumed leadership on Cybertron after the senate and pervious primes were killed.

This story is, I dunno... For some reason I can't really get into these?? It feels... edgy?? Idk, I feel like that's not the best way to describe it. But there's something about the vibe with these ones in the past (like Autocracy and this one).

Of course everyone is becoming the characters we know since this is in the past. So there is going to be a lot of fumbling and growing from them and things that seem out of character. But given their situation at the time, i can't be super harsh on odd decisions.

They have to deal with the senate and their corruption, as well as that from the previous primes, the Decepticons uprising and wanting to take over, Cybertron running out of resources aaaaand I feel like something else I can't remember rn 🤔 but a lot is going on!! Haha.

There is a scene that references the OG animated movie where they toss Megatron out of Astrotrain and he goes "I still function...!" Which was a pretty cool homage tho.

But this kinda felt like a whole way to just show how badass Megs is meanwhile Optimus is going through it on Cybertron 😂 It was entertaining and interesting at parts, but some things I was 'eh' about

RID: 12-16:

Before i go on, I'm sorry, but... this Megs panel is giving me the same energy as that little alien guy that was in the news months ago 🤣 Now actually⤵️

Megatron returns!! This story was very entertaining!! I feel like I can usually guess where something is going, but I was surprised by a lot of the twists here! There was so many!

The character deaths had me shook! 😭 Wheeljack ahhhh!!! Metalhawk!! Also everything with Prowl and the Constructions! O_O;

I'm sorry Prowl 😔 I was pretty surprised when they started killing off the Decepticons at first, but then went: "Well, I guess he's being super ruthless now" I couldn't see you were brainwashed!! 😭🗿To my defense, him teaming up with Arcee and given Arcee's record, it kinda seemed like the natural progression of things lol 💀

Two things I kinda have mixed feelings about tho are:

1. Arcee just casually being part of the Decepticon gang and no one questioning her being there?? She then easily kills the guy controlling Devastator and that was like... Megatron's big plan. Why didn't she do it sooner? I imagine it was to draw out Meg's, but still it seemed weird.

2. Starscream killing Metalhawk after Metalhawk came to save Starscream. It's in his character and everything, and I'm happy that he did it bc it shows who he is. But OOF I thought he was leaning a different way for a bit and that I had Starscream wrong, But no, he's greedy boy. (I was starting to like Metalhawk T_T)

Anyway! Good guy Swindle!! 🥹

MTMTE 14-16:

💀💀💀💀💀 BIG SAD. But!!! It was a super interesting story!! I really enjoyed learning about Overlord and Chromedome.

Chromedome becoming Trepan's apprentice in the past was crazy!! :O And the whole scene with him and Prowl in Prowl's office. When Prowl asks/threatens Chromedome to go into Overlord's mind 😙👌 *chef's kiss* GET 'EM CHROMEDOME!! 💪👊🔪

The whole thing about how the Phase Sixers are made was very interesting too!! This frame ⤵️ Meg's saying this made me lmao 😂 I can now see the thing between him and Overlord better now.

As for Overlord getting out and obliterating some of the crew... ughhhhh 😭😭😭 Pipes man!! Ratchet protecting the medibay was awesome. Best doctor 🚑😌

I was shocked during the fight with Overlord that Magnus got so injured!! I've read ahead already, but I was sweating it, I thought he was gonna die too 😭😭 Overlord goes right for your spark man 💀

Luckily they got Overlord back to his containment cell, but- 😭😭😭😭 LITTLE MAN 😭😭😭 Why'd he have to hop in there to get the sword??? OTL

Then Chromedome blowing it up once the cell disengaged from the ship 😭 It was a perfectly painful sequence! 👏

When I saw the scene with Whirl and the cannon/ blaster shooting asteroids, I knew it would come around 😔

Also!! Learning that Chromedome has had other deep connections with bots (idk if Brainstorm meant Conjunx' specifically) and given them his innermost energon before and that's why he's dry!! Excuse me as I sob 🤧🤧🤧🤧😭😭😭😭 and then he makes himself forget!!! UGHH OTL My heart man!

The tape that Rewind made too!! 😭🤧

Drift taking one for the team too by getting banished 😔 he's a real one. Also pls come back.

RID 17-18:

We got more Shockwave lore here and I'm a big Shockwave enjoyer so I was very happy!! More heartache of course tho 😢

Him pitching/making the Jhiaxian academy of advanced technology is huge. Then all the experiments he did once he was turned purple 💀💀💀

Him going to Dai Atlas and injuring him before the attack on the senate so that he would escape death was a cool surprise. He's still in there ;_; ahhhh.

There is another story that happens in current time where Bee gets turned into Goldbug, but I think he's called "Goldfire" here? 🤔 He really got injured during the whole thing with Meg's so they had to fix him up with pieces of his old earth form.

It was cool to see included in the story :3

Final Random Thoughts:

This volume had a bunch of great stories in it! And I learned quite a bit about characters I like!

Though it was sad, I'd say my favorite story was the mtmte one with Overlord (The Overlord arc?). The art is always fantastic and so is the story!

I look forward to reading more and I'll be making another reading update very soon since I'm already on volume 6!

I didn't want to lump them all together bc I like using images as the story breaks and Tumblr only let's you use 10 per post 😔 Also... I ramble quite a lot haha, so 3 volumes worth would definitely be too much! 😂

Anyway! See you next time! 👋

[meteorstricken]

"But why didn't Jill go to Origin?"

In order to understand this, you need to keep FFXVI's themes of duty and atonement in mind. The reason Dion felt compelled to show back up and offer his aid as Bahamut was because it was his means of atoning for what transpired in Twinside, and it was very much framed as a *suicide mission*. He had promised Joshua his aid once matters with Annabella and Olivier were resolved, but with how poorly that all worked out, he clearly comes to view laying down his life as his duty.

However, Jill had already accomplished this part of her arc. She returned to Mt. Drustanus and killed Imreann--the one who coerced her into acting as a killing machine for a time, much like Ultima coerced Dion to lay waste to Twinside. Joshua, Dion, and Clive are the three characters who've been uniquely manipulated by Ultima. Jill was never possessed or puppeteered or primed out of control by Ultima--again, for her, that villain was Imreann.

As for Clive and Joshua, there's plainly a unique matter of duty. They're built up as the only two characters who've acquired the power (Clive) and will (Joshua) necessary to take down a god, and so they must. It has to be them, at the least.

Meanwhile, Jill has made peace with herself by the time Origin pops. Jill has done her duty and atoned. Had she gone to Origin, she might have gotten a few cool lines and a couple of hits in, and then Ultima would have very likely killed her, as he seems to have with Dion.

And for what? To help protect Clive and/or Joshua once more? Wouldn't we be having a sad conversation about yet another female character made to give her life for a man then? Isn't it a good thing that Shiva's Dominant didn't fall into that benighted "women in fridges" trope? Is it not enough, given the ambiguity of the ending, that the major female character is the *only one* who definitely survived?

I think it's wonderful that Jill is such a beloved character and that fans want to see more of her, but I think we need to keep in mind that our desire to see more of a character than we did doesn't automatically translate into evidence of their having been poorly treated.

(PS: You want to see a real case of a fridged character? Look no further than Benedikta. The only thing that makes it somewhat forgivable in this case is that I can point to male characters who eventually suffered the same, but the fact that she went first, was revealed to have a complicated past in retrospect only, and was primarily framed as a "shrieking harpy" raises a critical eyebrow for me.)

[sturnstvs]

the smallest man who ever lived - matt sturniolo

warnings: super sad, no happy ending, toxic matt, mentions of drugs

summary: in which being best friends with benefits doesn't turn out they way either of you would have expected

note: also quick thing I don't know if im doing the song justice I hope you like it. this is just my take on it. also I'm bad at grammer and spelling so sorry about that

bold - lyrics

matt x reader.

was any of it true? gazing at me starry-eyed

you wernt sure when It happened. deep down you knew this would ruin you but you still went with it. you wondered if the words he muttered and they way he looked at you was real. you knew it wasn't real but you also knew you couldn't get enough

in your jehovah's witness suit

matt dressed well. everyone who came in contact with him knew that. he had a style that was like no other. even when it was lying on the floor of your room. he cared what people thought of him sometimes but being in the influencer industry he couldn't

who the fuck was that guy?

you didn't recognize him sometimes, it was like he had different personality's for different people. or maybe just everyone else and then you. one time you were at a party for some influencer and nick had invited you, being their best friend and all you accepted their invite. you being who you are didn't go to party's often especially with the boys. so when you saw matt in his natural party state lets just say it more then shocked you.

he was all over girls. dabbing people up like he was best friends with everyone there. maybe he was, you didn't know. you vividly remember you asking nick where matt got all this random confidence from. nick just brushed it off saying matt was just being himself, however to you, you couldn't recognize him.

you tried to buy some pills from a friend of friends of mine

it came back to you one day from some people that you knew that sold drugs, that matt had tried to buy something to calm his nerves. apparently he asked one of his friends not knowing you were also friends with some of them. you knew he was having some trouble however you didn't think that it had come this far.

they just ghosted you

they didnt give a reply back to matt after you told them about what had more then likely been happening. it probly wasnt your place but you did care about him and you didn't want him to spiral.

now you know what it feels like

the first time matt ghosted you, you kept wondering what you did wrong. when you confronted matt about it he shrugged it off as it was nothing. making it up to you in the only way he knew how. sex. you thought he wouldn't ghost you again but you were wrong. at this point you were used to it. he was probably balls deep into another girl for all you know. when matt came to you after he couldn't get the pills you couldn't help but feel no remorse. you had been ghosted before and it didn't feel good, and now he knew what it felt like.

and I don't even want you back I just want to know

reflecting back on what you once had was always a challenge. it brought up painful memories. he had fucked up once again and it was your last straw, you were done. a few months later though you had to go back you couldn't resist

if rusting my sparkling summer was the goal

your summer was great. hanging out with your best firends when they were in their glimmering prime. hell you where even talking to a guy. you decided that summer you were going to start taking care of yourself more. you where having the time of your life. however when you and matt slept together for the first time that summer it was like it became something bigger. something that you couldn't get enough from.

and I don't miss what we had

you knew you shouldn't. you knew you where going to regret it but you couldn't help it. his touch was mesmerizing. he made you feel safe and welcome. but at the same time when you guys were away from each other you didn't miss him. you didn't miss him completely ignoring you after the amazing sex you had the night prior.

but could someone give a message to the smallest man who ever lived

when nick and chris found out that you wouldn't be around for a while they where beyond confused. they didn't think any of them had done anything wrong. but after all you said was "ask your brother" and hung up the phone they knew he had done something to fuck it up.

they didn't know. they didn't know you to were hoking up, all they knew was you were best friends. they yelled at matt telling him how fucked up whatever he did to you was, it was like your words were the ones shooting daggers in to his heart. but it wasn't you, it was your message.

you hung me on your wall stabbed me with your push pins

when matt hooked up with other girls you hated to say it but it hurt. it hurt like hell because you knew that one of those girls could eventually be his, even if the sex sucked. with you the sex was great, but that's all it was.

in public showed me off

in public weather it be a party or just simply around his brothers he acted like you guys where strictly friends. you knew deep down you weren't, but that also didn't mean he felt the same

then sank in stoned oblivion

when you to weren't having sex though and were alone, he acted like you weren't there. like you meant nothing to him but then when you came home with a mark on your neck he would ask where you got it from and that only he could mark you like that.

cause once your queen had come

he found is dream girl. you knew it was never going to be you, even though you wished it was. they clicked so well, like they were matches in the missing puzzle of life

you'd treat her like an also-ran

you found out the hard way he treated her like he did with you, just as her girlfriend. which in terms was way worse. you felt bad for her but at the same time, it was matt. this shit always happens with people like him

you didn't measure up in any measure of a man

matt wasn't a man. he wasn't a gentleman you would see in disney movies. he was fully grown and had the appearance of one, but he just wasn't actually one. he treated girls like they were a piece of gum. he was still in his douche bag phase

he kept repeating the same cycle with you over and over again. it was never ending.

you guys hooked up, he treated you like shit after, said you where friends to everyone, fucked something up with you, you would say you where done telling his brothers you wouldn't be over, and they would yell the same shit to him once again. he still however didn't seem to take the message to change.

you hated to say it but you wanted more, you wanted to be something to him but all your friends told you, you were crazy and you knew they were right. he wasn't going to change.

were you sent by someone who wanted me dead?

you always wondered if the world was against you. nothing seemed to go right in the endless void that was your life. you knew you had enemies. being attractive your whole life, getting guys peple wanted you knew you might have had enemies especially being friends with so many influences, so when matt started acting this way towards you, you thought maybe this was a clap back from someone who hated you.

did you sleep with a gun underneath our bed?

everytime you guys finished and you fell back to bed he seemed tense like their was a monster hiden under the bed.

were you writing a book?

you always wondered why you fell into this situation. it was something that you would read in a book. you never thought that you would live it. was this research for him. was it a book?

were you a sleeper cell spy?

was he doing this because it was his job? there was no way, the matt that you grew up with would ever do this to you but here he was doing this to you.

in 50 years will all this be declassifed?

you often wondered if he would ever tell you why he was doing this to you but you soon found out that it wouldn't be for years if he ever did say something.

and you'll confess why you did it

he finally told you after about the sixth time of the back and forth that he did it for you because he loved you and he didn't want what the fans would say to ruin that.

and I'll say "good riddance"

when he finally told you this you where happy, he finally told you the one thing that had been hanging over your shoulders. but you weren't happy with the way he planned it out.

cause it wasn't sexy once it wasn't forbidden

you could see it in his eyes, though you knew that he was still worried. a relationship wasn't seen in the near future and you both knew that. once he had confessed why he did what he did, it didn't make you immediately awe at him like he thought it would. he hurt you deeply and he was paying for it. and he was an idiot for thinking it would end well.

i would've died for your sins instead I just died inside

if you where to ask younger y/n if she would take the heat for matt she would've instantly said yes but if you were to ask present day y/n she would say "no he hurt me to much" her heart died with all the love she had for matt stored in it as well.

and you deserve prison but you wont get time

she thought after what he did he should be locked up for all the damage she knew he caused on her heart. unfortunately for her, however you don't go to prison for emotionally hurting someone.

you'll slide into inboxes and slip though the bars

he tried so hard to contact y/n once she ran out of his house that night but it was no use, she just left him on read. he even tired going to her house but she wouldn't answer

you crashed my party and your rental car

you had a party after your argument with matt wanting to let off some steam. nick and chris were invited but their brother was not. he was the reason you had this party, he was the reason you had changed. somehow (probably from his brothers or social media) he found out about the party and came to try and apologize but you wouldn't accept it. he left extremely annoyed at himself for causing you the pain that he did. he ended up crashing the car that he rented while his was in the shop, on the way home. and when you heard about it the next morning you just said it was karma

you said normal girls were "boring"

he always told you when you guys would have sex that you were very adventurous with the things you did. other girls before you weren't as exciting as you were.

but you were gone by the morning

he would leave instantly early the next morning. going from your house to his before his brothers woke up. leaving extremely late at night and in the early hours in the morning, he would always tell you that he did it so you wouldn't get caught but you were never 100% sure that was the reason.

you kicked out the stage lights but you're still preforming

he dropped the act he pulled when you were sleeping together but he was still trying to get you back even though that was the last thing you wanted.

and in plain sight you hid

it was hard to show his face after what he did to you but he had to put on a brave fake smile to the camera for his job. but you could tell he was trying to hide the shame he brought upon you.

but you are what you did

you could never forgive him for the pain he caused you. he wounded you so deep you had to cut off your childhood best friends because it was too much to even look at him. every time you did look at him you were just reminded of the heartbreak.

and I'll forget you but I'll never forgive

you moved on as soon as you felt ready enough to. even though it took a while to heal after the cut matt had dug deep in your chest, you were eventually able to move on. a year later you saw him again and you made eye contact, but you turned away quickly walking up to your boyfriend. you could never forgive the man that hurt you, while also hurting himself in the process.

the smallest man who ever lived.

note: some parts in here might be a little confusing and I'm so sorry about that. like taylor i dont know what you mean by some of these lyrics.

sorry this might be bad. I'm not great at writing.

make sure you check out my other one shots and my delilah series!

requests are open! so feel free to send me some! just make sure to look at my restrictions

[phoenixyfriend]

Entry of the Gladiators 6

Chapter 6: A Hutt in One

Murder, battle plans, and a dash of family bonding

The five stations are in an interesting part of the galaxy, which is ironically on the secret path to Kamino. It’s also only a few sectors away from Hutt Space.

Their army is not good. However, with Anakin and the clones at the helm, and Ben giving directions from Bruklinn, they do have enough manpower to first take over the criminal underworlds of the other stations, and then… well…

There is currently a giant, blown-up copy of a news headline declaring the death of Gardulla projected onto the presentation wall for a reason. Unidentified forces took out the ship carrying her and her entire retinue on a trip from Nar Shaddaa to Tatooine.

On a totally unrelated note, Shmi’s been helping direct several dozen slaves who are not entirely ready to believe they are now free.

“Well, now, I can’t say that I’m sad that they’re dead,” Ben hedges, “especially because we are not connected to the Republic, and so we do not need to worry about starting a war and all such things. However… Anakin is disturbingly cheerful about this, wouldn’t you say?”

Rex snorts. “He was a Hutt slave.”

“Well, yes, but—”

“I’d have killed Nala Se, if I thought I could get away with it,” Rex tells him drily. “Maybe Lama Su. Was tempted to take out Prime himself, some days.”

Ben grimaces. “I understand that. Unfortunately, this is not about the moral legitimacy of such a death, as such, but rather, how such emotions and actions impact our own relations with the Force.”

Cody makes a noise that is not a laugh, per se, but only because he’s very good at hiding it. Ben wants to call him out on it. He does not.

“He’s almost here, by the way,” Cody says.

Yes. Ben can very well feel that. Anakin’s flaring in the Force, and not in a particularly stable way.

Ben is worried.

The door opens, not quite slamming, but with the aplomb that Anakin cultivated as the Hero with No Fear. The man himself strides in with a manic grin and extensive char on his armor. There is also rather more blood than Ben is happy to see. It is clearly not Anakin’s, so at least there’s that, but still.

“Hello, Master!”

 Ben feels a headache coming on. “What did you do?”

“I’m insulted,” Anakin says, grin twitching in a way Ben is very unhappy about. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“The blood, Anakin.”

“It’s not mine.”

“Given that it’s blue, I’d guessed as much,” Ben says. “What happened?”

Anakin shrugs. “Don’t worry about it.”

“That just makes me worry more.”

“Pirates, fire, and a few dozen freed slaves,” Anakin says. “That’s all you need to know.”

Is it, though?

“You need a mind-healer,” Ben tells him.

“Pot, meet kettle.”

(Continue on AO3)

[alons-ycreeper]

Me, heelys-rolling up on the last day of kesett week with a Starbucks: here's days 1-7 clusterfucked into a single ficlet, enjoy 😎

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"This is never going to work." Boba gripes as tugging on the stolen robes before coming to sit beside his Jedi at the controls. "I swear if we end up chained together again in some–"

"We haven't even gotten there yet and you're already complaining." Cal smiles, looking his partner up and down. "You look good in my robes by the way."

Despite the fact a blush would be harder to see on his complexion Boba still tugs the cloak hood further down to hide his face. Cal giggles at the frankly adorable display. It's rare that he ever gets to see his partner so flustered thanks to him wearing a helmet near 24/7. Cal has tried that helmet on multiple times and still can't understand how the bounty hunter is able to wear it for so long. That thing is stuffy!

"Why didn't I turn you in again?"

"Because you fell for my charm and wit. And you couldn't bear the thought of me rotting away in some prison."

"Wanna bet?"

They laugh. Their banter having eased the tension a bit that they soon fall into comfortable silence. A beeping coming from the dashboard alerts them that they've arrived at their designated location.

Cal can feel Boba's apprehension, his sadness. He reaches over, grabs Boba's hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. He's a little surprised when the other actually accepts the comfort instead of his usual batting away.

"Trust me?" Boba nods.

Kamino, 7947. Just a two years after the Invasion of Naboo.

The planet is the same as he remembers it. Dreary clouds blocking out the sun as they pelt Tipoca's domes with constant heavy downpour. Dark waters crashing below hiding the unforseen horrors that lurk in their depths.

"Masters Jedi." A familiar voice greets them at the city entrance. Boba feels his heart sink to the bottom of his shoes. There in the doorway stands Taun We. She looks younger. She is younger. "Follow me, please."

Sterile white halls and bright florescent lights. The contrast between the outside world and the dome-life city are truly light and dark. Boba feels a bit sick from it.

"The prime minister is eager to meet you both. He's bit apprehensive about your arrival seeing as we have not yet produced anything worth–"

A loud crash followed by the small voices stops them in their tracks. But those are no ordinary voices. Those are the voices of clone cadets terrified out of their minds. The bounty hunter doesn't think twice, booking it down the hall in the direction of the cries. He knows Cal is right behind him so there's no need to worry there. This is his chance to do the right thing. All that matters right now are those boys.

Boba skids the corner finally coming upon the cadets. One of the clones stands poised I'm front of the others, a blaster pointed directly at their threat, Orun Wa. Boba hadn't known the Kaminoan personally like he had Taun We but he didn't need to. The sleemo was just like the rest of them.

"Get away from them!"

"Mister Fett?" Orun Wa stutters in shock.

Boba quickly steps in front of the six boys–because that's what they were, boys. Not units, not soldiers, but little boys forced into a life they had no choice in. Little boys sold off into slavery by a man who was once a slave himself.

"I said, 'get away from them'." Boba repeats, voice cold and demanding.

He sees Cal step behind him, slowly approaching the kids and calmly asking the one with the blaster to please lower his weapon and hand it over. Surprisingly the kid does. Once the weapon is in his Jedi's possession he quickly hands it Boba for safe keeping. Cal immediately goes back, checking the boys over for any injuries. The kids seem to take a shine to his Jedi. Good.

"Master Jedi," Orun Wa begins. "Please excuse these defective units. They may be highly intelligent but they are deviant, disturbed–and uncommandable. As Mister Fett is well-aware we only allow the highest quality to be produced here. That is why these units must be terminated."

Every word coming out the Kaminoan's mouth only serves to horrify Cal and anger Boba further. He lifts the blaster the young clone had been aiming with–

"Put the blaster down, boy."

Boba finally understands how Cal feels when a Dark-sider is near. Cold. So very cold.

He turns to face the man he hasn't seen since he was ten years old.

"Dad."

. . .

"What happens next?"

Cal meets the wide-awake eyes of his youngest. Of course A'den would still be up. He's the only one of his brothers that ever makes it to the end of Cal's stories. He never knows if he should be flattered or insulted.

"Guess you'll just have to find out tomorrow night." Cal tucks his son's blanket up under his chin and kisses the top of his head. "Goodnight, A'den."

The little clone yawns, "Goodnight, Cal'buir."

Quietly Cal exist the kids' room, entering the hall where his husband is waiting for him.

"Telling them false stories again."

"Have to entertain them somehow." Cal holds his arm out. Boba rolls his eyes but takes the arm anyway. "Shand back yet?"

"She just got in. Along with Vanth."

Cal groans, "Does he have to be here?"

"I don't see why you two can't just be civil."

"He's the one that starts it." Boba snort at the childish tone his husband's voice takes. "He's just jealous that's all."

"I'm starting to wonder if Din has these same problems with Skywalker."

"You wouldn't have it any other way."

Boba smiles, "Wanna bet?"

[vlassk]

False god

P1

A/N this may or may not go on for a while but the start is pre Crow, with the release of Final Shape ive decided to try have a Cade-6 x Guardian, to add more fire.Maybe some 18+ i cant say yet.

I also want to start off with a story note about the Guardian,you're not the one resurrected at the start of the game. You'll have a backstory, but i promise I've made it as sad and tragic as the rest of our amazing Vangard friends. 🧡

Pairing- Uldren/Crow sov x Guardian . Cade-6 x Guardian??

Enemy to lovers

Angsty

Warnings: swearing, violence (lmk if theres more)

You were Awaken at a prime time, hidden away in broken buildings. A wall is seen in the distance. You wake up in a panic your arms tied up with rusted wire above your head, on a circle cut board you hung.

"Hello, ive been searching so long to find you" a voice is heard. Slightly robotic

That was the start. The Begining.

Years later you're a trusted Guardian working for Vanguard, Humanities heros in the chaos of the universe.

" hey Guardian, you taking off soon?" A robotic voice comes from behind you

" Yes , although i really do wish i could stay here with you. But the stranger has asked me to meet her on Venus.. soop Venus here we goo" giving a thumbs up to the man

"Well Guardian...i hope you have a safe time" the man starts to walk away

"God damn it Cade would you stop calling me "Guardian" theres like less than two people around you could be less formal!" You grab the back of Cade's cape pulling him back to you. He turns around to look at you with a dorky smile

" well y/n, we are still in public and as much as i would really love to kiss you goodbye, i cant you know what it'll do" Cades smile fades a bit as he begins to pout at you

"Forgive your sweet Hunter boyfriend?"

"Absolutely not.." you pull him into a passionate kiss not caring about the robots sweeping the floor of the take off point.

He kisses back and moves his arms to your hips, holding you in place

"Please be careful... we dont know who you're meeting. " cade says as he pulls away. A smile appears on your face. You kiss his cheek and walk away from his arms, leaning on your ship

"I am always careful. Plus, who knows this stranger could have an answer? Now go do your homework so the days go by quicker!" You shoo him off, waiting for him to leave before bording the ship. You can see him wave through the front.

"AND IT'S PAPERWORK NOT HOMEWORK!!" Cade screams as he finally leaves.

You smile once again, happy with your life as you fly away to Venus.

"You aren't afraid at all," your ghost pops up beside you as you fly through space.

"I am not. On the Moon i was, i didn't know what to do or expect, but meeting the stranger could help us find some type of light in this dark..." when you first met the Stanger you had just woke up the Hive amist it all that your sort of stalker shows up telling you to meet her on Venus as she has something to talk about, something important.

On this Venus Trip, the Stranger tells you about the Vex Orgin point and how you must destroy the heart of it, but before you could, you needed help from someone in the Reef...

Stopping by the tower to get more gear, you run into a friendly face.

"Guardian, how was your trip?" Cade leans in, almost close enough where he could smell you.

"Cade-6... my trip was good, how was your time here?" You smile and turn around, looking at more things laid out. Cade leans into you, leaning his head on your shoulders and wrapping his arms around you.

"I missed you so so much, sweetheart." cade tightens his grip around you, squeezing you a bit too much

"Heyyy too tight, and we are in public! What are you doing?!" You swat his arms away and turn to look at him again. He gives you a sheepish look and then smiles.

" Do you see anyone around?" Cade looks around. And no, there aren't people at all. You two are hidden under a bridge in the courtyard. You had always geared up alone in the back before leaving.

Y/n smiles, kissing the chaotic hunter and embracing him once again.

Cade pulls away again

"Does this packing mean you're leaving again?" Cade watches you nod in agreement

" You've only just got back...i didn't even get to have my fun yet," cade sighs with a hint of disappointment. You hold his face in your hands, looking at the sorrow he shows you

"I need to go to the Reef. That stranger told me it's a way to stop these Vex things. I must get help and stop it.."

"Well, i can help you. Why go all the way there?"

"It's the Black Garden... only the awoken knows how to get to it... but I will be back soon, okay?" You check if he is okay. Cade is a strong man, but with you, he feels so safe and calm, almost like he can be weak around you.

"Yeah, I'm alright. i just miss my honey. Okey- you go and hurry back, find out all you can." Both of you share a goodbye embrace as you head off to the reef.

The drive was shakey and unwell. The amount of debris left over tested your piloting skills. As you got closer, your coms picked up a line. A guard in the reef speaks, telling you to state your business. You do asking to be seen by the queen, The journey moves on.

As you get out of your ship, you can now see the destruction of the place you're in. Imagining how it must have looked. Wondering your head and eyes all over

"Watch it!" A voice calls out as you fall onto the floor, y/n bumped into someone. Your head looks up at a tall blue man, He looks down to you, not bothering to help you up

"Hey, im sorry." You call out as he walked away, once again not bothering to say a word to you.

"Well, he was rude." Your ghost pops up, healing any bruising from the hard fall.

"Yeah, what an asshole...cmon Ghost, let's go find this queen. It's creepy here, and people seem quite rude.."

You walk to a guarded door, and before you can say anything, the doors open. As you walk through, you see the man you bumped into

"So ...these are the trespassers who demanded an audience?" The man states swaying slightly

"Listen, we didn't mean to trespass, and apologies for running into you so harshly.." You lower your head a bit, not really feeling bad but needing to get on someone's good side

"The Queen herself judges who may or may not enter the Realm, Me... i see no reason she should be available for what washes up at the Reef. " The man steps down the stairs and walks up to you

"But here we are..." he flicks his head to the side.

"I am here to ask for your Help," you state calmly, only taking in the mans face. Almost on que two fallen come out of the shadows, raiaing weapons.

"The Fallen!" Your ghost appears trying to warn you.

You pull out your gun holding it up to shoot, but before you can This man grabs your Arm with one hand and holds a knife to your throat with the other, you try to struggle against him but he only holds you im place pressing the blade closer to your neck.

A white haired Woman walks out from curtains, the Queen

"It is afraid of the fallen... it does not understand these ones are mine.."

You look up at her, slightly relaxing your body, two guards who were behind you grab your gun. The man lets go and puts away his knife.

"Apologies your grace.." he begins to walk away, slowly

"I am a Guardian... from Earth, We are searching for the Black Garden" y/n folds their arms, leaning on one side of her leg.

"Why?" The man turns around,looking more angry at you

"We will destroy the darkness, at its heart"

"You want to turn it into a battleground" he cocks his head to the side

"How unimaginative..." he gives you a pittaful look

"Do you know where it is?" You say with more confidence and sternness

"Everyone knows where it is. The hard part is getting in"

"Can you help us?"

"And why would we do that?"

"The queen requests council with her brother," the Queen speaks up, leaning back in her Thrown.

"Brother..." The ghost turns to you, you glanse at them and turn back to the Blue siblings.

The man turns around looking back to you before walking to the Queen. He bends over on one knee, looking at you again.

Theres murmering heard but not much understood.

He keeps looking at you. Slight glances here and there but all you can do is keep a straight face and keep the confidence.

"That's good.." He sits up walking towards you

"Why not... we will make you a key! Hows that?All we need is a head of a Vex Gate lord"

"A gate lord..." your ghost goes off

"Why do you want the head?"

"Oh we dont, and i doubt we will get one either. But it is the only hope of you getting into the black guarden"

"We will return"

"Or you will die on Venus...either way."

"Uldren..." shes calls for her brother

You turn to walk away repeating in your head...Uldren.

You begin walking out, heading straight to Venus. The fight was intense, you persisted. Though you had to be revived a lot.

You walk back into the room. The queen spots you

"It is alive...and it still has its ball" The queen lifts up her head at you.

"There is no shame in running away Guardian. Apart from the cowordice and falier of it, its an excellent stragity..."

"I didn't run"

"Was no gate lord slain brother?" The queen looks to her brother.

"Ohhh we slayed a Gate Lord..." your ghost excitement burst through

"Ghost," you smile at your friend, letting them show what they need to.

Your ghost flys upfront summoning the Vex Head to drop in front of everyone. Both the queen and prince stand up.

"I need to find the Black Garden" you look at uldren Stern.

Uldren scoffs

"They dont even know where it is"

"Let us tell them. Search the gate lord for that which gains them entrance"

"Why?!" Uldren looks at his sister confused and angry.

"If you wish them certain death, then just kill them here." He turns away from us..angered at her.

"Often, when we guess others' motives, we reveal our own." she leans back more.

"My motive is simply Loyalty... to a people... a queen and a sister, " Uldren crouches next to her, leaning in.

"Then please...take what is required"

Uldren looks almost defeated. Standing back up and going over to the Vex Head. Bringing his knife out and stabbing into it. Looking directly at you. He pulls out the eye. As he holds it up to his face, the light dies out.

"Dead... unfortunately," Uldren turns to look at his sister. " A wasted journey im afraid." he gives you another pittaful look. it's fake, you can tell, but he's trying to play this evil innocence.

"Perhaps, but i think these ones are sourceful... we Gift it in simpathy for their Traveler." She sits still. Almost like a statue.

Uldren looks at you, anger in his glowing eyes

"Mars...84 north 32 East. Uridean bay" He throws the Eye at you, but you catch it easily

The queen atands up

"I have shown you benevolence Guardian, should the awoken ever need an Ally, I will call on you. And expect you to answer.."

"She's saying you owe us, Guardian." uldren snarks

"I understand, your grace.." You look up to the queen bowing slightly.

"Good Luck! ... getting through the exclution zone" Uldren rolls his eyes quieting at the end.

"I won't need it. Uldren"

As you begin to walk out of the room, you hear footsteps behind you, slowly catching up and becoming louder. You turn around quickly, ready to strike, but your arm gets caught immediately

"Dont even think about it 'Guardian'" Uldren made the end sound so spiteful.

You snatch your arm back turning back around and shoving him back

"Whats your damn problem princy? Was my bump into you that hard it messed up your head. All you've been to me is Rude!"

Uldren regains his composure before pushing you into a wall

"Do not push me you insignificant human!"he holds you on the wall as you struggle

"What is your damn problem!"

"You're! My problem!" He slams you back into the wall

"Do you Even know my Queens name? Do you hold any respect for my people? For even yourself?" Uldren sofens his eyes for only a second, going back to being angry.

"Get over yourselves. I respect her as a leader but do not mistake me she Isnt my queen and will never be!" You kick him away, making him fall back onto the floor. You leap forward, getting on top of him, pinning his arms to the floor as well.

"Her name is Mara Sov! A Queen! My Queen!"Uldren struggled trying to get himself free

" i don't care! And As for Me? You really think i care what YOU think? You are no one, Uldren and everyone. Even your SISTER sees it! I don't even have to know you!" You scream out, uldren struggled beneath you, trying to gather his strengths again

"You should care! You carry that light ball with you, you follow that Vanguard so blindly to destroy this darkness. All for what?That Ball on Earth?!" He lifts his head to your face. Smirking at you.

"My ghost is a Gift! They have been there for me every Second of waking up, i dont get to just ignore them! I dont get the Liberty to die anymore!" You scream again

"I... i didnt know you felt like that Y/n..." your ghost apears again flying close. You loosen your grips in Uldrens arms.

He breaks free to try to push you off. You fall back as Uldren tries to strike your ghost. You panic and throw yourself up again falling onto Uldren one last time.

"Why are you doing this!?" Your confusion writen on your face

"Youll die if you go there!"

"I am more than willing to if i can destory this darkness. But i will survive!" With one last burst of energy, you punch Uldren, knocking him down. You get up and start running as you see guards coming to you both.

"I am your sister Ally, but Uldren, i will never be yours." You begin to run back to your ship. Turning back to see Uldren sit himself up.

The flight home was rough. You stayed silent even when your ghost tried to talk to you. Once you landed at the Tower, Cade came to say his Hellos. But every kiss and hug felt empty. This Stranger, who you have no connection too hit such a big nerve, and you didn't know why... all you knew was that you never wanted to be called to the Mara Sovs aid.

[batfoonery]

I’m sad tonight so have a stupid little headcannon of mine about how I think Damian grows up

Firstly, he cannot grow up this is Illegal that’s my spunky little guy!

But if he must (and I suppose he must)

Personally I don’t agree with DC’s tendency to make him Big n Bulky like Bruce.

Assuming Talia really did handpick certain traits, she probably would have leaned towards traits better for being an assassin. Like a more slender frame. Probably not as slender as Tim. If we chart it with Bruce n Jay being the Bulkiest and Tim being the most slim (but still very strong!) and Dick as the midpoint (aerodynamic but wider chest + shoulders) then I’d put him between Jay and Dick, but certainly a bit closer to the latter than the former.

I also am of the opinion that he’s the second most springy (flexible) after Dick.

So, I know with ballerinas the reason they have to start young is bc they have to start forming the flexible pathways (I’m not wording that right but the actual term eludes me rn) bc when you reach adolescence your joints start hardening into their final full adult spots and pathways. I’m assuming that the same applies to gymnasts.

Damian would’ve been a prime age for this development of sproingy joints. Tim and Jay were already teens, so although they have the ability to be damned good acrobats, they can’t develop the same range of motion that D & d have.

And yes, this would require developing the motions. But Damian likely already had learned techniques that required a particular level of flexibility in the LoA, and then when Dick was Batman (and in charge of training) I think he would have leaned towards more acrobatic skills. Both bc it’s useful and bc he needed a way to wear the kid out so he’d stop trying to escape and maybe take a nap for once. Getting bouncy kids (well. Not bouncy, but certainly Energized) to settle down by wearing them out by tricking them into doing cross wheels across the lawn is a classic older-sibling-stuck-babysitting tactic.

Overall this means his muscle tone would probably build in a way similar to Dick as well. Not totally the same! Part of our ability to build muscle is genetic—some of us are better at putting it in certain places than others

So where Dick’s generalized shape is like an upside-down triangle (or, if the artist is choosing to be particularly annoying about the poor guy’s rear then an unfortunate wasp figure—please that poor man’s back…. Shapely but reasonable is that really too much to ask for?) I think Damian’s thighs will be Thick like Bruce’s, making him somewhat of an hourglass (ass not as defined as Dick’s though) although the narrowest part of his waist will still only be slightly curved in (so not as severe as the description ‘hourglass’ typically invokes).

Height? No clue. Smaller than Bruce but not by much I’m guessing. Tall but not too tall and somewhat slender would probably help with assassin-ing in Talia’s eyes.

Although personally I think it would be really funny if he was second smallest (Tim reigning shorty supreme of course).

Features? No clue! Honestly kids can inherit so many potential features, who knows! I like when artists give him darker skin and Talia’s nose. But I’m biased bc I wish my skin was darker (I’m half Mexican half white and wow the pale is Blinding so unfortunately I am aware just how pale mixed children can be) and Talia is like. The hottest person in DC for me. I also like the green eyes bc it makes sense for him to have been exposed to the Lazarus pit, although I’m open to them having been a different color at birth for Angst purposes.

I just think there’s so many recessive traits that could pop up as he gets older. Or maybe he starts out being Bruce’s mini-me and then magically shifts into Talia’s boy. But I like the thought of him having something unexpected like one singular dimple on his left cheek—inherited from Martha and the Kane lineage but skipped Bruce (however Kate has the same dimple). Or maybe the droop of his eyelids recalls memories of Talia’s mother (not that Ra’s ever shared this info other than maybe once in passing when he first saw the baby).

That’s it that’s all! Agree, don’t agree, I don’t really mind either way. I just think it’s fun to think about sometimes.

[iviarellereads]

Wheel of Time full series spoiler thoughts on EOTW 39-43

A probably semi-regular weekly bonus to my reread blog, since sometimes you realize things on reread that just make you need to yell in a full spoiler space.

I'm hesitant to say it outright in the main chapter, but I believe Gill's men think Rand would be good to have on their side in a fight precisely because his past life is starting to leak through. We've seen some of the stray thoughts Rand can't trace the source of, it wouldn't surprise me at all if RJ thought Rand might start comporting himself like a real blademaster, especially with the influence of ta'veren over him.

The Warders with the Reds still bother me. Sure, not all the Red Ajah are fully man-haters, but why are there so many Warders with them in this when none of them take Warders? Are there just unattached Warders hanging around to guard the Red on these trips or did RJ just not have the world hammered out yet? Another thing I'm glad the show is smoothing over a bit.

Logain's laugh, as Rand sees him, and as he sees Rand and knows that he's not the Dragon, but that he's about to see the world burn. So chilling.

ELAYNE! And Gawyn and Galad and the rest of the Caemlyn Crew, but ELAYNE! Cinnamon roll princess. The show has her EXACTLY right, brewing illicit beverages under her bed and dressing like a Disney princess in hiding. I'm a little sad that her first meeting with Rand was so abrupt at the end of season 2 of the show, but I'm fascinated at how it's under similar context but completely reversed circumstances: she's busting in on him and introducing herself for the first time in the show as just "Elayne" no Daughter-Heir or title or family name.

I don't think we ever get a real, like, confirmation that Gawyn takes up his role as First Prince of the Sword after her coronation, do we? Like, the world kind of rolls right from her accession war to the Last Battle, and we know he Travels back and forth from her to Egg a couple of times, but he's all Egg's at the end, not hers. Galad's off leading the Whitecloaks. Which leaves… who? as her First Prince.

Gawyn saying Elayne should marry someone from the Two Rivers, and then the narrative describing him as "babbling". Someone just got hit by ta'veren to give us that hint.

I still find it so fascinating that SO MANY PEOPLE take Elayne's side totally unthinking about Galad, though. Like, we're so primed to hate a goody-two-shoes as a whole-assed society that we just hate him with her the whole way, for the most part. It wasn't until my last reread that he really grew on me. (Gawyn… SIGH. I have a lot to say about Gawyn, but like Mat, he never grew on me, though unlike Mat I think Gawyn's potential was entirely wasted by the lack of any single conversation with Egwene about the bloodknives. We'll get there, someday, but MY GIRL WOULD UNDERSTAND, DUDE, JUST TELL HER.)

The rest of this week is mainly just catch-up, but there are a few fun moments. Egg being SO JEALOUS of Elayne is funny when she'll give Rand up to her willingly in a couple of books. Moiraine sitting in the chair by the fire, seeming to be in a throne, when she was first in line to the throne of Cairhien as the Aiel War ended.

[hyperfixationisamust]

Sokka in LoK (Oldkka????)

We were all robbed of old Sokka so fuck canon I'm putting him in

Sokka moves like he's still in his prime, always full of energy

but sometimes the knee that he hurt during Sozin's Comet will lock up and he's down for the count

totally carves his own cane. or makes one idk mans made hot air balloons he probably finds some way to make his cane some kind of cannon or sword

absolutely treats Korra like his own kid; won't hesitate to snark or playfully punch her, but will also give her advice when she needs it

he teaches Korra how to fight with weapons or hand to hand, or at least teaches her to fight while thinking outside of the box

White Lotus member Sokka feels so right; he's like a more upbeat version of Piandao mixed with less cryptic Bumi. wicked smart and quick wits with a sharp tongue but goofs off a lot so people assume he's just an old wackjob

Sokka makes it so that there's a permanent nonbender councilperson position and/or a Water Tribe representative

though they've matured, Katara and Sokka still squabble but with more words and the occasional bending of water/snow into Sokka's clothes

loves to remind Zuko of his teenage, angsty self constantly

I firmly believe that Toph told him she was gonna go live in a swamp because Tokka friendship my beloved

fuck it Suki is also very much alive and retired on Kyoshi Island and is an instructor and Sokka will occasionally drop by to talk

Sokka definitely still fights, regardless of what people try to warn him about watching his health, he's still fit, thank you very much

never got over the thrill of travelling and goes wherever his heart takes him, but always visits friends when he's in the area

still loves art and writing, tho he has improved a lot lmao

when they were first building Republic City, he may have gotten a liiitle mad when there were no non-bender statues so he made Non-Bender Row, a street solely dedicated to statues of well-known non-benders and plaques of their achievements

always calls his friends to see how they're doing when phones become a thing

speaking of phones, Sokka loves seeing all these new inventions and definitely would like Varrick; reminds Sokka of a younger him, or so he likes to say

hates Amon with a passion and how he preys on the useless feeling of nonbenders; Amon doesn't get as much attention and followers with Sokka opposing him

when he first meets Korra's group, he thinks Mako is somehow related to Zuko

Mako: it's nice to meet you, Mr. So-

Sokka: are you Zuko's long lost son or something

Mako: ???

loves messing with Bolin and constantly teases him; very proud of him when Bolin learns lavabending

very impressed with Asami; I like to think Asami really looks up to Sokka as a non-bending inventor and when he finds this out: ego boosted, Asami is his new favorite

I have a whole separate wip of young Bumi II and Sokka bonding, but just know these two are very close and love to poke fun at their other family members together

Oh they also have the same connection to spirits so they can bond over that too

When Bumi gets airbending, yeah Sokka’s a little sad, and yeah maybe he cries a little bit, but it’s fine Bumi’s still his favorite

Sokka sees so much of Katara and Kya in Kya II; very supportive when she comes out and will hurt anyone who judges her for it

loves messing with Tenzin; sometimes will call him mini Aang; has a running bet with the rest of the family to see who can get him the most red (currently Meelo is in the lead)

Meelo and Sokka are a disaster together; the sheer chaos they can and will cause is through the roof

thinks of Ikki as a female version of Aang; also like to cause trouble together, but mostly through pranks

likes to poke fun at Jinora about her spiritual connection, but he's really proud of her when she gets her airbender tattoos

Sokka: jfdslkjh go Jinora fksdljg

Kya: Uncle are you crying

Sokka, sniffling: nO-

Give me Sokka interacting with his nieces and nephews he’d be such a good uncle spirits please

definitely thinks Kai is not good enough for his grandniece

very wary of Wu, doesn't like him at first

Sokka: he's an entitled royal brat with no manners

Katara: so were you, but without the royal part

Sokka: *offended noises*

Would absolutely be best friends with Pabu and Naga; jokes that he loves them more than their owners

Sokka would be super into probending and would probably even buy a team; but that's a post for another time

Liked the Black Quarry Boar-q-pines, but when Korra joined the Fire Ferrets, he started rooting for them

he's the first one to notice how close Asami and Korra are

Asami and Korra: *smile at each other*

Sokka: oh??? what's this????

when Mako goes through the awkward phase with Asami and Korra after that whole love triangle shitshow, Sokka tells him about his own love struggles

Asami and Korra: we're together now <33

Sokka: KNEW IT

[denimbex1986]

'Loneliness has never been this magical in this story of Adam. To keep us sane, let us describe him first: a writer for films and TV, he lives alone in this tall building apparently barely occupied. One day, outside Adam looks up and sees a person gazing down at him. They soon meet at the elevator. The other guy’s name is Harry, who offers to have a drink with Adam and do whatever he wants to do that night. Adam declines.

The next scene has Adam on a train. He is on his way to his parents’ home. Both died in a car accident when he was 12 years of age. As the cinematic signposts are telling us, Adam sees first a man across a wooded area making a sign to follow him. Closer to each other, they talk. He is Adam’s father and he brings Adam to their home. There, Adam meets his mother who recognizes him.

When this encounter takes place, rationality is never put into question. Nor logic.

Nothing is belabored. What we have in front of us is the most impossible of wishes coming true—that of seeing our loved ones already gone but now standing warm and alive with us. They are not phantasms and they are not fantasies; they are the gifts of of sadness pushing a man like Adam to see beyond life, to touch past death or anything that resembles vanishing.

Who would not want this pure happiness? Not Adam (certainly not us who also have experiences losing our loved ones), not this man who is alone and seeks no companion. Earlier, he was looking at old photos because, as we would find out later, he wants to write about his father and mother. Or, at most, remember them. That wishful thinking, that wistfulness is now rendered truthful. There is no time to doubt. There is time to catch up.

Perhaps, we could imagine and ponder on this: If the parents of Adam passed on when he was a little boy, would they recognize him at present when they are almost of the same age?

Look at the eyes, which parent said this? We always recognize each other through our eyes. Not the years gone by will ever erase those points of recognition. That night, there was nothing else to do but ask questions. And assure each other. And we can only envy Adam because now he can tell them he is fine, and they can rest forever (oh no, not yet) with the thought that their son did well after all.

But Adam has to leave, but with the promise to come back.

At the block tower, which he calls home, Adam sees Harry again. There is a bit of hesitation, timidity at first. It seems the words of encouragement from Adam (“I also love whisky”) come too late. But destiny is bound to put them together. Harry soon joins Adam. They naturally have a night of sex. It looks like these two lonely souls are in love. This time, we, as in Adam coming home, are personally happy about how time and space have been good to them.

More visits to the parents happen: Adam with his mother and next, Adam with his father. With the first, Adam comes out. To the persistent question of his mom about girlfriends, Adam tells her he is not into girls, not into women. The mother is distraught. But the mores have shifted, Adam assures her. The visit with the father recalls a more brutal childhood, with bullying and crying alone in the room in the dark. But, hey, who gets a second chance with one’s father? And yet we cannot avoid the devastation, when the father asks if he could give Adam a hug.

What is next in this existential dance till the end of love? Maybe Harry could meet Adam’s parents? Till when is this gift of the universe happening? Who has the right to alter the law of death so as to allow life to rule once more? What about life with Harry? Who is he in this parable of sorrow and existence?

Where happiness is the prime factor in love, here is a film where loneliness (also isolation) becomes the path not to separation but a reunion of beings. It is as if the heart has been badly broken, there is no other remedy but for the lifeforce to put it together again, weave a tale of endless redemption, and summon the wellspring of happily-ever-after narratives.

I can go on with my ruminations about love, life, how gay or straight or whatever men cope with being alone, and of how society invents alienation as a mechanism, but this is not what this cinema of sweet angst called All of Us Strangers is all about.

All of Us Strangers is about characters and the actors who fleshed them out. Claire Foy, distinctly lovely, is the mother to whom a scared boy could run to for comfort. In bed, as she faces Adam, an intimacy greater than all the cruelties in the world, reaches out to the boy/man and we are all blessed for this. As the father, Jamie Bell gives Adam, his son, the belated hug, making up for all the I-love-yous fathers in this world are always at pains to express. These two actors—Foy and Bell—have distilled their performances to a level of warmth, compassion and excellence. They make the unreal beyond reproach.

As the other human, Paul Mescal’s Harry offers Adam a ghost of a chance, proof of a role that requires sincerity and pain, no more and no less. That the most intense and truthful of kinship awaits all of us when we open doors and not see the shuttered windows. (Are the owners of this building scared that we would jump out and scare the prospective buyers, Harry once asked.)

But when all the passions—unrequited and unbridled—are consumed in this world, there is Andrew Scott as Adam, his grief bottled all throughout (his weeping is unshared, the face covered by his hands the way small boys cry, and his scream is distorted), teaching us the lessons about recriminations—they are never about the past but more about the future that requires all things (joy, apathy, bleakness) being kept in equilibrium. Not, for heaven’s sake, closure but keen understanding; not even regrets but simple embraces. Scott is us, broken but brave, a traveler in eternity where the deus ex machina is not in the form of human contraptions but disguised as an ethereal, epic journey where one of us and another can cease to be a stranger, at least for a moment in some kind of a forever.

Andrew Haigh, who wrote the film based on the novel Strangers by Yamada Taichi, is the navigator of this tale that opted to be spaced out, who dared to render the gothic in glorious terms, if only to plumb the depth of the human condition, where time is a tyrant who can gift you with tenderness or with tricks.

All of Us Strangers was named one of the top 10 independent films of 2023 by the National Board of Review and has been given six BAFTA Award nominations. The film also won the top honors for Andrew Scott and Andrew Haigh at the London Critics’ Circle Awards.

All of Us Strangers is produced by Film4, TSG Entertainment, and Blueprint Pictures. It is distributed by Searchlight Pictures.'

[oraclekleo]

Lee Ho Seok (Solo) Kinky* Reading

Hello and welcome!

I’m Kleo and I’m here to present some k-pop related tarot readings to you.

Disclaimer:

I would like to state that all these readings have a purely entertainment nature and their purpose is to bring some fun into my and hopefully yours lives. I have never ever met any of the idols / actors / celebrities in my readings, I don’t know them personally. Tarot reading isn’t an exact science and I can never guarantee any of it. Most of it is my intuition mixed with fantasy. Don’t take these readings seriously and don’t base any important decisions on tarot readings only, use your common sense.

If you wish to request a tarot reading, please read the pinned post on my profile first to see the instructions on how to request. I only do readings for idols / actors / celebrities of 18 years of age or older. Requests for readings including younger people will be automatically dismissed. If you feel uncomfortable with these tarot readings, do not engage in reading my posts. Thank you for understanding.

Reading Info:

Rating: 18+

Reading Type: Single - Couple

Requested: Yes - No

Deck: E. A. Poe

Spread: Kinky*

Questions:

Position

Libido

Turn On

Kink

Dirtiest Secret*

Full Name: Lee Ho Seok

Stage Name: Wonho

Group: Solo (former MONSTA X)

Masterpost: Solo Artists

Lee Ho Seok

Wonho (Solo / former MONSTA X)

Deck: E. A. Poe

Spread: Kinky*

Position - VI The Lovers

Oh dear! Why did you ask for Wonho when you had to know he’s like a 100% romantic cutie? Well! You asked for it so here’s cotton candy reading. Wonho can’t power play even if he wanted to. He’s such a squishy bunny and a total sweetheart. He’s utterly devoted to his lover and would bring them all the stars and the moon if they asked him to do so. He’s the type of perfect boyfriend all mothers would want for their daughters because he completely worships and respects his other half and he truly considers them his other half because he feels so sad and incomplete without them. He will send good morning texts every day, keep on checking how his lover is doing, ask about their day, about their feelings, kiss their forehead for goodnight… you get the idea. Don’t make me describe it any further as I already get cavities from the sweetness.

Libido - 2 of Cups

Wonho is a romantic through and through. It’s not just a lovely facade to trick his date while he would change into a ravenous beast in the bedroom. He’s exactly the same chivalrous and respectful man when nobody sees him. He strongly believes in true love and he’s genuinely confessed he had found his one and true soulmate whenever he’s in a relationship. He will do literally anything to please his lover. Anything non-violent, though. Don’t expect Wonho bunny to be a fan of BDSM. It’s just not his scene.

Turn On - VII The Chariot

While Wonho is such a sweet cupcake and would walk on nails for his lover, he feels attracted to more powerful personas. He’s likely to get turned on by someone oozing confidence and certain authority, someone in charge of their life and dealing with obstacles head on and with fierce determination. It’s something he admires and looks up to.

Kink - 8 of Wands

Wonho is the sweetest boy on Earth, we have already established that. However, he’s also a young man in his prime and as such he has to face the harsh reality of purely physical urges. He needs a partner who will be willing and capable of giving in to the passion and desire at instant. Wonho has packed schedules and there’s no way he could avoid quickies and so his soulmate should be as easy to turn on as he is and eagerly participate in love making in unusual settings and under time pressure.

Dirtiest Secret* - 4 of Swords

Wonho’s dirtiest secret is the fact that he’s actually looking for someone well balanced and calm, someone who likes to stay home and read books or watch their favourite movies. He’s not really looking for an outgoing extroverted and partying person. More of a stay home buddy also gives him a sort of a calmness because he doesn’t have to worry about them cheating on him.

Thank you for reading!

Hit the Like 💖

Comment! 💬

Reblog! 🔁

Follow for more! 💌

[crystalcow]

𝑆𝑎𝑝𝑛𝑎𝑝𝑠 𝐶ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑//𝑆𝑎𝑝𝑛𝑎𝑝 𝑝𝑡 4

Masterlist // child reader ML //

Sapnap x reader !p !child reader

Pronouns used: none specified!

Warnings: swearing, mentions of death, casinos

➳➳➳➳➳┄┄※┄┄➳➳➳➳➳

𝐊𝐢𝐧𝗼𝐤𝗼 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝗼𝐰??

Quackity was telling you all of his plans

He rambled on for hours of his ideas for casinos and how he was going to marry Karl and sapnap

It sounded great

He had his whole plan set up! He even had Sam helping him with the building

But then he left

Just like everyone else

But that was fine! You were just with sapnap

Before Karl came running over rambling on about needed to move his library

He had a library?

“[Redacted] you need to stay close, please”

You looked at him weirdly

Who the fuck was [redacted]

“Karl my names Y/n you idiot” “flame..” “sorry”

He didn’t even notice it and then you had to spend the next couple days hauling over 100 books

“Oo hey what are these! The covers look really weird”

You had found his time travel books

Woops

That man raced over and in the kindest way possible, snatched it from your hands

“Don’t touch those, they are my special books”

You just shrugged and let him be, he freaks you out enough

So you all traveled to this area in the spruce forest and built a really ugly mushroom hut

But hey it’s fine! Foolish thankfully came around later that day and made everything better

So you stuck around

Maybe you needed this, this new start

Oh but prime knows that wouldnt last long

Karl started forgetting

At first it was simple things as just forgetting where he was or little stumbles with names

But eventually he was going away longer and longer

He started calling you by these strange names, some that sound Victorian and western and others that are unlike you

One day he didn’t call you by your name at all

You were hanging around the Sakura trees and the big yin Yang pond waiting for sapnap to come back with George

Then you saw Karl exit the library, running up to him for a hug

It’s been two months since you’ve seen him

You fucking hated it but you couldn’t help but consider him another parental figure

He loved it

But he just stood there as you wrapped your arms around him

Expecting the usual “[reda]- Y/n, I’ve missed you so much my sweet flame!”

But there was nothing just a sad one sided hug

“Hello? I’m sorry but do I know you?”

You were ready to cry

“I’m sorry, I uh must’ve mistaken you for the wrong person” “No that’s fine! Hugs are nice?”

So you left and ran into the library

Scouring throughout all of the books until you found them

The same 8 books you shrugged away

You read through all of them along with Karl’s other journals

You didn’t like going through his stuff especially, a whole invasion of privacy

The more you read the worse it got

What were you gonna tell Sapnap?

Who the hell is James, and [redacted]?

And why couldn’t he stop

It’s no use anymore

You were simply just forgotten

𝐋𝗼𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐬

The closer you got to the large building, the sicker you got

Kinoko Kingdom was supposed to be your free pass

But somehow you always end up here

You called for Sam on the comms waiting for the beep

The inside looked great to say the least

“What are your past relationships with the prisoner?” “No answer.”

“Where are you currently resided?” “No answer”

“Do you believe the prisoner deserves his sentence?” “Maybe”

You put all your shit in the locker and followed him through all the safety checks

“I’m glad you didn’t bring anything with you”

You stood on the platform heart racing as the lava went down

It was like a ticking time bomb

The small squeaks and scratches of the hovering bridge

He just stared at you

That sick stupid mask was broken by tommy that day in the black stone room

So you had to look into his face

Lets just say he looks good in Orange

“Barrier up or down?” “Down”

He backed up into the corner as you stepped in

Smiling

Once the lava cascaded down your smile turned into a sick frown

“Hello” is that all he had to fucking say?

“Screw you. Fuck you. Damn you”

He just looked you a small chuckle escaping from his lips

“Those all mean the same thing.” “Well I’ve been living in cinnamon town for the past couple months, and I’m ready to fucking burn some buns”

Yeah he just laughed

“I’ve missed you Hot shot”

“You ruined our damn life!”

Someone went quiet

“If you didn’t have to have a petty little war, or criminalize children we could’ve been fine! It could’ve just been you, dad, me, and George.”

You were pissed, everyone just kept leaving you.

Tommy and Tubbo, Quackity, Karl, Dream, and hell even Wilbur

“You come and visit me, after not having seen me for months and you just yell? Not a hello or ‘how are you dream?’ ‘How’s prison dream’ ‘how can I help you get out of this damn place’ “

You just sat down ready to just walk out into the lava

“I’ve been stuck here for months! None of you even cared enough to visit me, hell even Tommy came around.”

You might have felt a little bad after leaving him

The prison was cold even tho lava was flowing right there

“Why would you leave the discs alone..” “Because I had to end it.”

What were you doing here

What were you planning on saying?

“So, what do you do in prison”

“I have a clock.”

You got up to go look at the pretty clock

Then threw it at his face

“Ow” “deal with it bitch”

The longer you stayed the worse the feeling in your stomach got

so you buzzed for Sam waving goodbye

“Wait.. Do they miss me?” “Can’t say, but I think this may be for the best.”

He wanted his best friends

But he just got the annoying teenager

Oh but that wouldn’t be the last

𝐋𝐚𝐬 𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐬

You got a letter in the mail one day

Who the hell uses letters??

You were shocked to see the address and the small post card

“Come around some time”-Quackity

Ans on the back it had the cords

Oh well what did you have to loose? Sapnap was focused on Karl

and well Karl didn’t even know you

So you set off

It took you a couple hours travel by horse to get to the desert area

The large sign blaring in the red text

You gotta admit the place looked beautiful

There was a giant dick and different shops

You were shocked to see this random un human like guy

“Hello, I am Charlie a totally human guy!”

Yeah totally not slime

“I’m uh, Y/n?” He reached out for a handshake sort of thing

“Dap me up!” “Another time Charlie”

Maybe when you had hand sanitizer

“Ohh so your Y/n! Mister Quackity talks about you all the time, come on in!”

You were skeptical but followed anyways

Stopping in your tracks when you saw Fundy

“Furry?” “Fire shit?”

You went over to give him a side hug, ruffling his fur

“What the hell are you doing here ginger boy!” “Oh you know, just escaping nightmares”

You were confused then just let him be

You walked to the entry way of the place

A beautiful pond with flowers and an arch

“Did what the place where Mr. Quackity was going to propose!”

Going to?

You shrugged it off following inside

You hated to admit it, but you were excited to see him

Yeah you really needed a parental figure in your life at the moment

So when you saw him, he immediately pick you up in a hug

You didn’t fail to notice his change in appearance

That beanie stayed the same tho

Thank god

“Hey hey! Let me show you around the place, we can also go for lunch and talk.”

The casino looked great to say the least

Loud music booming from the speakers, along with the live jazz band on the side

Slot machines were going off every minute

“Have a chip, something to remember this by”

He handed you a red poker chip

It was a cool one tho, in the middle has a blocky sort of smile

Creepy and dopey.. sick!

So you put it around a spare silver chain

“So how have you been kid? ‘Ts been a while hasn’t it.” “Could be better..”

You both walked around the city in silence, offering to go in the super model shop

“No” “why not” “keep walking”

On your way to lunch you had to squint at what you were seeing

“Oh my goodness you’re still alive?!” “You’re alive!?”

You and revivebur just stared at one another

“Yeah he came back after I died!” “you what now-“

You just stared at Tommy and back to Wilbur

Oh god those shrooms were messing with your head

You should’ve gotten out of there a while ago

Quackity came over placing his hands on your shoulders

“Do I have to execute you both? Get off my damn property”

“Sorry Q. Say, Y/n wanna join Lmanburg 2.0?”

You back away holding your hands up

“I denied that offer once, and I’ll do it again. Fucking zombie freaks”

You obviously muttered the last part

Why the fuck did dream revive those two shits??

When did Tommy even die??

Your visit here has just gotten weirder and weirder

𝐌𝗼𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬

Quackity got you away from the brits as quick as he could

So he brought you over to his office

“So kid, how’s your dad..”

Ah you expected this question

“How the fuck am I supposed to know. He’s living his life, Karl’s time traveling! Oh yeah did I mention he doesn’t even remember me.”

He looked at you with wide eyes

“So I’m not the only one they forgot..”

You slammed you hands on the fable dramatizing the situation

“How would you feel about moving here? I mean you could work for me in the casino!”

You thought about it for a second

You have two options

1. Live in shroom town with bubbles

2. Move to las Nevada’s with Quackity

You were sure Sapnap wouldn’t mind

I mean would he even care?

He hasn’t for the past couple months!

“You feel abandoned there, over here there are hundreds of people. You’ll have the time of your life”

You thought about it for a sec

“Alright hand me a contract”

So you signed

Making deals with the devil huh

Little did you know it would cost you your life

Devils little soul

➳➳➳➳➳┄┄※┄┄➳➳➳➳➳

and this is the finale! I will take requests for sapnaps child, and I’ll do some shit with Quackity and the casino and go in more depth if wanted!

As always request and ask anything! And ask if you want to be on a taglist (child reader or general)

For those on the taglist I don’t know if you wanted to be tagged for all child reader shit or just dreams child.. so please tell me :)

@creatorofstars @georgenctfound @samistheidiot @smolbox-png @ghostlysenses @stellarinstigator @bobaducky

[ashesandhackles]

The Abandoned Boy And His Problematic Fathers: Snape with Voldemort & Dumbledore

"He and Voldemort and Snape, the abandoned boys, all found home here..” - Forest Again, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

This comparison line of Harry, Snape and Voldemort being abandoned boys is not an accident. There is an intentional parallel being made between three of them - not only in terms of their parallels with the Hallows (as Tumblr has astutely pointed out), but also the commonalities in their upbringing. Given that Harry empathises so deeply with both of them, I am going to argue one of Harry’s attributes was present in all of them. We know that as an abandoned boy with lack of male authority figures to model after, Harry strongly craved a father. Here is a meta by u/metametatron4 that tracks Harry’s feelings about James (and Snape) through the series.

In Voldemort’s case, Tom believes his father to be the magical one and keeps his father’s name until he could no longer prove that it was his father who gave him his “special” lineage. He goes as far as searching Hogwarts records for his father because in his mind, his mother was “weak” to die. Once he is forced to concede that his mother is the magical one, he chooses to emphasise her ancestry in a paternal sense - “Salazar Slytherin, greatest of Hogwarts four”, tying himself up in grandeur. He also killed his father and his own paternal side of the family, his source of rage and shame. He sheds his father's name and becomes someone else, only known by his "special" magical lineage - cutting off that undesirable part of himself. Voldemort’s reaction to both his parent’s abandonment is to be special in every way, and choosing to discard love and seek power and control - a place where he is not rejected at all.

Snape is different from both Harry and Voldemort is that he specifically rejects his abusive father, having known him. As a child, he is seen wearing his mother’s clothes, only with an overlong coat that might belong to his father on a hot sunny day. As per Pottermore, he occasionally got whipped - so one can assume the coat is to hide that. Harry identifies strongly to Snape wearing overlong clothes that don’t quite fit him - a clear sign of neglect, if anything else. The fact that he wears his mother’s smock (and is willing to comfortably wear it in private with Lily in the scene before Hogwarts express) is an interesting detail to me. It feels like a rejection of his father and a sense of identification with his mother. With a person who he is comfortable with, he cuts an "impressive figure" with his smock. We see this detail pop up again in his textbook - where he is proud of being “Half A Prince”, emphasizing his magical lineage, his refuge in a violent, neglectful home.

Snape rejects his father (implied to be a violent man) by also rejecting hypermasculinity - as he tells sneeringly to James Potter: “If you’d rather be brawny, rather than brainy-” and by mocking “foolish wand waving” and how Potions is much more complex than that ("bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses" - thanks for some sensual imagery, Snape :D). His skillset, with the exception of Sectumsempra, is further testament to his rejection of hypermasculinity: Potions (a witches’ brew), spying (again, noted to be something women were famous for in war), branches of mind magic such as Occlumency. He is also strongly associated with mother figures - Eileen Prince (by his own admission), Lily Potter, Narcissa Malfoy. He has a feminine Patronus, in memory of his love and devotion to Lily. The insults also thrown his way are also emasculating: “Snivellus” “a lapdog”, and Dumbeldore’s own “a basket dangling on the arm of Lord Voldemort”. So if he rejects his own father, who does he look to as a male figure to model himself after? After all, he does discard the smock quite eagerly when he gets on Hogwarts Express - so he is keen to perform masculinity.

But we see that teenage Snape and Adult Snape are entirely two different personas. Teenage Snape is anxious, twitchy and walks around like a spider. He swears, he is barely in control of his emotions, is often rendered incoherent when he is emotional and lashes out. And he lashes out in ways that is reflective of a power dynamic he models from home: he feels small, so he will look for someone else to make feel small.

Adult Snape, save for being around Harry where he regresses, is the opposite. He glides when he walks or "swoops like a bat" and if you see him in scenes apart from Harry’s, he is very in control of himself and his jabs are intended to discomfit rather than lashing out. (See the Bellatrix scene in Spinner’s End).

We don’t know too much about this phase of life - we can only speculate. Adult Snape has choice words to say when he witnesses Harry's lack of control over his emotions. He may have been speaking of himself: "Fools who wear their heart proudly on their sleeves, who cannot control their emotions, who wallow in sad memories and allow themselves to be provoked so easily - weak people, in other words - they stand no chance against his powers!"

Speculation aside, what we do know is that teenage Snape shows signs of unstable identity, insecurity - all prime for grooming into a cult. He also shows a disorganised attachment style. His caregiver, his mother is too preoccupied by her own abuse to be there for her son - we see this in glimpses Harry sees in OOTP: " woman cowering" where a man shouts at her, and a young, neglected Snape cries in the corner. Children born in homes like this have trouble regulating their emotions, simultaneously displaying tendencies to aggressively lash out or show disassociative symptoms. Both of which Snape displays. Statistically, this is also seen more in low income households where economic instability and resulting domestic instability creates an unsafe environment for the kids to safely form ideas of their identity, or express emotions in healthy ways, modelling instead out of behaviour seen at home.

I believe Voldemort, as the man who has experimented with boundaries of magic in ways no one else has, is an attractive father figure for someone like Snape ( and Barty Jr. as well). After all, Snape spends his spare time inventing hexes, making great shortcuts to Potions. He has a genuine thirst for learning and is inventive and original. In SWM, we see that he has written far more longer answers than anyone else, he is poring over his paper after exams. Voldemort, as a man who pushed boundaries, is an attractive mentor who shows him a new path. Joining a cult not only gives you power and protection (one he desperately needs because of his social inferiority and as someone who is relentlessly bullied), but it also gives you an identity.

Cults usually instill a homogenous, stable identity centered around charismatic leader. Cults turn your unbearable feelings (sense of rejection, social inferiority), and externalise it and manage to a higher purpose. A cult acts as a safe container for people who cannot understand their trauma or overpowering feelings. As a boy with an unstable identity, it is easier for him to project on Voldemort and re-enact an attachment that he has rejected in early childhood: the one with his father. Voldemort also reinforces a world view that the system had taught a half blood working class boy with nowhere to go arrives at: "There is no good or evil. There is only power and those too weak to seek it".

And then, Voldemort does something Snape doesn't believe a father figure could do, something he cannot conform to or abide by - he threatens the only relationship in his life that he puts on a pedestal. To ensure Lily Potter’s survival beyond asking Voldemort (who he no longer trusts to keep his word), he goes to Dumbledore. Why doesn't he trust Voldemort to keep his word? We don't really know, but given the dynamics we see at play in the first chapter of DH, where Voldemort employs Legliemency to confirm the information from Snape, the trusted spy who at that point had killed Dumbledore - it is safe to say ruling through absolute control can only take you so far. Contrast this with his later scenes with Dumbledore, where Dumbledore trusts him with magic he does not trust himself with: "I am very fortunate that I have you, Severus" .

But before we get there, we see their first scene. In his very first scene with Dumbledore, there is a power dynamic established. He visibly shrinks from Dumbledore’s judgement: “you disgust me”. He is also "stricken" when Dumbledore says "perhaps we sort too soon" - indicating a need for Dumbledore’s approval and validation. (Dumbledore’s own reaction to Snape is interesting - he doesn’t express this kind of strong disgust with Fenrir Greyback in HBP, for example. Perhaps he sees something of himself in this man who lost his way?)

Their next scene together is a grief stricken Snape, who has turned his misery and self loathing inwards and wishes to die. Dumbledore is cold, harsh: “What use will that be to anyone? If you truly loved Lily Evans, your way forward is clear”. Once Snape accepts the path of atonement Dumbledore lays out for him, Dumbledore is demonstrably gentler with him and is even exasperated that Snape asks him to keep “the very best of him” between them.

Once Dumbledore becomes his new father figure, Snape’s loyalty to him is absolute. He will back up and defend Dumbledore where it is not even required - when people accuse Dumbledore in GOF of being unfair, Snape is quick to say: "Don't blame Dumbledore for Potter's lack of respect for school rules. Potter has been crossing lines ever since he first came" (Defending Dumbledore and insulting Harry, he has a talent lol). And at the end of GOF, he shows his Dark Mark to Cornelius Fudge, essentially outing himself as a former Death Eater, to back up Dumbledore's claims because Fudge was insulting him. Even in front of Bellatrix, he emphasises: "Dumbledore is a great wizard, yes he has - the Dark Lord acknowledges it".

He is also resentful of Dumbledore's trust in Harry with secrets that he is not privy to. He enjoys being Dumbledore's closest confidant..("why may I not have the same secrets?" "You trust him, you do not trust me"). It's a less intense version of Harry's "This isn't love, this mess he has left me in. He shared a damn sight of what he was thinking with Grindelwald than with me”. He angrily tells Fake Moody that Dumbledore happens to trust him and he "refuses to believe" he gave permission to search his office. Similarly, he tells Umbridge "jerkily" to ask Dumbledore why he doesn't have the DADA job. Snape is offended at any suggestions of Dumbledore's lack of trust in him.

He also has a similar disillusionment like Harry's with Dumbledore - "you have used me. I have spied for you, lied for you, all intended to keep Lily Potter's son safe and now you are telling me he is being raised like a pig for slaughter". All of this and yet, just like Harry, he chooses to do what Dumbledore would have wanted of him. He goes as far as committing a sort of patricide, just like his former father figure (who did it for different reasons) on the wishes of his current father figure.

And ultimately, he chose Dumbledore's plan of Greater Good rather than Lily's fierce intention of keeping her son alive. It’s also interesting that Dumbledore, a queer, non conforming man is what Snape ultimately chooses as a father /mentor to his path of atonement.

There is a cyclical projection of father among all three boys: Harry inadvertently projects a desire for a father figure on Snape when he wishes that the Half-Blood Prince was his dad. (Read more about Harry’s relationship with Prince in wonderful meta by @thedreamermusing here) Snape projects a wish for a father figure by projecting on to Voldemort. Ultimately, both of them project this desire onto Dumbledore, and it is Dumbledore who ends up being the ultimate guide and father figure for both of them, guiding them through their respective roles in the war.

Thank you to @thedreamermusing and pet_genius for the inputs for this post 🌻 here is a suggested reading from pet's treasure trove relevant to this meta: Death Eaters As A Cult.

[findingjoynweirdstuff]

Dream SMP Recap (March 1/2021) - Breaking Point

Sam has been unable to find a cause for the security breach, leaving Tommy trapped. A heated argument in the cell escalates to a horrifying end.

As the rest of server mourns, the Eggpire celebrates. With their biggest obstacle in the way of their objective gone, it’s time for the next step.

It’s the start of the Final Stage.

---

VOD LINKS:

HBomb94

Ponk

Tommy

Tubbo

Ranboo

Jack Manifold

Connor

Badboyhalo

Captain Puffy

---

- HBomb hosts Foolish and Jack Manifold’s episode of L’Cast!

---

The Prison Stream

(This portion of the recap will be more detailed than normal since it’s one long conversation and there are many important lines here, including a couple that were hard to hear during the stream)

---

- Tommy’s stream starts with him making sounds and singing “Roadtrip.” Dream tells him to stop, he’s trying to write a book.

Tommy: “What are you writing, Dream? What are you writing?”

Dream: “None of your business.”

- There’s a little gray and white cat sat on the chest. Tommy says it’s annoying.

Dream: “No he’s not...he’s actually the best thing that’s happened to us.”

Tommy: (Trying to lead the cat away) “Come with me, come with me...you know what I named him, don’t you? Pussboy, Pussboy!”

- The cat returns to its spot on the chest

Tommy: “Oh, Pussboy, you are so ugly.”

Dream: “C’mon, you’re being mean!”

(Tommy punches the cat)

Dream: “Tommy! Stop!”

- Tommy starts singing “Roadtrip” in autotune. Dream tells Tommy that if he can be quiet, he’ll give Tommy more potatoes.

Dream: “I think that...the cat is the best thing that’s happened to us.”

- Sam joins the call to say hello and ask how it’s been going. He’s come to drop more food into the cell. Tommy also picks up a new clock.

- Tommy asks to be let out, but Sam says he still hasn’t found out what the security issue is. Dream asks how long Tommy will be in here for. Potentially for a while, but not forever.

- Tommy protests about how bad the prison has been. He threatens to get lawyers on Sam, he knows Big Law.

Tommy: "Sam...you know I don’t deal very well in...close quarters situations for a long time, Sam. Sam, you remember when you visited me in exile, Sam? Alright, this is worse than that, Sam...let me out. I don’t like this. Let. Me. Out. Sam.”

- Sam insists he’s doing the best he can and leaves.

- Dream tries to say that it’s not that bad. He’s been in there for a long time, but now it’s better! Tommy writes a book to Dream, signs it and throws it to him.

Dream: “I have company. I have a cat -- I mean, technically it’s not my cat, technically it’s your cat, but still! It’s just as good, keeps me company when I write and everything, we talk sometimes -- ‘cause you’re annoying a lot of the time--”

- Dream throws away the clock in the lava, saying they don’t need it. Tommy punches the cat again.

Dream: “Tommy, hear me out, hear me out...what if...we get out together, okay?”

- Tommy is not a fan of the idea, Dream shouldn’t be let out too. He goes over to the cat and shouts at it for being in his spot. He punches Pussboy twice.

Dream: “Tommy...TOMMY, STOP!”

Tommy: “Excuse me! Come this way, come this way, excuse me Dream I’m trying to right-click Pussboy--”

(Dream moves to get in front of the cat)

Dream: “Tommy.”

Tommy: “Come here, come here! Do you like this cat, Dream?”

Dream: “Yes, I do.”

Tommy: “Why?”

Dream: “Because he -- Tommy, he keeps me company --”

(Tommy punches Pussboy again and leads him towards the lava)

Tommy: “Pussboy, this way. Pussboy, this way. Let me show you the light--”

Dream: “He’s probably low, he’s probably low!”

Tommy: “Oh what, you love him? Do you love him? Do you love him?”

Dream: “Yes, I do...Tommy, he’s made things better in here -- okay listen! When you leave, can you sit him down and leave him here?”

(Tommy goes over and punches Pussboy again. He tries to lead Pussboy away again, but when the cat doesn’t come he punches Pussboy twice more, killing him)

Tommy: “Yeah. And that’s what happens when you love something, bitch.”

...

Tommy: “See, now when I leave, when I leave, you’ll have nothing! ‘Cause you are lonely, and you’re m-m-manipulative, you’re a fuckin’ twat, and I mean that.”

Dream: “Tommy...I’m gonna get out! And you just motivated me -- you motivated me all the time, you just -- that was hope, right? The cat was hope -- the cat was hope that I could live a nice life in here--”

Tommy: “And now it’s dead, now it’s dead.”

- Dream insists that he’ll get out, and when he does, he’ll get his revenge on everyone who wronged him. Tommy asks if he’d kill Tubbo. 

- The subject goes back to Dream’s plan of escape.

Dream: “I have a plan. And the thing is, Awesamdude’s never gonna believe you that I have a plan because he thinks it’s unbreakable, unescapable--”

“I have a plan. And you know, there’s a certain someone who owes me a favor, but -- that might be a part of it, but...I do have a plan.”

- They argue about the conditions of the prison again. 

Dream: “I’ve been in here a for hundred times longer than you, and you sit there trying to tell me that it’s so horrible, that it’s so bad -- yeah, it was! But guess what, we have each other to talk to, and we had a cat until you fucking killed it!”

Tommy: “Dream...Dream, and listen to this -- fucking engrave this on you, write this into your arms, Dream...You don’t have me. You’ll never have me. We don’t have each other, alright? I am me, and you are this fuckin’ loser who goes around manipulating people, lying to get what he wants. You are a fuckin’ no one, man, alright? And when I’m going to leave here, you’re not! You might have a favor -- you think, who is it, Technoblade’s gonna be able to come in here to let you out -- Technoblade, he doesn’t like governments, but he likes self gain! You think he wants to piss off the owner of the most POWERFUL building on the entire server, just so that he can get a video that BARELY scrapes the five million view mark -- NO, Dream, alright? You’re a fuckin’ asshole, you’re deluded, you’re delusional, and I fuckin’ hate you.”

Dream: “Okay...yeah, but I have something Techno would want, so...it means knowledge, alright?”

- Dream says that even when he’s in here, he’s more powerful than Tommy outside. Tommy replies that if he wanted to, he could kill Dream right now. The only reason he doesn’t is because they need the revive book.

- Dream says that he will never use the revive book to help Tommy or his friends. Ever.

Dream: “So kill me. Go ahead, come on.”

- When if Tubbo dies, Dream says, they’ll come begging for Tubbo to be revived, and Dream will ask to be let out.

- Tommy then says that this isn’t worse than exile, because in exile, Tommy thought Dream had all the power, and Tommy knows something...he thinks the revive book isn’t real. Jschlatt was just a drunk, why would he have this book?

Dream: “Jschlatt gave me the book -- why else would I switch to Jschlatt’s side?!”

...

“I’m not lying! Jschlatt gave me a revive book after...before he died....because...he said--” (he cuts off here)

- Dream asks why he would be lying about that.

Tommy: “You’re a liar! You’re a liar, and really, through your Netherite armor and skin, I look at you and you know what I see? I see a sad little man who’s insecure about the fact that this server has gotten so far ahead of him that his only little glimpse of power in this world is gone. And I see an insecure, sad little man. So fuck off. You stupid green lad.”

Dream: “Your life...is literally in my hands. Does that piss you off? Does that make you mad? Does that make you so mad that I -- if you kill me -- I MIGHT AS WELL BE A GOD, TOMMY! YOU CAN’T KILL ME, AND I CAN KILL YOU! So what does it mean, that you can’t kill me because of the revive book -- what does that mean? If you can’t kill me, does that make me some kind of god?”

Tommy: “No Dream. I could kill you right now. If I wanted to.”

Dream: “Okay. But you won’t. But you won’t! I could kill you if I wanted to! I could kill you right now, actually.”

...

Tommy: “I don’t think this revive book is real. Schlatt? He’s fuckin’ dead. I’ve seen his grave! His grave is real, his corpse is there!”

Dream: “Okay...Why don’t you go see him then?”

Tommy: “NO -- stop it stop it stop it st--”

--- ---

CANON DEATH: TOMMY

Cause: Punched to death

--- ---

End of stream.

---

- Tubbo, Ranboo and Jack see Tommy’s death message in game chat.

- They go to the prison and Sam is there to tell them what happened. Sam couldn’t get there in time. He didn’t think Dream would actually kill him. They’re all in shock. 

- Tubbo and Ranboo think Tommy will be back. There’s no way he’s actually dead, right? 

- Jack Manifold is in celebration. He got what he wanted! He thought Dream would want Tommy alive, and killing Tommy himself would be an extra jab in the chest for Dream, but apparently not? And now he has a hotel!

- He decides to check on Tubbo and makes sure he’s okay. 

- Jack walks down to the shore and looks up at the prison, and...it hits him. He’s spent months plotting to kill Tommy. Jack realizes his victory feels hollow. Even now, Tommy and Dream have managed to take away this from him. 

- Of Ze Haus, he says that this place no longer means anything to him. He gets a flint and steel and sets it alight, watching it burn.

- He passes by Tommy’s house and finds Ranboo planting red and white flowers outside.

- Jack switches into his L’manburg uniform and walks along the Prime Path.

Jack: “I remember the day I joined the server. The day after the first war. L’manburg was still a big hole, and we built it up. And Tommy invited me to join. And I betrayed him (laughs), so really this has all come full circle.”

“Maybe I was always really just upset because I always felt like he cared more about the discs than...anyone. And I guess I just enjoyed it when we were friends...and...I’ve not really had any friends...since...then, really. Never really wanted any.”

- Jack later speaks with Foolish and tells him that Tommy’s never coming back from prison. Foolish didn’t know him too well, but he’s still a bit sad. When anyone passes, it’s sad.

- Jack heads back out into the wilderness, wandering to the beach area at the edge of the forest where Quackity had his argument with Badboyhalo a while back. There’s something just beyond the hill.

- Quackity meets him there and escorts him back home, telling him he was heading too close to something, could have gotten “a nice view of it.”

- He’s been thinking of writing up a draft of their contract. He also sees the new McPuffy’s.

- Jack tells Quackity that Tommy’s not in the prison anymore. Quackity says they need to talk to him and make sure Jack keeps his hotel. As the rain pours, Jack tells him. Tommy didn’t make it.

- Quackity and Jack have a moment in front of Tommy’s house. Though upset, Quackity says it’s time to get back to work.

Quackity: “Jack...don’t let this affect business. The train doesn’t stop.”

Jack: “No, it only goes faster.”

- Jack also speaks with Antfrost. Antfrost gives his condolences, and says he’ll put together a celebration “of life.”

Ant: “Bad and Sam will be happy...to attend, of course!”

- Afterwards, Jack heads down into Karls nightclub and ends stream there.

- Connor speaks with Sam Nook at the hotel.

- Bad meets Ant at the Holy Land. Ant asks if the church would be a good place for a celebration. Ant sits Bad down to tell him. Bad is overjoyed. 

- Bad says that now, they don’t even have to do any preparations: 

They can move into the Final Stage.

- They get milk for the cake and decide to throw the party at Tommy’s house!

- They meet with Sam at the prison entrance. He sounds dejected.

Sam: “I didn’t think Dream would ever actually...try and kill him”

Bad: (laughs) “Is this the same Dream we’re talking about? It’s Dream, Sam.”

Sam: “I mean...Dream had...I thought I had...broken the will out of him, to do something like that. But he...he did.”

- He says they need to find out what it was -- he wandered around the prison several times and couldn’t find any sign that someone had done something.

- Ant and Bad try to reassure Sam that Tommy signed the waivers, he went to see Dream, and Sam shouldn’t blame himself. Sam doesn’t see it that way.

- They say they’ll talk to Sam later and leave the prison. They see Sam Nook at the hotel. Sam is excited about the new upgrades for the hotel! Tommy will be so excited to see them!

- They return to Tommy’s house and speak with Punz as they make a party floor and sing the Crab Rave song in dudududus.

- Meanwhile, Captain Puffy is grieving, feeling like she failed Tommy. As she logs on, Bad and Ant decide that Puffy might want to join them for the party! 

- Punz meets them there, and they tell him that Tommy’s dead. Punz isn’t sure how he feels, it’s bittersweet.

- Puffy arrives and angrily tells them to leave. What’s wrong with them?!

- The Eggpire sees Sam Nook at the hotel and goes up the floors to find a place to party. Puffy comes up and tells them to find another place to party. They argue again.

- Foolish arrives to visit his room in the hotel. Puffy leaves them. They quarrel about who has the room for the night.

- Puffy mines down the Eggpire’s meeting room. She’s noticed that being a hero hasn’t worked. Sparing people, being merciful, it hasn’t worked. She might need a change of perspective. 

- The Eggpire decides to visit the Egg and break the news to it. They see the wreckage, but Puffy is in the Nether by the time they get there.

- Puffy visits Logsted.

- The Eggpire goes down to the Egg Room and finds the pathway blocked up with obsidian...is this why the Vines have been slower to grow lately?

- They break the barrier and find the Egg drenched in water. They wake up the Egg and it speaks.

“This world is mine. It belongs to me.”

“No no no, I know, but we’ve got something to tell you!”

“I see all...I...am...all...”

“Oh so you--”

“I know all.”

“You know then! Guess -- well, we’ll tell you anyway in case you don’t know -- but guess what? Tommy’s dead! Dream -- the green guy, you met him -- killed him in the prison! I guess Tommy got stuck there, and Dream killed him! Are you happy?"

“Feed me...I require nourishment.”

“No no no, don’t worry -- that’s coming soon! We’ll take care of that! We’re already gonna begin the preparations, right guys? Yeah, we’re gonna begin the preparations, and we’ll send out the invitations, we’ll let everyone know...and the final stage can commence! This is wonderful!”

- Once on the surface, Bad announces that with a little more preparation, they’ll all get exactly what they want. The final stage is about to commence. 

The day of celebrations, the day they’ve been preparing for, the day the Egg has been preparing for, is about to happen...

- Bad goes down to the Egg Room one last time and stands at the Egg to give a final speech.

“Everything leading up to this point, EVERYTHING, all the way going back to the discovery of this...beautiful, luxurious Egg, okay...we had it all planned. As soon as we found it, we knew what was gonna happen. We knew the objective...”

“We may have forgotten what it was, forgotten the ultimate goal as soon as we boxed the Egg up in obsidian. But guess what -- that didn’t stop the Egg! Boxing it up only made it STRONGER, and LARGER, and more powerful! And the Egg’s been storing up that energy, okay? You may have been thinking the Vines have not been spreading...but that’s because we haven’t WANTED them to spread. We have been working, storing energy, storing power...in preparation for the final plan. The final objective. And there were only a couple people getting in the way. But guess what? One of the biggest obstacles -- Tommy -- is no longer in the way...now that he’s not in the way, we can commence with the final stage...the final party...before it all comes to a conclusion...”

“Brace yourselves...everybody on this server, prepare. Anyone who is anti-Egg...you guys better get ready, because we know who you are. And at the end of the day, the Egg is gonna be victorious. And there’s nothing ANYBODY can do to stop it.”

“Good luck.”