#i know we keep seeing their partnership grow but this is just-

[sunny44]

Sweet gesture

Pairing: Max Verstappen x Co-worker!reader

Warnings: bad period cramps.

Summary: You’re having really bad period cramps and Max do something to make your day better.

The pain was familiar, but that didn’t make the cramps any less painful. I was sitting at my desk, trying to concentrate on the notes for Max’s upcoming press conference. Working with him wasn’t easy. Max was stubborn, rebellious, and seemed to enjoy doing exactly the opposite of what I suggested, which made my job even harder. This often left me frustrated, feeling like I couldn’t do my job properly, but somehow, we made the partnership work.

In the middle of the reminder I was writing, a wave of cramps hit my abdomen, making me contort in my chair, and I ended up dropping my pen. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to take deep breaths to relieve the pain, but it wasn’t working, so I took some medicine and noticed my bottle was empty. I went to refill it and took the opportunity to go to the bathroom as well.

When I returned to my office, I saw something on my desk that hadn’t been there before: a small package of my favorite chocolate with a note on top. Curious, I picked up the note and read: "The internet says chocolate helps, I hope I got your favorite."

I looked around, trying to see if anyone was watching. There was no one nearby who seemed to be paying attention to me. I looked back at the chocolate, surprised and grateful. It was a simple gesture, but extremely thoughtful. I knew who had done it—the hurried scribble on the note was unmistakable. It was Max.

He had probably noticed my discomfort during the morning. Despite the constant arguments and disagreements, this gesture showed that he cared, at least a little. I took the chocolate and unwrapped it, smelling the sweet, comforting aroma. I ate a piece, and to my surprise, it really helped distract me from the pain.

A few hours passed, and I finished the work needed for the press conference. I decided it was time to thank Max. He was in the pit, talking with the GP and reviewing the details for the weekend. I approached, waiting for a break in the conversation to get his attention.

"Max, can I talk to you for a moment?" I said, trying to keep my voice steady. He turned, a little surprised to see me there.

"Sure, Y/n. What’s up?" I hesitated for a second but decided to get straight to the point.

"I just wanted to thank you for the chocolate. It was a very thoughtful gesture and… it really helped."

Max seemed momentarily disconcerted, but a small, shy smile appeared on his face.

"Oh, no problem. I just… noticed you weren’t feeling well and thought it might cheer you up." I felt a wave of warmth pass through me. It was rare to see this side of Max, so genuine and unguarded.

"It did help, and I appreciate it very much. Thank you." He shrugged, trying to look casual, but I could see he was touched by my gratitude.

"Well, if you need anything else… you know where to find me." I smiled.

"I know, Max. And I promise I’ll try not to bother you too much at the next press conference." He laughed, a genuine, carefree sound.

"I’ll believe it when I see it, Y/n."

I laughed with him, and for a moment, all the tensions and frustrations of the past few weeks seemed to disappear. That simple act of kindness had created an unexpected connection between us. As I walked back to my desk, I felt a little lighter, not just from the lessened pain but from the certainty that despite our disagreements, there was a growing mutual respect and care between me and Max.

Bonus scene!

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“F1 Weekend dump 🏎️”

[togrowoldinv]

The Bodyguard Pt. 2

Bodyguard!Natasha Romanoff x Actress!Reader

Natasha is tasked with being bodyguard to you and you two grow close. Maybe too close, but would she dare cross that line?

Note: The long awaited part 2 is here! Find part one here. I hope you enjoy it!

Natasha Masterlist 1, Natasha Masterlist 2, Natasha Masterlist 3, Main Masterlist

“Rule number three: We can’t get too close to each other,” Natasha says. “I have to protect you with a clear mind.”

“Okay,” you say. “But maybe we could break the rules, Natasha?”

“Y/n,” Natasha warns.

“Come on Natasha,” you say. “Why fight this?”

Natasha stands up from the couch and paces back and forth in front of you.

“I have to step down,” Natasha says.

“What?” You ask, standing up. “You didn’t even cross a line! It’s okay, Natasha. We’ll pretend this didn’t happen.”

“I don’t think I can just pretend it didn’t happen, y/n,” Natasha argues. “I have to go. I’ll send a replacement.”

“Natasha!” You call after her, but she is already out of the door.

You sit on the couch with your head in your hands. Natasha drives to the office, fighting back tears of her own.

When she gets there, she finds Carol at her desk. She hands her your weekly itinerary.

“Nat?” Carol asks.

“Take care of her,” Nat replies. She begins to walk away, but Carol chases after her. She grabs her hand and turns her back to face her.

“What happened?” Carol asks.

“I got too close,” Nat shrugs. “We almost kissed.”

“Shit, I’m sorry Natasha.”

“It’s alright. I took an oath, you know. I can’t be her bodyguard now. You’re the next best one.”

“I’ll take care of her, Nat. I promise.”

Carol hugs Nat briefly before she reports to your apartment. You don’t greet her with near as much enthusiasm or politeness as you should. She doesn’t take it personally.

It doesn’t feel the same as she walks you to your car. You realize nothing will feel like being with Natasha did. And you didn’t even date the woman. You zone out on the way to the awards show you are to attend tonight.

“Miss Y/l/n, are you ready to go inside?” Carol asks you.

“I- I really don’t want to go in,” you speak truthfully.

Carol leans up and asks the driver to give you two a minute alone. He agrees and steps out of the car.

“Is this about Natasha?” She asks.

You whip your head around to face her. She wears a knowing look.

“She told you what happened?”

“She did,” Carol confirms. “I hate it for both of you. Nat was really happy, and she is never happy to be security for actors.”

“We got too close,” you sigh.

“What does that even mean?” Carol wonders aloud. “Life is too short to worry about being too close with someone, y/n. Sure, you two should suspend the professional partnership, but there’s no reason you can’t be with her.”

“You think so? She ran out before I could even ask her why not that.”

���You should try and talk to her again,” Carol suggests.

“I don’t even have her real phone number.”

“I have it on good authority that she will be here tonight,” Carol replies. She almost wears a smirk on her face. It reminds you of Natasha’s crooked smile. “And I’m pretty sure the world will be disappointed if their favorite actress doesn’t make an appearance tonight.”

You take a deep breath and straighten your dress. Carol gets out of the car first and helps you out onto the carpet. Cameras flash immediately, and you hear shouts of your name. It all feels a bit overwhelming.

“Just breathe and keep moving,” Carol says.

Your nerves settle as you do all of the required photos and interviews. Once you’re inside, you greet friends in the industry. You catch sight of Natasha out of the corner of your eye, but you don’t see her fully.

The ceremony is decently boring until there’s a loud blast. Before you can even process it, Carol is by your side and covering you with her body. You don’t feel any physical injuries. But it’s another person that lifts you up out of the rubble.

“Natasha?” You ask.

“It’s alright,” Nat says. “I’m getting you out of here.”

“Nat, you’re bleeding,” you say, recognizing the seeping red liquid coming out of her side.

“I’m okay.”

She carries you out of what is left of the building and to the emergency medical tents set up. Nat sets you at one of the tables and turns back towards the building. You reach for her to stay.

“You need help, Nat,” you say.

“Take care of her,” she instructs the EMT.

“Natasha-”

“I have to go get Carol. I’ll be back.”

She runs off before you can get another word out. It’s five minutes before you see her again. Nat is barely moving as she carries her unconscious friend over her shoulder. Clearly, they both sustained life-threatening injuries.

You rush towards where Nat lets someone take Carol from her. She falls to the ground in pain, finally.

“Y/n,” Nat whimpers.

“Help! She needs help!” You yell for someone.

The EMTs are quick to her aid, but she’s already passed out. You sit on the pavement and watch as they tend to her injuries. They tell you they have to take her and the other injured to the hospital. It takes forever to find a ride there yourself.

You burst through the doors and demand to see Natasha. A doctor stops you short of the restricted area.

“Hey, hey, who are you looking for?” The woman asks. She has to place her hand on your shoulder to stop you from barging past her.

“Natasha Romanoff,” you say.

“Okay. Let me find her chart.”

The woman takes forever to scroll through the tablet and find her name. It’s probably just seconds, but to you, it feels like hours.

“She is in surgery,” the woman answers. “I’ll take you to the waiting room, and someone can update you. Follow me.”

You follow the doctor to the waiting room and see a large group of other people waiting there. A lot of people were injured in this accident. Their heads turn when they see who you are.

“Shit,” you mumble to yourself.

You try to escape the crowd, figuring they would realize you’re not in the state to greet fans right now, but they surround you. The voices are loud and jumbled, but you hear one that is different. One that is helpful.

“Hey, come with me,” a woman’s voice says. You honestly don’t even care who it is as long as they get you out of this crowd.

She takes you down the hallway and scans a badge to the restricted area. You follow her into what seems to be a doctor’s lounge.

“My daughter works here,” she says with a smirk. “I’m Maria, by the way. Maria Rambeau.”

“Y/n,” you tell her.

“Yeah,” she says with a small laugh. “Who are you here for?”

“My- um- my bodyguard.”

“Must be some bodyguard if you care enough to be here,” Maria says.

You sit on the couch and close your eyes. You didn’t think you had any physical injuries, but your wrist is throbbing in pain. You sigh.

Maria types something on her phone and then makes you a glass of water. You accept it with your other hand and try to breathe. It isn’t long before another woman enters the room. It’s the doctor from earlier.

“Hey Monica,” Maria greets her. She pulls her into a hug. “How is she?”

“It’s touch and go,” Monica says despondently. “Oh, hi again.”

“Hey,” you say to her. “Can you check on Natasha?”

“Natasha?” Maria wonders aloud, mostly to herself.

Monica nods to her mother and pulls out her tablet again. She regretfully tells you there is no update.

“Can you look up my other bodyguard too? I know she was hurt pretty badly. I don’t know her last name, but her name is Carol,” you explain.

“Actually, that’s who I was just updating my mom about,” Monica says.

“You two know each other?”

“She is- well, she was my partner for a long time,” Maria says.

“Oh, I just met her today. She seems nice, though.”

“She is,” Monica pipes in. “I have to get back to work, but I’ll send someone to look at that wrist, y/n.”

“How did you know?” You ask.

“I can’t give away all of my secrets,” Monica jokes. And then adds, “Mom noticed actually.”

You crack a smile and Monica hugs her mom quickly before leaving the room again. Maria sits on the couch opposite you.

“What happened with you and Carol?” You ask. When she hesitates to answer, you say, “Sorry, I just can’t stop worrying about Natasha and wanted to get my mind off of it.”

“That’s alright,” Maria says. She has a comforting yet confident way about her. You can see her being with Carol. “It’s kind of the age-old story. Everything was fine until it wasn’t.”

“I get that,” you say.

“We were best friends, and then we were more. On perhaps the shortest break from a relationship ever, I messed up and got with someone else. Enter Monica,” Maria explains. “I wouldn’t change the fact that I have her, but things with Carol were different after that.”

She continues, “She never faltered, not really. But she wasn’t really as happy. She always had these big dreams. She had a lot of ‘I’m going to save the world’ attitude about her. And she couldn’t save the world if she was stuck in Louisiana with me and Monica.”

“Was it that you two weren’t enough for her?” You ask. “I don’t see myself as enough for Natasha, but I would still risk it all to be with her.”

“No, I think Monica and I were enough. I convinced her to move on though,” Maria says.

“Why?”

“Well, sometimes in life, y/n, you make sacrifices for the people you love.”

Your conversation is interrupted by a doctor coming in to look at your wrist. They explain it’s just a sprain, but they put you in a brace for comfort. Maria promises to wake you up if there’s any updates, so you let yourself close your eyes.

It’s a few hours later when she wakes you. You stand at the sight of a doctor in front of you. You don’t hear anything, but that Nat is okay, and you can come see her.

You follow the doctor down the hallway to her room. When the door opens, you notice how small Natasha looks. To your surprise, she is awake.

“How are we feeling, Ms. Romanoff?” The nurse that followed you in asks her.

“Better now,” Nat says, smiling at you the best she can.

“The pain medicine kicked in,” the nurse tells you. “You can visit for a few minutes but she’ll need to sleep soon.”

You nod. Then you’re left alone with Natasha.

“You’re hurt,” Nat says with a frown.

“Just barely,” you say. You make your way to her bedside. “You saved me.”

“I’d do it again.”

“The doctor said you should make a full recovery,” you tell her.

“And Carol?” Nat asks.

“I’m not sure, but I did meet her family,” you say. “Or I guess what used to be her family.”

“Maria?” She asks. You nod. “That’s good. They’re good for each other.”

“Are we good for each other?” You accidentally ask out loud. “Sorry. I was just hoping to talk to you before everything happened. I really want this. I really want you.”

Nat tries to process your words through the pain and medicine. It’s a lot right now.

“You don’t need to say anything right now, Natasha. Just get some rest. I’ll be here,” you say.

“Thank you for being here,” Nat says. “Do you think- um could you get in here with me?”

“In the bed? I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You could never hurt me, y/n,” Natasha says. “Please.”

You oblige and settle against Nat’s good side. She didn’t say it, but you can tell by the way she rests against you that she wants this too.

[nyxi-pixie]

do you guys ever think about beast mori saying that ruling by fear is the most barbaric thing an adult can do.

because i do.

in canonverse, we see that he uses this kind of strategy with yosano. keeps her in line by keeping her terrified, and it works up until the point that she loses her mind. she wants to stop and he kills a man in front of her to force her hand. ruling by fear but the barbarism of it drives her to insanity. and then shes no use at all.

with the mafia, his strategy is different. he keeps his best players in line through the creation of family dynamics. the way the gifts are given when someone joins gives you a physical item tying you to whoever brought you in and we see that clothes represent loyalty a Lot in bsd (mori giving dazai his coat, dazai giving aku his, chuuya getting the hat - which in turn has its own insane connections between rimlaine).

on top of that, theres a lot of stress on group dynamics within the mafia. the ada, aside from kunikida and dazai, doesnt have set partnerships or groupings. they send whoever with whoever. in the mafia, people tend to keep to smaller groups (the black lizard + higuchi, dazai + chuuya, chuu kouyou and mori, the flags, etc)

theres interaction between everyone ofc but theres a lot more focus on these groups, and that means people spend more time w specific people and grow very attached to them. its why higuchi stays, its why tachihara chooses the pm over the hunting dogs when it comes down to it, its a pretty big reason for why chuuya and kouyou havent left despite formerly both wanting to.

dazai and kyouka get out, but dazai has to lose someone like family Knowing that mori not only let it happen but planned for it. him leaving isnt the betrayal it wld be under other circumstances, bc hes been betrayed first (or at least. in his eyes. i have a separate essay on that but. not the time) and with kyouka, shes so isolated during her time in the mafia it seems she didnt rlly have time to grow those connections (and even then, she still had the dynamic with kouyou. its Hard for her to get out and it takes a lot of outside help and shes so young that the mafia hasnt had time to take root.)

and its just interesting to me that mori learned from his mistakes with yosano and has so many more people tied down because of it. the way he interacts with her now still ironically seems to be falling into that habit. hes so open with asking dazai to come back but with yosano there has to be an air of danger attached. perhaps because he knows theres no way he can ever win her loyalty without force, and hes perfectly fine doing the most barbaric thing possible if he thinks it will save the people he wishes to save. he chose to become a doctor in the first place after all, its no wonder her ability is so important to him

[lady-dulcinea]

Something the October 11th entry really highlights is how much Mina and Jonathan are sure about each other. How much they know each other to the point they can read each other without any perceived difficulty, and how their devotion, their partnership, although treasured and seamlessly reciprocated by both, is never even questioned by them.

When Mina receives news that Jonathan is alive, she goes, an unmarried and unaccompanied woman, all the way to find him and marry him, even tho he’s still traumatised, half mad from his stay at Castle Dracula, and in the eyes of society could very much be considered an “invalid”. But she marries him anyway, and although Jonathan does gently reaffirm the delicate state of his body and specially his mind, he never really seems overly surprised that she chose him despite it all. And in the same entry we see a similar reaction from Mina when Sister Agatha feels the need to inform her that she shouldn’t worry that Jonathan’s malady might be because of some other woman; she all but scoffs at the idea, because it hadn’t even crossed her mind. Of course there isn’t another woman. Similarly, as she eventually makes acquaintance with several men, all of them rich bachelors who grow a quick and openly affectionate bond with her, Jonathan has not a single moment of insecurity about it. Of course they all love Mina, why wouldn’t they? Jealousy requires a certain lack of confidence in your partner that neither of them has. Their worries concerning each other are always ALWAYS directed at external influences: That something will hurt them, or that something will keep them from each other.

Which brings us to October 11th, when that sureness is brought to it’s highest, most tragic peak. Jonathan knew what Mina intended calling them all to meet her before their trip. He was so sure of it he spoke with Jack beforehand to make sure it would all be documented correctly, as he himself would never be able to write down such a thing as a symbolic funeral for his beloved. And he also knew what she would make them promise to do.

Because Mina, beyond just wishing to have the littlest bit of agency over her own death, is being strategic here. She knows Jonathan will “be with her to the very end”. She does not need to know of the promise he made to her in the solitude of his diary. Their devotion to each other is a given, one they do not take for granted, but that they expect nonetheless because they know each other and the strength of their love. Had she read the promise, she would undoubtedly be shocked by it, specifically by the utter heresy of it, devout as she is to her faith. But she would not be surprised, and this entry shows her anticipating what the Worst Case Scenario could potentially do to her husband, and trying to avoid it at all cost.

No, I don’t think she gone as far as assuming that Jonathan would deliberately choose vampirism for her. He has been as much of a devout christian as her for most of their lives, and tho she is not blind to the changes the last few months (and specially the last few days) have caused on him, she would not there suggest the Holiest Love conclusion is anywhere close to his mind. For after all, she has explicitly stated that she wants to be received by the grace of God, wants the same freedom granted by the boys to the soul of dear Lucy, and Jonathan simply wouldn’t deny her that.

Right?

And guys, as much as I love Jonathan’s vow and how he absolutely refuses to let her “walk into that unknown and terrible land alone”… it is a selfish vow. Romantic to the core, but selfish. Jonathan knows that’s not what Mina wants. He phrases it in a way that makes it seem like he is doing it purely out of love for her, so she’ll not be alone, but really, the selfless thing would be to do what she asked of him today. Her soul would be free, there would be no more Dracula to torment the world and kill innocents, and when Jonathan’s time came, he would join her in heaven.

But as I said before, the only thing that ever worries them about their relationship is whether or not they are hurt and when there is something keeping them apart. Jonathan goes to Transylvania and Dracula tries to keep him there: they both suffer from the distance. The first time Jonathan went to meet a client was the first time he and Mina were away from each other since the wedding, and she expresses anxiety about that. The men want to keep Mina away from vampire business to “protect her”: both her and Jonathan are unhappy with suddenly keeping secrets from each other. “A door is locked between them” because there is a part of Dracula inside Mina’s mind and she cannot be trusted to know all their planning, and Jonathan is crestfallen about it. Their deepest source of misery is always not being with each other, not being able to communicate properly, not just be together. And they both know that. Mina is just severely underestimating how far Jonathan would go so they’re not separated. As it is, she knows her death would bring him terrible grief, and by asking the help of their friends today and making him read the burial service, she’s trying to both a) Guarantee that should Jonathan’s hand falter, more steady ones would fulfil her wish; b) Unite them once more in the care they all have for her and show Jonathan that, should the worst happen, he won’t be alone. The other will be there. He shall not be so lonely if/when he becomes a widower; c) Perhaps by reading the burial service he can become more used to the possibility of her death and ease his heart to the matter.

However, Jonathan promises nothing to anyone. He asked for Jack to make an accurate description of what happened so that no detail would be left out, and yet we hear no word of confirmation from him.

And I’m sure she noticed it, too.

[heavencanbeaprisontoo]

Hello! May I request a headcanon for how Tommy Shelby would pine/crush over a reader maybe one who has rejected him in the past because she worked for him or because she wants to keep their relationship as friends/professional! (Since you’re writing you can make the scenario as to why she said no whatever you like) but truly i’d just love to see a headcanon on him falling in love and longing for someone who he can’t have so easily :)

Imagine Rejecting: Thomas Shelby

Tommy x fem!reader

Trope: Right person, wrong time. Warnings: Angst, pining, toxic romantic tendencies, infidelity.

You worked under him as Lizzie's replacement as his secretary, you saw his books and you knew the red on his suit collar wasn't always lipstick. You went with him almost everywhere, memorized his schedule, and completed small tasks that often caused him headaches. Long hours in the office stopped feeling so lonely. And that's where the trouble started.

When he found himself growing fond of you, he tried to fight it. He really did. But feelings grow over time and before he knew it, he started to see you as a partner. At first, he told himself that you reminded him of Grace. It was easier to tell himself that he was projecting her image onto you. However, there came a point where he couldn't lie to himself anymore.

His eyes would follow you as you left a room. His head would turn upon hearing your voice. The smell of your perfume was enough to give him pause at times. When he was at home, he would sometimes go into his office to call you from your desk in Birmingham. Just to have a conversation, even if it was to go over a detail for a meeting he "forgot."

Tommy confessed his feelings to you one late night at the Midland Hotel. You sat with him at the hotel bar, not a soul around except for the two of you and half a bottle of whiskey. Maybe is was the whiskey that did it, but he took your hand and said: "I've been trying to think of what to do about you. The things that you make me want to feel, make me want to do. It shouldn't be this way, but it is. I want you."

You slowly took your hand from him, and stood. The look in your eyes was enough to make him sober. Quietly, you gave your reply, "I'm going to call for two cars to take us home. I'll see you Monday morning, Mr. Shelby."

Thomas Shelby is not unused to rejection. It hasn't bothered him in years. With you, however, it's different. You aren't a political rival, a gang leader, or a position he's being blocked from obtaining. You are a person. A woman who has denied him access to your heart.

That is very, very different.

Not to mention a blow to his ego. Tommy knows he's attractive, and he knows that most of the women he interacts with are more than a little interested in him. Ladies from poor families see a man that can provide. Ladies from wealthy families see a man of danger that can make them feel alive. You didn't seem to fall into either category. You didn't seem to need him the way most people did.

He wouldn't discuss that night at the Midland with you for several months. When it finally did get addressed, you seemed surprised. Had you assumed he was drunk? It hardly mattered. You tried to turn him down, again "We can't, Tommy."

"Of course we can."

You scoffed, "We shouldn't. You have a wife and two children, and I am merely your employee."

Tommy got closer to you, his eyes caught between staring at your rosy painted lips and the look in your eyes. His fingertips gazed your wrist. It would be so easy to just kiss you. To take you into his arms and just hold you. Did you truly not want him? As he stared you down, the answer was found in the tears that welled in your eyes. No, you were just as sick in the heart as he was.

"Lizzie understands. Or marriage is a partnership, nothing more. We can be as we like, she wants nothing to do with it," Tommy takes your chin in between his thumb and index finger. "Tell me you don't want me, and I'll leave you alone. Tell me that."

Tears stained by your dark mascara roll down your cheeks, a shudder runs through you. "Tommy," you sigh "that's precisely why I'll never give in. I can't live my life as your whore. It's almost as cruel as being your wife."

He let you go. You took two steps back, then left him there. As the door to his office slammed shut, Tommy almost chased after you. But, he didn't. Because you were right.

[sholmeser]

i actually think that this concept art is really interesting when you consider what it means for herlock’s character and his relationship with yuujin. the truth is that we know next to nothing about how those six years they spent together went, but this illustration kind of tells us everything that we really need to know: by combining this and what we see in their relationship now, kazuya nuri has told us everything about them through just a simple drawing.

this is most likely towards the earlier stages of their partnership, so herlock is probably only around 18-20. obviously he is visually very different from the herlock in tgaa—his “casual” appearance is much less put-together, his hair is longer, and his posture is much more relaxed—but what immediately catches your eye is herlock’s expression! you could interpret it as him being lost in thought or him looking a little pissed off, but we would NEVER see today’s herlock making an expression even resembling that: his deductions are meant to appear effortless, after all, and he never really expresses his true feelings. he has his serious moments, but he would never appear that intense.

and i just. i think it is so, so sweet. that yuujin’s friendship was able to change herlock so much. when you look at him in this illustration you can immediately understand who he is: a moody, young adult man (glorified teenager) who doesn’t really understand who he is yet, doesn’t know how to open up to other people, doesn’t know what to do with himself. and yuujin’s kindness is what changes him fundamentally: his friendship, his support. as much as he cares about susato and ryuunosuke, he MEANS it when he says that yuujin is his only true friend. because as much as they mean to him, they haven’t seen him at his worst. they haven’t helped him grow into himself. they didn’t give him the most important person in his life.

at the end of the day herlock isn’t perfect. FAR from it; he’s a fucking mess. but yuujin’s influence helped him. saved him, in a way, and because of that, he’s happy. even though he struggles with rent constantly, though he still keeps his heart locked up tight, he is happy and he has a daughter and that’s what matters. and nuri conveys all of this through just one picture to accompany the story :)

[brokenmenswhore]

betrothals & brothels | aegon, aemond, & jace

part 5

pairings: aegon targaryen x stark fem!reader, aemond targaryen x stark fem!reader, jacaerys velaryon x stark fem!reader

series summary: aemond targaryen tells the realm that you, the lady of house stark, are to wed him and secure a partnership in the north. in protest, you agree to marry jacaerys velaryon, affirming the north’s allegiance to rhaenyra. when the news hits king’s landing, aegon decides it’s better to have you under his watchful eye until the political partnership is solidified, but doesn’t realize you have a life away from your duty as a stark

chapter warnings: dry humping

a/n: while everyone has been wonderful, i just wanna remind everyone that this is a fanfiction on tumblr.com. i care deeply about the things i write but at the end of the day this is fanfiction and it’s just not that serious. writing these should be fun, not stressful, so it’s not gonna be grrm quality storytelling, and that’s ok! we’re just here for a good lil time

series masterlist

────── ☾ ──────

Aemond had followed his brother to the streets, an urgent matter on his mind. He loathed his brother’s constant nonchalance, and was growing more and more frustrated with each step into brothel doorways, in search of the King.

He had yet to find the man himself, but instead found men of the King’s Guard crowded around a circular table in the brothel that held his own favor.

“Where is His Grace?” Aemond asked, approaching the table of drunken men.

“Not sure,” one of them began, “found this gorgeous dark-haired maiden a bit ago. We left him to his vices.”

The table erupted in laughter and cheer for their king, but Aemond felt a drop in the pit of his stomach.

He took a deep breath, almost incapable of asking the question for fear of the answer. “Did she appear Northern?”

The men quieted and exchanged glances. There was an unspoken understanding as Aemond flared his nostrils in annoyance at their disregard for their position. It would have made sense if Aegon acted so taken aback by the sight of you because it was, in fact, you, but none of them had considered such a thing.

Aemond stormed toward the bar, tended by the Madam, angry and in search of answers. He had no need to approach the Madam once he saw Aegon. He rushed toward his brother, pushing Aegon’s chest until he was backed against a wall.

“Where are you coming from, brother, hm?” he sneered, accusatory.

Aegon swallowed hard, unsure of what to do. He did not want to rat you out to Aemond, but he knew his brother’s senses were quick. One wrong movement and Aemond would instantly know your whereabouts.

The men of the Guard remained close to the action as the attention of the brothel turned toward the two silver-haired brothers. Despite it being their job to protect Aegon from the very harm his brother was threatening to inflict, no one dare go toe to toe with the one-eyed prince.

“Gentlemen, would you be so kind as to check the rooms?” Aemond directed toward the King’s Guard, still holding Aegon in place with a forearm across his chest.

Though the men worked for Aegon, not Aemond, they looked to their leader for permission, and could see who was truly in charge. Aegon was in no position to instruct them otherwise, so they did as they were told.

Moments later, three of the men came into view with a dark-haired woman, wearing only a robe, fighting with all her might to free herself from their grasp. “Is this her?”

You stilled, blowing the hair out of your face as you made eye contact with your alleged betrothed. You were tired, having just been with Aegon, and he was not the first of the night. Your body’s capabilities were being tested with each moment of fighting.

Aemond gave you a wicked smile, proud of himself for finally finding you after a month of tribulation.

“I see you’ve been keeping my brother company,” Aemond said.

You kept your head held high, brimming with confidence, but you stayed silent, the only noise coming from that of the spit flying in Aemond’s direction.

The room went silent, all the attention directed at the scene unfolding around the Targaryens. Aegon softly snickered, and Aemond dropped his arm from Aegon’s chest in an effort to divert all of his attention to you.

He took a step closer to you. “Your reputation was not falsified as you so claimed.”

“I never claimed as such,” you defended, “I am simply skilled at evading the truth around those who do not deserve to hear it.”

“It must be the truth, then, as only a true whore would fuck my brother the day before wedding me.”

“I never had any intention of wedding you, Aemond, as you very well know.” There were countless brothel patrons watching you, and you desperately tried to sway the subject away from your whoring. Luckily, your retort did so.

“You are to return to the Red Keep with me and be grateful that I will accept your hand in marriage in the morn,” Aemond stated.

“No.”

“No?”

“No. Since when are you so confident, Aemond? In a battle with my tongue, you know yours will lose.”

“Maybe so,” he responded, unsheathing his blade and pointing the tip in your direction, “but there is a battle I assure you I can win.”

Aemond knew you had always desired to learn your way around a blade, and was taunting you on purpose. You refused to give him the satisfaction of the reaction he so craved.

“All of this just to wed me? Do you fancy me so?” you jested.

Aemond took a deep breath in preparation to speak again. “Mind your tongue when there is a blade pointed to your throat.”

“Or what? Off me here, My Prince, lest it be the only way to still me.”

Aemond suddenly became viciously aware of the attention of the surrounding patrons. You had him in a chokehold. With your statement, the only way he could win this argument was to murder you in a cold blood right on the brothel floor, and he would not do such a thing, no matter how fervently you patronized him.

He was speechless. He could not think of a single worthy retort, neither in speech nor in action. He kept his sword raised, but the fist around the hilt began to shake in anger.

You turned your attention to the man still against the wall, who’s attention never diverted from you, as he cleared his throat. “Rather inappropriate to argue this out here, do you not agree?” Aegon chimed in.

“I am not returning to the Red Keep, Aegon, and you yourself spoke that you would not force me to.”

Aegon sighed in remembrance. “Do you truly wish to return to Winterfell?”

“More than anything.” I wish for Winterfell more than I wish for you. You were not sure how seriously you meant it. Aegon was right, things were different, but you could not lose focus. Not now.

Aegon looked to his brother, then to you, contemplating his options, before saying the only thing that could truly surprise you.

“I shall prepare you passage for the morn.”

✶

It was nearly impossible to fathom that after all the crown had put you through, they would allow you to return to Winterfell, all because of the King’s affections and guilt. You debated if the gesture of passage was honest up until the moment the cold air hit your skin, and you knew you were home.

Cregan lifted you in his large arms, swinging your frame around in glee as tears pooled in his eyes from pure relief and joy. He inspected every inch of your body and asked you several times if you were okay, and what the crown had done to you.

You promised him you were alright, and you were, until he rushed off to inform Jacaerys of your return, and the reality of your past actions dawned on you.

How would Jacaerys react if he knew what you had done with his usurper uncle? Would he still vie for your hand?

You paced nervously in your chambers that Cregan had left untouched, anticipating the moment you would have to face your true betrothed.

You had every intention of confessing. You truly did. However, every thought cleared from your mind the moment your chamber doors swung open. Jacaerys was out of breath, having rushed straight to you, but the moment he saw you, he stilled.

You spun around, startled by the noise.

“Y/N.”

You didn’t know what to do. You didn’t know what to say.

“Y/N, holy shit,” he said, rushing over to you and enveloping your body in a tight hug. He kissed the top of your head, holding it against his chest as though he would never let you go.

“I missed you,” you strained through his tight grasp.

Jacaerys pulled away, but only to move his hands to either side of your face. He wasted no time placing a kiss on your lips, much more fervently then he had the first time you two had done this.

You reciprocated immediately, your only thought being him. You pressed your body even closer to his, comfortable feeling his touch for the first time in a long time. He felt like home.

“Jace, I-“

“Sh,” he stopped you.

“I just-“

“Shut up,” he demanded, eager to continue.

You gave in and continued to kiss him, allowing him to back you into your bed. Your knees buckled and you fell backward as Jacaerys leaned over you.

It was only then that he pulled away and caught his breath. “We are not wed yet, I can’t-“

“I do not care that we are not wed,” you stated, confident.

“I do not wish to defile your honor.”

You sighed. If only he knew. “I have no honor around you.”

He ran his fingers through his hair, and you slowly began to drop the shoulder of your dress, exposing more skin in an effort to coerce him into action.

“I cannot,” he repeated, sitting down beside you in defeat.

You contemplated if you wanted Jacaerys bad enough right now to risk telling him that you had no honor left to defile. “We are to wed in a matter of days, Jace, what difference is it if you take me now?” you questioned.

“It is not proper, it-“ his voice trailed off, the sentence lost halfway down his throat.

You leaned toward him, propping a leg upward and swinging it over his waist, allowing you to sit on his lap and face him. “I truly do not give a damn what is proper. I want you to fuck me, Jacaerys.”

He was notably taken aback by your candor and confidence, but his strength was wearing thin, and all he wanted to do was ravish you. He missed you so, and now that you had returned to him, he was desperate to claim you as his.

He tilted his head upward and allowed you to kiss him again, and you pushed his chest backward until his back was flush against the mattress. You held the back of his head to ensure his lips stayed connected to yours, instinctively toying with the strands of his curly hair.

He began to buck his hips upward, searching for any friction as he grinded his hips against your own. He let out a soft whine into the kiss when you began to push down against him, intensifying the friction.

You rocked your body slightly back and forth, and Jace threw his head back against the sheets as his hands found their way to your hips, gripping desperately, and most certainly gripping hard enough to leave a bruise.

Suddenly, your chamber doors swung open again with no regard for your current predicament.

“Tell me this is a cruel jest from the crown. Tell me!” Cregan bellowed, completely ignoring your position and marching over to you, slamming a piece of parchment down on the bed next to where your body met Jace’s.

Jacaerys shot upward, and you grabbed the parchment, standing up and beginning to read the words.

“Who sent you this?” you asked.

“It matters not who sent it,” Cregan seethed, “is it true? I do not have the patience for more lies.”

“What’s going on?” Jacaerys chimed in.

“Cregan, you cannot seriously-“

“IS. IT. TRUE.”

“I-“

You were speechless.

“I knew it. I fucking trusted you, Y/N. I was going to marry you off to the heir to the Iron Throne and the entire time you’ve been fucking the whole of the North like some common smallfolk whore.”

“Do not dare speak to me as such, Cregan, I am still the Lady of this house and I will not be patronized-“

“Patronized?! You fucked the usurper king and yet your concern is your own ego?” Cregan spat.

Your eyes widened. “It says as such?”

“You did what?” Jacaerys chimed in.

“Tell him,” Cregan said, his tone low as he stepped closer to you, nearly poking your chest, “wit your way out of this one.”

You had never seen your brother so truly angry with you. You had of course had your fair share of disagreements and spats, but he had always opted to trust you above all else. News that he was incorrect in doing so, and that you had been lying to him despite it, angered him more than anything could.

You turned to Jacaerys, who was seated on the edge of the bed, hands firmly planted on either side of his body as though he were anticipating the need to rise at any moment.

“Let me explain,” you pleaded, “I-“

“Tell me you did not give your maidenhood to my uncle,” Jacaerys nearly begged.

“I did not,” you said, and he sighed in relief, but you continued, “I have not had my maidenhood for some time now.”

Cregan was seething, his nostrils flaring in anger as you turned toward him.

“Was it the one eyed prince, hm? Is he the one who sent you such writings?” you asked.

“The man may be a cunt, but I cannot fathom what reason he would have to lie so drastically,” Cregan responded, confirming your suspicions.

Jacaerys could not stop staring at you. He was subconsciously waiting for you to say this was all a cruel jest and move on, but only more hurt followed.

You turned back to Jace, taking a deep breath before finally admitting the truth.

“Aegon and I have shared intimacies, as I have with several men.”

Cregan threw his hands up in the air and turned around, stomping out of the room. He did not want to hear anymore, and he was so angry that he knew it would be best for your safety if he was not around you.

Jacaerys slouched in his seated position. His elbows rested on his knees as he rested his head in the palm of his hands.

He tried to speak several times, but only small sighs and gasps left his lips. He was rendered speechless. He did not even know how to move.

“Please say something,” you pleaded, showing an ounce of weakness for perhaps the first time.

He did not speak.

“I still very much wish to marry you,” you added.

Jace lifted his head to look at you, his eyes red and his features unreadable. “I cannot imagine what you could possibly do to make me not want the same,” he started, “and I can forgive you for hiding this part of yourself, if you choose to be honest with me now. But my uncle-“

“I know,” you cut him off, “I know.”

“Why?”

You sighed. You did not have a proper explanation. You simply did it because you wanted to and it felt right, something you feared Jacaerys would not understand.

“Your uncle and I have grown rather fond of one another, if I am to demonstrate candor,” you explained, seeing no point in holding anything back now, “but it does not diminish my fondness for you.”

“And Aemond? I would rather you have affection for Aegon, he is a genuine idiot, but Aemond-“

“I have not slept with Aemond.”

Jacaerys took a sigh of relief. He meant what he said: he would rather you have bedded Aegon than Aemond. Aegon slept with many women, and Jacaerys could not see how such an intimate act could truly be intimate with him. He believed that sex was not about connection for Aegon, but rather purely sexual. Though it still hurt, Jace remembered your confession of having been with several men, and hoped Aegon was just another one of the many.

Had you been with Aemond, however, it would have meant that Aemond had won. At least, that is how Aemond would have taken it.

“So you-“ Jacaerys swallowed, preparing his next words, “the rumors are true, you do work in brothels? You’re a- a-“

“You can call me a whore, it is not the dirty word that many make it,” you said, sitting down next to Jace and taking his hand in yours.

“Why?”

“I quite enjoy pleasure, as does everyone,” you said, happy that the mood was calming down, “I am simply not inclined to care about duty above it.”

“And Cregan did not know?”

“No one knew, though evidently the whole realm has had their suspicions.”

“How long have you-“

“Since before Aegon. A while.”

“So you are rather experienced, then.”

The statement-question caught you off guard. “I would say so, yes.”

“So you are well versed in pleasure.”

“I would say so, yes,” you repeated.

Jacaerys looked into your eyes. “I am trying desperately to be angry with you, but I cannot act like this does not excite me.”

Rarely did someone say something that truly blindsided you with surprise.

“You are not angry with me?”

“I am hurt you bed Aegon, but I will learn to move on from it. You whoring, however- I understand it should anger me, I truly do. Yet I cannot seem to make it do so.”

“I do not believe my brother shares your same sentiments.”

“Cregan is hot-headed, he will forgive in time,” Jacaerys tried to assure your nerves. “May I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

“How did you return? Why did they let you back?”

“Your uncle granted me passage,” you answered.

“Why?”

“I ask myself that same question every few minutes,” you admitted.

“It is not because of his affections toward you?”

“You do not have anything to worry about, Jace.”

“My uncle is not chivalrous, it is unlike him to-“

“You need not worry, Jacaerys, please. No matter how I got here, I am here, with you, and Aegon remains in King’s Landing.”

Jacaerys took a deep breath before standing up and holding out his hand toward you. “We have a wedding to prepare, do we not?”

You smiled and placed your hand atop his.

✶

It felt like it was happening all over again.

You and Jacaerys rushed outside to see the wings of the majestic beast ruling the skies. Despite her feet planted atop the castle walls, her wings continued to flap, a way of ensuring she caught the attention of everyone in Winterfell.

The beast was unmistakable. She was the most beautiful dragon in all the realm, and her scales glistened like the sun. You had never seen her in the flesh, and even from a distance, she was breathtaking. So breathtaking, even, that you had not noticed the absence of her rider from her back, and could not find him moving around her body. He could be anywhere.

“What the fuck is he doing here?” Cregan shouted, stomping out into the courtyard beside you.

“I- I don’t know,” you responded, honest.

“I thought we were done with this, sister,” he said, accusatory.

“As did I,” you shot back.

You waited, watching Sunfyre in awe and hoping her rider would soon make himself known. He did not know his way around Winterfell, and without the company of Sunfyre, he could be anywhere.

It was unlike Aegon to go anywhere without guarded accompaniment. Being here was a risk on his life, as he was not as skilled in combat as his brother. You could not think up a single reason for him to be in your home, unguarded.

He was unmistakable himself as his silver hair shone in the sunlight. The people of Winterfell were still, unable to look away from the man adorned in green as he spotted and approached you.

He stopped a few feet away from you, and Cregan leaned forward, but you held out an arm to still him.

Aegon bowed.

Aegon, the usurper king, bowed to no man. But he bowed to you.

“What do you want, Aegon?” Jacaerys called out.

“I see you have returned safely,” Aegon said, keeping his attention to you.

“You should not have let me go if your only intention was to repeat history and force me back,” you said.

“I wish not to force you,” Aegon said, “I wish for you to choose willingly.”

“Choose what?”

“To come back with me.”

You laughed. You could not help it. It broke the tension a bit, luckily, but it was not intentional.

“Why would I do such a thing?”

“Because I am asking you to.”

“You are not my king. You cannot decide these things for me.”

Aegon took a step closer to you. “Tell my little nephew what we did.”

“He is already aware.”

Aegon was taken aback. He did not expect you to be as genuine in honesty as you were in bickering matches.

You could see sadness and pain behind Aegon’s eyes. You two truly did share a genuine connection, and he was incapable of understanding why he couldn’t just get whatever he wanted whenever he wanted it. You were his exception to everything, and that was one of the best things about you, but also one of the worst.

Jacaerys did his best to look intimidating as he narrowed his eyes toward his uncle.

Even now, you could not help but take pity on Aegon. You did care about him, and it was a constant headsplit having to choose between two people you truly cared for.

“Stay for the wedding,” you suggested, the words leaving your lips the moment the thought popped into your head. There was no time for you to process it or think it through.

“Y/N, you cannot seriously-“

You cut Jacaerys off: “I am serious. Stay, Aegon, in good faith.”

“My mother will be in attendance and will not-“

“Jacaerys, please,” you stopped him.

“I cannot,” Aegon said, looking at the ground beneath his feet. The cold was staring to effect him, and his nose and cheeks were turning red.

“You can.”

“This is not a good-“

“Cregan, I can handle this.”

“No you can’t,” he sighed, matter-of-factly.

“I would happily accept lodging for the night. I think it best for me to return to King’s Landing in the morrow,” Aegon decided, defeated and incapable of fighting you.

You could not argue with his decision. It was a selfish offer to make on your part, and you only suggested it because you wanted both him and Jacaerys around.

You desperately wanted this to end well. It was only recently another Targaryen man had directed his dragon into your home, and that ended horrifically.

It was a paralleled situation, as if nothing had changed, only much had. Too much. There was no going back. You wanted to marry Jacaerys, but you could not send Aegon back to King’s Landing and pretend he did not exist.

Aemond could not do the same for you, either.

He loathed some parts of you, but they were the parts that acted as a mirrored reflection of himself.

He could not shake the feeling that he had met his match. He knew that the moment Aegon let you go, you would marry Jacaerys instantaneously, and the prospect of a pairing between you two would be vanquished. However, that did not mean he did not care for you, deep in the depths of his soul.

No one had ever posed a challenge to the great Prince Aemond One-Eye. You were the only one who could outwit him, who could speak to him as if you were not scared of him, and who could see straight through him.

He had worked his entire life to build himself into a lethal weapon, but you refused to see him as anything but a person. It drove him mad, but he knew that it was what he needed.

He did not care that his brother had had you. He did not care that Jacaerys would have you soon. He told the realm you were to be his, and he hated not staying true to his word.

He tried to cleanse the thought of you from his mind during the council meeting he attended, but unfortunately, the men of the council had other ideas.

Aegon had been gone for four days now.

You and Jacaerys were under the impression that he had left the morning after he had returned, but he was not in King’s Landing.

“My Prince, you must retrieve your brother. He is erratic and impulsive, I fear he may not leave on his own, and I fear he may only worsen our relationship with Winterfell.”

“You expect me to fly to Winterfell? Again?” Aemond asked, raising his voice on the final word.

“He will sabotage Jacaerys’s wedding, and you know it. We do not need anymore familial strife, Aemond,” Alicent tried to level with her son.

“It is not wise for it to be me.”

“Who else?” Alicent asked, “there is no one else.”

Aemond took a deep breath. He did not want to repeat history, but he had no choice. “Very well.”

────── ☾ ──────

taglist: @torchbearerkyle @dracaryxzs @hangmanscoming @callsignwidow @velvetcrowbarcherry @kravitzwhore @darlingisntit @not-neverland06 @albionfay @cluz1babe @flusteredmoonn @sab-falco @ajanauia @lycaonpictusphotography

[hina-has-no-life]

Mori’s big plan [Theory]

So my theory is relatively simple:

Mori wants Dazai and Chuuya to take over the Port Mafia after he retires from the Job as PM Boss.

But how did I come to this conclusion?

Well I got a bit suspicious of the way Mori differentiates in his treatment of the people in his life.

In fifteen it's clear that Mori realizes that Dazai is not just a pawn he can use when Dazai explained to him how keeping him alive is a mistake on Moris part.

It's at that moment Mori truly realizes how smart Dazai is and how dangerous this child could be to him.

Objectively it would be the smart move to dispose of Dazai then. But he doesn't and that makes no sense if you look at the situation from an outside perspective.

And here comes the first thing that I realized.

Just as we learn through the Beast universe, the different universes are largely differential because of decisions Dazai makes. But since Beast is a mirror image of the Canon universe we know that until Dazai makes a different decision the universes are the same.

So we know that Mori actually cares for Dazai.

He wants to save Dazai from himself, wants to give him a reason to live.

But he underestimated just how much of a danger Dazai actually can be before they made the plan to kill the old Boss.

Here we learn that Mori not only was the PM Boss like in canon, but that he cares for Dazai and regrets not being able to help him.

In the events of fifteen we actually see him trying to give Dazai a reason to live, if we look at it through the eyes of Mori.

Mori actually knows how Dazai thinks and wants Dazai to grow attached to the PM, that is why he gives him the silver oracle and let's Dazai choose who he works with, until he meets Chuuya that is.

Mori sees Chuuyas potential, just as he sees Dazais and that is why he wants to partner them up.

He wants chuuya to become a member of the PM and he wants Dazai to find an attachment in the PM.

And this ploy does work to a certain extend.

Chuuya becomes part of the PM through his and Dazais scheme.

And Dazai becomes attached to Chuuya.

But from this point onward we see something happening in the official art.

Since Asagiri confirmed to be working closely with the different productions of BSD we know he has a hand in how it's presented to the audience

And while we get shown in fifteen that Mori mentors Dazai, we get shown Dazai with Chuuya after they are both part of the Mafia.

And here comes an interesting part I noticed as an artist:

The official art, be it Bones, Harukawa or Hoshikawa always shows Dazai and Chuuya as equals.

Despite reaching the same level in the PM at different times they always get depicted as the same rank

And then bones started dropping PM art where Dazai and Chuuya are shown as equals, on thrown like chairs.

Hoshikawa gives us art where both of them wear crowns and Chuuya seems to wear a crown more similar to Dazai’s at one point.

It gets subtly shown in the cannibalism stage play that Mori also starts to mentor chuuya at one point

We also learn that chuuya is supposed to take over the PM one day

But Chuuya lacks something that made Mori want to have dazai as the PM boss, a certain ruthlessness. He deeply cares for people, wether he knows them super well or not. 

Don't get me wrong, Chuuya can be ruthless when he needs to be but he can't sacrifice PM members as easily as Mori and Dazai if it’s necessary. 

Dazai on the other hand thinks a lot like Mori and even acknowledges that certain sacrifices need to be made sometimes. He certainly has the guts and stomach to sacrifice people if they don't have any other option.

Together they would be the perfect team to lead the PM. Dazai the mind of the PM and Chuuya the heart.

It’s made clear time and time again that Soukoku, Double Black, is the perfect partnership.

Dazai doesn't have a steadfast moral code of his own, but he has no problem to follow the moral code of other people. While dazai would keep the PM successful Chuuya would make sure they never ever reverse to the way of the old Boss.

But there was one thing that gets clear in Dark Ear to the readers and Mori.

Dazai may have attachments to members of the PM but he is slowly walking down the path of the old PM boss in the way he handles things.

The members of the PM fear Dazai, a teenager. He rules with fear like the old Boss and Mori can't have that.

“We have a saying in the Port Mafia. The greatest misfortune of Dazai’s enemys is that they are Dazai’s enemys.”

So Mori, who first cultivated relationships between Dazai and Mafia members , not needs to get Dazai out of the Mafia and into the light until he learns to be more gentle, to empathize with people and to lead with loyalty instead of fear.

To form attachments Mori let Dazai collect people:

Chuuya

Oda

 Akutagawa

While Chuuya and Akutagawa were clearly beneficial to the Mafia, they also formed a connection to the Mafia for Dazai. Chuuya as his partner and Akutagawa as his student. (as fucked up as the latter relationship turned out to be)

Oda was another story. He doesn’t bring something beneficial to the Mafia because he refuses to kill. The only use Oda had to Mori was his connection as Dazais best friend.

Dazai’s attachments come in handy in the fact that he won't attack the Port Mafia because it would hurt the people he cares about.

In his own fucked up way Dazai did care about Akutagawa from the start but the way he mentored him did show Mori (and the reader) that he isn't gonna be a good leader if he doesn't change

So Mori looked at his options on how to get Dazai out of the Mafia but not hating the Mafia and the solution was Oda. Getting rid of Oda had only positives for Mori.

He got the permit.

He freed resources that went to a grunt that didn't have much use.

He got dazai to leave the Mafia but not hate the Mafia.

And he made it nigh impossible for the government to stop the PM without catching them red handed in illegal activities while cementing their international standing by getting rid of the internationally known Mimic.

So Mori let’s Dazai go.

Fast forward to 4 years later:

And now that he has seen that Dazai in fact did change for the better, as shown with Atsushi and Kyouka, he actively tries to get him back.

He openly invited him back into the Mafia, he made sure Double Black was still working together and trusted each other.

And then he made the deal with Fukuzawa.

With the Guild Arc we not only learned from Mori that he wants Dazai back as his right hand man, the defacto shadow leader of the PM, we (and Mori) also learn that while Dazai has changed, he isn't above using his old tactic if the situation calls for it.

While Dazai doesn't hold and loyalty to the Mafia, he is loyal to certain members.

And his position with the Agency and Government puts him in the perfect position, if he were to come back to the Mafia. 

He has positive ties to both organisation's that would actually make the Tripartite Framework work.

I'm pretty sure Mori wants Chuuya to be the official leader of the PM and Dazai to be lead with Chuuya from the shadows. 

And a big THANK YOU to @severaltuesdays for helping me get all the pictures I needed!! You are the best!!

[cryobabyy]

Realistic predictions/analysis for the dynamic between Syd and Carmy for s3 and what the writers will potentially do with Claire.

Pls keep in note that my sydcarmy brain was OFF and the Film/Television production student brain was ON when I wrote this. I am trying to imagine their potential romance in the most realistic and grounded way possible don't be mad at me please I'm sensitive sjhdsajdsjdhsfafafjskdlfh okay lets get into it

Carmy is back in a high-end kitchen environment, which means toxic ocd perfectionist Carmy is back because he has yet to deconstruct that part of himself

that being said, he wants that star, not only because it'll justify the pain of gutting his dead brother's restaurant and perhaps soothe his self-loathing, but also because Sydney wants it- and Carmy wants to keep Sydney. He wants to see her get what she wants.

Carmy still has the toxic mindset that success is defined by how much you suffered for it, and how much pain you've endured. He is back in an environment where he will forever be chasing perfection that doesn't exist. He has an incessant need for control that makes him difficult to work with.

Carmen holds the staff, especially Sydney, to impossible standards of perfection

IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT CARMY IS A VERY EXTREME PERSON

HE WILL BE PLAGUED BY BLACK AND WHITE THINKING THIS ENTIRE SEASON (as opposed to the wishy-washy, one-foot-in-one-foot-out vibe we got last season)

Enter the partnership contract lol

To Carmy, the contract is a testament to his commitment to Sydney. He would have a professional and legal obligation to operate at the highest standard. You have my full focus, and I have yours. He's basically trying to correct his mistakes in s2 in the most extreme way.

The problem is that Sydney knows this means she would be legally and professionally bound to Carmen. It means she would have to subscribe to his toxic standards and warped ideas of success to uphold her end of the contract.

Sydney will be forced to reevaluate if the path to success Carmy has laid out will be worth the suffering. We saw last season that the stress literally made her vomit. She is asking herself: does it have to be like this? Is this really the only way?

Sydney will be presented with alternative opportunities because of the attention she's received from being professionally associated with Carmy.

They will become increasingly tempting as The Bear continues to bring out the worst in Carmy

Maybe Carmy catches wind of the attention Sydney has been getting, which he thinks explains why she has been stalling signing the contract.

Carmy feels rejected. Of course, he doesn't realize it's rejection that he's feeling. He confronts her from a professional angle. It devolves into a fight because he'll probably end up lashing out.

"This is what you wanted! I'm giving you what you want!"

It is, in fact, not what Sydney wants. LMFAO

Sydney, of course, wants Carmy. But she wants a version of Carmy that doesn't exist, and she's not sure he ever will.

Sydney's relationship with failure is important for her character. She initially wanted the success Carmen has.

At the end of s3 she realizes she just wants Carmy. As a friend and a creative partner (and in my most unhinged fantasies a lover :P). She wants the Carmy she gets when they're riffing off each other's ideas in his kitchen. She doesn't want the tunnel vision perfection machine version of himself when he's in his chef whites. She grows to resent that version.

s3 wraps up with their relationship on rocky terms

Best case scenario, Carmy tries to change

worst-case scenario, Sydney steps back from the bear

CLAIRE PREDICTIONS

Carmy operates at extremes. He either pursues a personal life or his professional life. In his mind, it is impossible to have both.

Claire and Sydney/The Bear are on opposite ends of the spectrum

If he commits to Claire, he can't commit to the restaurant

If he commits to Sydney/The Bear, he can't commit to Claire

Instead of trying to find balance, Carmy throws himself into Sydney/The Bear

Fak obviously observes that this makes Camry worse, and decides to talk to Claire to suggest some sort of contact between the two. He probably thinks this might keep Carmy from nosediving further. I don't have any guesses for the context of their conversation though. It could be anything. I think it would be hilarious if Fak hurts himself during dinner service and has to go to the ER and the convo unfolds that way lol.

Meanwhile, Carmy thinks he's doing the right thing by presenting his most extreme and professional self to Sydney because he thinks it's what she wants. He wants to give her his full focus.

What Sydney actually wants is fucking BALANCE. Which is exactly what Carmy NEEDS, but doesn't think is possible.

Sydney potentially walks away to find it elsewhere with someone else.

Carmy is angsty about it, obviously.

Carmy and Claire will probably reconcile, before or after his potential falling out with Sydney

If they do get back together, I don't think it's sustainable for Carmy. They both have very demanding careers, and Claire triggers trauma associated with his past. They might like each other, but they are incompatible, IMO.

I do think Sydney and Carmy will end up together eventually tho lol. Eventually, Carmy will realize that Sydney is his balance. The problem is that Carmy currently is incapable of providing Sydney balance. But if he learns that he can be that for her, he might realize that he wants her beyond professional partnership. Fingers crossed lol.

[theyhavetakenovermylife]

Unwanted Attention

Bayverse!Leonardo x reader

The boys have brought you along for a party at the NYPD headquarters, where a police woman finds your crush, Leonardo, very interesting. Leo on the other hand is not interested and turns to you for help.

Warnings: Spelling and an annoying police woman that doesn't understand no.

All characters are at least 21.

----------------------------------

The atmosphere at the NYPD headquarters was vibrant, filled with laughter and cheers. Drinks were served along with snacks, and a table where everyone was free to serve themself. It was police chief Vincent’s idea, as a way to celebrate the new partnership between the NYPD and the mutant turtles. It also served as a way to celebrate the defeat of Kraang, and to let the rest of the department meet the four turtle brothers that had saved New York City once again.

The brothers, not sure what to do with so many humans around them, had invited you, April, Caesy and Vern. They insisted that the four of you had as much to do with the saving of New York City, yet they failed to remember that it was them that came up with a plan and guided everybody through it.

Yet there you were at the NYPD headquarters, with a drink in hand chatting and laughing with the people around you. Raphael was having a conversation with Caesy about motorbikes, Donatello, April and police chief Vincent was talking about something techy, while Vern and Michelangelo was trying to see who could drink their drinks the fastest. You had been standing with Leonardo and a policeman, talking about your experiences during the Kraang invasion.

As the three of you spoke, you couldn’t help but throw glances in Leo’s direction. You had known him for two years now, and you couldn’t deny your growing feelings for the leader in blue. Especially not after the ordeal that was the Kraang invasion. There was just something about him that drew you in - his confidence, his leadership, his unwavering dedication. And his eyes. Those pretty blue eyes that made your stomach tingle. But little did you know that Leonardo harbored feelings for you as well, just as you secretly held a crush on him. He had been aware of these growing feelings ever since April pulled you to the roof where they had asked her to meet them so they could bring her to Master Splinter.

As the night unfolded, Leonardo found himself trying to enjoy the celebration, but he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. And it wasn’t your beautiful eyes looking at him every once in a while. No, it was some new strange eyes on him. Unknown eyes. Glancing around, his eyes met those of a police woman, her gaze intense and determined. Curiosity piqued, she made her way through the crowd until she stood beside him, right next to the police man. You saw her as she came over, a nauseating feeling growing in your stomach. You did not like the way she looked at Leonardo.

"Leonardo, right?" she asked with a coy smile, her voice carrying a subtle flirtation.

Leo nodded, a bit caught off guard, slightly fidgeting with the glass in his hand. "Yeah, that's me. Can I help you with something?"

The police woman leaned in slightly, her eyes locking onto his. Leo leaned away, clearly not expecting it. "I couldn't help but notice you from across the room. A fearless leader, I presume?"

Leonardo chuckled nervously, his eyes darting around the room. "I don't know about fearless, heh. We just do what we can to keep the city safe".

She playfully twirled a strand of hair with a smug smile. You wanted to yank her hair to whip that smile off of her face. "Well, a brave man deserves a reward. How about another drink, or maybe a dance, Leonardo?"

Leo hesitated, glancing around as he searched for a polite way to decline. You could see the “nope” written across his face. "I- I appreciate the offer, but I'm here with my brothers and my best friends… Maybe some other time?"

She didn't seem deterred, stepping closer. You were getting mildly shocked. Wasn’r she supposed to be a police officer? "Come on, Leo. We're here to celebrate. Loosen up a little".

Leo felt the awkward tension, realizing he needed a way out of this encounter. That's when he remembered you stood by his side. He turned to you, catching your eye briefly.

"(Y/N)... Babe?", Leonardo said, trying to keep his tone casual as he turned to his friend, noticing your surprised look at the sudden nickname. "We have plans later tonight, don’t we?"

You stared at him for a second, heart skipping a beat when you suddenly realized what was happening. The urgency in his eyes and the way she started to look at you in confusion. The police man the two of you had been talking to looked even more confused by the sudden change in your demeanor. "Yeah, we agreed not to go home too late, since we have that thing with your dad tomorrow".

“I knew there was something”, Leonardo said, acting relieved, before placing a hand on your back, making your knees go a little weak. “Thank you for reminding me, babe. I don’t know what I would do without you”. That’s when Leo pulled you close and placed a kiss on your forehead. You could feel your knees buckle and your head spin as he turned to the woman, and told her he couldn’t go out for a drink or a dance.

That was when she finally took the hint and left, you and Leo watching to make sure she wouldn’t be back. Once she was gone for good, you and Leo let out a sigh of relief, turning back to continue your conversation with the police officer, only to realize he had left, leaving the two of you alone.

You turned to Leonardo with a teasing smile, and smacked him gently on his strong bicep. "You know, you owe me for saving you back there".

Leo chuckled, rubbing his arm as if you had actually hurt him. "I owe you big time, (Y/N). Thanks for being my fake girlfriend".

Your heart warmed and broke at the same time. The word “girlfriend” brought you happiness, but the word “fake” tore it apart. Yet you had thought that was it. That Leo would take a step back and leave you alone. But he didn’t. The rest of the night Leo stayed close to your side, placing a hand on or around you every once in a while. You thought it was because he caught a glance of the police woman or something, and therefore you didn’t think much more about it.

As the night continued one, the two of you found a quieter spot away from the crowd. It was down one of the hallways from the big area the main body of the part was held in. Here the light was dim, with an empty couch with space for the two of you. You took a seat, laughing at a really bad joke Leo had told you. It was nothing new. Every once in a while Leo would make you laugh with his dry humor, to the point where you would be in tears.

“You can’t say stuff like that Leo”, you laughed, drawing away the tears that had formed in your eyes. “We’re surrounded by police”.

Leonardo smiled as you laughed, feeling his heart beat a little faster. He looked into your eyes with a warmth that went beyond their charade. It was a look that made your laughter quite down, feeling excitement and nervousness grow in your stomach. Leo’s eyes just had this power over you, that you couldn’t explain.

"I have something to confess," Leo began, his tone serious yet sincere, causing your breath to hitch for a moment. Leo fidgeted with his hands, looking at them instead of your eyes now. "(Y/N), I... It’s really not easy to say, but I think it’s about time. I… I've had feelings for you for quite a long time now. I just didn't know how to tell you, at least until now". Leo swallowed a lump, still not looking you in your eyes. “When you played my fake girlfriend I realized… how badly I really want to. I mean, how badly I want you to be my real girlfriend. I know it’s strange, but I just couldn’t do this without telling you”.

Your eyes widened in surprise, and a blush crept onto your cheeks as you felt your smile growing big and bright. "Really?”. The happiness in your voice made Leo look up at you. “Because I've kinda had a crush on you too for some time now".

Leonardo smiled, a mix of relief and happiness crossing his face. He breathed out a sigh of relief, his head working to find a way to answer you. "Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one".

You both chuckled, unsure of what to say or do. You cursed yourself for being so awkward, and Leo yelled at himself for being so nervous around you, even after he had fought an alien from another dimension.

Then Leo finally asked. “(Y/N)? Can I kiss you?”

You could only imagine how you looked when you heard his question. “Of course you can Leo”.

The kiss that followed was soft and unsure, yet with a passionate undertone. Leo held you close with a soft hand on your face, as if he was scared he would break you by accident. But once you placed your arms behind his neck and leaned further into him, the kiss ever so slowly turned more and more passionate. Leo’s hands moving from your face to your back, pulling you closer to him.

Who would have thought that some unwanted attention from a flirty police officer, was the push the two of you needed?

[ineffectualbookseller]

It just really GRINDS MY GEARS the way Crowley is keeping so much from Aziraphale this season but also I TOTALLY understand why he's doing it

The thing is we saw Aziraphale keep a huge secret from Crowley in season 1 after he got his hands on the Nice and Accurate Prophecies and went to heaven with the information about Adam rather than telling Crowley, but then we saw him grow from that mistake. He realized how wrong a decision that was and that's why he's SO committed to them working as a team in season 2. The way he immediately goes to Crowley when Gabriel shows up and keeps him updated whenever he talks to heaven and even calls from Edinburgh to tell him about the new Clue (and maybe to brag a little because he's feeling proud)

and YEAH Aziraphale lies. I'm not saying he doesn't. He's a liar. Lies to himself, to heaven, to hell, to god's face, and sometimes to Crowley. But in my opinion, the biggest lie he tells Crowley about the occult/ethereal goings-on this season is not telling him about Shax on the drive back to Edinburgh. And I think the reason he doesn't is the same reason he's SO nervous to tell him about Gabriel at first; he's afraid Crowley will overreact - will totally freak out when he realizes Aziraphale is being threatened. Which is, frankly, justified. He would.

But then Crowley is over here lying about SO MUCH all season. And some of the lies are about his own pride (i.e. not telling his self-described bestie that he has been UNHOUSED for YEARS during a GLOBAL PANDEMIC) but mostly he does it because he thinks it is protecting Aziraphale. Because he is so obsessed with saving Aziraphale.

Everyone knows it - Demons are using threats against Aziraphale as a way to intimidate Crowley all over the shop (a good tactic tbf, far more effective than threatening Crowley himself), and Aziraphale openly speaks it.

But the actual reason he does it is because he's so concerned about proving his worth to Aziraphale. We know Crowley has self-esteem issues. He's all smoke and mirrors - not a man (nb) just a flashy jacket wrapped around a bundle of insecurities and anxieties. He still thinks he needs to prove himself to Aziraphale, that he needs to make himself worthy of his partnership. He cognitively knows they should be equals, a team of the two of them on their own side, but he just can't shake the notion that Aziaphale needs a reason to fraternize with a demon.

And of course, Aziraphale doesn't. He loves Crowley as he is and sees just as much worth in the small acts of bringing him chocolates at the bookshop opening or clearing them a table at the Ritz. True, he does love that Crowley loves saving him, but not because he actually needs it, because it's part of the flirty game they play. But he's not honest enough to tell Crowley as much clearly (not that speaking it would solve Crowley's self-worth issues).

The thing is, "Saving me makes him so happy" is so much cuter when you're fully PRETENDING to be stuck in the Bastille and don't know any other way of asking your crush out on a lunch date. Because now the forces of heaven and hell are knocking on THEIR bookshop door and all they have is each other but Crowley hasn't been honest with Aziraphale about the seriousness of this threat and Aziraphale didn't warn him about Shax BECAUSE he knew he would be overprotective. Crowley needs so badly to be the hero he's undermined their power as a team.

And that's the dramatic irony of it all. As an audience, it is spelled out so clearly for us that they are at their best, their most powerful, as a team. They are a whole greater than the sum of its parts. The fact of Crowley's incessant need to prove himself, to be the hero, to "protect" Aziraphale from all this information that he has been choosing to lie about all season - it's just making them weaker.

TLDR; Crowley is lying to Aziraphale to keep him safe because he still feels like he needs to prove himself to be worthy of Aziraphale's partnership but this makes it impossible for them to truly work as a team and is hurting them both

[bird-inacage]

Only Friends: Can Ray be Redeemed? Is Sand the Solution?

I know Ray has upset a lot of people in Episode 8. I do find it really fascinating how quickly the tide has turned on him, especially when you compare his actions to those of our villains of the first arc: Boston and Top. Perhaps I'm in the minority, but I still choose to believe that Ray does care. He's hugely misguided but not heartless.

Let me firstly preface that none of what I'm about to say excuses Ray's behaviour but is an attempt to unpack why I still hold hope.

A child lost with no anchor

Ray is emotionally immature (which as cliché as it sounds, is a direct product of his upbringing - or lack thereof). He largely operates on basic needs, as a child would: 'I want. I need'. It's all based on serving the self. He seems wildly incapable of thinking very far beyond that. Like a child, he can barely take care of himself, let alone anyone else. He's pretty helpless on his own in a lot of respects. Most people grow out of this. Through knocks and hardship, we learn the world doesn't revolve around us and how to equip ourselves with healthy and appropriate means to navigate through life. Ray however, still seems to be stuck in his infantile box.

I often joke that Ray is a bit feral, but there is some truth to that. Ray's been left to his own devices for the majority of his life. So it's no surprise he's developed this 'me against the world' attitude which is volatile and defensive, but ultimately keeps him caged in said box.

These traits are abundantly apparent in his relationship with Mew. Ray is the vehicle for Mew's self-destruction, but all he sees is the exhilaration of having a 'partner in crime', someone to be in 'cahoots with'. Like a pair of naughty school kids getting into mischief, rather than an adult partnership. Ray is all about immediate gratification over long term fulfilment because (as children do), they don't possess the wisdom and experience to think ahead. Ray seems unable to grasp repercussions or consequences in his decision making. It's always act first, think second.

To put it simply, Ray hasn't been taught boundaries and how to respect them. He just gets criticised for crossing them which doesn’t help him learn. No one has had the patience to teach him why and how. To guide, to steer, to direct, to mentor. To educate rather than scold. Prevention rather than cure. As a result, everyone around Ray serves to clean up his messes rather than equip him with the ability to not create them in the first place. He falls into patterns of behaviour that no one has seriously attempted to break which has only amplified with adulthood. The longer those habits prevail, the harder they are to change.

Does Ray harbour ill-will or bad intent?

Is Ray the worst? In my opinion, no. (Not yet anyway - I might eat my words later, who knows). I've said this somewhere before but intent makes all the difference when judging someone's actions. Choosing to actively cause harm whilst being fully conscious of the impact versus triggering damage to occur as a symptom of your behaviour is vastly different. This is where Ray and Boston differ. Boston acts without remorse, he purposely and calculatingly makes choices that will cause the maximum degree of suffering. Whereas Ray's a loose cannon. He leaves a trail of destruction where he goes, due to a lack of control and means to channel how he feels in a constructive manner. Boston's victims are targets, whereas Ray's victims are collateral.

I don't think Ray means to purposely hurt or harm the people he cares about. Because in doing so, he'll push them away - which is precisely what he doesn't want. (Though saying that, Ray doesn't seem to give as much of a damn if it's people he isn't invested in, such as Top). Ray's world consists of what Ray needs. It's not that he doesn't care about a single person besides himself, he's just so wrapped up in his own needs to even gauge the bigger picture.

When others do point out to Ray that he's hurt them, he does tend to look guilty and taken aback, as if he's thinking, 'But I didn't know. No one told me. I had no idea my actions would cause you to be upset'. Painful levels of ignorance. But I also see a huge amount of internalised frustration. 'But why? Why didn't anyone explain this to me? How was I to know?'

Ray is capable of showing remorse, of displaying guilt. He's not cold-blooded. Anyone who can demonstrate compassion is capable of redemption. Ray is seen to be genuinely appreciative and grateful when people are good to him. He's fiercely protective over people he cares about. Ray was also willing to jump in when Sand gets a call from his mum being in trouble.

One thing I do have to stress is the difference in Ray's demeanour when he's severely drunk/high versus when he's sober. His addiction tends to amplify his most primal desires, his most 'childlike' traits. The uglier sides of Ray presented in their worst light, set to maximum. The raging tantrums, the absurd and unpredictable demands, an explosive and dangerous impulsiveness. People often refer to addiction as a form of sickness, which is worth noting when the person under scrutiny is effectively not well.

Learning by Example

Now let's talk about the huge importance of Sand in this equation.

Let me be clear - it's not Sand's responsibility to teach Ray how to grow up or behave more like a functioning adult. It's neither his duty to be a stand-in parent or caretaker. The unfortunate truth is that Ray doesn't have anyone in his life who plays that role. Who is the voice of reason. To keep him on the straight and narrow. In order to actually incite change, Ray needs to be receptive to whoever is trying to help him. We've seen he doesn't respond particularly well to the majority of people in his life. He's defensive with his father, his friends, deflective and pandering with Mew. The only person he's seen to show any signs of actually listening to and registering is Sand.

Whilst it's not fair on Sand, he might be the only person who has any real chance of encouraging healthy and positive growth in Ray. Because Sand loves Ray, he genuinely wants to see improvement for Ray's own good. I don't think it's a coincidence that we tend to see Ray's more endearing side when he's with Sand. His childlike qualities take on a sweeter, more harmless, playful tone.

He needs someone with an almost parental level of unconditional love to not give up on him, where others have thrown in the towel. Ray's character is essentially a personified cry for help. His mother was unable to cope. His father seems chronically exasperated and far too busy to actually be present. His friends have always seen him as bothersome and too much of a handful.

I personally don't want to write Ray off as a lost cause. Ironically, Sand may be the saviour he didn't ask for, but the one he really needs. Someone who can save him from himself.

[breakfastteatime]

Today's Fallen Order request is 'Small' for @foolinapril

Jaro would not say he forgets how small children are. It is simply that he so rarely encounters them that he has no need to recollect how tiny both they and their furnishings are. He has had apprentices before, certainly, but never one so young and therefore so small. Tiny, actually, would be more accurate. This youngling, Cal Kestis, is quite literally pocket-sized. Given what the Council has asked Jaro to take Cal into, he may very well place the child in a pocket to keep him safe.

The boy says goodbye to his clanmates, accepts a few clumsy hugs, waves one final time, and joins Jaro. His lightsaber swings on his hip, the hilt nearly as long as his leg. He has a tiny carryall that likely only carries a few changes of clothes. Jedi, after all, do not have possessions. That’s alright. They will need to stop by the quartermaster to pick up the necessary supplies a growing Padawan will require.

And Cal must grow. Fast.

The boy stares up (and up) at Jaro, gamely trying to mask the tears shimmering in his eyes. “I’m ready, Master Tapal.” His voice is so small it sounds like the squeak of the Temple mice.

Nodding, Jaro leads the way out of the youngling dorms. Cal’s footsteps pitter patter rapidly behind him, and Jaro remembers he must slow his pace for such a small pair of legs. He should review standard Human growth patterns. He knows enough to recognise Cal will be small for some time yet, and even fully grown, he will be significantly shorter than Jaro.

It is early morning and the Temple’s corridors are quieter than ever. So many Jedi are absent, called into service for the GAR. Jaro and Cal will only evade that fate for a few short months as they adjust to their new partnership.

They reach their shared quarters. Jaro opens the door and shows Cal in. They enter his chambers. Cal looks around wide-eyed. Jaro took care to requisition new furniture to avoid the likelihood of triggering Cal’s psychometry. A desk, a chair, and a rather tall cabin bed. Cal’s clan master, Petra Entola, told him Cal liked high places.

Yes, they have much to do in these few short months.

“Do you like it, Padawan?”

“Yes, Master,” Cal says, placing his bag upon the floor. “I’ve never had my own room before.” And then he shrugs. “Not that I remember anyway. I like it.”

There is, however, a slight buzz of confusion in the air.

“You are certain?”

“Uh huh!”

He sounds cheery enough. Jaro gives Cal a brief tour (there isn’t much to see beyond a common living space, a small kitchen, a refresher that must seem very large to Cal, and Jaro’s own room. They leave again shortly after the tour to gather supplies from the quartermaster, stop in the mess hall for breakfast, and then take a walk around the Room of a Thousand Fountains. After lunch, they meditate together and Jaro allows the boy to burn off some nervous energy in the dojo. As expected, Cal warms up as the day goes on and finds lots of questions to ask, all of which Jaro is happy to answer.

By the end of the long day, Cal yawns and drags his feet all the way back to their quarters. He is surprisingly efficient in the refresher, and is soon clad in pyjamas, rubbing his eyes, and off to bed.

Jaro has just made himself some tea when he hears a rather distinct crash. Rushing to his Padawan’s room, he finds Cal safely on his bed…

His desk, however, has tipped over and hit the floor face first.

“What happened?”

“Oh, I didn’t see a ladder so I figured this was a challenge!” Cal says brightly.

“A challenge?”

“Yeah – how to get into bed. So, I stood on the desk and jumped, except the desk kinda… fell.”

Suddenly, the morning’s brief hint of confusion makes perfect sense.

“Tomorrow, we will find a ladder,” Jaro says.

[mayashesfly]

Some thoughts I have about the differences of my Forgotten Radio AU and Canon. (Mostly focused on Vox since he's my favorite character despite this being a SilentStatic AU. Unfortunately I'm not well-versed at writing Alastor's character even if I wanted to :')

After calming down Valentino's tantrum just like in Canon, Val tried to rile up Vox by mentioning Alastor. However, since Vox has already wiped his memories and added some… preventive measures, he merely dismissed Val's comments.

But because the Princess of Hell was involved, Vox still brought more spy drones onto the Hazbin Hotel to monitor the happenings there in addition to the drone Valentino already sent in to inform him.

They didn't bring Sir Pentious or someone else to spy on the Hazbin Hotel for them because of this.

Sir Pentious takes some time recuperating after being Team Rocketed by Alastor before he'll eventually strike again on the hotel again.

Ever since Alastor's return and seeing the remnants of his partnership with Vox first things first since he returned (The Radio sHack in the Pilot), he was bidding his time for Vox to get wind of his return and react explosively in some way for his entertainment and to take advantage of.

However Vox didn't do anything of the sorts. Unlike how he would've reacted otherwise if he still retained his memories.

When Alastor caught sight of the painfully obvious Vox drones around the hotel, he purposefully posed in front of them a few times, hoping to finally gloat out the tv-headed demon from his hiding. Much to his growing annoyance and confusion though, nothing happened as the drones flew passed him due to the corrupting footage in order to clearly see what else was happening in the hotel.

He did this for a few times a day in slowly increasing frequency for the entire week before Sir Pentious attacked the hotel again and proceeded to get fucked over for ruining Alastor's coat. Alastor barely letting the poor demon alive thanks to Charlie's pleas.

Vox and Velvette discussed to one another who should be the one to attend the Overlord meeting. Valentino is forever banned from attending any of these things after a particular incident that the Vees would rather not repeat again.

It took some back and forth between the two of them before they agreed on Vox going to the meeting. But the only reason Vox's head wasn't ripped out like the torn up models Valentino so gracefully provided her is because she has a big fashion show incoming and those fucking models aren't going to dress themselves.

"Seriously Vox are you sure you don't have anything better to do? Like that bullshit Angelic Security of yours?" "Carmilla would be there. Which is all the more reason for me to go there myself" "Just don't forget the plan you flat-faced fuck, who knows what would happen if we screw this up?" "Well someone else could get screwed instead~"

Groan

"Shut up Valentino! I'm being serious!" "Who says I wasn't being serious too, Velvette~?"

"GUYS"

"You have nothing to worry about. I have this all handled, just trust me alright?" "Well you better keep your words Vox, cuz I have a show to run and no time for a shitshow to fix" "That's my boy~"

After Alastor's wonderful talk with Zestial, he finally meets Vox again outside of the meeting room. Being on time for the meeting unlike Velvette.

Vox introduced himself to Alastor, thinking he was a new Overlord because he never saw him before. Much to Alastor's slowly growing frustration and realization.

Thankfully, Rosie took note of Alastor's presence and promptly lead him away from Vox before he tore out the other's head before the meeting started. Being able to catch up with him and tell him to visit her in Cannibal Town sometime.

Upon taking his seat besides Rosie, Alastor makes a comment about his reappearance, hoping that it would distract him from whatever the fuck Vox was on. Unfortunately, just like in canon, Carmilla does not give a shit. Causing Alastor to steam in his frustration.

While whispering quietly, Rosie admits to Alastor that she doesn't exactly know what happened to Vox. But three years into his absence, something about Vox has changed when he was suddenly more active after three years of mostly being inactive.

It only makes Alastor's head swim in confusion and possibilities of what might've happened.

Unlike Velvette who instantly hijacked the meeting upon entering, Vox waited for the perfect opportunity to present the information he had about the Angel's death. He first showed the scene of the crime on the screen Carmilla was using in her presentation before bringing out the literal Angel's head once he was questioned about the credibility of his source.

"Unfortunately, I couldn't bring the entire body with me. But surely this is enough evidence to show you that what that screen is showing isn't faked?"

Alastor became curious and impressed by such information. It was a rather valuable information he could use for himself after all... Perhaps finally having something for the Princess...

Though it didn't completely ease the discomfort he had from Vox's strange behavior. Vox was barely glancing his way, if at all, during the entire meeting when used to feel those stolen glances from him, even after their partnership ended and he had teamed up with that disgusting pompous moth instead.

His gaze never failed to land on him one way or another before.

Unlike now.

Vox still pitches a similar idea to Velvette with a bit more professionalism, noticing the odd reaction Carmilla had upon seeing the golden blood stain the table. But saying nothing of it as a musical number rolled around.

The complete details and differences between this AU and Canon's Overlord Meeting eludes me since there's a lot of character dynamics at play. But the meeting does end up much shorter than usual as Vox tries to casually take his leave, if not a bit annoyed by the words thrown his way.

That was the very first time Alastor saw Vox fight someone else for once. Except for him.

But regardless of his feelings on the matter, he has a sneaking suspicion that Carmilla may know something even when Vox said nothing of the sorts.

Without Sir Pentious and thus the Egg Boiz in the picture, Alastor couldn't easily eavesdrop on Carmilla and Zestial without possibly outing himself as the eavesdropper.

And unfortunately for him, he couldn't hide in his shadows in Carmilla's office to hear the information straight from the Overlord's mouth.

Vox never said his suspicions about Carmilla's involvement during the meeting, however he did say it to the other Vees about his findings and suspicions. Perhaps that private meeting with Carmilla would yield more results than just for Angelic Securities after all.

Time passed and Alastor was utterly bored. There wasn't as much development between his thralls and Angel Dust's relationship ever since he joined the hotel. They have already tried "trust falls" and "show and tell with the group" and whatever else nonsense the Princess had thought about. But nothing of interesting was happening.

He never caught wind of the TV demon as well besides his usual drivel despite seeing the bumbling drones around the hotel.

It was strange, knowing that his rival didn't give him any mind unlike before. And it was just making him inch for a bloodcurdling fight to ease his boredom.

It was only during a traumatic experience in the middle of a turf war did his thralls and Angel Dust bond.

Much to Sir Pentious' misfortune, he just had to attack the hotel while Alastor was in a bad mood about Vox, the dear Princess nowhere in sight.

And well…. he still very clearly remembers Sir Pentious now after he ruined his best coat.

[uptoolateart]

Having had time to process the Season 5 finale, and read people’s very interesting takes on it, my one remaining issue with it is…Adrien and Marinette’s character arcs.

Looking at Adrien first...he was on a journey, man. He started out so naïve and helpless, like this precious little bundle of light and joy who wanted to love everyone. You knew it wouldn’t last. You only hoped he retained that spirit even after he was broken...and you knew he’d break hard.

We watched him grow. Strike Back was huge. Season 5 was huge. We saw him speak up and try to take action. That fight with Gabriel in Representation? One of the best things in the show, in my opinion – what I’d been waiting for, for five seasons.

But what I’ve been saying for years is…I didn’t want him to be ‘saved’. I wanted him to save himself - with her support, of course. After all that growth, I didn’t want him to continue to be the damsel in distress. It doesn’t matter that it’s a boy being saved by a girl, this time. Sure, that turns tables, but it’s not enough. Boys shouldn’t need coddling any more than girls. I wanted partnership.

Maybe I built it up too much in my head. It doesn’t help that I wrote my own Season 5 before the TV version started airing. I guess it’s taking me some time to let go of my ideas and accept that none of it went remotely the way I expected. In a way…that’s a good thing. It’s good to be surprised. Just…

I wanted Adrien to face off with his father, knowing who he was. I wanted him to see his mother and learn the truth of it all. I wanted him to get that closure. I didn’t want everyone continuing to lie and keep him in the dark as if he’s still the same naïve, helpless, precious little bundle of light and joy he was at the start of the whole story.

I’m okay with Gabriel winning. I was actually hoping that would happen, because it’s a great idea. It was also such a Chekov’s gun – we had to see it happen, after all that teasing. Not to mention, there was no way they’d simply kill Gabriel or lock him away in prison, because both would have been too anticlimactic after all the drama. We needed something big and we got it.

I just wanted Adrien to be there for it. Not off-screen, locked in a room. And I know, I know, he took part in the battle in his own way, by having the self-awareness to remove his ring in order to save humanity and avert a Cat Blanc scenario. But Ladybug doesn’t even know what he did. She doesn’t know the extent of the part he played. She thinks she saved him. But he saved her, too…and everyone else in the world…and even he probably doesn’t realise that in full, because he doesn’t know just how bad it could have been, had he learned Monarch was his father.

Looking at Marinette…she has spent this whole show keeping secrets from people. Cat Noir really deserves to know about Cat Blanc - how much trouble has that secret caused? Now she’s keeping from Adrien the whole fact that his father was the villain, and that it all revolved around his mother. When is she going to learn that it’s not up to her to decide what someone should or shouldn’t know? That she doesn’t need to treat this boy like fragile porcelain? You cannot be in a relationship with someone where you treat them like a child. That’s called being his mother, not his girlfriend or partner.

Unless she doesn’t know. I keep coming back to this, in my mind. Maybe in this reality, she’s under the same delusions as Adrien and remembers things differently. Maybe she’s been duped into thinking Gabriel was a hero, too, because he changed everything for everyone in it, including her. If so…yeah, that’s really interesting…and horrible….

But I still wish Adrien had been there.

I just wanted him in the basement. Is that too much to ask for??? In Risk, we saw him pick up that eyepiece thing Felix left behind in the mansion. He pocketed it. He was meant to use it at some point, to find the spots on the painting and find the lift and find the basement. It never materialised, I think because they changed plans when the show got signed for more seasons. That scene was meant to happen and I can’t stand that it didn’t. I accept everything else. I just wanted him in that finale.

And as awesome as Marinette was, unifying the miraculous like no other holder before...it kind of showed that she could do the whole thing without him...and I’m not okay with that. She needs to know what he did.

So, now I’m back where I already was, waiting for everyone to realise he isn’t made of glass and he can stand on his own. Come on, Adrien, come on – show them all what we know you’re made of!

[ellieluvr420]

We meet again, darling pt.3 (detective Abby Anderson x criminal reader)

Synopsis: Abby Anderson is a skilled detective that's never let a criminal escape her grasp, until you. You've infiltrated every part of her life and she still can't get you. As she grows more and more intrigued by you she finds herself descending further into darkness until there's no way back. She takes your hand and follows you as if your presence is the only thing giving her life knowing that you are the most dangerous thing for her. Her life will never be hers again and she will stop at nothing to keep following you down your path of corruption.

It had been a week since your discussion with Abby on that balcony and she had not left your mind for even a second since, especially now you knew she was going into business with you. You had dealt with so many enemies over the years while expanding your empire but something about this partnership felt different. You kept telling yourself it was because she was a detective and that's why you felt all the more victorious, breaching the blue line and all. But at night, after a few too many drinks your mind would wander. You'd let yourself acknowledge the part of your excitement about her partnership that was only to do with her, her long blonde hair that was always up while she was out of the house but would cascade down her back in soft waves whenever she was at home. Those blue eyes that sparkled even when she was looking at you with contempt. Her lips that often spoke vicious words but still entranced you. Your mouth watered when you pictured the way her muscles bulged in the suit she wore a week ago, sometimes your hand would even creep down your body getting lower and closer to where your heartbeat shouldn't be while thinking about her before you stopped and forced yourself to snap out of it.

You had never let yourself acknowledge feelings for anyone, always telling yourself there was no room for relationships in your business, and to an extent you still believe that. You had used many peoples partners over the years to manipulate them and get what you want, and by never having one yourself you had no weaknesses that could be exploited. That's what the rational part of your brain told you but the irrational side was being fired up by the blonde woman and you felt your control over yourself slipping. Your nights had been filled with this torment since Abby's agreement to your plan and it had become all too much. You had to see her again.

Abby had had a good day, her captain called her into his office and she could feel her heart in her throat.

"You wanted to see me sir?"

"Yes, please sit Anderson."

"Is everything okay?"

Her captain huffed and looked at her unamused, she was almost completely certain he had found out about her going to your party and he was about to tell her she's being fired.

"As of today, your probation is over."

"oh...wow thank you so much sir. I promise I won't let you down"

Abby felt a twinge of guilt as she realised she was lying through her teeth but the guilt was completely overpowered by the shock that she was off probation. She felt like she was dreaming.

"Don't thank me. The order came from above my head. No idea why but none of my business I suppose. Don't fuck this up Anderson. You can go."

Although she was disappointed that her captain didn't trust her she also couldn't blame him considering her recent endeavours and she was just ecstatic to be off probation. As she made her way home she couldn't help but wonder what you were doing, she often thought about you before anyway but these thoughts were much less dark and filled with hate now and more with genuine curiosity.

As Abby walked into her apartment she felt a strange chill crawl up her spine and make the hair on the back of her neck stand. She put a hand over her holstered gun and walked through the hall cautiously.

"Abby! You're home, finally! Oh you look hot in your work clothes, didn't think you could top the suit but here you are!"

"You've got to be fucking kidding me"

You were sitting at her dining table, one leg crossed over the other, nursing a glass of what she assumed was her wine while smiling devilishly at her.

"How did you get into my apartment?"

As she says this you get up walk over to the fridge retrieving the bottle of wine you had already opened while waiting for her. Without looking at her you also reach into her glass cupboard and grab a second wine glass.

"Will you join me for a drink?"

Abby gets frustrated at your dodging of her question. She rushes up behind you and presses you against the counter, you can feel the contours of her muscles as her front presses into your back and her arm wraps around your neck. Her breath tickles your ear as she whispers "I said, how did you get into my apartment?" she's almost growling as her grip around your neck tightens.

Your voice comes out a little strained from the pressure on your throat as you respond with "please, I could break in here in my sleep, for a detective you have crap security." You giggle but it comes out strained and you grow irritated by the lack of air. You drive your elbow into Abby's side and she grunts and falls backwards clutching her side.

"Now that's done. Would you like a drink?"

You rub your throat slightly and grab the glass waving it at her.

"Of my wine? Sure, I'd love some."

"Perfect. It's depressing drinking on your own" You do an exaggerated frown as you walk past her out of the kitchen and back to the dining table. You hear Abby mutter something about you being infuriating and you smile to yourself as you sit down and fill Abby's glass then topping yours up more. "I hear celebrations are in order?"

"What are you talking about now?" Abby looks unamused.

"Well you're off probation, cause for celebration, don't you think?" As you say this you watch Abby's face drop and you can't help but giggle.

"That was you?" She can't tell if she wants to thank you or kill you. "Why would you do that?"

"Because silly, I need you not being watched like a hawk at work for all of this to work and I guess you could consider it my thank you for agreeing to be a part of this." Abby just stares, unsure of what to say. You focus your attention to the wine and spin it in the glass a little. As you sip the wine, you sigh happily.

"This is delicious, you have good taste, must be why you like me so much" You smirk and laugh to yourself as you catch Abby's unchanged expression of boredom at your antics.

"Why are you here? You know this is not normal behaviour to just break into someone's apartment whenever you please."

"Would you prefer I had invited you to dinner? Wined and dined you first. You sad I didn't ask you on a date before we came back to your place? Sorry darling, I'm a busy woman, this is how I do things."

"First, we did not come back to my place, I came home and you were just here. Second, is this your way of trying to get me into bed?" Abby smirks suggestively and looks smug at her teasing remark.

"ha!" You almost choke on your sip of wine as you realise what she said, you lean over the table, brush a stray hair out of her face and grab her collar pulling her closer to you. "If I wanted you in bed, we wouldn't be sitting at this table fully clothed, we'd be in your bed, naked and you'd be wondering how someone is that good with their tongue, ok?"

"Y-you think?" Abby goes bright red at your suggestive comment and pulls back to create some much needed distance between the two of you. She notices the growing smirk and knowing look in your eyes but chooses to look at her glass and take a big gulp instead of maintaining eye contact.

"Oh I know... But, that is not why I'm here so another day. I assume you’ve heard of the Metorinni cartel?" You watch as she nods her head. "Good, they have been leaching off of my business and my customers for years and I am just about done with their shit. I’m going to take them down, but for me to do that without starting a full blown war, trust me that would not end well for anyone, they’re savages, completely uncivilised, I need your help, I have all the information you need to get your men to take them down, then I can waltz in, kill their boss of course and take all of what’s theirs. What do you get out of this? Well first of all, the glory of bringing down one of the biggest, not the biggest, I’m the biggest, organised crime gangs in the country, the world even and not just that, I will offer you a very healthy cut of what I take from them. Oh and you’d be in my company and that can never be a downside."

Abby rolls her eyes at your arrogance. "So you want me, a detective, to help you, a deadly, ruthless drug lord, take over another gang that is contributing to a large amount of organised crime?"

"Yes exactly! Exciting right?" You smile as you genuinely feel excited at the prospect of taking down your biggest rivals once and for all.

"And there's no way I could ever be connected to you in all of this?"

"For you to be connected to me, your men would have to know of my existence, the only way they would find out about me is if you ever spilled so... are you going to tell?"

"No. I won't, but if you screw me out of the things you've promised me, I'll sell you out so quick, got it?"

"Don't worry darling, I'm a woman of honour. I keep my word and I'm saying that if you keep up your end of the bargain you will have enough money to quit your little job if that's what you please and if you don't... well you won't have to worry, you'll be dead." You sip your wine, keeping heavy eye contact. Abby's face is stony and matches yours. The tension in the room makes you both feel hot.

Abby takes another sip of her wine and nods it at you as she cracks a small smile. Your face breaks into a small grin also and you both chuckle.

"Right well... no pressure then." Abby says through her laughs.

"None at all. I trust your abilities, if I didn't I wouldn't have kept you around."

"Should I be concerned about the amount of times you've threatened my life?"

You laugh as she stares at you with a playful grin. "No darling, you are much too special to me to kill. It would be a waste. Maybe I will take you out to dinner to show my appreciation."

"Oh how kind."

"I know, I am so generous. I best be going. Let you get your beauty sleep." You stand as you finish the last of the wine in your glass and begin putting on your jacket. "When I need you, we'll meet and I'll give you everything you need for your part of the plan," you go to start walking to the front door but you stop just in front of her and put a hand on her shoulder. "But Abigail, not a word of this to a single soul. You understand I'm sure but if anyone ever caught wind of our deal, we'd both be finished. You more than me." You squeeze her shoulder as you say this and once again bend down and kiss her cheek. "I'll see you soon Abby. Dinner next time." You let yourself out the front door without a word and can't help but smile to yourself as you walk away.

Abby stays glued to her chair feeling the same sense of bewilderment she feels after every interaction with you. She's entranced and she can't even deny it anymore, she's so under your spell she's crossed a line that she can never go back from and she doesn't even care. All she can think about is the whirlwind that is you, your small kisses on her cheek, your intoxicating scent. Everything about you has her utterly captivated.

She feels the spot on her cheek where you kissed her, remnants of your lip gloss making it slightly sticky. She gulps down the rest of her wine and runs a hand over her face.

"I am so fucked."