#i've been so nervous about posting this one

[ceesimz]

Leave Before The Lights Come On

Title is a Arctic Monkeys song! This trope has been done more times than I've blinked my whole life but this is my version, enjoy :) (ps it's not too long but it's a lil bit spicy and perhaps slightly ridiculous - plus, are we shocked to hear im nervous about posting this? it's quite different to anything else I've written but here goes)

Award shows, charity events, dinners with red carpets. It's how things started months ago, and it's still how the story goes now.

Everyone knew what private but not secret meant nowadays, it seemed to be the go-to for basically all couples. Yet, very few understood the thrill of private and secret.

Every night spent at these things was a new performance for you both, dancing around each other with fleeting glances and lingering, teasing touches. A chance to start fresh over and over, something most couples never endeavour in anymore, but it's so addicting. A game of cat and mouse that always ends in the same way, and despite that fact, it's still intoxicating all the same.

"One beer please."

"Just a beer'll do."

You know who is next to you, there's no use guessing. It always starts like this. And when she slithers closer, elbows rested on the bar that she's slumped over compared to you standing with perfect posture and hands clasped around your own arms that crossed over your chest, the cuff links of her suit sleeves glimmer in your eye line. Her hands purposely move to fiddle with them, knowing your attention is on her hands and the rings that are scattered across her fingers. She knows you too well, knows your eyes unintentionally fall to that part of her whenever they're on display, and it causes the first simmer of something to bubble in your abdomen.

At once, the bartender places the beer bottles down in front of you both, each reaching out to grab it and turning to the other. With eyes holding the other's gaze, you and Leah take a swig of your drinks, a silent agreement that the night has begun.

To your dismay though, the scales have already tipped in Leah's favour as she gets the first laugh. She takes another sip of her beer, first moving her eyes from your face to the way your hands make the bottle look bigger than it is as you hold it with both, rather than Leah who holds it with just one. Then, she trails her eyes downwards and up again, smirking smugly at you before walking away, not without a brush against your shoulder.

You shake your head just as the host announces the event will begin in ten minutes and advises everyone to find their seats. Working with one of the most well-known magazines got you great seats surrounded by good people to network with, and though if your manager found out she'd probably retract all future invites, you couldn't care less about networking. Not when you were stuck in the most mind-numbing game of back and forth, push and pull, take and give. You could be seated beside some random Tom, Dick or Harry from a no-name town in England, or you could be sat beside someone like Serena Williams, and it'd make no difference.

Leah Williamson, your new girlfriend and possibly the most frustrating yet attractive person you'd seen, was in the room. That was enough incentive for all thoughts to fly far from your mind.

The last event you went to was probably the most notable for your relationship. It should have been a pretty important one for you to pay attention to, considering it was hosted by GQ, but how could you when a certain blonde in a scantily clad dress was begging to be your girlfriend all night? She had asked in just about every way possible, and you would have said yes from the first instance if it weren't for her attention being pulled away before you could get a word in.

From whispering it in your ear as she slipped past you during a conversation with some of GQ's most important employees, to handing you a serviette with words written on that still send shivers down your spine when you think back to them, and even meeting your eyes from across the room in your respective seats and mouthing the question 'Mine yet?' with an upward quirk of her eyebrows. If you thought that part of the night was memorable, you didn't want to talk about the visceral reaction you got thinking back to the after events that occurred in the comfort of your hotel room.

But now, here in the present, you found your seat at a table with shareholders and employees and celebrities scattered around it, distinctively uninterested in every single one of them. They try to strike up conversation and you let them, your workaholic autopilot kicking in to entertain their interest for some time. These things are always boring, that's what makes them the perfect environment for this kind of thing. Sure, some were more fun than others and both yourself and Leah had found them enjoyable in the past, but there was an added element to them now that you were quite sure you could never give up.

The host drags on far longer than needed and to you it seems they're rather self-indulgent, revelling in the fact they've got the attention of the room. They talk as if everyone is hanging on the edge of their seats, grasping onto every word they said, when in reality it couldn't be further from the truth. Or at least in your case anyway. Apparently your boredom showed a little too much, because the person beside you asked if you're alright at a lull in the first speech of the evening. You reassure them you are fine, just in need of a drink since your beer had already gone down by now, and with a thanks from yourself they turn back away from you.

Your eyes search the room then, giving in to the temptation of her, only to find blue eyes staring right back at you from a few tables over. Her hair is slicked back into a low bun and she has one too many buttons of her white shirt undone - she's hot and she knows it. You still can't figure out if that's annoying or, unfortunately, attractive. The aura that exudes off of her hits you even from across the room, a combination of confidence and a smugness that gets under your skin in the best way.

It's at this moment that a short intermission is announced, allowing for people to go to the bathroom or fetch a drink and some snacks, or whatever they care to do. All you know is that there's a certain person in the room you've got to see and you need a new beverage, so you head to the bar.

Except, you're stopped in your tracks along the way. A body blocks you from going any further as she side-steps in front of you and shoves a champagne flute into your hand. In her hand is a sweet Manhattan cocktail, one with a cherry in it that immediately catches your eye. This is your chance to equal the score.

Maintaining eye contact with her, you delicately take the cherry and, with the most innocent look you could muster from under your eyelashes, you bite it from the stem. Those same piercing blue eyes track every movement of yours, from the moment you snatched it from her drink to the way your throat bobbed as you swallowed. In the low light, you manage to make out the sight of her pupils tripling in size, and just like that, the cards are in your favour again.

Before Leah can react, you're sauntering away without a word having been exchanged, and you can feel her staring incessantly at you as you drop back into the ocean of people in the room. She curses under her breath, downs her drink, and heads back to the bar.

After that interaction, you actually did fall into an invigorating conversation with the people on your table. You discredited them, in the midst of your tunnel vision you didn't realise who it was you were sat with. Turns out, they're some fascinating people who you could really do with speaking to again soon.

It's as you're talking to one of them, offering to go collect a tray of drinks for the table, that someone leans over you and refills your glass with more champagne. Initially, you guess it's just one of the event workers, but then those damned Arsenal earrings jump into view and your senses are overcome with her perfume. If she asked why there were goosebumps on your arms, you'd shrug and blame it on the chill of the hall. But, your question is, where the fuck did she get a whole bottle of champagne from?

She leaves as quickly as she arrived, leaving only a trace of her signature scent in her wind. You jut your tongue into your cheek momentarily - that was a bold move by the defender. It obviously caught the attention of the people on your table who were feeling as if they may have interrupted perhaps a private moment, but you wave them off and swiftly switch topics.

To their rather inquisitive annoyance, they demand you go get the drinks you'd offered to get since you weren't going to tell them about... whatever had just happened. So you do, you take your champagne flute with you and wander over to the bar with a focused look on your face, waiting for the right time to strike and get your payback.

That happens sooner than you could have guessed, and it forces a smirk upon your face as you approach your prey that's trapped in a seemingly boring conversation, judging by the unimpressed look on her face. She doesn't see you coming, her arms are crossed over her chest and her mouth is down-turned into a frown, another beer bottle in her hand. You see her sigh as you get closer, her head on a swivel but looking in entirely the wrong direction.

The set up is perfect, perfect for you to be able to walk past her straight to the bar with a little taunting. However, you're feeling bolder now, urged on by the alcohol in your system. Instead of a simple brush along her body, your free hand drops down to slide under her blazer and sleaze dangerously low across her toned back. It's a lingering touch, you don't pull your hand away until the very last second. You don't have to look back at her to know she's watching you go.

To both your individual irritation, the next hour or so of the night doesn't allow for anymore sly digs and heated encounters. It's so unbelievably dull, just ramble after ramble of people bragging and kissing each other's ass as they speak. It gets to around forty-five minutes of this bullshit before a spiteful plan forms in your head.

A few of the people on your table had switched seats, ensuring they get the most out of the night. You didn't care for it all, zoning out countless times so far, but when the guy beside you turns to you with a blissfully oblivious smile on his face, you know what you have to do.

The next however long, you converse with this guy more and indulge him in pointless topics that really are so fucking stale and tedious, but you have to play the long game here. And before you'd even done anything half as interesting yet, there's already daggers being forced into the side of your face.

It all comes to a head when you laugh and swat his shoulder in an exaggerated manner, giggling like a school girl at... honestly, you couldn't even remember. But he lavished in your amusement, shuffling his chair ever so slightly closer and throwing an arm around the back of your chair. He brushes his hair back with his other hand, exposing his less than favourable hairline, and really you have to hold back a gag at the fact you're doing this.

At that point, you decide you have to get away from him and his dreary, lifeless, and nonexistent charisma. So you throw one last look at Leah's direction, stifling a grin at her flared nostrils and completely unimpressed demeanour, before excusing yourself from your conversation and sliding out from your seat. Whether Leah had the guts to follow you or not, you weren't sure, but you were just glad you were away from that guy.

Unbeknownst to you, Leah had suddenly gotten up from her chair the second she saw you rise, and she was marching through the room to pace after you. The game was entirely forgotten for her at this point, the image of you with him tattooed on her eyelids. Immaturely, she had to stop herself from spitting at him as she walked past, settling for a warning glare instead.

You have all of two seconds to yourself in the bathroom, checking yourself out in the mirror, before the door slams against the wall with a resounding thud. A gloating smirk is on your face from the moment she walks in, and you stare at her for a moment then turn back to the mirror, pretending to fix your lipstick.

"Really?" Leah shrugged her shoulders more aggressively than you had ever seen anyone before, holding her hands out in an outraged gesture. "You really did that?"

"S'just the game, Leah. You know that." You replied simply, resisting the urge to meet her stare.

It's silent between you both then, possibly the most charged silence you've ever found yourself in. Leah takes a few mindless steps around the room without a particular direction, eyes flicking back to you every second. At once, she stops, just off to your side, and slips her hands into the pockets of her black slacks, kissing her teeth and raising her eyebrows at you. The moment she goes to say something, there's voices coming from the corridor leading to the bathroom. You turn to look at her then, daring her to act first.

She does.

She takes full advantage of the moment, gripping your upper arm tightly and tugging you into one of the cubicles. You gasp quietly in shock, caught off-guard by her actions, and you grumble unintelligibly at the triumphant grin on her face. Her hands are tight on your hips, meanwhile yours are crossed over your chest in disapproval.

"Flirting with a guy? That's a new low." Leah taunted, each stroke of her thumb unintentionally raising the fabric of your black dress.

"Says the one that's so riled up, she dragged me into a toilet cubicle." You hit back, refusing to give in. Leah just shrugs, purses her lips, and takes a quick glance down to your now exposed thigh before looking back at you.

"I'm not riled up. You're the one getting antsy here, you know I'm winning and that's why you had to start feeling up that scraggly arsehole out there. Think again, sweetheart." Fuck, she might have gotten you there.

"Maybe I found him attractive." It's a weak defence, even you know that. Leah knew it too, if the slight raise of one eyebrow was anything to go by.

"Okay. One, you're in a relationship. Two, you're in a lesbian relationship. Three, you hear that?" She looks around in feigned confusion, cupping her hand around her ear briefly before turning back to you in what looks like a stupid, cartoon light bulb moment. "Oh yeah, you're pretty fucking gay!"

You roll your eyes and huff, shaking your head at her idiocy and turning your attention to the wall behind her.

"What was his name? Tell me about him, if he was attractive enough to feel the need to flirt with him." She was picking and choosing every teasing remark from the file in her mind to get under your skin.

"...his name was Dirk." The bark of laughter she lets out at that makes you flinch a little. Maybe his name was a little amusing, but right now to you there wasn't a single funny thing on earth.

"Dirk? Really? Did he come with a Swiss army knife and a granola bar in his pocket? Did he have a flannel shirt under his knit sweater? And a tent in his car, ready for a hike through the Grand Canyon?"

As it turns out, your last thought was a little far off.

The giggle bubbles out of you before you can think to stop it, and you lightly push Leah's face away from you with a hand to her cheek. She turns back to you with a grin, knowing she had won this evening. To be fair, she has won nearly every evening so far. She was on a winning streak you really had no plans of stopping. Not when it got you to this moment here, at the end of it.

"Out of all the guys in the room, I chose a pretty shit one." You surrendered in a murmur, Leah nodding.

"It's alright, look who you get to go home with."

Her voice had dropped to a whisper as she stepped further into your space, her nose nudging against your jaw where her mouth rested just above your pulse point. The shivers you got without even barely being touched were enough of a reaction for her. But, she was greedy when it came to you.

One arm slipped around your waist, holding you to her tightly as her large hand splayed out across your lower back. Her head dipped further down, her lips moving to press open-mouthed kisses to your exposed collarbone.

"Let's get out of here. I'm done now." She murmured into your skin, turning her face more toward your neck and leaving softer, slower pecks there.

"Don't you wanna get your payback? Otherwise you're giving up the win. I was more than ready to get back out there, the night isn't over." You were lying, you were more than ready to get the hell out of here, but you also weren't going to pass up on the chance to tease her just once more.

"I'll get my payback when we get to the hotel."

That's all she needed to say.

These nights had a certain characteristic to them, and that was possibly the most anticipated time of the evening. As the hosts draw out the end of the event, thanking people you've never heard of and have a large lack of care for, you and Leah were already gone.

Normally, it was a fierce wait, hanging on to the other's every move, everything else in the room simply just background noise, as you wait for who blinks first. Who gives in to the tension and ends the night before the lights come up, before the eyes of the room see you chase one another to the exit.

Tonight though, neither of you have the patience.

Regardless of the time you leave, it's the same situation every time for your organised driver; he drops you off and, under strict instruction by his management, waits for you to come back so he can drive you to the hotel or wherever you want to go. Except, you never come, he doesn't see you for the rest of the night once you enter the building. He's used to it by now, a little in love with it since he's getting paid for nothing, he just has to wait for your inevitable apology text telling him you won't be needing a ride home.

Tonight is just like the others - Leah ushers you into the back of an Uber with a hand on your waist, sliding in beside you and slamming the door shut with a smirk on her face after she gives one last glance around. There's never anyone watching, nobody knows where to look and nobody probably even cares, but she does it anyway. She could imagine the articles that might get written about her if the pair of you were ever spotted, and that fuels her even more. Maybe that's the alcohol in her system, but the thoughts run through her veins and she can't help but turn to you, grab your face, and dive into a kiss that's desperate and hot, and the tension of the night reaches its peak.

The cab driver just shakes his head, pulling away from the curb as the pair of you stay stuck in your own world. It's a few minutes later when you both pull away, cheeks flushed red and lips a tad swollen as you put your belts on. Straight away, Leah's hand falls to your lap and you hold it tightly with both of your own, looking up at her with a certain feeling swirling through your eyes that drives her crazy. Her hand moves, then, to the back of your neck as she pushes you towards her for another urgent kiss.

"You're lucky I'm not really the jealous type. I could have done a lot worse in there when you started flirting with Dirk." She comments breathlessly after, a displeased quirk to her mouth that hints she is in fact somewhat jealous.

"I'll make sure to do a better job next time then." You tell her in a feigned nonchalant way.

Leah stared at you then, her hand clutching the back of your neck as she gave you a look that warned you to not even think about such things. To be honest, you couldn't. You were hers just as much as she was yours. There was no other way to live than like that.

[definitelynotafurinasimp]

“There’s nothing we can do”

Characters: Furina x gn!reader

warnings: spoilers for Fontaine, angst/no comfort

a/n: This started as a joke between me and a friend which eventually lead us to make a small competition abt writing Furina angst. I've kept this in my WIP since the end of November, but considering it's been 7 months and no sign of them finishing theirs I'll just post it.

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Furina

The first one hundred years were the hardest. Before the realization she was going to outlive everyone around her had time to truly settle in, before her hopes this whole affair might resolve somewhat quickly were crushed over and over again until they were more akin to sand than the dreams she once had, and most importantly, before she had lost you.

No matter how many nights passed, new faces burst into her life only to slowly change and eventually disappear or years rolled by, one person’s face was never buried too deep in her memories. Whenever Furina closed her eyes for even a fraction of second you were there to greet her, whenever she walked past the building on that unremarkable street corner you had always so proudly claimed to be your home, she could see you standing there, greeting her with a smile radiant enough that she was scared of looking at it for too long, lest she go blind.

The house no longer stood there of course, having long been torn down only for a dozen shops to spring up in its place… not like that made her memories any less vivid.

You had been introduced to her as Neuvillette’s assistant. It felt weird for her at the time to see him hire a human considering how little he cared for them, so it was no surprise when it quickly became clear he wouldn’t trust you with any of his actual work, reducing your job as his assistant to nothing more than a title. By the time you officially gave up your role however, you had already sunken your claws into her, slowly becoming a part of her life without her even realizing it until it was too late.

You were charming, eager to help and too smart for your own good, having to have Furina bail you out of trouble more than once, your tendency to quickly get into heated discussions with some of the scientists trying to find a way to stop the prophecy landing you unpleasant experiences more than once. Yet, while some of your coworkers may have waited for the day you finally quit, you never left Furina’s side, serving her loyally day in and out.

At first, she thought nothing of it. She was supposed to act as your archon so having you dutifully serve her was basically part of the script, but while she knew better, the need to have someone, anyone she could rely on eventually led to her walls lowering around you. There was nothing wrong with finding a friend in you after all, as long as she didn’t confess her secrets to you, everything was fine…

It was supposed to be just a normal tea party as always, the two of you chatting about whatever came to your mind as you feasted on the desserts specifically provided by the Archon’s most trusted chefs, and yet you refused to eat anything but the bare minimum, stabbing your fork into your slice of cake and playing with the small piece you cut off a thousand times before taking a small bite.

You were nervous. Furina didn’t need to be a master detective to figure that out, considering how troubled you looked. What were you going to say once you eventually opened your mouth? Should she help you out by starting the conversation? Maybe you had developed a crush on her? You were spending a lot of time together, so it wouldn’t surprise her too much… although she would have to let you down gently if that was the case, considering how she had to keep her perfect image as an Archon in front of her people… that being said, she could still keep you close if that was the case, even if you weren’t an official item.

“Furina”, your voice eventually cut her thoughts off, causing her gaze to shoot towards you as she awaited what you were about to say, happy and hopeful at first, only for her mood to sour when she saw your serious expression. 

“I know you’re keeping something from me. I don’t know what or why, but I know it has something to do with your powers as an Archon”, you continued, your words cutting into her deeper than what she was prepared for. Chest suddenly feeling a lot tighter as each breath became more arduous than the last, Furina quickly taking one last sip of her drink to cover up her nervousness before putting her cup down and giving you an innocent smile.

“Pardon? What did you say?”

Yet, no matter how long she kept smiled at you, your face didn’t soften, your frown only growing more intense as you took a step forward.

“Stop trying to lie to me, please. If there’s just the slightest chance what you’re keeping a secret might help to avert the prophecy, then you have to tell me, I’m begging you”, you ignored her attempts at playing it off, your voice growing more shaky as you kneeled down in front of her, instinctively taking her hand into yours while trying to look her into the eyes, only for Furina to avert your every attempt. Her free hand clenched into a fist as she tried her best to keep up appearances.

“The future of Fontaine may depend on it, please”, you begged one last time, your eyes becoming slightly watery as you gave her hands one more soft squeeze, forcing Furina to try her hardest not to break down right in front of you.

“Haha, you are aware that slandering an Archon counts as a crime, aren’t you? Let’s end this conversation before you accidentally say something you might regret”, she suggested, trying to sound as confident and cheerful as ever, her eyes closing as her smile grew wider, all the while praying you’d just let it be and forget the whole thing before you grew too close to figuring out her secret.

Instead of budging however, your grip on her hand grew tighter, as you looked at her with an expression that grew more resolute by the second. “If you can’t find it in yourself to trust me after all these years, then you leave me no choice. I won’t let you go until you tell me”, you put forward your ultimatum… it was admittedly a weak one, your desperation seeping through your every action, and still you didn’t let go no matter how pleadingly Furina looked at you.

Don’t make me do this. Please forget it before it’s too late. Her thoughts screamed inside of her, wishing to break free as she remained completely silent, only for her mouth to open one last time.

“You will let me go. I am your Archon, you would do well to remember your place. No matter how close we seemed”, Furina stated immediately after standing up from her seat, looking down at you with as brave of an expression as she could muster, only to take one final breath before continuing, fighting the tears threatening to well up in her eyes as she felt her voice threaten to be reduced to a whimper. And yet, no matter how much it hurt, she pressed onwards, not wanting to leave any chance of you figuring it out. “You will leave this room and pack your office. I shall arrange your final paycheck and a farewell bonus for all your hard work and that shall be it. Farewell.”

For a moment, it looked as if you wanted to object, only to stop yourself when you saw the determination in her eyes, swallowing your final words before slowly standing up as well and marching to the door without saying anything, your shaky hand grabbing the doorknob before you opened it. 

She almost called out to you then and there, telling you that she was sorry and didn’t mean it, and yet, the words never left her mouth and soon after you were gone. The moment the sound of the closing door echoed through the halls, Furina collapsed onto her seat, tears streaming down her cheeks as the empty room was filled with her silent sobbing, one word leaving her mouth over and over again until it eventually became one with her cries.

Sorry.

Even though Furina knew after what she had done she had no right to expect to hear anything from you, she still hoped to get passing news on how you were living a happy life, fulfilling whatever goals you set for yourself after the two of you parted… and yet she never heard anything about you again. Just like that you were gone, vanishing into nothingness. Maybe you left Fontaine for another nation or maybe you chose to live an uneventful life, but at the end of the day, it didn’t matter. You were gone, almost certainly having died centuries ago without Furina ever getting the chance to apologize and tell you the truth…

Maybe, she’d get the chance to meet you again one day, when her time was up and she left for a final journey, but until then, there was nothing she could do.

[vickiee-mcmuffin]

The wedding day

Word count: 2k

Pairing: Stephen Strange x Female Reader

Trope: Fluff

Summary: The day has arrived for you to marry the love of your life after your presence at Kamar Taj had changed him for the better.

A/N: Hi all, I'm here to maybe post some more of my favourite old fics (If you want me to). I haven't tagged anyone as I've lost my tag list. Sorry.

It was hard not to think about everything the two of you had been through on such a day. Your heart was racing in the best way possible, and your tummy was filled with an endless supply of butterflies. The buzz in the air was electric, and it just made you want to fast forward time, made you want to skip ahead so you could just stand before him already and be his. Be his wife.

But you had to wait. And that was okay, because you knew by the end of the day, you would be his wife. You would be Mrs Strange. And that would absolutely be worth the wait.

You were alone in your dressing room, far too jittery to have a conversation with anyone at that point. You had always been like that. Shy, reserved, and mostly innocent. Sometimes you considered it to be a flaw, but you grew to realise that some just found it endearing.

Stephen didn’t at first. At least he pretended like he didn’t.

You smiled at the thought of him, eyeing the twinkle in your gaze in the mirror. He was going to be all yours soon. And you were going to be all his. You truly couldn’t wait, and you wondered what he was up to, if he was just as nervous as you were.

Staring at your reflection in the mirror, you couldn’t help but reminisce. Your first kiss, your first date, your first time. There was so much to think about. One thing that really stuck out at that point was the first time he had ever laid eyes on you…

To say you were a nervous wreck was an understatement. There was so much that could go wrong, and all you wanted to do was impress and do a good job. But the look on his face was far too menacing for you to calm down.

Stephen looked at you with what you could only describe as a glare. Was he mad at you? If so, you weren’t quite sure what you had done to garner that reaction. You couldn’t deny that he was handsome. He was older, and had a sophisticated edge to him that guys your age just didn’t have.

“Are you sure you’re meant to be here?” he asked you, right in the middle of your first day of training – after a blunt, hasty introduction.

You stared at him, not saying anything at first. Was he talking to you?

“Well?” he snapped. “Are you sure you’re meant to be here?”

“Oh, um, yes,” you nodded, feeling your face grow hot. “I’m meant to be here.”

“You don’t seem like you’ll be prepared for what’s supposed to happen today.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” you frowned.

“You’re all wide eyes,” he shrugged casually. “Like a deer caught in headlights. You seem scared.”

“I’m not,” you tried not to pout. You were scared, but you didn’t want him to know that. “You don’t even know me. You’re being really rude to someone you just met, you know?”

Stephen didn’t even hide his scoff. “Just stay out of my way while I’m here, okay?”

With that, he spun on his heels and walked away from you with quick, confident strides. You stood there, mouth open, trying to comprehend what had just happened. All you knew was that you were going to listen to him, because you very much intended to stay away from him.

You couldn’t help but laugh as the memory filled up your mind. Stephen had been rude. There was no denying it. But he had surprisingly warmed up to you quickly after that…

Sometimes you liked nothing more than sitting on your own – especially after training. It was a good chance to think about how it had gone: what you were happy with, what you needed to improve on.

And just as you were about to get lost in your thoughts, you heard someone clear their throat behind you. You looked over your shoulder and spotted Stephen staring down at you.

“Hi,” you said softly, your voice a little shy. You still weren’t all that used to Stephen. And his presence was especially intimidating to someone as shy and quiet as you.

“You were good today,” he said lowly.

You blushed instantly. You had known Stephen for just over a month now, and that was the first time he had ever given you a compliment.

“Really?” you asked.

“Really,” he nodded slowly. “Nice job.”

“You were really good too. You should be proud. I’ve honestly been learning a lot by just looking at you.”

Stephen stared at you for a moment. Like he wasn’t quite sure how to react to that. He mumbled something to himself – something you couldn’t hear. And with that, he walked away. It was a simple conversation. But it was enough to make you let out a happy sigh.

As you came back to reality you bit into your bottom lip. Stephen had been so cold towards you at first, but when he had softened just slightly, just for a moment, you knew there was a whole different side to him… And that was something you discovered not too long after that moment…

You were just about to head off to dinner when you saw him.

Stephen was leaning up against a wall, his eyes all dark. Until they landed on you. You could have sworn you saw a hint of light in them as he looked at you. You blushed and found the courage to give him a wave, and that was when he sent you a nod. And a smile.

A small gesture to some, but to you, it meant Stephen was changing.

It was the next morning when you saw the biggest change, though. It was once again a small gesture, but it was a gesture that made your heart flutter. You and Stephen were both headed towards the same door, and you wondered who would go first. For a second you considered slowing down and letting Stephen just go. And he did get to the door before you.

But then he waited.

Waited for you to approach him.

And then he held open the door for you, allowing you to enter first.

“After you,” he murmured, his eyes stuck on yours.

“Thank you,” you squeaked, brushing past him with a racing heart. Your skin was bright red and you prayed he couldn’t tell. “You’re so polite.”

He chuckled lowly at your compliment.

You didn’t get to see him for the rest of the day. It wasn’t until later, when you were sitting by yourself, lost in your thoughts, that you met his gaze. He sat next to you without asking, but you didn’t mind. Despite how you two first met and how he had treated you, you had still grown to like him more than you should have.

“You seem to be getting better and better every day with your training,” he told you.

“I like to think so,” you smiled at him.

He just stared at you for a while, his eyes never leaving your smile, like he saw something only he could see. Butterflies filled your tummy and you cleared your throat. The noise seemed to bring Stephen out of his daze.

“I was wondering if I could ask you something, Y/N,” he said a little seriously.

You nodded enthusiastically. “Of course!”

He smiled at you before looking down at his lap for a second. Like he was nervous. That was odd, because he almost always seemed so confident, so sure of himself.

“I was wondering… I was wondering if you would like to go out to dinner with me,” he finally said.

“Dinner?” you repeated, tilting your head at him. “Do you mean like…”

“A date? Yes… Yes, I do mean a date.”

It took you just a second to nod at him, the smile on your face quickly growing. You weren’t expecting that at all, but it was something you had fantasised about. You were over the moon that Stephen looked at you in that way.

“I’d love that. Really,” you whispered.

Stephen seemed to let out a shaky breath at that, like he was anticipating a negative response from you. “Is tonight okay? Maybe around seven.”

“Tonight is perfect.”

Coming back to reality, you thought about how sweet Stephen was when he was nervous. And he wasn’t nervous very often. But around you? Around you he changed. He could talk to anybody else and be outspoken and confident. But that encounter showed you a different side of Stephen. A softer side. One you wanted to see more of, and you had that night…

“You look beautiful,” was the first thing Stephen said to you.

You tucked a piece of hair behind your ear and blushed. “Thanks. You too.”

“Are you ready for tonight? I’ve been looking forward to it.”

“I’m ready. And I’ve been excited about it too. I’m honestly a little shocked that you asked me… I thought you didn’t like me,” you told him with a soft laugh.

“I admit I judged you the first time I saw you. I suppose I didn’t know how to react to you. But… But you’re so kind. So welcoming. So sweet. I see that all so clearly now. I’m just sad I didn’t see it sooner, because I think being around you has certainly changed me,” he whispered, his eyes never leaving yours as he spoke.

And you couldn’t help yourself when you leaned forward; giving him a soft, slow, sweet kiss. You were just aching for him, and he was right there, looking so handsome all dressed up. It was a dream come true to feel him up against you, his hands on your waist as he kissed you back.

“Don’t be sad,” you murmured against his lips. “I’m here now with you. And you’re here with me. That’s all that matters.”

You could have cried thinking about that moment. But there was no time. There was a knock on the door, and you spotted a bridesmaid waving at you. It was time to go.

You sucked in a sharp breath, nerves taking over as you made your way to the main part of the church. It was a big rush there with people chattering away, but soon, the double doors to the ceremony room opened up. Your bridesmaids moved in first, and then it was your turn.

With one last deep breath, you took your first step towards him. Stephen stood at the end of the aisle with his hands clasped together and his eyes stuck on you. Even from where you were standing you could see him let out a shaky breath. You moved slowly, the pink bouquet in your hands, not stopping until you stood before him. The second you handed your flowers to your maid of honour you felt Stephen’s hands on yours. He held them tight, his thumbs rubbing at your skin as he looked on at you with tear filled eyes. The sight of him made your own eyes water.

“I love you,” he whispered so lowly that only you could hear. “And I promise that I will love you for the rest of my life.”

Your world stopped at that moment, but in the best way possible. Everything seemed to freeze as you captured the scene before you: the smile on Stephen’s face, his kind eyes, the way his cheeks flushed that little bit of red. Your heart skipped a beat and you fought the urge to kiss him.

He had changed so much for you, and you knew it was for the better. Because he was yours and you were his, and it was the most special thing in the world to you.

“And I love you,” you said with a teary smile. Despite the large crowd, Stephen was the only one you could focus on, and he would be all you would focus on for the rest of your life.

You were more than happy with that fact.

[night-error]

MAP CALL!!!! 4/21

I've been working on this for AGES (ever since Ep 2 of tpc s2 came out)

Parts!!

Intro-

Pt1- Thewolferclan087 (yt)

Pt2- Thewolferclan087 (yt)

Pt3- me- (I rlly wanna help with the map even tho im the host)

Pt4-

Pt5-

Pt6-

Pt7-

Pt8-

Pt9-

Pt10-

Pt11-

Pt12- astronic-fr

Pt13-

Pt14-

Pt15-

Pt16-

Pt17-

Pt18-

Pt19-

Outro-

Rule 1- When posting your part here do not use a watermark or greenscreen, but if you're posting it on your social media then you are allowed

Rule 2- just for safety please make your parts 3-5 frames larger than it is incase it is accidentally make just too short.

Rule 3- You are allowed to collab with someone just tell me who it is so you both get credited!

Rule 4- the length of the part must be 1920×1080. If you mess up with the size then it's absolutely fine just try to make it around that size! ^^ (I actually broke this rule myself while making the reference/Storyboard)

Rule 5- Dont judge others parts, we are all at different levels of skill. You will get 3 warnings before your part and role will get taken away

Rule 6- do not be afraid to ask for anything!

Rule 7- try to make the characters look as cannon as possible!

Rule 8- don't rush the you'll have 2 months to complete this map so please use it. If you are still working on it past the 2 months and have provided with a wip and another wip to show your process so far you'll have an extension of about 3-4.

Rule 9- You can use any type of animating, although I'd like to keep it 2D and Gacha will not be allowed.

Rule 10- do not trace others work. I also would discourage tracing the storyboard but if you are very struggling use it to help you!

Rule 11- Have fun, it can be stressful at times to create a map part up to your own expectations but do not stress yourself on it.

Rules may be added on if I haven't made things clear enough! The map may seem strict but I assure you im trying not to make it strict!

Script!

Heads up-

WITHIN THE FIRST HALF CIRCUSIC IS NOT TO LOOK BACK AT IRIS WITH ANY SORT OF SADDNESS OR REGRET. IRIS IS ALLOWED TO DO THAT BUT NOT TOO STRONG OF EMOTIONS

Intro- The intro will have 'Evelyn Evelyn' on it for a good few seconds before it fades. The closed boom beside the text is the picture book from 'iris's discovery'. It opens slowly revealing 3 pictures, 1 of the right and 2 on the left (is optional for what you put in the ones on the left, but keeping it iris and circusic themed is good).  there should be a few second pause before the camera zooms into a picture of past iris and circubit. Making it full screened.

Part 1: young iris and cirusic are standing within a forest. Circusic doesn't seem sure about where they are and is of course nervous. Iris lightens the mood by pulling a funny face which they both laugh at. After the laughing brings a slight tear of joy to cirusics eye which he wipes will iris moves forward. Their chestplates glow when iris's hand reaches forward, trying to take circubits. Circubit also steps(/skates) forward but the screen will turn white just when they are about to touch.

Pt.2- iris and circubit walk (/skate) in different directions from eachother, stopping when they are satisfied with the distance. Iris looks down at the floor while this actors.

Pt.3- the camera focuses on Circusic who doesn't seem impressed. Circusic calls iris a parasite but the camera switches to Iris after the sound 'Para-' is said. After that iris is supposedly hurt by that and a tear forms in his eye. It is quickly replaced with rage as iris turns his head around yelling.

Pt.4- iris does a full body turn, facing circusics back. He stomps his foot with rage of what circusic thinks of him. This annoys circubit.

Pt.5.- The camera faces cirusics back. As he slowly gets more and more annoyed as he speaks. Eventually yelling and moving his hand before regaining his composure slightly.

Pt.6- there's a side view of iris, his eyes are closed and his hand is at his chest. He then opens his eyes and ever so slowly and gently reaching his hand out to grab circusics shoulder. The camera slowly turns somwe can see out off iris's POV. Before iris can touch circusic the screen turns white.

Pt.7- the scene starts with a flash. Showing a much more brighter time with many flowers blooming. The ghosty past circusic slowly turns around to iris, who pulls his hand back a little. Iris then hesitantly reaches forward, wanting to touch his chestplate since the memory he is experiencing feels real. The screen turns white again.

Pt.8- the white fads and circusic has a harsh grip on iris's hand, his face is filled with rage. He then forcefully shoves iris's hand away, using great force.

Pt.9- the camera focuses on a side angle of circubit. Cirusics head slowly faces down as his eys glare at iris. The camera slowly moves over to iris as he pulls his hand back to his side. Annoyed of what circusic just did.

Pt.10- iris raises his head slightly when talking to circubit to make him seem more bigger. he then closes his eyes tightly.

Pt.11- the camera is quite a bit away from iris as he talks, his eyes are still closed and his hands are behind his back. The more iris talks the more the dark side of him covers his face. Eventually half of his face is covered when that happens a red flash appears and iris opens his eyes. The red silhouette of the King appears in front of him, slowly fading.

Pt.12- Circusic starts to walk backwards but tries to keep up a brave face to iris.

Iris is still walking forward, he swings his arm in a one side motion to show his anger.

Pt.13-  Circusic is still moving backwards although not as fast as he previously was as he does hands gestures to iris showing him both rage and confusion.  Iris, also slows down at his face, angrly pointing at circusic.

Pt.14: circusic is frustrated and brings his arms up to his shoulders, he then clenching his face and glares at the camera (aka iris). Iris has folded his arms as he stops walking. He gets frustrated and he tenses his arms up.

Pt.15- another flashback occurs of iris and circusic having a laugh. The camera zooms out and it shows the scene of iris and circusic appearing in iris eye. The pupil of it softening up remembering it. The scene cuts to iris chest, where he reaches to his chest place and grabs the clothing surrounding it.

Pt.16- the screen spilts, having iris on the right and circusic on the left. Iris pulls his hand away from his chest closes his eyes small tears can be seen forming. Circusic pulls his hands from behind his back to his sides. Moving his head downwards in a glare. The background around them gets darker and duller as they also seem to get a bit darker. Their chestplates light up with a black glow

(The camera slowly zooms in the entire scene)

Pt.17- both their chestplates are glowing, although unlike when they were kids they glow back. The camera continues to zoom until it slows down. Iris opens his eyes and leans forward, tears dripping down his face. Circusics eyes go smaller and tears are forming but nothing comes out. They both stop yelling and glare at eachother with tears. Before the screen turns to black.

Pt. 18- the screen is still quite dark. But the shilluette of past iris and circusic can be seen sitting on grass. The reaper can be seen for a few seconds, before it tuns back to iris and circusic.

Pt:19:  the reaper flashes in once again raising its scythe. This time, iris and circusic look back with fear in their eyes. The reaper flashes in again, this time its scythe is fully raised and it can be seen swinging down just for a second.

Outro- The carma goes back to iris and circusic except they aren't there. In their place are 2 flowers. The one is circusics place is drying and has pink at the top of it. The other flowers petals slowly fall to the floor, leaving it with just the pollen. The camera switches and shows the book from 'iris's discovery' laying down, its closed and is in a dark area.

Please reply to the blog so I am be to tell you if a part is free or not!!!

Discord if you are thinking of getting a part!!!

https://discord.com/invite/nak553wg

The map should be completed by 8th August!!

Goodluck for those who are participating!

[allmightyscroll-swag]

Panic Attack

(QUICK THING BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE- I added an aftermath to the last comic that is kinda needed to properly understand this one, & just in case some of y'all haven't seen it, just go to "←prev" down below and it should be properly linked up )

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I like to think that, while Leo has seen & helped Donnie through panic attacks before, Donnie has rarely, if ever seen Leo go through a panic attack; hence why he is unsure what would be best to help Leo right now. so he does what he knows how to; relay information and facts. His voice helps ground Leo through it.

[peridots-pixiwolf]

[Start ID. A drawing of @mieczmaszyna 's character Izzy. In the words of its creator, Izzy is a humanoid robot with a white chassis, oval head, black headset, square green glasses, claws, and a tail resembling a cable plug. Ai wears a cowboy hat, vest decorated by a star and bottle cap, pants with tassels, spurred boots, and a red bandanna. He's viewed from the side, kicking up one leg and holding both arms out in front of itself to shoot finger guns, looking excited and rather jaunty. The background is a dull yellow-green, muddied by the warm reddish tone of the drawing, and in paler green are the words "BANG BANG!!" by ais arms. End ID]

robot cowboy!!!

[asjjohnson]

I did a vine theme for pumpkin carving this year. A pumpkin pumpkin and a rose pumpkin.

I'd made a poll asking whether to do vines or draw Dan and Valerie from Danny Phantom, or both. ...And although 'vines' won, the idea of adding something Dan and Val related was too compelling. The thought of deep red roses with their thorns being like Valerie. ...And, well, I suppose Dan's like a big heavy pumpkin being thrown at stuff?

I tried making the plants wrap around an object representing them, Dan in a D shape and Valerie in a triangle shape. Though it's not very noticeable.

[melioradeluxe]

im almost ready to post my first ever fic dfdjssdkfsk

[juicedbeetle]

I just love when he does creacher shit like this so much

[carlyraejepsans]

hey guys, things are getting a bit rough on the money side considering *gestures vaguely at the state of the world* everything lately. i might need to open up commissions forreal to help support my family a little.

can we make this post a small interest check? would you be interested in commissioning a short comic/illustration from me in the near future? just to know what to expect, i still haven't settled on the prices yet. thanks a lot in advance!

[pairingbrainrot]

So...

What’s the plan when these two

and these two

(possibly) GET TOGETHER TOMORROW?! 

[katia-dreamer]

So, today for flufftober, the prompt was 20 questions or Truth or Dare. I chose a somewhat similar drinking game. Yes, this is finally THAT fic. ;) Word Count: 505

"Scanlan, have you ever-" Keyleth begins, but Scanlan drinks his ale before she can finish.

"I've done a lot of things, Keyleth. A lot of things," Scanlan boasts.

Vox Machina bursts into laughter, and Vex swivels so far back on her chair that she almost tips off. She's done quite a bit of drinking this evening, but her reaction time is still quick enough to catch herself. Percy chuckles next to her, and she purposefully ignores it.

"It's my turn to ask a question." Scanlan looks around the table, searching for his victim, and settles on Percy. "Percy?"

"Yes?"

Scanlan's responding grin is almost frightening. He leans forward and asks, "Have you ever had dirty thoughts about someone in Vox Machina?"

Vex chokes even though she's not currently drinking anything. Everyone falls silent as they wait for Percy's answer. He was very private about this area of his life, often choosing not to engage in discussions or answer questions. After a few moments pass, she wonders if he might back down.

Then Percy blinks, raises his glass of wine to his lips, and takes a drink. When he looks back at Scanlan, his face is almost unreadable.

"Was it me?" Scanlan asks.

"I don't have to answer that," Percy's tone is calm and collected, but she can see his ears are turning pink.

"Don't be embarrassed, Percy. I am very handsome."

"It's not you."

"Wait," Scanlan pauses, "does that mean you still have them?"

Percy doesn't answer, which is an answer in itself.

Who is it? The question burns on her tongue like fire. Because she is more than a little curious to know who Percy thought of in the dark of the night when he was full of want and longing. But Percy's fingers drum on the table, drawing her attention to his stiff posture and the tightness in his shoulders.

"Scanlan, you asked your question, and Percy answered it. So, Percy, it's your turn."

"I cede my question to you, Vex'ahlia. I'm going to bed." He stands from his seat, brushes down the front of his coat, and leaves without further comment.

A few faces around the table wear identical expressions of shock. But there is a look of mischief in Scanlan's eyes. Before he can act on it, Vex asks the first question that comes to mind, "Vax, have you ever lost one of your daggers?"

Vax raises an eyebrow at her but takes a drink. Once everyone is distracted, Vex looks for Percy. She catches only a glimpse of him turning down the hallway to their rooms. Her companions are laughing now, but Vex's thoughts are on one thing and one thing only.

Was Percy thinking about someone right now? Was he imagining exploring skin with his mouth and hands? Was his heart racing, his skin flushing? The idea of it awakens something hot and tight in her abdomen.

She gulps down the rest of her ale to drown it out, but to her horror, that only adds to the burn.

[bookwyrminspiration]

do you happen to have any recs for blogs that post a lot about reading???? sending this ask to you because you're the only blog i follow that mostly talks about books lol and i think it'd be nice to see more book related stuff

If you mean blogs that talk about a variety of books and reading in general, I don't know that there are many I can recommend; most of the people I follow (which isn't many) are fandom specific. Two I can think of, @morhath and @annabethisterrified, post about reading fairly regularly, including a variety of books instead of one fandom specific.

But otherwise, looking through tags of specific books I've enjoyed and finding people who post about them can lead me to people who read in general. Since if they read one thing, odds are they've read more. Which is rather intuitive, but it's true of how I find people

Looking through tags like "bookblr" and "bookworm" may also lead you to some people--though there will also be a fair bit of aesthetic people in tags like those usually, so depends on what you're looking for. You can also check those posts from other tags people use, and figure out which ones have the kinds of people and posts you want to find

Branching out and finding more book-in-general related blogs is actually something I'd like to work on myself--don't worry mutuals, I mean to do so alongside my current posting, not to replace it. I'm not going anywhere

I wish I could be more help with this, but hopefully this is a start! If anyone else has any others, please feel free to add them :)

[dernarrleid]

ya'll I'm still here, I'm just in the thick of it.

[jennycalendar]

there are so many things that stood out to me as i watched the dark age in full for the first time in a very long time. the standout is the fact that this is an episode that has something very clear to say about jenny -- insidious, quiet, not at all the larger point of the episode, but clear. and what it has to say is that she’s impermanent.

on some level, i was expecting some degree of narrative antipathy towards jenny as i continued to watch this show. i wasn’t expecting to see it this clearly and this early. i’ve talked before about how surprise and innocence both throw jenny under the bus in a way i find unfair, limiting, and lazy, but the dark age does it too! this is a consistent pattern with her! she’s presented as something that directly contradicts information we’re given later in canon: someone who cannot handle the reality of the man that giles is. the episode is structured to demonstrate jenny as someone who enjoys the unserious, flirtatious romance of her connection with giles, but who balks at the reality of being truly involved with him, and who flinches away from the man that he really is. it is done so in a way that is not halfhearted. it is incisively deliberate -- in the framing, in everything.

we begin with giles/jenny’s romance in bloom, emphasizing in particular that jenny is eager. she is forward. she is direct about wanting to sleep with him, and the way that she describes him is incredibly key to this as well: she refers to him as a sexy fuddy-duddy. her attraction to him is illustrated within the episode as something that stems from him being adorable and old-fashioned, and the episode itself demonstrates that while the adorable, old-fashioned librarian is a facet of him, it’s not all that there is. we’re given jenny’s and buffy’s reactions to this in tandem at the end of the episode -- jenny flinching away, buffy drawing closer. this is also incredibly important.

constantly, consistently, this episode juxtaposes jenny and buffy. they are placed next to each other in the computer lab, joined by their joint disbelief that cordelia would overlook such a key detail about giles. the conversation they share is one about giles, with buffy turning to jenny for guidance re: how to help giles and jenny -- this is important -- having NO IDEA. jenny and giles share an intimate scene in his apartment, as do giles and buffy -- yet the key factor is that the intimacy between giles and jenny, the moment of comfort, is entirely false. it is a manufactured illusion that a demon is utilizing against him. the intimacy between giles and buffy, in contrast, is something real -- an admission about his past that we never actually see him share with jenny. again, the end of the episode contains similar parallels. giles attempts to express his desire to remain in jenny’s life, and jenny, now fully informed about the kind of man he is, moves away from his touch. buffy seeks giles out and expresses her appreciation for him, entirely as he is, + how grateful she is to know him as a complete individual. how this makes her life easier.

i obviously did not enjoy this. i can’t pretend at objectivity as i write this up, and it’s still a constant war with myself as i try to figure out a way to write this in any way that isn’t just SOOOO obviously biased (don’t think that’ll work, though, lmao), because i personally don’t like the way that this episode just staunchly refuses the possibility that jenny could love giles as he is. this feels like an episode intended to be the kiss of death for giles and jenny’s relationship, and taken in and of itself, it’s actually a really convincing argument for them not being able to work. we’re shown the depths of buffy and giles’s relationship, but so much of it is about placing buffy and giles’s relationship right next to giles and jenny’s relationship in order to demonstrate how ill-suited jenny is for giles. she’s weak. she’s easily infected. she’s unable to cope with the reality of closeness with giles. she’s a liability to him and unsympathetic to his isolation. buffy, meanwhile, ADAPTS to the reality of closeness with giles, EVOLVES this episode to protect and support him, rescues HERSELF when someone attempts to make her a victim of eyghon. these are all things that the dark age illustrates with aplomb. we see giles sitting with buffy, spilling his guts -- we never see him that candid about his past with jenny, even as she herself will later be candid about her past with him. 

and that’s the thing, too! this episode demonstrates such an INSANE double standard when it comes to the way giles handles secrets vs. the way jenny handles secrets. when point-blank asked to explain his deal re: a secret that is actively putting absolutely everyone in danger, giles refuses, snapping back with particularly vicious anger and telling buffy to “stay out of it.” he is determined to handle this shit on his own, and as ethan points out, this is not necessarily the best course when it comes to actually keeping people safe -- yet this episode presents him as a sympathetic figure. a flawed individual who deserves to be loved, understood, and accepted. multiple episodes later, jenny is THROWN AGAINST A DESK, and buffy’s furious demands for the truth are immediately met with complete, earnest honesty on jenny’s part, as well as complete and total cooperation with anything and everything that the scoobies demand of her & throw at her (think willow’s pointed brush-off, buffy’s dismissive cruelty, GILES COMING TO ASK HER FOR RESEARCH HELP AND TREATING HER LIKE SHIT IN THE SAME BREATH) -- yet she is presented as someone who has gotten her just desserts.

one could quibble about the magnitude of the secrets involved, but eyghon is presented as less of a threat in large part because the only person it ever actually threatens is jenny. much like angelus, the only person that the monster ever actually harms is jenny -- and both times, she is presented as responsible for it to some degree by virtue of wanting something from giles. it’s striking that jenny’s significant romantic overtures towards giles (wanting to sleep with him, telling him she’s in love with him) are always paired with some sort of harm inflicted upon her -- death, or something only narrowly escaping it. it’s striking that in this episode in particular, jenny’s desire to sleep with giles becomes something monstrous, utilized to try and tempt him -- and when he doesn’t succumb, she herself becomes something entirely unrecognizable. it’s key that giles never succumb to the temptation that is jenny. the individual that is jenny exists only hypothetically, and only in the margins.

this episode is insistent about presenting jenny as a road that will only lead to misery for giles. it works as foreshadowing for passion, certainly, but it’s also determined to highlight the fact that the problem lies within jenny herself. she isn’t able to handle the supernatural. she’s not as strong as she thinks. what she loves about giles isn’t real, and when faced with the reality of him, she flinches back. giles himself says it: “i don’t think she’ll ever really forgive me.”

thing is, though, SHE DOES. and only three episodes later! and THIS is where my little blorbo agenda shows up with baffling intensity, because this episode’s thesis statement about jenny JUST DOES NOT MAKE SENSE when looking at EVERYTHING WE ARE GIVEN ABOUT HER. she makes the decision to get back together with him, despite the clear implications in the dark age that all she enjoyed about him was the “sexy fuddy-duddy.” she is revealed to have intense ties to the supernatural, despite the clear implications in the dark age that this isn’t a life she can handle or wants to be a part of. the dark age is saying something about giles and jenny’s relationship that doesn’t match up with what canon says later, which is that she makes the CONSCIOUS CHOICE to come back to him, and that she has ALWAYS been a part of this world that she’s theoretically too terrified to continue living in with giles.

i feel that there are plenty of ways to emphasize the most important theme of this episode -- which is, of course, buffy coming to recognize giles as a flawed adult -- without also having to emphasize jenny’s inability to recognize giles as a flawed adult! she’s a plot device in this episode, a TOTAL nonentity: she’s something that can demonstrate that giles is complicated. she needs to be a shitty girlfriend so that we can understand that giles is HARD to understand. quite honestly, i’m starting to understand where some of the less savory takes on jenny are coming from, because this episode in particular leans into the idea of jenny Just Not Understanding Giles Enough. jenny Not Being Good Enough For Giles. fun fact: the first time i watched this episode with my mom, her take was to say, dismissively, “jenny can’t handle it.” i think that that’s an important anecdote to slot neatly in here. if taken totally at face value, and if one already might resent jenny for any reason (shippy or otherwise), this episode can easily and quietly feed into that resentment. jenny is shown Not Handling It.

yet, as ever, the messaging re: jenny is so inconsistent -- a by-product of her status as a Sexy Lamp, which is really in FULL SWING this episode -- that even this statement cannot remain true within the greater context of her largely hypothetical character arc. though she is demonstrated as someone who Doesn’t Understand Giles, someone who Can’t Handle Him, the show goes on to draw back the curtain and reveal that 1) she wants to be with him & 2) she actually has her own little Tragic Backstory that neatly matches his! the way she’s treated this episode -- the way the episode frames her as pulling away from giles explicitly BECAUSE she can’t handle what he’s done to her -- is not consistent with the notion of her returning to him, nor is it consistent with her backstory. it does not make sense. 

(honorable mention to the foreshadowing of passion, which saturates the eyghon confrontation on a level that i truly didn’t realize until watching it now -- not just angel saving jenny, but how he saves her. how jenny-as-eyghon enters, and buffy steps in front of giles, but her furious attempt to block jenny is aborted and she’s thrown to the side. how jenny-as-eyghon is inches away from giles, from doing what she’s been “waiting to do for a long time,” before angel pulls her roughly away from him and wraps his hands around her neck. that is RIGHT THERE, people.)

(and btws this post is dedicated to @korinainspace​ + @alltheangstmygifttoyou​ bc y’all were very gracious about me going actually insane as we watched this and i greatly appreciate it. i hope you two are getting some excellent sleep. <3 )

[that-was-anticlimactic]

universe of constant spinning, every end a new beginning

“So, do you have an umbrella? That was like, your thing, right? At Claw?”

Ah—not again! He can’t keep zoning out while talking to people—especially his boss.

But… why was Reigen still here? It was late and he always got to work early. It wasn’t his job to stay and coddle his employees. “I—uh—no,” he stuttered, fingers twisting anxiously. “Mine was, uh, "is” broken, sir.”

‘Broken’ was a mild way to put it. More like it got destroyed.

[or, reigen gives serizawa an umbrella]

☔️2,651 words | serirei☔️