#it was just out of pure sympathy really although

[aetherin21]

And with kindness leads to greatness

Patroclus is a kind man, written in between his words of doubt and low self esteem. The way he treats women he encounters with care and empathy speaks volumes then the words he utters.

His mother, everly so writtenly as meek and homely seemed to shine in his eyes as the sandy beaches of his home. As though, supposedly to dispise her from his father's lament. He remembers her simpleness like the warmth of the fading sky. Drifting and disappearing. But as the strings of her lyre, she is there only existing.

When Deidameia got pregnant with Achilles and learned that he will never ever love her, she was angry, disappointed and thrown away. She was promised of the boy and so she gave. And out of sheer destruction of a heart break, she agonizingly seeked comfort from Patroclus and demanded to lay with her so she could even by a small margin feel the soul of Achilles mending her broken heart. Cause as Patroclus quoted he is half of Achilles soul.

She's a victim in all of this as much as she tries to stand between the two lovers. And Patroclus understands this. Bedding her too but out of sympathy and kindness that she wanted to feel.

He was so human that when Briseis was turned into a prize of war, he urged his lover to take her and save her from being soiled by Agamemnon. He befriended her, clothed her, and taught her the way of the greeks. And as more prizes come, if by means possible, he wished for Achilles to take them from the humiliation to come.

In return for his selflessness, he was loved by the girl. Even offering him a child she could bare, knowing full well that she wont be the apple of his eye. But Patroclus could not dirty her like that. He knew she deserved better.

Thetis, on the other hand, had loathed him since the beginning. Yet she unknowingly seeked comfort from his memories of her lost child. Never to truly knowing the boy she had given birth to but only from the words of his lover. Patroclus was at her mercy, begging to reunite with his lover and yet instead of hating her even until death, he sang her Achilles' song.

And with the last hymns of his memory, she obliged writing his name beside her child's. The only motherly thing she had ever done.

Patroclus was the best of the Myrmidons for his sheer kindness alone. The cowardice that was bestowed by his true father was a lie but the name 'Patroclus' that meant glory of the father was true. Chiron is proud of his child. He honored him, using the knowledge he had bestowed and saved dozens of lives of hardened greek soldiers. Memorizing their names and each of their stories like his father did. Although, unlike them, he did not fight with swords and spears, he fought with his empathy in hand.

And the boy he had accidentally killed as a prince? It was not an act of cowardice of his confession, it was atonement. Acceptance of what he had done. Unlike those other kings and princes, he took the punishment as one should supposed to.

And that is why Achilles loved him. And that's why Achilles died when he did. Because he is the mortal half of his supposed to be godhood.

He is his other half, as the poet say.

[inbarfink]

Okay, so I already wrote a bunch of stuff about how that scene, although it is really sweet, is also kind of a Bad Sign for Simon - how he refuses to learn the Obvious Lesson from the Winterworld adventure (that being the Ice King again is probably a really really bad idea). But I want to talk about it also a little more about what it means for Fionna’s character as well. 

Because while sitting around and wallowing in self-loathing is probably bad for Fionna, especially after being told that she shouldn't be allowed to exist, and Simon is right to try and get her out of her funk. It's also still worthwhile for Fionna to have some introspection about the Consequences of Her Actions. Because she and Cake really did not consider them at all at first. They have a sense of morality and an instinct towards heroism, but they also tend to kinda forget the fantastical worlds they visit don’t exist entirely for their fantasy and have kind of a Protagonist-Centered-Morality fallacy. 

Most obviously you can see it in the market in Ooo. How Cake, in her excitement, damaged and hurt and even killed

A bunch of innocent marketgoers without even noticing. And then Fionna immediately jumped to Cake’s defense against these ‘weirdos’, who were actually just normal kinda-righteously-angry Oooian citizens.

It’s actually very similar to the whole Winterworld situation. Fionna’s assumption that she’s automatically the hero and protagonist of the story and black-and-white view of the situation and her tendency to kick ass first and ask questions later meant that she just recklessly injured a lot of innocent people.

(It might’ve been worse actually cause at least in Winterworld she was at least manipulated by an evil Wizard)

Fionna and Cake clearly have a great potential for heroism, but they do need to be a bit more considerate of the situation and people around them. And it does make sense considering that from their perspective - they’ve been living a very ordinary life up until now (and Cake was literally an animal. A very clever animal, but still not bound by the same standards of morality as the talking animals in Ooo). Action and adventure and fantasy stuff has been purely the realm of daydream and video games for them - and Fionna literally speaks about it in these terms.

(also, Fionna's Main Character Syndrome was undoubtedly validated when God literally told her that she was created to be the main character of her universe)

So yeah, it takes them some time to really process how to be heroes - they need to grapple with questions that Finn and Jake already kinda dealt with seventeen years ago. And actually a lot of those; how to resolve a situation without necessarily using violence, when does a 'villain' actually deserve sympathy and kindness, the importance of the larger context of any given conflict... their confrontations with Ice King all played a big part in that. It was never just him, but he was still a very major part.

And for Fionna and Cake right now, learning these lessons require some amount of personal introspection. So while it was a sweet attempt at comforting, I dunno if Simon’s little ‘the only problem with that universe is that this Alternative Me was terrible because he didn’t even acknowledge or remember Betty as the love of our life and the light of my entire universe’ thing is actually Good. 

I’m not quite sure Simon is the best person to teach Fionna and Cake heroism 101, because he is so focused on the Crown Quest as the thing that brings back Meaning to his life, and because his fatherly instincts just kinda go “Sad Young Person???? MUST GIVE COMFORT!” and also on account of the kidnapping.

I’m sure Fionna is going to become the heroine she dreams about eventually, it’s just going to be a bumpy ride. The best we can hope for is that they accept Simon’s comfort, that she doesn't start believing that she is nothing but an Error for the entire universe like the Scarab claims, but don’t necessarily listen to all of Simon's his words either.

[hatchetc]

Fionna and Cake Final Episode Thoughts

Or Alternatively, How A Series Full of Women Managed To Fumble A Story In a Misogynistic Way

Hello everyone, I just got done watching the last few episodes of Fionna and Cake. I haven’t had a chance to rewatch the final 2 episodes out of pure shock, but I have reanalyzed every other episode and have discussed + concluded how/why the finale flopped in the way it did.

Do not get me wrong, I enjoyed a bits and pieces of Fionna and Cake and this is by no means a hate post. But as someone who grew up as an avid fan of both Betty and Simon’s story, I was left unsatisfied by their conclusion. It wasn’t necessarily because they went their separate ways in the end or anything of that nature.

Instead this post will attempt to address the contrasting facets of their relationship in the original series v. Fionna and Cake, the implications of their writing, and how narratively it does not fit in with the rest of the characters or the narrative as a whole. I ask that this is read with nuance + through the perspective as someone who has presented as feminine throughout their life and consider why this story misinterpreted woman characters as a whole.

In addition, I also want to articulate how this series misrepresented Simon as both a character, and how this misinterpretation perpetuates toxic behavior in men across society.

Also, it’s 5 am and I am extremely tired, so I apologize if I gloss over some other things! Feel free to add your own thoughts.

Foremost, the first thing I want to address is how Fionna acts in relation to Simon throughout the beginning of Fionna and Cake.

In many instances, she is shown to be quite apathetic towards Simon’s situation.

Granted, she doesn’t know him. Her first impressions of him are…do not showcase his best qualities either.

Which is fine! It’s quite obvious that it would make narratively more sense for Fionna to feel more empathetic towards Simon as they proceed on their journey together.

Most notably, this line right here foreshadowns the most character growth.

Except…the contrast of this point falls flat in comparison to the tons of other terrible things that Ice King has done as a character.

He

1. Has comparatively more depressive/manic episodes than this

2. Acts comparatively more selfish AND dangerous at other points throughout the series

3. Was a genuine threat to others at one point, especially women

Although the attempt to frame Ice King’s delirious breakdown as the catalyst to Fionna’s sympathy tried to play…

the writers missed an incredible opportunity to showcase just how bad Simon could be as Ice King. Instead.

Instead, it frames him as embarrassing at most.

I’m not a huge Fionna fan by any means, but I think she would have had way more emotional depth if she had been showcased really empathizing with Simon when he was at his worst. It would have made 1. Their relationship more meaningful 2. It would have been nice to see her reflect on how poorly she treated Simon at the beginning of the series. There was a lot of room for emotional growth there.

Which brings me to another point.

I know that as a fandom the general consensus is that Simon is a sad wet cat, and many people hc him as anything other than cishet. But ultimately at the end of the day the writers are trying to portray him as a cisgender heterosexual male.

Which is a big issue when it comes to both him and Betty’s relationship throughout the series.

It’s important to note here: Within the original series, it is well established that Simon is an incredibly selfless man who is equally passionate and obsessed with Betty. Enough to create a time portal see her again, enough to capture princesses as a manifestation of his love for her.

Yet…

Their relationship is framed in such a way that contradicts any of these established traits of their characters.

Simon is incredibly selfish towards Betty. Not only in his actions, but in his words. Which is INCREDIBLY contradicting to his character, as he is shown to be quite selfless throughout the series.

Not only this, but they are BOTH incredibly dismissive throughout the finale!

Why isn’t Betty allowed to get angry at Simon? She not only gave up her life for him, but her agency as well. Not only this! But she infantilized the fuck out of him! She had to literally place him in the shoes of a child for him to understand how much she devoted herself for him.

And this is not her fault as a character! This is a deliberate choice by writers! They chose to write her character this way.

Also despite the fact that Simon is just as passionate as Betty throughout the original series, she is somehow framed as the obsessive one. Even though Simon’s obsession with Betty LITERALLY MANIFESTED IN HIM CAPTURING AND TRYING TO MARRY WOMEN.

And of course the implications of these scenes also makes the exchange between Winter King and Simon about Betty even more fucked up!

The fact that that line about Betty being the “dead one” was never fleshed out sort of implies that the writers only seen Betty as a way to propel Simon’s character development forward.

And it’s done in the most lukewarm way possible. The way that this series was building up, the fact that Betty sacrificed everything, it would have made sense for her to be pissed.

Instead she just lets him go.

And this wouldn’t make me so angry. Except….

Gary sacrificed his entire career to support Marshall. And this is framed in a positive light.

But when a woman does the same exact thing she is punished for it…

It’s not fair.

Now that we’ve established this can we stop pretending that it’s okay for male characters in fiction to get away with acting like children? I’ve said this before, but Simon’s development throughout Fionna and Cake feels on par with Adam Sandler’s Click. Except, to quote @tezzaa “Click actually made me cry”.

Which is incredibly sad, because I love Simon as a character. But it’s clear to me that Simon was not written with an ounce of nuance towards women, even though the majority of the cast is largely female.

It’s sad to see what has been done to this character.

Anyways. Those are my thoughts. I’m sorry if you disagree. I don’t want to debate this, I just wanted to point out how these characters are treated from a feminist’s standpoint. Thank you.

edit: i want to note that i do realize that betty and simon are toxic as a couple, i just don’t think that their writing reflected their toxic tendencies in an accurate way in accordance with their characters

[tojifm]

- just enough (m.) -> g. satoru

*𖥔 ݁ ˖ pairing: gojo/reader 𖥔 ݁ ˖"words": 1k ‧₊˚contains: orgasms, overstimulation (m), masturbation (f, m), bondage (not graphic), whiny gojo, vibrators, a choppy plot, and honestly pure smut. ‧₊˚

i. | ii.*

Gojo is pretty. Like really pretty. 

Yes, you cannot believe you are saying this but his sooty white lashes fluttering against his red cheeks, hips convulsing into your hand, he looked like a vice. 

“If you had been nicer to me…” you throw your words back at him, feigning sympathy. 

After wiping out the curse you both had initially headed out to do, your return was leisurely, laid out comfortably in the back seat of Ijichi’s car, too tired to try anything. 

That didn’t mean you had forgotten. 

“C’mon,” his hands pulled taut against the ropes, the bed frame creaking, and although the echo made you nervous, you managed a giggle.

“No way.”

Gojo’s needy whines echoed in the room and the sound only seemed to spur you on, glad that you were in the privacy of his flat instead of the office on campus. 

“C’mon, just give it to me!” His cock is fattened up, looking red and sore from overstimulation, bulging out of the vibrating cock ring, and you are sure if you don’t stop soon, you might unleash a new monster. 

You were still fully clothed, sitting on your knees, mattress dipping to accommodate your weight, occasionally fisting his cock, only to pull away when he seemed to reach his peak.

“I thought you were stronger than this,” you jeered and Gojo’s blue eyes flashed. His jaw clenched, the skin along his throat and collarbones dipped. 

“You challenging me?”

There’s cum painting the flat planes of his stomach from before which became misty from inattention. You find it bizarre, the insolence he has managed to upkeep despite being so vulnerable. 

“Of course not.”

He had swam through his orgasms, a manic smile gracing his mouth followed by soft groans before he’d look at you for more. 

You were not surprised. He’d always been a little sadistic. His chest heaved and his mouth pouted before another shudder ripped through him at the click of your remote. You grinned, ankle discreetly massaging against the spot that was becoming wetter by the minute. “Fuckin’ hell, Gojo. Are you gonna cum again?”

He doesn’t answer but his cheeks puff, eyes fluttering shut, and you knew all too well to ignore the sign. The hum of the ring stopped. 

Gojo grunted. “No, no, no, no-“ He didn’t know what he was asking for, eyes glassy and blown, he just wanted this to be over. 

“What’s the problem?” You inquired, eyes wide.  You were rocking against your foot, consumed by the friction. You licked the corner of your mouth. “Y-you want something?”

He was so pretty, laid out for you to control. 

His body flailed, desperate to orgasm just once more. He’d lost count of how many times you had robbed him of the privilege, driving him until he was oozing but not combusting. 

“Are you trying to get your ass torn apart?” His jaw was clenched, muscles standing to attention, but it wasn't from anger. No, it was from restraint.

The ridge of the bone rolled against your clit and your eyes rolled to the back of your head. In your haze, you failed to notice the flash of renewed lust across Gojo's face. His eyes widened, nostrils flared.

“No way.” 

You huffed, rocking harder. 

“Are you fucking yourself right now?”

“No,” you protested weakly. 

Gojo didn’t mean to sound angry, but he did. “Are you serious?” 

You were breathless, the throb between your legs becoming too much to bear. You raised your skirt, Gojo’s breath rattled, and slipped your hand down, tracing the edge of your panties. 

“Hey!” His complaint was half-hearted, feeling ferality lick the edge of his consciousness. “Stop touching yourself.” Once again, his legs thrashed and arms pulled against the restraints, wondering when you had learned all this. 

“Gojo,” you keened in response, fingers rolling the bundle of nerves, falling forward against his chest. 

“Untie me. C’mon. I wanna cum too.”  

Your hand slipped past the barrier and rubbed your fingers against your lips, coating them before you plunged your middle finger into yourself, breathing out in relief at the ease with which you began to pleasure yourself. Your heated breath brushed against his pink nipple. 

He watched, cock standing rigid. He hated this. He wanted nothing more than to stuff your mouth, pound into it, and coax your throat open until it was leaking nothing but sweet apologies and his ropey cum. “You fucking bitch,” he gritted. 

You felt tendrils of pleasure caress your nerves until your body was wracking and shaking against him. Mouth wrapping around his nipple, rocking against your hand, dragging out the aftermath. 

Gojo’s back bent at the sensation. “W-what are you- hah- s-stop that!” 

Flushed and worn out, you grinned, his skin was cold and your tongue just sizzled kissing it. You find yourself tracing a path, nuzzling into the column of his neck, kissing and sucking until he was groaning.  A string of drool followed your mouth, when you leaned back, admiring the purple bruises you had left behind. 

“So pretty.” 

“I’ll make you regret this,” he promised, an untamed smile on his mouth. The blue of his eyes glowed against the contrasting white of his hair that was matted against his forehead from the sweat. 

You laughed, trying to maintain the illusion of dominance you had fed him. “No, you won’t.”

His skin was buzzing with pleasure so when the click of the remote resounds, it took him a moment to process what was happening.

The room fell silent, the kind of silence you hear before the thunder cracks down and lights farms on fire. When it registers, inside Gojo’s racing mind, a fresh gush of precum shoots out of his slit that you are quick to occupy your hands with. 

“Fuck, I swear-“

You squeezed his cock, dragging out a low moan from the man’s throat. “You like this?”

“Go t-to hell.”

You pretended to pout, squeezing harder, watching the translucent liquid dribble out and onto your hand. “But I want to give you something.” Your other hand flicked the button on the remote control. The cock ring hummed at the new speed and Gojo’s spine arched and twisted, like he was just about to die. 

“Come on,” You cooed, “Come one, you fucking slut. Give it to me.”

With your resounding words, lips wrapping around the leaking swollen head, licking across the slit, you kiss the top of his cock. 

That’s all it takes for an earthquake, an avalanche, a tsunami to roll through his body, shivering and bucking, chasing the pulses of his orgasm, feeling the ropes loosen unbeknownst to you. He choked on his breath, flooding your mouth.

as beyonce once said, if you like it than you shoulda put a ring on it

[crucifiedfaerie]

Gibson Girl | Pt. 2 ༉₊˚✧

Kylo Ren x Fem!Reader

➴ Summary: He can't possibly have feelings for you. That would make him weak... right?

➴ Part One | Part Three

➴ Word Count: 1.3k

➴ Warnings: 18+ MDNI, fem!reader, dom!kylo, slowburn, sooo much angst, kylo is really mean this chapter :( guys im sorry, bpd king !!, kylo is an emotionally stunted asshole, gaslighting, crylo ren, dubcon, SMUT (pure filth im sorry, again kylo is mean, inappropriate use of the force, oral sex m!receiving, rough facefucking, degradation, sadist!kylo, sorta dacryphilia ??, light bruising ??)

➴ Taglist: ( @enviedear @capitanostella @teapartydreams )

A/N: kylo is such an asshole this chapter and for that i am so sorry BUT BEAR WITH ME... i have plans and i pinky promise things get better. also as hot as i think facefucking is, i have a sinus infection rn and all i could think about while writing this chapter was facefucking with a congested, stopped up nose and how horrendously unenjoyable that would be LMAO. like.. thats gotta be a form of attempted murder.

"Sir, I just think she might be becoming too much of a distraction to you." General Hux paced the floor of the command room, as he spoke. "The Resistance is closing in and your mind is being clouded by a mere technician. I believe the best course of action would be to neutralize he-"

An unseen force lifted his body into the air by his neck. He attempted to find flat ground, the tips of his shoes grazing the floor as he choked on his words.

"Do not even finish that sentence General." Kylo boomed, his modulator struggling to keep up with his volume. "Unless you'd like for me to crush your skull right now, I suggest you keep your thoughts on my personal endeavors to yourself."

With a swift motion of his hand, Kylo slammed Hux to the floor, releasing him. "Now get out of my sight."

Filled with a rage that rivaled the fire of a thousand suns, he watched as the General scrambled to the floor and bolted out of the door.

Once the door shut, Kylo ignited his crimson saber and swung at the walls, the table, everything. He screamed as he shredded the durasteel, filling the room with the scent of molten metal and burning plastic.

When he was satisfied with his destruction, he slid down the wall and slumped to the floor. His head hung between his knees, and only a trained ear could have heard the sob that emanated from his mask.

You had been staring at Kylo's bedroom ceiling for hours, replaying last nights events in your head. If it weren't for you laying in his bed you would have thought it was just a really vivid dream.

You were pulled out of your daydream by the sound of his heavy boots making their way towards the bedroom. The door swung open and although the mask hid his face, you knew he was absolutely seething.

"Hi... are you- are you okay?" You tried to sound less terrified than you actually were, to no avail.

"Fine, actually." He said coldly, his hands balled into tight fists at his sides.

You are definitely lying.

You momentarily forgot he could hear your thoughts. With an outstretched hand, he used the force to pull you off the bed and onto the floor in front of him. You wince as your warm, naked body made contact with the cold floor of his bedroom.

He leant down to grab your face and make you look up at him. "You question me? On my own goddamn ship?" He yelled, any shred of the man who held your head in his lap last night was now gone.

The lump in your throat grew bigger, your voice trembling. "You j-just seemed upset Kylo. I-I don't understand what I did wrong."

He sighed in annoyance, looking up at the ceiling for a moment. "What you've done wrong..." his grip on your face tightened, leather fingers digging into your jaw. "Is get into my fucking head."

You didn't realize you were crying until a warm tear hit your hand. "I d-d-don't under- s-stand!" You sobbed.

He wiped your tears away carelessly with his glove. "Stop! Stop crying! If sympathy from me is what you're looking for you won't get it."

He let go of your face forcefully and stood straight up, towering over you before working to undo his belt and free his cock from the confines of his trousers. The heat that grew in your core betrayed you, despite your tears and anger.

He grabbed your hair and pulled. "Open." He demanded, his tone cold and stripped of any emotion that wasn't anger. You obliged and without a moment's hesitation, Kylo shoved his cock so far down your throat you saw stars.

More tears ran down your face as he held you there, gripping your hair and forcing you to breathe through your nose.

Kylo began to move, speeding up his thrusts and hitting the back of your throat with each snap of his hips. He was unrelenting, unmerciful on your pretty mouth. The pleasure you were getting from him simply using you mouth was downright sinful. You looked up at him, moaning around his dick and silently pleading with him through teary eyes to just give you a break.

Please-

He took pleasure in listening to the noises you made. He looked down at you, a mixture of spit, tears, and his precum dribbling from your mouth. He laughed at you, "Pathetic little thing, getting off on my cruelty towards you. And you think I'd give you a break? Fuck no."

Nearing his climax, his thrusts became erratic, almost animalistic. With one last thrust and zero warning, Kylo groaned as he came down your thoat. You noted how warm and salty it was as you swallowed, hands hitting the floor and gasping for air when he finally pulled away.

He just just stood there, staring down at you and watching intently as you breathed heavily on the floor, broken. There was a small shred of goodness left in Kylo that knew this was wrong, that knew you didn't deserve to be treated like a piece of meat. He wanted so badly to drop to his knees right there and hold you, to say he was sorry and that his feelings for you ran much deeper than wanting to use you as a fucktoy. But he couldn't bring himself to admit it. If he loved you that meant he was weak, right? And under no circumstances could the First Order have a weak leader. He wouldn't listen to that part of himself, even if it absolutely killed him inside to do so.

He grabbed your clothes from the night before off of the floor and tossed them to you. "Get out." He spit.

"Kylo-" You breathed, fighting the tears that threatened to resurface. "I don't understand-" Your voice broke into a sob as you dressed yourself.

His heart shattered at how badly he was hurting you. He was angry with himself, not you. But he couldn't tell you that. "I said get out! Don't make me have to ask you again."

You cried, tears blinding you as you left his quarters, slamming the door behind you. You winced at his modulated shouting and the shriek of his saber crashing through things in his room as you made your way down the hall.

I don't get him, I don't think I ever will.

Two weeks had gone by since your last encounter with Kylo. The morning after, he had left on a mission without a word. As time passed, the bruise he left on your jaw faded to a yellow-green and you vowed to yourself by the time the bruise was gone you'd forget about Kylo and that any of it ever happened. Deep down you knew that wasn't true, time wasn't as merciful on the aching emptiness in your heart.

As you worked through a tangle of wires, a notification buzzed on your datapad.

"Command Shuttle arriving at 15:30."

In ten minutes. Great.

You ignored it and went back to work, attempting to rewire a control panel in the Command Center, that who other than Kylo Ren had apparently destroyed with his saber a couple weeks prior. Despite your yearning, he was truly beginning to piss you off.

After a while of tinkering, another message buzzed on your datapad. When you looked to see what it was your heart sank. It was him.

"My quarters. Now."

You groaned, letting out a long sigh.

Gods- Can that fucking man make up his goddamn mind. Please.

[softshuji]

Feat. shion madarame

CW: none, pure fluff, shion's a simp. This is literal brain vomit I'm sorry I need to get it out of my system.

Shion is nothing if not persistent. And it's not entirely about his pride this time, although the jibes and jeers do get to him about the fact that you're the type of girl that's way out of his league. He gets it, because you really are. You're kind, loving and gentle, a style that makes you more suitable for someone like the Haitani's than him. He won't lie and say it doesn't bother him a bit and yes he does wish he was more like them. Charismatic to a fault, flashy and confident. That his brawn matched his bravado, that he had something to show for it at the end of a fight.

It's not just about his pride because you are the type of girl he would like, he knows this and knows how unsuitable he is for you despite that. But it doesn't deter him. And honestly, even if you say no, which you're likely to do, he's fine with continuing to pour himself into you, because it's enough that you're here, that you give him the space to stay regardless of the comments you get. And there are many.

"really? Her?" Ran says and it stings. "She's way out of your league." To which the others nod, sympathetically. He's not sure why it bothers him so much to have the chance ripped from like that, as if anyone can make that kind of choice, as if he's not worth a second look.

It starts with small things. Because, obviously, he's nothing if not persistent. Trinkets, flowers, food, sweets, anything he can get his hands that he thinks you might like. And he's transparent about it, he always has been, when you ask him what's the catch. You like the attention, to say you don't would be outright lie, but you don't want to give off the impression that he needs to, that he has to earn you somehow, as if your love can be bought with any currency.

'I like you,' he'd say when asked and smile, as if it's obvious. To him it is, to him there's no other way around it and if you can like the things he gives you, then maybe you can like him.

He's not sure at what point its no longer about settling a score with the Haitani's, and when he starts to think of you more often than not. And they ask sometimes, "you still going after that girl?" To which he'll reply, "Yeah, why not? I like her." And they scoff, shake their heads in sympathy, as if the possibility of his love being returned to him by you is improbable, if not impossible.

He doesn't care that people talk, why would he? He's been in a gang for as long as he can remember. And really, even if you secretly don't like him, secretly burn the flowers he brings you like clockwork, he's fine with it. Because he can earn you, he knows he can.

And at some point, it starts to frustrate you, the persistence you don't think you deserve, gifts and presents that mean so much. The guilt is unbearable. And you'd say yes, if he just asked.

"I've had enough." You slam the flowers down on the countertop and he flinches, the smile falling, dropping, watching the petals cascade to the floor.

"What? What's wrong?"

"what is all this? The gifts, the presents, the stuff, all of it. Why?"

"I like you." And it's clear as day, as it's always been. Transparent, as he's always been.

"You don't have to earn me with this. I like that you give it to me but you never needed to. You've never needed to." And you wonder how long it's taken for you to say, how much you could saved yourselves the heartache by being as transparent with him as he has been with you. If only you weren't so intrinsically tied to the voice in your head that told you you hadn't deserved any of it.

"I don't? But I thought, if I got you stuff, you'd like me." And it's a humiliation in itself, because he hasn't thought of it, hasn't realized you have already known.

"No. No. Never. You only needed to ask me, you didn't need to get me things I don't even deserve."

"What? That's not true. You do deserve them, I like you so I want to get things for you."

"You only needed to ask me, I would have said yes." And it's true, and maybe if you had the courage you could have done it yourself, if the worm of insecurity hadn't held you back.

"Really? You mean that?"

"obviously. And no I'm not joking."

So he does. And as per his fashion, he's flamboyant with it. Getting on his knees with a flower from the bouquet to "propose" to you, asking you to be his dear girlfriend. (His words).

And when he does, he's not thinking of the bets, or the jeers, or rubbing it in anyone's face that he has the girl everyone wants and that he can only dream about. He's thinking about you, and how he he'll spend forever still trying to earn and woo you, as if he doesn't have you already. Because he's nothing if not persistent.

Reblogs appreciated

[hvenart]

Since Young Royals is over I wanted to take a look at some characters and kinda explain how I interpret them as people. (this is hella long but I’m mostly praising the show and how they handled things cus I’m an optimistic girl who loves life)

First of all you have the students of Hillerska. Hated them.

Genuinely cannot stand most of them and I gotta be honest, I was cheering for the school to close down. The toxicity and pure classism that radiates of that school is sickening but I’m afraid not unrealistic. As Willhelm said it’s in the walls of that place, it’s impossible to get it out. Everyone in Hillerska loves to pretend everything is fine. As Wilhelm said EVERYONE IS FAKE. Not just Hillerska but the monarchy and that entire system is too. While there are most likely very close friendships in the school it seems like nobody really knows or tries to understand each other. They refuse to acknowledge the fundamental problems of the school and instead party and just see the school closing as a sad thing.

Vincent is a perfect example of that. I love how they showed that queerness never was a problem for him. Vincent was fine with Nils being queer cus it doesn’t directly effect the system. Simon being a socialist who can possibly talk about the issues of the school was. I also think that he sees August purely as his role. He sees him as a party animal and having connections to the royal family. That’s the role he fulfills so he’s confused as to why he wants to be more than that because position wise he’s in a perfect situation. Him not knowing what August wants as a person and not knowing his best friend was queer just shows to me how little they know each other. How superficial their friendship is.

Nils is interesting. He’s queer and him being a person of Color all give him an interesting position in the whole system. He probably has a little more empathy and is a little less out of touch than his friends (ex. he is the first person to talk about how fucked up their initiation was) but he chooses to ignore it. I think that for him the pros outweigh the cons because at the end of the day he’s still rich and at the top of the foodchain at hillerska so it makes sense that he has no desire to change anything. Which brings me to why I LOVE felice.

Felice is by far my favourite character (Simon is a close second). She very much could turn a blind eye to everything and be like everyone else but she doesn’t want to anymore. I think being a black girl in Hillerska gave her more sympathy and understanding of the problems but I think even then she could’ve dealt with it like Nils because lets be honest racism is everywhere. But she realises if it’s already this bad for her she can’t imagine how it is for the people of the lower class. It made her see how fucked the hierarchy is and realise how deep it is engraved in the school. She realises that not even her best friends want to truly understand her struggles because it’s awkward for them (I said in another post her friends weren’t as bad as Vincent but honestly they’re just as bad). That realisation made her not wanna go to New York. She doesn’t wanna ignore her problems like everyone else but face them head on and goes to Sara. The one person who at the end wasn’t fake to her.

Im absolutely in love with Sara and Felice’s relationship. They kinda parallel Simon and Wilhelm in a way because Sara was the first truly honest person in Felice’s life just like Simon was to Willhelm although Felice and Sara are the platonic version of that (and while I loved that it portrayed the importance of friendship, my lesbian ass was really wishing they would’ve kissed like the TENSION but that’s just me). I also think that’s why the betrayal of her with August was so painful. She couldn’t care less about August, she cared about the fact that the one person she thought she always could rely on did that to her.

I also loved Sara this season. She’s a very flawed person yes but you could always tell her apologies were sincere. You could tell she had strong feelings for August but she was able to put Felice’s, Simon’s and most importantly her own feelings first. I was really scared they were gonna make her and August get back together in the end (especially with the conversation about giving people second chances in reference to her dad being also possibly about August) but they made sure to stick with her character development.

That brings me to August. He’s a really interesting character to me and I never know how to feel about him. He has done some horrible shit and at first I wanted him to suffer or do something big to try to make things right and I didn’t like how he never truly got his karma but I like how open they left his character. He obviously has some issues (eating disorder, trauma from his initiation,…) but he doesn’t ever delve deeper into them. He acknowledges the things he does and is obviously very sorry but just like the rest of the people in Hillerska and the Monarchy he ignores the causes of it. He never acknowledges his eating disorder. He’s probably aware that he has a problem (cus Simon pointed it out) but ignores it. He ignores the reasoning Sara gives for them not working out and gives her solutions that in the grand scheme will not change things. He still has huge respect for Eric despite what he did to him and the fact that it clearly left lasting traumas and just brushes it off. He longs for the Crown Prince role not even thinking about the harm that it can cause him. I said that he didn’t get karma but that’s not true. I think that the Crown Prince title is a curse and even if Wilhelm didn’t mean it that way, I think he got his final karma at the end by passing that curse down to him.

I love how they handled Wilhelm and Simon. Wilhelm had just like the rest of Hillerska and the monarchy the tendency to ignore things. Simon was the one who had to give him a wake up call and break things off. Simon forced him to face reality. He didn’t understand why Simon saw the title of Crown Prince as such a curse. Everyone ( ex. His mother) around him kept saying how much of a privilege it was that he never took a step back to question if it really was such an honour. His mothers words were so deeply engraved into him that it took him a while to finally be able to hear Simon. Simon wasn’t the reason why he didn’t want to be the Crown Prince, he just made him realise he never wanted any of this in the first place. It was never about Simon it was the fact that Wilhelm as a person was never really for the Monarchy. He loves his mother and the connection to his brother but he finally was able to let it go. He knows his brother still would’ve loved him but the perfect image of his brother the Crown Prince is gone. I don’t think he’s ever gonna forgive August but he has let it go and given him the title he so desperately wanted. His hatred towards him is not strong enough to keep the title of Crown Prince. In the relationship he was the one who needed to change. Sure Simon also went through growth and had to have a lot of understanding but it was Wilhelm who had to realise his core teachings and the way he thought of life were very flawed. He had to be his own person outside of the system that held him down so desperately. And even the mother understands that. She will always be part of the monarchy but she acknowledges that it nearly destroyed her and realises that she doesn’t want that to happen to her son and lets him go.

Hillerska, the monarchy and the classist hierarchy is not gonna change. But some people can. That’s why I think in the end there was no song about revolution. They didn’t have one. Sara, Felice, Wilhelm and Simon were the ones who truly got away from everything. They were able to get away from the schackles of the system and leave it behind. Even if Hillerska did reopen I doubt they would go back. They didn’t revolutionise anything other then themselves. There wasn’t a revolution but an evolution of themselves.

I think that’s a beautiful message. You can’t always change the bad things around you but you can change the things about yourself that were caused by the bad things around you. You can do and be better even when the world isn’t.

[goldenempyrean]

A Widow’s Care

〚 Notes - This popped into my head and I thought it was a pretty cute idea! Slight AU but we move past that :) Enjoy :D 〛

〚 Summary -  The long journey to Melina’s cabin seemed to take it’s toll on Nat and the assain comes down with something meaning it’s up to you and her family to take care of her. 〛

〚 Wordcount - 2150〛

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“Natasha do not fall behind.” The gruff voice of Alexei said as everyone stopped to wait for the redhead to catch up. That in itself was strange. Nat never fell behind.  

Everyone was a good few meters infront of her meanwhile she just slowly dragged her feet through the wet soil and loamy leaves. Once Nat had reasonably caught up to you, you slowed your pace to walk alongside your girlfriend who looked noticeably paler then earlier when you’d set off on the hike, “You alright there Natty?” You asked quietly as your fingers trailed down her arm before reaching her hand, taking it in your own, “It’s not like you to lag behind.”

Natasha's hand is clammy and her grip is weak whilst a deep, grating cough wrenches from her lungs as she squeezed your hand, attempting to conceal the fact that she felt wretched and small. She nodded but groaned a little under her breath as she lightly rubbed the bridge of her nose. There was an ache forming deep behind her eyes and it was quickly becoming hard to ignore, especially after that long flight and the several hours of walking through the forest and open windy land. She’s seriously started to regret her decision not to bring a jacket – her thin, white suit was doing little to keep the chill of the wind from biting at her.

“Are you sure?” You asked, knowing this wasn’t her typical behaviour.

Natasha's cheeks were flushed despite the autumnal chill, and her nose was beginning to run. She wiped at it, and then felt embarrassed when she felt the moisture on her fingers before sniffling quietly to herself. That was another oddity. The Black Widow doesn’t sniffle. Infact she pretty much despised it and you could vividly recall the times where she’d practically forced you to blow your nose after hearing you sniffle just once.

“What’s Melina like?” You asked curiously, trying to make some small talk whilst both trying to fill in your mental image of Natasha’s ‘mother’ and distract the assassin from the long walk ahead, “How Russian are we speaking here, like just a casual accent or is she gonna make me take shots of pure vodka?”

Nat gave a weak little chuckle, “She’ll like you, don’t worry moya lyubov'” Though it was reassuring, something else distracted you entirely - her voice came out incredibly hoarse but it wasn’t just you who’d noticed. Yelena’s eared seemed to perk up as she jogged over to the two of you, visibly scanning over her sister with beady eyes, “Natashka, why do you sound like you’ve been gargling gravel. I thought we agreed you wouldn’t do that again?” She teased lightly earning herself a light jab in the ribs.

“Jackass,” Nat tried to yell as Yelena jogged back off ahead, but she didn’t get the intended volume as her voice cracked a little. A comforting silence fell between the two of you continued walking with your hand safely nestled round her waist. But even that didn’t last long as Nat soon pulled away from you, burying her face in her the elbow of her suit as she sneezed rather loudly into it – twice... thrice.

She sniffs and wiped her runny nose using her sleeve, choosing the ignore the brief grimace that crossed your face - although the look was more of pity then disgust, “Bless you sweetie, those were unusually loud for you...are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m really fine Y/N,” she mutters, trying to muster up enough strength to sound convincing. The way you moved your fingers over her arm feels rather comforting but there was no way she would admit that, refusing to give the impression she's at all needy of your sympathy. She glanced back at you, the corners of her eyes watering a little as another cold breeze of air blew her way, “I’m just a little tired.”

You laughed a little at that, raising your eyebrows accusingly. You knew your girlfriend; you knew her tells and her body language, you were surprised that she hadn’t caught onto the fact that you already knew that she wasn’t feeling great. Your eyes met hers and your expression is somber. Nat had always been the picture of physical health, the very image of a well-trained assassin so to see her like this – so run down, you can't help but feel sorry for your exhausted girlfriend.  Her stubborn nature and unwillingness to admit needing help didn’t help either though, all she needed to do was to give in but that was definitely not an easy task.

After another set of desperate sounding sneezes the tip of her nose is red and stuffy, and there's a trace of visible sweat along her hairline. Nat gingerly reached into the small side pocket of her suit and pulls out a tattered package of tissues, pulling out one and quickly rubbing her nose with it.

“Bless you.” You mumbled again, rubbing your hand down the widow’s back. You wished you could’ve slowed down or even just stopped to rest but the gap between the pair of you and Alexei and Yelena was continuously growing so with regret you gently urged Nat to speed up a little, “Come on baby, we need to get there before it gets dark.”

She's a grown-up, capable and autonomous, but you want to pick her up and carry her on your back, just to give her a break. That would be infantilizing—but still, on the other hand, it would probably make her smile. Instead, you opted for holding her waist, silently allowing yourself to aid her as the pair of you tried your best to catch up.

By the time the four of you had reached Melina’s cabin Nat looked dreadful and everyone had noticed. It had taken another 2 hours to reach the cabin, it should’ve only taken 1 but along the way Nat’s condition worsened. Her now skin matched the colour of her suit while a crimson flush sank its claws into her cheeks, hanging on tightly as the embers of a fever grew into a roaring fire. At one point Alexei had to carry the poor redhead over a particular rough area of terrain much to the redhead’s horror. She felt humiliated and still was pleading desperately at the claims that she was fine.

“Why won't you just admit it?” Yelena huffed a little. Nat had sneezed and she had blessed her and received a death stare. How was that fair? She certainly didn’t react that way when you blessed her, “Sestra you look dreadful, and I mean that. Wouldn’t it just be easier to give in?”

“’m’ fine.”

"Yep—okay, alright. You're fine, huh?" You took her face carefully into your hands, brushing the hair away from the forehead and temples. "Not sick at all?" Your tone was as dry as a desert stone. With the tips of your fingers, you drew up a line against the tip of her red nose. "And not in any need of some TLC? You're sure, Miss Romanoff?"

Nat shifted a little, her eyes casting to the floor as she coughed again. It seems this time that any resolve to deny on was quickly fading away because she let her head fall onto your shoulder, “Fine... whatever. I think maybe I’m getting a cold...”

“Oh you think so?” Yelena piped up in a teasing tone, but her touch was soft as she gave her sister’s shoulder a gentle squeeze, “You can lay down once we’re inside.”

Alexei led the four of us onto the porch, his heels clicking as he ascends the wooden steps. The cabin is old, the structure made of wood. Yellow light is bleeding through the curtains and there is an earthy, familiar scent emanating from inside. Melina answers the door, arms crossed over her chest and a smile slowly spreading across her lips. She stares. There is curiosity in her brown eyes as she looks over you, “You must be Y/N.”

“Yes Ma’am, that’s me.” You nodded, suddenly feeling a little nervous. The Iron Maiden certainly had a strong aura to her but the older widow’s gaze softened a little as her eyes cast over to the redhead on your arm.

“Natasha?”

Nat looked up to the elder eyes of her ‘mother’. She had aged but still looked the same. The older woman shook her head at the sight of the feverish redhead and mumbled something in Russian as she pressed the back of her cold hand to the girl’s blazing forehead.

She beckons the four of you inside, "Come." Reluctantly, Natasha allows you to assist her through the doorframe, her steps weak and wavering. Her skin is hot to the touch as the older woman leads her over to a chaise lounge and drapes a warm blanket over the redhead's shoulders, “There’s a guest bedroom if you’d prefer to lay down.”

Nat declined the offer and chose to lean against you as yourself Yelena and Alexei  began to explain the plan to track down the redroom. You weren’t sure how long had passed though before you felt your girlfriend go a little limp against you, her eyes having fallen closed. You excused yourself and Yelena offered to help as the two of you carried Nat down to the spare bedroom, settling her down in the surprisingly cosy bed before tiptoeing out of the room and towards the kitchen.

“Melina?” You called out the older woman’s name as you stepped back out into the main open area, “Do you have any cold medicine?”

“Cold medicine?” Melina looked over her shoulder as she stood over the sink washing some glasses, “Is Natasha really feeling that bad? I know she was tired, but my girls never needed medicine before.”

You sighed a little, exhaling deeply, “Melina do you have any medicine or not?” There was impatience in your voice but not just that, there was worry too and she seemed to pick up on that.

Melina finished washing the final dish, slinging the dishcloth over her shoulder as she turned to you, “I think there's some in the bathroom, I’ll go check,” as she walked past the older woman patted your shoulder – it was small act but still it brought you a strange comfort. Even if Melina tended to seem cold, it was obvious that she did care deeply for both yourself and Nat.

Whilst you waited, you took a glass and grabbed some orange juice from the fridge, pouring it into the glass. Just then Yelena came strolling in, looking for a drink of her own.

“How’s Nat?” She asked as she rummaged around in the fridge before pulling out two cans of beer, one for her, the other for Alexei.

You shrugged, you knew Nat didn’t like to seem vulnerable infront of others but this was her sister after all so you told the truth, “It’s just a cold.. but I don’t think we’ll be going anywhere for the next few days though. She’s got one hell of a fever.”

 Yelena sighed, “That girl is the most stubborn, self-sacrificing person I’ve ever met. This would never have gone so far is she simply asked us to take it slow,” She shook her head as she cracked open her can, it seemed she noticed your nervous expression though because she softened her tone and came towards you to pull you into a hug, “She’ll be okay though, she just needs to sleep this off.”

“She’ll be right as rain in a couple of days.” The voice of Melina came as she returned to the kitchen with the medicine and some tissues, “This everything you need? I can make a pretty good soup if need be.”

"This is so good, thank you," you said, hoping the older woman picked up on your grateful tone as you took the medicine bottle and tissues from her before picking up the drink you'd previously poured, “I’ll see if Natty’s up to eating when she’s awake, I think she’s still asleep.”

“You don't have to keep saying thank you Y/N. We’re family now so please look after my daughter.”

You nodded and exchanged a final smile before returning to the room, quietly placing the medicine, tissues and drink on the cabinet beside her. Nat was still sleeping when you returned, her chest rising and falling as she quietly snored. You ran your hand over her forehead, noting that she was sweating a little more than before and you hoped that she was finally breaking her fever. So, with small smile you carefully bent down to place a gentle kiss to her warm forehead before settling into the armchair just in front of the bed. That armchair was where you’d stay for the rest of the night, content to watch over her as she got some much needed rest.

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[ilylmwwifys]

—𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒆

( 🕰 ) ,, angst, not proofread

. ( ⏳ ) : Jouno found out [Y/N] was betraying him and the hunting dogs, after discovering, the reader decided to confess something.

"[Y/N].." He muttered audibly. He clenched his teeth while gripping the handle of his sword; his thumbs slowly positioning itself on the Tsuba— slightly unsheating the sword on its sheath.

You two were in a room— a lab to be specific. You both stood there, your hands placed on your back, while you plastered a joyful expression on your face; closed eye with a big smile.

The happiness emitting from you made Jouno's grip on his handle even harder— how could you stay so.. Cheeky at this kind of situation?

"What's the problem?" You oblivious asked with an excitement laced on your tone while tilting your head, you behaved so innocent, you acted confused like you knew nothing— albeit, you really knew what was wrong.

"The problem? Hah— don't make me laugh, [Y/N]. You are the problem." He bluntly uttered out which made you opened your eyes at his remark— slightly shocked at his accusation. Your head returned at its position, a confused face was now your expression.

"Me? Problem?" You purely asked. He removed the grip on his handle as his shoulders slowly falls out; he held his gaurd down. "Don't try to act so innocent [Y/N]." He stated a chuckle slipping from his lips.

You closed your eyes a smile making its way to your face again as you faced your back slowly walking to your desk. An ammused face was plastered on Jouno as he waited for a word to come out from your mouth.

"I didn't want it." You murmured, you knew he heard it "You can't keep a promise, neither." You perked at his voice— the smile from your face faded "Promises are meant to be broken, neither."

You walked to your desk, placing your palm on the painted wood as you bent your waist down "There's something I want to tell you." You uttered your voice lace with... Emptiness.

"And what's that?" He inquired with a please tone— a smirk on his face now, although, he can't help but be worried at the sudden change of your mood.

"I want to tell you something I've really wanted to let you know. " Your voice was completely nothing. No joyful aura emitted from you.

He knew something was wrong. He was used to your energetic voice but now it was nothing but, blankness. Your voice was laced with desolation.

He just hummed gesturing for you to continue whatever you wanted to say. He was curious too.

A tense atmosphere developed the room as he patiently waits for your words, you looked down at the table before proceeding "It hurts to be something." You uttered out, voice emotionless.

He tilted his head not really understanding you "But!—" your breath hitched before taking a moment to continue "It's worst to be nothing," You stopped, no light or joy could be seen around you, mentally or physically.

"With you." You ended, it took him by suprise as his head returned to its position, mouth slightly agape. He was shocked, your voice was completely voided, usually— you would be energetic even in the darkest time, but now, you were a completely different person.

He shook his head discarding your mental well being and rather focusing on the real problem, he was about to open his mouth when you precede him, he slammed his mouth shut letting you to continue "I've done the math."

Now he was even more confused, what math? He's sure that this job— or rather than being a betrayer doesn't consist a math problem, right? At this point, you— or he thinks that you're just making this up to feel sympathy.

"There's no solution." You uttered out, biting your cheeks trying not to spill the tears you were holding. He let out a sigh showing that he was somewhat irritated.

"We'll never last."

. [ 📜 ] I don't know what I did but stick to it plz, I don't have anything to post☹️☹️

[yanderes-galore]

HHGRRYG,,, 2018 DONNIE WITH PROMPT 20 AND 34,,, IM GOING INSANE

I'm happy you like the character, Anon, lolol ^^; Also, this makes sense as a lot in the series his brothers gloss over his plans and ideas. Aged up as usual.

Yandere! ROTTMNT Donatello Prompts 20 + 34

Pairing: Romantic

"I've been waiting too long for this...."

"No one else understands me except you!"

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Stalking, Clingy behavior, Delusional behavior, Manipulation, Kidnapping, Forced relationship.

Donatello was used to his brothers not giving him the attention he feels he deserves. Not many people understood him or wanted to talk things out with him. April did, yes, but other than her not many enjoyed his intellect and chat.

Then he met you, purely by chance when he was going undercover, and he started up conversation. He was surprised when you showed fascination and wanted to know more about his tech. Nothing malicious like his encounter with the Purple Dragons, genuine curiosity even if you didn't totally understand it.

"Woah, you like this stuff!?"

"I can see why you'd enjoy it. Honestly, you're quite talented."

"... You have no idea how much that means to me-"

You compliment him and his genius. He barely gets compliments from his brothers and his father, so hearing you so invested gets in his head. He's never shared contact info with someone so fast.

His family was happy he made a new friend once you passed a background check. April was too. You seemed to make Donnie very happy.

Chats between you two would go on for hours. Voice calls, video calls, video games, in person visits.... It was weird to not see Donnie talking with you.

"(Y/N) totally gets me, April! We talk nonstop!"

"That sounds great, Donnie! But, you are taking breaks, right?"

"Why would I need breaks? I adore all the texts and calls we share-!"

Donatello's behavior around you screamed crush. He wanted to impress you to get more of your praise. He went into withdrawls when you couldn't talk with each other.

His brothers thought he was being obsessive. They tried not to worry too much about it as he gets like this with video games too... although this felt more and more like an issue as time went on. He wasn't even like this with idols.

"It needs to be PERFECT! This little device is sure to impress (Y/N)...."

His brothers knew they had to do something when Donnie started putting work into drones and trackers. It was obvious what he was about to do. It was not going to be pretty....

"Donnie, you are NOT using those on (Y/N)."

"I wasn't going to!"

"Really now? Why else would you be making a tracker and drone while muttering about (Y/N)?"

"I want to impress (Y/N)...?"

"No, dude. You're being creepy. For (Y/N)'s safety, you need to chill out."

In response to their purple brother's creepy behavior, they do whatever they can to keep you away. Although, when you love someone, something like this does the opposite effect. It only drove him closer to you....

Instead of making Donnie re-evaluate his choices, it made him panic. His own family removed the one person who understood them. Did they not want him happy?

Not understanding what he was doing was wrong, he snapped.

"I've been waiting too long for this...."

The purple gear around you prevented you from moving. Cuffs were wrapped around your wrists, while something was wrapped around your neck to keep you still. Donnie doesn't show any sympathy, only a look of adoration.

"My brothers feel we aren't meant for each other... but I've calculated EVERYTHING."

"Why would you do something like this, Donnie?"

"Isn't this tech amazing!? I made it comfortable enough to not hurt you, just for you. It took me weeks ever since they said we couldn't talk anymore. Then, of course, I have this to keep track of you!"

Donnie holds up a small tracking device, your eyes widening.

"That... didn't answer my question- Where am I, anyway?"

"Oh... my lab. It's all sound proofed though, so, no one's getting in."

"Alright... can you please answer my question, Donnie?"

You're trying to stay brave, not wanting to set him off. Clearly, you made friends with a psychopath. Someone driven to the edge with obsession....

"Hm? Oh, right... well-"

Donnie leans closer, holding your head in his hands.

"No one else understands me except you!"

"Is that why you kidnapped me!?"

"No need to panic, my dearest! Think of this situation like... Romeo and Juliet!"

He backs away and stands up dramatically, grinning.

"My family wants us apart! However, our love is too strong! We're meant to be together! No one can tear us apart...."

"Please, Donnie, you have to know this isn't some play or fairytale fantasy!"

You shake in your restraints, trying to emphasize your point.

"I'm in restraints, in your lab, while you play out delusions. If anything, this is closer to those tales of dragons kidnapping people!"

Donnie gives you a strange look, like you destroyed his fantasy for a moment. His eyes then narrow and he crosses his arms.

"I thought you understood me!"

He screams, looking hurt.

"I thought you'd understand this is how our love story goes! One of drama! One of passion! One perfect for US!"

"You KIDNAPPED me, Donnie!"

Donnie refuses to listen, delving into a sad state. Then he sighs before looking towards you again.

"I... I know but I promise it's the first step to make things work between us! Just give me a chance. The restraints are temporary. You'll be living here for a bit. Do not worry, either! I have all your favorite things ingrained in my head to care for you!"

He steps closer again to hold your head, kissing your nose before giggling. This was clearly not the friend you knew. You had no idea he was this... unstable-

"You have no choice, anyways. There's no running... and I'll find you anywhere."

[george228732]

Fylass Through the Looking Glass - Chapter Ten - Land of Fakery

The crew was quite surprised to see Fylass’ sudden change of mood; from what they know about them, the kid was as noble as they could be, and even with people like the last Queen of Hearts, they wouldn’t be this aggressive, especially with people that they had no way of knowing who he was exactly… Right?

Lucid seemingly knew who Maforanti was, and he seemingly didn’t like him either, but he seemed quite bewildered that what he was seeing with his two hollow eyes was actually a thing.

"F-Fylass, what are you doing?!"

Maforanti, on the other hand was terrified, not only for Fylass holding that cleaver with that much proximity to his only good eye, but he felt as if his mind was falling apart, only to be replaced by another one, of another life where he committed mistake after mistake. If this were any other situation, he wouldn’t have felt any other feeling than humiliation, but that specific emotion wasn’t the priority, with pure terror towards his surroundings being the main focus of his attention.

"F-Fylass, that’s your name, right? Whatever you did, you are not going to trick me into thinking those are my memories; you Wonderlanders are just here to cause chaos, aren't you?!" Deep down, he was sure those memories are, somehow, his, but denial started to seep in. He realized Fylass wasn’t going to believe that easily, and so, his expression was only begging for their sympathy.

"You want me to spare your life, don’t you? Well, get down on your nonexistent knees and BEG for your life! What are you standing there for, staring at me like a fool, anyway?! You know you messed up, and you still keep lying!" Fylass hated Maforanti, for reasons no one seemed to know, and even though Lucid knew beforehand that he didn’t exactly have the best reputation when being in Underland, when he still was using Shard as a name, he couldn’t process correctly what as happening, and it seemed that no one else did; not even Fylass themself could.

The Wolpertinger was about to swing their cleaver towards his eye, with Maforanti already thinking about how painful it’ll be; the cleaver hadn’t even touched it, yet he was already imagining his vision starting to become red, as he desperately tried to pull the weapon of choice out, with every touch of its metal, reeking of iron, making every touch, a desperate plea of nothing but agony.

Fylass, however, before they could make any drastic move, threw the cleaver right next to his left ear, with excellent precision, catching some of his fur, but without piercing it, even partially. Their frustration was clear, as a gaze of nothing but resentment was clearly shown.

"Why, YOU, of all people?! WHY?!" They grabbed the cleaver and stood away from him.

Unresponsive, Mafo placed his hand on his chest as his trembling breath catched up to him, and a light headache set itself in. His thoughts were scattered, but they would prefer that they wouldn’t be thinking at this moment.

"...Fylass… I-I…" Both weren’t happy with seeing each other, it seemed, although Fylass showed that with much more intensity and frustration, as Mafo could only show that off with fear and uneasiness, although that might be regarding his new state. "...How are you here? How do I even know you?

"I would ask you the same thing…" Fylass already knew the answer to those questions, but they needed to play along, for everyone’s sake and sanity. "I could swear that you were already a goner."

"W-What happened to me?! Is this the Afterlife, and I didn’t notice?!" 

"...Fylass, what are you two talking about?" Lucid asked, being the first one to say some words, after all, he was too confused to say something, and the rest were just as puzzled.

"Maforanti and I… well… know each other, sadly. He wasn’t the best person… I don’t know how to explain it, but he… he got a new chance of life, if that makes sense…" From the information Fylass and Mafo had, the kid wasn’t really lying. They didn’t even know how he got his memories back, but they weren’t going to focus on that for now.

"...You need to be more specific, kid."

"I… I can’t do that, sorry…"

"..." Lucid wasn’t satisfied with the answer, but he figured out that the kid wouldn’t budge on saying anything.

"...Now… Maforanti, I think you owe me a favor, after all that you’ve done. You remember that too, right? What about sending us to the Red Kingdom, if you know how to?"

"..." Maforanti knew that this kid was more than capable of killing him, if what he remembers now is even remotely true and so, he nodded in response. When his mind cleared out better, he could have a better understanding of the world around him, who looked so much more different with this new mindset.

He would see what to do with Fylass; even with his mind filled out with fear, resentment would start to grow too, sooner or later. For now, though, he’s powerless to do anything, so he has no other option than to comply with fear.

Before Mafo could say anything, though, Buddy and Celeernyx got out of the White Castle, with some bottles and a carefully sealed tray in hand; upon closer inspection, Fylass realized that they were the same bottles that they used in Wonderland to shrink, with the "DRINK ME" labels on some of them, at the brink of falling off due to how old they were; they didn’t seem to have expired, though, surprisingly enough. Celeernyx was the one holding the tray, which seemed to contain some cupcakes with the words "EAT ME" on top, with them, also seemingly not expired. They seemed to be from the last trading festivity; the one that ended Wonderland and Underland's bonds.

Buddy’s neutral face was quickly replaced with anger upon seeing Mafo’s face, if it wasn’t enough for him to be terrified by his new found memories, and Fylass’ motives, he now had to face a King who couldn’t be any more displeased with his presence. It got to the point that Maforanti stumbled again, now touching the checkerboard grass.

"You, again?! How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t want to see your face ever again?! Do I need to tell you that once again, or do I have to get rid of you for you to understand?! I thought that taking the vision out of one of your eyes was going to be enough!" Lucid had thought that the Jabberwocky might’ve done that itself, but apparently, the King himself was the one responsible. 

The King grabbed Mafo by the neck, or at least, where it’s supposed to be, with the intention of attacking him, as he seemingly was about to release some magic from his other hand; he seemingly had some powers as the original Buddy did.

"I don’t even care about your other eye anymore, you just don’t listen, and if I need to put you on the brink of death for you to finally get it, then so be it, I’ll leave you unrecognizable." Buddy was about to attack Maforanti, but Fylass was quick to stop them; they tried to convince him to not do it, since, even though Fylass despised him, they knew they needed him to get to the Red Kingdom unscathed. 

Fylass’ pleas were left on deaf ears though, since Buddy was determined, but Lucid was seemingly aware of Fylass’ plan, and in an attempt to save Maforanti, even though he also didn’t like him, tried to convince them as well. Something about it felt different, though.

"Please, King, I know that you are enraged, yes, but we both know that it’s not worth it! Please, think about what will happen next…"

If Fylass said those exact words, it wouldn’t have worked, but there was something about Lucid’s voice and tone that convinced him to stop, dropping Maforanti from his grip, who was gasping for air.

"Even with you trying to take over the throne, you are lucky that the only thing you’ve lost was your eye."

Maforanti was still trying to breathe with some struggle, before Fylass lended him a hand. They hated him, but even then, this Maforanti wasn’t the one that they met before, and staying mad at him would be unjustified.

"...Look, I am sorry… I still don’t like you, but staying mad at you in a situation like this is just going to lead us to downfall… Here, you need help to stand?" 

Mafo was still fearsome of the Wonderlander in front of him, but he accepted Fylass’ hand, and he used their help to gain composure. He still wasn’t sure if he was going to do something about the kid, though, after all, this is still Maforanti, and from what Buddy said, he also had some… questionable behavior.

Fylass was still going to give them a chance to help, and maybe even, prove themselves right.

"If you don’t want to help us to get to the Red Kingdom… that’s okay too; it’s only understandable."

"...Excuse me?! THIS traitor, helping us?! On what side are you on?!"

"From what I’ve heard, I don’t think there’s any other alternative… Unless you have a plan in mind?" Buddy now realized that, in fact, he didn’t have a plan on how to get there. He knew that Maforanti had… connections with the Red Kingdom from behind his back, and now noticed that this traitor he just called, was probably his only ticket of success.

Buddy looked at Maforanti, who was looking at him back.

"...Sigh… Listen, if you help us, I might consider getting you back in the Royal Guard as General. If our people at the Castle decide to welcome you with open arms, that’s besides the point, but the possibility is there…" Buddy was clearly against this idea, and would've preferred to have already killed him, but he was too far down in the rabbit hole to back down.

"...I’ll… I’ll take the offer." Maforanti didn’t want to get the position back exactly, but something pushed him enough to accept, maybe for fear, but at this point, it didn’t care anymore now, would it?

"Alright then… If you decide to betray us, though, I’ll make sure that you will not only lose your only good eye by my own hands."

Mafo stood up, and sighed, still with his thoughts scattered, but now it seemed that they were going somewhere; if that somewhere was going to lead them to light, or an even darker path than the one they were before, but yet again, that didn’t matter… for now.

"...I have a plan. Club, could you lend me your bag?" The Queen asked, and Fylass did as such. "We can use these potions to shrink ourselves and enter it without issue, as Maforanti carries it towards the Red Kingdom; gladly, we know that he has gained the confidence of many of the people from there, including the… Dame. We can infiltrate ourselves from the inside, and investigate further."

…Maforanti being the one at charge was a very risky move, but at the end of the day, there wasn’t much they could do, so everyone agreed with the plan. Buddy was the one that was the most against this, but yet again, this was the only option, besides trying to enter by force, leading to even more trouble.

"Are we ready to start-" Celeernyx was interrupted by someone, or well, two people in this case, being Banshee and Unicorn, which seemingly were bruised. That "talk" seemingly didn’t go well, but seemingly, their conflict was resolved, trying to pretend as if nothing had happened.

"Er… Sorry for the delay."

"...A-Are you okay?!"

"Don’t worry, kid, I already learned my lesson."

"U-Uh, it’s not that, but… alright…" Fylass already figured out that this was going to end up leading nowhere. "So… We have a plan to get to the Red Kingdom, and this… person is going to help us out…"

Unicorn seemed curious about this new person, being Maforanti, and for courtesy, he greeted him with class. Maforanti, trembling, tried to do the same; if he was successful or not, depends on the person you ask.

"So, what’s the plan?"

"...We’re planning for an infiltration. Those drinks right there are potions that can shrink us for this plan to work. Everything else should work out by itself." 

Both Banshee and Unicorn were sort of skeptical about it, but they’ve seen weirder things before, and they don’t have much reason to not trust them at this point.

"Alright, we believe you on this."

"Thank you… Everything ready, then?"

Everyone agreed, and started to work on this idea, and at this point, they could pray that everything will go well. There were more than enough samples for everyone, and so, everything was sent and done. Banshee and Unicorn were interested in the taste, though.

"What a funny flavor… Is it apple?"  They shrank. "Blueberry?" They shrank again. "Oh! …Buttered Toast?" They shrank one last time. 

"...How do you confuse Blueberry with Buttered Toast?" 

Everyone, but Maforanti became tiny, and with some effort, they entered Fylass’ bag, which had the Pocket Watch, The Club Key, and the Book of Etymology. It was oddly comfortable, as if it was a bed. Anyone could sleep on it.

"...Alright… My turn…" Maforanti, still with confusion, kept agreeing, and as such, he left towards this new destination. Everyone was now quiet, as they put themselves comfortable for this long trip, and many were still nervous for the person that was guiding them towards the Red Kingdom; they needed to have faith in this, anyway.

Fylass was looking at his surroundings inside the bag, seeing how everyone was talking with each other, but noticed that Chaos was oddly silent; indeed, he hasn’t talked anything for quite a while. 

"...Chaos?" They went towards him, who was with Fetty, just as concerned about his attitude; he looked like he was in a trance, and with Fylass’ words of concern, he seemed to snap out of it.

"A-Ah, yes?" 

"Oh, nothing… I just felt you were oddly silent. Something happens?"

"...Well… I don’t know why, but I feel like that Time dude and I have met before, but that should be impossible… I don’t even know who exactly I am, besides being the culprit of Lucid looking… well, like that."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, you didn’t know…? Huh. Nevermind then… Anyways, I feel like I don’t really belong in Wonderland, although I am literally the Spade Suit… I feel like a part of me is missing. This hatter surely has some concerns about his life…"

"...Maybe if we find the Chronosphere, you can get some answers?"

"...I am scared of the answer, that’s the problem. This sounds out of character for me, but I feel odd, but that oddity is comforting for any other answer we might get."

"I… I get you, don’t worry…"

"...Are you sure, you do?"

"I can promise you that, Chaos… For now, though, you should probably rest."

"...Yeah, you are correct. Thanks for your concerns…" Chaos did his best to sleep, and after some time, he actually did, with Fetty seemingly being relieved, as she thanked the Wolpertinger. 

Fylass left towards Lucid and Buddy, who were so close, yet so far apart from each other, in quite the most literal way possible; being so close, but not wanting to look at each other. The kid came towards Lucid, but did a bad move, and the wound of their chest quickly acted, causing them to go into pain.

"Fylass! Are you well!"

"E-Eh, yeah, I think… Don’t worry…"

"...I can tell you are in pain."

"No! I am totally fine! Please, trust me!"

"...You know, whenever I was in pain, I always tried to sing a song to get better, and it worked. I don’t want you to keep hurting by… whatever that wound is, so if you are not letting me collaborate, at least do this for me. Please?"

Buddy looked at Lucid with a weird expression; those words felt familiar, familiar from him.

"...Sing? There’s no need to!"

"...If you say so…"

Fylass had won the argument, or so it seemed. They were still hurt by that wound, and after some more minutes like that, minutes of pure silence which felt like hours, especially for a situation like the one the kid was facing.

 Fylass couldn’t keep bearing to pretend about not hurting, but they didn’t want to receive help from anyone else, and so, Fylass sung the first few sentences of a song that they sometimes sang when they were sad.

"...Alas, my love, you do me wrong, To cast me off discourteously…

For I have loved you well and long

Delighting in your company…"

Lucid knew the song Fylass was singing as silently as they could, being one that brought him so much melancholy, which left him to wonder why Fylass chose that song in particular. Nonetheless, they had stopped singing from there; maybe they needed some motivation, but as Lucid was about to sing for them the next few sentences, someone else did.

"Greensleeves was all my joy,

Greensleeves was my delight.

Greensleeves was my heart of gold,

And who, but my lovely Greensleeves."

Buddy sang as well, leaving Lucid stunned; he seemed like the type of guy to not sing at all, yet his voice was so soothing, that the Porcelain Hatter couldn’t help but to remember his past, when he still was working for his prince. In Underland, for some reason, many of the Kings were given "Buddy" as a nickname, which yes, sounded silly, but it kept the charm, and made the Kings known for compassion, and that same charm. Soon, he realized that he had stopped singing as well, and without much to do, Lucid sang the next few sentences.

"Your vows, you’ve broken, like my heart.

Oh, why did you so enrapture me,

Now I remain in a world, apart,

but my heart remains in captivity…"

Both seemingly realized that they were singing with each other with the following.

"I have been ready at your hand,

To grant whatever you would want.

I have both wagered life and land,

Your love and good-will to have."

Both sang as quietly as possible, yet, the sounds of an orchestra were played on both their heads, not being able to see how both were singing in synchrony, as the most melancholic of duets. 

Soon enough, though, the lyrics came to an end.

"Ah, Greensleeves, now farewell, adieu,

To God I prosper to thee

For I am still thy lover true,

Come once again, and love me."

Both were quiet again, now realizing what they’ve just done; a moment so intimate, between two people that seemed to not recognize each other, surely a tragedy was at play, but it became something else, as Fylass fell asleep to the melody, now resting alongside both.

"...Did we just…"

"...I assume we did…"

The Queen on the other hand, didn’t seem annoyed or mildly angry; in fact, she seemed happy to see them both like that; from the moment she saw Lucid, she already knew these two were going to be close. She was right, it seems. 

The Rook seemingly was asleep for a while at this point; she was like this ever since Fylass decided not to do anything about Mafo, so she didn’t have much opinion, but if she was awake right now, she would’ve been laughing.

"The last time I sang that song was… before that happened."

"...Ironically… Me too."

He wasn’t sure on what to say; this felt as if he knew the King from childhood, and that surely couldn’t be, so,to ignore what just happened, he looked at Fylass.

"...I am worried for them."

"...Why is that so? You are an Underlander, the Bishop nonetheless, and you are worried about a traitor?"

"...They were the ones that made me go back home…"

"Huh…? How?"

"...I’ll explain later, perhaps…" Lucid said. "This kid is odd, for they are so kind, yet so hostile when they saw Maforanti, and I couldn’t help but think that something wrong is happening to him, and it pains me that not much can be done if they don’t say me anything…"

"...Hm…"

Banshee and Unicorn were talking about topics that no one seemed to understand completely, talking about decks, and how they got messed up, and seemingly talking about other people they have met. Until…

"Eh… Unicorn…"

"Hm?"

"I can’t believe I am saying this, but I feel something wrong is going to happen."

"How so?"

"It’s hard to explain, but… let’s make sure we get to whoever is ruling this place of the land before the others do. Okay?"

"...Okay?"

On Maforanti’s side, he was considering what to do; he was smart enough to play his cards well, and get rid of everyone that he was carrying along, and at the end of the day, no one would be sad for the Wonderlanders, as for the Bishop, Queen and King, it would be a lot more complicated, specially when he most likely realized that both might’ve placed the Knight to keep control of the Kingdom as both King and Queen were absent.

He would’ve figured out a solution eventually… Although, he seemingly wasn’t going to go for that path. 

He didn’t even know why, but he was just playing along, for fear, perhaps? Although, the answer that he found out to be the closest one to a conclusion, was a matter of pride; he knew any possible crime he could’ve done, but he was sure he was the one in the right, for he wanted to rule the White Kingdom, to be the a better ruler than both King and Queen could ever be, being the only reason on his arsenal to justify himself; with the actions he just realized he had done thanks to these memories, however, he can’t really say he’s the better person. 

Maybe all of this is just to prove that he isn’t as evil as his memories make him seem. 

Maybe not.

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

"...Queen, there’s someone approaching."

"Oh? Who is it?"

"We are certain that it’s Maforanti Caldera, for we are seeing him get closer to our land and Castle; he might want to talk to you…"

"Hm. Let him in; I wanted to discuss some things properly soon, so this is more than perfect."

"Yes, My Queen."

A voice from behind these people was muttering to himself, seemingly quiet enough for no one to notice his presence in the darkness.

"Oh, My Queen. My sweet, sweet Queen. You don’t know what problems you are having with that poor cat. And most importantly, you don’t know what is going to happen to you… Heeheehee…"

-------

@lostsoulau-ask

@kachikirby

@galakianexplosion

@moon-mage

@kirby-universe-4162

@heiressofdoodles

[duhragonball]

Do you have any further opinions on Gendo and Shinji having some potentially not healthy views on women?

I'll see what I can come up with.

Gendo uses multiple women throughout the story, but I'm not sure that indicates an unhealthy attitude toward women in particular. He exploits men, including his own son, just as readily.

I find his affairs with the Akagis hard to explain, because he seemed so laser-focused on his objectives, and so averse to forming any close relationships with anyone. Even if his relationships with the Akagis were purely physical for him, it still seems like the sort of thing he wouldn't indulge in... unless he thought it would bring him closer to what he actually wants.

I guess my personal theory is that he didn't seduce the Akagis, but they threw themselves at him, and he played along because he needed their talents too badly to risk pushing them away. Naoko was practically rooting for Yui to die in that accident, so it seems likely that she fell in love with Gendo while they worked together and made her move after Yui was out of the picture. Gendo might have rejected her, but he needed the Magi supercomputer that she was building.

Only after the Magi were completed did he turn against her, calling her a "useless old hag". I think he was counting on Rei to hear him saying it, and used her to provoke Naoko into doing something drastic. Although, considering how important Rei was to his plans, it seems odd that he'd put Rei in such a risky position.

In any event, Ritsuko watched the tail end of Naoko's relationship with Gendo and immediately decided she wanted next. This seems really foolish, considering Naoko's fate, but I get the impression that Gendo is this charismatic enigma, the sort who attracts people to his cause, in spite of his cold and repulsive personality. Maybe Ritsuko thought she could fix him, or she just found him fascinating and wanted a closer look. And so Gendo found himself in the same position all over again, playing along with a new lover to ensure her cooperation with his plans.

That doesn't make him blameless, of course. He saw these women offering themselves to him, and he used their infatuation to his advantage. I guess what I'm saying is that he didn't get entangled in those relationships because he was lonely or horny, or desperate to feel powerful. He just played along with them for as long as they were useful, and then discarded them when they ceased to be useful.

I'd say that probably explains his apparent closeness to Rei as well. They only get along well because he needs her for his plans, and she's willing to go along with literally anything he wants her to do.

But, again, I don't know that this has anything to do with their gender. If Rei were a boy, I don't think it would change much for him. If the Akagis were men, he'd probably still use their attraction to him to his advantage.

Regarding Shinji... man, I don't know.

Yesterday I watched a couple of old Folding Ideas videos about End of Evangelion. Dan Olson was talking about how the movie served as Hideaki Anno's "revenge" against obsessive fans who hated the original ending in Episodes 25 and 26. I think the "revenge" theory of EoE is still open to debate, but I still need to do more research into that. Anyway, Olson was pretty confident about it, since it explains how different Shinji is portrayed in each ending.

In EoTV, Anno used Shinji as a medium to explore his own psychological problems, and the ending is more positive. But in EoE, Anno uses Shinji to represent the emotionally stunted otaku he was so mad at. So in the movie, Shinji never "does anything" or "learns anything". He wallows in self-pity, demands Asuka's sympathy, and strangles her when he doesn't get it. He's a petulant child throughout the whole film, and the misogyny is on full display.

Olson explains that Shinji is useful for this sort of thing because he started out as the standard anime protagonist: a blank slate that the audience could project their own identities upon. By the end of the TV series, Anno could easily turn Shinji into his alter ego, and use him to express his own anxieties and fears. And when the otaku rejected this, it was like they wanted Shinji back the way he was so he could be their avatar instead, Anno granted their wish, making EoE-Shinji a representation of all of their worst qualities.

And that's an interesting interpretation, but what frustrates me is that it basically leaves no room for Shinji to be a character in his own right. He's just a vessel for whatever Hideaki Anno wants him to represent. If Anno is feeling introspective, he'll make Shinji in his own image. If he's mad at the otaku, he'll turn Shinji into a straw man.

And that makes it hard for me to really talk about Shinji's attitude towards women. Early in NGE, he basically behaved himself and seemed to prefer keeping his distance from girls, if only to avoid any awkwardness. Misato and Asuka kind of brought him out of his shell a bit, and then in EoTV he seems to rely on them to help him figure out his damage. In EoE he seems desperate for a woman-- any woman-- to make him feel happy, forever. If he can't have that, he'll either go limp or throw a fit.

I don't know what the throughline is with Shinji. If I understand commentators like Dan Olson correctly, there is no throughline with Shinji. He's just a placeholder for one psyche or another. Still, I suppose he's defined by the loss of his mother, and there's always this lingering temptation for him to think he can just retreat from his problems and take refuge in a woman's embrace. Early on, he's reluctant to accept Misato's hospitality and compassion, maybe because he can't believe it's genuine. Later, he starts to appreciate her more, and then he begins to take the women in his life for granted a bit. In EoTV, he pulls back from that mentality, but in EoE he sinks deeper into that false hope that a woman can make him safe and whole.

Am I making any sense here? I'm not sure.

[twistedwonderlandsimps]

Yuu Rosehearts & Grim

Welcome to this hellhole. You didn’t ask for it but you’re going to get it anyway. I haven’t slept yet and I am purely running on caffeine. I also feel like fist fighting someone. Come meet me in the McDonald’s parking lot at 3 am if you’re up for it. Anyway, enjoy whatever this is because I currently don’t have the capacity to regret making it, lmaooo. :D

===

It wasn’t long after meeting Riddle that Yuu decided to meet up with Headmaster Crowley to look for employment in the campus. Although they could go back to their own home, they decided wanting to stay in the Sage’s Island for now since they were quite unwilling to part with their younger brother. They wanted to bond with Riddle a bit more.

Their younger brother…

A soft smile made its way up on Yuu's face, their chest feeling warm and a rising sense of contentment overtaking their mind as they took the newest batch of pastry out of the oven and into the counter to let it cool. Grim, who had just recently arrived, perked up when he saw this and jumped onto said counter to try and swipe a slice of tart away. Of course Yuu, being familiar with their companion’s antics, immediately gently pushed his paw away.

“Fgna! What gives, Yuu!” Grim grumbled lightheartedly, looking hungrily at the tarts. He had to bat away Yuu’s hand when it rested on his head as Yuu said, “Yuu can’t have it, Grim. Those are for sale.”

Just then, one of the ghosts who worked in the cafeteria popped in the kitchen with a loud and cheerful greeting: "Mx. Rosehearts! Your tarts are selling faster than expected! The students love it! Is the next batch ready?" The ghost said as it approached closer and looked at the steaming tarts. They took in a deep breath and hummed pleasantly. "Mmm! It already looks wonderful! I’m sure it’s going to be as delicious as it looks."

That's right. Yuu got a job in the school cafeteria. They mostly made and sold pastries and desserts, though, rather than cooking the meals. It was their area of expertise, after all.

Yuu blinked in surprise when they heard this before a reddish hue dusted their cheeks as they registered what the ghost said to them. "T-They like it?”

Grim rolled his eyes at them, albeit teasingly. This action didn’t go unnoticed by Yuu who scowled, but their ears were flushed. “Oh! W-Well, of course they do! I only learnt from the b-best, after all! Mr. and Mrs. Clover's bakery were really popular back… um… at my previous hometown, you know. If it hadn’t been for them…" Yuu trailed off, mumbling. 

Yuu felt indebted to the Clover couple. It was because of them that Yuu had survived all these years and got to where they were right now. Running away with nothing in their name but the clothes on their back and a bag that could only hold so much of the things that they needed to survive hadn’t been easy for them.

Yuu had to constantly worry about where to find shelter, when they were going to eat their next meal, or find a source of clean water. Oftentimes, they would even have to go for days on end not being able to eat anything. It was always a risk, a gamble, of whether they were going to succumb today or live on for another day. The only thing that kept them going in their darkest times was the thought and the fear that accompanied it of leaving Grim alone. The world wasn't kind to monsters and Yuu would be damned if they left their first and only friend alone in such a cruel world.

Yuu had found Grim when they were hiking through the mountain, trying to find berries or fruits that were fit for human consumption. That was the time when they noticed a creature that was tucked away beneath a tall, towering tree. It looked like it was trying to hide itself against it.

Grim was severely injured at that time and was extremely hostile, heckles raised and hissing threateningly at Yuu. Despite the threat of being roasted alive by the unknown creature, for some reason Yuu had felt a connection with it. Perhaps it was a feeling of kinship? Or was it sympathy? They didn't know why but what they did know was that they couldn't just leave the creature out here all alone.

Even though Yuu had almost nothing with them aside from their rapidly decreasing food supply, they still gave most of it to Grim. He needed it more to grow healthier and stronger, as well as recover from his injuries, after all.

From that day on, the two were practically inseparable.

Yuu and Grim had strayed from place to place, never stopping and always finding ways to survive despite their circumstances. Most of the time they had to stay in the woods. With Grim being a monster and Yuu looking disheveled and dirty, most of the towns and cities they came across to would just either chase them away or immediately throw them out.

They had no choice but to live and try to survive in the wilderness. Since Grim was a monster, his stomach was tougher than humans so he could eat a lot of things that humans couldn’t and be full enough to not feel the pains of hunger. Yuu didn't have the same luxury, though, so they usually just had to grit their teeth and try to sleep it off.

When the hunger pangs was too much to bear and Grim noticed it (and he always did), the cat-like creature would temporarily disappear before returning to their makeshift home with a pitiful amount of food held between his maws. This usually accompanied an injury or injuries somewhere on his body.

Yuu knew that Grim stole the foods from nearby towns but they never said anything bad about this. They never condemned or get mad at him for stealing, or worry about what the people would think of them. Yuu was only worried about Grim…

"...Y-Y-You don't have to r-risk your life to get this for me, y-you know." Yuu would whisper, stuttering their words no matter how much they tried to stop it, trying to bandage Grim's injuries with what limited amount of first aid supplies they had with them while trying to stop their tears from flowing by how battered and beaten their one and only friend was. "Promise me you won't—you won’t do this a-again... Please… p-please…"

Grim would always promise Yuu to never get himself injured.

…

He was a liar…

… He always broke his promise…

Fortunately for them, things started to look up when they stumbled upon a bakery in a small town faraway that was on the verge of closing down and landed themselves a job as a baker after the last one quit due to the lack of customers. Their boss was a kind soul who didn’t care that Grim was a monster or that Yuu looked disheveled and unkempt.

Soon, the bakery slowly but surely started to attract more and more customers as the days passed that Yuu and Grim could finally sustain themselves. Grim even became the bakery's beloved mascot and the people absolutely loved him.

Yuu was grateful to their boss for their kindness, as well as to the Clover family for teaching them. Even at the cost of potentially getting into trouble with Mrs. Rosehearts had she ever found about Yuu learning these 'unnecessary things', the couple still secretly taught them how to bake and would even give them treats to cheer them up whenever they feel down.

"Yuu?" A very familiar voice sounded out, snapping Yuu out of their thoughts as Grim shoved his face in front of them.

"I—W-What--?" Yuu stuttered out, startled.

"The tarts already cooled off. Are you going to sell it or can I have all of it?" Grim eyed the tarts with a greedy expression on his face. Yuu shook their head in a doting manner at Grim who was practically drooling, before they picked up the trays and handed it over to ghost staff that took it gratefully and left.

"Hey!" Grim grumbled again, a dejected look on their face. “You’ve been baking all these tarts since earlier and you won’t even give me a bite. This is so unfair...” Yuu couldn't help but laugh at his expression.

"Hmm... Well, how about this," Yuu pretended to think, placing a hand under their chin as if contemplating. "Ah! I know! I'll bake a whole tart just for you, the great Grim!"

Grim paused for a moment, blinking, before his eyes twinkled. He perked up, “Woah! A whole tart?! Just for me?” He paused. “Wait, I have to do something first, right? What do I have to do in return?”

Yuu laughed at Grim's sharp intuition. He really knew them too well. They reached in their pocket and pulled out a small list, saying: "We're, uh, running out of ingredients unfortunately, so I'd appreciate it if you can head over to Sam’s real quickly."

Grim sighed, "Fggnaa... chores..." But he took the list anyway. "Can I have two whole tarts, then?"

"No, you only get one."

"But Yuuuu! I'm hungry!"

"Hmm... Well, you can have one whole tart then and a can of tuna from Sam."

"!!! Can I have five--"

"Two tuna cans, at most. You're going to give yourself indigestion."

"Bah!" Grim pouted but he quickly went back to his normal, cheerful self at the thought of eating not just two tuna cans but also a whole tart! Just for him and no one else’s!

He jumped down the counter with the grocery list and headed towards the exit, shouting: "I'll be back soon so make me the biggest and tastiest tart, alright Yuu?"

“Yes, yes…” Yuu chuckled. They stared at Grim’s figure until he was completely gone from their sight before Yuu went over to one of the ovens in the kitchen to take out a tart that was significantly much bigger than the other ones they made earlier. Grim may be small but he sure could eat a lot. Yuu wondered where all the food he ate go.

One of the ghost chefs poked their head in by the doorway and their eyes immediately landed on the tart. "Oh, so fast? And just in time, too! The tarts just sold out!" The ghost exclaimed but Yuu was quick to wave their hands.

"Ah, I'm sorry but, um, this one isn't for sale. I h-had to have Grim get me more ingredients from Sam. I'm afraid the customers will have to wait a- a little more." Yuu gave an unsure and sheepish smile to the ghost.

"Alright then, just call us when you have more!" The ghost said cheerfully before going away to help cater to the students in the cafeteria because of lunch rush.

Yuu turned their focus to the tart, picking up the piping bag and lining it on the pastry. They let their hands go to work as they hummed a merry tune. Nothing but the best for Grim, of course.

Seeing their brother as well as their best friend every day, the thought of bonding and making happy memories with each other, even the idea of making new friends in this place was just so exciting. What more could Yuu ask for in life?

After struggling for years and years, of endlessly experiencing hardship and pain, they could finally relax… they were happy and contented. At long last, everything was all right in the world and nothing could ever ruin this peace.

…Drip, drip, drip…

…

R-Right…?

[dragondemoness]

I loved that Ultimate therapist reader request, so I was hoping for a part 2 but with Kazuichi, Hiyoko, Junko, Miu and Tenko

Glad you liked it! Unfortunately, I couldn't come up with anything for Junko, but I hope these suffice

And I did make the therapist male in Tenko’s part, but I made it platonic, because I can’t really see how a romantic relationship would work in that one

Kazuichi, Hiyoko, Miu and Tenko With an Ultimate Therapist S/O

Kazuichi Soda

You were concerned about his feelings for Sonia

To you, it seemed superficial, almost obsessive, more than loving

So you approached him, wanting to talk to him

And he got defensive, telling you that it was none of your business, and that you were just jealous of their relationship

Then he stormed off, and you knew you needed a plan to get through to him

Then he asked Sonia out and got rejected

His self-esteem was destroyed, and you called him to your office

This time, he was willing to listen

He revealed that he knew you were right about his little crush on Sonia

It was superficial and creepy

But Sonia was the kindest, most pure person he'd met, and he wanted her more than anything

You were concerned, but you held your tongue

Instead, you did your best to console him, and told him that he would find someone else

Your words were surprisingly comforting to him, and he thanked you

Maybe you weren't so bad after all

You asked him to come to your office every day after school, and he reluctantly agreed

Although he insisted to be fine most of the time, he still showed up once a day

He figured he owed it to you for how he acted earlier

But eventually, you gently asked him to tell you more about himself

At this point, he trusted you more, so he felt ready to open up a little bit

He told you about his family, and how his dad once punished him for skipping out on a school trip

You listened silently, waiting for him to finish

When he did, you expressed your sympathy and offered him a hug

He was hesitant at first, but he accepted it, and it actually felt really nice

When you pulled away, he gave you a smile, a genuine one, and thanked you

Now he opened up to you more, and you came to understand him better

Eventually, he very shyly asked you out, and you said yes

Now Kazuichi found a new light in his life, and he couldn't be happier

Hiyoko Saionji 

You were concerned about her behavior and how she treated others

You found her when she was bullying Mikan, and you walked up to her and politely asked her to stop

She stared at you in shock for a moment, then snapped at you to stay out if it

Then she stormed off while you helped Mikan up

Hiyoko confronted you later, asking what your problem was

You told her that you were the Ultimate Therapist, and that you couldn't allow people to treat other people so terribly

You spoke politely, but sternly, in such a way that reminded Hiyoko of her father

You went on, saying that you were concerned about her and wanted to help

She put on her angry, defensive front and told you that she didn't have to tell you anything, and that nothing about her life or relationships was any of your business

So you decided to make a deal with her: she would come to your office for thirty minutes, and if you managed to get her to talk, she would have to come back the next day (you also promised candy) and if you failed, she never had to come back again

Hiyoko thought on it, and agreed (mainly for the candy)

So you brought her to your office, and you sat in silence for ten minutes

You asked her one question, and one question only: why was she so angry?

She still felt too stubborn to talk, but something in her wanted to

But in the end, she refused to talk, and true to your word, she didn't have to come back again

She thought she would be happy, but she kept thinking about you all day

Maybe you weren't so bad, and maybe you would actually be helpful for her

So she came back to your office on her own accord, which made you smile

She explained that she was angry because her family put a lot of pressures on her, and that she only acted angry so that nobody would try to take advantage of her

When you asked why Mikan in particular, Hiyoko said that it was because Mikan was so kind and pure, but also a crybaby and a pushover, which annoyed her

You understood her struggles, but made it clear that it's no excuse for treating other people like trash

Surprisingly, Hiyoko nodded instead of fighting back

As promised, you gave her a small bag of gummies and asked if she would come back tomorrow

She said "maybe" and left

And she did

The more times she kept coming, the more you learned about her

About her father, her friends, her relationships in general

She was surprisingly soft and vulnerable with you

When you asked why, she said it was because you reminded her of her father

Flattered, you thanked her, and she thanked you for helping her

Then she hugged you

You were caught off guard, but hugged her back with a smile

Even though Hiyoko was stubborn at first, you managed to find your way to her heart, and she found a respect for you that she didn't have for anyone else

Miu Iruma 

At first, she seemed fine

Just very confident in herself

Until you noticed the way she acted when someone even slightly raised their voice at her

Her confident, loud-mouthed exterior completely crumbles

That was what had you concerned about her

And what made you approach her one day

Of course, when you asked her to come to her office, she asked if you wanted to fuck her

You said no, and asked her to come so you could talk

She refused, telling you that her personal shit wasn’t your business

But somehow, you convinced her to come, begrudgingly

And no matter how hard you tried, she would not give in

Miu was very guarded about her emotions

You were getting nowhere, so you decided to make a deal with her

If she could really convince you she was alright, now and the day after, she never had to come back

She was against it at first, but the promise of a challenge had her begrudgingly agree

Or in Miu terms, she’s not a p*ssy

So she left your office that day tight-lipped, but you were close

She hated to admit it, but she could feel herself starting to crack

When she came back, she was incredibly uncomfortable

You weren’t even raising your voice at her, but she felt like you were a predator cornering your prey

In the last 30 minutes, she couldn’t take it anymore and blurted out that she had problems with her self-esteem

You were caught off guard, and asked to elaborate

She explained that she was sensitive and not very confident in herself, so she put up a front to hide it

There was nobody she trusted enough to be vulnerable with, so she felt that was the only option

You understood, and told her that she could trust you to be vulnerable if she wanted

She hesitated, but tensely thanked you before leaving

And the next time she had a problem, she came back

Whether that was her confidence, someone yelling at her, or just her relationships with people, she always came to you for advice

You helped her to become more confident in herself, and to open up to her classmates so she could find someone else to be vulnerable with

Even if she still had an odd way of showing it, she really was grateful for you and your help

Eventually, she started to have deeper feelings for you, and with her newfound genuine confidence, she asked to start a relationship with you

Or alternatively, she formed a connection with Kaede, and with your help, she found the confidence to ask her out

Either way, thanks to you, Miu has built up her confidence and lowered her guard around others, and she appreciates you so much for that

Tenko Chabashira

There were a number of things you were concerned about

First, her intense hatred towards males

She insisted it was just her master’s teachings, but somehow, that didn’t feel like that was all there was to it

Plus, her behavior towards Himiko

Having feelings for someone was one thing, but the way she made her so uncomfortable, blatantly stalking her, rubbed you the wrong way

Plus, Himiko had asked her to stop multiple times, but Tenko never listened

You knew you had to step in, so you did

Naturally, your interference did not get a welcoming response from Tenko

She told you that, as a degenerate male, your opinion of her and Himiko’s relationship didn’t matter

With that, she left and decided she hated you

But later on, she enlisted the help of Makoto Naegi and the Ultimate Impostor to help her with her hatred of males

Yes I’m referencing the Danganronpa S event here. And...?

They weren’t helping very much, so the Impostor suggested she come to you, the Ultimate Therapist who happened to be a male

She was very much against the idea, given how you butted in her business with Tenko a while ago

But with convincing from Makoto and the Impostor as well as threats of sending Kirumi on her she begrudgingly caved

Despite her past behavior, you greeted her with patience and kindness

Tenko had no idea how to approach the situation, so she basically sat down and demanded you to “fix her”

You asked her what she wanted help with, but she didn’t know where to start

But you did, and asked her about her relationship with Himiko

She did not like having this brought up again, but she knew that in order to get better, she needed to work with you

So she just said that Himiko was “cute, kind and magical,” before demanding what was wrong with it

Her eyes gleamed a little bit when she said that

You nodded, and told her that there was nothing wrong with having a crush, or having a crush on someone of the same gender, but the way Tenko went about her feelings weren’t the healthiest

Tenko got fiery and told you to shut up, insisting that her behavior wasn’t creepy or “stalkery” at all

You told her that Himiko herself begged to differ, which quickly shut Tenko up

Turns out, Himiko asked you to get Tenko to leave her alone

Tenko denied it, saying that you were lying

In response, you challenged her, saying to ask Himiko herself

This caused her to calm down, though her expression grew sad

You also told her that Himiko wasn’t even the only one

In fact, her whole class basically lined up to ask you to help Tenko change her behavior

The girls, because they were concerned for Tenko and shared your worries about her behavior towards Tenko

And the boys, because they were sick of Tenko’s hatefulness

And also Makoto and the Impostor

Tenko’s eyes filled up with tears, learning how angry she made people

You assured her that it wasn’t too late, that she could still make a change

She asked how, this time, with no malice or hatred at all

You asked her to talk about how her hatred towards males surfaced in the first place

And she explained it to you in greater detail, and you understood her more

And when asking her to explain her feelings for Himiko in detail, she said that it was because yes, Himiko was cute and beautiful, but she was also passionate about her magic, which Tenko admired

You told her that if she wanted to pursue their relationship, she needed to respect Himiko’s boundaries and take things slow

She nodded, and thanked you

She left and took your advice to heart

She approached Himiko and apologized for her behavior, and asked if they could start over as friends

Himiko hesitated, but she did care about Tenko as a person, so she agreed and their friendship improved greatly

She still struggled a lot, but with your help, as well as Makoto and the Impostor’s, she could at least maintain a 3-minute conversation with a boy without any words of hate or malice

And later, she asked Himiko out, and she agreed, and their relationship only grew stronger

All the while, you watched from afar, smiling at her progress

She may have been your most challenging client, but you played the biggest part in helping her make a change

And she couldn’t be more grateful for your help

[raving-raven-writing]

Sweet Tooth: Season 2--Thoughts

SPOILER ALERT: I am so bad at keeping things spoiler free and having them make sense, so if you haven’t seen the show/new season, I suggest you don’t read. Honestly, I really liked this season just as much as the first. There wasn’t a lot I didn’t like about it.  All the hybrid kids are so adorable! I tried to find more info about them since I was curious if any of them were deaf or HoH since the hybrids use ASL since some cannot talk and when a few of them talked it sounded to me like they had a “deaf accent”. But I can’t find much info on the children actors, other than that one girl Maya, who is played by Amie Donald,  played Meagan in the movie M3GAN.

Dr. Singh really had a rough go being forced to find a cure for the Sick and being forced to deprive himself of sleep so he could find a cure faster. Compared to the first season, he seemed a bit unhinged by the end of this season and Rani left him since she was so tired of fighting off the Sick for the last nine years. Their relationship does have its sweet moments though ends bittersweet for them. Bitter for Adi but Sweet for Rani.

I went searching on ao3 to see if there was any fanfiction for this fandom and there is, but only in double digits last I checked. But I don’t know why there are people out there shipping a ten year old with a grown man...that just is so disturbing! The relationship between Jepp and Gus is purely platonic and if anything father-son bond, so I don’t know what some people are seeing! The whole backstory of Jepp and why he joined the Last Men initially, I totally understand why. The man is a family man, he was looking for his family! Literally would go to the ends of the world to find them. And I felt so bad for him when he found what became of them.  And I loved seeing more of Becky; nearly forgot about the whole plotline with her sister being a hybrid and that was the entire reason she created the Animal Army to protect hybrids. The sisters reunited, although I don’t think her younger sister is all that ready to admit that some of her birth family is still alive.

Also, why is John such a common name for some really great characters? I know he’s more of a secondary character, but I loved this guy! Literally every time he was on screen, there were moments that just made me go “Aww” either in sympathy or how adorable he is.  As I watched this season, you can tell Johnny is a good guy inside but tries to hide it since he is siding with Abbott. Literally caught onto this within the first episode or so. The actor Marlon Williams does such a good job with his facial expressions.  Oh, but why is he on Abbott’s side you may ask...well because they are brothers. I really don’t know why, I have a thing about brotherly relationships in movies and shows; I love watching how they pan out. This relationship between Johnny and Dougie was difficult to watch to be honest, and didn’t end well on either of their ends. Anyway, I am starting to ramble, so I will stop now.

[ddarker-dreams]

PHEW. Okay. Same GAD + SAD anon back one last time (at least, one last time introducing myself like that, I am too lazy to keep that up forever. I need a more concise way to identify myself.)

Just as I thought, I fell for cringefail darling. She’s just…so me. I want to put her in my pocket and protect her from Chrollo.

I could write a whole essay about Idée Fixe if I had the time, but I won’t let the cringefail in me win like that today.

For now, I’ll just talk about how much I loved how you wrote the darling this time. Your descriptions of anxiety were spot-on—it really put everything I feel during moments of intense anxiety into words. And your way of addressing darling’s aversion to physical intimacy and the irrational anxiety despite knowing (or, well, thinking) she’s safe with him was absolutely perfect. I was able to really see myself in a darling for the first time—sincerely, thank you for writing cringefail darlimg with an amazingly accurate depiction of anxiety without eliminating the fact that she is still a capable human being…despite being the embodiment of cringefail.

And Chrollo…all the signs were there, and obviously I knew how things were going to turn out, but I still found myself wanting to believe that he had nothing but pure intentions. He’s just so…frustratingly genuine, even in his deception. The way you write him evokes this frustration from me every time without fail, in a good way! And then he just turns around and drugs dear cringefail darling to keep her anxiety in-check during what is likely one of the most anxiety-inducing moments of her life (and also probably to keep her from being able to function at 100%, but let me pretend he has nothing but good intentions). He’s such a genius—you’re such a genius—and I hate him so much for it.

I’ll stop myself here to save us both the time it would take to read/write any more of this, but these are only a fraction of my thoughts on the fic. Just know that all the time you put into writing Idée Fixe was well worth it, and just…thank you again for writing a reader I can see myself in so well 💖 Maybe I’m just cringefail anon at this point. Who knows.

we are forming the protect cringefail darling coalition™, one member at a time.

portraying anxiety in this fic felt different compared to other yandere stories, so i was hoping it'd come across decently. in my experience, even if you aren't feeling anxious, you're just Hyper Aware of everything. the slightest change in tone, body language, etc. you're just perpetually going 👁👁. i thought this would be a neat similarity to chrollo, who is also rather perceptive. he can finally get a taste of his own medicine. although, cringefail darling doesn't have malicious intent.

chrollo and deception... name a more iconic duo... he spices it up by sometimes being genuine, but even that is calculated with some sort of end goal in mind. revealing elements of his tragic past is an example of this . the man knew it'd tug majorly on cringefail darling's heartstrings. he kept out the more macabre details, yet included enough of the truth to really earn her sympathy.

him using the beta blockers. whew. he figured it'd be killing two birds with one stone. while he likes messing with cringefail darling some, he doesn't derive any satisfaction from her being in a major anxiety episode. how nice of him. so he gets to avoid that (at least for now) and have her in a better state to receive all the unfortunate information he's been tactfully omitting for months now. it's a win win.

thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!!! aaaaa there really is nothing i value more 💖 i feel the time i put into the fic was worth it too! it's got to be one of my favorite stories i've written so far. 😌

and if that's the moniker you want to go with, i'll start using that 👀👀