#starting to think she could be my twin from another life with more money so more style 😹

[frei-grosle13]

🫶🏼

[jpmarvel90]

Absent

Masterlist Scarlett Masterlist

Relationship: Scarlett x Reader

Summary: Scarlett is away more than she's at home, leaving her wife with the kids. When a project means that Y/n is once again pushing back her own work, tension builds and a fight is soon to follow.

Word count: 5550

Y/n's POV:

From the outside looking in, we look like the perfect happy family. A wife and three kids, a nice home and lucky enough to not have to worry about money. What people don't see is the strained relationship and the exhaustion that I feel with every passing day.

I have been married to Scarlett for 6 years and we have three beautiful children. Noah who is four and our 18 month old twins, Izzy, and Mia. We met through a photoshoot she was doing for the Avengers. It wasn't my usual gig, but I'm friends with Kevin Feige and he had asked if I would do photography for the movies. It worked well as I could fit it around the work at my studio and I met the love of my life.

Due to Scarlett's work schedule, we agreed that I would carry any kids that we wanted. So, I closed up the studio when I had Noah and it's been closed ever since. This wasn't the plan though. When Noah turned one, Scarlett was supposed to slow down with her work so it would allow me to return part time. However, she was at the height of her career and was getting offers she just couldn't turn down.

At the time it wasn't the end of the world. I loved being with Noah, he was such an easy baby. Just being in his presence made me so happy. Knowing we wanted another kid. I agreed that I would wait before returning to work until our next children were one.

Once the twins were born our family felt complete. Scarlett took time off for a couple of months when they were born, and it was perfect. Just the five of us living our best life. But then more projects started again for Scarlett, and she would be away filming for all these different projects. We made the decision to stay in New York as we would be close to her family. But it meant that she was often having to go to LA or Atlanta for filming.

I love Scarlett more than anything in this world. Well, level with the kids. But I sometimes feel that she loves acting that little bit more than me. The twins are a lot more work than Noah was which has in turn caused Noah to act out as he feels like they get all the attention. I'm often enemy number one for him. Then Scarlett comes home and she's his saving grace.

I'm exhausted. I barely sleep as the twins still like to wake during the night. I then find I spend the day being a kid herder to make sure they're fed and happy. I'm hoping that once Noah starts school, it'll come a little easier. But at the moment, my time when the kids are asleep isn't spent on me, it's spent on cleaning the home, doing the laundry. I need my wife to help me.

Now you're probably thinking, don't suffer in silence. How is she supposed to know if you don't tell her. Well, I have. We had a long discussion about it before she left for her last project in Atlanta. She has promised that everything is going to change once she's home. She's going to be more present and we're going to be that happy, perfect family again.

She's due home today, and I'm excited to get back to where we were. I know the kids miss her so much whilst she's away. She's missed a lot with the twins, their first words and steps. Both happening whilst she was in Atlanta. It's almost like they're different kids to when she left.

As soon as she walks through the door, she's practically knocked off her feet as Noah runs to her, his little arms wrapping around her legs tightly. I smile as she bends down and picks him up, peppering her face with kisses. "My little prince! I've missed you so much!" She coos, holding him close. "I missed you too mommy." He responds with a big grin.

She notices me holding both twins and her eyes sparkle. I place them down on the floor and they both waddle over to her and I see tears brim her eyes at how much they have grown. "Wow! Look at my babies! You've grown so much!" She says excitedly as she bends down to scoop them up in her arms. Their giggles ring out as she peppers their faces with kisses like she had with Noah. Who was still clinging to her leg by the way.

After she's greeted the kids, she makes her way towards me and gives me a quick peck as her hands are currently full. "Hi babe. I missed you more than I can express." She shares. Looking in her eyes, I can see it's the truth. "I missed you to my love. I'll take your bags upstairs and join you in the living room." I tell her, which earns another kiss in thanks.

That evening is perfect, we spend it together as a family for the first time in a long time. The kids are so happy to have their mom home and are attached to her at every minute. I happily make us dinner so she can enjoy the love from the kids. Knowing that I'll get my chance this evening.

The excitement of having their mom home makes it easy to get the kids to sleep today. I watch with a permanent smile on my face as Scarlett says goodnight to each of them. Grateful that she's finally home.

We get into bed early ourselves and enjoy being back in each other's company. She fills me in on all the excitement of her filming and how Lizzie is planning on a visit soon to come and see the kids. Apparently, she needs some niece and nephew time.

The next few weeks are amazing. Everything is how we had planned it. Scarlett only had a couple of meetings here and there, but otherwise she was around, being the amazing mom that she is. For the first time I feel like I'm not run into the ground. Getting time with the kids, but also for myself and with my wife.

Once evening, we're sat having a glass of wine after the kids have gone to bed and I'm shocked at what comes out of Scarlett's mouth. "I want another baby." She admits, her eyes burning into me as she waits for my reaction. I choke on my wine at her comment, looking at her and seeing that she's totally serious. I take a moment to think of my response. We had talked about having three kids but didn't expect the twins. I just assumed we had finished.

"Are you ready to carry?" I ask. She had always wanted to carry for herself, but her schedule just never really enabled her to. Maybe now she's slowing down she feels like it's time. "I thought you could carry them. You've done an amazing job with them, and I love when you're pregnant." She smiles at me. "But my studio is opening back in two months. It would be bad for business if I were to close it again within the year. I thought you wanted to carry anyway." I ask her.

"I do. But with this next project taking me to the Czech Republic, it'll be difficult and I'm getting older. I'm not as young as you remember." She responds with a chuckle. "What project in the Czech Republic?" I ask her, shocked as it was the first I had heard about it. "For Jojo Rabbit. I had the meeting last week. I told you, didn't I?" She says as if I just forgot that my wife had another project away from home.

"No, you told me you were having dinner with Taika. Nothing more. But I thought you were taking a break for a while so I could get back into work." I return, not really believing that she's done this. "Can't you just postpone it? This movie is something special and I'm really excited about it." She says as if I'm not excited to finally be getting back to work. "I've already postponed it once Scarlett. When you went to New Zealand for Ghost Shell. We talked about this. It was my turn to be able to get back to work Scar." I try not to raise my voice, but the frustration is there.

"It's just three months and then I'll be home." She tries to defend. "Which is when you'll then be doing reshoots for Marvel and back in Atlanta for a month. We're not just here for you when you want us you know." I say, the frustration getting the better of me. "Excuse me?" She asks offended. "When was the last time you were home for more than a month at a time?" I question her, standing from my seat and starting to pace.

I look to her when she doesn't answer. She doesn't remember. "I love the kids more than anything Scar but they are a lot of work. The twins never sleep through the night and Noah hates that they get a lot of my attention. Which would be fine if there were two parents here to even the load but there's not." I huff and she let's out a low laugh. "Oh, come on Y/n, they're as good as gold when I'm home." She defends.

I just scoff at her assumption. "Because they miss you and want to be on their best behaviour for you. I'm always the bad guy. The one getting yelled at by Noah because I can't take him to the park because the twins have tough and tumble. I've lost count of how many times he's shouted that he hates me. Still hurts each time though." I start to ramble, all the stress and anxiety seeping out of me.

"I'm constantly exhausted, because I'm either with the kids, or cleaning up after them. I don't get time to myself. And on top of that I miss my wife. We were meant to go through the journey of having kids, together. But I've never felt more alone. My own needs and dreams always come in behind the kids and you. Starting work again was something for me. Not just something I want, but something I need. To show me that I'm more than just a mom!" I yell my rambling thoughts and I can see that they are shocking Scarlett. She's not even responding anymore.

"Do you even want to be apart of this family anymore or are we just a chore? Because as soon as you're home, it seems like you're always looking for a reason to leave." Sadness fills my voice with my last question. Tears falling down my face as I admit how I've truly been feeling.

"How could you even ask that. I love you and the kids more than I can express. You own my heart and the thought of not having you physically hurts." She defends. "But you barely have us Scarlett. A couple of weeks here or there and you're off again." I shot back, once again stunning her.

We sit in silence, just the sound of a clock ticking breaking it. I'm sat on the sofa opposite her, the physical space between us representing the gap in our relationship. "I don't know if I can keep doing this." I whisper, almost afraid to admit it. Scarlett's head snaps up at my words, fear filling her eyes. "I feel like I have given everything, and I've not got anything left." The admission rolls of my tongue without me even meaning too. "What do you mean Y/n?" She asks, panic lacing her voice as she stands and takes a seat next to me. "I have been more than accommodating for your career. I understand that you love it. But I'm asking you to love us more." I look her directly in her eyes as I speak.

"I won't let you pick work over us again." I state firmly. "What? No, Y/n. Please. You can't leave me. I love you so much. I love the kids! Please what can I do." She pleads, cupping my face as we both cry. "Put us first." I reveal. She looks at me unable to answer and it's my fear come to life. She's going to pick her work over her family.

We're interrupted when we hear little footsteps on the floor. "Hi my prince. Are you ok?" I ask, quickly wiping at my eyes and going to him. "Why is mommy crying?" He asks, pointing at Scarlett. "Did you make her cry?" He turns to me with a fierce look in his eye. "No buddy we're just..." But he doesn't me finish. "Don't make my mommy cry! You'll scare her away like you always do! I hate you!" And there it is. The words he loves to say to me these days.

I fight back the tears of pain and move towards him, but he hits my hand away. "NO!" He shouts. "Noah, please. Let me explain." I try but he shakes his head again. "NO! Why can't you be the one that goes and not mommy." His words feel like a knife to my heart. I hear a gasp from Scarlett as she walks towards us. "That is not how you talk to Mama, Noah!" She tells him off. He just stomps his foot and rushes back upstairs repeating his hatred for me as he goes.

Scarlett places a hand on my shoulder, but I shake it off. "He doesn't mean it." She speaks softly but I just scoff at her words. He does. "I can't do this. I'm going to bed. I'll take the guest room tonight." I say, not giving her time to respond before dashing upstairs and shutting myself away. I've never felt so lost, and I don't know if I'm ever going to find my way out.

Scarlett's POV:

I'm shocked at how Noah just acted with Y/n. He's always such a sweet kid. I could see how much his words hurt Y/n as the light went from her eyes. I tried to offer some comfort, but she shrugs me off. Before I know it, I'm alone in the living room with my thoughts. I've fucked up.

I've been so blinded by my love of my job that I've failed to see the damage it's doing back home. Y/n has always been so accommodating, but I've really taken advantage of that kindness and I think that I may have pushed her too far. I think I may have lost her.

I know that Y/n needs time and me rushing into her room will just start another argument. So, I decide to deal with the gremlin first. He should never talk to Y/n like that. Not that I have anyone to blame but myself. I head up to his room and find him sat pouting on his bed. I smirk a little as he looks just like Y/n in this moment. I take a seat next to him on his bed and he goes to cuddle me, but I stop him.

"We need to talk Mister." I tell him firmly. "Why did you talk to mama like that?" I question him. "She is always busy with the twins and makes you sad, so you go away." He responds. His pout still firmly on his face. "Mama isn't the reason I go away bud. I go away for work. Which means that mama is the one that is here to look after you and your sisters." I try to explain. "I wish you were here and not her." He repeats his point from earlier.

"That's not a very nice thing to say, is it? You'd be sad if mama wasn't around, wouldn't you?" I probe and he thinks for a moment. "But you would be here so I would be happy." He turns to look at me. Wow, I have really managed to make my kid hate his mama because he thinks she's the reason I'm not around. God I am so stupid. "Noah. Come on. I know that you don't want her to leave. Do you understand that what you said to her earlier hurt her and made her sad?" I ask, hoping his sympathetic natures comes through.

His eyes look to mine with worry. "I don't want her to be sad." He mumbles. "I just miss you and want to have more time to play with her when you're not here." He defends. "Oh buddy. That is all my fault. I am away too much and that is all on me not mama. And because I'm away, it means she has to work twice as hard to look after you all so doesn't always have the time to play. So, if you hate anyone it should be me." I admit. He shuffles closer to me and cuddles to my arm. "I could never hate you mommy." He comforts me. "You should never hate mama either." I say with a firm tone, making his gaze drop. "I know. I just get sad." He admits. "And that's ok. But you should never be mean to mama ok." He nods and pull him into a hug. "Tomorrow, you're going to apologise to mama, and we'll do something nice to make her feel better." I tell him and he agrees.

I tuck him back into bed and make my way back downstairs to clean up. It's not too late, but it feels it without having Y/n with me. I miss her. How ridiculous is that? She's only been gone an hour and I miss her. She's always here when I'm home. It's what I love so much.

I can't stop thinking about everything that she said. I hate that she could ever question that I don't love her or the kids more than my job. I know that's all on me, I should have made the effort to show her that more. When it comes to it, I can live without acting, but I can't live without Y/n.

I end up calling my mom and she spends most of the call scolding me. She told me how much work Y/n had done to start getting ready for the studio to reopen and how she had managed to get a few big name clients. It makes my guilt only grow. I am the worst wife.

That night I barely sleep. I spend most of it staring at the empty space beside me, replaying what Y/n had said over and over. The pain in her eyes, the question of if I still love her and want this family. By 5am I give up and start on the day. Once I'm showered and check on the kids, I head downstairs to my laptop. Trying to work out how to fix this.

When the kids start to stir, I get the twins up and sort out their breakfast. Luckily, Noah is still asleep, after his late night, so I can focus on them. Whilst they're playing on their mat, I grab my phone and call Taika. I explain that I need to drop out of the project and put my family first. He's disappointed but he does offer me one option. To take Y/n and the kids with me. That he would arrange for us to have a house near set so we can be together when I'm not filming. He said that he wouldn't look to recast until I confirmed with him if I want to take that offer or not.

This movie really did appeal to me. It's so unique and I think it would be really good fun to do. But that doesn't matter to me anymore. I would still be asking Y/n to postpone her studio opening by a month. I don't think she would go for that. I'm putting Y/n and the kids first. Like I always should have done.

When Noah gets up, we have breakfast together. Which is not a fun experience. I don't make his pancakes the right way and I gave him the wrong fruit, so we're off to a good start. I'm surprised Y/n isn't up yet, but I don't want to rush her. She deserves some time to herself. I can put up with a sulky four year old for the day. She's done it for months.

Throughout the day I realise that there is a lot I don't know about my kids, and it hurts. They have changed since I was last home, and without Y/n's subtle guidance, I'm left to fend on out of date knowledge. The only brightside is that Noah is starting to realise how much he needs his mama.

By the afternoon, all three kids are craving time with their mama. Hell, I'm craving time with my wife. I manage to get the kids somewhat settled in the living room whilst I grab my laptop once again. Maybe a family holiday would be a good place to start. We always talked about Disneyland and Y/n has always wanted to go to Hawaii. I call my mom to see if she would come as well, that way, Y/n and I could have a mini holiday ourselves. She happily agrees, saying that she will do anything to stop my stupid ass losing the best thing that ever happened to me.

By dinner, Y/n finally comes out of the guest room. I give her a big smile, but it soon drops when I see how tired she looks and the tear stains down her cheeks. Her eyes bloodshot and puffy. It makes my heart ache that this is all cause because of me. "Hi my love." I great her, to which she hums in response. She goes to head towards the kitchen, but the kids don't let her get to far. "Mama!" Izzy shouts when she sees her, holding her arms out to be hold. "Hi there my little princess." She smiles at our daughter, resting her on her hip as she goes through the motions of making herself a coffee.

I admire her as she moves around effortless, keep Izzy happy, whilst still managing to sort a drink and some food for herself. It makes my heart grow when I hear the little laughs from the baby when Y/n tickles her after she stole a raspberry from her bowl. Y/n moves into the living room and places Izzy on the mat, but she instantly moves to Y/n and is joined by Mia, both climbing up onto the sofa to be closer to their mama.

Noah, however, stays sat on the floor with his toys. "Hi Noah. Do you want to join our snuggle?" Y/n asks but Noah shakes his head. I frown when I see his reluctance after our talk last night. I see a flash of hurt cross over Y/n's face, but she quickly hides it when the twins start to ramble at her.

I quickly text my mom and ask if she could pop over to take the kids for the evening. I know it's short notice, but I need to save my marriage. It's holding on with a thread and I don't know how much longer it's going to hold. Thankfully, she agrees, restating her comment from the call earlier and I hang up just in time to see Noah, once again, reject Y/n.

Y/n sighs, getting up from the sofa and handing me Mia. Izzy now with her brother on the floor. "I need a walk." She mumbles, grabbing a coat and her phone before leaving the house. I wanted to stop her, but I also need to talk with Noah.

"Noah buddy. Why are you still being mean to mama?" I ask him. His eyes go wide and he's quickly shaking his head. "I'm not being mean!" He defends. "Yes, you are. You're ignoring her." I stay firm and his little lips trembles. "I didn't mean to! She looks sad and I felt bad cos I made her sad. She's not going to leave forever is she?" He admits before the fear of his mama leaving takes over. He burrows himself into my side for comfort. "Oh sweetie. She's not sad because of you. She's sad because of me. Your hugs would make her feel so much better! And no. She isn't going away. She's just gone for a walk." I try to reassure him. I have done a stand up job of screwing things up for my wife and our son!

I spend the time explaining to him why Y/n is feeling sad and how we both have to do our best to make her feel better. He seems to understand and is now patiently waiting for Y/n to come home. As the clock ticks on, I panic, worried that maybe she's left me. Left us. I've pushed her so far that she's gone. When mom arrives, she has to deal with me freaking out and just as I feel like I'm about to totally break down, the front door opens and Y/n walks in. I let out a sigh of relief, knowing she's come home.

"Mama! You're back!" Noah shouts as he rushes into the hallway and collides with Y/n's body. "Of course, I am buddy." She smiles, running her hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, mama." He apologises. "I don't hate you. I love you a lot." He tells her, complete honesty in his eyes. They have a moment together as Noah tells her why he was angry and that he knows it wasn't Y/n's fault.

Y/n looks at me suspiciously when she sees my mom with the kids' overnight bag but allows it when she takes the kids back to hers tonight. "I want us to be able to talk without the worry of the kids." I explain as she gets comfortable in the living room. "Do we have anything more to talk about?" She questions through a sigh. "You may not. But I do. I have a lot I need to say. I hope you'll give me the chance." I say, looking at her with pleading eyes.

When she nods, I take the seat next to her, holding her hand in mine. "I've fucked up. There is no excuse. So, all I can say is that I'm sorry and I promise that I am going to change. This family are my priority. The thought of never acting again makes me sad. But the thought of losing you or the kids makes me feel sick to my stomach. I know that I would never cope. My life wouldn't be worth living." I start off, setting out my thoughts early so she knows where I'm coming from.

"I am so sorry that I made you feel like you were going through this alone. I'm so ashamed of myself that I couldn't see the pain you were in and allowed you to continue making the sacrifices for this family when I was making none. I will stop acting and focus to being a mom and a wife so you can get back to doing what you love. I'll find another passion that accommodates both of us." I promise her. But my words seem to have the opposite effect than I had hoped. My heart stops when she starts shaking her head at me.

"Scarlett. I don't want you to stop doing something that you love. I just want you to prioritise better. To put us first. I would never ask you to quit acting. But these last few years, you've been away more than you've been with us. We just want you in our lives more. We miss you so much. Then as we get used to you being home, you're gone again." She explains.

"We have a lot to work on, but I know how important this project with Taika is for you. So, I spent this morning rearranging some of my clients so I can start once you're back." I can't believe she would do this for me. After everything I have done, she is still putting me first. "No, babe. I can't ask you to do that. I meant what I said. It's time for me to put you first and allow you to follow your dreams..." I start to ramble, but she cuts in. "It's too late. It's already done. But things need to change when you're back Scarlett. It's not fair to me or the kids." She interrupts.

"This project doesn't mean more to me than this family Y/n. I actually called Taika this morning to pull out of the project." I admit and she looks at me shocked. "Really? But you were so excited for it." She replies in shock. "But I'm more excited to support you in your work and be around with the kids more." I come back, wanting her to know that nothing is as important to me than her and our children.

She sits for a moment and looks to me. "I don't want you to resent me because you're missing out on roles that you want to do." She says shyly. I place my finger under her chin and lift it so she can look at me. "But it's ok for you to give up on your dreams instead?" I question her with a raised eyebrow. "When I married you, my dream was to have a family with you. But when we achieved that, I got greedy and wanted the best of both worlds. I never should have taken advantage of you like I did. I promise that I'll never do it to you again." It's not a baseless promise and I hope that she can see that. I think she does when she pulls me into her and holds me close, letting out breath as she does.

"I bet Taika was annoyed to lose you." She says after we've sat in silence for a while. "He understood. Scolded me a little for screwing up. Even offered for the four of you to join me and live out there whilst we film. But he gets why I made the decision I did." Her head snaps up to mine when she hears what I said. "He offered for us to live in the Czech Republic whilst you film?" She asks and I nod. "Yeah, he said he'd arrange a house close to set so I was away from you as little as possible." I reply, whilst running my hand through her hair, enjoying being this close to her again.

"We should do it." She mumbles into my shoulder. "What was that babe?" I question, not sure I heard her right. "We should do it. I've already moved my work around. Noah doesn't start school until you're back. This way you can do the project and we can readjust once we're home." She sits back to look at me as she talks, and I can see that she means what she's saying. It's not just to make me feel better. "Are you sure that's what you want? I really don't mind if I step back from this project. I don't want you to do this for me and it put us even further back." I admit.

"If I hadn't moved work around maybe I wouldn't be saying it. But it's a chance for us to live abroad. The kids would learn so much from it. Besides, you said yourself that you think this is an Oscar worthy film. Who am I to deny you that opportunity." She smiles, placing a kiss on my cheek.

"I'll only do it on one condition. Well two actually." I say, trying to be firm, but the nerves taking over. "I'm listening." She smiles. "First, we have a holiday. I was thinking Disneyland, then the two of us head to Hawaii. Mom already said she'd stay at the parks with the kids." I start off and feel more relaxed when she laughs. "Ok, and your second condition?" She pushes me to continue.

"Well, it's not really a condition. I guess a promise from my part. I'm going to step back from filming for a bit. I want to be the supportive wife you deserve. I'll only pick roles that really appeal to me. Besides, I always wanted to start my own skincare line. I can do that from here in New York and be around all the time. Being the mother and wife that I am supposed to be." I keep eye contact as I talk so she can see how genuine I'm being.

She doesn't respond. Not verbally anyway. She leans in and captures my lips in a loving kiss. One that shows me everything that I could have lost. I can't believe that I allowed my own desire to live my dream, to damage my family so much. Seeing the pain on Y/n's face is something that I never want to see again. I will do everything in my power, to make sure that I am the best I can be for this family. 

[hotdaemondtargaryen]

(CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM THE BOOK ‘FIRE & BLOOD’ + HOTD S2 AND S3)

GEORGE R.R. MARTIN reflects on the first two episodes of ‘house of the dragon’ s2: blood & cheese and maelor the missing.

those were terrific episodes.

“Well written, well directed, powerfully acted.”

“A great way to kick off the new season.”

“Fans and critics alike seemed to agree.”

“There was only one aspect of the episodes that drew significant criticism: the handling of Blood and Cheese, and the death of Prince Jaehaerys.”

in the book ‘fire & blood.’

“Aegon and Helaena have three children, not two.”

“The twins, Jaehaerys and Jaehaera, are six years old.”

“They have a younger brother, Maelor, who is two.”

“When Blood and Cheese break in on Helaena and the kids, they tell her they are debt collectors come to exact revenge for the death of Prince Lucerys: a son for a son.”

“As Helaena has two sons, however, they demand that she choose which one should die.”

“She resists and offers her own life instead, but the killers insist it has to be a son.”

“If she does not name one, they will kill all three of the children.”

“To save the life of the twins, Helaena names Maelor.”

“But Blood kills the older boy, Jaehaerys, instead, while Cheese tells little Maelor that his mother wanted him dead (Whether the boy is old enough to understand that is not at all certain).”

“It is a bloody, brutal scene, no doubt.”

“How not? An innocent child is being butchered in front of his mother.”

“I still believe the scene in the book is stronger.”

“The readers have the right of that.”

“The two killers are crueler in the book.”

“I thought the actors who played the killers on the show were excellent … but the characters are crueler, harder, and more frightening in FIRE & BLOOD.”

in the show ‘house of the dragon.’

“Blood is a gold cloak.”

“In the book, he is a former gold cloak, stripped of his office for beating a woman to death.”

“Book! Blood is the sort of man who might think making a woman choose which of her sons should die is amusing, especially when they double down on the wanton cruelty by murdering the boy she tries to save.”

“Book! Cheese is worse too; he does not kick a dog, true, but he does not have a dog, and he’s the one who tells Maelor that his mom wants him head.”

“I would also suggest that Helaena shows more courage, more strength in the book, by offering her own own life to save her son.”

“Offering a piece of jewelry is just not the same.”

“As I saw it, the ‘Sophie’s Choice’ aspect was the strongest part of the sequence, the darkest, the most visceral.”

“I hated to lose that.”

“And judging from the comments on line, most of the fans seemed to agree.”

on ryan condal's decision to make changes to blood and cheese.

“When Ryan Condal first told me what he meant to do, ages ago (back in 2022, might be).”

“I argued against it, for all these reasons.”

“I did not argue long, or with much heat, however.”

“The change weakened the sequence, I felt, but only a bit.”

“And Ryan had what seemed to be practical reasons for it; they did not want to deal with casting another child, especially a two-year old toddler.”

“Kids that young will inevitably slow down production, and there would be budget implications.”

“Budget was already an issue on HOUSE OF THE DRAGON, it made sense to save money wherever we could.”

“Moreover, Ryan assured me that we were not losing Prince Maelor, simply postponing him.”

“Queen Helaena could still give birth to him in season three, presumably after getting with child late in season two.”

“That made sense to me, so I withdrew my objections and acquiesced to the change.”

“if you have never read FIRE & BLOOD, maybe it does not matter, because all i am going to ‘spoil’ here are things that happen in the book that may NEVER happen on the series. starting with maelor himself.”

“Sometime between the initial decision to remove Maelor, a big change was made.”

“The prince’s birth was no longer just going to be pushed back to season 3.”

“He was never going to be born at all.”

“The younger son of Aegon and Helaena would never appear.”

the butterfly effect.

“Maelor is a two year old toddler in FIRE & BLOOD, but like our butterfly he has an impact on the story all out of proportion to his size.”

“The readers among you may recall that when it appears that Rhaenyra and her blacks are about to capture King’s Landing, Queen Alicent becomes concerned for the safety of Helaena’s remaining children, and takes steps to save them by smuggling them out of the city.”

“The task is given is two knights of the Kingsguard.”

“Ser Willis Fell is commanded to deliver Princess Jaehaera to the Baratheons at Storm’s End, while Maelor is given over to Ser Rickard Thorne to be escorted across the Mander to the protection of the Hightower army on its way to King’s Landing.”

“Willis Fell delivers Jaehaera safely to the Baratheons at Storm’s End, but Ser Rickard fares less well.”

“He and Maelor get as far as Bitterbridge, where he is revealed as a Kingsuard in a tavern called the Hogs Head.”

“Once discovered, Ser Rickard fights bravely to protect his young charge and bring him to safety, but he does not even make it across the bridge before some crossbows bring him down, Prince Maelor is torn from his arms.. and then, sadly, ripped to pieces by the mob fighting over the boy and the huge reward that Rhaenyra has offered for his capture and return.”

“Will any of that appear on the show?”

“Maybe… but I don’t see how.”

“The butterflies would seem to prohibit it.”

“You could perhaps make Ser Rickard’s ward be Jaehaera instead of Maelor, but Jaehaera can’t be killed, she has a huge role to play as Aegon’s next heir.”

“Could maybe make Maelor a newborn instead of a two year old, but that would scramble up the timeline, which is a bit of a mess already.”

“I have no idea what Ryan has planned — if indeed he has planned anything — but given Maelor’s absence from episode 2, the simplest way to proceed would be just to drop him entirely, lose the bit where Alicent tries to send the kids to safety, drop Rickard Thorne or send him with Willis Fell so Jaehaera has two guards.”

“From what I know, that seems to be what Ryan is doing here.”

“It’s simplest, yes, and may make sense in terms of budgets and shooting schedules.”

“But simpler is not better.”

“The Bitterbridge scene has tension, suspense, action, bloodshed, a bit of heroism and a lot of tragedy.”

“Rickard Thorne is a tertiary character at best, most viewers (as opposed to readers) will never know he is gone, since they never knew him at all… but I rather liked giving him his brief moment of heroism, a taste of the courage and loyalty of the Kingsguard, regardless of whether they are black or green.”

“The butterflies are not done with us yet, however.”

“In the book, when word of Prince Maelor’s death and the grisly manner of his passing (pp. 505) reaches the Red Keep, that proves to be the thing that drives Queen Helaena to suicide.”

“She could barely stand to look at Maelor, knowing that she chose him to die in the ‘Sophie’s Choice’ scene… and now he is dead in truth, her words having come true.”

“The grief and guilt are too much for her to bear.”

spoilers! hotd season 3 & 4.

“In Ryan’s outline for season 3, Helaena still kills herself… for no particular reason.”

“There is no fresh horror, no triggering event to overwhelm the fragile young queen.”

“And the final butterfly follows soon thereafter.”

“And there are larger and more toxic butterflies to come, if HOUSE OF THE DRAGON goes ahead with some of the changes being contemplated for seasons 3 and 4…”

book! death of helaena and rhaenyra.

“Queen Helaena, a sweet and gentle soul, is much beloved by the smallfolk of King’s Landing.”

“Rhaenyra was not, so when rumors began to arise that Helaena did not kill herself, but rather was murdered at Rhaenyra’s command, the commons are quick to believe them.”

“That night King’s Landing rose in bloody riot,” I wrote on p. 506 of FIRE & BLOOD.

“It is the beginning of the end for Rhaenyra’s rule over the city, ultimately leading to the Storming of the Dragonpit and the rise of the Shepherd’s mob that drives Rhaenyra to flee the city and return to Dragonstone… and her death.”

the butterfly effect of maelor's death.

“Maelor by himself means little.”

“He is a small child, does not have a line of dialogue, does nothing of consequence but die… but where and when and how, that does matter.”

“Losing Maelor weakened the end of the Blood and Cheese sequence, but it also cost us the Bitterbridge scene with all its horror and heroism, it undercut the motivation for Helaena’s suicide, and that in turn sent thousands into the streets and alleys, screaming for justice for their ‘murdered’ queen.”

“None of that is essential, I suppose… but all of it does serve a purpose, it all helps to tie the story lines together, so one thing follows another in a logical and convincing manner.”

[wanda-little-baby]

Family matters - Wanda x romanoff!Reader

Summary: You have a secret you don't want to tell anyone for fear of being too late. Will a certain little witch manage to let you in? And above all, your relationship with Natasha will always be the same?

Warnings: angst, mourning elaboration, guilt, use of magic, physical injuries, nightmares, robbery | 16+ DNI

A/N: Strangely, I wrote it with incredible speed. But I think I did a good job. Now it's your turn to judge

Words: 5.161

The Compound is huge.

There's everything from a shooting range, to multiple break rooms, to some mega-equipped labs, not to mention bedrooms.

Obviously there are many, there will be many people who will have to sleep here.

Some more than others, those like you and the twins who have no one out there in the world will stay here.

Since you two girls were the last to arrive, you had to make do with the rooms. Luckily there were two rooms quite far from Pietro's, and after you sat through a discussion on why you go so far from his room you laughed enough accompanying the brunette to your respective two new rooms.

At least, your room also had another positive side. It was opposite Natasha's

This time it only took you a quarter of an hour to rearrange the things from out of the boxes, also because compared to the room in the tower this one is much bigger, and then yes Wanda was right, with magic it would have been faster.

Oddly it had been a whole day since you had seen anyone else but Wanda so you are surprised when you finally decide to leave the room and as you turn the corner into the kitchen you find Pietro, the last person you wanted to see, who was chatting with her sister while she was cooking something.

You weren't really angry with Pietro but he made you remember something you just wanted to forget so as quickly as you left the room you come back in tears, slamming the door and closing it.

In addition to the twins you hadn't noticed that there were also others present, all puzzled when you ran away.

Maybe only two people could tell what was going on with you, and those two were Wanda and Natasha. However, the redhead seemed not to be there at the moment, so whatever Wanda was cooking, she let go and ran after her, leaving everyone stunned.

You were sick,

why couldn't you save her?

Why did Pietro yes and she didn't?

These were the questions that kept running through your head as you circled the room choking on tears when you heard a knock on the door.

Wanda seeing that you had no intention of opening her decided to act. "Y/N, it's me Wanda, please open up" she tried to coax you softly, unfortunately you were stubborn and broken so you refused to even let your presence be known.

She then tried to open the doorknob with her magic but you apparently sensed what she was doing and were thwarting her.

She had no other choice, she sat on the floor with her back against the door and she thought about what to tell you. "You know I still have to thank you for saving Pietro's life. I don't know if I would have been able to go on without him. After our parents died it was just us two against the world, we protect each other."

You were still in a panic when she started to speak but the more she spoke the more she managed to calm you down, in the end you too put yourself on the floor against the door.

She heard you were on the other side of the door and she knew you were crying because she could hear small choked sobs, you were in pain and she couldn't understand why and it made her feel bad.

"Do you remember the other day, before leaving for Sokovia, when I told you that I had been there too? Well the last time I saw my parents alive I was 10 years old. -

- It was evening and my father came home, we didn't have much money it was barely enough to survive, he had a menial job, he sold dvds of American sitcoms"

"That night, they made me choose what to watch during the tv night, you know during those moments we couldn't speak Sokovian and we had to talk another language. That's how I learned English you know? I had my favorite episode, number 21 of the second season of 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' put on."

"All of a sudden as we were watching it dark. It was just a bomb exploded a few floors below us, and when I regained consciousness Pietro found me and we hid under the bed." now she too was starting to cry, less repressed than you remembering her last moments with her parents.

Despite sobbing she decided to keep talking to you, she had to make you feel better at all costs.

"Then a missile fell just a few feet away from us, on that missile was a name… Stark" she broke off trying not to think of her growing hatred in her heart for the man a few rooms away.

"We sat down there for two long days, hoping that bomb wouldn't go off. In fact it didn't go off, maybe the only good thing from that shitty day. We ended up in an orphanage until we were 18 and then abandoned on the street."

"Full of rage and reckless as teenagers we saw in Hydra a way to defend our country and take revenge. So we ended up as volunteers for Strucker's experiments and from there with our new powers we met all of you." she then concluded calming her sobs and wiping her tears on the sleeves of your hoodie.

Hearing those words, all the pain they exuded, all that anger. Maybe you could tell her your secret, something even Natasha doesn't know.

Your mind has been off limits to her ever since you ran into the room, so when new waves of pain pass through her, pain not hers, she knows you're moving.

When you finally unlock the door you let out a single word. "I had a sister" you almost whisper for fear of admitting what you fear most.

She sees you scared, she understands that it's not easy for you to say what you're saying so she closes you in a hug as you enter the room and closing the door with red tufts.

Don't worry, no one else will know if you don't want to.

Take a deep breath knowing it will be hard to talk from now on. "I had a sister, her name was Nora. She was my big sister, basically we've always been together since I was born." you look up, with a smile watered down by tears you tell Wanda the most beautiful part of your life.

"Always smiling, she never let life get her down, and when you had some problem, any one, she would help you to solve it."

"You know this necklace I'm wearing, this lightning bolt, she gave it to me for my 15th birthday. Since she had to go to college, I was worried that she would leave and forget about me, but she gave me this necklace and said 'So I can never forget my little sister'. I've been wearing it every single day since then, after all it said that as long as I wore it she would always remember me." you try to explain, holding the pendant hanging from your neck in your hands, sometimes with trembling sighs.

"She seemed like a really good sister" Wanda encourages you by making circles on your back. You nod without answering, too overwhelmed with held back tears.

At this point, seeing you already about to collapse, she makes you sit on the bed before sitting next to you, ready to take you when you can't take it anymore.

Do you wish to continue? You don't have to if you don't feel like it

You hear the words she says to you mentally, for a while you hesitate but then you understand that you have to tell someone, you can no longer maintain this weight.

"No, I have to do this, I have to tell someone" you shake your head as you wipe the tears from your cheeks.

"A few days before she left, we were walking down the street wandering through shops looking for the last things she needed to bring."

"We were talking on a sidewalk when a suspicious guy came around the corner running in the opposite direction to us, came up and almost he wouldn't knock me down if I didn't dodge him."

"The guy ended up in the middle of the road and almost got hit by a truck if - " you can't finish the sentence because you almost get out of breath

" - Nora hadn't jumped to save him by being run over in his place." you whisper weakly reaching the limit of endurance, you can't take it, you collapse in a pool of tears and moans.

Two arms wrap you in a desperate hug as soon as you start crying louder and the only moment they let go is when Wanda gets out of bed and sits on your lap to be closer to you. Not even she knows what she's doing, she usually wouldn't be so emotional but with you in this situation she just comes naturally.

You two stay in that embrace for a long time, you hide your weeping face in the crook of her neck as she continues to hold you close and gently stroking your back.

If someone would have entered, even if Wanda would not have allowed them, they would have seen two girls sitting on a bed embracing, while the one sitting was probably crying.

This is what would have been seen on the outside, while many conversations were going on inside

You feel bad. Why did you say that? Now surely Wanda will go away and she will leave you alone like everyone else does.

Hey hey hey I'm not going anywhere. I stay here with you. I'll hold you until you feel better alright? You don't have to answer, I got you, now you can let go.

All you could think or feel was Nora and that hurts, you miss your big sister very much and you feel responsible for her death.

After all, if you hadn't dodged the guy as hard as you could, you would have fallen and scratched yourself but now Nora would still be with you.

But strangely even though you were crying Wanda's warmth comforted you, she was quietly singing something to you, you don't understand what she's saying but you assume it's Sokovian and you let yourself be lulled by the sweet words as you vent all your two years of secrecy.

When the moans have subsided into little sobs it's night time and you're very tired but you really don't want Wanda to go away, you don't want to go over everything by yourself.

"Can you stay with me tonight? Please" are the first words you've said for hours and you're begging her with your eyes still shining. "Of course" she can't help but please you, also because she herself had no intention of leaving.

It's been a while since you two slept, for the second night in the same bed, and you were starting to fidget.

Wanda awakened by your movements turns to check on you before seeing red for a few moments and then black.

For the first time, you'd had a dream so violent it was projected into Wanda's head.

When she starts seeing again she's in an apartment, with a younger version of you and two older strangers. 'You forgot about it. You forgot about her!' she hears your desperate younger version referring to what she understood to be your parents.

'How could you forget about her. She is your daughter!' you look sadder, this makes Wanda's heart ache even more because she understands what's going on.

'She was your daughter. My big sister. Nora.' she sees you get down on your knees on the ground with your face in your hands and start crying and muttering.

'I want my big sis back...she forgot about me...she promised me' you repeat like a mantra swaying back and forth.

Wanda can see and feel all the pain you are in, you miss your sister, you feel responsible for her death and your parents are not helping.

Then a bigger and bigger red wave begins to spread out from you, she feels the great power in you fueled by the pain, and she knows what happens next.

You destroy the building, remain the only survivor and then Steve finds you.

When she emerges from your dream she inhales a breath of air to materialize what she had seen.

How much suffering you had experienced, you didn't have time to dispose of it because you had to become a superheroine, a bit like her and this helps her even better to understand how you are.

She knows you need to feel happy now that you're sleeping so when you turn and try to wrap yourself around her, she lets you do it, actually she starts cradling your head when you put it on her chest.

Then she makes a decision, she will make you have the most beautiful dream of her, then she puts her fingers on your temples and they start to glow red as she browses through your memories.

When she finds the only happy memory you have of these times she is surprised to understand that it is a moment with Natasha, surely you have a very strong bond.

She must be very attached to you, she seems to act like a mother only you don't understand it or don't want to admit it.

There is something in that moment that you like so much and then she decides to make you relive it several times at least until you can accumulate enough hours of sleep.

——————————————————————

When you wake up, you're still clinging to Wanda, and to your surprise she's still asleep.

You take the time to analyze her whole face, every detail of her. She's sleeping blissfully, and since you've known her you've never seen her so relaxed, she even seems happy.

She no longer wears the many rings that she usually wears, you think she took them off before you just don't remember when, and this gives you a better way to see her hands.

Analyzing, however, a strange sensation becomes more and more insistent, as if they were many butterflies fluttering in your belly.

When you lay back down to admire the ceiling, you accidentally wake Wanda with your movements.

"Hey" she still sleepy try to say hello

"Hey you. Thanks for staying". you give thanks as you think back on everything she has done for you.

"I would do it again. But I have to tell you something" she says, leaving you time to refuse, seeing that you remain impassive, she takes it as a yes.

"Tonight I saw how your parents died. Don't take it badly but they asked for it. But then I also saw something else, the relationship you have with Natasha is something special. Don't miss the chance to have a family again" she explains, attentive to your possible reaction, mainly you remain shocked but then something changes.

"Do you think I should talk to her? I like being with her, she reminds me of when I was little. I feel safe." you speculate thoughtfully, while you think about whether she'd better run to the bathroom.

Don't even think about it!!!!

"You should talk to her" at the end she says to you and you say "Later I will".

And so you both stare at the ceiling in silence for quite some time.

——————————————————————

This was four months ago.

Since then you still haven't found the courage to talk to her and you've reduced conversations with Natasha to a minimum, limiting yourself to the bare essentials only during missions.

Your relations with the rest of the team have also worsened, you hardly ever spoke to them and only if forced.

However, this does not apply to new team members, with whom you have formed a strong friendship.

You apologized to Pietro and even if initially he didn't understand why, when Wanda explained the situation to him in private, the young man understood everything. You didn't know Wanda had told him, but you honestly didn't care, you didn't have to pour your guilt feelings on him especially if he didn't know the cause.

Wanda on the other hand was your breath of fresh air, your happy little moment, she was the only one who saw you laugh or even just talk. You spent most of your time together either in her room or yours, very often falling asleep in each other's beds after a tiring day while watching something on television.

You've discovered that in addition to powers, you and Wanda also have many things in common, such as a boundless love of sitcoms and an exceptional cooking ability.

In fact, the only other environment in which you felt at ease was the kitchen only when Wanda was there with you, otherwise you would have been almost a mirage due to the speed with which you entered and exited.

In all these shared moments she (in four months) hasn't even brought up that whole issue once, because if you had to do something, the only one capable of putting an end to it was you.

With Pietro the story was complicated, initially you saw him when he left his sister's room just before you entered exchanging embarrassed glances.

Then slowly over the weeks those looks turned into brief exchanges of words and then into real conversations, involving Wanda every time too.

When you weren't spending time with the twins, you were either on some solo mission or working out in a deserted gym.

Once you all trained together and it ended badly, at least for Pietro. He ended up crashing into a wall while he was trying to dodge two attacks from us girls regardless of where he was running.

He came away with some broken bones, but thanks to the accelerated healing he recovered by the end of the day. From that day you decided that training in three was dangerous so you created shifts of two.

You haven't said more than three words to Natasha in four months and honestly she doesn't know why.

Everything should be fine right?

She doesn't know and that's why she has to force you to tell. Only that she will need a little help, or rather two little helps.

This is why she is now in the kitchen and there is no shadow of you, but she is not looking for you, she is looking for the twins and they are right there. "Hey guys, what are you up to?" she approaches the two Sokovians completely masking her intentions.

The two exchange a quick glance before Wanda speaks. "Let's cook" she replies bluntly continuing to stir a mixture.

The redhead nods thoughtfully, as if what they're doing really matters to her, and subtly expresses her intentions. "Have you seen Y/N?"

"Nope" promptly Pietro lies shamelessly covering up your true position. "It's not true! You two always know where she is. Basically you're always together" she complains then annoyed by their too much loyalty, it's not that she annoys her it's just that now she would like it to be less.

"She doesn't want to talk to you Romanoff" Pietro gets up from the counter and stands next to his sister.

To which Natasha sighs, they are such good friends for you. "I know guys, but I need your help. She has to tell me something but honestly she can't find the courage, I know she's always been shy" she admits, leaving the two dumbfounded, she knows you really well, they can be trusted then.

"Help with what?" Wanda asks, still a little wary.

They created a plan to lock you in a room with Natasha long enough for her to talk to you, and since you were returning from a mission with Vision (the humorless being) the first place you would go would be Wanda's room.

So while Wanda waits for you as planned on her bed, Natasha hides in her bathroom ready to go out when the door lock clicks.

You're tired, the mission went quite well but Vision is really boring, sure you understand many of the scientific things he says but it's not the right time and this bores you, maybe you even miss Tony's selfishly sarcastic jokes a little.

And above all you can't wait to hug your new best friend and hear something other than philosophical thoughts about human beings.

What you don't expect is that when you enter her already open room she's on her bed and looks at you scared. "Hey Y/N, I forgot something in the kitchen, I'll go get it for a moment and then come back, you can stay here" she says before being carried away by Pietro leaving you alone with his bluish trail.

You hear the lock click and then you see the redhead you don't expect come out of the bathroom and then you understand.

You are trapped

All the alarms start ringing in your head,

you don't want to tell

or you want?,

what if she doesn't want to?

Talk to her she wants it too

hear Wanda prompt you in your head and thank yourself for being as much a telepath as she is for having this amazing form of non-verbal communication. "Alright I'll tell her, but if it goes wrong I'll blame you" you scream making sure wherever she is she has heard you and you prepare yourself for the ordeal that awaits you.

" Что за проблема, моя малышка?" (What's the problem my child?) she asks you worried

"Ты хочешь говорить по-русски? Серьезно?" (Do you want to speak in Russian? Seriously?) you argue nervously about the situation you're in

"Вы сказали, что это для чрезвычайных ситуаций. И это чрезвычайная ситуация!" (You said it was for emergencies. And this is an emergency!) she takes your angry tone, totally changing the initial setting of the conversation.

"If I have to speak I prefer to do it in English. I'm too shocked to do it in Russian." you say offended, but you're just stalling and she understands it from the way she looks at you.

"Well then, talk, I listen"

It's hard but you finally do it.

You talk to her about Nora, about your relationship with her and how you feel responsible for her death. You also tell her about your parents and how they died and especially the trigger of your anger.

But then you talk about the last few months trying to apologize and I tell her about what you did, as if she didn't know, she had seen all the cameras in the compound just to see you again. You tell her about how you became friends with Wanda and her brother and how happy you feel when you can talk to them.

She finally gets it all, all the nights you spent crying and moaning in your sleep, you were thinking about your big sister and your parents how you missed them and how guilty you felt about how they died.

She is happy that in the last few months you have found people who have been close to you and from the way you talk about it you really enjoy spending time with the twins, she couldn't wish for anything else.

But then comes the speech, the one about your relationship. "Since you came here two years ago you've made me feel something I never imagined I'd feel, a constant fear of hurting yourself but also an overwhelming amount of love. But it's not the kind of love between engaged is something motherly, something I never expected to be... a mother"

"Now, I know you have a mother, but I don't think she would want you to be alone. In that sense too. So if you want I can try to be some kind of mom" she looks at you anxiously after she finishes her speech looking for signs of rejection, but there aren't any.

You throw yourself into her arms with tears of joy in your eyes. You leave her suspended with your action until you gently whisper to her "You are already my mom".

You knew she was from the first night she was close to you during one of your meltdowns, you just felt fear that you were somehow cheating on your biological mother. But now that you knew that she too felt the same way, the road seemed easier.

Perhaps your mother from wherever she is she will be scolding you, but shouldn't a mother want only the best for her children?

Now your best was clearer, you built a family without your knowledge and found in Natasha a new mother in time of need.

If Natasha thought she couldn't be happier when she heard you calling her mom her heart melted completely. After a long time she was truly happy.

When the hug between mother and daughter is finally over you fixed your slightly messy hair. "I have Wanda to thank," you say shaking your head and thinking of your dear friend.

"She's a good girl" she replies with a slight wink at which you make a face. "Don't start with mom's advice" you beg her playfully laughing embarrassed by your mother's insinuation.

"I'll have to start from something" she makes fun of you and you reply rolling your eyes and giving your hand to your face, surrendering to such lightheartedness.

——————————————————————

You truly thanked Wanda. Since she came into your life she has always helped you and from now on you promised yourself to always be there for her. Whatever it takes

After that day your life was turned upside down. Now you didn't wake up alone anymore, Natasha was always there to wake you up even when you fell asleep in Wanda's room, sure sometimes you just wanted to stay in bed a little longer without disturbing your roommate but you were thankful to your new mum for give you all these attentions.

If breakfast wasn't ready, you prepared it for everyone, knowing their tastes and habits, many times you cooked it with Wanda while you two happily sang.

Steve would always arrive at that point, up since dawn, and he would greet you like the true gentleman he is while he took a bottle of water and left. And like two teenagers then you sneer at the compliments while continuing to cook all sorts of delicacies.

Cooking of course as well as singing and dancing you talk about your plans for the day, and every time you are disturbed by an energetic Pietro who runs around the room to distract you before slipping in to give his sister a kiss and steal a plate of bacon and pancakes.

You really don't mind, you know that's how he is, and then your second favorite moment of the morning always comes after that.

The one where Natasha comes in and she gives you a kiss on her head before taking her plate and sitting down near the counter. The best time, your whole family, together.

Now your days have changed and you spend a lot of time away from your room preferring the gym and the laboratory (now that Tony has taken a sort of gap year you are free to give vent to your free intellect in the laboratory) where you finally keep your promise, with Wanda's help you create her first suit. Obviously you don't stop there, you are committed to creating the best outfit for her twin too, preferring heat-resistant and very elastic materials.

Now the time you spend training is with many more people and not at the most unusual hours, you have resumed training with your mother like four months ago and she is surprised at how much you have improved, while you still continue to train with Wanda to master the best your powers and develop some special tactics.

The missions you do now aren't so solitary anymore and you're almost always assigned in teams with either one or both of the twins or Natasha and your espionage skills you can tell are really improving.

Now you always spend your free time with Wanda, but now in the common room sharing books, TV series and various chats.

That's what you're doing right now, sitting next to Wanda on the couch as you watch an episode of Bewitched for the umpteenth time.

You're so involved that you don't notice Natasha approaching her until you find her in front of her with a toothy smile and her hands behind her back.

"What are you keeping back there but?" you ask standing up and trying to see what she's holding on to, but she always manages to elude you. "We did it" she tells you, taking her hands away behind her back to reveal some documents, the ones for my adoption.

Immediately a smile spreads across your face and you're almost incredulous. "Are... those... are those documents?" you stammer out loud in disbelief at the situation, finally, but you didn't expect it so soon.

She nods her head joyfully and you're elated.

You lock her into a bounce hug because you have too much energy to spread for the good news that you can't help but move. "I pushed a few buttons, and asked for some Avenger favors but I finally did it, now we can make this official" she comforts you as you look over your mother's neck to see Wanda watching the loving scene familiar in front of her and a little sorry, you wish she still had her parents.

You are already part of my family, Wanda, don't forget that

Thanks Y/N but this is your moment with your mom and you shouldn't be thinking about me

I will always think of you

You briefly saw Wanda blush at those words so you returned to the actual conversation you were having with your mother. "Then where should I sign?"

Now after signing all the documents you were officially her daughter.

You were finally Y/N Romanoff

(Ah of course there was a big celebration afterwards, obviously all Tony's doing)

You've never felt happier in recent years than right now. You have it all, a family, friends and fantastic powers.

You know this won't last long but you'll make sure you enjoy it while this peace lasts.

[mamadoc]

Hello Chenford fanfiction friends!

I got another chapter of my Worth the Wait story posted this evening.

Here’s how it starts.

Tim stood in their half-empty garage for a long time staring at the slab of concrete which Ashley’s Jeep should have occupied.

Eventually his sleep-deprived, emotionally exhausted, and completely dumbfounded brain comprehended what had happened. Ashley was gone. He wasn’t sure if she was gone for the night or gone for good, but she had left. She had left him and their daughters.

He staggered into the kitchen to get a glass of water as his mind struggled to understand what this could mean if she was really gone for good. When he set his glass down to shuffle back to his bed, he saw through the dim moonlight that illuminated the kitchen a large manila envelope that hadn’t been there earlier. Upon closer inspection, it had just one word in the center: Tim.

He flicked on the lights and settled down on one of the tall kitchen stools to inspect its contents. The envelope was much heavier than he anticipated, which only made him more curious. On the top of the stack of papers was a handwritten note.

Tim,

I’m sorry I didn’t have the courage to say goodbye. I can’t live this life anymore. I can’t be a mother. I’m just not wired that way.

I finally got all the money from my dad’s house and estate this week. I made a trust fund for Aly and Lily with 50% of the money. He would have wanted them to have that. All of that paperwork is included in this envelope.

I’m using some of the money to go far away. I sold my Jeep. I’m going to drop it off at the buyer’s home and then go to the airport. By the time you get this note, I should already be on an airplane. Please don’t look for me. I don’t want to be found. I’m leaving the US for now. I don’t know if I’ll ever come back.

You are a great dad. I know that you love Aly and Lily very much and that they’ll always be safe with you. If you choose to tell them anything about me, please be kind. I know that I’m an awful mother. They know that, too. I think that this is for the best for all of us.

Also enclosed in this envelope is my release of all parental rights. I worked with a lawyer to finalize it this week. According to the law, you are their sole parent with all rights and privileges. I will never be able to regain those, have any contact with the girls without your permission, or argue for custody of any type. I’m releasing all three of you from me and my horrible mothering skills.

When I first started this process, I felt a lot of guilt that I was abandoning you and the girls, but as it completed today and I bought my plane ticket, I felt more free than I have since before I had that positive pregnancy test.

I know you probably hate me. You have every right to. I just can’t do it though. I tried, but I can’t. At least I was able to give you the children you always wanted to have. I’m sorry I don’t have anything more to give.

You can sell or donate anything else in the house that was mine. I don’t need any of it.

I’m sorry that I was never good enough for you to love. Maybe you can go back to LA and find Lucy. You always loved her more than me anyway. I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to be a mother to the girls or a partner to you.

If the girls ever ask, please tell them I tried.

Goodbye, Tim.

Ashley

Read on here to see how Tim manages life by himself with newborn twins. You’ll also get Lucy’s story during her time undercover.

It’s another long chapter, so hydrate and get comfy.

[treedaddymcpuffpuff]

Beneath Miles of Stone - Part four - John Wick x Plus Size Fem Reader

Summary: John has been in prison for nine months. He’s content to stay if it means appeasing the high table and keeping peace between the owners of each continental. However, he meets someone who erases that willingness. Peace be dammed.

TW: NSFW

She thinks the add on Craigslist is pretty simple.

It’s the price, the location, the apartment size, her number, and some pictures of everything before she moved in.

In preparation, she has to start moving her things into the smaller room. Well, she’d be more inclined to call it a big closet, but it will work since she doesn’t have many personal items.

The apartment is technically one bedroom. The room she is currently dragging her twin mattress into is listed as a study. She shoves her bed into the corner of the room, then drags her cloth dresser in and sticks it right against the wall. Next, her clothing basket full of scrubs. By the time she’s done, it looks tidy, but also like she’s living the college life again. She’s always wanted to spruce things up a bit and maybe hang some lights or buy some cool curtains, but that requires motivation.

She texted her landlord a few hours ago about having a roommate, but they haven’t answered, and she’s taking that as a really bad sign. To take her mind off the anxiety, she’s fixing things up and moving the place around to make room for another body.

Her phone dings and she practically dives across the kitchen to answer it with a mouthful of ramen noodles. It’s either the landlord telling her to fuck off, or a potential roommate, and she’s delighted to see that it’s the latter.

Hi. My name is Michael. Very interested in your add on Craigslist. Could I come see the apartment?

Below the text bubble is a picture of a blonde, blued eyed guy smiling with bright white teeth. A picture, she guesses, is meant to familiarize her with his face and indicate that he’s not some creep, but a creep could really look like anybody.

Fuck it. She types back quickly.

Sure. When did you want to come see it?

Today? Around seven?

Hell yes. Her smile hurts her face. She’s glad that she didn’t pick up at work tonight so she can prep more for Michael’s arrival. She only wishes that she could feed him some dinner and wine to make herself look like god’s gift of roommates, but, unfortunately, her last ramen cup is sitting cold on the counter where she left it.

Going out to get some food with her last bit of cash doesn’t sound like a bad idea, but she’s going to have to make it cheap. She throws a jacket on and grabs her shoes from on top of the heating vent.

The streets are quiet today. A Dusting of snow, mostly unharmed by footsteps, lines the sidewalk. She walks with her head down and hands stuffed into her pockets, fighting through the biting wind to get to the local corner market.

A couple kids pass by her on bikes, startling her. She almost slips on the wet ground but recovers. She stares after them, hoping they don’t get to find out what the concrete tastes like, and, upon looking up from the ground, sees a gentleman sitting on a tarp, leaning on light pole. He’s got a paper cup in front of him and a shopping cart beside him full of blankets and worn clothes. She leans down, pulls a 5 dollar bill out of her jeans pocket, and sticks it in the cup.

He smiles bright at her, grabbing the edge of his torn beanie and pulling down on it to mimic the tipping of a hat. “Thank you, lil’ mama.”

She nods at him and continues her journey. Some of the depression sitting on her heart lifts. Times like these make her feel like she does have a purpose here in this fucked up world. That purpose is to be an aid to her fellow man, no matter if some of them are huge assholes.

She walks into the mart smiling, but is soon frowning again once she counts the money she has left.

She tries to look on the bright side, remember that there was a time where it was her out on the streets or couch hopping in shady neighborhoods. She tries hard to feel thankful that she has schooling, a decent job, and a roof over her head now.

She doesn’t have anyone besides herself and that’s probably the hardest part, but loneliness is better than being in relationships with people that use you and abuse you. If she’s learned anything, it’s that.

She counts her blessings while picking out instant white rice, two 12 packs of noodle soup, a bottle of ranch, and some hot sauce.

It’s only about two blocks back to her apartment, but the snow is coming down a bit harder now. She tries to walk at a slow pace that won’t cause her to slip and face-plant or break an ankle, but her feet still slide a couple of times.

The first thing she vows to do with her paycheck is buy boots with tread on the bottom.

Her phone vibrates in her pocket, and she grabs it eagerly. A fuck off message from the landlord, yet? No, it’s Michael, potential roommate, wanting to know if he can come over at 5 instead of 7.

Of course. 🙂

She hits send, shoves her phone back in her pocket, and looks up to cross an intersection.

The universe really does have it out for her right now. She can look on the bright side all she wants, but the proof is right in front of her that some powerful being wants her to suffer. At least that’s what she’s thinking as she stares directly into the eyes of Benny.

He’s leaning on a building, wrapped in a leather jacket, talking to a few other guys, and when he sees her, he grins like the cat that finally caught the mouse. She looks at the neon sign that he’s standing under: RAY’S

Her face is a mixture of disgust, fear, and anger as she observes the shit eating grin on his face. He won’t stop looking at her, but she’s not giving him the satisfaction. Instead of crossing his way when the light turns green, she walks over to the other side of the street and goes down the opposite block.

She tries to self-soothe, reassure her panicking body that there are people around and he can’t do anything to her that witnesses won’t see. She looks behind her to make sure he’s not following, goes another block down from the club he’s at, then starts walking back to her apartment. Her pace quickens, and so does the number of times she almost falls flat on her ass.

By some miracle, she makes it into the doors of the apartment building without eating asphalt. She tries to act like a calm, normal human, but the adrenaline in her body protests. Ten deep breaths, in and out. Close your eyes. Tap your fingers together and think about something you love.

It takes a minute, but she’s able to come down from the hysteria. No harm done. He doesn’t know where she lives, just that it might be close to a shitty club on 38th street. Avoid that street, and she’s golden. Plus, pretty soon she will have money to ride the actual subway again and go to the bigger stores.

Still, the fact that she even saw him out there so close to where she lives is just pure shit luck. Either that, or he also has no car and is broke, so he has to live close enough to work that he can walk.

Hopefully, things will turn in her favor tonight when she meets Michael. That will be one problem out of the way.

She goes upstairs to finish getting ready for him.

Never in her nursing career, except maybe at the very beginning, has she longed for work. Well, not work itself, but a benefit of it, which happens to be John. It’s a strange feeling, but one that’s surprisingly easy to embrace and let flow freely into her fantasies.

If anyone ever found out, especially the man in question, it would be career ending and humiliating, but, here at home, alone, judgement free, she curls up the couch and embraces the reminiscent high that is John Wick.

This reminds her of being a kid, excited for the amusement park field trip in the morning. It reminds her of waiting for a fresh slice of her favorite pizza. It reminds her of something to live for and look forward to.

She imagines that he feels the same way; that every time she enters his room he’s pining for her. Her rational brain tries to laugh at her and call her ridiculous for that one, but delusional brain slams the door in rational brain’s face and continues daydreaming.

She tries to paint a memory of his angular face, black eyes, big hands, nice voice. His dry humor and crisp, honest words are endearing. The way he asked her what happened to her face illuminates the sugary illusion that he cares about her.

She tries not to remember how polite he was with Mike and compare that to how he is with her. It’s not any different, she knows that, but she wants it to be.

Her phone rings and drags her out of her land of make believe.

The voice on the other end is cheerful and soft. “Hi, this is Michael, I’m here. Can you let me in?”

“Sure.” She throws her blanket off and rushes to the door to push the button that opens the front gate. “Come on in.”

“See you in a minute.” He sounds as excited as her, and she knows he’s going to be great just by reading his vibe over the phone.

Michael is a chubby blonde cherub with soft, pink cheeks. He grabs her hand and shakes, and the first thing he says is, “so, just to get it out of the way, you’re not homophobic, right?”

She laughs. “No, definitely not.”

He sighs in relief. “Thank God.”

They talk for a bit. She learns that Michael is her age and that he works at a bank but is in school to be a medical doctor.

“I’m a nurse,” she tells him, grateful that they have so much in common.

“Hell yeah you are,” he grins. “When I graduate, we can start our own practice.”

It’s easy to talk to him. They click instantly. By the time they’re done laughing and carrying on, they’re practically begging each other to be roommates without realizing the other is not opposed to the idea.

“When can I move in? You still want me to move in, right?”

“You can move in today,” she tells him.

“Hm, I can’t do it that soon. Maybe tomorrow? You won’t have someone else by then will you?”

“No, definitely not, so you’ll move in tomorrow? I’ll have to make a key for you.”

“That’s not too much trouble is it? I’m sorry I’m such an annoying person.”

She grins at him. “You are zero percent annoying, Michael. I’m sorry I’m so disheveled.”

“And you are lovely.” He corrects.

She wants to be transparent with him, so she tells him about the rent situation.

He waves her off. “Don’t worry, this month is all on me.”

She coughs on the water she’s drinking. “What?” She says. “No way, I can’t let you do that.”

He shushes her. “This month is on me and you get the next one, babe. Then we’re square.”

She tries to protest more, but Michael is having none of it.

“I’m gonna go pull first month’s out of the bank tomorrow morning, and we can trade that for the key.”

They shake on it, and then proceed to talk more.

“I like to go clubbing, so sometimes I won’t be home at night. Do you go clubbing?”

She snorts. “No, I’ve never been.. uh.. clubbing.” For some reason that embarrasses her. “But I work nightshift.”

“Ah, a homebody,” he nods, “I respect it. As long as you’re fine with my party boy lifestyle. I might bring a guy home, but he’ll leave before morning.”

She shrugs. “I’m totally fine with that.”

“Do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend or anything? Someone who will be over often?”

“Nope.”

“Well, even if you get one, it’s fine if they visit,” he tells her, “the more the merrier. Plus, I can tell you won’t pick a scumbag that will steal my shit.”

Michael is hilarious. He makes her laugh. She wonders if he should go into comedy instead of medicine. Most doctors are assholes, not charismatic angels like Michael.

“You’re not on drugs, right?” Michael asks.

“I drink,” she says honestly. “Probably an unhealthy amount.”

He puts his hand on his chest. “A girl after my own heart.”

They discuss drinks of choice. Really, she’ll pick any. He asks her to guess what his favorite is.

“It’s definitely tequila,” she chuckles.

He looks astounded. “How did you know?!”

When he leaves, it’s with the promise of arriving in the morning bright and early with his things.

She’s excited, but starting to feel the exhaustion that comes with working a 12-hour-nightshift and then not sleeping afterward. She bundles a blanket around her shoulders, pops in an old horror dvd, and curls up on the couch with a bowl of spicy rice and her last Mountain Dew.

She wakes up at midnight, panting, soaked in sweat, the ghost of either a nightmare or a wonderful dream oozing from her memory. The TV screen casts a black light over the room, flickers into moving shadows at the corner of her vision. There is a phantom name on her lips. She is sure the sound of her own voice saying their name had startled her awake.

She doesn’t feel scared, though pent up—twitchy. Her body aches with pleasant need. Pieces of her dream reassemble while her mind clears.

Shiny, onyx eyes, tickling facial hair, timbre voice, teasing, long fingers, the promise of an orgasm dangled in front of her. Her toes curl as her lower belly flares with the memory. The heat nestles into her center and lays heavy and insistent. She presses her cheek into damp pillow, hips trembling for friction, hands gripping the couch cushions tightly. The name leaves her mouth, just barely a whine.

“John.” Something presses at the back of her conscious, trying to wake her. Part of her own mind warns her that she’s totally fucked if she indulges this enchantment. Sleep has other plans: It pulls her back into lean, masculine arms. The owner of the embrace she folds into cares deeply about her, wants to protect her. She fights, she gives in. The room transitions back into black.

[fatalmorning]

‼️ REALLY LONG - Eve Moral. Deep dive? About the 3 brothers. Find them all really interesting… Edgar in actions, Eve in character and Kai in… story? Honestly can’t get enough of the Kai and Eve dynamic. Really the 3 brothers in general but them mostly. Their story is a lot more sad when you think about it.

First of all Kai. The youngest, and also the most screwed over one. He gives you this relaxed vibe, laid back but his last part gives you a kind of depressive vibe. He goes back and forth from putting on this “fun and cool” face to this “I need help” face. I mean think about it really. His older brother, who has sociopathic behavior, practically mentally tortures their mother into running away (when she clearly already had her own problems). Then years later his twin brother runs away. Leaving him alone with Edgar. Edgar then starts to blackmail Kai, in this fucked up relationship where it’s, “clean up my mess and I’ll pay you. If you don’t I can get you arrested for literally hundreds of murders from the DNA of YOURS that I have.” Kai almost makes it seem like he’s there, doing it willingly at first., which he’s clearly not, then outright says he’s not. Almost blowing it off at first by saying “oh well he’s providing for me.” Before deciding to just tell the listener. But then you realize how much more damage Edgar is causing by lying to Eve. Saying, “Look at him… the disgusting things he does. His life, his actions, his money. It’s greedy, it’s rotten.” (Not an actual quote). Almost like he’s playing into the visions Eve has by telling him that Kai does it for money. Because it’s profitable, which is Eve’s whole theory and big idea with Hypnos… about this power imbalance between society and people with power. Eve knows Edgar is a liar, but he believes him because Edgar has played into Eve’s beliefs. That might have been the cause for Eve running away. They would have been in their teens then since we know in the videos Kai is 19. Or he could have been told that after running away. We know they had little contact due to Eve sending checks in the mail. There’s no clear timeline. But lying and misunderstanding isn’t the (main) problem. The fact that Eve never knew what was really going on. He was so caught up with his own life, and problems with Hypnos. He’ll never know how much Kai actually cared about him. Kai talks about it, about Eve, and that the money is proof Eve is well- doing good for himself and that he’s glad Eve escaped. He’s glad that there’s a chance Eve cares even a little about his family after everything, and glad that he’s “happy and healthy.”

And then we have Eve. Him and his cult can be an entirely different post. But for now, he doesn’t know. He doesn’t know that Kai still gives a shit, he thinks the roles are swapped. He thinks Kai is murdering people, streaming red rooms for money. And Edgar is just a sociopath who drove their mother insane. He has no reason to like his family really… but he tried. In an effort to get out of his own problems he used Kai.

Having no context on what the possible standoff or event was like is heartbreaking. Maybe Kai saw Eve and was happy, hopeful, excited even.., before immediately being betrayed without an explanation. Maybe he was caught off guard and never got to see Eve one last time. Whatever happened, we now know Kai never got his chance to explain because of Eve’s explanation as to why he did it. And after Eve leaves the country, he won’t ever know unless somebody makes an effort to get to him about it. Somebody as in the only two people who know which are Edgar and Kai’s listener. Both know Eve exists but know nothing about his whereabouts. If Edgar wanted to, he could try to make an effort but he doesn’t seem like the type to care. He hasn’t really lost a lot, he could easily put another person in that relationship. And Kai’s listener doesn’t have enough material to go off of, if they tried it wouldn’t be long before they got themselves stuck in some situation with somebody who has connections to this whole problem. Likely ending with them dead too.

[uddermyname]

can we get a top, bottom, switch list? i'm curious to see what dynamics you see with the twst cast.

i just assume them all being roughly 17 that they're all so horny and willing to experiment with anything it doesn't matter. these are high school age boys we're talking about. a hole is a hole. i firmly believe they've all used magic to jerk off till they go blind for the day

ace - my baseline for the cast. the closest to being straight in the entire world. imagines himself topping and daydreams of doing it with a girl but i mean he's likely ended up on the bottom of the ass hierarchy but idk if he'd like it more than topping

deuce - like his mom told him that to get a baby you have sex but i don't think she went into detail so i don't think deuce knows too much. his best trait is his inexperience after all but he still cranks it like a regular boy. he would go for top cuz he doesn't know there's other ways and he can rut someone like a pig but he'd be down for bottoming cuz it's now a challenge. lifts legs spreads ass yelling bring it on before his back gets blown out. he has a slapable ass thank u track club deuce card

trey - a normal guy with a perfectly normal life. he's probs considered the aspect of bottoming but since he's a bit taller and i headcanon less flexible he doesn't think it'll be for him. only if the right guy comes along. i think he's more aware of what he's okay with being the sensible guy so tops more

cater - two older sisters and constantly moving has probably made him a master at the two minute wank. maybe being on his own for the first time has allowed his freak to fly. wants to actually enjoy the act. has tons of colorful toys and good recommendations. likes his hair tugged

riddle - guy is so pent up the second he touched his weewee as a kid his mom scolded him so hard he's certain if he ever saw it erect his mom would cut it off. the kind to hump his pillow and then get an ulcer from hiding it. fandom sees him as a huge bottom which he is but with azul i like to see him be the top simply cuz i make azul the bigger bottom a la bias. the guy's had it rough. let him have a little bussy. as a treat. like. 98% bottom 2% top with azul

leona - probably bottoms more than people think and is a pillow princess about it. either make him cum or leave him alone. if he tops tho you're not walking right. only cool kids can touch it tho

jack - has a knot because yeah. since he's big like trey probs always assumed he'd be on top but i think out of respect he'd let leona and/or ruggie do him

ruggie - i feel it started early. selling his mouth out for food or money and only progressed through school. more of a bottom cuz of it tho i feel might've dreamed of topping leona only to get violently corrected. i thing he'd like to top just a little more but most guys want to be the top so he just bends over and gives you his rates

azul - tho i like bottom azul more than the blue in the sky i will also admit he and the twins are deplorable freaks who have tried every hole, position, and fantasy they could physically get away with. he's slid his mackerel inside which is a pretty high honor tbh. ends up bottoming just cuz he's stretchiest and squishiest and his bussy is top tier. i don't think he's had his virginity since he was 12. would probably love to top riddle tho and show him the joys of the flesh

jade and floyd - puts them together because it's basically the same: whatever gets them the nut. topping is just easier for it but if azul's busy or they're feeling that special brotherly connection only brothers can then someone's gotta bottom

kalim - i feel he just orgies all day every day so something's going in and out from every hole like the dorm bike. topping and bottoming are more like constraints when after all everyone can feel good together

jamil - a guy who wants to top but is made to bottom his entire life his dickus has never once entered another body. it's funnier like that. i bet if he ever did get get the chance he'd automatically get himself ready to bottom cuz of muscle memory. the only guy who offered to bottom for him was azul and his balls shriveled away in protest

epel - wants to top. has not topped. will never top. MAYBE jack, as a present for his birthday i guess but his meat isn't getting past those cheeks. vil f/ucks him daily both physically and mentally to keep him in his place.

rook - my perception of rook was altered thanks to hent/ai so it's more gratifying to see him bottom. like he can probably top easily but there's something fun about making him the prey instead of the predator. would bottom for the beautiful vil and niege

vil - lol sorry pibbles but vil feels funner as a top. commanding others to suck and take it is fun. has trained rook and epel on his dong and many others. tho of course finds no issue with bottoming either just not the 100% uke idea

idia - freakass has ruined every hole with technology and homemade masturbatory aids. his personality is very submissive but he's got a pretty big ego and i feel he'd slip into the protag-he/ntai enthusiast easily and prefer topping but really wants to live out every single nhen/tai comic he has bookmarked which is in the thousands. tops for azul cuz someone has to and that ass is too thick not to

ortho - he can do it all. the tightest snatch reduce your stick to atoms like a coinpresser or a dong wider than a horse's. idk who he'd do it with but he's prepared for every scenario with equal enthusiasm he just likes seeing the other party happy

lilia - has probs done more war crimes and noncons than you think but grandpa's joints are old and prefers bottoming now. feel similar to venti of being a cute femboy but then whips out a massive hog and teaches you a lesson of not underestimating your elders

silver - idk about him much frankly but if hes just going to lay there sleeping then he's just asking for it. sleeping beauty time

sebek - despite his size and strength probably has saved his v-card for malleus and malleus alone in which he will most likely bottom. idk about him either

malleus - has been served v-cards on a silver platter and lilia likely taught him a thing or two but idk if the prince of briar valley's even been the one taken to poundtown. i know leona would want to take him but if yuu asked really nicely i think he'd allow it too

[deusexlachina]

Cheesage Exocolonist Age 11: Ruin Valentine's Day as soon as it is invented by blorboing so hard that it becomes existentially horrifying

In which Sol tells Tangent about her other lives for free candy and uses fashion to save people's lives before they are in danger.

Age 11 is kicked off by Marz inventing Valentine's day for free candy - you have to pick your Best Friend. Normally, I would do something sensible, like weigh all the different options to see how to maximize Friendship points and choose the Best Friend most optimal for my run. Unfortunately, Tangent is my blorbo and my shameless favouritism cannot be suppressed.

This is the first time I've picked Tangent after completing a run, so I only just now discovered this rather unsettling wormhole dialogue: when she asks for a reason you should be friends (Tangent being one of the harder characters to befriend, you do need a reason!), Sol can tell Tangent about the timeline where they were married.

Obviously this ruins your friendship completely, and...wait, she thinks it's cool? She gives friendship points?

"Grow old together" is a bit of a stretch - in the timeline Sol is referring to, my first playthrough, the marriage dissolved quickly because Tangent can never keep a relationship going with anyone, and also because Tangent lost her brother, had a supervillain phase and burnt out in like her twenties. (God forbid trans women do anything). Canonically, future memories aren't 100% reliable, but this still feels like burying the lede.

Despite this being one of the weirdest dialogues in the game, which is a very high bar, this is one of very few options where you can be completely honest about your other lives without being diagnosed as Delusional. (The twins are both very open-minded).

I really like the wormhole dialogues, because they start out awesome but the more of them you pick, the more you realize just how horrifying this whole situation is. This poor kid just trying to deal with having numerous other lives and no idea what to do with them with PTSD from stuff that hasn't even happened yet. They just get more and more detached from the world around them the more they loop. And they keep looping forever.

Marzipan gives me -2 Friendship for picking Tangent instead of her. But I like to think the penalty is really for ruining Valentine's Day by being 11 and reminiscing about married life/the only life Sol ever lived organically. I mean, she doesn't mention that. But would you? Really, this was a suboptimal choice, but I want to share some neat Easter eggs along the way.

Most of the year proceeds as normal, by which I mean neglecting my studies in favour of deckbuilding. I get Marz's friendship high enough for her to give me her jacket. Unfortunately, because she's my coworker, she knows how much money I have and, seeing I have more than 50 kudos in the bank, she will instead sell me the jacket. I take the L; it's fair for ruining Valentine's Day.

Besides that, the jacket is crucial. Tonin is living on borrowed time - late this year, he will be killed in a manticore attack. I could go out and save him just in the nick of time. But that would be traumatic for him and poor Tammy. More importantly, it would give me more cards [bad]. Another route is persuading him to stay home, but, having neglected my education, my persuasion is at 0. Fortunately, I have Marz's jacket, which makes me cool enough to persuade him to babysit instead. Tonin joins his daughter in being saved without any idea of the danger they were in.

A couple months later, I save Hal. This is the first time I've saved someone and gotten recognition for it. This is a sign that these mortals will eventually bow to me as their ruler.

[rustycopper4use]

It’s Always Been You Pt.3

 Pt.2

(Kyoya x Male Reader)

Chapter three

 -Beware Of The Physical Exams!-

  The cherry blossoms danced across the school's garden. The sound of laughter, along with preppy chatter could be heard from within it, the cause of it?  Well it’s none other than the host club. Entertaining the ladies with their stunning good looks.

 Y/n is helping Kyoya sell more products to eager guests.

“You have to watch this. You may not get another chance. Who knows when it’ll happen again!” A girl spoke, still staring at the twins usual act.

And in comes Kyoya.

“You're absolutely right, mademoiselle. All beauty is fleeting. Just take a look at these cherry blossoms. You’ll never be able to see them this vibrant again.” He pulls out a couple of books, and shows the girls. 

“-which is why, I’ve compiled this picture book that contains photos that capture the beauty of each passing day. Incidentally, I’ve prepared similar books of the other hosts as well. If you ladies are interested in collecting all four of them, I’ll discount the full set for you.” Kyoya smiled as the girls eagerly bought the set.

“Well now we know how the club makes extra money.” The twins are now next to Y/n, who is looking through some of the photos.

 “But I have to wonder..” Hikaru starts.

“-When did he take pictures of us?” 

…..

“So Haruhi, have you decided your elective courses for this term?” The twins are now hovering over Haruhi.

 “How about conversational French?” Kaoru asked

 “I don’t know..” Haruhi is lost in thought.

 “I think the three of us should take it together. It makes perfect sense… we are in the same class.” 

 As the three talk over classes a gloomy prince watches them.

 “Say, mommy dear?” Tamaki spoke timidly.

 Kyoya looks up from his book.

“What is it now, daddy?” 

Y/n froze, brain overloaded with many conflicting feelings, But before Y/n could dwell on them for long Tamaki began speaking.

“I have a new theory. I mean it’s just my hypothesis, but it seems that by being in the same class, Hikaru and Kaoru are able to spend more time with Haruhi, than i get here at the club. This gives them the chance to get close to her and if that happens…”

Tamaki begins to trail off.

 “Really, Tamaki you’ve just realized that?” Y/n baffled by the blondes obliviousness.

Kyoya pulls up a carefully planned chart.

 “According to my research, in a single day the twins spend roughly nine hours of class time with Haruhi. Meanwhile your contact spent with her is limited to a couple hours of club activities. In other words, your involvement in Haruhi’s life each day amounts to no more than a mere three percent.” Kyoya spoke, Putting the final nail in the coffin. And of course Tamaki hates this news.

 “AAH! I don’t want to hear it! I don’t wanna hear it! I don’t want to hear it! Listen Haruhi. I want you to stop hanging out with those shady twins from now on!” Tamaki yelled.

 “Who’re you calling shady?” Hikaru argued back.

 “Yeah! Take a good look at yourself boss!” Kaoru added.

“Ah! Yes, that’s it! Alright then, we will no longer hide the fact you’re a girl from the school no longer. All daddy wants is for you to go back to the girl you used to be! For you to surround yourself with girlfriends and start living a wholesome life.” Tamaki complains and whines over Haruhi.

 “Who are you calling daddy?” Haruhi spoke, getting more frustrated by the second.

 “Is daddy the word of the day?” Y/n already hearing the word more then he should.

“So do it! Change back right now!” Tamaki demanded 

“You don’t really have to rush things, she’s going to be found out soon enough.” Hikaru states, everyone else is still confused.

 “Physical exams are the day after tomorrow.” Kaoru spoke after.

Leaving everyone frozen except Haruhi.

 “Physical exams?”

“That’s right. I forgot all about it.” Kyoya said. Looking to the rest of the group still processing.

 “Hm that means, there’s no doubt. They’re gonna know, I’m really a girl.” Haruhi spoke rather calmly.

 The twins and Tamaki screamed in realization.

 Though Tamaki was now lost in thought.

“Uh Tamaki?” Y/n stood in front of Tamaki, still dazed in thought.

  “Well, it looks like we lost him.” 

“He must be having a great daydream.” Honey mentioned, also staring at the long gone Tamaki.

“He’s kinda creeping me out..” Hikaru spoke, finally causing a reaction out of Tamaki.

 “Envious Hikaru? This is all part of my strategy. While you’ve wasted time blinded by your jealousy, I’ve seen the outcome of this charade. Ahh, this anime is obviously a romantic school comedy. Haruhi and I are the main characters so that means we are love interests!” Tamaki spoke nonsense to the Club.

 The twins butt in on Tamaki’s fantasy.

“Yeah, then what are we?” 

Tamaki smirks before pointing towards the rest of the host club.

 “You boys are the homosexual supporting cast.” He begins drawing a line with a stick.

 “So please make sure you don’t step across this line.”

“You’ve got to be kidding.” Y/n spoke already exhausted with Tamaki’s antics.

“Hey listen boss.” Hikaru spoke, trying to reason with the blonde.

 “I don’t think you get it.” Kaoru following after him.

Honey chimes in 

 “If word gets out that Haru-chan is really a girl, then she won’t be able to be in the host club anymore. But, if Haru-chan started wearing girls' clothes, I’d bet she’d be even cuter than she is now!” 

 “She dressed like a regular girl when she was in middle school, right? She must’ve been pretty popular with all the boys.” Hikaru states.

 Kyoya pushes up his glasses. 

“Yeah, according to my investigative reports, someone would declare their undying love for her at least once a month.”

“How would you even find that type of information?” Y/n asked.

“Oh I see. So the boss wouldn’t even be able to get close to her.” Kaoru spoke with a smug grin forming on the twins faces.

 “But.. we’d be able to because we’re in class with her all day long.” 

“No way!”

Haruhi finally arrived.

“Hey guys, sorry I’m so late.”

“Don’t worry Haruhi! We’re determined to keep your secret! No one will know that you’re really a girl during tomorrow’s physical! So please, promise you’ll stay our beloved secret princess!” Tamaki fussed over Haruhi.

“Sure.” 

“You know what, I think both of us would be a little peeved if we had to watch guys flirt with her.” Hikaru is already jealous at the thought.

“Then that settles it.” Kaoru confirming the idea.

“Listen up squad members! At tomorrow's physical exams, position yourself in formation A. Then, wait for your orders.” Tamaki spoke, taking his role as leader.

“Yessir!” The twins replied eagerly.

“I’ve got it!” Haruhi blurts out, causing the club to look at her.

 “You guys are worried that if they find out I’m a girl, I can’t be a host and therefore, can’t repay my debt. My balance is five million yen… hm, well guess I have to come up with another way to pay my debt. Haha!” 

“Do something! The subject doesn’t appear to have any motivation.” The twins worry over Haruhi.

“Ugh, why’d we have to get stuck with such a difficult heroine.” Tamaki’s  frustration grows, at rather lack of care coming from Haruhi.

 “Are you really saying that you hate being a host, that you hate this club?” 

“To be honest, I'd have to say yes.” Haruhi answered quite bluntly, striking a chord with Y/n.

 “Well that’s a little harsh don’t you think?” Y/n’s anxiety prevalent in his shaky voice, Hoping Haruhi might just be joking, she can’t possibly hate the club that much.

“I mean you guys aren’t bad but if it gets out that I’m a girl, there’s nothing I can do, you know.” Haruhi explained with a smile.

“We have to find a way to motivate her.” Y/n mumbles.

“Maybe-“

“Fancy tuna.” Mori responded.

An idea pops into their heads.

“Oh that’s right. You didn’t get a chance to eat any in the last chapter's party, did you?” Tamaki grins.

 “It would be such a shame leaving the club, without even trying any fancy tuna…” Y/n joins in.

“What are you talking about, I’m not so much of a glutton, I'd go around fooling everyone of my gender. Just to try some fancy tuna… Hahaha… Am I really gonna get to try it?” Haruhi finally caves in, going with the club's plan.

The day of the exam…

  “We will begin conducting physical examinations shortly. 

  All students please proceed to the clinic in your respective school building.”

As everyone heads to the physical exams, they’re greeted by rows of doctors.

 The Hitachiin twins are the first to get called for check ups.

 And Mori and honey are clearly dressed as doctors.

 “They’re so obvious.” Haruhi grumbled

 “I’ve got those two for backup just in case something happens.

Kyoya responses.

“But why are they in doctor disguises?” 

“They’re just helping to set the mood. Disguises make our operation feel like a real espionage mission.” Kyoya responded with an amused tone.

Being Haruhi could say anything a disheveled doctor bumps into Haruhi.

“Uh, I’m terribly sorry.” Then the doctor quickly left.

“No problem…” kyoya spoke with a hint of confusion.

“That’s weird.” Y/n comments.

“Hitachiin brothers, would you please come with me, we’re ready to do your chest measurement. You can use the area behind this curtain to undress.” One of the nurses spoke.

Hikaru starts taking off his shirt.

“Doesn't matter to me.”

Kaoru does the same.

“-we’re not shy, who needs curtains.”

The girls freak out over the sight.

 “See Haruhi, a rather impressive turnout today. Physical exam is quite popular with the ladies.” Kyoya spoke, looking at the crowd. 

“Which is why I prefer private rooms.” Y/n mumbled.

“What?” Haruhi looked at Y/n.

“Sorry just talking to myself.” He nervously explained, picking at his nails.

“Y/n L/n! Please follow me to the rooms.” A nurse spoke with a kind smile.

“That’s my cue, I’ll see you later.” Y/n quickly follows the nurse. Y/n had always disliked this day, giving him the worst anxiety eating from the inside out.

As y/n was led into an empty nurses room he was told to take off his shirt.

 The nurse looks at the clipboard in her left hand.

 “So Y/n how’s your scars healing? I know it's been a few years.” She politely asked, referring to my chest.

“Their healing is fine.” Y/n quickly responded wanting to finish this early.

“Great! I need to grab a few things and I'll be right back!” She cheerfully left the room, closing the door behind her.

 Y/n took a long exhale, trying to calm his nerves.

———-

“I’m telling the truth!” A girl spoke, catching the attention of kyoya, honey and Mori.

 “One of the doctors grabbed me by my shoulder. He was trying to make a pass at me. I’ve never been so terrified.”

 “How scary!” 

“Do you think he’s a pervert?”

“I had a feeling this might happen.” Kyoya sighed.

 “What do you mean?” Honey looked at him.

“A bit earlier today, I saw a strange man. Wearing a white lab coat but clearly not one of our hospital doctors and I thought he was a little odd.” Kyoya answered not really paying attention.

  “Shouldn’t you have told us sooner?” The twins asked.

“Well, it’s not a big deal, I'm sure a security guard will catch him.” Kyoya looked at the twins.

 “Tell me miss, did you happen to notice where the pervert doctor was headed?” A man asked one of the girls.

 “Yes sir, he ran off towards the special boys clinic.”

Kyoya froze, as the other members realized what’s happening.

“Y/n!”

————

“What the hell do you think you're doing!” Y/n screamed trying to push the man off.

 “Ah. No, it’s not what you think, please keep quiet.” He placed his hand on y/n’s mouth, leading to Y/n biting down on his hand, He pulled his hand away in pain as the door swung open, revealing the host club.

“Ahh! Please don’t hurt me! Spare me my life! I’m a doctor. I have a small emergency medical clinic that I run in the next town over, my name is yabu!” 

The doctor pleaded.

As the conversation continued, Y/n still hasn’t fully recovered emotionally. 

His ears are still ringing making it impossible to think, with adrenaline still pumping throughout his body he was hunched over trying to hide his scars...

And after what felt like hours, everyone left to give Y/n room to breathe, however Kyoya was still lingering, struggling with what to do. He wasn’t even sure why he was still here in the first place.

 Kyoya sighs.

“Are you truly okay y/n?” He almost regretted it immediately, slightly shocked at seeing Y/n burst into tears, he stood there not really knowing what to do or even say next.

 He hesitates before opening his arms for an embrace. Y/n quickly accepted, and continued to cry on kyoya.

 He wraps his arm tightly around Y/n. Kyoya and this weird sick feeling looking at the state of y/n, but before he could think he started talking.

“Shh.. it’s okay.. you're okay now.” Kyoya muttered, not sure where this sudden kindness came from. But Y/n didn’t seem to mind.

…..

…

WOOO TWO CHAPTER IN ONE DAY! I am never doing that again. (I probably will) it’s shorter then the rest but enjoy

:]

[ravenbloodshot]

Someone who gives me the same asshole vibe as Cha Eun Woo and Song Kang is Eunwoo's friend Kim Young Kwang (the actor) I really liked his drama and he is quite handsome but he looks like a sadist and super manipulative to me I'm not gonna lie? No matter how much I try I can't seem to get into him? He was also caught before whilst he was a model (when he was much much younger) talking about what he finds distasteful in women and he said really weird/sexist shit but it was childish af too, like he really didn't think before speaking but I like to give benefit of the doubt to the "youth" LMFAO (not really) but you know he's also Korean so I wasn't shocked, I said oh another one bites the dust 👏🏾☺️😋 Anyway there's something sweet about him (I'm probably reaching and trying to give him a compliment) but he really totally makes the hairs on back stand idk he gives me torturous type vibes? Maybe it's past life between me and him vibes LMFAO but I see evil, I know I'm not tripping, like the dark triad evil? Am I wrong? What energy do you feel from him, please let me know!! Like he looks like if he wasn't told right he'd hold people captivate or be that weird kid that's cruel to bugs? I wouldn't be surprised if he was a bully or humiliated people, especially women. Like you know the energy of a closeted man that hates on women? He looks like the type to say mean things in a joking manner and not even consider people "beneath" him? I feel he can be sweet but it is selective, like he may want something? Idk he feels fucking cold, like his eyes and his smile, no emotion etc I wouldn't be surprised if he has a disorder or something that makes him unemotional etc He's a major homebody too and he always acts uncomfortable in social situations etc, he probably is but maybe he really does has some disorder or something because he expresses that he wants to go home etc. Like I could see him being condescending like Song Kang and Cha Eun Woo too?

CEW always gives me the energy of misguided energy? Like if he were to be surrounded by good people who humbled him he could be okay? I always see some sentiment in him? He looks like people don't check him and out of all 3 he looks to me the most reflective, like if something happened it could give him a spiritual awakening etc and change his life. Like the type of guy that heals if he was loved right. CEW gives me I am a "twin" vibes, like he has a counterpart in this lifetime who's gonna have a profound effect on his life? He always looked like a redeemable soul to me? I don't know but the more he gets deeper into the industry and this cold, cruel, money driven environment he just gonna end up being unredeemable as well, in the deep end? Like he'll end up the worst out of the bunch? I hope he don't start doing drugs but he looks smart to me lol, I'll give him that much. The more I see actors/celebs the more coldness I see lol, some of them have really scary eyes.

It's hilarious to me that people found Song Kang cute, the mf gave me I'm bland and incompetent but have the audacity to be disgusted by you vibes. He generally looks like the type to sanitise his hands if he accidentally brushed past somebody he don't respect, he looks hella coddled too and a mamas boy. He literally admitted himself that he wore the same socks for months straight. He's probably the type that doesn't do the dishes or wash his clothes etc, like he young forever? I was shocked he was feeling Han So Hee LOL but she grown woman vibes and I think it's opposites attract. Her rough girl image, idgaf demeanour probably intrigued him. A part of him also looked like he was pretending, so people could talk about them, like he used her for a come up? He shot a show with that young pretty actress and the interviews (my demon) were a pain to watch. I could tell he found her stupid and you were RIGHT, he cannot hide his dissatisfaction well!! Like it was second hand embarrassment. He was also on another show with BP Jennie and he literally iced her lmfao, he didn't even look at her, he also pushed past another woman and was heavily disgusted by another older woman complimenting him, like how dare you compliment me when you not on my level? Like the type that wants people to ask for permission before they greet him? He called another woman by another name and said "that woman" and she was like "I am that woman, it's my name", as in he didn't even bother learning their names and she said to him don't you think it's too soon to speak casually (banmal/drop honorifics) and refer to me as "that" and that you should learn people's names etc. It baffles me how people give a pass to "handsome/pretty" people in the world and especially Korea? But more so handsome men because of sexism right? Like he was not careful of his behaviour at all but people thought he was "clueless" and cute. It's obvious when he thinks people aren't on his level etc and I think he's at a point where he generally believes he's made it, so he dgaf like yasss I don't need to kiss ass anymore, when he was simply just expected to be polite LOL 😂 I think it's a chore for him to treat people well, like he might think about the beneficial reason why he should give charity and help people? Like they broke, they can get up, I'm not, I work hard. Like simple minded? He's cut the nice act now and he said so himself, that he hates being perceived as cute and a little adorable boy but he masked himself as such and then complains? Probably because he finds his fans disgusting. I'm ngl he feels like that. I don't know lol! Don't mind me, I be popping out here and there and giving the lip and the tea LMFAO 🤣 I'll stop here! 💀

— Lip Service Girl 💄

Me and you must just be on the same wavelength. I think it's too much to say Kim Young Kwang has a disorder, but everything else, I agree.

Cha Eunwoo has the best energy out of the three. But he has his own bs that comes with him. He's not a bad guy, though, the other two .....🤷‍♀️

What sticks in my mind the most is Kim Young Kwangs' weird comments about women as well. Like it's okay to have preferences, but like damn....

[btsydtrash]

Life Goes On [6]

CEO Namjoon x Au Pair YN

Namjoon has been married for years. He has twins, a happy life, a beautiful wife, a wonderful home. But, why, after nearly a decade of building, is his seemingly perfect life crumbling around him?

Masterlist  /  i don’t have a tag list  /  find me on twitter  /  word count: 2.9k

AN: sorry it’s been so long my loves hh! but i’m back!

(angst / smut / fluff)

tw: ableism, nosey grandparents

Chapter 6 ‘Sore’

The expectation of failure was tangible.

Namjoon could smell it, even over the strong smell of coffee that he didn’t think he would be able to stomach. Areum’s parents stare at him from across their neat living room set, an impenetrable bubble of silence enveloping the three adults while the twins were visible through the bay windows leading to their expansive yard, screaming and laughing with their toys and the family butler.

The butler that Namjoon’s company was able to provide them with.

After hearing about the affair, Namjoon had presumed that Areum’s parents would expect him to turn up at their door, trembling under the weight of suddenly having two expectant, needy children pressing down on his shoulders.

He almost wonders if they were hoping he would be panicking, that he would be crazy out of his mind with grief and pain, so that he would be more than happy to hand his kids over to them. Something that he would rather die than do.

They had always been the nosey type, in the way most well-off parents were, but it had never been enough for him to complain. At least, never aloud.

He didn’t think he could complain, truthfully. Areum was very clear on how much her parents meant to her, how important their approval was for her, and even if she didn’t mention it outright, the tightness in her jaw or the tension in her shoulders would tell him that something he did in front of them had edged a touch too close to unbecoming. Uncouth. Slovenly.

Namjoon didn’t come from money, not like Areum had, even though some bad business decisions had left her side of the family in a bit of a financial pickle some years ago. They had relied a lot of Namjoon at that time, when his company had finally started making big money and he was able to hoist them into a life of actual luxury.

And the thing that bothered him the most was that her parents weren’t totally incorrect.

He was struggling, but he learned quickly that that was part of being a single-parent.

Single-parent, he repeats in his head. How was he supposed to get used to the way that sounded in his head?

Areum’s mother, a delicate-looking woman in her early fifties, with lightly permed hair and elegant age-lines framing her familiar, almond-shaped eyes looks out at the twins with a wistful uptick of her lips and she says, to the point, “We just feel as though taking the twins for a couple of months might ease the load while things… settle down.”

Namjoon tenses up for a moment, his grip on the handle of the cup tightening until his skin whitens.

Areum’s father clears his throat, awkwardly, before he adjusts his glasses on the tip of his nose. “We don’t mean to imply you can’t take care of them. We just feel this might be a better environment for them right now.”

His wife continues, “You understand our position, right, Namjoon? As their grandparents, we only want what’s best for them and their safety.”

His blood runs cold and he turns his head towards the couple, fire burning in his eyes as he repeats, his voice low but the warning clear as day, “Safety?”

She jolts back, as if she didn’t realize the implication of what she just said. “N-Not that you are a danger to them. It’s more about their emotional well-being.”

He echoes, brow raising, “Emotional well-being?”

She nods, taking another sip of green tea, as if that were going to soothe the combination of blows she had just delivered to his shattering ego and sense of self.

Namjoon puts the cup on the coaster and glances away, biting down on his lower lip in anger. He knows he shouldn’t - he knows it will only make the situation worse, and he should just nod and let them vent their frustrations in their passive-aggressive way so he can leave as soon as possible and get the sticky feeling of their judgement off his body, but he couldn’t hold his tongue any longer.

He spits, angrily, “And, whose fault might that be?”

Areum’s father splutters, surprise coloring his tone, “What do you mean?”

Namjoon cocks his head to the side and asks, barely holding back his sneer of disgust, “If Areum hadn’t slept with whatever shmuck she found herself in bed with for all those months, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

His mother-in-law coughs, shocked, and exclaims, “Namjoon!”

“Don’t use that language in our home.”

Namjoon scoffs, chest tight. “It’s the truth though, isn’t it? Areum cheated on me and left her children to go prance around, living out a fantasy of happiness, avoiding her real responsibilities and the people who needed her. Leaving me would have been fine. Leaving them is unforgivable.”

He slams his hand down on the table and jabs a finger in their direction. “And if you think for even a moment I was going to hand my kids over to you, you have another thing coming. For the sake of our future relationship, I’m going to forget what was said today. But if I hear anything like this again, please understand me when I say this: I will ruin you both.”

His father-in-law asks, voice trembling, “Is that a threat?”

Namjoon scoffs. “A threat would be me pulling financial support out from underneath you and leaving you ass-out without a penny to your name. You do remember that you signed over majority ownership of your little yachting business to me and my company, don’t you? If I pull support, you might have three, maybe four months, in this big, fancy house before you might have to… down-size.”

He stands up, adjusting the lapel of his suit-jacket and says, “I hope we understand each other.”

Namjoon leaves the room, a ball of fire raging in his chest, and the need to see and touch his kids overwhelming his sense. “Minjae, Minseo. We’re going home.”

“Oh but daddy, we just started playing,” the twins complain in unison.

Namjoon feels his frustration tick. “Now.”

“Daddy.”

“Now.”

The two jerk in surprise, not used to their dad using such a stern tone with them, before they hurriedly rush off back into the house to say goodbye to their grandparents.

Namjoon exhales, his shoulders dropping in anguish. “Fuck…”

The twins are hugging their grandfather’s legs when Namjoon walks back into the delicately-decorated foyer, and Minseo is sniffing. He had teared up a little, which only serves to make Namjoon feel worse. He ushers the two into the backseat of the car, clipping them into their car-seats. Both of his children seem to be occupying themselves with their hands so as to avoid looking at him as he does so, which makes him sigh.

“MJ, Mimi, look at me,” he says, extra soft.

They twitch, hearing him, but their feelings were still hurt so they ignore him.

“Look at daddy,” he says, once more, reaching for their hands.

The twins look up at him, Minseo, defiant as usual huffs and turns her face away, but Minjae, poor, gentle Minjae, blinks up at him with tear-stained lashes, and Namjoon takes a moment to press kisses to their foreheads.

“Daddy’s sorry for yelling,” he says, honestly. He looks between them and murmurs, quietly, “It won’t happen again, okay?”

Minseo sniffs, still not believing his words. She says, “Daddy’s been a big meanie.”

He nods, understanding, and he agrees, “The biggest meanie.”

Minjae retorts. “I don’t like it.”

“Neither do I,” Namjoon agrees. “I’m sorry.”

Minjae reaches for his dad’s face, tentatively. “You promise?”

He nods, throat thick with emotion. He looks up, trying to blink back the tears, and he feels another hand briefly caress his cheek. He looks down to see Minseo struggling to reach for him. “Don’t cry, Daddy.”

Namjoon feels the urge to do just that well up even stronger than before. He uses his sleeve to wipe his eyes before he nods. “I won’t. Shall we go get ice-cream and visit Uncle Jin? Daddy doesn’t want to go to work today.”

The twins shriek in unison, happiness replacing the sadness that had befallen them moments ago, in the way that only children could, and he moves to the front seat.

Determinedly, he avoids looking back at the house as he pulls out of the driveway, the weight on his chest easing the further he moves from the house.

He turns on the CD player, allowing ‘PinkFong’s Top 40 Hits’ to play through his expensive speaker system and the twins lose their minds, jigging and dancing in the backseat. He shoots them a couple of fond glances in the rear-view mirror, watching their feet kick up as the repetitive, childish music sets a funky groove through their toddler bodies.

He gets them the ice-cream he promised them, of course. A scoop and a half of strawberry for Minseo and caramel cookie dough scoop for Minjae, and he took a couple of bites of both, much to their annoyance. He cleans them up with wipes in the baby bag in the trunk of his car, and they drive off to Jin’s place, where he spends the next few hours ranting and raving until he is red in the face while his babies sleep off their food-induced coma.

“And then, and then they had the nerve to suggest I couldn’t care for them, because it wasn’t safe. Safe, Jin. Can you believe that? Do they think I would hurt my kids?”

Jin stays quiet for most of his monologue, his expression pinching at points in barely restrained anger and disgust over their behavior. The two men were sitting in Jin’s den - a private area filled with all his favorite things like scotch, a wall of aged books in foreign languages and a pool table, where he hosted his friends a few times a month.

His wife had her own little cubby-area on the other side of the bottom floor of their luxury apartment. Namjoon had always thought of building a den in his home but he had never wanted to make his wife feel as if he wanted there to be a distinction between them, as if he were trying to make space where there didn’t need to be.

He bites his bottom lip and explains, “I know they know about my bipolar disorder. A- She had to disclose a bunch about me when we started dating, and they didn’t like it back then. They said I was… damaged goods. Her dad made it clear that he wasn’t happy about his grandkids potentially taking my batch of crazy.”

Jin glares out of the window to the left of them, taking a big swig of whiskey to try and ease the fire in his chest.

Namjoon moves to sit on the edge of the couch, exhaling heavily and putting his head in his hands. “But, A- She said she smoothed it over. She gave them all these stats about genetic transmission of bipolar and other mental health things. I didn’t like it, because there wasn’t anything wrong with being like me, you know? But I got it - I wouldn’t change me, but maybe if I got the choice, I wouldn’t have chosen to be this way… I made excuses at the time, but now… I know they never accepted me.”

Jin comments, slyly, “They sure accepted your money, though.”

Namjoon glances at him and explains, awkwardly, “It was the best thing for the family at the time.”

Jin prompts, “And now?”

“With the divorce, I don’t know what responsibilities I’m supposed to maintain with her side of the family,” Namjoon says. “But I have to do what’s best for the kids. If they spend time with their grandparents, I don’t want them to be living in shit.”

“That isn’t your problem,” Jin reasons. “If they haven’t been monitoring their finances well, that’s on them. And if they can’t maintain their living situation without leeching your money, then they’ll have to deal. It isn’t like they live with their grandparents. They live with you, Joonie.”

Namjoon looks at his oldest friend and feels a swell of happiness in his chest. He feels heard and listened to and supported. “Thank you, hyung.”

Jin shrugs. “It’s nothing, kid. Did you want to spend the night?”

He shakes his head. “No, I need to get them home and keep up a routine.”

Namjoon moves to leave the room, but Jin stops him with a hand to his shoulder. “Did you have a chance to look at the list of help I sent over?”

He shakes his head. “I’ve been kind of swamped with Agust D and trying to get JK’s world-tour budget organized with the foreign media management team. Why? Did anybody jump out at you?”

Jin shrugs. “A couple. You wanted them to speak English more, right?”

He nods. “Even though everything is going on, I still want to adhere to the plans we had for our kids. Learning English was just one of the things we wanted for them.”

“I put in a few foreigners who specialize in childcare or have had experience with nannying and being a live-in au-pair.”

Namjoon nods. “I’ll look tonight. But I really should get going.”

Once he gets the sleepy twins in their car-seats with a little fuss, Minjae gripping his collar tightly as if he were afraid of his father leaving.

Getting his babies in bed was always a trouble when he was by himself, but with Ms Park, it was a breeze. He dressed them in their pajamas and got them into Minseok’s bed, not wanting them to spend the night apart.

Areum was sure that having them be independent was best - letting them express their personal tastes and habits in the privacy of their own rooms was best, but he felt it was too early.

He wanted to them to sleep together, to wake up together, to grow up with having each other as a support system, to never get used to being alone. All of that independence stuff could come later.

But, he conceded, as he always did, and now, looking at his kids, he regret that choice deeply.

He sits on the soft floor, carding his fingers through the fluffy carpet as he watches his babies sleep. Namjoon watches the rise and fall of their chests, as their little bodies twitch and shudder in their sleep, as they reach for each other and knit their fingers together even in their sleep.

They were so fucking beautiful.

Namjoon couldn’t leave them - never, not even for a second.

He shouldn’t consider her anymore, he shouldn’t put more energy into Areum, but he can’t see how she couldn’t stick around for them.

Namjoon thought they were the most precious things in the whole world. He puts his hand on Minjae’s chest to feel his lightly pounding heart and feels overwhelmed all over again, like the day they were born. He closes the door behind him, leaving a crack of space just in case anything happened and moves to the kitchen area where Ms Park was getting ready to leave for the night.

“Thank you, Ms Park,” he says. “For staying a little later. I didn’t realize how hard it would be to get them into the car.”

The older woman smiles, all warm and gentle. “It’s no problem. You know you can call me for anything and I’ll be here.”

He puts his hands on the island, resting his weight there and exhales. “I know things are somewhat unconventional right now, so I want to thank you for being so available for me to rely on.”

Ms Park stops packing her purse and looks at him, her gaze edging close to pity. She puts a hand on the side of his face and says, “That woman really doesn’t know how good she had it here.”

He smiles, but it feels forced. “She wanted to find something different, I suppose.”

Ms Park tuts. “A flimsy excuse. And it will soon turn to regret, I can promise you that.”

Namjoon doesn’t dare hope her to be correct. “I was thinking of hiring some help for you and the kids. A live-in care assistant.”

Ms Park’s eyes brighten at his words. “I do find it a little tricky to manage twins at my age, so some help would be wonderful.”

He smiles, ruefully. “I’ll hold interviews over the next few weekends and hopefully I’ll find someone to start by the end of next month.”

Ms Park nods.

Namjoon asks, “Do you have any advice for me? A- My- She hired you from the recommendation of a friend, correct?”

She gracefully ignores his stuttering and replies, “Yes. I worked for a friend of Ms Kim for some time before I became employed here. My only recommendation would be to find someone who truly likes children. Neither of your kids are badly behaved, and they have only a few health worries but that’s what I’m here for. So, the most important thing is to find someone honest and someone who enjoys the idiosyncrasies that comes with having spontaneous and lively children. You’ll be able to tell who does and doesn’t fit those requirements very easily.”

He stares at the empty space on the island, eyes tracking the grooves and whorls of the black and white marble, hoping to make sense out the nonsense that is his life.

- end -

(1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6)

[guessimate]

We are concluding the 2nd rotation in the Asian part of my town with the Tians. They are getting a free goat from the ROS gods, which makes sense, since they have sheep already. I ended up just giving them 2 goats - a male and a female, for the chance of producing baby goats, because they really just started and they had some disposable money.

I rolled for a ROS for them again, because I felt like I went too easy on them. The 2nd ROS decided I would have to fulfill their wants this round (otherwise I'd need to do the same next round, but for fears). It was not difficult to achieve, but I must say Hiroki had the weirdest wants for a Popularity sim. He wanted to buy stuff, and get some skill points (that part I can understand, as it was autumn). The illness must have changed his priorities in life. Sadly, I couldn't get him a lot of the stuff he wanted (TV? toy dog pen (bunny)? I really wanted to give him a recliner, but the want wouldn't fulfill). He did get to Charisma level 5 at least.

I found a job for the man of the house, as this family is not going to be selling anything for a while. There was a vacancy in the Culinary career, and this is the perfect job for a food provider, and Hiroki's One True Hobby happens to be Cuisine, too. Hiroki also wanted to hire a nanny, but that couldn't happen... I'm guessing that means he prefers going to work instead of staying home though.

~*~

Tasuku is a Taurus. He's 6 Neat and 6 Outgoing just like his dad. He's also 4 Lazy like his mom. But he's also more Playful (9) and Grouchy (3) than both of his parents. Both Fumi and Hiroki are 7 Nice.

Fumi taught Tasuku all of his toddler skills (she actually wanted to teach him all 3, which is quite rare in my game). His dad taught him the Nursery Rhyme, because I wanted him to remember something related to his firstborn.

I wanted to wait with more babies, like I did with the Lao family, but Fumi wanted another baby, and I was supposed to be fulfilling wants...

So their next baby was meant to be twins, but one of them was not meant to be due to terrible rolls. I also rolled 3x at birth, as if it was a twin birth, but Fumi still survived it, so I guess it was just that unfortunate infant. Hopefully they will get one more later, but nothing will replace the unborn twin.

Fumi threw two birthday parties for her firstborn this round, in both cases when the man of the house was at work. Is it offensive to her husband? I don't know, but he works late, so I am not blaming her.

I wanted to add that I'm not sure if Fumi really wanted to throw the 2nd birthday party for her son, or for the occassion of her giving birth. Her husband just came back home and the party was halfway through, when she started giving birth and everyone ran to her. I named the newborn Hanako. She's a blue-eyed girl with black hair.

~*~

On the very last night of their rotation the burglar decided to come over. I flipped a coin and it decided that I should let Hiroki beat her up. I flip a coin for it now, because the Anyone Fights Burglars mod is always successful. I think the burglar wanted to steal some of the sheep, but she didn't get to do it fast enough.

Hiroki had two days off, I believe. Overall he got promoted once so he's on level 2 of the Culinary career track, which doesn't pay very well. But he has earned earned 966$ total.

500$ - rent

386$ - tax

97$ - tithe

They needed to pay 986$ (rounded down to 950$) + 500$ rent for last round. They are left with some change they could use to set up a store, but I don't think they'll be selling anything before spring comes.

There is 8800$ in the town's bank... Let's say it was all spent to erect the monastery from earlier, because the unfurnished building is worth around as much. I imagine the monks are starting out sleeping on the floor or something...

[eunchancorner]

I like your works😁Please can you make regular and tickle headcanons for Susie and Robin from Spooky Month?

Le sisters that we actually know the names of, I gotchu

NORMAL HCS

-Both of them are very close with their siblings

-Susie is more of the 'I'm always annoyed with you bc you keep stealing my stuff but I will protect you with my fucking life' sister

-Meanwhile Robin is more 'I'm too tired to care what you do just don't hurt yourself'

-Also yeah we saw Robin sleeping at the horror movie, poor girl is twice as sleepi as Lila

-But very often visits Radford at work (yes she gets free tickets)

-Susie has made money off of her Twitch streams, her art is actually really good!

-Susie once saw the Hatzgang bullying Pump and proceeded to kick Roy in the nono square. He didn't risk it around their house anymore-

-Robin is ace, she just is do not question why I chose this for her

-Susie is a straight-A student, idk why she gives off that vibe but she do

-Coffee does not affect Robin at all, doesn't understand how it gives Radford so much energy

-Whenever Susie has a crush Pump teases her endlessly about it (and you know the exact kinda revenge she gets on him)

TICKLE HCS

-Robin is pretty much a ler in her household

-She often doesn't actively take part in the tickling too much, tho, too sleepi

-But she's glad to restrain one of her siblings while the other two attack (most often having to hold her twin)

-Ofc that doesn't stop her from occasionally playing tickle games with Rob and le little sister

-A few times she'll 'accidentally' lay on them and then go 'Oh, this pillow is so uncomfy, better fluff it out' and then start tickling them (yes this has led to Robert purposefully being in her favorite spot on the couch when he's in a lee mood)

-If you've watched Bluey then yk what I'm talking about, but there's a scene in one episode where Bandit grabs Bingo and Bluey and pretends to use them as bed stuff, and they pull a tickle-attack on him. Yeah basically that except Robin's Bandit, the little sister is Bingo and Rob's Bluey, and instead of letting them get away and chasing them she wraps them in each arm and tickles them

-But she also gets tickled out of bed pretty often

-Worst spot is def her back, which sucks for her bc she sleeps on her side a lot, meaning one of her siblings can do a sneeki tiggle

-Not to mention Radford does like to sneak up on her and tickle the shit outta her for holding him down and letting him get attacked

-Ok now for Susie

-Yet another big ler, as big sisters often are

-Always getting into tkl fights with Pump, almost always winning

-Yes she has the same worst spot as Pump lmao

-She's screwed if Skid's staying over and she ends up having a tickle fight with Pump, tho

-Very big on comfort tickles (given it's an appropriate situation)

-Secretly makes tickle art off-stream

-Very sweet teases help

Honestly this is all I could think up, hope y'all likey :>

[dear-mortality]

the shepherd prince

chapters

chapter psi: chaotic good

characters pronouns: zaroth(he/they), aimanat (she/bee)

characters appearances: zaroth is 5'11, long brown hair and wide eyes, warm brown skin, ripped but more athletic than strong, pretty jewelry, a snake earring, light battle armor, weapon of choice is anti gravity blades on a chain, the blades themselves are heavy but the spell makes it so they'r floating only to them. aimanat is 6', same features as her sibling, wider shoulders and overall more muscles and fat than zaroth, some braids in bee's hair, boots much like enfys but they're black like bee's armor, her weapon of choice is double sided wrist blades that can turn into crossbows.

in a land not too far away from the kingdom of ruin, was a country ruled by someone of outstanding wit and kindness they would say. their hair long and dark brown just like their eyes, athletic and attractive body wise, with snake jewelry all over him and light armor protecting him without any issues in movement, they had a helpful pair of floating blades that he used to strike any foe thinking they could best him

his name was zaroth, how they earned their title as ruler of their land is a story for another day.

this ruler of ours was very cunning and had his sister to help him in his reign. he ruled with justice and kindness but most of all he ruled with strength. like his father whom he took the throne from he kept the people of his land safe, but his reign only brought chaos.

the ruler had a philosophy: order can cause torment and can take long to break, chaos can easily be undone and can keep power away from those who may use it for wrong.

he pulled a few strings here and there, calling favors and making trades with all the lands around him to make sure his people can live a free life.

after tinkering with his country's economy for a few, he declared that they will no longer use a currency. the people were confused and rightfully so! how will they manage to go through with their life without a currency? the ruler promised them that if they're good, if they truly care about each other they won't need the money and that he will take care of everything that enters or leaves his land to make sure nobody can be hungry.

the people were scared of what this might bring but to their surprise it only brought happiness to the land, no longer did people suffer from not having a roof, no longer did they starve, everyone helped everyone and they were all pleased with their lives, but the people in power hated it.

what is their job if all the people have their needs immediately met whenever? they started calling the new ruler the fool upon the throne and started scheming against them.

but they liked the ring of that, so they made it their sigil. that brought even more outrage and made the people in power demand order.

but the people didn't feel the same. the rulers sister, aimanat , has always kept a watchful eye on everyone in the kingdom who may be a threat and disposed of any traitors.

as his highest general she has kept everyone in the city safe from any dangers. one day bee sent a few scouts to a land they didn't hear from in a long while, of course she was curious how no news came from that land in over 20 years. but the scouts didn't all return and only one did.

he went directly to the ruler as his sister was quite busy. the scout told them of a beast slaughtering his friends, deceiving them into staying around him so that he may devour them in their sleep. the ruler was shocked but intrigued. this maybe a threat, one that they may have to be rid of before someone hears a word about it.

so he told their sister and my was she jarred! she decided she'll hunt the beast herself, zaroth knew that would happen and had many things ready for her, but he had one request: to bring it alive. of course aimanat didn't get that but she has long given up on understanding her twin sibling. the scout also told them of a witch who saved his life so zaroth asked that she brought the witch too but she doesn't have to be very gentle.

aimanat rode as it was almost dusk and zaroth was excited. they decided they'll meet their old friend and tell them about this to see if it will please them. that old friend is a deity, one that has existed for longer than anything in existence, and the one who has been guiding and helping zaroth in his plans for true goodness in the land.

[mlek13]

Third Generation of the Tribe

I decided I wanted to catch up with my other neighborhood for a bit.  When I left off I summarized my second generation sims.  (I actually finished this post a few days ago, but it didn’t post or save so I’m back to my previous draft.)

Silvia and Manuel were the first born sims in the tribe.  They grew up together, were teenage sweethearts, and ended up being the unintentional matriarch and patriarch of the main colony.

They were the parents of seven children, including the first set of twins in the colony, George and Lydia.

Poor George had his life cut short when he was scared to death by a ghost.  I missed the event while I was watching another part of the lot.  I noticed that an icon was missing, but it took me a while to figure out who was gone and how.  Unfortunately, this is the only decent picture I have of him as a teen.

I only have more pictures of his twin, Lydia because she seemed to be the main helper of birthdays for toddlers.  Here she is pictured with her future partner/spouse, Brian.  (I don’t pay much attention to marriage relationships in this neighborhood, so I use those terms interchangeably.)  Brian is an offspring of the Beta tribe, the second household I created to provide potential future spouses.

Silvia and Manuel’s third child is Lorena.  She partnered with Neil who is the son of an Amazon and happens to be Brian’s half-brother on their father’s side. 

Lydia, Brian, Lorena, and Neil all moved onto their own lot together.  Between the two couples, they have 12 children.

So many kids makes for ready playmates.

Unfortunately, not everyone is going to get along.  I had to keep these two separated for most of their childhood and teen years.

These two were adults (or nearly adults) before they learned to get along.

Lydia and Lorena are both very industrious sims (especially Lorena, judging by the pictures.)

They keep busy with all types of chores

even while heavily pregnant.

I was glad when they could finally build a stove, so Lydia could start making comfort soup for the family.

While I’m sure their husbands did help out around the homestead, they were definitely not as ambitious or skilled as the ladies were.

I forgot until I was going through the pictures that Silvia and Manuel’s fourth and fifth children were also twins.  Another boy-girl set, their names are Emilio and Blanche.

Blanche fell in love Xavier Thayer as a teenager when he was visiting the homestead with his mother Meadow, who joined the Amazon tribe.

Their romance continued even into adulthood.

They moved out with Sergei (son of Lynn and Lewis) from the main camp and his lady Bella from the Amazons.  In spite of living in the same household and raising their children together (6 for Blanche and Xavier and 3 for Sergei and Bella) the two couples are not close.  They are practically strangers.

It was rough starting out with too many babies and not enough house.

They have had a lot of struggles between fires,

brushes with death,

a secret aspiration failure from having too many babies,

and infidelity.  Xavier is in love with 5 women, but his wife doesn’t seem to know.  I think some of the relationships were from before they were married.

Emilio fell in love with Gretchen from the main camp.  She is Anthony and Heidi’s only surviving child.

They are following in Silvia and Manuel’s footsteps and becoming the new matriarch and patriarch of the main tribe.  With their generation, I think I am starting to move away from tribal lots and more toward nuclear + extended families.  Right now they are living on the main camp with the remaining elders of the previous generation, several new adults that haven’t become established on their own yet, and their own young children.

With this generation I am also starting businesses.  Since I’m not using the in-game money system, my businesses are based on trade.  When a customer buys something, I make them selectable and take something from their inventory of a comparable value and place it in the business owner’s inventory.  Right now the businesses are mostly selling random goods and the trades are very random.  At some point I would like my households to specialize more in what they craft and sell and ideally they would trade for things they actually need.

Silvia and Manuel’s sixth child is Todd.  Todd is single and looking for love.  He kind of gets lost in the crowd with the other sims in the main camp.

I forgot that Todd and his younger sister, Silvia and Manuel’s seventh and last child, Alexis did not get along.

Alexis found love with Troy from the dating pool.

The moved out with Tonya (daughter of Cecelia and Elias) from the main camp and her former townie spouse, Chandler Platz.

Considering Alexis stole Troy away from his dating pool love interest, it’s not too surprising when he cheats on her with his former lover.

The shock of his infidelity coupled with the fact that she chops trees while pregnant to the point of exhaustion, causes her to collapse.

Troy saves her life.

Later, she gets the chance to return the favor.

It’s too soon to say if their near death experiences will bring them back together or if Alexis will be unable to get over Troy’s cheating.

Not all sims are destined to spend their entire lives together like Manuel and Silvia.