#the fuck kind of strategy is that but go off i guess and try to see if youll win

[whitedragonwolf4961]

The signs were there…

The signs were there all along… that the fucking hacks were ruining this beautiful, amazing, complex character long before the shit season. I know those dumb as shit incompetent hacks and some of the cast of GoT (do they actually believe that shit or were they toeing the line?) in their condescending manner told us that the “signs” were there all along about Dany “going mad”. They are right but not for the reasons they think they are. The signs were there… that D&D were ruining Dany’s character long before that putrid shitshow that was Season 8. When you reread the books and remember or rewatch the show, you can see. As early as S1, they were giving many of Dany’s strong or intelligent or kind and merciful moments to the males around her. It was her who took Viserys’s horse away from him to show how she has grown stronger and is no longer as afraid of him as she once was. In the show they gave it to Rhakaro. In S2 they had Jorah tell Dany she must be her people’s strength and then Dany told Jorah “as you are mine”. Contrast that where in the books Dany told herself she must be her people’s strength, including Jorah. And they gave Dany’s meeting with Quaithe to freaking Jorah! There is the fact that the hacks couldn’t have women talking for two minutes without insulting each other (directly or subtly). And then they gave her intelligent strategies to her male advisers in S3 and 4. And of course had her rely on the incompetence dumbass Show Tyrion for strategy completely in S7, ignoring the advice of her allies (who were all females). And to make her look worse, they had Barristan tell her “it’s better to answer injustice with mercy” when she had those masters crucified for what they did to the children (and of course add “nice and innocent slavers”). No surprise to find out that they omitted that Dany specifically ordered them to give up their leaders aka the ones who obviously ordered it, in the books. And how Dany is told by her advisers to be more violent and ruthless, instead of them “tempering her worst impulses” (I fucking hate that sexist fucking line). Dany is the one who wants to be as merciful and nonviolent as possible. A little off topic, I think Dany needs to become more ruthless. I think GRRM was trying to show that while it shows Dany’s good heart that she tried to be compromising, you cannot compromise with slavers. If she wants to utterly destroy slavery she will need to be more ruthless and that is not a bad thing at all.

Anyway, besides giving most of Dany’s best moments to the males around her, the fucking hacks were changing things when they still followed the books (for a given definition of “follow”) as well as adding ridiculous crap. It’s most blatant in her S2 storyline. The Thirteen immediately invite Dany into Qarth because they sought her out. But the hacks had Dany be condescendingly talked to by the show only Spice King and refused entry. So they could have her shout “We will lay waste to armies and burn cities to the ground”. I know a lot of dumb idiots will use that line as “proof” but it was a stupid addition by the two hacks so they could make Dany look bad. And then they had Dany’s Dothraki people slaughtered. They had Irri murdered. They took away Dany’s female companionship (until Missandei). And speaking of Irri, who killed her? Doreah! Yeah! They had Doreah out of literally nowhere with zero explanation or reason betray Dany and murder Irri (like I said, Dumb&Dumber can’t stand female friendships. They think women are only good for insulting and killing each other). Looks like the later seasons weren’t the start of them inventing stupid plot points out of nowhere. And I guess they wanted to make Dany look cruel for locking Doreah and Xaro in the vault. Know what she does to them in the books? Nothing. Well not exactly nothing. Doreah dies in the Red Waste and Dany holds her and gives her water from her own waterskin and refuses to move until Doreah has passed. And Xaro is still alive in the books. Because Xaro and Pree never stole her dragons in the books (another stupid show invention). And then later, as I previously mentioned, they invented “innocent slave masters” that Dany crucified like Hizdahr’s daddy. Nothing like that is brought up in the books. Oh, and they decided to kill off Ser Barristan in S5! Even though Barristan is alive and well and gladly serving Dany in the books and knowing she’s nothing like her father. Which the actor pointed out. And it only made those scumbags want to do it even more. And then after his (very stupid) death, Dany burns a slave master. And that stupid awful behind the scenes book after the shit season, Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon has that moron Cogman bring that up about how Dany didn’t care if he was innocent or not (they really had a thing about “innocent slave masters”). None of that crap ever happens in the books.

They also changed small but important parts. Never let Dany have a crown like I mentioned. They also had Dany sit on top of the stairs in Mereen, when she insists on sitting at the bottom on a simple bench because she wants to be on an equal level with her people. Heck an illustrator had to be corrected by GRRM when she was showing that (does anyone have a picture or article about that?). They also never really showed her bond with her other dragons. In the books she loves and pays attention to all of them, in particular Viserion who always wants to be petted by her. In the show, she only really pays attention to Drogon mostly. Rhaegal and Viserion were reduced to “the two smaller different colored dragons” (to be stupidly killed off later on in stupid asinine ways). And Dany’s relationship with Daario is changed. Daario is made to be the one in love and Dany “feels nothing” when she ends their relationship. In the books Dany has a huge crush on Daario but Daario only really wants her for her crown and title, not the girl she is. And Dany knows this. And Jorah is changed into this super nice guy who is always giving her wisdom instead of this creep who is trying to isolate her from other men so she’ll only rely on him.

And when they stopped following the books? Well they really weren’t bothering to hide it much anymore. In S6, they have that idiot Show Tyrion talk about how Dany was “wrong” for not building a new system (and Tyrion is portrayed as smart for not wanting to change the way of the world even though that’s what Dany wants to do). So Tyrion wants slavery to continue for seven years (which the idiot says is a “short time”). And most disgustingly, they had him tell Missandei and Gray Worm, who were slaves their whole lives, that he now “knows the horrors of it”. A white rich guy telling two people of color that he knows about slavery… (am I looking at it too much?) Anyway, when that predictably backfires (why the hell were they always having people talk about how smart Tyrion is and Dany needs to listen to him when all he’s ever done is fail?) and Dany returns to Mereen, they have Dany talk about “returning cities to the dirt” so Tyrion can give her a more merciful strategy. And then in S7… have her rely only on Tyrion and his stupid plans. And if she dared to want to just end it quickly, they told her she would be just like her father. They even had that dumb weak idiot Show Jon say that. Book Jon would bitch slap that idiot. Book Jon wants to bring destruction to House Lannister.

Speaking of which… that scene where she meets Jon. It was funny how Dany had all her many titles spoken by Missandei when all Davos said about Jon is “He’s King in the North”, right? Well… I think those hacks wanted Show Jon to be this humble “noble king” while Dany is this “arrogant Queen with all these titles”. And they also want Dany to come as arrogant and entitled so they have her talk about all the shit she went through (like getting raped and betrayed and sold to sexual slavery) and how faith in herself kept her going. Now to the sane layman, that is a strong woman giving herself credit for believing in herself and using her strength to forge something better for herself. But to Dumb&Dumber that is an arrogant and selfish woman not crediting her abusers for her strength. Gosh I loathe Show Sansa but NO ONE deserves to be raped and to have her credit her rapist for her strength is just… wrong. In every way possible.

Then there was that crap with the Tarlys. Those idiots wanted us to see Dany as doing something evil and wrong. Actually they wanted us to see that whole battle as “wrong”. Because they have that tragic music playing and Tyrion looking sadly. The same guy who watched thousands burn in wildfire that he himself laid out. Where was the sad music then? Anyway Dany does what literally not just every King and Queen does but what ever highborn period does after defeating the enemy. She offers them the choice to bend the knee and live and keep their lands. Or death. Same choice Robert Baratheon offered Balon Greyjoy. Same choice the old Stark kings offered their rivals. The two Tarlys choose death so Dany executed them despite multiple chances. And immediately Varys starts comparing her to her father. Except her father (and people like Ramsay Snow, Tywin Lannister, Gregor Clegane, and Euron Greyjoy) wouldn’t have given multiple chances. They would have given no offers. Just murdered them all (Ramsay, Gregor, and Euron simply for their sadistic pleasure). And then they had Jon look uncomfortable when Dany said she had fewer enemies. Which is stupid. Jon has fought battles before. He’s killed thousands to take Winterfell back as Dany herself reminds him.

And they even had it said that Aegon the Conqueror started “the wheel” and got along far with fear. Except… yes Aegon was ruthless when he had to be, but as King he unified a country that was divided and plagued by constant conflicts. He gave them peace and prosperity. And he and his wives were the first to get rid of some unsavory practices. The hacks were determined to have us think that all Targaryens were “mad tyrants”. Idiots would have us think the Starks were democratically chosen leaders instead of ruthless warlords who conquered the North. They never understood the story or the characters. And the signs were there all along that they were ruining and destroying one of the greatest female characters in fictional history.

Longest post I ever wrote! I didn’t cover S8 because nothing needs to be said about that putrid shitshow. But let me end with this. I fully believe that not only will GRRM finish the books… he will give Dany a great and satisfying ending. I hope she becomes Queen but I will perfectly settle for her being alive and well. I have every confidence that she will not get that disgusting show ending. That was a shitty sexist plot point done purely for shock value. But… I guess the signs were there that those hacks never understood or respected Dany. But there are signs that George has great things planned for our beloved Dany. And then that is how she will be remembered. I’m gonna keep believing and hoping. Someone has to, and I will happily be that person. PS: Can people please tell me what they think of all this? Any questions? I’ll happily answer! And reblogs are perfectly acceptable and encouraged! I’d love to hear your thoughts and you can add anything you want.

[lovingperfectionsblog]

For What It's Worth - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: You’re not my friend.

Max Verstappen x Reader. 

Chapter Summary: Max snaps at you while you attempt to console him and Daniel has a realization. 

Warnings: Swearing, drinking, a shitty Max. 

Word Count: 2260.

Author's Note: Please forgive me for this taking so long. Life happens I guess. I am so sorry it isn’t too great either and it’s shorter than the rest, but evidently we are using this chapter to help me get back into the swing of things! Can’t wait to hear what you all think <3 

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

______________________________________________________________

“So Carlos got pretty close to you there.” You hadn’t been in the car for more than 5 minutes before you brought it up. It was unusual. Carlos never got that close to Max during quali and there you sat anyway, on the edge of your seat praying that there was no way Carlos was about to take pole away from him. 

Max kept quiet, eyes trained in front of him, he did not want to get into this with you, because well, it was you. He couldn’t lie to you and if you straight up asked him if he had nearly thrown quali, he was going to have to look you in the eye and admit that he had. Followed by a million questions, all ultimately leading him to losing you, because he is your boss and you do not love him. 

“Like really close.” You weren’t subtle in your hints. You wanted to discuss this and Max was growing more frustrated and panicked by the second. He kept himself as composed as he could though, taking deeper and longer breathes the longer you carried on this train of conversation. “Was there something wrong with the car?” You just wanted to understand what had happened so you knew how to help Max prepare for the race tomorrow. 

“The car was perfect.” It was. Max loved how the car currently felt. It was doing every single thing that it asked of him. It was completely perfect. He was the problem. 

“Did the guys fuck up your strategy?” Max stopped and stared at you. It’s all he could get himself to do because here you sat, having watched him very nearly throw this entire race and you still refused to even let the thought that it could be his fault enter your mind at all. Max was sure that you’d sooner blame the gods than him for fucking up a quali session. 

“No, this was all me.” It was your turn to just stare. It was never just Max. As long as you had known him, he hadn’t once been off his game. Yet here he was today, fully admitting that this was his fault entirely. He had messed up his own quali and he could never admit to you why. Not that this was going to stop you trying to find out anyway. 

“Oh, well, do you want to talk about it?” A deep sigh left Max. The kind of sigh that almost felt painful. The kind of sigh that made the earth ache. Max found comfort in the idea of something other than himself hurting, because how could he possibly carry this all on his own. He felt himself shaking his head, not necessarily saying no to you, instead trying to shake it all off, shake the pain away. Trying to clear his head and it wasn’t working.  

Nothing was working. 

“If there is something going on, you can tell me you know, I’m your friend and I want to help where I can.” Everything was fine until you had placed your hand on his arm, a silent reminder that you were there and you would ground him where he needed it. This had wholly and entirely been the wrong move though.

“No! You’re my fucking PA! Thats fucking it! Could you please back off and let me deal with this!” You shifted as far away from Max as quickly as possible, back plastered against the car door as you both stared at each other. Max’s ragged breath seeping into the space now between you two. “Fuck.” 

Max had turned away from you, not being able to look you in the eyes after what he had just done. He felt his hands start to shake. He couldn’t figure out what to do next and watching you shift your position, completely closing yourself off from him, it only made the panic grow. 

You heard you do a deep intake of air before you immediately opened your diary, “Horner would like a meeting with you first thing tomorrow morning, he would like to discuss quali before the race. Beyond that, please get an early night so you are prepared for tomorrow.” Before Max could even stop you, your car door was shutting and you were making your way through the hotel doors. What the fuck was wrong with him? Within seconds he was grabbing his bag and chucking the keys towards the valet, rushing to catch up to you. Running through a list of ways to apologize. 

“What time are we meeting for dinner?” He swung open the doors and jogged after you, watching you climb into the elevator. For the first time since he snapped at you he was finally looking at you and there was the unmistaken rim of tears dotting your eyes. His heart cracked open. 

“We aren’t.” and Max could only stop and watch the doors close between you two. 

_____

“Hey, any idea where y/n is?” Max couldn’t help but glare at Lando as he pulled out a seat to join him for dinner, although dinner for Max mainly consisted of a glass of whiskey and pushing around whatever he had managed to order across his plate. 

“Didn’t want to join me for dinner.” Lando stopped, fork halfway to his mouth, now open from shock instead of in an attempt to shovel his food into it. Max finally stopped glaring at Lando in favor of taking a long sip of the glass in front of him, only finishing once the whiskey had. A nod to the waiter had them bringing over another and all Lando could do was watch. 

“Since when does she not want to join you for dinner?” Lando tried to keep the question light, he didn’t want to make an already bad looking situation worse than it already was. 

“Since I absolutely snapped at her and told her she was nothing but my PA and she needed to back off.” The clatter of Lando’s fork had the surrounding tables stopping and staring at the boys. 

And if the timing could not get any worse, “Hey,” Daniel began to pull out a chair followed by Carlos, “Anyone know why y/n said she wasn’t joining us for dinner?” Daniel turned to look at both Max then Lando, the absolute shame on Max’s and the absolute disgust on Lando’s written all over their faces. 

Lando slowly turned to face Max, “Yeah Max, why isn’t she joining us for dinner?” The question was venomous, the entire table of men felt the tension, and Daneil was suddenly angry at Max without even knowing what idiotic thing he had done. 

The words got caught in his throat and all he could do was drop his head. The other three men waited for any explanation at all, but the guilt of it all had a vice grip around his throat and he was going to choke on the admission before his body allowed him to share it. 

Once Lando had realized Max would rather drown himself in the whiskey than admit that he was once again the bad guy, he instead turned to face the others, “He snapped at her, told her to fuck off to her face basically.” Before Max could even begin to defend himself Lando was getting up and leaving the table. Forcing Max to sit there alone to defend his actions. 

The worst part is, he couldn’t. There was nothing to defend. 

“I’m assuming he’s exaggerating?” Carlos could only pray that he was, but the pained look in Max’s eye confirmed everything Lando had just said. “Jesus Max, what the fuck is wrong with you? You refuse to have her, you refuse to let anyone else have her and you have to be cruel to her during the entire thing? She deserves so much better than you.” Max could only watch the whiskey slosh up against the sides of his glass as Carlos got up and walked away, following Lando is his escape from Max's cruelty. 

Before Max could even speak he felt Daniels chair push out from under the table, the presence of his friend leaving all too weighted. Max’s eyes snapped up to Daniels before he could leave, “Where are you going?”. 

“They’re right Max,” the two friends held their gaze, Max of deep regret, Daniel of disappointment, “They're right and I’m going to go and check on her.” Max immediately started getting up, fully intent on following Daniel to your room, hoping it would give him the chance to explain himself. At least that was the intention until Daniel simply shook his head, “No, not tonight, you can fix it tomorrow but you’ve done enough now.” 

Max could do nothing except watch him walk away and make his way towards the stairs, clearly making his way to your room to attempt to undo any damage Max had done. Well, he could do nothing except, down his whiskey and order another. 

And so he did. 

And Daniel went to check on you. 

And he got another whiskey. 

_____

The knock on your door surprised you and for a few seconds you debated answering at all, scared it would be Max, ready to tell you off again. 

“Open up! I have dinner!” Daniel’s voice sounded through the wood and you thought the fear would leave, but somehow it just got worse. 

Max was right, these people aren’t your friends. Max was your boss and these were his friends and colleagues. Not yours. 

You opened the door a crack and the confusion on Daniels face was evident, he assumed that he was going to get an open door welcome, instead he only got the sliver of a crack, just enough for you to pop your head out, “Evening, Max is at dinner downstairs, is there any way I can help you?” 

“Actually, I was hoping to have dinner with you.” Daniel tried to remain cheerie, tried to show you that nothing had changed between you two and Max really was just going through the most at the moment. Fuck, was he actually there to try and smooth things over with you and Max? How does Max always end up with Daniel helping him? 

“I don’t think that’s appropriate. I am your friend's PA and that is all. Have a wonderful evening.” Daniels hand slammed against the door as you tried to close it, stopping you entirely. 

“Well, that’s all bullshit and we know it.” He didn’t give you the option before he pushed past you into your room, setting the half eaten plate down on the table and grabbing the phone to order room service for you both. 

“Apparently not, Max said it himself.” You looked down at the half eaten plate of food dismally, before looking up at Daniel and seeing him roll his eyes and point at the menu he was currently looking at, phone to his ear, already ordering before you could tell him to get out. 

“Max is a fucking idiot, since when do you listen to him.” Daniel had whispered out to you in between placing the order, only willing to allow the conversation to continue one he had hung up. 

“He’s my boss.”  You were exasperated watching Daneil move around the room in an attempt to make himself comfortable, so focused on his movements that you nearly missed what he had whispered under his breath. “Sorry, what was that?”

“Oh, I said that's wild considering that you’re hitting on all of your bosses friends, everyone to be honest, except him.” Now that statement had floored you. Here he sat, ordering himself food and insulting you all in one and all at your expense. 

“Get out.” You hated the look he gave you, indicating that there was no way he was going anywhere, “You don't get to sit here and make fun of me. Get out.” Trying was better than nothing. 

“I wasn’t making fun of you, was asking you a question.”  He looked at you like he as the smartest man in the world. 

“What question?” You dropped down into the seat opposite where Daniel was sitting. 

“Why haven’t you looked at Max? Why do you not think he got you the flowers?” What was Max going to do? Get upset with him? Max had fucked up enough already, Daniel could just give this entire situation the push it needs. 

“Max didn’t get me the flowers.” You were deadpan, Daniel couldn’t get a read on you. 

“How do you know?” What exactly had happened that Daniel didn’t understand? He knew Max was head over heels in love with you, but he didn’t truly know how you felt about him, despite how it all seemed. Slowly starting to believe, if your flirting with everyone was anything to go by, you really didn’t like Max at all. 

“Because Max would never love a woman like me.” The admission was soft, it was gentle, it was laced in pain. And finally everything clicked in place for Daniel, he finally understood it all. That look in your eye he would recognise anywhere because it was the exact same look Max always gave when he spoke about you and how you’d never love him. Daniel finally understood. 

“Oh my god, you’re in love with him.” All of this was perfect, or at least it was going to be until the rapid knocking on your hotel room door followed by the unmistakable sound of a drunk Max Verstappen.  

“Y/N! OPEN THE DOOR!”

______________________________________________________

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter 

[dingodad]

What's the deal with the obscure cult thing

the trolls' introductions give us an outline of each troll's position in their society. we have to remember that, at the point of the trolls' introduction, the caste system was only kind of just starting to be born as a concept. gamzee's introduction on p. 2012, where we get the "You belong to a RATHER OBSCURE CULT" line, comes a whole 70 pages before we even get this exchange:

GC: SOLLUX, PL34S3 / GC: YOU 4R3 MR 4PPL3B3RRY BL4ST 4ND 3V3RYON3 KNOWS THOS3 4R3 YOUR F4VOR1T3 FL4VORS / GC: 3V3N THOUGH YOU TYP3 1N YUCKY MUST4RD / GC: WH1CH 1S W31RD >:\ TA: maybe there ii2 more two me than you thiink. [...] maybe ii ju2t want two giive the red and blue thiing a re2t for a change and not make iit 2o iit2 liike, oh look iit2 that prediictable fuck wiith tho2e two 2tupiid color2, iit2 amaziing how much everyone fuckiing hate2 hiim.

of which Hussie has this to say in the published commentary (Book 4, p. 101):

Terezi says it's weird that Sollux types in yucky mustard, even though his "favorite colors" are red and blue. It's really not weird at all, considering literally everyone in his blood class types in that color. But this idea may not have been fully locked in yet as an ironclad canon fact. While Hivebent continuously provides the scoop on what the facts of this culture are, it is simultaneously exploring certain nebulous ideas before fully committing to them. This is a very good strategy when it comes to improvisational worldbuilding.

when Gamzee's cult is described as "obscure", it makes no sense to interpret this as meaning "obscure within his caste", because the caste idea wasn't even fully formed in the author's mind at that point in time, let alone the reader's. what that line is saying is that Gamzee's cult is obscure within his society. and everyone seems to ignore the very sentence after that comment, which says exactly what i'm saying, almost explicitly:

The beliefs of this cult are SOMEWHAT FROWNED UPON by those dwelling in more common lawnrings.

Gamzee's beliefs are strange to commoners. the very clear implication being that among the upper echelons of Alternian society, being a juggalo isn't that frowned upon at all! sometimes Hussie leaves things unsaid about the world of Homestuck because they're not important or to deliberately leave them up to interpretation, but quite often things go unsaid because when you read between the lines they really should speak for themselves. the fact that Alternia's upper castes are more and more uncommon is one of these things (but to drive the point home, there's this comment from Formspring: "lower classes must be much more copious than higher classes. The lowbloods die off much more quickly, and so must be spawned in greater numbers.").

it's odd that this particular "obscure cult" line has become a sticking point, because Kanaya's intro does the exact same thing when it describes her as "one of the few of [her] kind who can withstand the BLISTERING ALTERNIAN SUN, and perhaps the only who enjoys the feel of its rays." we all seem to understand that this isn't claiming daywalking as a unique power of Kanaya's, but merely hinting at the fact that Kanaya is part of a rare caste with that ability. I guess many don't make the comparison because Gamzee's caste is never explicitly singled out as a rare one?

from there, what limited background we do get on the Alternian regime hammers home the point. "subjugglator" (this has the word juggalo in it. a lot of people try to get out of this one) and "Highblood" are used as functional synonyms in Scratch's intermission:

p. 4054: The highbloods were livid over the unprecedented heresy, and soon, a massive sectarian war followed, spreading across the planet and throughout the galaxy. The conflict was lopsided of course, with the Highbloods given full support from the Condesce and her sea dwellers. p. 4063: [the Condesce] could use her leverage to delegate oppression to the subjugglators, whose unique abilities and exceptional brutality made them natural enforcers. They too would delegate in their governance, exploiting the pride and loyalty of dangerous bluebloods beneath them...

the fact that the guy literally called The Grand Highblood is a massive clown is basically garnish; but the fact that the word Highblood with a capital H, even outside of the context of Gamzee's ancestor, was basically used exclusively to refer to purplebloods in the comic seems to have been largely forgotten. this only continues into Act 6, even when a lot of the fandom's misconceptions and reconceptions of the lore started to seep into the comic proper:

You're not really up on Alternian history, but apparently at some point the empress got fed up with the Subjugglators' stranglehold on the soda market, and released a drink that was said to be more loaded with sugar than even the wicked elixir itself. The Highbloods considered such marketing reports to be blasphemous lies, however. (Act 6 Intermission 1, part 2)

emphasis all my own, to make clear that basically no distinction is made between Highbloods as a political institution and the subjugglators as a religious authority. but really, Act 6 is when the whole clown thing should have started to become really obvious, anyway, with lines like "There was this sense that [the Condesce] just loved the idea of delegating the extreme subjugation of the world's population to a pair of demented clown rappers" and the increasing inescapability of Lord English's influence on the story only entrenching that the presence of these juggalos on Alternia had real significance and was not some one off joke.

years ago when it was at its peak, the idea that the subjugglators "were only ever meant to be an obscure cult" seemed to me to have originated among troll enthusiasts who dropped off the comic around Scratch's takeover and didn't really care for overarching plot points like Lord English taking prominence into Act 6. but I guess now that troll discussion has started to center the design process that went into the Hiveswap trolls, the argument has circled back around into the mainstream? but basically to answer your question the deal with the obscure cult thing is that it's bogus. people wanted to make fantrolls who weren't juggaloes because what they fundamentally forget is that a race of juggalos controlling alternia is actually meant to be, and is, really fucking funny

[bloomingapricots]

The Cunning Cat and Lazy Fox

Updated here first at AO3

I wrote this at work and I’m hella tired so sorry if a bit of my unhingedness bleeds in this

Might change the chapter title later

Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 (Here) | Chapter 5

Chapter Four | The Hamster’s Polar Bear Meeting the Fox and Fighting the Cat

Your date with Shen Jiu went well. The banquet at the village chief’s home was delicious and everyone in Peony village was so kind and generous. Shen Jiu ate a lot on the insistence of the kind aunties and you were able to encourage him to dance with you. Currently, both of you are sitting at “Lover’s Lake” which is a short walk from the village chief’s house and it is a popular spot with couples as there is a tradition of couples releasing boat lanterns with their names written together onto the lake. And even though the lantern sunk once it reached the middle, it is said to be a good thing and not a bad thing as it means the lantern will stay at the bottom forever which means the couple’s love will remain forever.

“A very typical couple spot,” You commented after releasing a lantern with Shen Jiu on the lake and then sitting at a bench nearby.

“Agreed,” Shen Jiu replied.

“At least the boat lanterns are made of peony petals instead of paper and the candles are made from soybean so the land’s balance isn’t thrown off,” You added. “And it is interesting that as long as the boat lantern sinks in the middle, it is not a bad fortune for the couple,”

“And our boat just reached the middle,” Shenn Jiu stated.

“Yeah,” You replied. You and Shen Jiu watched intently as your boat lantern floated in the center of Lover’s Lake and slowly sank to the bottom. There was a brief ripple of light from the center of the lake. You and Shen Jiu remained quiet as the both of you stared at the lake as other couples’ boat lanterns arrived at the center, sunk, a rippled of light appeared, and repeated again and again. “I guess this is what makes Lover’s Lake different from the water couple’s spot,”

“... A-Duzhe,” Shen Jiu called out after a moment of silence.

“Yeah,” You replied.

“A-Duzhe must… better stay with Jiu-er or he will imprison you, A-Duzhe is after all responsible for Jiu-er,” Shen Jiu stated after grabbing your right hand.

“Ahahah alright, A-Duzhe will stay with Jiu-er till he no longer needs me,” You replied, locking your fingers together with Shen Jiu. The two of you sat at the lake till the banquet came to an end.

—

After returning to Cang Qiong Sect then Qing Jing Peak and giving your report to you Shizun. You gave him his herbs and a bag of white peony tea leaves as a souvenir from your trip with Shen Jiu.

“Has disciple Shen Jiu seduced you enough?” Your Shizun teased.

“Is that rumor still going around?” You huffed.

“Getting caught by disciple Liu Mingcheng and the gossip spread by disciple Qi Ziyuan and her martial siblings has done large damage to his reputation. Head Disciple A-Duzhe should have nipped it in the bud,” Your Shizun stated.

“This disciple understands his wrongdoing, this disciple will collaborate with Shen Jiu-shidi to strategize scheme to make that rumor disappear,” You bowed to your Shizun.

“This master is looking forward to it,” Your Shizun smiled. Tomorrow you will have to be more proactive in getting Shen Jiu the reputation, achievement, and skill to surpass you into becoming the head disciple of Qing Jing Peak.

—

What started out as a normal day. Waking up with Shen Jiu in bed with you, training your junior siblings, doing your errands for your Shizun, tense tea time with Yue Qi, and trying to hang out with Shang Huaisang. When you went to hang out with your hamster of a junior brother to talk strategy for fixing Shen Jiu’s reputation at a small house you had built just for your rendezvous with Shang Huaisang, his wet dream of a man happened to be there. It did not end well, in fact, you just fucked yourself to the demon world and your one-way home is ready to kill you. The future Mobei-jun is glaring at you as the two of you are cramped in a small cave hiding from his uncle. Just your luck, at least you know you will at least get something noteworthy at the end of this.

“For fuck sake, Xiao Bei, did you really think you would not be discovered when you visit my Shang-shidi?” You cursed in English before glaring at the chest in front of you. The cave was really small as you were pressed right up against Mobei-jun, you have started to call him Xiao Bei since he is not the northern desert king yet and to be a little menace, as well as the irony because of his demon heritage he was really tall. Your face is inches from his chest, no doubt Airplane-bro will whine when he hears this from you.

“Yours?” Xiao Bei questioned.

“Yes mine, Shang Huaisang is my Shidi and friend,” You tilt your head up with a challenging glare at Mobei-jun. “You better listen to my Shidi well, he is overworked as it is,” You felt his demonic qi swirl around you.

“And why should this prince listen to a lowly cultivator?” Xiao Bei questioned, you felt a claw hand at the back of your neck.

“This one is no lowly cultivator nor are they a righteous one either,” You replied, aiming your sheathed dagger at Xiao Bei’s family jewels. As you and Xiao Bei had a tense standoff, you both heard the sound of footsteps and looked over at the opening of the cave.

Appearing at the mouth of the cave was one of Linguang-Jun’s henchmen, you quickly unsheathed your dagger and launched it at the henchmen with far too much strength, the dagger sliced the henchmen’s head clean off. As you crawled out of the small cave, Xiao Bei following you, you carefully looked around for any more of Linguang-Jun’s henchmen. As you heard steps coming closer you ready your dagger but you were grabbed by the back of your uniform and dragged into a portal as you felt an arrow scratched your arm. Despite the scratch being small, you felt as if your whole arm was lit on fire and spread to the rest of your body. As you blackout from the pain, you feel cool hands on your back and under your knee.

—

As you awoke to a wail, you slowly opened your eyes. It’s really cold, you thought. As you sat up, the first thing you saw was Shang Huaisang sobbing and pacing.

“Shang-shidi?” You groaned.

“Duzhe-shixiong!” Shang Huaisang yelled and in the blink of an eye appeared by your bedside. “Shixiong! Are you okay? You no longer feel poisoned are you?” He asked.

“Ah…” You recalled an arrow grazing you as you presumably Xiao Bei pulled you with him through his portal and the feeling of being burned. You circulate your qi “No, I’m fine now,”

“Great,” Shang Huaisang sighed in relief then stared at you with dread “Now please calm down Shen-shixiong as he is in the Northern Deseret Palace, arguing with my prince and is very much about to fight him,” As you stare into your junior brother's eyes, a part of you did want to see what would happen but you can see how stress he is and you promised Shen Jiu that you would be there for him.

“Lead the way,” You sighed.

—

As you entered one of the gardens of the Northern Deseret Palace, you heard swords lashing.

“Oh no!” Yelled Shang Huaisang and he grabbed your wrist to hurry you along. In the middle of a destroyed patch of frosted willowing silver wisterias was Shen Jiu attacking Xiao Bei while Xiao Bei was just defending himself. You quickly notice that Shen Jiu now has a spiritual weapon.

“Ooo has Jiu-er gained Xiu Ya sword?” You questioned.

“YES! After accidentally entering the demon world with my prince and then getting poisoned, you were in a coma for…”

“Ah,” You can guess the sequence of events that happened while you were recovering. “I assumed I was in a coma for a concerning amount of time and you had to go to Jiu-er to help me?”

“Yeah, you were in a coma for almost three weeks. After a week of your poisoning and I as well as my prince having no idea what kind of poison it was, I went to Shen-shixiong. He was not happy, at all, but since it came to you, he agreed to cover for us and figure out the antidote.” Shang Huaisang paused for a moment and spoke more softly. “However, after giving you the antidote and still not waking after a week. I accidentally stumbled upon Shen-shixiong during a private emotional moment as he was screaming and sobbing for you to wake up as well as other things,” He sighed. “I was, of course, caught and somehow was able to comfort him, and he isn’t angry at me anymore but since you are awake now, please calm him down before he rips off my prince’s head,”

“Alright, I’ll go save you dream man,” After digesting Shang Huasiang’s info dump, you agreed to stop the one-sided battle.

—

Thinking back to this time, you were glad to be poisoned as it was the start of Shang Qinghua and Shen Qingqiu getting closer and later sworn brothers, as well as Shen Qingqiu being comfortable in his role as a senior brother. You were pretty sure Shen Qingqiu was friends with Mobei-Jun by now, even if neither wanted to admit it, as Mobei-Jun would spend time with Shen Qingqiu when neither you nor Shang Qinghua was available. Or it could just be Shen Qingqiu threatening Mobei-Jun to come to learn politics and strategy so that Mobei-Jun won’t rely heavily on Shang Qinghua and overwork your already overworked junior brother.

[onceuponaoneshotfanfic]

Gold Rush (Superstar Chapter 3)

But I don't like a gold rush, gold rush I don't like anticipating my face in a red flush I don't like that anyone would die to feel your touch Everybody wants you Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you

Roy and the Reader attend Rebecca’s charity ball... and uneasy feelings arise.

Roy Kent x Reader

5.7k words

Warnings: Language, Keeley making ~flirty~ suggestions, and a healthy sharp turn from fluff to angst

Thanks to everyone for the kind feedback on this series- I don’t deserve it! And big thanks to those who suggested a little bit of jealousy. Some of this was almost painful to write, so I’m excited to share my torture with you!

~

“Oi, did you get a dress for Friday yet?” Keeley plopped herself on my desk, not bothering with formal greetings. She raised her eyebrows at me expectantly.

“Friday…?” I closed my laptop, knowing I wouldn’t get anything done with Keeley in my office.

She rolled her eyes at me. “Rebecca’s charity ball! You’re going, aren’t you?”

Right. Rebecca’s big charity gala. She’d told me about it during my first couple of days at Richmond and extended a very enthusiastic invite, but I’d been so distracted by getting used to the job and starting up a romance with a certain football legend that I’d all but forgotten about the event.

“Oh. Right.” I made a face. “You don’t really think she expects me to go, right? It’s not like it’s a mandatory part of my job or anything.”

Keeley rolled her eyes again. “Of course you have to go! There’s fabulous music and free booze and good food. And the boys’ll be there and watching them get auctioned off is a hoot! Besides, it’s just a fun excuse to dress up and have a good time with everyone.” Her round eyes pleaded. “I’ll help you pick a dress,” she offered in a sing-song voice.

I groaned and tossed my head back, not bothering to hide my small grin that grew at the thought of a fun, fancy evening with everyone from the club. “I mean, I guess,” I grumbled.

“You guess what?”

Keeley’s eyes widened with excitement at the sound of Roy’s voice. “Oh, hi Roy!” She grinned at me not-so-sneakily. “We were just talking about Rebecca’s ball this weekend. You’re going, right?” Roy grunted in response. “Aaaaaand do you have a date?”

Roy’s eyes flickered in my direction for a fraction of a moment. “No.”

“Interesting.” Keeley looked like the fucking Cheshire Cat. “Say, Roy-”

I cleared my throat. “Roy, didn’t you need to go talk to Ted about that defensive strategy you wanted to try?”

He immediately took the hint and played along. “Fuck. Thanks.” He turned with his usual robotic stiffness and stalked out of the office, leaving Keeley and me in silence.

“Come on, why’d you do that?” Keeley whined, mischief sparkling in her eyes. “I was totally going to ask Roy about going to the ball with you!”

I shrugged, trying to keep calm. “Roy had coaching shit to do. Just doing my job. You know, being the coaching assistant and all.”

“Whatever,” Keeley scoffed. She paused, leaning close to the wall behind my desk, her mouth widening with glee. “Ho-ly shit. What the fuck is that?”

My eyes followed hers.

To my biggest fan. XOXO Roy Kent

Oh shit.

“Some stupid joke,” I mumbled, opening my laptop again, desperate to look too busy to chat. “I told Roy that my family’s big Richmond fans, he gave me some shit about it and wrote the note as a joke, that’s about it.”

“Look at you two, flirting in the workspace with a sexy orange sticky note.” Keeley winked at me. “Good for you, babes. Now all you have to do is let me help you pick a bangin’ outfit that’ll catch his attention Friday night!”

I narrowed my eyes at the girl who was having too much fun at my expense. “How about you help me pick something that looks nice, I’m comfortable in, and doesn’t kill my budget? We can leave Roy Kent out of my outfit.”

“Unless you’re looking super fit,” Keeley countered, jumping off my desk and heading towards the door. “In which case, Roy Kent will be spending the evening trying to get into your outfit.”

~

The night before, Roy had called with an offer to come over with food and a movie after work; it would be our first at-home hangout. I skipped out on work a tad early, complaining of imaginary cramps that Ted was immediately sympathetic to, so I could give my flat one last look over. I tidied up the things I hadn’t gotten to that morning before work and hid some of the more embarrassing family pictures that I wasn’t quite ready for Roy to see- like the one where my family and I wore the handmade Christmas jumpers my gran had made for us, each featuring the Greyhounds logo front and center. Nope, Roy freaking Kent did not need to see that.

With the flat tidy, I changed into some leggings and a cozy sweater, still wanting to look nice despite Roy’s assurance that all he wanted was a casual, comfortable evening together. I was running a brush through my hair when the now-familiar knock reached my ears. Trying not to look too giddy, I all but ran to the door and threw it open.

Roy stood in front of me, holding a box of pizza with a couple of DVDs on top. His face softened when he saw me, the way it seemed to always do when we were finally alone. He wrapped his free arm around my shoulders and pulled me in for the tiniest kiss as I pulled him into my flat, closing the door behind him.

“Hi,” he huffed when he let me go.

“Hi,” I whispered back, suddenly shy around the man I had just been kissing in an empty office hours earlier. Perhaps it was the fact that Roy Kent was standing in my flat, leaving us, for the first time since we’d been at my parents’ house, truly alone. Not surrounded by very well-meaning, nosy coworkers at the Dog Track. Not glancing over our shoulders at pubs to make sure no one was snapping a pic of a football star and a mystery woman. Just us, me and Roy, Roy and me, free to kiss and be close and just be a normal couple.

Couple. Whoa. There was a word I hadn’t allowed myself to say yet. It had only been a couple weeks of sending flirty text messages during meetings and sneaking kisses when Ted and Beard weren’t in the neighboring office and sitting in dark corner booths of pubs far from the prying eyes of A.F.C. Richmond, but already this felt serious. Real, as Keeley had mentioned the morning after my first date with Roy. Something that wouldn’t end with me stealing Roy’s watch in the middle of the night as he slept. (Yes, that’s what a model he dated did. No, I hadn’t brought it up yet, although I had plenty of jokes waiting for when the topic did inevitably arise.) Something that- and this felt way too soon to even whisper to myself in my innermost thoughts- might not have to end.

Roy could probably see the gears turning in my head, based on the face he was making at me. “You alright?” he asked, placing the pizza box on the coffee table. “You look like you’re thinking about somethin’.”

I shook my head, reminding myself to just enjoy getting to be with him. “Nah, just… I kind of can’t believe you’re here.” With the pizza out of the way, I could wrap my arms around him. “Like you’re here. Roy Kent. In my flat.”

The concern on his face was replaced with amusement. “Ah. Now I see the resemblance between you and your dad.” I blushed at the reminder of my father’s too excited reaction to seeing Roy Kent in our foyer. “It’s flatterin’,” he assured me, kissing the tip of my nose. “In fact, I’m a bit disappointed that you don’t have a shrine to me here.” He lifted his head and looked around my living room. “Such a shame,” he hummed.

“Don’t be so full of yourself,” I huffed, giving him a squeeze. “It’s not cute.”

“Fine. Can I be full of pizza then?”

I laughed and released him. “That works. Let me just grab some plates.”

Roy followed me to the kitchen, on my heels like a puppy. My heart swelled at the realization that he probably wanted to take advantage of being alone with me. I handed him the plates I pulled from the cupboard, reveling in the quiet, domestic moment, how natural it felt to get out plates for a quiet dinner at home with Roy Kent. I turned to the fridge and grabbed a couple of sodas, then led Roy back into the living room.

Curious about what Roy brought, I made a beeline for the DVDs. I didn’t bother to hide the surprise on my face when I saw the cover of the one on top.

“The Sound of Music?” I blurted incredulously, looking over at Roy as he made himself comfortable on the couch.

His eyes narrowed as he opened the pizza box and grabbed a slice. “You got a problem with that?” he growled, the playful look in his eye daring me to judge his movie pick.

I shrugged as I turned on the television and set up the movie. “Nope. I love The Sound of Music. Just not what I expected from you.”

“What’d you expect? Fast and the Furious? Transformers?”

“Or something dark, like The Shining,” I suggested as I joined him on the couch. “Not Julie Andrews.” I paused. “Not that I don’t love her,” I assured him. “She’s brilliant. Sound of Music is brilliant. Just a bit unexpected.”

Roy chuckled and scooted closer to me, pressing his thigh against mine as he leaned onto the couch. “The Shining,” he repeated. “A guy goes fucking nuts and tries to kill his family. Yep, that’s the kind of romantic impression I want to make.” He pointed at the screen, where scenes from the movie danced before us as the soundtrack played in the background. “This is fucking romantic. Sixteen Going on Seventeen, Edelweiss, Something Good, the fucking wedding with all the nuns singing How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria. Romantic as hell.”

I hit PLAY and grabbed myself some pizza, not bothering to hide the smile on my face. “Romance, huh?”

Roy smiled and shook his head. “Just watch the fucking movie.”

~

“Fuck, I’m so obsessed with the curtain dress,” I sighed, pressed against Roy’s side as Julie Andrews pranced around onscreen. “D’you think I’d look good in that dress?” I turned my head up towards Roy, who eyed me warily.

“I think you’d look good in anything,” he mumbled. He wrinkled his nose. “Was that too fucking cheesy?”

“Just cheesy enough,” I assured him. “If you think I could rock the curtain dress, just imagine me in the Mother Superior’s habit.”

He snorted, a huge smile gracing his face. “Once again, you’d look good in anything.” He paused, thinking for a moment. “Speaking of dresses,” he said, clearly looking for an opening in the conversation, “are you going to that fucking charity thing?”

I sat up a little. “That’s actually why Keeley was in our office today. She was asking me about what I’m going to wear and bugging me about asking you to be my date.” I fidgeted with my hands. “And you’re going, I assume?”

He nodded. “Kinda have to. At least this year I don’t have to worry about being auctioned off like some fucking piece of meat.” A smirk formed on his lips. “Although I’m sure you’d love that.”

I rolled my eyes. “As if I could afford those auction prices,” I scoffed. “More like I’d get to watch you get bid on by gorgeous models wondering how much they have to spend to guarantee the night ended in your bed.” As much as I tried to make my words come off as snarky and joking, I knew my jealousy and insecurities seeped through every word.

Roy seemed to notice too. He wrapped his arms around me and buried his face in my hair, planting kisses there. “If it makes you feel better,” he murmured, squeezing me around my waist, “it was only the models’ old grannies that bid on me. Except last year, when Keeley was mad at Jamie and placed exactly one bid on me to piss him off, but I still ended up being won by a very horny old woman.” He shuddered, probably for my benefit as well as the memory itself. “If you want,” he whispered in that low, gruff voice, “we could have our own private auction after the ball.”

A shiver trailed down my spine, one he could probably feel. Roy Kent was not particularly flirtatious; he was snarky and often clever, he loved to tease and make fun of me, but he very rarely said something so… sexy.

“And during the ball?” I asked, desperate to change the subject and ignore the heat in my cheeks. “Like, do we ignore each other? Do we hang out?”

He sighed and sat back, tracing circles on my shoulder with the tips of his fingers. “I mean… it’s free seating, so we could sit together. And I don’t think anyone will notice if we dance together once or twice. Well, maybe Keeley.” He shrugged, gazing down at me. “I think we can manage to spend some time together while not raising anyone’s suspicions. Again, except Keeley. But who fucking cares if she figures it out?”

“Sounds like a plan,” I agreed, leaning up to peck his cheek. “Alright now shut up, they’re singing again.”

~

“Ah, there you are!” Richard Montlaur stood in the doorway between the coaches’ offices, smiling at me. “Oh, hello Roy.” He nodded to his coach before strolling across the office to my desk. “I have a question for you.”

I blinked at him. “Uh, hi. What’s up?” In my brief time at Richmond, Montlaur had hardly spoken to me. A hello here and there, telling me I looked pretty a few times, but nothing worth noting. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Roy swivel in his chair slightly, clearly listening in.

Richard’s smile grew. “You are going on Friday, no? To Rebecca’s party?”

“Oh, yeah.” My puzzlement grew. “You?”

“Of course!” He leaned against the wall by my desk. “We should go together, yes?”

Roy stiffened. Fuck.

I cleared my throat and shuffled my feet. “Oh. Richard, that’s very sweet of you. But, um, I…”

“You have a date already?” Montlaur tilted his head, confusion covering his pretty face.

“Um…” I stopped myself from looking at Roy. “No, I don’t, I just…” I bit my lip. “I kind of planned on going solo. But it’s very sweet of you to ask.” I prayed the smile on my face didn’t look too forced.

Richard shrugged, unphased. “Ah, well. Just thought I would ask. You are, after all, the prettiest thing on this team. After me of course,” he added with a wink. He lifted my hand and pressed his lips to it. “At least promise you will save me one dance?”

I couldn’t make myself look at Roy; I knew he was fuming at his desk. “Sure, Richard,” I agreed. “One dance.” I took my hand back.

“Wonderful. If you’ll excuse me, I should go get ready for practice.” On his way out the door, he waved to Roy. “See you out there, Coach!”

As soon as Richard was out the door, I spun my chair around, finally facing Roy. He was already turned around, facing me with his arms crossed, his expression hard and stoney like it was the day we met. His mouth was in a perfectly straight line as he stared me down, reminding me of the way I used to see him stare down opponents on television.

“You really going to dance with that prick?”

I shrugged. “I mean, I guess? It’s no big deal, just a dance.”

Roy nodded slowly, his eyebrows knitted together as his face turned red. “Sure. No big deal.” He stood up. “I gotta go to practice.” He made his way out of the office.

“Roy-”

“Whistle!” The chattering in the changing room died instantly. “Oi, all of you, out on the pitch. Twenty laps as your warm up. Whistle!”

Nope. There was nothing I could do at this point; the boys would just all have to suffer. Hopefully seeing Montlaur run until he nearly puked would be enough to calm Roy down before he came back to the office. Trying to put thoughts of Roy and Richard and the gala out of my head, I turned my attention to my computer and opened a file containing personal project of mine: an American-to-British English dictionary just for Ted. The man desperately needed it.

“Hey babes!” Keeley sauntered in a couple hours later, her pink sparkly dress shining in the fluorescent light. “You ready to go?”

I cocked my head at her. “Go…?”

“Dress shopping!” she reminded me, pulling me out of my chair. “I already told Ted that I’m kidnapping you. So, let’s go!”

As we strolled arm in arm to different shops, I felt my mind drift back to Roy, wondering how practice was going. I prayed he wasn’t being too rough on the boys; it wasn’t their fault Montlaur unwittingly asked out Roy’s…. whatever I was.

“Hey, was Roy okay today?” Keeley peered at me over the clothing rack we were searching through, eyebrows raised. “I swear to God, you could hear him screaming whistle across the whole damn building.”

I shrugged. “I mean, he’s Roy,” I muttered, hoping I seemed nonchalant. “The man’s a ball of rage. Wouldn’t it be more surprising if he wasn’t screaming at the guys?” Come on, Keeley. Agree with my logic.

Keeley shifted her gaze to the dress she held out in front of her. “Hmm. I guess.” Her eyes found mine in a flash. “I did hear about Richard asking you to the ball. Guess I was just wondering if Roy got a little…” She popped her lips. “Jealous?”

“Enough,” I groaned, rolling my eyes. “Just help me find a damn dress.”

“Done.” Keeley held up a red dress that- damn her- I knew would look perfect on me.

I couldn’t help copying her infectious grin. “Fucking hell, Keeley.”

“You’re welcome.”

~

“Oi, d’you need a ride home?”

Roy stood over my desk, clutching his duffel bag, not quite looking me in the eye. A touch of pink colored his cheeks.

I tapped my pencil against my desk. “Well considering you drove me here this morning…” I raised my eyebrows at him.

“Right.” He tapped the toe of his sneaker against the floor. “Well, I’ll meet you at the car I guess.”

I sighed as I began packing my things. “You can just wait here for me,” I huffed. “If you want, I mean. I’ll be quick.”

“Right,” he repeated.

I felt his eyes on me as I tucked my laptop and other things into my bag and wrote myself a note reminding myself about the tasks I needed to tackle the next morning, sticking it up next to Roy’s note. Then I shouldered my bag and grabbed the shopping bag that held the dress and heels Keeley had helped me find. When I was ready, I looked over at Roy, who was sitting at his desk, watching me from over the top of his phone that he had been pretending to scroll on.

“You ready?”

Our walk to the car was uncharacteristically quiet, the air around us heavy. There was a sinking feeling in my stomach as we crossed the parking lot, wondering if I’d somehow managed to fuck things up already. Great job. You’re gonna lose the guy of your dreams AND make the best job you’ve ever had uncomfortable as hell.

To my surprise, Roy opened the passenger door and helped me into the car, the same way he always did. He squeezed my hand, a reassuring touch after the silence we’d shared in the office once I returned from shopping. With one hand on the steering wheel, Roy put the key in the ignition and started the car- and immediately turned it back off. He turned to face me, his face serious.

“I didn’t fucking like Montlaur asking you out,” he said bluntly. “He’s a prick and was probably thinking he’d get to sleep with you just because he asked you to the gala. But I guess it’s not his fault for not knowing we’re seeing each other. And us keeping things private was my idea, so I probably shouldn’t be so fucking defensive.” His hand tapped on the steering wheel. “So, I’m sorry for being short with you,” he finished. “And sorry if I made you feel guilty when you honestly didn’t do a fucking thing wrong.”

In his eyes I could see that same anxiety that I had seen as he waited for me to tell him what I’d thought of his pub. When he asked me about keeping our situation private. That look that told me that what I felt mattered to him.

“It’s okay, Roy,” I whispered, resting my hand on his leg. “I was honest when I told Richard I didn’t want to go with him, I just didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Like you said, it’s not his fault.” I smirked. “How many laps did the guys end up doing anyway?”

A sheepish grin appeared on Roy’s face. “Ted talked me down to fifteen laps. But then they did burpees right after. Dani and Sam both threw up.”

I shook my head, holding back laughter. “Those poor boys. None of them better ask me to dance Friday.”

Now Roy shook his head, leaning close, clearly planning to take advantage of the empty parking lot. “You can dance with them,” he whispered. I could feel his stubble brush against my skin before he closed the distance between our lips. “Just promise to save the last dance for me.”

~

“Over here! Ms. Welton over here!”

I stood on the edge of the red carpet, wincing as I watched the scene before me. My friends and colleagues, alone or with stunning dates on their arms, made their way down the carpet, stopping to pose for photos, smiling widely and cracking jokes at the photographers. They all looked so calm, so at ease, while I floated at the periphery, trying to decide if I should brave the red carpet, walk behind the whole mess like the peasant I suddenly felt like, or just go home.

The last one was starting to sound good to me when I heard a familiar growl behind me. When I turned around, there was Roy, his soft brown eyes contrasting with the hard look on his face and providing me with an anchor to cling to. To no one’s surprise, he was wearing all black, a fitted suit that made my heart slam against my chest. He took a step closer to me, his gaze flickering to the photographers who whispered to themselves with excitement as soon as he approached their view.

“Fuck you for wearing that dress,” he grumbled out of the corner of his mouth, clearly trying to look casual. “You look amazing.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the Roy Kent-ness of his compliment. “Keeley’s goal was for me to get your attention. I’m glad it’s working.”

He sighed and stuck his hands in his pockets; I could see him trying to suppress a smile. “You’d get my attention even if you were wearing Maria’s curtain dress,” he breathed. “This-” His eyes trailed the red dress that hugged every curve, as if it had been made just for me. “-this is fucking torture.”

Before I could respond, I felt an arm hook through mine, grabbing my attention. I turned around; Keeley.

“Hi guys!” she gushed, looking gorgeous in a rose gold dress and with Jamie right behind her. “Don’t you two look grand together.” She shot me a wink. “Walking the carpet?”

Roy stiffened up, eyeing the papps with unease. “Speed-walking, more like.” He nodded to the three of us, though his eyes were on me. “See you in there.” He turned towards the carpet and bolted across, ignoring the photographers’ pleas for a picture, answering with only his two favorite words: Fuck no.

Keeley nudged me, nodding towards the photographers. “You go ahead,” she urged.

“Um…” I knew she saw the grimace on my face. “Think I could just, I dunno, go around?”

Her face softened as she tightened her arm around mine. “How about we go together? There’s enough photos of me and Jamie floating around online, they don’t need any more.” She glanced at Tartt. “That alright with you babe?”

Jamie nodded. I finally realized the shirt under his suit jacket was black see-through netting. “Go for it.” He shot me a friendly wink, assuring me that yes, I could steal his girlfriend for a strut up the red carpet.

Arms still linked, Keeley and I approached the edge of the carpet, where the photogaphers screamed Keeley’s name, asking who she was wearing and who she was with. She struck poses, an absolute natural, and flashed the most gorgeous smile I’d ever seen. I knew Keeley was beautiful- I’d seen her in magazines and ads for years, and of course knew her in person now- but seeing Model Keeley, live and in person, was an experience.

“Come on!” she urged, pulling me close. I mirrored her pose, feeling silly, a bit like a teenage girl taking selfies with her best friend. But having Keeley give me a squeeze suddenly made it… fun. Keeley shouted out my name to the reporters, spelling it with ease, and declaring me the Richmond coaching staff’s “fabulous new administrative assistant”.

I giggled as I pushed her down the red carpet, ready to get to the party. My heart purred with pleasure when I saw that Roy had not gone into the building yet; rather, he was standing by the entrance, watching me with a soft fondness covering his face. For once, he didn’t bother hiding the joy I knew we both felt around each other. I was sure my face matched my dress as Keeley and I approached him, stopping so Keeley could go back and join Jamie back in front of the cameras; so much for there already being enough photos of the two of them.

“You have fun out there?” Roy asked, eyebrows raised in amusement.

“A bit,” I admitted, more to myself than anyone else. “You should try it sometime.”

He bit his lip, looking me up and down, clearly emboldened by the lack of eyes and ears focused on us. “Maybe next year. With the right date on my arm.”

“Oh.” That was all I could manage; was Roy Kent- Roy fucking Kent- implying that we would still be seeing each other a year from now? It sure as hell sounded like it.

And I sure as hell found myself hoping it would happen.

Roy seemed to understand my sudden bashfulness. “Come on. Let’s head inside before the papps actually manage to get a fucking picture of me.” He placed his hand on the small of my back, taking advantage of the formal setting to have some physical contact to guide me into the venue.

As we entered the ballroom, I resisted the urge to gawk at the opulence of the venue; surely my wedding wouldn’t be this nice (unless you marry Roy Kent, the voice in my head teased).

Surely Roy could feel how overwhelmed I was. “Let’s find some seats and go grab drinks,” he suggested. “We’ll need ’em.”

I rose an eyebrow at him as he led me through the party towards the tables taken up by our fellow Richmond staff and players. “You sure you’re not too comfy there, Kent?”

He shook his head. “Nah. Everyone kind of gets extra friendly at this thing, so no one’ll bat an eye if we hang out.” He shrugged. “Especially since we’re officemates. It’ll seem kind of… natural for me to hang out with you, we’re always together at work anyway.” He nodded towards an empty table. “How’s here?”

“Sure.” I placed my clutch on the table, saving mine and Roy’s spots. “D’you mind if Keeley and Jamie join us?”

Roy threw his head back. “Fuuuuuuu-” He glanced at the begging expression on my face. “Fine.” He nodded towards the bar. “I’m gonna need a drink if you’re gonna make me hang out with Jamie fuckin’ Tartt.”

“Deal,” I agreed. “Lead the way.”

~

“I’m gonna go grab another beer. You want something?” Roy raised an eyebrow at me as the band began to set up onstage.

Dinner had been delicious, with Keeley and Jamie cracking jokes with us and pointing out the most ridiculously rich people in the room for my benefit. The auction had gone off without a hitch; I particularly enjoyed the amusement on Keeley’s face as she successfully bid on Jamie for an outlandish amount of money. Best of all, Roy had been sweet and attentive, much to Keeley’s glee, which helped to calm my nerves.

This might be the best night of my life.

“Sure, want me to come help you?” I offered, starting to stand up.

Roy shook his head, gesturing for me to stay seated. “What kind of gentleman would I bet if I made you get your own drink?” he whispered as he stood. He nodded to Jamie, who he’d actually been really friendly with during dinner. “Be right back.”

The moment Roy was out of earshot, Keeley pounced into his seat. “Holy shit! He’s so into you!” She nudged me happily. “All you have to do to seal the deal is grind on him in that dress, and he’ll be begging to go home with you.”

“Oh stop, Keeley,” I begged, giggling from the drinks I’d had with dinner. “Roy’s just being nice. He’s a good guy.” I turned around to look at Roy, who’d be bringing back my favorite dri-

“Oh shit, look who Roy’s talkin’ to!” Jamie laughed over his drink. “What a fuckin’ reunion.”

My heart plummeted into my stomach. Of course I recognized Brittany Brett, lingerie model and Roy’s ex-girlfriend. I’d seen photos of them in magazines for the four months they’d been seen together around Europe, often appearing wherever Roy had a match or she had a shoot. According to the tabloids, she devastatingly dumped him, and within two weeks she was spotted on a double date with some player for Barcelona and Mr. and Mrs. Lionel Messi.

And now there she was, wearing the tiniest dress I had ever seen and showing more cleavage than a renaissance painting. And, worst of all, clinging to Roy Kent. My Roy Kent. My face grew hot with envy as she laid a hand on his arm- the arm that had just been wrapped around my chair- and giggled. With his back to me, I could only imagine the expression on Roy’s face. Was it the scowl he usually wore around the rest of the world? Or was it the gentle smile he shared with me between kisses when we were alone? Or was it the look of adoration and desire he’d had a few hours ago when he complimented my red dress? Maybe it was the number of drinks I had, or the loud music that had started somewhere during my panic attack, or just the sight of this gorgeous woman hanging all over the guy I liked, but my head suddenly started spinning.

Before I could begin to fathom an idea of how to appropriately react, a hand landed on my shoulder. Richard Montlaur smiled down at me, handsome in his suit.

“I believe you owe me a dance,” he greeted in a friendly, teasing voice. He held his hand out to me. “Shall we?”

I shot one more glance at Roy, who still stood with Brittany Brett, no sign of my drink in his hand. “Sure,” I mumbled, taking his hand. “But maybe we could grab a drink first?”

Richard smiled as he helped me up. “Perfect.” He kept my hand in his as he led the way to the bar, settling us exactly where I wanted to be- right behind Roy and Brittany Brett.

I muttered my drink order to Richard and turned my attention to the conversation behind me.

“Roy,” Brittany purred in that syrupy voice I recalled from a couple interviews I’d seen online. “I’m so bummed you weren’t auctioned off tonight. I would have loved to put in a bid on you.”

Roy scoffed. “Come on, you know I hate that shit.”

“Who’s that girl you’re with? Not a date?”

My back stiffened as Richard handed me my drink.

“Er, she’s my assistant,” Roy mumbled. “I mean, she’s the coaching staff’s assistant. We share an office.”

“Aww,” Brittany cooed, as if Roy was talking about some cute thing Phoebe had done at school. “That is so sweet of you to sit with her. I’m sure she feels so out of place at an event like this, poor thing.”

That was all I needed to hear. I felt small, so fucking small, listening to Brittany fucking Brett simper over Roy and the charity case that was his assistant. I downed my drink and held out my hand to Richard.

“Let’s dance.”

I must have had too many drinks, or maybe I was just blinded by petty jealousy and anger, but I didn’t remember Richard leading me to the dance floor. I just knew that one moment, I was on the verge of tears behind Roy, and the next I was pressing my body close to Richard Montlaur as we swayed to a slow song.

As we swayed on the dance floor, I allowed my gaze to return to the bar. There was Roy, still chatting with Brittany Brett, but his eyes were on the table we’d been sitting at, a puzzled frown on his face. He craned his neck, eyes wandering until they landed on me and Richard. His frown deepened and he cocked his head at me. Even from this distance, I could see the hurt in his eyes.

But then I saw Brittany Brett lay her hand on his chest, clearly oblivious to the conversation Roy and I were having through eye contact. Instead, I tightened my grip on Richard’s shoulders as I watched Brittany Brett lean forward and kiss Roy’s lips.

I looked down, blinking away the tears that suddenly formed. “Um, I’m sorry Richard, but I don’t feel well,” I managed, taking a step back. “Thank you so much for the dance, but I-” I shook my head and left the dance floor, heading to the nearest exit, refusing to take another look at Roy Kent.

[dialovers-translations]

DIABOLIK LOVERS CHAOS LINEAGE Yoyaku Tokuten Drama CD ”Awakened to Chaos”

Original title: 混沌への目覚め

Source: Diabolik Lovers CHAOS LINEAGE Yoyaku Tokuten Drama CD

Audio: Here

Seiyuu: Toriumi Kousuke, Katsuyuki Konishi, Midorikawa Hikaru, Kaji Yuki, Hirakawa Daisuke, Kondou Takashi, Takahiro Sakurai, Kimura Ryouhei, Tatsuhisa Suzuki, Kishio Daisuke, Morikawa Toshiyuki, Morikubo Shoutari & Tomoaki Maeno

Translator’s note: Phew. This CD was quite the challenge since it’s a whole 40 minutes long. I have translated long drama CDs plenty of times in the past but it honestly had been a while since I came across one which is longer than half an hour. I guess this CD is meant to be kind of an introduction to the game since it’s pretty much just every boy realizing that something feels ‘off’ about their current family as well as harboring strong feelings for Eve which they cannot quite explain since they’ve all lost their memories and are therefore under the assumption that she’s an absolute stranger to them. 

Ayato: God…Ruki really had to force us to sit through some long-ass strategy meeting as soon as the Supreme Overlord passed away. They talked ‘bout way too much useless crap! All that really matters is that tomorrow we should go and steal Eve - the vital piece in becoming the next Overlord - from the Church, right? 

Yet he kept on ramblin’ on ‘bout other random bullshit. …No way in hell I’m lettin’ those other bastards have Eve. I’ll burst into that Church first and make her mine, no matter what. I won’t let Ruki have her either. I could care less that he’s the ‘oldest’ of the family. I don’t see why I should give her up to him. I’ll become the Supreme Overlord and rise to the top! ーー Exactly. That’s the only reason why I’m interested in Eve in the first place. …Or at least, it should be. So why does something feel off? Is that really…the only reason why I want Eve so badly? Or do I have an even better reasoning for yearning after her…? Hm…

*Rustle* 

Ayato: Argh! Enough thinkin’...! I’m gonna see her tomorrow anyway. That might help me figure this out. 

Ayato keeps on walking. 

Ayato: …Ah? Where am I? I was just mindlessly wanderin’ ‘round and ended up quite far away. …Aah!? Isn’t this place close to the Scarlet family’s manor!? Fuck… Did I really come that far? …Wait, is that? 

*Rustle* 

Ayato: That’s Shuu from the Scarlet Family sittin’ by that tree, isn’t it? Why is he sleepin’ over there? …Heh, whatever. Imma kick his ass to get rid of this annoyin’ feelin’. 

Ayato approaches Shuu. 

Ayato: ーー Oi, Shuu! Why are you nappin’ over here!? 

*Rustle rustle* 

Shuu: Nn…Nnh…

Ayato: Wake up! …Get up and face me. 

Shuu: Oh…Ayato, it’s you. What brings you here? 

Ayato: I’m feelin’ restless right now. Which means it’s the perfect time for a fight!

Shuu: God…I can’t even sleep in peace here? 

Ayato: Oi, get a grip of yourself! What’s the fun in fightin’ someone who’s still half asleep? 

Shuu: Shut up…I’m not going to fight you. Go away. 

Ayato: Oh come on, be my opponent! Stand up already!

Shuu: Pwaah…

Ayato: Che…You don’t know how to have fun. Guess there’s no point in tryin’ to battle a damn sissy. Whatever! I’m goin’ home!

Ayato stomps away.

Shuu: Haah…He finally left, huh? Guess I’ll go for another nap. 

*Rustle* 

Shuu: Oh…Tomorrow we’re heading for the Church to steal Eve, aren’t we? What a pain. Oh well. I guess it won’t matter if I’m not there. I’m sure Reiji will fix it somehow. He was really in his element during our strategy meeting earlier. Reiji wants to make Eve his and rise the throne as the Supreme Overlord. I’m not interested in doing so, hence why I don’t mind helping him out where I can but…What’s even the point in defeating the other families, claiming Eve and earning the title of Supreme Overlord? Doesn’t he know that when you earn something highly valuable, the responsibility might become too much as you’ll crumble? Even if you try to overcome that, you’ll only find the pressure weighing down on you, leading to nothing but pain and suffering. Does Reiji realize that? 

I’m not strong enough to crawl my way back out once I’ve fallen down that pit of misery. I honestly don’t understand Reiji for trying to put himself through all that pain and suffering. 

Well…I guess I can think about it all I want, I won’t find the answer. I’m sure things will become clear once he brings Eve to our manor tomorrow. 

Eve…shall be mine. ーー Wait, what? What did I say just now…? Ugh…Enough of this. Nothing good ever comes from me wanting something. Exactly…It has always been like that. 

Huh…? Why…? Why would I…think that way…?

Yuma approaches him. 

Yuma: Oi, Shuu! Get the fuck up already!

Shuu: Hah? …Oh, Yuma, it’s you. 

Yuma: ‘Oh, it’s you’, my ass! I already found it strange how ya left right after the meeting and just as I thought, ya were snoozin’ over here. Try and think ‘bout those ‘round you! I’m always the one they ask to come fetch yer damn ass. Stop makin’ it hard on me. 

Shuu: Guess I’ll go back or else Reiji will scold me for the rest of the day.

Yuma: You do that. 

Yuma walks away. 

Shuu: Where are you going? You’re not going back with me? 

Yuma: Nope. Reiji said he wants some of my fresh veggies for cookin’, so imma drop by my garden real quick. There’s a few I still have to harvest first. 

Shuu: I see. I don’t need any, okay? 

Yuma: Aah!? You won’t eat my veggies!? Stop seein’ everythin’ as a chore and just give them a try! They’re so good, even the guys from the other families were surprised when I fed them to them! …Of course, it’s entirely up to me whether I share with them or not.

Shuu: Haah…Yuma. As soon as we make our move tomorrow, a fight over Eve will break loose and we will become actual opponents So you probably shouldn’t mention anything about giving food to the enemy, even if it was meant as a joke. 

Yuma: Ugh. …Haahー I know. Don’t get all serious. 

Shuu: I sure hope you do. …Oh well, whatever. The final decision is still up to you. Just don’t cause me trouble as well. 

Yuma: S-Sure…

Shuu: I’m heading back inside. 

Shuu leaves. 

*TIMESKIP*

*Snap* 

Yuma: These tomatoes are first-class…both in terms of color and size…

*Snap*

Yuma: …The other families are now our enemy in every sense of the word, huh? I mean, I didn’t need to have him tell me that. …Still, I wonder why…When I think ‘bout that, for some reason those three come to mind…Azusa, Kou and Ruki. It’s not like I’ve forgotten that they’re our enemy and I really just want to share my vegetables with my brothers but…Why do I somehow feel the need to have those three try them as well? Am I feelin’ pity for the enemy ‘cause food is scarce in this area…? Is that why I want to feed them…or maybe…? 

*Rustle* 

Yuma: Ah, it’s no use! I can’t figure it out! …But what’s the point in even rackin’ my brains over this? …Actually, now that you mention it…Whenever I was feelin’ stressed out like this…I believe there was always someone there with me, smiling and tellin’ me everythin’ will be alright…? Some silly girl who could be surprisingly stubborn yet way too good for this world…confrontin’ me directly with no fear despite bein’ a weakling. …Fuck! Enough of this. I’m only makin’ myself feel even more confused… 

He gets up. 

Yuma: I better head back to the manor already. ーー Wait! You bastard! What are you doin’ over there!? 

Kou: Oh shoot, he saw me!

Yuma: You’re Kou from the Violet Family, aren’t ya!? …Why does this guy have to show up right now? 

Kou: Hm? Did you say something? 

Yuma: No, nothin’! Anyway, how did you get in!? And that’s one of my carrots in your hand, isn’t it!? Give it back! 

Kou: Eeh~? Come on, you can share a little with us, can’t you? See you! I’ll gladly take this~

Kou makes a run for it. 

Yuma: Wait, you bastard! …Fuck. He’s quick to flee. He better believe I won’t forget ‘bout this! 

*SCENE SHIFT*

Kou: …Haah~ That gave me a scare. I didn’t think Yuma would be there on the field. I was in the mood for a quick snack after having to sit through Carla-kun’s never-ending strategy meeting, so I don’t understand why he had to get so upset over it. However, we don’t grow our own vegetables at the manor and it isn’t fair how only the Scarlet Family gets to enjoy fresh produce, right? I mean, we do have food over at our place as well and I’m not exactly a picky eater either, but the stuff we have at home just doesn’t fill me up. 

Kou starts walking back home. 

*TIMESKIP*

Kou: …There we go! I better store the food I stole away. I’m hungry but I’ll just have to bear with it for now. I’m sure Azusa-kun would like to eat together after all. 

*Thud* 

Kou: Now that I’m getting a better look at them, these carrots really look delicious! I guess it’s not exactly fair how I got to have such high-quality vegetables for free? Maybe I should give them something in return? 

But they’re our enemy. …When you get something, you have to give something back in exchange. The world is all about give-and-take after all. 

Regardless of one’s personal relationship,  everything comes at a price. That has never bothered me and it never will…I guess? 

…I wonder why? For some reason…I felt like I just doubted my own thoughts…Someone’s kind words…Their warmth…As if there was someone who told me that…sometimes people don’t expect anything in return…And this person opened my eyes to what ‘love’ is…learning me how to hold someone dear…Fufu…No, must be my imagination. We’ll get to meet Eve tomorrow, so that’s probably why my emotions are a bit all over the place, right? I wonder what she’s like? I’m so excited~ 

Somebody enters the kitchen. 

Kou: …Hm? Oh? What are you doing here in the kitchen, Subaru-kun? 

Subaru: Che…So this is where you’ve been. 

Kou: That’s how you greet me? How cold. Maybe you should try being a little nicer to your Onii-chan~? So, what brings you here? Were you looking for me? 

Subaru: Not me. Azusa was looking for you. …He needs to tell you somethin’, I believe. 

Kou: He does? I’ll go to him then. See you, Subaru-kun~

Subaru: Waitー! Azusa went outside in search of you!

Kou: I see! Gotcha! Thanks for telling me!

Subaru: Haah…I can’t believe Kou…He’s seriously goin’ out to look for Azusa? He doesn’t know where exactly he is, does he? …Those two never change. The way they always cling to each other makes me gag. I prefer bein’ alone, that’s the best. That’s why I can’t relate to them. How do they keep up with that buddy-buddy crap? 

I don’t…get it? No? I shouldn’t…but…Why does it feel like there was someone who tried to understand my point of view and take it into account…? Somebody who would be there by my side, smilin’...Always comin’ back no matter how many times I would push them away…Hah! …There’s no way. I can’t believe someone as naive actually exists… I will always be alone. I don’t give a damn ‘bout Eve either. We’re gonna take her tomorrow and that’ll be the end of it. Then Carla will take the necessary steps to become the Supreme Overlord. 

…Che. For some reason, it doesn’t sit right with me. I don’t give a damn ‘bout bein’ the Supreme Overlord. But…I’m not sure why but…I just don’t like the idea of Carla claimin’ Eve - who is the key to earning that title - as his… I wonder why I feel this way? …Eve is just some random chick I’ve never even met…So why would I care ‘bout her? 

He moves to the living room.

*Thud* 

Carla: …Subaru. Where have you been? 

Subaru: Oh, Carla. You’re still in the living room? The strategy meeting ended a while ago, didn’t it? 

Carla: And what have you been doing, wandering around the manor? 

Subaru: Shut up! That’s none of your business, is it!? 

Carla: Hmph. For now, perhaps. However, I believe the tension between the different Families will increase as a result of the fight over Eve. So you better believe that I shall not allow you to act of your own accord. 

Subaru: Tsk…I know! Fuck off…

Subaru leaves the room.

Carla: Including Subaru, all of my younger brothers obey me to a certain degree, but I cannot sense any devotion from them. Is this what I can expect from a younger brother? I wonder why they just seem lacking in that regard…? No, I suppose it is a mistake on my part for trying to expect anything from them in the first place. As long as they do what I want from them and do not get in my way, I suppose I can oversee their other shortcomings. 

I should think of the bigger picture and present myself as generous and large-hearted. There is nobody out there who is more fit to become the Supreme Overlord than I am. I shall make Eve my bride without fail and rise the throne. …Marry her? No. I suppose that will not be necessary. While obtaining Eve is one of the conditions to becoming the Supreme Overlord, I do not believe it is necessary to marry her. 

Yet…Why? Why would I say that I will make her my bride? Did I speak without thinking? I wonder if there is part of me who wants to marry her? That does not make any sense. I do not need a younger brother who will vow his loyalty to me, nor a wife willing to spend her life alongside me. Everything I do are but the necessary steps in order to rise the throne as the Supreme Overlord. 

However, is that actually true? Why should it be like that? Hm…It is unusual for me to experience internal conflict. I suppose I should step outside and get some fresh air. 

Carla leaves the room. 

Carla: …Hm? That is…? What is a member from another family doing, sneaking around our manor? Looking at them from behind…I believe that is Shin from the Orange Family. What has brought him here? 

Carla approaches Shin. 

Carla: You fiend! What are you doing over here?

Shin: ーー !? 

*Rustle* 

Shin: …Ugh. 

Carla: What’s wrong? Are you not going to answer my question? What are you doing nearby our manor? 

Shin: I’m out on a walk…

Carla: A walk? Silly jokes do not work on me. Now tell me the truth. 

Shin: Should have figured as much. I guess I shouldn’t underestimate the eldest son. …They’re always on top of their game. 

Carla: Hmph. You’re as much of a goof as ever. I shall let it slide this once. Now leave at once. 

Shin: Really? You’re letting me go surprisingly easily. 

Carla: Tomorrow is a very important day. I would like to avoid wasting unnecessary energy now. However, do not misunderstand my words. We will not show any mercy the moment you attempt to do us wrong. 

Carla walks away.

Shin: And with that, off he goes…I thought he’d attack me, but I lucked out that he just went back to his manor. Carla…Whenever I run into him, I can sense that he’s no ordinary guy. Like I have to stay sharp or I’ll get completely overwhelmed. For some reason, I can’t help but want to surrender to him. That honestly pisses me off. Must be nice to be so confident in one’s capabilities. But you better not think things will go as you want…

While the big guys are fighting it out, I’ll wait for the right time and swoop in to make Eve mine… Carla, I’ll surpass you as well. …And my own Nii-san as well. Once I claim Eve for myself, I’ll mess her up right in front of you all. I’ll show you just how powerful I am. 

Hah…Or at least, that was the plan but for some reason…The mental image of this girl whom I’ve never even met in tears makes me uncomfortable! Shouldn’t I get a huge kick out of making her scream out in pain!? Yet I find myself…wanting to see her smile instead. Why!? How!? Why do I think that way!? Somewhere deep down, I don’t even care about becoming the Supreme Overlord or not…Instead, all I want is for her to be by my side…

What scares me more than anything else in this world…is losing her. 

*Rustle* 

Shin: Ugh…What am I even saying!? I haven’t even met her before!? Are my emotions out of control because we’re going to steal her from the Church tomorrow? …I should stop racking my brain over useless crap. No matter what happens, I’ll be the one snatching her away and showing everyone what I’m made of. That’s all I need to do right now. That’s why I’ll play the role of your obedient dog until then, Nii-san. 

Shin walks away. 

*TIMESKIP*

*Thud* 

Shin: I’m home, Nii-san. So you were in the living room. 

Ruki: Yes. You’ve come back from your investigation, Shin? 

Shin: Yeah. I went to check up on the Violet Family, but it didn’t seem like they were up to anything in particular. 

Ruki: I see. …However, I doubt our enemy is as stupid as to do anything that will make them stand out at a time like this. We will keep our guard up high just in case they are plotting something behind the scenes. 

Shin: Good idea, Nii-san. I’ll go and rest up in my room then. 

Ruki: Yes. Good work. 

Shin leaves the living room. 

Ruki: Not only does he heed my orders, but he never forgets to report back to me. It cannot be denied that Shin is very competent. I should have nothing to complain about with a younger brother like that. Still, I wonder why…? It feels as if something is missing. At the same time, I get this same kind of strange feeling from Ayato and Kanato, who both refuse to properly listen to me. I’ve lost count of the amount of times they’ve gotten into arguments with Shin as well. Are those three actually my siblings…? 

However, for now that shouldn’t be an issue. I should focus solely on how I can become the Supreme Overlord and let other trivial inconveniences slide. I am the only one who is suitable to inherit the legacy of the former Ruler and rise to the throne next. My devotion and respect is perfect proof of that. I won’t hesitate to make Eve mine and become the Supreme Overlord. However…What if she refuses me? Will I be able to insist on the fact that I am worthy of said position nevertheless? Will I be able to tell her that I am the suitable King, and therefore she should choose me…? 

*Rustle* 

Ruki: No, I am stressing myself out for no reason, aren’t I? …Eve…I am sure that she - as someone who has endured a never-ending onslaught of pain and suffering - will surely choose me. …!! …What was that just now…? Why did I speak those words just now…? Why would I assume such ridiculous things about a girl I have never even met…?  

Somebody enters the room.

*Thud* 

Ruki: Hm? Who’s there? 

Kanato: Ah, Ruki. This is where you’ve been. …I’ve run out of sweets for the day. Please do something about that right now. 

Ruki: You again, Kanato? How many times do I have to tell you that you will simply have to make do with your daily amount? 

Kanato: And how many times do I have to tell you that this ‘daily amount’ is simply not enough to satisfy me? Are you perhaps doing this on purpose because you want to see me in distress? You are, aren’t you!? 

Ruki: You can cry and complain all you want, but you’ve gotten your amount for the day. You should learn to hold back a little. You are being too much of a glutton. 

Kanato: …I am absolutely starving for something sweet and you’re just going to completely disregard that? You’re basically saying that you don’t care about me at all, do you!? 

Ruki: Nobody is saying that. However, I do believe that you should try and limit your snacking. 

Kanato: Kuh…Whatever! There’s no point talking to you!

Kanato storms out of the room. 

*SCENE SHIFT*

Kanato: Good grief…It’s outrageous how I’m not allowed to indulge in sweets to my heart’s content! I’ve had enough of my life at that manor, I simply cannot stand it anymore. Now that I think about it…I wonder how exactly I survived with an older brother like that for so many years? Ruki has always been the one supplying my sweets, so you would think that I would have grown accustomed to it by now, yet…Hm…How odd…I feel as if there was a time where I was able to actually get my sugar fix…

…Haahー This craving for something sweet is driving me absolutely crazy. I wish that stubborn Ruki would also get a taste of this pain! …Ah. Right! I suppose it wouldn’t be a bad idea if I were to claim Eve as mine, seeing as that’s the only thing Ruki is actually desperate for. 

Besides, everything seems to be after all. I am sure it will give me access to truly sweet and delicious blood~ There are plenty of reasons as to why I would want to get my hands on her. …Fufu. It’s strange. For some reason I’ve got this warm feeling inside. Just thinking about Eve fills me with a sense of joy. ーー I shall make her mine. Mm~ Wonderful! It was just spontaneous thought at first but right now I want to have her no matter what. But I wonder why I’m getting so excited over some random girl whom I’ve never even met before…? 

Somebody approaches him. 

Laito: What are you smirking about, Kanato? 

Kanato: Ah, if it isn’t Laito. I do not want to hear that from the guy who always has that creepy grin on his face. 

Laito: Oh come on, no need to be so rude to me. I don’t see why we can’t have a friendly chat just because our families aren’t on good terms? There’s still a couple of hours before we start fighting over Eve after all. 

Hey, tell me. What were you thinking about? 

Kanato: Nothing special. Just that I’m kind of tired of my life here. 

Laito: Heeh~ How come? 

Kanato: Shut up. I don’t see why I would need to tell you. 

Laito: Ah! Then why don’t I tell you what has brought me here today instead? Carla sure knows how to work his younger brothers to the bone, you see. When I’m at the manor, he’ll assign me all sort of taーー 

Kanato: Did I not tell you to shut up!? Don’t talk to me, please. 

Kanato walks away. 

Laito: Ahーah~ Off he goes. Hm…I didn’t know Kanato hated his life here that much. I kind of enjoy it myself though. There’s five of us brothers but we all get along so well, it’s lovely~ Well, I have to say that I don’t know how everyone truly feels about it deep down. 

Anyway, I’m very much looking forward to welcoming Eve to our manor tomorrow~ I wonder how her face will twist in pain when I mess with her? Maybe she’ll beg me to stop as tears stream down her cheeks? Nfu~ Just thinking about it makes me all excited. Although I’m sure Carla will want to keep her all to himself, but I should be able to get a little taste as well, right? 

But…Deep down, I also can’t help but think of how nice it would be if she could be mine instead. …I could care less about becoming the Supreme Overlord. All I want is for someone to show me affection because they truly care for me, not because I’m someone’s substitute. I don’t want to lose that sort of person…Fufu, just kidding. What am I even expecting from a girl I’ve never met? Oh geez. I’m not acting like myself, am I? 

…Huh? Walking over there, is that…? …Fufu~ Azusa-kuuun~!

Azusa: …!? 

Laito approaches him.

Laito: Why do you seem so surprised? Did you think I was the enemy or something? 

Azusa: …Y-Yeah…I thought I would get ambushed…which spooked me…

Laito: I guess I can’t blame you for feeling that way, considering the current situation. Anyway, what has brought you here? 

Azusa: Ah…Um…I left to look for Kou…

Laito: Heeh…I see. So that’s why you’re this far from our home? You’re almost at Scarlet territory, you see? 

Azusa: I see…I couldn’t find Kou inside the manor…So I figured he might have gone outside…

Laito: Even so, don’t you think you wandered a little too far away? Besides, I actually spotted Kou in the kitchen right before I left the house myself. I’m sure the two of you missed each other. 

Azusa: I see…In that case…I’ll return to the manor. …What about you, Laito? 

Laito: I’m going to wander around this area a bit longer. Carla’s just going to get on my case if I go home now. 

Azusa: Mm…Gotcha. 

Azusa walks away. 

Azusa: Kou…I want to talk to him before he goes to the Church…We decided that tomorrow morning, he will go there together with Laito to steal Eve away…Meaning Kou will have to put himself at risk…There is not much I can say but…I want to at least give him a few words of advice…Also…Once we’ve welcomed Eve to our family…I want to try and be kind to her…so she doesn’t feel anxious…

Carla wants to become the Supreme Overlord…That’s why…Carla will probably make her his but…Still…I want to spend time with her as well…However, am I allowed to ask for something so selfish…? 

Azusa comes to a halt. 

Reiji: Oh dear? Well, if it isn’t someone from the Violet Family…

Azusa: …!? …Ah…Reiji-san…Right…This is Scarlet territory…

Reiji: You did not realize that you had gotten close to our manor? It was rather careless of you to enter the enemy’s territory unarmed. Perfect timing. I suppose this is a great opportunity to get rid of you. 

Azusa: …!! I have to run…!

Azusa runs away. 

Reiji: Fufu…So he made a run for it? I suppose being quick to flee is his only redeeming quality…What a disgrace. Well, I suppose I will not recklessly chase after him either, so I shall let this happening slide for once. …That being said, where could Kino have run off to? I cannot believe that both Shuu and him would vanish right after the meeting ended. Kino in particular is always acting off his own accord. He is quite the handful. 

That being said, while Shuu and Yuma have been following my orders so far, I do not actually know what goes on inside their heads either. I wonder if perhaps…They feel as if I am not cut out to be the eldest son of this family? If they wish to look down on me and assume that I am not even capable of keeping one family together, let alone become a proper Ruler, then so it shall be. …I already have a plan. Tomorrow morning, I shall make Eve - who is the key to becoming the Supreme Overlord - mine. I shall train her well to the point where not just her body, but her whole soul shall succumb to me as well. I am sure that by winning her for myself, they will reconsider. They should instantly acknowledge me as worthy! ーー No, I will make them acknowledge me. Eve is a tool to achieve my goal. 

ーー Exactly, she is nothing but that. 

…Or at least, she should be. I wonder why? On one hand, I realize that she is nothing but a tool…but at the same time, I feel things for her which would point to the exact opposite. On one hand, I want her to heed my every command and learn to behave in a way proper to that of a young, elegant lady. Yet at the same time, I know that she is not the kind of girl who would let others dictate how she should behave. She has a strong mind of her own. I cannot help but feel that way. How strange of me. I wonder why I am harboring these kinds of feelings for someone I have never even met? I should not ignore these emotions which I cannot even put into words. Everything should become clear when I make her mine tomorrow morning. 

Oh…? If it isn’t Kino over there…? 

Reiji approaches him. 

Reiji: Kino! So that is where you’ve been! What are you doing, laying on the rooftop? 

Kino: Ah! Reiji-nii-san…You found me. 

Reiji: You’re playing around on that weird device again? Kino! It’s almost dinner time. You should come down already. 

Kino: …This is called a ‘smartphone’ and I’m playing a game…

Reiji: Did you say something? 

Kino: Nothing! I know. I’ll be right there. 

Reiji: Then please hurry.

Reiji walks away. 

Kino: It’s so annoying to have a family member like Reiji. It doesn’t matter what I do, he will always have something to complain about. Also, he doesn’t understand what’s so fun about these kinds of games at all. ーー But, tomorrow is the day at last. I’ll be able to get my hands on Eve, who has been slumbering inside the Church. I’m sure that everyone is after her. Reiji went through the trouble to set up a whole strategy meeting, but that’s nothing but a waste of time. She shall be mine after all. I will show everyone - not just Reiji - that I am the strongest. 

I mean, it only makes sense for the Prince to wake up his sleeping Princess, right? I will capture both your body and soul, to the point where you cannot live without me. …Eve, please wait for me until then, okay? …Well then, time to get my head back in the game. ーー To win Eve’s heart. 

ーー THE END ーー

[shallowseeker]

btw i know you said asks off so i wont be offended if you refuse to answer but im always thinking about how touched cas must feel when dean comes storming in during the diner scene in lily sunder... his friends care about him!!!!! :)

Oh. Hehe. I guess when I turned it off, I only turned off anon asks. :-)

No, no. Not offended at all. I just turned off the anon asks cause I was getting a lot of bizarre messages, some of them really out of line. (I think mostly due to me posting a Rowena-pegs-Sam joke on a poll that was apparently more high-stakes to some folks than I ancitpated.).

BUT YES LILY SUNDER OH GOD LET'S HAVE LILY SUNDER HOURS TOGETHER

You know, I wonder! I think he was touched, but he was feeling some mixed emotions, too. Namely, irritation and eventually horror.

I'm not the best Cas understander out there, so maybe a Cas-pert can weight in but... here we go.

///

At the beginning of the episode, we find Dean and Cas in a Cold War, both irritable with one another for...simply put, being heroes. Neither wants the other to "be a hero" and get hurt. The feeling is mutual.

Cas wanted to protect Dean from his stupid deal, and then Mary stepped in to take on the burden of the stupid deal, and then Cas stepped in to override Mary and got Cursed (TM).

OMG Look at Dean's FACE when Cas says, "I have to go."

////

And yes, it appears you're right. He wanted their support!

///

I wonder how heavily Cas's need for appreciation is weighted into this?

I'm thinking particularly of this line: "...and appreciative, too!"

He wants Dean to appreciate his heroics.

We see this desire repeated in the 12x19 Future script, with the mental picture of a strong, shirtless Cas and the hyperfocused closeup of Dean saying, "Thank you..."

///

And Dean is grateful.

From Sam's words, it sounds like Dean is the one who started the Cold War. The end of this episode will bookend with Dean trying to put to words why he's so pissy.

(He's worried.)

///

Looking at the diner scene today...

I honestly think annoyance might be winning for Cas overall. :D

///

He needed to talk the soldier talk, and he does: complimenting his fellow soldiers' dominations of their vessels and "keeping them" all these years.

Yikes, I'm not sure he'd engage in that kind of "angel bro talk" with Sam and Dean present. It's like they're talking about their cars.

Cas is here with one goal in mind, to get intel. He resolves to be cool-headed.

And Cas resolves to put up with it. For the sake of strategy and intel.

///

But then Dean charges in, and this is the face of an angel "losing face" and alllllll his negotiation power:

Sam and Dean have unwittingly taken away his ability for locker-room talk.

///

And then, things go to Hell. Ishim gets mad.

///

With a lap-full of Dean, Cas tries to salvage what little trust he had: "I only brought Sam and Dean."

And Dean, in Ishim's eyes, starts "mouthing off" and "getting cute." He hates it.

(I think Ishim reads them, and he's jealous about it, to be honest. Cas was everything Ishim wanted to be as a soldier, and Cas's humans truly love him.)

///

And Ishim continues his insults, which has the effect of successfully drawing Dean AND Sam into an argument as they defend Cas.

///

Cas tries to give Sam a BIG hint.

//

And then... Cas loses the discussion. Ishim closes up and decides NOT to play ball. Ishim redirects, "I have a safe house nearby."

This is a face of, "fuck you guys. Look what you did. You've made him shut down AND he's demanding I move the conversation to a 'safe place.'"

And a safe place like that is safer for ISHIM but not for Cas. It's not the outcome Cas wanted. He wanted to get to the meat of things: intel.

And he wanted to do it in a public place with backup.

///

Now that I look, I think... I think yes, he's certainly touched to have their support, but in the moment, his annoyance is winning out.

This has the vibes of, "Don't make things needlessly complicated, as you humans tend to do."

YOU DESTROYED MY NEGOTIATION, DEAN.

///

Later, of course, there's the fight.

And Ishim wipes the floor with them.

This and what happens with Ramiel in Stuck in the Middle with You are two of Cas's worst moments. I think they're huge parts of what triggers his lone wolfism at the end of this season.

He may want support, but he doesn't want them to protect him.

That's unacceptable / devastating / frightening!

(Cas, afraid he's going to have to watch Dean die.)

Dean lowers his hand, and we don't GET Cas's reaction when he does, but I can imagine it was one of the most devastating moments of his life.

Aside/// Someone smarter than me... Is that even a proper banishing sigil? It doesn't have the usual triangle that I've seen the boys use. I know Samuel used some different ones...

///

And Ishim, who already "read" Dean in the dinner, is now wanting to punish Castiel for having THE THING HE HIMSELF wanted...

...and so of course he calls his bluff: "That's what I thought."

//////

I rate it MIXED. I think Cas is having majorly mixed feelings about all this! I think he wants his family's support, but when he finally gets it, it's the WORST feeling. It's maybe the worst thing that's ever happened to him.

[antisocialxconstruct]

You already made me play shadowrun, convince me to play elden ring as well 👀

oh HMMMM an interesting challenge :o

In one sense it might be an easier sell to you personally, I know you're more into fantasy than scifi to begin with and Elden Ring is definitely a familiar "swords and dragons and magic" kind of setting, albeit with the gothic and eldritch sensibilities you'd expect from FromSoftware. In my opinion this is a major selling point, it feels distinctly high fantasy without just feeling like, y’know, Skyrim But Harder. (And considering I'M someone who's definitely way more into scifi than fantasy, I feel like it's noteworthy that I was still really compelled by the setting.)

The infamous Soulsborne Difficulty is obviously the big sticking point for most people. I can't confidently compare it to other Fromsoft games, but I can say that as someone who doesn't have a ton of experience with soulslikes and generally doesn't think of them as a genre I'd actively seek out, I DID eventually get extremely comfortable with Elden Ring. It can be challenging if it's not a gameplay style you're familiar with, but especially early on you have a lot of opportunities to experiment and mess up long before mistakes start feeling really costly, so it's a good time to try a lot of things. Look up guides, read the wiki, skim some recommended builds... that way if you realize you picked a starting class that doesn't have optimal stats for the skills and weapons you want to use, you can reroll early (unlike me, suffering with a steep faith handicap despite it being like the second or third most important stat for my build =_=) Also, just approach the game with the knowledge that you WILL die and you WILL have to try things more than once, especially if you're not well versed in the genre. I feel like it's much easier to have fun with this kind of game if you approach the challenging fights as earnest attempts and experiments to build a strategy on, rather than "failures" that just mean you have to Do Better. And of course, if something is just too hard to be fun... you can go somewhere else 🤷 hardcore fans might be horrified by my approach but often I would drop one thing that was too hard and wander off somewhere else, get caught up in some other quest line or dungeon or something, and come back to the first challenge so long later that I would be comically overleveled and just get the satisfaction of steamrolling it.

The equally infamous Oblique Soulsborne Storytelling is probably the OTHER major sticking point, and on that I have to say... it is extremely oblique lmao I think @axperjan got way more out of the lore than I did because they actually stopped to read item descriptions and such, so I guess my advice there would be take the time to read item descriptions if you want to know who the fuck everyone is and what they've been up to. But even with the minimal amount of lore I was actually absorbing, I still felt like I was absorbing the ~vibes~ and a lot of the time, that was enough for me to feel like I understood the kinds of struggles and conflicts I was dealing with and how I was meant to feel about them. I got very invested emotionally in several specific characters, and actively want to play the game again in order to absorb more about others and understand them better. Overall I really enjoy the tone of Elden Ring's narrative: there's an unavoidable sickness and despair to the world you're exploring, but an equally clear and distinct note of hope and optimism, a feeling that everything is on the brink of a dramatic change and an earnest desire for that change to be for the better, even if the cost is high.

The game's soundtrack and art direction are beautiful, and MOST of the combat encounters (especially boss fights) feel elegant and satisfyingly structured, so even if you never engaged with the story or lore even a little bit you would get the pleasure of playing through an expansive and competent work of art. There are definitely some recycled maps and enemies that can feel a bit tedious after the first couple times, and some sequences that feel just a little too mean-spirited to be fair, but maybe that's a bit inevitable and in my experience even the ones that made me rage-quit for a night were never enough to sour my opinion of the game as a whole.

I think Elden Ring is a great soulsborne game for people who WANT to like the soulsborne genre but are intimidated by its reputation. It's not so much "easier" that it feels like a disingenuous introduction, but it allows you to be a little more patient and go at your own pace long enough to understand what the genre is actually asking of you and start engaging with it on its own terms. I'm only two boss fights away from finishing the core game and I'm excited for the dlc, which is further than I've ever gotten and more time than I've ever invested in any other soulsborne/soulslike.

Also you get a cool goat-horse and you can feed him snacks while you're riding around 🐐

[rodolfoparras]

Dude it's so sad, because I know Mrs. Voorhees loved her son soo much and Jason loved her too, he literally hallucinates her during some of the movies and uses her voice to guide him.

In the second movie where Jason is the killer, one of the girls finds his cabin and finds Mrs. Voorhees decaying head and her bloody sweater and fucking put on the sweater to manipulate Jason into not killing her😞

In another movie, this boy was obsessed with Camp Crystal Lake and Jason's death, and when Jason was trying to kill him and his older sister, he shaved his head bald and shit to make Jason think he was seeing his younger self ☹️

Ik they do it to survive a serial killer 😭 but it's a little fucked up imo

With the Leatherface, he wears his mask because of his deformities and because he was so bullied during school. Luda Mae loved him and worried about him all the time.

"Taking the child as her own, she brought him back to the Hewitt residence and presented him to Mr. Hewitt who declared that it was the "ugliest damn thing" he had ever seen. Luda May thought that he was beautiful however. She named him Thomas and raised him as her own son."

With the meat factory, it was probably the only job he could get with his disabilities at the time, but he loved it too. Butchering was "all he was good at" because of his behavior as a kid where he'd capture, kill, and skin the hide off of small animals. When the factory closed, he refused to leave and winds up killing the manager because he tried forcing him out.

I love these two so much, especially Jason. My favorite Jason artist is dukesnukes on here, pleeeaaaase go check him out. He has a bunch of really cool ocs too and I think you'd enjoy. He has the best design for Jason imo, you should check his twt (dukes_nukes) out too 🫶🫶🫶

-🐧

Nooo that’s so heartbreaking :(( especially when she’s probably the only person that truly loved him genuinely ppl make way too cruel backstories to their characters 😭

I mean in a way I do understand why she did that bc she probably wanted to survive 😭 but I also see the wrong in tampering with what remains of his moms belongings and playing tricks on practically a heartbroken kid:(

Wait but where do they get this ideas from;!!33! I mean I guess I can understand wearing his moms shirt (even though realistically that’s a silly strategy ) but who thinks of shaving themselves bald in hopes of surviving a killer😭and it’s kind of sad bc obviously the dude has both mental and physical disabilities:( like it won’t take much to trick him

I have to admit I absolutely love stories where you have a couple, ones a grumpy old man who dislikes the accidentally adopted kid and the other is a woman who absolutely loves the kid idk it’s strangely comforting? Like the ppl she loves and trust repeatedly point out the flaws on the kid yet she’s like that’s okay I can love them anyway reminds me a lot of courage the cowardly dog I used to absolutely love the grandmas love for courage

Well you know what? If he loved working there bc he felt it was the only thing he was good at then I 100% am for him working there 😤

I will definitely check it out sugar bee thank you so for the tip!!!

[tyrantisterror]

I'm having too much fun with these.

Some context:

I did research on the Dark Urge route before playing it, because I'm the kind of nerd who feels the need to plan out their strategy for Role Playing Games before heading in, and ultimately decided to keep the default race of the Dark Urge as a white dragonborn while changing his class from sorcerer to paladin - the former because the evil albino snake aesthetic is pretty killer, and the later because I think playing a capital H hero with a code of capital H honor while dealing with a supernatural urge to be an evil murder man is thematically fun.

But I also had an ulterior motive in keeping the white dragonborn option - you see, if you romance Karlach, she'll ask you to try to figure out a way to cool her down, and being a white dragonborn gives you the option to blast your girlfriend in the face with ice breath so you can smooch.

I made intelligence and dex my dump stats since I knew Astarion would cover the later for me while Lump the Enlightened would cover the former. Thanks for the Flowers for Algernon crown you man-eating bastard!

I spent one section of the game adventuring with Lae'zel and Wyll in place of Astarion and Shadowheart, because there were two storybeats I thought they'd be well suited for (Karlach remained for obvious reasons). Eventually there was this dowry hidden in a hay bale that NONE of my characters spotted, so I quick went back to camp and swapped Wyll out for Astarion to get some fresh eyes on it. Well, when we go back to the main map, Astarion is inexplicably on the roof of the building and won't leave of his own volition. So I take control of him and make him jump off, which deals a significant amount of damage to him (which I imagine is why his AI wouldn't make him jump on its own) - and worse, during the five seconds or so I was controlling him, the Dark Urge and Karlach jumped on the roof and now have to be made to jump off. It became a very stupid back and forth for a bit and I like to imagine that's why Lae'zel doesn't go out on that many missions with the gang.

One last, "serious" comic about this run after the cut.

(well, last for now I suppose, I might make more of these if the mood strikes me)

So, like I said before, I initially tapped out of this playthrough when I hit the moment where the Urge unavoidably kills Alfira, because I grew to really like her in my Tav playthrough and it kinda fucked me up to see her, you know, die by my hands. I just didn't have the stomach for it.

But as my brainrot sketching has shown, the hook of this playthrough struck a chord with me. There is something so damn compelling about a Dark Urge trying so damn hard to be a good person, to be helpful and kind, all the while his own instincts and even the omniscient 3rd person narrator conspire to make him look at everything through a lens of cruelty and violence. I didn't want to kill Alfira, but I didn't want to abandon the Dark Urge either.

So I read up on the work around where you knock Alfira out cold so she doesn't show up in camp - the game compensates by having ANOTHER bard show up, establish her own distinct and likable personality, and get killed by you instead. Which I guess means that if I had to kill someone, I'd prefer it to be a stranger than a person I know? I don't know, it's emotionally affecting either way, but at least Alfira's alive.

We're going to get through it, Durge my buddy. We're gonna get you the help you need.

[charles-leclerc-official]

not me giggling and laughing all through the mclaren section bc man. they were so fucking sure the fight would be nor-lec but then charles (beloved beautiful man that he is) simply. did not stop and went 'sucks to suck i guess' bc lando cooked his tyres in like. 10 laps(www tumblr com/petit-papillion/747288838196592640 - last laps have the same time between lando and charles. one is on 10laps tyres the other on 26laps tyres)? carlos having normal tyre wear and charles going 'couldn't be me' and having neg tyre deg in fucking suzuka???

the way that leclerc can match pace with max??? so fucking beautiful. let's not also forget that rb had major updates in suzuka while ferrari is running still at baseline and will be doing so until at least miami or imola iirc! kissing with tongue everyone in the ferrari aero department for that

best quotes

There was really no way for them to see that coming. It’s kind of hard when your main competition decides this is the weekend he’s going to challenge the laws of physics.

But I think the fact that Mclaren kept trying to figure out when Charles was going to pit for his second stint and then he just didn’t really threw them off and had them making some weird pit calls.

As would max say, simply lovely! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

(I am also hitting that hopium so hard you've got no idea)

Yeah, this is how you know Charles is a true Ferrari fan. That was literally just psychological warfare against that entire team.

And I do like Lando and Oscar, don't get me wrong anyone, but as a Ferrari fan I legally cannot support Mclaren, you all understand.

But hopefully that cleared some things up because in the moment I saw a lot of Mclaren fans very confused by what the hell their team was doing.

I don't even really blame Lando, he did what he could with his car with the team strategy they were running, it was just so so so wrong.

Charles has the ability to cripple and entire team, they are just sopping wet cats after that.

Thank you for the quote pulls <3

[bhnsby]

I hate the argument that Heather hiding the immunity idol was stupid and she was really dumb that season because,, she’s pretty much always run on luck and in the moment decisions? She’s good at manipulating a situation in the moment but she’s not Alejandro smart. If it was Alejandro that did this I’d get the argument but I don’t think it’s that bad for Heather.

I mean all of season one she glided through on luck. Yeah she was smart for making alliances but she lost due to kicking the razor out of Chefs hand out of panic. The talent show episode is enough proof because what was the need other than to fuck with Gwen? There was no strategy here she was just being classic heather.

Once again in action she’s not even smart she purely makes it as far as she does because other people where more hated than her eg. Gwen and DJ quitting off his own accord.

World tour she plays better but even then there was like 3 times she should’ve been voted off but didn’t because of luck. She’s not a bad player she just doesn’t have very good foresight, and that’s always been pretty consistent with her.

Arguably she seems to play the best (other than maybe world tour I guess but hear me out here let me be hyperbolic) in All Stars. She tries to work Gwen to get an ally, and the only notable enemy she makes is Jo. Someone more hated than she is. If anything that’s a kind of smart move to play, since as we quite literally see her entire team hates Jo more than her. It could also work well on the heroic team since it’s made up of 4/6(by the time Lindsay’s eliminated) of roti members, all of which probably hate Jo. Her being enemies with Jo would probably get someone like Cameron on her side. I know they all act fearful of her in roti but with world tour I can imagine people like Zoey to take somewhat of an appreciation to her, especially if she’s going against Jo.

Another thing to back up roti siding with heather over Jo any day is who they both go for when trying to recruit different members of their team. Heather goes straight for lighting because he hates Jo and that’s an easy win over, and Jo goes.. for scott. Arguably one of it not the only person in all stars to tolerate her due to this unspoken respect they have for each other that I have spoken about and will speak about again. If the other roti members hate Jo then they all LOATHE Scott. So that’s already looking bad for her. What was I saying? Oh Heather not being hella derailed in all stars.

So she says she can’t walk around with it because someone will see which is like.. yeah. That’s right. So she hides it which is pretty smart. Then she tells Alejandro. Which as for mentioned she doesn’t have very good foresight so she’s gloating that she has this over Alejandro, making him hopefully scared and then less tactful and good at playing the game. To her she’s just rubbing in his undeniable elimination, which is a very Heather thing to do, especially to Alejandro. It’s not smart but it’s also not that bad derailment.

Overall she’s just.. not that bad? I’m kinda shocked at her this season, and might actually put her with Jo and Lightning on the derailment tracker of her being pretty unscathed. This is definitely her weakest season but that’s partly just because her previous seasons were SO GOOD. Anyway heather is my favourite character and I’ll talk about her more eventually

[wh0refornikolailantsov]

Prompt

X: Y, how do I get revenge on my enemies?

Y: The best revenge in life is letting go and living well.

X: Z, how do I -

Z: Bomb.

I SEE YOU, buckle up for some Fluffy Flirty Appreciating Nina Content and crows.

Eat, Drink, And Be Merry, (For Tomorrow We Die) - Nina Zenik

Content Warnings: Canon Compliant Threat And Violence. Explosions/Demolition. Casual I Love You Confession. Explicit Language. Not Beta/Proof Read.

"I can’t look," Jesper is making a fuss, one of the blades nicked his jacket in the riot, but you are relatively sure it didn't even break skin, but that doesn't stop him being... loud about it. "Tell me honestly," he grabs a hold of Wylan's arm, glaring him down like he could be the culprit, "how bad is it?" Wylan moves to open his mouth, but before he gets the chance to say anything, Jesper clasps a hand over Wylan's mouth. "No wait, don’t tell me, I have changed my mind."

"You're not even bleeding," Nina tells him.

"Not me," Jesper says, "the coat." You stifle a laugh and Jesper eyes you. "It's my best coat."

"Then let me," Wylan says, tugging the coat off. You tune out Jesper asking Wylan where he got a degree in coat mending, and Wylan trying to ignore him and his worried buzzing as he locates a needle and thread.

"You'd think he was losing a limb," you say. Inej shrugs.

"Jesper is... Jesper," Inej says, "he can be like that."

You look around and Nina is gently walking rounds of the room, while Kaz watches the chaos outside through a small slatted window.

"This all feels very unnecessary," you point out. Nina grins and crosses her arms, eagerly awaiting Kaz's response.

"Inej, how do I get revenge on my enemies?" Kaz asks. Inej looks up from where she was cleaning her knife.

"The best revenge in life is letting go and living well," Inej says, which is what he knew she would say and gets the expected hand gesture of dismissal for the statement.

"Wylan, how do I-,"

"Bomb," Wylan says, keeping his eyes on the stitching.

"So you claim this mess, is your strategy for revenge?" You ask Kaz. A smirk curls up in the corner of his lips and then the sound hits, the shaking of the building follows immediately after, and you nearly lose your footing. "Fuck."

"Bomb," Wylan says again, looking up. Jesper grabs the coat the moment Wylan's eyes are off it.

"You’ve done quite enough stitching," Jesper says, smoothing the fabric down. "Quite enough."

"You are welcome," Wylan says, pointing the needle at him.

"We are brushing over the literal bomb that just went off?" You ask. In turn everyone except Kaz shrugs. "Was I the only one not clued in?"

"I had no idea," Nina says, "but you kind of expect that from him."

You move towards the door and Kaz looks like he is about to give you an order but Nina's glare fixes his mouth shut, even if he wouldn't admit it. Nina follows you out, a gentle breather in the hallway, but you look at her and you forget how to breathe. Even the chaos couldn't make you forget Nina, make you any less enamoured by her. She didn't ask you to be here, she didn't have to, she never has to, there is nothing that could get between you and helping Nina and her strange little eclectic band of thieves she has come to call family.

"Ready to run for it?" Nina asks, giving you the space to move around and exercise out your stress.

"Are you?" You ask. She just sighs. "I am not going anywhere."

"You've got no skin in this... fight," she points out.

"I've got you," you remind her. Her cheeks are already pink enough that the blush is nearly unnoticeable, but you miss nothing when it comes to Nina. "I mean I don't... I haven't got you, you know what I mean."

She leans in closer, letting her arm rest against yours. "I don't know, I guess you could say you've got me," she says, "for what it's worth."

"Hey Nina," you say, letting your head rest in her hand as she cups your cheek, "I think I might be sort of in love with you."

"Sort of?" Nina asks.

"Is that okay?"

"Yeah, I think that is okay."

[j2zara]

Hiiiiii~ 2, 4, 7, 10, 22, 24, 30 for the fic writer game! 💖

Hiiiii friend! Sorry this took all day my brain is dead rn

2. a character whose POV you’re currently exploring

Lol i'm banging my head against the wall getting killed by LJ3porter fic so i'm like. Right in Girlfail Ellie J4 POV hell rn!!!! She's so fun and i do think writing for her is both easy and hard in that i enjoy doing it (and tbh i think i default to her pov usually when im in LJ3 mode) but i worry i make her way too sopping wet and pathetic. Which she can be pathetic but i worry im going like. way too sad wattpad girl with her.

4. a story idea you haven’t written yet

OK! I've talked about a few different things before so i'm gonna. Well. I'm two sentences into twelfth night j2 being sent to pursue Jace on Porter's behalf fic so i feel like that counts as "not written yet." I also talk about how. I think doing a reincarnation au for LJ3 or the clones in general would be so fun. i'm not sure what kind tho, the version in which they're all new teachers at aguefort is so fun and kinda stuck in my brain now. Plus i wanna write Barbarian teacher Tiefling!Ellie x Sorcerer teacher Aasimar!J3 like so so so so bad i think it would be such a funny way to have them never escaping the torment nexus. I also think it would be fun to write something abt LJ3 in their friends with benefits era. Or maybe one of their more official "date nights". I think if they got into doing roleplay in the bedroom is would be so so so so so so fucking funny. Like. Pretending the other is stranger they picked up at the bar or something.

7. your preferred writing fonts

Tbh i kinda would like to find a perfect writing font? I tend to default Arial and it doesn't look perfect its honestly kinda offputting but. my strategy is. When I feel like my writing looks so so so busted i switch to Verdana which is closer to the ao3 font so i can better visualize how it's gonna look. And that helps a bit. Idk im sick.

10. what is the longest amount of time you’ve let a draft rest before you finished it?

That's a good question. Actually? A couple years i think? I abandoned my old talentswap for a couple years before picking it up again in college. (tbh my current ch 3.3 is STILL unfinished so i abandoned it again). Tbh i'm not good at letting drafts rest and returning back to them. I either try to power through or end up abandoning it which i don't love

22. do you ever worry about public reaction to what you’re writing? how do you get past that?

I try not to but like. Yeah. I'm stressed basically every time. I joke that when i write original fiction that i have a hoard of angry twitter pearlclutchers that live in my head ready to rip everything i do to shreds but i try not to listen to them. But i'm worried every time. This has nothing to do with how i feel about you guys tbh i wildly underestimate your guys kindness and goodwill just bc im very hard on myself

I was anxious abt IYWD (I was worried it was gonna come across as too soft or too apologetic). I was anxious that nobody would take to Dyke!Jace/Zara in Who Can Blame a Girl, or i wouldn't be able to sell it

I probably MOST anxious of all about Almost (I was SO stressed that ppl were not gonna vibe at all with Bluejay or not gel with the whole "what if the clones were actual characters" , "born to love porter cliffbreaker, forced to do menial tasks for jaceprime" etc etc thought experiment. and i was so so so so so so scared about dropping the nickname Bluejay i was worried it was gonna be completely stupid and i was completely off the mark)

I was anxious abt Biggest Lie (i was worried it wasn't hot enough or maybe too violent or that it was maybe too shamelessly just like. smut lol).

And after Almost i was probably second most anxious about Stay / Leave. It was just a wip i really struggled with and idk it was so.... insular i guess? b/c it was so niche and the wip ended up being SO LONG and kinda emotional and sappy? Like again i think i was having the same doubts i had abt j2 in which i was like what if i can't sell people on this relationship. What if i've failed to convey something sincere. (that one was crazy tho bc i really really really really tried to release it and not care what happened bc i knew only a handfull of ppl would read it and i really really really tried to be cool and for a while i was but it was just hard i was so nervous and i don't think it was anyones reaction is really was just my nerves that were putting me in such a bad and upset mood and then over the next day or two i. I made this joke earlier that like. I PROMISE and hope i'm not overinflating my ego when i say this like i'm perfectly aware that i just write silly smut online but it really was so so so so funny. to see everyone practically overnight be like.... wait. Are LJ3..... in love??? And now LJ3 is like such an integral part of clone lore.

24. how do you recharge when you’re not feeling creative?

That's a good question bc i feel like. When i'm stuck in one medium i tend to just try and distract myself with another so when im bad at drawing i write and when im bad at writing i draw. But thats not exactly recharging. Tbh i do think i need to find better things in my routine that rejuvenate me i think i haven't been particularly good at treating myself well lately

30. share a fic you’re especially proud of

I'm cringe and usually will shill if you want divinity (you're gonna have to go through me) as one of my favorite things i've ever written. But im also extremely confident most of y'all have already read it. I'm very very hard on myself so i swing between thinking the things i make suck and also being like. Fairly proud of all of them.

But idk it was my first ambitious thing i wrote and FINISHED in a long time and honestly? I do think its slightly better than the rest bc the iterations are all reliant on the original so they're very intertextual and repetitive which isn't BAD but. The extra work it took to make IYWD work makes it feel different to me. There's a LOT of stuff in it that i'm proud of that i honestly kind of miss b/c Porter is so smitten for Jace in a way he hasn't been in things i've written in a long time. I'm a softy who likes when jaceporter are soft and kinda in love... sue me... And like. i always feel so self congratulatory talking about the Loving To the Point of Invention Detect Thoughts + Teleport but i really felt good about coming up with that. And i still like the flashbacks a lot. It always feels so embarrassing to admit that i like. Get emotional thinking about the flashback of them on the bed. Sometimes i tailor make a scene just for me. "I promise i'm never going to let anything happen to you ever again" "as a paladin or a barbarian" "both" is like. Such a scene just for me. And I think the ending is good too. "I'll take it. I'll take it all" just felt so. fitting. It's so him getting to hear himself say to porter "i'll take the thing with you that is broken and fucked and full of compromises even if it has to end". Sigh. Sometimes you're an english major and you agonize over being a good writer for like two decades and realize that you might not be as horrible as you think.

(For the record. i think if i were to rank what i've written for fantasy high from fav to least fave, i'd say IYWD, Biggest Lie, Stay / Leave, Who Can Blame a Girl, Almost, Tell Me How, and it feels weird to put Almost that low bc i do like it. Tbh i regret making it so short i think i could've pushed it further)

Anyway!!! This got long winded as hell. Thanks for the asks they were fun to do!

Send me Fic Writer Asks! / Here are the questions!

[blackjackkent]

Good news, everyone! There are TWO Spectators in the House of Hope dungeon, not just one.

No sign of Raphael yet but probably only a matter of time.

First order of business is to get Hope out of her chains.

The chains are anchored on giant crystals on each side of the arena, which possibly we could also destroy, but the hammer comes with a unique attack, "Unshackling Strike", which says "Smite the magical bonds keeping a a creature restrained, paralyzed, or stunned, freeing it." So we just need to get into melee with Hope and smack her with it.

I loaded Jaheira up with the hammer since she's the one of us least dependent on weapon attacks; unfortunately she's also the slowest of us so it took two turns during which I had everyone else start clearing the room.

The spectators, as usual, are scary as fuck and have 3 billion attacks; the most concerning bit was that one of them managed to land a paralyzing ray on Jaheira, which puts her out of commission temporarily. Unclear if this was deliberate because she had the hammer or just unlucky.

However! Hector has a freedom of movement potion, and we have Magic Pockets(tm) meaning Minsc could throw it on Jaheira before her turn. TEAMWORK! STRATEGY! I'm SO GOOD at this VIDEO GAME!

(Not really, but I try. XD Throwing the potion apparently doesn't work if you're ALREADY paralyzed, which is fucked up. >:( )

I think their target must not have been random, because they KEPT doing this to Jaheira, forcing us to kill them before we could cut Hope free. A surprisingly scary bit of this ended up being maneuvering everyone so they wouldn't get yeeted into the abyss by the knockback on the imps' eldritch blasts. (I did have to do a reload for this because Karlach got knocked off; I considered a feelsy drabble about it but it didn't really feel like it served any greater character point beyond "oh, whoops, shouldn't have stood there." XD )

The reload went much better; I was able to get Jaheira over to Hope and hit her, at which point absolutely nothing happened. >:( So I guess we were supposed to go for the crystals after all.

At this point I just got annoyed and beat everything up before trying to continue. XD This had the added benefit of letting us short rest and heal up before actually cutting Hope free.

Strike one.

Strike two. And she's out!

"FREE! I never thought I would be, believed I could be, hoped I might be. HEADS WILL ROLL!" she crows, waving her arms around. Then her face falls sharply and along with it, her voice.

"But we must address the hollyphant in the room. I can see how you avoid looking at me. I must be so terribly mutilated after all these decades of torture. Don't hold back. Tell me how bad it is."

Her head bows, her shoulders hunch.

Hector looks at her with some bemusement. "You look perfectly normal," he says, because she does - really more normal than one would expect under the circumstances.

She smiles weakly. "We both know that's not true, but thank you for being so kind."

He blinks. "No, really... you look fine."

The smile strengthens, but turns all the sadder for it. "You truly are the kindest fool I've ever met..." she murmurs. A pause, and then she turns away sharply. "We'll carve our way to the entrance hall and chop Raphael into messes! That's the hopeful version of course. The likely version is that WE ARE THE MESSES AND HE IS THE CHOPPER! ONWARD!"

-----

Hector and the others watch her leap back to the platform where they came in, and all of them look more than a little troubled.

"What's she talking about, Hec?" Karlach asks in a low voice. "She looks fine."

"I don't know," Hector answers grimly. "I'm more than a little concerned that perhaps she doesn't at all. It wouldn't be the first thing we encountered here disguised under a glamour."

The deep red of her face pales slightly. "Oh. Oh gods..."

"I hope I'm wrong. Gods, I hope I'm wrong."

[qqueenofhades]

With 2016, people just don’t understand how everything works. Getting the popular vote isn’t how the game is played, getting the electoral vote is. The popular vote doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things because candidate’s strategies would completely change if they were trying to get the popular vote rather than win individual states. Did I vote for Hillary? Yes. Do I still think she didn’t approach the vote with the right strategy and played it for the popular vote rather than the electoral vote and lost as a result? Also yes.

Okay, but you do get how that's a flawed metric for an argument, right? Hillary DID win the popular vote by three million plus, and in any sane system, that would have been enough to net her the presidency. "Hillary ran a flawed campaign" is to some extent, a true statement, as is "Hillary didn't focus enough on Michigan/Wisconsin/Pennsylvania because the Democrats assumed she had them on lockdown and didn't take into account the amount of Midwestern white people voting for Trump because of white backlash against Obama." But that is something that a) only became clear in hindsight and b) yet again, in any sane universe, should not have decided the election. Because:

Hillary was, and is, possibly the single most qualified presidential candidate the Democrats have ever had;

Voters were predisposed to hate her not because she "wasn't likable" or was "too corporate," but because the Republicans had been running literal decades of virulent smear campaigns against her to poison the well for this very eventuality;

The media almost never bothered to point this out at all and spent endless airtime on BUT HER EEEEEEEMAILS and doing sympathetic pieces about Trump voters, implying that their vote for Trump was a justified or moral protest against Both Sides Badism, and this was even the so-called "mainstream" media;

Fox News, of course, pumped out endless hit pieces and then some, all of which was echoed in some degree by those outlets;

James Comey announced TEN DAYS BEFORE THE ELECTION that suddenly oops, he was investigating her emails again;

Even though there was nothing there and it is absolutely small potatoes compared to the much worse things Republicans are doing on the regular, because SELLING NUCLEAR SECRETS TO FOREIGN ENEMIES is okay as long as it is Trump doing it;

America is still so fucking racist and misogynistic that even after Trump spewed off terrible things about every non-white group, scapegoated Mexicans and Muslims and black people, and was caught on tape bragging about grabbing women by the pussy, this didn't actually make much of an impact on people planning to vote for him, because they evidently figured it "wasn't real" or "he would change" once he became president, while for others, the open hatred was the main attraction;

Bernie refused to concede until the actual convention, implied that if you couldn't vote for him, you shouldn't vote for anyone, and generally fanned the kind of I'll Take My Pony and Go Home rhetoric that is a poison in "progressive" online circles today;

Almost 10% of Bernie voters voted for Trump instead of Clinton;

Gary Johnson and Jill Fucking "Russian Asset" Stein were somehow treated as valid "protest vote" options, even while Hillary was warning everyone left and right about how much Trump sucked, how much SCOTUS (AND SPECIFICALLY ROE) was at risk, and how much democracy would be damaged if he won, which -- GUESS WHAT -- happened exactly as she predicted;

Speaking of the Russians, they were interfering the hell out of it, whether through Wikileaks/the DNC email hack, social media psyops, organized troll farms, or anything else they could think of;

And on and on. Against the backdrop of sheer and unmitigated fuckery that was the 2016 election, and the fact that so many people couldn't be bothered to vote for Hillary because she was a Smart Woman who was Too Corporate when the alternative was literally Trump, "Hillary didn't campaign enough in MI/WI/PA" is.... hardly a valid way to explain or excuse the many, many bad-faith actors, bad choices, and general lethargy, misinformation, deliberate destruction of faith in democracy, racism, Russian interference, misogyny, and white fragility that fucked us over and continues to do so.