#unhealthy parental dynamics

[im-getting-help]

AND THE THING ABOUT OLIVER AND BOUNDARIES!

Is so obvious to me that his parents were party at fault for his lack of boundaries. Not because they we're malicious and intentional about it, but because they loved him so much they tend to cross his limits.

(Kinda like what Oliver did with Felix, but less obsessive).

From my experience it's something relatively normal about the relationship between parents and their children. The first time we really understand boundaries is when we enforce them to separate ourselves from our parents expectations. It seems to me that Oliver never learned how to do that. He's constantly molding himself to appease and appeal, and when it becomes to much, he flees.

Let's go back to the little things Paula and Jeff share with us in that brief birthday scene.

"He always wanted to be an only child, always beetling off by himself"

"He was so clever, that's why he found it hard to make friends, they were jealous".

"It's been hard not seeing him. But it must be a lot of pressure being the top scholar and being in the rowing team, and the union, and the plays..."

Let's start with the lies.

How long ago Oliver started lying to his parents to make space for himself?

Cause the lies don't necessarily feel like something he used to impress them. It seems to me like the Quicks already thought Oliver was exceptionally smart "he was always so clever" and he's just keeping appearances.

But the amount of things he said he did. The plays, the rowing team, the union, the work of studying to maintain the "top scholar position" like reading, doing work and essays and projects, assisting to classes, lectures and tutorials, it's a lot!.

"It's been hard not seeing him". How many times Paula called just to be ignored or quickly dismissed? with an excuse like "sorry i have an essay due tomorrow" or "im going to practice for the play". And why Oliver wanted to separate himself so much from his family?

"He always wanted to be an only child, always beetling off by himself" why would Oliver wanted to separate himself not only from his parents but his siblings too?

The Quicks said that "We go to to Mykonos every year. Well, not anymore. Not now that the kids are all grown up". That makes me think that Oliver sisters are older than him. Oliver doesn't seem to have a close relationship with them either. Was it because of the age gap? How much older were her sisters? Maybe they had to babysit and that created a second-mother kind of dynamic?

It sounds like he was being smothered by them. And again, i'm not saying it was intentional, but maybe Oliver needed much more space that what the Quicks were able or willing to give. And he didn't know how to ask.

And maybe (only maybe cause i don't really have good foundation for this) Oliver learned that the best way to get space from them was saying he was occupied, specifically studying. So maybe it started at school, him saying that he had to finish homework or read a book or do project, and maybe these were the only times he'll be left alone. Maybe that was the perfect excuse to explain why he didn't have many friends too.

(and i wonder why a kid with no sense of boundaries would have a hard time making friends 👀)

And why Oliver keeps lying?

After moving to Oxford, he could've just draw back and create that space without making an excuse. But he didn't, because he cares, he likes that his family thinks he's intelligent and capable. But he doesn't care for spending time with them.

I don't think he said all those lies to look especially intresting or important, but he did choose to "be occupied" by being a good student. Not in a "i won an award for best performance" but a "I'm too busy to talk, i have tutorial"

And look at the way the Quicks react to Oliver saying he has to go, is very interesting.

Paula just gives up instantly. She offers a compromise, and when rejected she's obviously frustrated but she just lets it go. On the other hand Jeff tries to reason with his son a little "your mother spent all morning doing lunch" but they seem very accustomed to this situation. It's not the first time Oliver escapes a conversation.

So, to me, is obvious that Oliver's parents knowingly or unknowingly contributed to Oliver's lack of healthy boundaries.

He never really draw the line with them, he just made excuses to avoid and elude and ultimately flee when the situation got out of hand. And they never picked up on it, they kept repeating the same scenarios multiple times without having a conversation about it.

I feel like his parents never really confronted him about anything. Maybe because they didn't sense anything was wrong, maybe because, same as the Cattons, they didn't know how to approach the situation or maybe because they know Oliver gets really fcking upset whenever they tried to have a conversation about it, who knows.

So at the end we have a 20yo dude who never learned how to enforce a boundary or why is healthy to have them and has absolutely no idea how to perceive and not cross others limits.

[jaguarys]

I'm certainly not here to police the ways in which people explore their fucked up queers but I'll always be kinda Eugh about people shipping Orochimaru and Kabuto. That is a boy and his awful mother. Orochimaru peeks in nightly and asks if he's done his homework (taken apart several human corpses) and tells him they're proud of him. Kabuto is Technically Siblings with Team Hebi and fucking hates it because he is the Favorite and he will Let Them Know It. I have many thoughts

[edoro]

it’s so funny when i see people talking about Hunter’s like, latent genetic big brother instincts he inherited from Caleb, and how he must be sooo good at nurturing and caring for younger kids because of Caleb

and meanwhile we literally see how The Kid Caleb Cared For turned out, and he’s an extremely emotionally unstable abusive genocidal monster who never got over his codependent obsession with Caleb and has spent the last 300 years using forbidden necromancy to try and play Happy Families with a series of disposable Caleb-clones

like i think Caleb did the best that a kid in that position could possibly be expected to do when responsible for raising a younger sibling with no help or support that way and i don’t blame Caleb for wanting to get the fuck away from Gravesfield asap at all or think that like, any mistakes Caleb might have made raising Philip mean that Philip’s actions as an adult aren’t his own responsibility

but like... you don’t... act that way if you have a stable, functional, safe upbringing. lmao.

[mrsmiroir]

atla trending has seriously reminded me of my insane obsession with the weird fucked up dynamics the fire nation royal family had going on between literally everyone

[vampslxsher]

I've come to like drawing them side by side. Hearts sibling dynamic ramble below.

Depending on who's the 1st and 2nd child their relationship stays pretty much the same with certain tweaks. Reid is prioritized no matter what and Red is left to her own devices after a certain age.

Reid is the golden child, the one she expects the upmost obedience out of. He's basically raised as a trophy son, something pretty to look at in her presence. Red is defiant by nature so she tended to be ignored as long as it wasn't getting in the Queen's way. She was allowed to do as she pleased.

This created tension between two as it's not fair on either sides. Even if the hyper attention to Reid and the neglect of Red is negative. They tend to fight a lot whether verbal or semi physical. At times they'll feel sorry- both never asked to be put in this family anyway. It's not their fault. Despite their differences they will help each other out on the occasion.

Reid takes the brunt of the Queen's rage so whatever mischief Red has gotten up to he'll bar Red from the consequences. On the flip side, Red will fix or hide anything Reid has accidentally ruined, usually pertaining to his clothes. However, most times they'll let the other take the fall. If you ever meet them in the same room their contempt is very clear. They normally ignore each other.

[ftl-faster-than-life]

"Barry is so jealous of Wally it makes him suicidal" This is Eobard Thawne erasure. Mans did not drag Barry out of the afterlife kicking and screaming then spend years changing his past to make him feel miserable and isolated so that Wally West could get credit for making Barry Allen want to run himself to oblivion.

[ilynpilled]

It amuses me when I see discourse suggesting lannicest is equal to the lannisters many other crimes. In the grand scheme of things it is less a moral issue in the books than an exploration of twisted family relationships and narcissism

yeah i think when it comes to the twins and the relationship the biggest moral issue is its, and especially the children’s, potential to incite war. but like me personally i have sympathy for the act because i do not expect cersei to fulfill her ‘duty’ to bear children for robert (who is also her rapist mind you). i understand her rebellion to continue the affair and choose to have the children of another in the full context of her situation, even with the plethora of moral issues that come with it. it is a form of fighting back. it is not like cersei has the luxury to fuck anyone she pleases and have bastards, she needs to pass them off as her legitimate children to protect her life, and their lives, unlike her husband. then you can debate how much of it becomes a method for a personal grab at power, and how selfish or sympathetic that is. and while the children and their existence are obviously a dangerous power vacuum, and the butterfly effect of the acts committed in order to hide them are a huge part of the wot5k, i think most of those mfs would have started fighting over something at some point anyway 💯 #mytwinsinnocent #lannistersrepresent this post was sponsored by real lannister patriots. on a more serious note though, i do think it is important to ask george’s question of what wars are worth the fight. overthrowing a horrible and corrupt tyrant and family? independence? the unjust execution or abuse of your family by an unhinged and dangerous tyrant? sure. starting a war on the basis of misogynistic and classist westerosi succession rules and made up constructs of right to a chair? grabbing at the opportunity to gain power for yourself? etc. well…

so what is truly the root of the issue here? but yeah, people in their privileged position, whether they are playing the game, or just making personal decisions, have the potential to cause massive devastation, especially to the people who are underprivileged, the smallfolk, even if it wasn’t done with deliberate or bad intent. the root of the issue is how this society is structured. no one should be in a position where them having sex would lead to their deaths, or have the ability to create such a massive power vacuum, or have the potential for these actions to play with the lives of so many people. and cersei also shouldnt be forced into the position to give her bodily autonomy over to her rapist and abuser in the first place.

[hauntedtotem]

I think the biggest red flag for me regarding the hopelesspeaches and lio convoy stuff, their entire group (especially lio) has near identical speech patterns and dynamics as my mom's online friend group. Which is less of a red flag and more of a raging wildfire tbh

[divinekangaroo]

Always fascinated by family dynamics where there's actual respect and grandparents and/or parents who are admirable.

[shrimpsodas]

(listening to someone saying rise raph is more like a parent than an oldest brother) are you by chance an only child? oh, no reason😒

[villainousshakespeare]

Therapy Fit for a God Chapter 2

Loki/OFC Rated M (may go up to E in future chapters) Trigger Warnings: Angst, talk of suicide, therapy, unhealthy family dynamics

Chapter 1

Loki’s plans to conquer and rule Midgard have come to a disastrous end. After being captured by the Avengers, he is being held on Earth. Odin has refused to interfere, and the outlook for the God of Mischief appear bleak. His only hope may lie in one mortal woman, a Psychiatric expert brought in to interrogate him.

Dr. Caroline Thorpe is intrigued by Loki and thinks that more lies beneath his actions than is commonly known. Can she find out the truth before he is shipped off to die for crimes against the Earth? And can Loki bring himself to care?

@yespolkadotkitty @just-the-hiddles @hopelessromanticspoonie @wine-and-whines @arch-venus25 @caffiend-queen @devilish–doll @enchantedbyhiddles @hiddlesholic @i-do-not-fangirl-i-fanwoman @kellatron55 @ladyoftheteaandblood @latent-thoughts @yespolkadotkitty@maryxglz @myoxisbroken @nuggsmum @nildespirandum @pedeka @redfoxwritesstuff @sinfully-lustful-darling @vodka-and-some-sass @wrathkitty @kingtwhiddleston @wolfsmom1 @poetic-fiasco @shiningloki @dangertoozmanykids101 @bookworm-christina @amwolowicz @delightfulheartdream @frostbitten-written @what-a-flammable-heart @tom-hlover @nonsensicalobsessions @myraiswack @loki-yoursaviourishere @ghostypau @ms-cellanies @colorfulfreakstudentpizza @mareebird @colorfulfreakstudentpizza  @szycha22 @chokemedaddyloki @queenofallhobos​ @just-the-hiddles-reads​  @alwida10

Taking a deep breath as she heard the door click back into place, Caroline tried to center herself again before beginning once more with her patient.

“Oh dear, I hope there are no problems, Doctor?” Loki asked, false concern coloring his voice.

“No, no problems,” Caroline smiled at him. “I learned how to deal with gun-toting bureaucrats long ago.”

“If you would like, I could deal with him for you,” the God suggested. “Simply be so good as to unlock my manacles and I will gladly make sure that particular problem is out of the way permanently.”

From a purely ethical perspective, Caroline had issues with a patient being chained during a session. I this instance, however, she had a strong suspicion that no amount of persuasion would convince the magical being seated before her to remain once the cuffs were removed. While it was not her preference to treat an unwilling patient, this particular one was so clearly in desperate need of her services that she was persuaded to make an exception.

“I hardly think interrupting our therapy session is a capital offense,” she said after a moment’s reflection.

“Therapy? Is that what this is supposed to be?”

“Of a sort,” she shrugged. “We can call it something else if the term offends you.”

“I merely find it humorous. After all, where I am headed the status of my emotions is like to matter little. And after that… well, I won’t have to deal with pesky emotions at all.”

“And will that be a relief for you?” she took a gamble, probing him a bit.

“Emotions are a weakness. The sooner you learn that dear doctor, the better you’ll be.”

“I think emotions can be our greatest strength. However, seeing everything you have been through in your long life, I can understand why you might have some hesitation about that.”

“And what could you possibly know about my life?” Loki scoffed.

“Well, you told me a bit about it,” she pointed out. “You were abandoned by your birth father, taken from your home, lied to by your adopted parents, overlooked in favor of an adored sibling, and to top it all off, you found out about your true nature in a horribly traumatic fashion. That’s enough to make anyone want to emotionally shut down. Either that or tumble off the deep end into emotional chaos.”

“Don’t make chaos sound so unappealing,” Loki said. “It can be quite liberating. And after all, I do rule over it as a God.”

“That’s right, you’re God of Chaos and Lies as well as Mischief.”

“I prefer to think of it as stories more than lies,” Loki said innocently. “Lies just sounds so naughty, doesn’t it? But then, maybe that’s part of the appeal.”

“Don’t try to distract me with semantics,” Caroline told him with a disarming smile, ignoring how appealing it was when he said the word. “We were talking about your reaction to the discovery of your true origins. I take it you embraced chaos.”

“It is my nature.”

“You sent the Destroyer, I think it’s called? To Earth to kill your brother.”

“Kill or be killed, what would you do?”

“Not commit fratricide, I hope. Did you really think Thor would kill you?”

“What was I meant to think?” Loki exploded. “All of our lives, he spoke of killing every last Jotun. He dreamed of it. Longed for it. Planned endlessly for the day when he could carry out those dreams as King. Why should I ever suspect that a weekend on this dreary planet would turn him into a simpering puppy where they were concerned? All because of a pair of big brown eyes.”

“You mean Jane Foster?”

“That woman. I had tried to reason with Thor for centuries. Pointed out the problematic nature of genocide, counseled restraint and diplomacy, and for centuries I was mocked for it. Then a pretty female makes the exact same arguments and suddenly Thor is a pacifist?”

“He had changed when he came back to Asgard.”

“In some ways. In others he was exactly the same as always. He had experienced this grand epiphany and was now a warrior for peace, and therefore everyone else must instantly and intuitively know that the world had reordered itself. A mere handful of days prior he had tried to bring about the end of the Jotunheim himself and considered it worthy of songs and celebrations. But when I attempted the same, attempted to show that my loyalty was and always would be to Asgard and our family, I was a criminal, interested in only death and destruction! I spent my life pushing back against Thor and Odin’s reflexive shows of brute force, and the moment I finally embraced the family way they changed it! Why should I be held to a standard different from the one they set all my life? How is that fair?”

Heaving himself off of the bench, Loki strode over to the side of his cell farthest from the watching guards and leaned his head on a forearm pressed to the glass. Caroline could see the rise and fall of his back as he struggled to get his emotions under control.

“It’s not,” she said simply.

“What?” the word was barely audible from where he stood.

“It’s not fair,” she said again.

“Careful doctor,” he warned, turning his head to look at her. “You contradict the great rulers of Asgard and the Nine Realms.”

“How fortunate for me then that I am not one of their subjects.”

“The AllFather may not see it that way.”

“Loki, I know it may sound blasphemous, but I really don’t care what Odin thinks, or Thor either. For the former, I have never met him, and from everything I have heard I am grateful for it. As for Thor… I have met him on a handful of occasions. He strikes me as carelessly kind, overly headstrong, and more than a touch egotistical. Not terribly dissimilar from several other enhanced people I have come across in my line of work. I have a casual linking for him, but I cannot imagine how irritating it would be to be his sibling. The only member of the Asgardian royal family I am interested in right now is you.”

“Why Caroline,” Loki purred, turning with a predatory gleam and sauntering deliberately over to the table where she sat, “why didn’t you say so in the first place?”

***

She was good, he had to give her that. Most of the mortals Loki had met since arriving on Earth would have shrunk back visibly with him looming over them, manacles of no. He was considerably tall by their standards, and he had learned several hundred years ago how to use his presence to his advantage. Instead of flinching away from him, Dr. Thorpe just directed a quizzical look up at him, as though trying to decipher what secret his new tactic was hiding. Only the pulse he could see beating rapidly in her neck betrayed any kind of alarm.

She smelled nice. The thought passed irrelevantly through his mind. A light smell of strawberries that he believed must be from her shampoo surrounded her. Loki had always enjoyed the fruit, particularly when matched with chocolate.

“If you are trying to intimidate me,” she said hardily, “you will have to try better than that.”

“Intimidate you? On the contrary, I was trying to entice you. Are my skills as rusty as that?”

“It’s interesting that your words when flirting are move removed from your true self than any of the other words you have spoken thus far. If I were to guess, I would say you were not one to give your heart over rapidly to another the way Thor did with Jane. Is that part of why it surprised you so much?”

“Why would I ever give my heart to anyone?” he asked, still keeping his voice pleasant as he sat on the edge of her desk, crowding into her space. “I am not so cruel. And who in their right mind would want such a tarnished thing?”

“Tarnish is easy enough to scrub off,” she shrugged. “And I would think there would be many people willing to take a gamble with yours.”

“Indeed? Are you saying I’m attractive, Caroline?”

“You are undeniably handsome,” she admitted. “On top of that, you are intelligent, curious, I would guess talented in many different fields.”

“Oh, I am,” he made his voice as suggestive as possible, and felt a moment of victory when her face blushed slightly.

“I think, after some work, you would make some person an excellent partner.”

“Work?”

“Forgiving yourself.”

“What in Hel do I have to forgive myself for?” he snapped, standing up off the table.

“Not being Thor,” she sighed.

Loki felt as though she had slapped him across the face. So, it turned out this doctor was no different than all the rest. She judged him not by who he was, or even who he might be, but by how far he fell from the perfect golden idol that was Thor. Why had he ever expected different?

“No, Loki, wait,” she said quickly, laying a hand on his arm.

Loki stared down, thinking idly that she was touching him precisely where the Frost Giant had all that time ago. Her touch was warm though, and she grasped him gently as though attempting to heal him instead of trying to burn. He could not remember the last time a person had touched him with anything less than thinly contained violence, and he found himself frozen in place.

“You misunderstand,” she continued, looking up at him. “I am not saying that I think you should be like Thor. I think that even trying to be is an error on your part.”

“Because I am so fundamentally lacking?”

“In some ways, but in others you are so fundamentally more. From everything I read about Asgard before seeing you today, and everything you have told me, the social hierarchy sounds like that of a common high school here on Earth. Thor is strong, brash, brave, all those things. But he doesn’t think before he acts. He doesn’t even really believe a person should think first. In a culture that celebrates battles and strength, he shines. He is an instrument as blunt and inflexible as his hammer, and good for similar functions.

“You, on the other hand, are the complete opposite. You are agile, reflexive, fluid, graceful. Your mind is just as much of a weapon as any tangible object, and I would wager much more lethal. You will survive far better than your brother, because you know how and when to swerve or bend but never surrender. The Asgardians, with their black and white mentality, would not be able to see what a great advantage this is.”

“That is true,” he said begrudgingly.

“Now, let’s look at your childhood again. You were brilliant, I assume, from a young age. That would have made your teachers envious, and I can imagine that you did nothing to hide your superiority to them.”

“A God does not hide his gifts.”

“And they are gifts!” she pounced. “So, if your teachers resent you for the most part, and the other children see more value in arms than in books, what then? Your father spent all of your formative years recounting battles to you, it couldn’t help but glorify skills at arms. The entire society you were planted in revolved around them. And you, from before you understood, would have internalized this.

“And then the final knell – Thor is given Mjornir and the crown.”

“That was never in doubt,” Loki lied. He had dared to hope, long ago now, that the throne of Asgard might fall to him. That somehow he could prove to Odin that he was worthy of his pride and love. He had been a fool.

“You might have known intellectually, but it still would have hurt,” she shook her head.

It had hurt more than he cared to remember. The worst was that no one seemed to even consider that he might feel anything other than delighted on his brother’s behalf. He had been happy, in a fashion. He loved Thor back then with an ease that he grieved the lack of now. Still, that one small, kernel of hope had always remained that somehow, he could convince their father that he was not just a spare prince, dark shadow following behind Thor’s gleaming sun.

“What does it matter?” he asked with a sigh.

“It matters! It matters because you matter. Yes, Odin chose Thor. But that is because Odin has no more imagination than your brother. He wants Asgard to continue on as it has always done. In Thor, he has a perfect reflection of himself. He didn’t choose you because you would have tried new things, made improvements, and, yes, mistakes as well. But you would have changed the status quo. You were not less than, Loki. You were unique.”

Loki walked back to the bench, her words echoing in his head. Had he been comparing himself to Thor all this time? He had thought that he had ceased to do so years ago. Still, the constant praise of his brother rang in his ears. The worship in everyone’s eyes all but blinded him. He had tried to see the irony in it all, to see the throngs who followed his brother as lemmings, nuisances at best.

Magic had helped, a little. His mother had done her best to give him something of his own, and he had seized on it with embarrassing eagerness. He could still remember the first time he had faced Thor across the pitch, their father watching expectantly from the sidelines, knowing that he had a new advantage his brother would never possess. It had all gone as usual. Thor had attacked head on while Loki dodged and danced, blades flashing. Then, summoning all of his magical strength, Loki had blurred his image so that Thor was not sure where he truly started and stopped. It was a crude version of a trick he could do without thinking now. It had been enough to confound his brother, who threw himself at the wrong side of Loki and ended up lying face down in the dirt, Loki’s dagger pressed to the back of his neck.

Loki had been ecstatic. Surely, at last, he would hear Odin’s praise. Instead, his father had looked at him coldly from his one good eye, face unpleased.

“Tricks,” he had said. “Unsporting in this sort of battle. I had expected more from you.”

Odin had turned around and walked away, leaving Loki crushed. Frigga had tried to ease his hurt, assuring him that he had done the spell just right, and she was so proud of him, but the damage had been done. He told himself he gave up on trying to win Odin’s approval at that moment, but he knew it was a lie. A part of him wanted it still.

“Tell me what living creature ever dreamed of being unique,” Loki asked quietly. “Unique is just another word for alone.”

“Unique is special,” Dr. Thorpe countered. “Loki, you don’t have to be alone.”

“Would you link yourself to me, Doctor?” he asked, thinking to call her bluff. “There is, after all, very little time left. Would you stay with me until the axe falls, be it tomorrow or the next day?”

“If you wish it,” she surprised him with the answer. “I don’t think the axe has to fall, necessarily, but even if it does, I will be there with you, if you like. As a friend.”

“A friend,” the word tasted strange on his tongue. “Friend to the one who tried to subjugate your kind? Who killed humans without a second thought?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because you are what you were made to be, and no one deserves to be alone.”

“Yet in the end, we are all. And so shall I be.”

“Loki, I will ask you one last time, do you want to die?”

Loki looked at her, truly considering the question for the first time. He did not actively seek out death, not since he had let go of Gungnir a fallen into the abyss. In that moment he had, indeed, longed for an end to all the pain. Instead, the true pain had only just begun. Wincing away from the memory, he brought himself to the present.

No, he did not particularly want to die. He just was not sure he wanted to live. He knew who hunted him, somewhere in the greater galaxy. He had thought he might be safe on Asgard. Surely his father, he had believed, even if he was not so by blood, would take him back rather than leave him to the barbaric Midgardians. An Asgardian jail cell would not be pleasant, but at least it would be marginally safer. Even one as mad as his pursuer would not risk a head on confrontation with Odin AllFather.

It had not happened that way. Odin had washed his hands of his Jotun pawn. Loki was on his own, with nothing standing between him and more of the agony he had endured in his captivity.

“It might be better for all involved were it to be over,” he said at last. “I fear you have wasted your time with me. Let them end it and save yourselves.”

“Save ourselves from what? From you?”

“No, my threat is over.”

“Then what? Loki, what are you afraid of?”

“I told you, I fear nothing!”

Lies, of course.

“I don’t believe you. Everyone has fears.”

“And what are yours?” he asked, suddenly angry at her for making him feel. “Tell me, Caroline, what are your deepest, darkest fears that keep you up at night? Is it loneliness for you, is that why you hope to see it in me? Do you lie there, alone in your bed with no one to care for you? Only your work to keep you warm in the cold hours of the night? Would you cling to me in my uniqueness because you fear to be on your own?”

“In part, yes, probably,” she agreed with him, startling him once again. “I do know what it is like to be different. To keep others at arm’s length. I know what it is to be alone.”

“Well then, shall we comfort each other? You are not uncomely.”

He had meant to intimidate her, to drive her away, but as he drew closer to her, Loki realized that he would not mind spending time with her. She was more attractive than he had made it sound, and he could feel himself responding to her. Against his will, he began imagining her eyes, frank and compassionate, darkened with desire. Or perhaps it was not all his imagination. Her pulse was racing again, and her pupils had dilated as she looked up at him.

“What you suggest would not be appropriate,” her voice was more strained than it had been before.

“Because I am a terrorist?” he murmured, close to her ear.

“Because you are my patient.”

“I politely decline your services, doctor. At least, your professional services. You had said you would keep me company. We could become quite friendly if you desire.”

“I think this is a good time for a break,” she said crisply, standing and smoothing her hands over her skirt.

“I thought you wanted to stay with me,” he smirked.

“We need food,” she told him. “I will go arrange something and be back shortly.

Loki grinned as she hurried from the room, but the humor faded quickly. He had won that round, he believed. So why did the victory feel so hollow?

[bitterborne]

❝ you deserve so much more than what you were given. ❞ from @hazardes !!

THE MAIN STAGE IS EMPTY, FOR ONCE, THE ANIMATRONICS OTHERWISE OCCUPIED. Michael — Mike, he tells himself firmly, though it’s hard to shed his father’s strict dislike for nicknames — chooses the corner to sit anyway, broad back pressed against the thin wall and knees brought up to his chest. It feels a little more bearable like this, everything that’s happened, though the sight of the empty pizzeria while NOT being in the security office is still incredibly unsettling. Not for the first time, he wonders how Vanessa copes with it: and then is instantly reminded that they’ve been in the exact same position. Though his father doesn’t often let him in the pizzeria past closing time unless it’s to keep watch, which he always does from that same office. The sight of the half empty drink can and the faded, festering posters are more familiar and comforting than anything he’s seen here in this timeline […] though the knowledge that the oldest Afton child cannot escape their father in any universe is disheartening.

“I dunno,” he says, evasive, and focuses on twisting the cheap metal ring around his middle finger, unable to look at Vanessa, “I’ve done— I’ve done a lotta bad things. Sure, life was shit, but—”

But he loved me, at least. I don’t know if your father loves you.

It’s complicated. Mike’s eyes burn with it all, though later he’ll blame the stage lights. He’d never believed his father loved him until he’d arrived here, in this timeline where so much is different but so much is the same — no Charlie, but a missing Garrett. No Michael . . . But Vanessa instead. He doesn’t quite know what to make of it all, and sure, things had been awful, but had they been this bad?

In fairness, maybe this is what other people see when they look at him. Isn’t it always easier to see the flaws in someone else’s relationship than see the flaws in your own? Headache forming, one hand lifting to rub insistently at his forehead and sweep away the thoughts and dark floppy hair he hasn’t managed to make presentable in years, Mike continues:

“I got out.” Mostly, anyway. Though his father asks and Mike still comes crawling, switching from thirty-three to thirteen again in an instant at the sound of his father’s orders. When he meets her eyes, there’s an earnest kindness, a world-weariness beyond his years— “You’re still stuck cleaning up after him. You don’t deserve that. When was the last time he even thanked you, huh?”

[theinheriteddutchess]

Bella is panicked to leave her mother, because her mother is normally helpless without her. She forgets to pay bills, get gas or food and gets lost. This woman is a mother and has her child monitor her.

Pfew luckily she got married so her new husband can be her caretaker.

This is literally the thing I can feel sad for bella for. The child caring for the parent and having anxiety because "how is my parent going to survive without me being there holding the fort?!" is too real.

Then you also realize, it is a good thing bella left, because with renee, she would've always been the parent, the responsible, the suppressed. With bella around Renee doesn't have to grow up or take responsibly, because she relies on her daughter so much she probably isn't even aware. It is a dynamic she made since bella's childhood, and she benefits from it.

How does bella claim this woman is her best friend? She's a leech!

I can't stand Renee. She is awful in every way. I can't find a good thing about her.

[jaybren]

Reason #394 Why Twilight Disappoints Me

When Jacob imprinted on Renesmee, his first response to Edward and Bella wasn't to point out how the age gap is less than a third the gap between Edward and Bella.

[clarabow-mp3]

i think i've said this before but like i was truly so shocked when i realised so many stranger things fans think dustin and claudia's relationship is sweet and not like. deeply unhealthy.

[nope-body]

.