#which is true and happened but like. why tell him. why put that burden of forgiveness on him. just be normal ???

[kerryweaverlesbian]

One interpretation of the fictional "Grundy Farm" from BBC Radio 4's farming radio drama "The Archers" suggests that the Grundys, this whole time, have had a MASSIVE horse and they've just never mentioned it

[hoshigray]

possessive tojikuna 😈🫦

⊹ 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: true form! Sukuna + Toji x fem! reader - explicit content; minors DNI - fingering (f! receiving) - oral (m! receiving) - face-fucking- double penetration (2 dick kuna, lawl) - doggy style position - clitoral play (licking + pinching) - biting - unprotected sex - pet names (baby, good girl, little bird, princess, wife, woman) - slight degradation - highly possessive behavior - heavy depictions of a blowjob - mention of drool/spit.

⊹ 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 1.4k

You knew something was up. You could tell from the sudden chill in the air as you strode back to the palace grounds and walked down the hall to your shared room at dusk.

The palace was shrouded in an eerie silence, the darkness broken only by the flickering light of the candles that guided your path. The servants, usually bustling with activity, now worked silently, their eyes averted. Even Uraume was unusually quiet as they led you to your room, where your husbands awaited you.

They dismiss themselves once you reach the door, leaving you alone in the hall before the shoji panel door. Breathing silently and slowly through your nostrils, a hesitant hand approaching the handle.

Only for the door to open independently and for you to be yanked by the wrist. You could not foretell what happened after this, yet now you know why the palace life had become unusually stifling.

“—Khhh, ahhhck..!! ‘Kunaa, f-for’ive m—Ahhh!”

“Silence, woman; don’t test me.”

You were stripped of your clothing, nude back to the soft futon, and your entire body dwarfed underneath the massive size of Sukuna. The cursed being has you under him as his lower left hand fingers your chasm, and the upper right arm chokes you by the throat. 

The restriction of your airways has you lightheaded, along with the motions of his thick fore and middle finger ravaging your vaginal texture. “Tahhh, ohGodsss…!”

“Hmph, what a whore,” he scoffs with a devilish grin, stuffing his fingers until the hilted knuckle. “So fucking tight on my fingers, you find enjoyment in being punished like this?”

“My King, please,” getting the words out is a battle. “I’m sho—Mmfff!…sho sorry—“

“Sorry for what?” The grip on your throat gets firmer, his thumb big enough to have your blood vessels pulsing for desperation. “For disobeying orders and leaving the fortress or having another man touch you?”

Ah, fuck! You knew this would bite you in the back once you stepped outside. Your husbands were busy with their daily tasks, leaving the fortress walls and instructing you to stay put where it’s safe. However, a specific craving has been growing these past few days, a craving that can only be found in the busy streets of the countryside down south. And since your spouses were out of reach for the day, and Uraume was tending the palace and its subjects as usual, you didn’t want to burden anyone with your selfishness. So, you snuck out at dawn and treaded to the civil human territory on your own.

“Unbelievable,” he curls his digits, which scrape your walls, and your strained cries are taken. “Who told you to leave where you were supposed to be?” His voice is ominous, even in a hushed tone, as he brings his face closer to you. “Who told you that you could let others touch you?” 

“Kunaaa, please, forg’ve me,” the nickname doesn’t lessen the hold on your windpipe. “I was…just getting fruits from the town…And then I’d return—“

“You disobey me for some fruits?” Crimson eyes glint darkly. “And then have that cretin hold your hands—hold what’s mine?”

The pound of your head worsens by the seconds, and the mouth of his stomach chews on the flesh of your tummy. God, this is too much…! “…I–I’m so sorry, my King…I didn’t m–mean to offend you, but my body is only—ghhh—for my hus–bands!”

“Today said otherwise—“

“It was not intentional!” I can’t…breathe…Your cunt tenses from a graze to your upper wall, your eyes watering. “Please, my love, there’s no one else my heart belongs to…I swear on my blood.” 

Finally, he releases your throat from his death grip, yet you’re not given time to gather much air as his hand comes to your cheeks to snatch. Panting heavily as your eyes stay on his, whimpering as he removes his digits from your aching slit. 

The giant huffs with a smirk at the sight of your tears. “Well, I’m not the only one you should swear to, wife.”

Of course, he isn’t; there’s another man in the room witness to your comeuppance. Once Sukuna withdraws himself from your proximity, your trembling figure moves off your back and crawls to the next person who stands on his knees. And you greet him with licks and kisses to his abs. “Toji…” your hands roam to his waist.

“Hey, baby,” emerald eyes observe you. “Got y’rself into trouble today. Didn’t think I wouldn’t see you outside after bein’ told not to?”

“I’m sorry—Mmmm…” you sense Sukuna’s hands keep your ass in place, and the lower other fingers your asshole. Your breath hikes at the contact of the tip of both his cocks, teasing your holes. Something slaps on your cheek, and Toji snickers.

“If y’re really sorry,” the dark-haired man pushes the cockhead to your lips. “Suck this dick like I like it.”

The simultaneous push of Sukuna’s cocks takes your breath, and your mouth is stuck on an indefinite ‘o’ shape. Toji takes advantage and shoves the tip into your mouth. Moans are mumbled, holes puckering to the slow push and pull of the colossus’ hips. After a few seconds, you begin to bob your head and suck.

“Hmmm, bad girl,” Toji grabs for the back of your head. “So busy with y’r lil’ outing that you didn’t notice me see you, walkin’ in the crowd and talkin’ with the townspeople,” he holds his breath from the sight of you lapping your tongue around the glans, precum oozing to your tastebuds. “And then be too friendly with those farmers, laughin’ and talkin’ too close to ‘em.”

You suck on his glans and with a hum. “Mmahh, I wasn’t planning on staying for too long,” you kiss and suck on the skin of the underside of his shaft until you meet his balls. Your tongue swirls on his testes, “I was just being polite—Ahhh!”

“Way too polite,” Sukuna smacks your butt, spawning a mouth to his palm to chew on the flesh to erupt a cry. Another bite comes from his lower right on your waist. “Might as well have asked them to come over.”

“Right…Hnngh!” Toji loves how you guzzle on his testicle. “Is that what ya want, princess? Have some strangers come here and see how much of a slut you are for our dicks, huh?” He yanks you by the chin, your expression already enhancing to a daze. “Wanna let ‘em have a go with you?”

It’s hard to answer as Sukuna ruts increase in pace, toes curling at the rub of your inner walls. “Ghhahh, n-no…! I don’t want anyone else to—shiiit—t-touch me like you do!” Sounds of skin slapping against each other from behind have you twitching even harder. Sukuna places his upper right arm to place on your shoulder to bite on your shoulder, while the lower left slither to your clit for the tongue of his palm to lap and tease. 

“Fuuuck, pussy so tight,” the behemoth sighs deeply. “Feel so good, shit isn’t meant for anyone outside this room.” His hips dial to a sporadic rhythm, shivers crawling up his spine as you scream all cutely from his movement. “All mine,” He bends to speak behind your nape. “All fucking mine.”

“Yesss, ahaaaa,” you howl out with your face smooshed to Toji’s pelvis, your hands stimulating his erection. “I only belong to you, my loves, only you…” you take in Toji’s tip once more, whimpering as his length busy your mouth inch by inch.

“Good girl, good girl,” Toji praises you from above, the hand on your head keeping you glued to him while the other husband has his way with you. Soon enough, both his strong palms come to your face, and he essentially fucks your face like a toy, your jaw loosening to make the process easier. 

Sukuna grabs for your arms and pulls you back but doesn’t stop Toji from fucking your face till the hilt meets your lips, and his balls knock your chin. You’re nerves are heightened, stimulated by the onslaught of pleasure on both ends. Your cunt and anus spasming around the limbs pushing to and fro, and your mouth mumbling on the dick, hitting the back of your throat.

And it doesn’t take long for your climax to steer you off, your frame trembling uncontrollably as you jerk and quaver under the bow of these men. Toji and Sukuna find it amusing, the hand on your clit pinching the bud.

“Hmph, cumming on my cocks like crazy.” The salmon-headed one playfully smacks your ass as your entrances flutter from the aftershocks. “Apology accepted, little bird; consider this a warning until the next time you transgress.”

Toji removes his cock from your mouth, strings of blended saliva and come leave the messy opening. “Now, ya know, princess. C’mon, lemme have my turn.”

© 𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐲2024 ☆ dividers by @/animatedglittergraphics-n-more.

[gay-dorito-dust]

More of Dami trying to hide his partner from his family? Like maybe one day he tries to sneak into their house or something?

After the library incident Damian had learnt three things; changing his passcode, and keeping his phone on hand at all times when within the presence of his chaotic siblings, and be aware of who’s in the room when he puts his phone down.

He had to applauds their attempts but he was inevitably several steps ahead of them as usual.

However this time it was a little different as Damian would be spending the night at your house, which is something Damian was downright nervous about, seeing as he wasn’t the type of guy people would usually bring home for an impromptu sleepover.

It wasn’t like he was scared of your parent(s) because he’s met them once or twice before and had gotten along with them quite well, but more so the fact that his father and siblings were patrolling in the nearby area and would likely spot him within a heartbeat. He didn’t feel like dealing with them and their shenanigans, especially not when he was trying to spend a lovely evening watching movies with his beloved, buried beneath several layers of warm blankets and plushies so soft they could’ve been easily mistaken for pillows.

He just wanted this evening with you to go perfectly without his siblings potentially ruining it. He loves them he really does, but not when they could potentially jeopardise your relationship with him. Hell he’d even curse their entire existence if that were to happen and make sure his sword is more than sharp during training just to prove that he wasn’t joking.

‘Damian?’ Your voice drew him out of his thoughts

‘Hmm?’

‘Are you okay? You’ve been kinda out of it this entire evening. Nothings wrong is there?’ You ask, voice showing concern for his well-being.

Truly you were an angel, bestowed to him by the heavens above to be his souls true and equal match. ‘I’m fine my beloved.’ He says as he holds your hand reassuringly in his. ‘While it’s true that I have been out of it for most of this evening, but rest assured that it’s nothing that you should worry yourself with.’

You still didn’t look convinced but dropped the subject for Damian’s sake and kissed his cheek. ‘Okay,’ you sighed as you snuggled yourself back into his arms, resting your head against his shoulder. ‘But you’d tell me if somethings bothering you, right?’ You asked.

‘There’s no one else’s I’d rather shoulder my burdens with than you my dear.’ Damian replied as he kisses the top of your head and getting comfortable himself, when he saw something outside your window through the slit of your bedroom curtains and squinted his eyes for a better look.

Stood atop of the roof of the building next door to you were his siblings and father, all dressed in their easily recognisable costumes, seemingly peering back at him.

However what made Damian uncharacteristically froze wasn’t the fact that his family might spotted him, but more so the fact as to why they were here because if they were here, then that must mean that the person that they were after…

Has been hiding out in your neighbourhood the entire time.

[stardustizuku]

I’ve recently been thinking on why there’s people who interpret Kuro in such a drastically different way.

And something I notice is that you can easily tell how someone experiences the series, based on what they think of the GWA.

The way you interpret the Green Witch Arc is indicative of of how you have been interpreting the story so far, and how you’ll interpret it going forward

Generally, there’s two interpretations:

1.- The Reaction Ciel had to the mustard gas, are his true feelings coming afloat

2.- The Reaction Ciel had to the mustard gas, isn’t how he feels.

The first interpretation (and I’m really not trying to be mean about it this time) comes from a very, uhm, shall I call it Teenage-Like? mindset of how pain and trauma works.

I call it Teenage-Like, because I’ve seen it in mostly literature aimed at teenagers, be it fanfics or YA. It comes from an inability for teenagers to actually voice how they feel towards their parents. A helpless feeling of being ignored.

I don’t wanna point fingers but this is the basis of a lot of Self Harm tendencies (physical, emotional, psychological, or others like EDs or digital self harm) come from. A need for people to notice you are in pain. But because you feel like you cannot voice it yourself (or don’t deserve it, it can vary) you start to lash out. Put yourself in higher risks, to have someone find out there is something wrong with you.

So the moment the main character finally breaks down, or has a moment of weakness, it’s interpreted as someone finally being truthful.

This is how Ciel’s reaction is interpreted by the first half.

The mustard gas is simply a trigger of pain, that causes all of Ciel to unravel. He’s in pain right now, cause he’s always in pain. He’s avoidant to Sebastian, cause he’s always been scared of him. He doesn’t trust him. He doesn’t trust adults. Finny is the only one who actually cares.

This makes the fact that Sebastian ,essentially, slapped him to get him to react, come off as cruel.

The boy is finally being honest, and you just tell him he’s being childish? Horrible.

Obviously, that’s not my interpretation.

Okay so, what happens once you’re not a teenager? Once you don’t have an adult figure to take care of you? What happens once you start avoiding telling your parents the pain you’re in, not because you think they won’t care, but because they’ll care too much and get worried and you don’t want them to get worried?

You start to realize pain is not the end of the world.

While, when being a teenager, getting sick meant someone gets to take care of you and maybe notice you aren’t okay, as an adult getting sick potentially means - not going to work. Which means your won’t have money to buy food, which means you’ll probably go hungry.

So getting sick becomes less of a way to get away from the responsibilities you have, and more of a burden.

That’s why you’ll see, in media aimed at adults,mental breakdown less depicted as an opportunity to be honest, and more of a sickness that needs to be healed.

You can have a more honest and truthful conversation, while you are sound of mind. There’s no power dynamic between friends, like it would with adult figures and children. So this song and dance, isn’t necessary.

You don’t have to be sick to be understood. And your friends will rather try to help you, than understand you when you’re suffering. That’s the nature of adult relationships.

This is more or less the framing that comes from Ciel’s breakdown (in the second interpretation).

The Mustard Gas isn’t showing Ciel’s true nature - it’s showing Ciel at his most vulnerable. This means, not in his sound mind.

Saying things he normally wouldn’t, hurting people he normally would hold close, and clinging to people he generally would never try to get close to.

Simply put, it isn’t just “a bit of pain to make him unravel” but a “Ciel is getting psychologically tortured by a weapon used for chemical warfare”.

He’s past being honest. He’s having such a severe reaction, that he cannot function. He’s being tortured and broken, to the point he is no longer himself.

He isn’t being “truthful” he’s scared.

And fear can make you do things that, in your sound mind, you would never do.

The point is that, Ciel isn’t saying what he truly feels or being “honest”. It’s him scared out of his mind, saying everything and anything to make the fear stop.

And the biggest proof is how he treats Sebastian.

The fact that Ciel asks Sebastian to “go away” or “not come near” is perhaps the most glaring reason as to how badly this Gas messed with him.

I’ve said this before but to Ciel, Sebastian is a lifeline. He’s the only tool he has for his revenge. The thing that, even after he lost r!Ciel, he was willing to sacrifice it all to achieve.

And at this point in time, Sebastian is also the only emotional anchor Ciel has.

As far back as the second episode, Ciel has asked Sebastian to stay. Even when he’s having flashbacks, even when he’s having an episode. In fact, Sebastian leaving him is a great source of anxiety - since as seen in BoC in the Asthma Scene, without him Ciel feels powerless enough to die.

He feels more protected with him, because he KNOWS Sebastian will protect him and that Sebastian will follow his orders.

Again going with the analogy of a dog - He feels more comfortable having the chained beast by his bed, simply bcs others are trying to hurt him and the beast won’t eat him right now.

So him asking Sebastian to go away, is throwing away his biggest safety net for a surrogate for r!Ciel, just means he’s reverting to the mentality he had during the cult.

If Sebastian is constantly telling him “it’s okay, they can’t hurt you anymore, you’re outside the cage, you can do what you WANT”

Ciel clinging to Finny is him going “no, im staying in the cage bcs at least the cage is familiar”

And no matter what the first camp tells you, staying in the cage, trapped inside your pain ISNT the healthy option.

(We could argue Ciel’s need for revenge rather than healing is also unhealthy, but no one in the second camp would even call Ciel anything other than a villain in someone else’s story)

So, Sebastian slapping him and going “no, that’s not what you want”, isn’t as cruel as it would be in the first interpretation. Because as we see, he’s right. That’s not what Ciel wants. And it’s proved by the next scene where Sebastian talks to Ciel about what he truly wants.

Rather than Sebastian telling Ciel to “get over it”, it’s closest to a “snap out of it, something’s wrong”

This is further proved by the fact that, Sebastian first instinct isn’t to scare him. He does back away, he does try to wait and gently coax him. But Ciel literally cannot reason with him.

That small but significant difference in interpretation has wildly different outcomes in how you perceive both, the characters and the story.

If you pick the first, you’re reading Sebastian as an enemy. Someone who does not respect Ciel. You see his attempt to eat Ciel’s soul as a breach of trust, and proof that he doesn’t care for him.

But if you pick the second option, you see Sebastian as an ally. Someone who’s running out of time and ways to save Ciel. His actions, while crass, ultimately help Ciel. What he was trying to do, was help.

Yana, very clearly, wanted the second interpretation. However, I cannot, in good conscience, tell you it’s the only interpretation. People are free to pick and chose how they read the text, irrelevant of how little of the actual text they’re reading.

But I will say, picking the first is symbolic of a less mature way of thinking. Common on those who like to infantilize trauma and trauma responses. It’s the easy, safe and comforting way of reading the text. As I said, it’s common in those who want their pain to be acknowledged.

That reading of Kuro is one that speak to me, that you’re not really ready to confront pain. And someone with that mentality, is not someone who’s reading of the text I find particularly interesting. Sure, you can share it, I’ll never stop you, but know you’re speaking to me in an entirely different language. You’re interpreting the text so differently, that I don’t think it’s even the same text anymore.

Again, you’re essentially writing analysis on fanfiction. And I’m not all too interested in dissecting your own trauma sloppily painted over British Aesthetic.

[thecatsaesthetics]

But Rhys took Feyre's choice away in ACOSF and is as bad as Tamlin

Disclaimer - I am going to state up front SJM shouldn't have told this story through Nesta's POV. It is an incredibly complex storyline in it's own right and deserved to be told through Feyre's POV.

However, fans tend to make several claims about the story that I want to either debunk or combat. You can still hate the storyline (I hate how it was told as well) but twisting canon to suit your own narrative isn’t right.

(I am using this timeline for the series, which is the most in-depth timeline I have ever found.)

Let's begin

What actually happened in canon:

Rhys and Feyre were actively attempting to have a baby since the end of ACOFAS (December 21st). Feyre announces her pregnancy to the group 16 days into the start of ACOSF. She says she is "two months along". ACOSF is canonically 10 months after ACOFAS. Meaning Feyre and Rhys conceive Nyx in August.

31 days into ACOSF Rhys and Feyre find out via Madja Nyx has wings. Feyre would be heading into her second trimester. Rhys knows the baby wings pose a problem (as does Madja). Madja informed Feyre the birth would be "more difficult" but does not state the baby will kill her. Rhys sets out on finding a way to save Feyre and the baby.

33 days into ACOSF Rhys goes to Drakon and Miryam to ask about the wings. They give him nothing but sad looks.

40 days into ACOSF Helion visits and is asked by Rhys about the wings and says he will look into it.

43 days into ACOSF Nesta, in a fit of rage, tells Feyre her baby is going to die and kill her.

So canonically Feyre does not know for 12 days. So, around two weeks, Feyre is unaware the chances she will die in labor are incredibly heightened.

That is really important, it is not months they are keeping this from Feyre. It also doesn't seem likely Rhys or any of the IC would have let Feyre give birth without knowing what was happening. It also seems likely Rhys was pending more information from Helion who had 3 days to look into things before Nesta had her outburst.

While again it's not explicitly said I believe SJMs implication is that Rhys was exhausting all efforts prior to telling Feyre. Which is something Feyre would have done herself, since we know she wanted Nyx, and rather then let Feyre's pregnancy be ruined by fear (especially if an answer was out there) Rhys decides to take the burden on himself.

Is it necessarily right? I don't think so, but is it done to specifically control Feyre? (Like Tamlin's actions were) No. It's done because Rhys cannot bring himself to take Feyre's happiness away from her. Feyre is described as being so happy in ACOSF, she finally has everything she's ever wanted. She has her mate, her family, her home, security, and is awaiting the arrival of her baby. Feyre has her gotten her "happy ending" and who would want to take that from someone? This is something Rhys was struggling with in ACOFAS, the idea that he does not deserve to be happy with Feyre.

I hate that we get it told through Nesta and Cassian's POV, because honestly this would have been a good Feysand plotline and would have dealt with the remaining issues that were hinted at in ACOFAS.

Commonly incorrect statements by the fandom

"Rhysand forced Feyre to stay pregnant because he valued the baby's life over hers" -

This is canonically not true. Feyre is the one who wanted to get pregnant. Ignoring this is missing the point entirely, Feyre wanted to start her family.

Second, while Rhys clearly loves Nyx it seems his concern was for her and not for Nyx:

Cassian squeezed Rhys’s shoulder. “Why won’t you tell her?” Rhys’s throat worked. “Because I can’t bring myself to give her that fear. To take away one bit of the joy in her eyes every time she puts a hand on her belly.” His voice shook. “It is fucking eating me alive, this terror. I keep myself busy, but … there is no one to bargain with for her life, no amount of wealth to buy it, nothing that I can do to save her.”

His concern is for Feyre and the fact that she is going to die while in labor. He doesn't even mention Nyx dying, and it's said Nyx will die in the labor as well.

"Rhys prevented Feyre from getting an abortion" -

So first we need to ask ourself, are abortions a thing in Pyrthian? We don't get any mentions of them and fae children are rare. I would suspect in Pyrthian they aren't a thing, but maybe in the human lands.

Second, by the time Rhys and Feyre find out about the wings it's been 31 days into ACOSF and when the baby was announced she was two months pregnant, which is frustrating because we don't know if she means two months on the dot or two months and a few days. It's then 15 more days till the wings are discovered she is anywhere between 11/12 weeks pregnant.

It's important to remember pregnancies are not defined by months, they are defined by weeks. If you are 11/12 weeks pregnant the abortion you get is more complicated then at 8 or 9 weeks. So it seems even if she could have an abortion (if that's a thing in Prythian) that she would have had to pass the fetal tissue.

Remember the problem isn't that the baby is sick or causing Feyre to be sick. Feyre is described as being healthy and radiant all throughout ACOSF. The pregnancy isn't the issue, it's the birth. The wings will supposably get caught and not be able to pass through the birthing canal. So even if she had an abortion those wings are getting caught and preventing the tissue from passing. We later see the size of the wings don't matter, because Feyre gives birth preterm and it still kills her.

And it will be challenging enough during a birth when the baby is alive but if they preform an abortion you're talking dead tissue being stuck in Feyre as they attempt to pull it out of her piece by piece.

That could kill her as well.

So when Rhys says "nothing I can do to save her life" he means it. As long as Feyre gives birth/passes those wings in her fae body she's dead.

The only in universe solution is for Feyre to transform back into an Illyrian form (I'll get into that later). That's it, nothing else could save her and in fact what happens is Nesta bargains for Feyre's life and then permanently changes her body to be Illyrian. So the solution was to shapeshift.

"Nesta told Feyre because she thought it was wrong"

That's not true, in fact Nesta agreed to say nothing and was later sorry for even telling Feyre. So no she did not tell Feyre because she thought it was an injustice.

Nesta was bitter and hurt by other things that happened (I am not going into it) and decided to hurt her sister back. She told her in the most brutal and awful way possible.

She easily could have caused Feyre to go into preterm labor and didn't care if that happened. If Feyre had gone into preterm labor with no solution to get the baby out then she would have died.

"Feyre's choice was taken from her"

So if we rule out abortion, and go with shapeshifting I don't see how anyone concludes that the 12 days Feyre does not know takes that choice from her. Even for the 12 days with the abortion idea, she still could have done it. She makes a choice not to, Feyre does not go into labor unaware of the risks.

Going back to shapeshifting, Rhys says this:

“So let her change back into an Illyrian to bear the babe.” Rhys’s face was stark. “Madja has put a ban on any more shape-shifting. She says that to alter Feyre’s body in any way right now could put the baby at risk. On the chance that it could be bad for the baby, Feyre is forbidden to so much as change the color of her hair until after the birth.”

So originally it's Madja who says shape-shifting is banned but sorry I do not see how Madja is going to control Feyre. During the announcement scene we get this from Feyre:

Nesta angled her head at her sister. “So you can’t do magic while pregnant?” Feyre winced. “I can, but given my unusual set of gifts, I’m not sure how it might impact the baby. Winnowing is fine, but some other powers, when we’re still so early in the pregnancy, could strain my body dangerously.”

Feyre is given the medical opinion of Madja on her doing magic and chooses to follow it.

And the nail in the coffin that it wasn't Feyre's choice is the birth scene itself:

“There is nothing we can do,” Madja said. “Cutting the babe out of her will kill her.” “Cutting it out?” Nesta demanded, earning a sharp glare from Rhys. Madja ignored her tone. “An incision along her abdomen, even one carefully made, is an enormous risk. It’s never been successful. And even with Feyre’s healing abilities, the blood loss has weakened her—” “Do it,” Feyre managed to say, the words weighted with pain. “Feyre,” Rhys objected. “The babe likely won’t survive,” Madja said, voice gentle but no-nonsense. “It’s too small yet. We risk both of you.” “All of you,” Cassian breathed, eyes on Rhys. “Do it,” Feyre said, and her voice was that of the High Lady. No fear. Only determination for the life of the babe within her. Feyre looked up at Rhys. “We have to.”

While it isn't explicitly mentioned, the scene prior is discussions about saving Nyx not about saving Feyre. Madja says "we risk both of you" implying their is a way to just save Feyre. That way would be shapeshifting, something Feyre is refusing to do in this moment. Rhys is the one who is objecting to the c-section and Feyre insists that "We have to". Feyre chooses to have the c-section and attempt to save her son.

Conclusion:

I don't think we can conclude Feyre's choice was taken from her, in fact it seems she made a choice not to shapeshift and save herself. That might feel like pro life propaganda and maybe it is (I don't know SJMs stance on this) but a mother choosing to go through with a risky pregnancy and delivery is still her making that choice. Just because it's not the choice you would make or like, doesn't make it any less of a choice.

It's really odd how people twist this storyline to fit a narrative of "Rhys is just as bad as Tamlin" and while I can understand the similarities, (both being born out of fear and trauma) it just isn't the same. Tamlin watched as Feyre became sicker and sicker, and ignored her. Tamlin forced Feyre back to the Spring Court after she told him she didn't want to be taken from Rhys and the IC. Tamlin slut shamed her during the HL meeting. Tamlin was actively attempting to control Feyre's behavior and get her to fit what he wanted for her.

Rhys found out horrible information (on top of all the other shit that was going on in ACOSF) about the life of his mate and child. His mate who was currently overjoyed at the idea of being pregnant and having a baby. And he wanted to find a way to save her before giving her the fear, anxiety, and distress he was suffering. It wasn't about controlling her, and it wasn't about having some super baby. It wasn't the right thing to do but he didn't do it out wanting to control Feyre. That's important information and something that shouldn't be twisted.

You can dislike it (as I've stated I hate it being told in Nessian POV) but you shouldn't twist things to fit your narrative.

[daydreamalley]

A Ramble about Phase 19 of the Fifteen Manga Ft. Storm Bringer spoilers

Just absolutely cannot get over the 15 manga. I love the light novel so much, but this manga adaptation is so ridiculously amazing. Dazai and Chuuya’s proximity/touching has been amazing of course. I adore the way Hoshikawa draws Dazai and Chuuya as well (my baby boys, especially Chuuya). But these last two chapters with Rimbaud and Verlaine. Like, fuck. The whole “At least, one of them felt that way,” part just hits so much harder in the manga for me, with the art and page placement. And this whole most recent chapter. Like firstly, you don’t have to end every chapter with like Chuuya getting stabbed okay, help me out here.

Comparing the last page of phase 18 with Verlaine and the first page of phase 19 with Chuuya makes it so obvious that Rimbaud is seeing the similarities between them with just that parallel, which is confirmed later with Rimbaud quite literally seeing Verlaine standing behind Chuuya. 

Not to mention in phase 18 the “That’s right Paul, I remember you,” in conjunction with him seeing Verlaine in Chuuya.

Then that flashback with Verlaine carrying Chuuya and Chuuya’s just so small I could cry.

Like, I knew he was small, but he's just so young, I can't. People were experimenting on him. Like, how??

The way Rimbaud wants to ask Chuuya something and Chuuya crouches down to him. Which leads to Rimbaud putting a hand around Chuuya as he tells him to live. How close and personal they are when Rimbaud says all of this just make it feel so much more impactful for Chuuya. Kinda love too that Chuuya isn't just standing over Rimbaud. He's making it obvious he's open to listening.

Rimbaud says a lot of shitty things to Chuuya up to this point, even complaining that he has to kill a kid while only referring to Dazai, completely not acknowledging Chuuya as anything more than Arahabaki. But once he fully remembers what happened with Verlaine, I feel like that’s when Rimbaud remembers what he truly believed about Verlaine and his humanity and how that extends to Chuuya’s humanity. Because Rimbaud’s whole final speech is most definitely things he’d also thought of or told Verlaine before (as I think is confirmed in SB). I think those are Rimbaud’s true thoughts and beliefs on the matter, it just took that long for him to remember the full story and how he felt about it all. Rimbaud saw Verlaine’s struggles with humanity, and now he also remembers why Verlaine betrayed him. And so he tells Chuuya to live, just as Verlaine wanted him to back then, live without the burden of worrying about your humanity or where you came from, because “you are you.” It doesn’t matter if Chuuya (and Verlaine) “are but a pattern etched on the surface of raw power.” In Rimbaud’s mind, and honestly where we eventually end up at the end of SB, is that it really doesn’t matter what your origins are, whether someone is an artificial personality (aka pattern) etched onto raw power, because really everything is some version of a pattern upon the world. And in a word with abilities, a lot of people are a pattern connected to a power. Just as in SB Chuuya decides that even though Adam isn’t human and he knows it, it doesn’t take away from Adam’s actions, his sacrifices, or his dreams. Same goes for Chuuya and Verlaine. Their origins don't affect how human they truly are. Their humanity is significant no matter what. It just took a bit more convincing for Chuuya to get there, a little more than what Rimbaud could offer on his (almost) deathbed.

Anyway, Chuuya holding Rimbaud’s hand as he dies just does things to me. Like, the book described that “Both Chuuya and Dazai quietly listened as if there was something in what Randou (Rimbaud) was saying that they couldn’t allow themselves to miss… Some things, however, would not return to normal: the body of a man who no longer felt the cold, and the hearts of two boys who stood rooted to the spot, staring at him. A gust of wind peered through their souls as it passed them by.”

This page just so well depicts that last line. It truly feels these boys have heard something so monumental, that they won’t ever forget. Standing in the aftermath of their first fight together, hearing these words about humanity that both mean so much to both of them. Dazai’s expressions really convey this to me in the manga, and convey it just so beautifully. And Chuuya being so close to Rimbaud when he speak those words just makes it feel like those words truly are so monumental for him. And also this means that Chuuya fought to kill a man, that to be entirely fair and clear was trying to kill him first, and then held to his hand as he dies, and there’s just something about this added detail that’s so significant to me in portraying the weight of it on Chuuya. Chuuya's connection to Rimbaud is a complicated but important one. But really these words are important for both boys, because let’s not forget that Dazai also struggles with his humanity. Even if he doesn’t have a physical reason to doubt his humanity, like Chuuya, there are many other reasons that he does doubt it. So hearing that all people and all of humanity are really just patterns within the physical world, human or not that’s true of everyone and everything, and that’s important for Dazai to hear too. I think both boys think back to Rimbaud’s final speech quite a bit, if I’m being honest or did for a while.

I am NOT getting over the detail that someone (Chuuya??) put Rimbaud’s scarf on his grave. I just… it does something to me and I love that detail so much. And cutting back to that “You are you” line while Chuuya’s talking to the grave is just so perfect in my opinion, and again just shows the significance of it so, so well. It’s like, he's talking to Rimbaud, complaining about his actions really, and then it cuts to that “you are you” and it just shows almost the contrast I guess between Chuuya feeling unrest at not finding stuff about his past that Rimbaud could’ve given him, but maybe wouldn’t have anyway, and Rimbaud’s statement that those things don’t matter because Chuuya is who he is beyond all that. Also the little dandelion blowing into the wind, to me also signifying a wish being spread.

Anyway, entirely unnecessary to end the chapter with a big knife in Chuuya’s back, thanks. Especially after Chuuya mentions how he’s still exhausted from everything. Like let’s just, stop, please.

He's just a boy, leave him alone for the sake of all things good.

[these-written-reveries]

Broken Pieces

‣ Pairing: Ledger!Joker/Jack Napier x GN!Reader

‣ Summary: You’re burnt-out and overwhelmed and you’ve finally hit a wall. Now, all you can seem to do is fall apart. Good thing you have a special clown who knows just how to put you back together!

‣ Genre: fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, soft!J

‣ Warnings: burn-out, overwhelm, emotional breakdown, negative thoughts, feeling like a burden, lots of tears.

‣ Word Count: 3,050

‣A/N: This is dedicated to my lovely friend, @jslittlebirdie! I told ya I’d get around to writing you something eventually! I know you’re overdue for a proper break, and while I wish I could better help you carry the weight of life’s burdens and give you the true rest you deserve, I’m limited to just how much I can do. I hope this helps, even just a little. I love you, Sukie!💜

‣ Have an idea for a fic you’d like me to write? Send a request here. But first, make sure to read my Request Info!

L!Joker/Jack Napier Masterlist

Main Masterlist

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Heavy sobs and messy sniffles had long replaced the silence of your bedroom as you sat curled up on the bed with your face buried in J’s pillow. You were sure he wouldn’t appreciate his pillow being soaked with your tears, but it happened to be the first thing you reached for at the start of your breakdown, his scent always helping to calm you down whenever he wasn’t around. If you closed your eyes, you could almost imagine him there with you. As for the tear-soaked pillowcase, you’d be sure to wash it later before he got home, whenever that would be…

Jack had been gone for a week now, unleashing his newest schemes upon the city of Gotham. This meant you were home alone, which wasn’t really a problem for you. You had a lot of your own things to do during the time of his absence, so you planned on being busy and distracted anyway. The problem was, you were already overwhelmed and burnt out before you had dived into completing these tasks, and after multiple days of trying to push yourself through your to-do list, you finally hit a wall.

Cue you curled up in a ball on your unmade bed, your salty tears staining your beloved’s pillow as you simultaneously worried about all the things you should be doing while also remaining helplessly stuck in your place. You were utterly exhausted. Yet, the cruel voices in your head continued their endless loops of degrading words, telling you that you’re a failure, a disappointment, you should be doing better, you’re never going to get anywhere if you keep sitting on your ass, why can’t you just get up and do it already?

Your hands gripped the pillow harder as you cried, feeling like there was no escape from the overwhelming hell you were experiencing. All you wanted to do was curl up in J’s arms, knowing he was the only one who could quiet your mind and make everything better.

As if some divine force had heard your yearning desire and generously granted your wish, you heard the familiar sound of the front door opening, followed by J calling out to you in a singsong voice.

“Honey, I’m home!”

Instead of the usual comfort you’d feel upon hearing his voice, you suddenly felt a wave of anxiety fill your being. You couldn’t let this be the first thing he came home to after working so hard all week. Before you could think of anything else, your legs began bolting it towards the bathroom across the room. You quickly locked the door and leaned against it, closing your eyes as you tried to gain control of your breathing.

Jack had happened to see a flash of you go by as you ran to the bathroom and raised a quizzical brow at the sight.

“Hm…So we’re playing games, are we? I see how it is…”

He dropped his large purple coat and suit jacket on the edge of the bed before walking over to the bathroom door. He tried the handle, only to let out a huff once he discovered it was locked. Swiping his tongue over the edge of his scars, he glared at the wooden door that stood between him and his love. Immediately, he could tell something was wrong. You always ran to him when he got home and practically smothered him in hugs and kisses —that which he always secretly looked forward to. Never had you run away from him upon him getting home. This was enough to set his nerves on edge.

“I don’t think I like this game, doll. Open up.”

Hesitating to speak for fear that you’d give yourself away, you took a shaky breath as you stared at yourself in the mirror, trying hard to suppress the tears that continued to flow from your red and puffy eyes. You had to find a way to pull yourself together, and fast. This is not how you wanted to be reunited with your love after he returned home from such a long trip. You could talk about your problems later. For now, you wanted to welcome him home and hear about all of his latest antics that you’d only briefly heard about from the news. You loved how excited he got whenever he told you about such things. Seeing that alone would surely make you feel loads better. You quickly tried to spit out an answer, hoping he wouldn’t be too suspicious.

“S-Sorry! I’m just…g-going pee! I’ll be out in a minute!”

Jack did not buy your lie, rolling his eyes as he leaned his shoulder against the doorframe with his arms crossed against his chest. He knew you were in there crying. He could hear your muffled sniffles and unsteady breathing. It made him practically vibrate with agitation; protective alarms going off in his head as he tried to ignore the part of himself that suddenly wanted to murder whoever could’ve hurt you and focused his attention instead on getting through the stupid slab of wood in front of him.

“Sweetheart…If you don’t open this door, I’m gonna have no choice but to blow it wide open.”

“You wouldn’t do that. I’m in here…” You mumbled, your voice managing to sound a bit more stable that time. But it wasn’t nearly enough to convince him that you were okay.

Jack snorted in amusement, though his tone remained overall serious. “Don’t tempt me, doll. I will take down this door one way or another.”

You took a deep breath, a final attempt to calm down and get a hold of yourself. While you’d barely managed to stop the tears, your red and puffy eyes, along with your runny nose, were a dead giveaway that you’d been sobbing for the last half hour. Realizing you wouldn’t be able to make this disappear, as well as the fact that Jack’s patience was wearing thin, you decided to try your best to appear like you were fine and opened the door to the bathroom.

Jack remained leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed as you quickly pressed a kiss to his cheek before scurrying across the room, his eyes following your every move with close observation

“Welcome home, baby. I’m sorry; I’m really busy. I have to get this work done before the end of the day. Just give me a minute to sort through some things.” While this was an excuse, it wasn’t technically a lie. You hoped J would believe you and leave you be for just a moment so you could better compose yourself. One wrong move, and you’d be a heaping pile of tears all over again.

As you stood there, pretending to sort through the papers and notes on your desk, you could feel Jack’s footsteps growing nearer. His silence was deafening. Oh, how you hated it when he got so quiet. It always meant he was onto you.

To avoid what was to come, you began rambling about anything that came to mind, trying your best to direct his focus to anything else but you.

“How was your day? Did things go well? I saw you on the news earlier.”

“Doll…”

J was growing increasingly frustrated with the way you were behaving. He knew that you knew just how well he could read you. He had practically become an expert at understanding all of your little emotions and how best to handle them. So why were you still trying to hide from him? Surely you didn’t think he was so stupid as to fall for whatever trick you were attempting to pull on him…

“Oh, I found the tie you were looking for last week! I put it in the-”

Before you could say another word, Jack let out a growl and grabbed your wrist, tugging you to his chest and holding you securely in place. Carefully brushing a strand of hair out of your face with one hand, he examined your features closely. You stood frozen in place as his firm eyes softened a little. He let out a ‘tsk’, followed by a heavy sigh.

"You know I'm not a patient man, doll."

This was true, except when it came to you. Jack had always shown a lot of patience with you —as much as he was capable of giving. It remained one of the many ways he showed you just how much he cared about you. But such patience did not extend to moments like these, where you actively tried to avoid him and hide yourself from him. He hated this. It made him angry, but more than that, it made his heart ache. And he didn't like that one bit.

“M'sorry,” you muttered quietly, looking away as you felt the tears begin to fill your eyes again.

“Uh, uh. Look at me,” J ordered. Your lip quivered as you looked back at him. His eyes were much softer now as he bent down a little to reach your eye-level.

“Don’t apologize. Just tell me what’s wrong. Can you do that for me, toots? Hm?”

“If I do, I’ll fall apart,” you said, your voice cracking as you desperately held back the lump in your throat.

“I’m here. I’ll put ya back together.”

You whimpered at the soft tone of his voice, paired with his thumb gently grazing over your cheek. So badly did you want to fall apart in his arms, and now he’d given you full permission to. You could no longer resist the one thing you’d been needing during your entire time apart.

The moment you melted into his embrace, the floodgates re-opened in full-force. Jack wrapped his arms around you tightly as you spoke through your sobs, telling him all about your week without him and how much you’d been struggling. When asked why you didn’t tell him sooner, you responded by saying you didn’t want to be a bother. A bother? Jack’s brain glitched as he tried to understand why you would ever feel this way. Despite this, he remained silent as you continued to talk, and felt a twinge of pain in his chest as he realized just how much you’d needed him this last week. He felt guilty for not being there and angry at himself for not recognizing sooner the severity of your burnout and overwhelm. If he had just paid more attention, he never would have left you alone in the first place.

You could argue that you were just good at covering things up, but that wasn’t an excuse for J. He held himself to quite a high standard with you, knowing that someone like you, someone willing to ignore his massive flaws as a person and love him anyway, deserves so much more than the minimum that he could give. Jack knew he wasn’t able to give you a lot of things that he wished he could, but he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to find every other way he could to please you and make sure you were well taken care of. And whenever he failed to keep you happy, as presented to him in moments like these, it tore him apart inside with anger and guilt. Although he’d never tell you this, you could see the swirling emotions behind his eyes which told you all you needed to know. That he truly did love and care about you more than anything else in the world, even if he didn’t always say it.

When you were done speaking, J let out a soft coo. “Sounds like my dove had a rough week. Good thing I know just what ya need.” He pulled away from the hug with a goofy smile, the same one he always put on whenever he was trying to make you feel better.

“What?” You pouted as you wiped your eyes, playing into whatever he was trying to get at.

“A break.”

His serious response quickly turned your pout into a frown. “What? No. I already spent all day doing basically nothing. I have to-”

“Noo, you don’t. You need a break. A real one.” He took your hand and began pulling you over to the bed.

“But-”

“No buts! Except for this cute little tush parking it right here,” he said as he pointed from your butt to the bed.

You stood silently and unmoving. Jack rolled his eyes with a huff and clapped his hands insistently.

“Ahem, get a move on! Or do I, uh…have to make you?”

Knowing there was no way you could possibly win against J’s demands, you slowly climbed onto the mattress. You sat awkwardly with your legs pulled up to your chest and looked up at him through your eyelashes. J kicked off his shoes and removed his vest, tossing them both to the side. He took a glance at you and shook his head, letting out a light-hearted scoff as he loosened the tie around his neck and unbuttoned the collar of his shirt.

“Ya know, if you weren’t so dang cute, you’d be annoying. Now scooch!”

You made room for him as he climbed into bed. Once he was positioned with his back and neck supported by pillows, he turned to look at you.

“Well? What are ya looking at? Get over here,” he said, arms opened wide towards you.

Jack felt the air leave his lungs as you immediately dove into his chest, a breathless chuckle passing through his lips as he wrapped his arms around you and pressed a kiss to your hair.

“Alright, listen up, toots. Ya can’t keep chugging along without proper breaks-”

“You do that,” you muttered into his chest.

“Ah, very funny, sassy pants…Well, you should know better than to compare yourself to me. I’m not exactly what one would call a, uh, “good example”,” he said, smirking slightly at your pouty attitude.

“Now, before I was so rudely interrupted, I was gonna say that ya need to take better care of yourself, doll. That pretty noggin can only take so much at once, you know. Same goes for your body. And if everything is too much and ya can’t handle it, you need to tell me. I don’t like this whole “hiding how you’re doing” schtick ya got going on. So it better stop. Oh, and you’re not a burden. Not to me. So, get that out of your head. Got it?”

You nodded and sniffled into his neck. One of his hands ran up and down your back comfortingly while the other cradled the back of your head.

“Good.” There was a moment of silence before he spoke again, this time much softer and less stern. “Ya know…If you told me sooner, I would’ve come home right away…You know that, right?”

“But there’s nothing you can do. And I didn’t want to interfere with your plans,” you spoke, your voice wavering in a way that made J’s chest hurt.

“Well, that’s where you’re wrong, toots. See, I may not be able to take all your problems away, but I can help where I can. Even if it’s just to make sure you get proper breaks. Or to give ya a good squeeze.” He hugged you tighter in that moment, making you giggle. Jack smiled at this, having missed the sound of your laugh up until this point. He pressed a soft kiss to your temple, leaving a small trace of red paint in its place.

“You’re more important than any of my plans. You come first, doll.” He pulled you away so he could look into your eyes once more and playfully wagged his finger in your face in a reprimanding manner. “So ya better call next time. Capiche?”

“Capiche…”

“Good…Now, uh, where’s my big smooch? I can’t wait forever, ya know.”

This elicited another giggle out of you as you eagerly leaned forward and pressed a fervent kiss to his lips. When you pulled away, you were smiling. Jack grew even softer at the sight.

“I missed you. Thanks for always putting me back together. I love you so much, J.”

Instead of responding with words, Jack showed you exactly how he felt by cupping your cheeks and pulling you into a loving kiss, followed by a bunch of sloppy kisses all over the rest of your face. You laughed, which only egged him on more. He chuckled as he continued until he felt satisfied with his work. When he finished, you had little marks of red and white paint all over your face and a big smile. Jack held your face between his hands and looked at you like he was admiring a piece of art.

“Beautiful,” he murmured. You almost melted into a puddle with how tenderly he was treating you. Heat quickly rose to your cheeks as you suddenly found yourself shy under the ardent gaze of his eyes.

Burying your face into his neck, you snuggled into him as close as you possibly could. He smelled like a mix of gunpowder, smoke, sweat, and gasoline, but you didn’t care. In fact, by now, you found this smell to be comforting —something you always missed whenever he was gone. It was a unique smell that belonged only to your J.  

You relaxed into him, allowing yourself to let go of your worries and stresses for the time being. As long as J was around, you could trust that everything would be alright. Jack would always watch out for you; he’d always keep you safe and do what was best for you. Above all else, he’d be sure to pick up all the pieces of you and stick them right back where they belonged.

As J shushed you softly while gently running his fingers up and down your spine, you surrendered to his will and drifted off to sleep, knowing that he’d have you and your worries sorted out by the time you awoke. Whatever pieces that remained would be handled together. For now, all that mattered was Jack’s slow breaths and steady beating heart as he held you tight in his arms.

No matter how many times you fell apart, he remained the only true fix, for his love was the glue that the broken pieces of your soul so desperately required.

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[richea]

I don't really do this much, but I wrote up some stuff for some Rays skits for friends and figured I'd share them for anyone interested. Think of these as a sort of "unofficial" translation from me. If people like these I might do more in the future (as actually compiling videos for translations and getting them properly edited takes a while)

Mithos' XMA skit with Kratos (excerpt)

Mithos: Say, Kratos. Back in our world, unlike me, did you continue to live on? Kratos: If what Yuan said is true, then yes. In the end, the two of us pushed all burdens of responsibility onto you. However, in this world, you can live alongside me. That is its own form of salvation―and hope. Mithos: Huh? Kratos: What I'm saying is you represent hope to me. Though there were times where I clung to that hope helplessly. While I know that I am unfit to be a guide to anyone, this time, I will guide you down… No, rather, together we will walk down a better path, hand in hand. Mithos: …Hehe. You're really starting to sound a lot like Lloyd, you know that? Kratos: Heh. I suppose so. Mithos: But thank you. That genuinely makes me happy to hear. You really are special to me, Kratos. To tell you the truth, I've gotten pretty tired of living, but hearing you say that makes me want to try living on just a little bit more. So long as the world permits it so, at least.

Walter's XMA skit with Senel (summary)

He and Eleanor are talking on the beach and then he sees Kisara and Senel fishing and starts yelling at them (for defiling the sea, essentially). Eleanor asks why he flew off all of a sudden and he says "Some shady people got in my line of sight". Kisara asks if Walter wants to join them in fishing for dinner and he says "No why would I ever help you". Then Eleanor gets an idea and says "Oh true, don't worry about him, Senel alone is good enough to count for 100 fishers, what a great guy he is :)" and Walter instantly goes "That's it. I'm helping. I'll do it all myself. You may as well go home loser" and then walks off. Senel asks Eleanor why she did that and she said "Norma taught me that if you bring up Senel it'll make Walter do anything but I didn't realize it was THIS effective". The skit is named "Instructions on How to Deal With a Guy Who Hates Losing/Being One-Upped" XD

Senel's XMA skit with Walter (summary)

Walter and Senel are fighting in a forest angrily and Walter's Flame Blade almost hits Shirley (and Leia) who Senel of course protects which ticks Walter off. Then Shirley says she was there to ask if Walter wanted to join them for a tea party to introduce him to all her friends :') He of course says no which prompts Senel to say "well if you refuse it's gonna make Shirley upset and obviously you don't want that to happen right?". Then he tells Walter to apologize to Shirley for almost hurting her and he says "I'm sorry for putting you in danger. …I have something to do so I'll be going on ahead. I'll at least show my face at your tea party."

[bestworstcase]

Oscar/Ozpin telling Jaune to rewrite the story of the Rusted Knight in his mind and to focus on the good times to remind himself what his whole ordeal was for...

Someone's very pushing their own bad habit of rewriting things in their mind to try to make sense of things onto Jaune, even if it's intended to be helpful in this case.

/pensive flat eyed look.

tbh i think it’s less oz saying “rewrite the past in your mind” than it is oz recognizing that the existence of ‘the girl who fell through the world’ as this beloved children’s story Everyone Knows is part of what’s fucking with jaune’s head now—because jaune fell into the ever after with a preconceived notion of who ‘the rusted knight’ is and what’s supposed to happen, and as soon as he recognized Himself as the rusted knight that familiarity turned into essentially a belief in predetermination, that he had to make sure things happened like they did in the story. which of course they didn’t, because the story was never real to begin with.

(there are some very direct parallels to be drawn here with the divine mandate; the corruptive force in ozma’s story is not his love of stories but his belief that what the god of light foretold is inevitable, that there are no other choices but the binary annihilation-or-subjugation. and with ‘fairytales of remnant’ being the way it is, i do think his fairytales are as much about preserving the truth for himself as they are a propagandistic tool—like there’s a reason he wrote the girl in the tower and a reason he put that story back-to-back with the gift of the moon at the end of his anthology, yknow?)

so at this point the story as jaune would tell it is—what he told ruby and weiss in the ever after, castigating himself for not even being able to live up to a make believe hero, fucking up the story so badly that alyx poisoned him. finding out that lewis made it home and wrote the story as he wished it could have happened and having that moment with the memory of alyx in the tree eased the burden a little, but that is still fundamentally how jaune remembers his time in the ever after, as his failure to live up to a make-believe standard.

and i think ozma’s point is that jaune should try to stop focusing on His Failures (measured by the distance between himself and the character of the rusted knight) by thinking about what really happened, how and why these kids became so important to him, before everything went wrong. what was it all for? jaune didn’t care so much because the rusted knight was supposed to be kind and helpful; he cared because he’s a caring person and he tried his hardest to help them get home safely.

’cause if jaune can shift his perspective on the beginning, then freeing himself from the burden of the Idea of the rusted knight, the Idea that ‘the girl who fell through the world’ was how things were Meant to go (and he messed it up) becomes not just easier but possible at all.

i think it’s telling that one of the things he remembers is lewis promising to write the story to help jaune—he’d long forgotten that by the time the girls found him, but imagine how remembering it now will change his perspective on ‘the girl who fell through the world’. the discrepancies aren’t because jaune failed; lewis isn’t in the story because lewis made it home, and wrote the book in the hope of guiding alyx and jaune home too. the rusted knight is characterized the way he is in the book because that is who jaune really was to lewis; jaune spent decades beating himself up for not living up to someone else’s perception of him. and now he can revisit the story through the lens of this being How Lewis Saw Him, not real but true.

[fluffysucker]

Fine Line

Bucky Barnes x Reader (Mob Au)

' We'll be a fine line. We'll be alright.'

A/N: I'm so sorry for the long delay. I have been having the busiest of days but I finally have some time off which I'm hoping can get me to write more. Anyway so thank you so much for being so nice.

This is supposed to be the last chapter but I got carried away and hopefully the last one will be out soon.

Likes, comments, reblogs are VERY VERY highly appreciated. Opinions really matter to me

TW: Violence. Threats. Cursing. LMK if I forgot something,

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist.

It was war, and you knew it. All of you did. But it was inevitable. There was no escape or an easy way out. One had to go down once and for all. You wished it would be them, but you could only pray they didn't drag you along.

A bit of time had passed. You were still staying with Bucky. Whenever you brought up leaving or finding somewhere else, he immediately turned the idea down. He never got bored of reminding you that he couldn't let you go, and it was his fight as well. He's got you now.

And he did. He took good care of you. You were well-nourished and fully rested. You didn't lift a finger. The maid and housekeepers were very happy to have you back. They didn't need Bucky to swear them to secrecy. They could tell that nobody should know you were with Bucky, and despite not being part of the mob, they understood why. And they didn't want to be the ones to compromise your safety. They liked you too much.

Along with the food and sleep, Bruce stopped by every couple of days to check on you and change the bandages on your wounds and stitches. He also kept giving you medications, which helped greatly with your recovery.

Since you got married to Rumlow, this was the longest you felt physically fine. And emotionally as well. Having Bucky within arms reach and getting to keep his company once again has been doing miracles for your mental health. You felt almost pathetic at how much you were genuinely feeling better.

The way Bucky treated you was a surprise. You expected some sort of resentment or bitterness, or at the very least, awkwardness. He tried to stop you from getting deeper into the darkness, and you didn't listen, thinking you were protecting him. Yet here you were. Dragging him further into a mess he never signed up for, seeking his protection

But all you saw were adoration in his eyes, kindness in his words, tenderness in his touch, and delicacy in his actions. It was a pleasant surprise.

You never talked about your current situation or even your history. But the love that connected the both of you was undeniable. He may not have said the words again, but Bucky's behaviour spoke louder than any words. The fact that he was risking it all for you showed his true feelings for you, which never died. The feelings that you deeply reciprocated

You couldn't help but feel a heavy feeling in your heart at how you turned his life upside down. One phone call in the middle of the night put this burden on his shoulders. No matter how much he said it was okay, you couldn't help but feel like you were an obstacle he needed to overcome.

However, he never once made you feel like you were trouble. On the contrary, Bucky provided soft, sweet feelings that you could swear you forgot they existed. It was the ease of hanging out with him. The peacefulness of his company. The compassion in his actions. The great care he put into everything for you. The comfort of falling asleep, held by arms that could never hurt you. A silent tradition the two of you developed that made sharing a bed the rule, not the exception. It wasn't shocking when your demons haunted you fearlessly at night or how your nightmares counted the seconds until attacking you in the deep darkness of the night. It wasn't unexpected or new for this to happen. However, this time, you had a knight in shining armor. Your own knight in shining armor A man your heart loved so much that your nightmares couldn't win.

You didn't need to ask. After finishing his nighttime routine, Bucky would join you in your room, getting in bed with you. You thought he was doing this out of the goodness of his heart after your breakdown on the third day here. Your terrified screams and wailing sobs had rung through the floor you shared. It was all catching up to you. The pain. The hurt. The betrayal. The fear. You were finally letting yourself feel it all. And it wasn't just the murder intention in cold blood. It was unfairness that had been your life for so long now. All the strain you had to endure. All the emotions you bottled in.

You were weeping and close to hyperventilating. Only once did you feel Bucky's arms around you were you consoled, pulling you into his lap and rubbing his hand all over your back and thighs while trying to get you to breathe slowly. Even after catching your breath, his gentle voice didn't stop whispering soothing things into your ears. You knew you should have moved once your sobs were reduced to sniffles, but you didn't find it in yourself to do so. You could only wrap yourself more tightly around him, gripping his shirt firmly in your fists. His voice and touch were grounding you, keeping you afloat away from the pain.

After that, Bucky didn't need you to vocalize it. He understood. So he came to you every night. It didn't make the terror stop. You had so much unpacked to just go away. But every time your mind betrayed you and was to throw you into panic, your tensed body would instantly relax against Bucky's strong hold, who pulled you closer to him once he felt the tension in your body. It was like he knew how to calm you down immediately. And he did. He was your safe place. Your fortified castle.

You were extremely thankful, thinking he was doing another good deed for you. The truth is, it was never just for you. Bucky felt a sense of stability and security having you in his arms, so close to him. He wanted to feel you beside him. He needed to know that he was the one taking care of you. He needed to be sure you were okay. Two years of radio silence between the two of you, then finding out what you had to go through, did this to him.

It would have been easy to let yourself get tricked by the restful atmosphere Bucky created, but you knew better. This wasn't a vacation. This was the quiet before the storm. And you knew Bucky was working on something. But he tried his hardest to keep his promise to keep you away from all this mess. Whenever you asked, he didn't give you answers. You told him you had to know at some point. Despite how much he hated it, he knew you were right.

So you embraced yourself when one of the housemaids told you that Bucky was waiting for you in his office. Pulling all your strength to knock on his door. A breath of relief escaped you once Bucky's voice reached your ear. If Bucky was there, you would be fine. That is the only thing you were so sure of.

Bucky got up from his seat after you entered the office, preferring to stay close to you as long as you were here. A smile made its way to your face when you noticed Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson sitting on the chairs in front of Bucky's desk. Being Bucky's most trusted men and his long-term bestfriends, you were familiar with them. Years ago in your dating days, when Bucky first introduced you to them—if you can call catching you cuddling on the coach with face masks and your hair in towels and watching rom-coms an introduction—you were waiting for the rudeness and unacceptance. But it never came. Instead, you got a family. Both men were so welcoming, treating you like a sister. Like you were one of them. So you were happy to see them again, feeling even more secure now.

Bucky led you to the coach, where he sat next to you. Then they started talking. Telling you everything. And you listened. They gave you all the information they were able to find, hoping you could help them connect the dots and figure out your father and husband's plan. And you didn't hesitate to offer all you knew.

It went on for days. Bucky would call you into his office every now and then. You would have long conversations, and they would ask you even general questions, trying to form a better idea out what was happening. Until Rumlow and Pierce pulled a card that exposed their whole game to Bucky. 

So when Bucky called you in this day, you couldn't hide your unease once you took in all the new people joining in. Bucky's hand never left yours, a sign that he was right here. He tried to delay this meeting as much as he could, refusing to risk your safety, even if he trusted every single person in this room. But it couldn't wait anymore. They need to move fast.

You didn't speak a word as Bucky explained everything to you. Listening and taking everything in. Everything makes so much sense now. You had been the pawn for far longer than you knew. You were played for a fool. A mixture of anger and sadness ran through your veins, making you agree to Bucky's plan right away. He reassured you that you could turn it down and they would figure something else out, but you didn't. You wanted this to be over.

You were declared dead.

It was a weird feeling. On paper, you were gone. In their minds, they had won. However, they were about to be proven wrong. It's the day you've been waiting for yet somehow dreaded the most.

Bucky kept you by his side all morning for both of your sakes. Both of you are praying for the same outcome. The only outcome you can accept You and Bucky stayed together until the last minute possible. Until you had to move.

Everyone was in position. Most of Bucky's men were out of the house or well hidden, so it would look normal. Only Bucky, Steve, Sam, and Natasha were in the house. and, just like expected, at night. Loud footsteps and angry groans were echoing around the house.

Breaking into the house, a very furious Alexander Pierce and out of his mind Brock Rumlow, along with dozens of their men, walked into the house like they owned it.

"BARNES." Rumlow shouted, looking for the man he hated the most.

Keeping his confident, cold composure, Bucky walked out of his office, followed by Steve, Sam, and Natasha.

"That's not a nice way to visit someone." Bucky came to a stop in front of them.

"I'm going to kill you." Brock moved to attack Bucky, only to be stopped by Pierce's hand on his chest.

"How long have you been planning for this?" Despite his calm voice, Pierce was fuming.

"I wasn't planning for anything." This was going to be a long conversation, and Bucky wanted them to be the ones talking the most.

"Cut the bullshit, Barnes." Rumlow tried to move towards Bucky again but was stopped by Pierce again.

"I don't know what you want." Bucky was holding his ground, sticking to the plan.

"You robbed us." Rumlow shouted, anger coating his voice.

"I don't think so." Bucky enjoyed watching the two men lose their minds.

"DROP THE ACT, BARNES." Pierce's voice rang in the house, making all eyes turn to him. Not a single noise other than the unsteady breathing.

"I have been waiting my whole life for this moment. The moment I get back what I deserve. What had always been mine. So I will be damned if I let you play me like this." Pierce moved forward to stand closer, finally digging into the real issue.

"You mean what was hers all the time?"

"It was never hers. She was nothing and deserved nothing. This is my whole life's work. She shouldn't have gotten anything from it."

"Yet her mother left her everything."

"It was a mistake. My wife's only and last mistake A mistake I have been trying to change for so long now."

The piece of information came as a shock to everybody. Alexander Pierce loved his wife so much. They were young lovers. A young, ambitious man who was willing to do anything to get his father-in-law's permission to marry his daughter. Even going so far as to put everything he owned in her name. And he did. And he never changed it. The bigger his empire became, the more his wife had under her name. He loved her enough to trust her.

His wife did love him dearly, but she loved you more. It didn't take Pierce long into the marriage to show his true colors. He was never violent with her or you. However, your mother didn't trust him with you if something were to happen to her. It was distasteful to try and protect your daughter from her own father. But she did.

When Pierce found out his wife left everything he worked so hard to achieve for you, he was raging. It didn't help that he was grieving her and their love as well. His emotions were on high drive. So he channelled them all into hating you and getting back what was his. And all you were told was that your mother left you nothing.

"And marrying her off to Rumlow was going to solve it."

"I had to do something before you would get her to run away with you."

"It has always been about the money for you, hasn't it?"

"Of course it is. Not only did I never want a daughter in the first place, but I got a weak, pathetic excuse for a daughter who could never keep my legacy. My biggest failure in life"

"A stupid bitch who handed you all my wealth"

"I should have listened to him when he said to kill her years ago."

It's infuriating to hear someone talk about you like this when you were nothing but the best. but that was their plan all along. They wanted you out of the picture as quickly as possible so they could have the money. Which is why they had their riot men in the police station to hurry your death announcement. They reported you missing a week ago, and that move exposed everything. Since when do they include the police in their work? However, the fastest way to get your money was a document confirming your passing.

But Bucky was smarter than them. He had you transfer everything to his name before the announcement, making sure to keep the dates unseen on the legal form. And you had no problem doing so. If you trusted Bucky with your life, weren't you going to trust him with money you never knew you had in the first place?

"I just want to know when. When did you get her to sign off on everything for you? I had eyes on her all the time. And she is too dumb and blind to plan something like this on her own." It was Rumlow's turn to ask questions now.

"So, how did you do, Barnes? When did you get our money?"

And that's your sign.

"When you left me to die,"

Your voice echoed through the house as you stepped out of Bucky's office, all eyes turning to you.

"When I found out you wanted me dead my whole life." You came to stop right next to Bucky, in front of your father and husband. Bucky's hand was itching to hold yours, but he knew it wasn't the right call.

"You are supposed to be dead." Rumlow couldn't hide his surprise and shock at seeing you standing in front of him, looking healthier than ever. You were glad Josh wasn't here among the others because you didn't want to put him in a hard spot. He saved your life, and that is not how you repay him.

"Miracles happen. Just like how I survived all your attempts to kill me." Your voice was strong. Stronger than you ever used with either man.

It's important for them to know that you are still alive and well. That their plan failed beyond what they ever thought. That you were finally making your own decisions. Despite how much Bucky hated it, he knew it had to be done.

"And how did he get it? I willingly gave him everything. Because it's my money, and I get to decide what to do with it. Like Mom trusted me with it, I trust him." You were talking to both men.

"I get to make my own decisions, despite how much you like to think you can control me. You can't." You knew you were pushing your luck, but it was now or never.

"You, bitch." Rumlow marched towards you, trying to reach you.

But Bucky was quicker, pushing you behind him, standing tall in Rumlow's face, daring him to come close, daring him to think about touching you.

"Natasha, please take her to her room." Bucky's voice got colder as he called for his friend.

You went with Natasha as planned, putting all your efforts into not squeezing Bucky's hand before going upstairs.

"Oh, she has a room now." Rumlow's remark was sarcastic but so angry.

"Always had. Always will have." There was no point in hiding it anymore. They already knew. It was now time to see how much you really meant to him.

"What exactly are you expecting to happen now, Barnes? We are going to walk out and accept defeat. You aren't that stupid." Pierce said angrily. The sight of you alive and breathing was aggravating.

"Actually, that's exactly what you will do if you want to walk out of here alive." There was no way they were walking out of here alive, but Bucky liked to play.

"Oh, we are walking out of here alive. You are the one who will never see the sun again. And let me tell you how I waited for this moment.."Rumlow's didn't affect Bucky's in the slightest.

"KILL THEM ALL."

Rumlow's command to his men was loud enough for everybody to hear. But none moved.

"Did you all go deaf? I said, Kill them all." Rumlow repeated his order.

"What do you want us to do, boss?" One of the men asked

"We said kill them." Pierce shouted as he and Rumlow turned to look at their disobedient men.

"Boss?"

"Take them outside. The rest of the men will tell you where to take them."

Pierce and Rumlow's heads almost flew off their bodies with how fast they swung to look at Bucky, who was smirking. It was the moment he was waiting for.

"What? Surprised?. Of course, your men aren't loyal to you. You aren't the least bit decent to deserve anyone's loyalty."

"Unlike you, they are smart men who knew how to pick the right side.

"You, on the other hand, are not so smart."

"You should have never walked in here. You should have never shown your faces."

Bucky moved to stand right in their faces, enjoying every bit of this. Especially seeing the two men crumble under him.

"You should have never let your ego make you think you could win. Think that you even had a chance."

"I'm going to make you regret everything. I'm going to make you pay for everything." Bucky was stressing over every word leaving his mouth, his cold stare like daggers.

His next words were more for Brock Rumlow.

"Especially messing with my girl."

"For every time you made her cry, I'm going to hurt you worse. For every time you laid a hand on her or touched a strand of her hair, I'm going to tear you apart. For every scar on her body, I'm going to burn you alive. For every time you hurt her, knowing she is my girl, I'm going to make you wish that I would just kill you."

"I'm going to make you pray for death but never get it."

"TAKE THEM"

Bucky's demand rang through space, and quickly, the men surrounded Pierce and Rumlow, outnumbering them and dragging them outside the mansion with both men's protests and failed attempts to escape. It was all in vain. They lost. They fell, and they shall never arise again.

Steve and Sam followed the men out, making sure Pierce and Rumlow were taken care of until Bucky had the right time for them. They patted Bucky's shoulder before leaving, happy that it all worked out as planned, knowing how much this meant to him.

There was only one thing left.

Taglist: @ozwriterchick @vicmc624 @pattiemac1 @kandis-mom @dexter99

[angelsdean]

john saying he's known abt sam and the other special children for "awhile" in 2x01

and the demon calling him out saying he's been "playing dumb" like uhh, how he got mad at dean for not calling him (they did) to tell him that all this psychic stuff was happening with sam when john was literally at missouri's house when they were visiting and she directly told john abt sam's abilities.

but also, he's definitely known for much longer imo, and if you take the john journal companion book as canon / semi-canon then it definitely supports the idea that john Knew to some extent about sam's abilities:

these are just two passages from '91 but there are others about how demons are after sam, how sam is special. and if john was hearing this stuff abt sam in '91, there's no way he didn't start digging into things more over the years.

other people have spoken abt headcanons that john was even hunting other special children over the years. which brings me to the crunchy, tastey, AU that i've been rotating around in my mind this morning where john's not only been hunting the thing that killed mary all these years, but also been busy unraveling the sam-psychic-children plot by hunting, kidnapping, and studying other Special Children.

In this AU john isn't as incompetent as he is in canon lmao. In the 20+ years since mary's death he's discovered a whole lot, including his Men of Letters roots. In fact, he discovered the bunker and that's been his "home base" and Special Children Experimentation Lab for years. He's been studying all sorts of things. Watching footage of old MoL experiments. He connected the dots: mothers died in fires at 6 months, kids grew up to develop psychic abilities. He knows the same fate is waiting for sam and john thinks he can fix sam. He has to! That's his son. He won't let his son become some kind of supernatural thing, some kind of monster. In true john fashion he justifies all his actions as an act of love. He's trying to protect sam. Because demons are after these special children. Because these children have been corrupted. He's helping them, actually.

So john conducts experiments to try to draw out the demon blood, to purify them. Similar to how sam later tries to turn crowley human and also forcefully purifies demon dean. It's a very juicy parallel. And it draws on how sam and john hold many similar black-and-white views abt good and bad + what makes someone a monster, and how sam internalized a lot of these ideas re: becoming a monster and how the demon blood led to an obsession with "becoming pure."

John spends more and more time away from the boys, spends so much time tracking down these special children and studying them. Why does his revenge quest take over 20 yrs? Why does it seem like he's nowhere near close to tracking down Azazel until s1 rolls around? Because he's been spending so many years on this subplot. Because in his mind this is him being a good father, this is him looking out for his kids, particularly sam. He's doing all this for sam.

But then, John's never able to find a cure. And then he catches Azazel's trail again and he's off on that hunt. He "goes missing." Sam starts developing psychic powers, just as john always feared. John's aware of all this happening but still projects onto dean, still blames dean for not informing him of something he's known abt for years at this point. John's terrified because he's failed. He hasn't been able to save sam, and now sam might turn into a monster. He might go "dark side" and john can't let that happen. But he also can't kill him. He doesn't have the guts, so he puts that burden on Dean. And he trades his life for Dean's to ensure that someone will be there to carry out John's mission. Either find a way to save Sam, or kill the monster he becomes.

Edit to add two more excerpts from John's journal:

in the canon that includes this journal, john definitely was aware to some extent of sam being Special (or other people insisting he is) and he has been keeping an eye out for any strangeness manifesting in sam and worrying about sam's strange dreams and his bottled up emotions becoming dangerous

[mechaknight-98]

Gathering Part II: Primal Empathy

Warning: there's going to be quite a bit of mtg nerd in this section along with some heavy topics.

I "Hey Tj, why haven't you played this deck?" Yujin asked me as I worked on cataloging things for the collector.

"That's Volrath… I don't think you all would like playing against it," I replied.

"Why not?" Yujin asked, looking confused.

"Well, simply put, this is my deck. So originally, it was an ooze kindred deck, but as I put more time into the deck, it changed and evolved into something else. It kinda became a part of me, and for better or for worse, it is the deck that is most reflective of me. I don't think others should be exposed to that, especially since it's not always the best to be around. Needless to say, it is no longer that pauper deck it once was," I explained to Yujin.

"Okay. Well, I want to see it, so bring it to the next game night. I want to see you as you see yourself," Yujin said, determined.

I laughed before countering, "You're a little minx, you know that?"

"Yeah, but you like me like this," Yujin replied playfully. "Wait, I thought you didn't have a 'signature deck'? I know you said that to everyone when we first played."

"Oh no, it's not my signature deck. This is a manifestation of all I am as a player. It has all my pet cards, all my favorite effects, and all my best and worst quirks and ticks as a deck builder, which makes the deck extremely true to me," I responded.

"I'd call that a signature deck," Yujin corrected me.

"I wouldn't, but only because in my mind for something to be 'signature', you have to sign off on it, and I refuse to sign off on that deck," I said.

"Ominous," Yujin teased.

"Yeah… Sorry about that. Got a little in my head there. It's just been tough, you know, the whole thing with Astrid has got me out of sorts," I rationalized.

"Really? What happened?" Yujin asked, sounding concerned.

"She'll tell you that it was how I dealt with her mom, but this is about her new girlfriend," I answered.

"Didn't you tell her to try dating again? Are you mad it's not a guy?" Yujin asked, hesitantly.

"No, despite my Christian upbringing, I don't care about her choice. Well, I do… Her partner is bad news," I responded, honestly.

"Oh? Why do you think so?" Yujin asked, surprised.

"She uses her intelligence to lord over others in a subtle way that many don't realize what's going on," I explained.

"How so?" Yujin asked, curious.

"She thinks you are inferior to her because we are dating because she thinks I am immature. So when she said, 'Oh, you're dating him, that's understandable,' in a tone that reads, 'You could be doing better,' I felt belittled," I quantified.

"But you have said I can do better numerous times," Yujin pointed out.

"True, but that's all in fun. You like to tease, so I am trying to match your energy," I explained.

"Oh really? So what do you think?" Yujin interrogated.

Not falling for her trap, I gave her the honest answer that wouldn't show too much of my anxieties or self, "I think you are one of the most spectacular girls I know. Also, I am lucky to have been smitten with you and you with me. Lastly, your sincerity makes me want to be more refined in who I am and match that."

"Oh, you're such a charmer, also weirdly flexible," Yujin teased.

"How so?" I inquired, intrigued.

Yujin hesitated as she thought of a clear way to say what was on her mind. "You always seem so burdened to keep the peace that you shift yourself to do so, whether it's edh or socially. I don't think you've ever intentionally overstepped your bounds."

"Well yeah, obviously not. Why would I?" I asked, confused.

"Because we need to create space to be who we are!" Yujin asserted, almost yelling.

"Oh, right," I said.

Yujin smiled, then leaned in closer. "So tell me. Who are you behind the mask?"

"You'll have to stay tuned to find that answer," I responded before kissing her. She blushed before smiling and kissing me back.

A couple of days later it's game night and I am on my getting ready. when I leave my apartment and before I can space sift over to Yujin's I am accosted by my ex-partner.

"Well if it isn't Agent Muraganda. I am surprised to see you so far out this way." I groan

"Agent Kylem. I knew I should have killed you instead of listening to Artio." I lament

"Still to the point. Good that will make this easier." Kylem praises

"Enough small talk I gotta be somewhere soon." I sigh

"Oh, you think you can take me?" Kylem Inquires

"You have been out of the game for a while so you may not be aware of where I am at," I say

Kylem smiled then summoned his dual swords, "So confident! Let's see if it's well-founded." he taunted.

I get in a fighting stance ready to face him. He runs to me with a wild lunge. I dodge and kick him in the chest as he rolls behind me. I summon a smile rifle to keep him at a distance. He smiles and slashes through my bullets while avoiding the ones he can't cut. He kept running and when he got close I had to block with the rifle. he attempted a lucky slash which I blocked and parried with the rifle bayonett. Kylem slid back. He smiled maliciously.

"You know I always thought your guns were so cool. how you could kill at range but then I realized you are a weakling." as Kylem spoke he got a lucky shot and stabbed through my face…from then on the mask fell off and he was a dead man. an intense green ichor mixed with red blood drips from my face as my aura tries to repair the damage. I remove my hand and look to Kylem who can only look in terror.

"I will eradicate you." I yell Kylem looks at me terrified as I grab him and space-sift him to a place where I can "stretch out." my aura opens up and one head pops out of it and becomes one of the Lami-Orochi the unyielding's heads. Kylem looks in terror.

"Let me beat you with your toys," I say as menace drips from my tone and I point to Kylem. Copies of his weapons begin to fly at him from every direction, and to his credit, he manages quite well, for thirty seconds, until I send more, then some more, and more. I watch as his body becomes a pin cushion for copies of his blades. I snap to stop the blades and approach the bloodied brawler. "I told you what would happen if we fought again."

"What happened to you?" Kylem asked gurgling his last few words.

"You of all people should know. I got hungry and bored and "ate" my way to more power." I said before stomping the last lights out of his eyes.

when I was done I space-sifted back home to get clean, then I called Artio and said "I cleaned up your "mess". It's in Death Valley. you know the "proper dumping spot"

Artio responded, "Theodore what did you do to Kylem?"

"I fulfilled the promise I made the last time we fought. You honestly should be thanking me he can't hurt anyone anymore." I tease

"We will talk about this later!" Artio commands

"Um no we won't it was self-defense and I don't work for BRIPE anymore. This was just a courtesy call." I say calmly

"What's gotten into you?" Artio questions

"I don't know my ex-best friend who tried to kill me just tried to kill me again," I argue

"Point taken, but we do need to talk. Not as boss and employee but as friends."Artio concedes

"Every time I have needed a Friend the only one I could count on was me…and I guess Yujin now…huh that's a weird emotion I am feeling," I say as I process everything that has gone on today. I hang up on Artio before heading to Yujin's I see Volrath The Shapestealer sitting on the shelf, and I consider leaving it, but then I remember her words from the other day and stow it just in case.

I arrive outside the dorm still somehow earlier than everyone else. Wonyoung and Gaeul are still here along with Yujin and Rei. Yujin in an admirable attempt to bridge the gap has me sit with Gaeul and Wonyoung. They are still wary of me despite my withdrawal From BRIPE, but hey what can you do? Seeing Yujin's worried look I realize something. there is no point in attempting to appeal to Wonyoung and Gaeul. I should only appeal to the person I care about here.

"Yah Yujin-ah your sisters are giving me dirty looks," I say as I walk to her. she looks at me shocked

"What are you doing?" Yujin whispers.

"What I came here for. To hang out with the best 4th gen idol ever." I said loudly

Rei interjected "Me."

I turn to Rei and tease, "Sadly no but you are exceptionally talented and I will support you. I came to hang out with Yujin. The Ace of Aces. The all-around all-rounder." I turn back to Yujin who blushes. Gaeul and Wonyoung follow into the kitchen.

"Oh don't act to be all lovey-dovey with us." Wonyoung challenges.

I scoff at Wonyoung.

"Act??? This is not an act. This woman is Mucho Caliente, she is a star whom I am lucky to have interested in me. All the love I have for her is not an Act. I scoff at your insistence it is."

Gaeul looks at me and begins to laugh. then quickly recomposes herself, but it is too late my silliness got her, Now for Wonyoung.

"if this isn't an act then why are you so tense with us."

I had to be careful in my response. I had to be witty and not overbearing. so I went for it.

"Well isn't obvious? I am surrounded by some of the hottest young ladies I have ever seen, and so I stumble…I am excluding Leeseo from that she is firmly in the cute category for obvious reasons." Leeseo who happened to be walking by looked at me sad and then confused before laughing at me.

Wonyoung was still unconvinced, "Oh really big scary BRIPE agent is afraid of pretty girls?"

"Yes 100 percent no hesitation, now it gets easier each day, minus the urge to talk someone's ear off about my special interest but hey, that is neither he nor there," I respond to Wonyoung's challenge.

Wonyoung's eyes narrow, "You expect me to believe that talking to women is harder than fighting monsters?" Wonyoung questioned

"Definitely. Fighting monsters is easy just roar and hit them harder than they hit you." talking to y'all is hard, there are all these unsaid rules and etiquette things I have to follow it's exhausting." I answered

"So how are you being so eloquent now?" Wonyoung rebuked

"Because I am treating you all as monsters or villains, and this is battle banter. I mean everyone here is a demi-human minus me a psionic so I figure why not." I rebutted

Wonyoung erupted into a laughter fit hearing that it was so intense that she began snorting, and that's how I knew I got her.

"You're so dumb." she teased

"Nun-uh," I said and Wonyoung began bursting into laughter again. I found her energy and I matched it.

Wonyoung's laughter subsided, "I still don't trust you."

"I don't care besides I got you. We're friends now." I counter

"You seem confident." Wonyoung asserts

"Well yeah, I got you to laugh. that's my win condition, in social spaces." I retort

"what?" Wonyoung asks

"Well that's what this is right a game, and games have winners and losers, I learned that my best strategy is to get to people by either being the most bombastic and memorable person I can or getting them to laugh. Yours Yujin is the overwhelming charm. you charm people with your grace and wit so everyone has no choice but to like you. Wonyoung's is delicateness and nobility. My only proof of this is how many people call your princess all the time. Gaeul's is her grace and poise. she is regal and dignified in her presentation so she garners positive attention. this all manifests to win cons. or to put it simply the acknowledgment of your social skill working. for me that's laughs. If I can get you to Laugh we're friends. Unless I don't want to be." I elucidate

Wonyoung looks at me stunned, before saying "Well played then Paladin."

"Oh, I like that Princess wony. You're going to have to keep that one." I say to Wonyoung who blushes and laughs some more. I move closer to Yujin who is all smiles at this point. "I think we are good to go right?" I ask Yujin. she nods.

"Well then (I clap my hands) Onwards to Yunjin's for game night," I say enthusiastically. Yujin and the rest of her present group members laughed some more.

On our way out Wonyoung corners me and says, “Since you are Yujin's boyfriend and you're not backing down can I ask a favor?”

“Sure,” I say

“Keep her safe,” Wonyoung responds

“As long as she lets me I will,” I reply

“Spoken like a true paladin.” Wonyoung teases

“Requested like a true Princess,” I say

“Okay, Pally now go on help Wonyoung beat Yujin, Connor, Sakura, and Siyeon.” Wonyoung edicts

“Ya know what I will,” I affirm

after that Yujin and I begin the trek to Yunjin's. while on the way Yujin says "So I have bad news Tj."

"What is it?" I ask hesitantly

"My label says we can't date." She says

"I figured that but we are not dating I am courting you; there's a difference." I correct

"My label doesn't see it that way," Yujin says

"So what does that mean?" I ask

"Well, We have to cut this off." Yujin states

"Ahn Yujin I swear on all that is bizarre and unexplainable…"I start but realize something halfway through," You know what I will humor you."

"Oh really and why is that?" Yujin questions suspicous

"Because you have stolen my heart and I want you to be happy and I think you are in the same boat. I don't think you can do it." I assert

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yujin asks

"Well I think you are as in love with me as I am with you, and it leads me to believe that I don't think you can cut me off. Also, I think your label may be preparing one of the girls for a dating scandal but that's irrelevant." I postulate

"Oh really Mr. Know it all and why do you assume that?" Yujin questions

"Just a hunch, but yeah I will humor you. So how does this change things between us." I ask

"No hanging out alone one on," Yujin says

"We barely did that?" I reply

"No PDA." Yujin states

"Again that's something that seldom happens," I reply again

"No…" Yujin starts

Tiring of this game I decided to predict her next statement"Ooh Ooh let me guess, no intimacy whatsoever."

"How did you?" Yujin starts

"I've read your company's dating policy because I realized this would be an issue. So I began courting you instead." I explain

We arrive at Yunjin's not long after. Connor opens the door and greets us.

"Oh good it's Theo and Yujin. I can't wait to play against your Sultai pirates deck Theo." Dexter says as we walk in. Eunbi smacks his neck

"I know you're excited but greet them properly." Eunbi scolds

"Hi guys ( I turn to Eunbi.) Once a leader always a leader huh?" I say pleasantly as Yujin also greets everyone.

Eunbi blushes.

"How is my favorite interracial couple," Yunjin says as she walks into the dorm's living room.

"Oh us we aren't a couple anymore," I say teasing Yujin who hits me.

"Ah Whae?" Yunjin quesitons

"OH, what happened," Connor asks.

"My company found out about us and told us to break it off," Yujin says as I gesture to her.

"Jinja" Eunbi says shocked Yujin nods Dexter being the blunt one says

"But wait you two came here." I nod and then respond to something he said earlier

"Oh before I forget I am sorry Dexter there will be no Sultai Pirates today. It will be Sultai Toolbox instead."

"Sultai toolbox?" Yunjin asks

"Sultai toolbox," I affirm

"Who's the commander?" Siyeon asks

"Oh, Volrath the Shapestealer," I answer

"How does it work?" Sakura asks as the sometimes fellow Sultai player.

"You'll see," I say as we all sit down.

In tonight's game knight is headed dragon. All the "Couples" were paired off. So the pairs were; Yunjin, Connor, Dexter, Eunbi, Sakura Siyeon, Yujin, and me. We all sit down and reveal commanders. Connor looks at mine and reads it "Huh I haven't seen it in a while."

"yeah I don't like bringing it out but I can't bring myself to dismantle it," I explain

"Okay, how strong is it?" Dexter asks

"About as strong as your Omnath locus of the roil deck." I clarify Dexter nods and this causes everyone to bring out their "Signature decks. Yunjin and Connor won the roll-off

"Ah Tj-ah you can go first I wanna see how good Volrath is," Yunjin said. Connor looks at her before saying

"No you know how he builds and he says this deck is as strong as Dex's omnath deck." Connor tries to

"It will be fine. we can afford to lose a game. besides we can do what we always have done and gang up on them." Yunjin replies. her smug, and confident look wears down Connor. Typically the competitor in me would be all about wiping the smirk off her face but I am trying not to give into the other part of me I can feel waking up We unfurl our playmats and Yujin sees mine.

"What Happened?" she said I looked down and saw it was my Fromis_9 Playmat.

"I have played with this loads of times," I say to Yujin. She pouts and says

"BUT I like your IVE one. Where is that one?"

"I had to wash it. it was covered in dust." I explain. Yujin scowls, and pouts

"You sure you two are cutting it off," Yunjin interjects.

I shrug which makes everyone laugh. I open the deck box and set Volrath the Shapestealer down with his deck box close by. I take it out and set it down I begin to sit up and a familiar silence begins to overtake me. Siyeon sees it and comments on it. "Tj-ah are you alright?" I look at her and I see apprehension in her eyes. I blink as I try to mask the hostility that is arising within me.

"Yeah, I am feeling great why?"I lie

"Your eyes are glowing with your aura," Sakura responds

I nod and say "Yeah my powers activate when I am in tune with myself and this deck is the most I have been "in tune with myself" I explain. Yunjin smiles and says

"that's so cool."

"I assure you it's not as cool as you think," I say saddened to Yunjin

"Ooh Ominous" Eunbi teases, and I smile seeing where Yujin gets her 4D personality from.

our first turn goes by fast as I play Barkchannel Pathway into Sol Ring, into Arcane Signet into Sol talisman. I probably should have done Mystic Remora which was also in my hand but I know one of the other blue players probably would have countered that. so I let them have their moment to breathe as they all played their various turn-one plays.

I begin to see the gears in Connor's head turning as he faces Yujin. he gestures to my board and says "That's a turn two commander". as he plays commander turn one. as does Yujin

"Okay, so I am the problem when you both have two powerhouse commanders out turn one?" Yujin nods and says to her boyfriend

"He's right because we know Kkura Siyeon, Eunbi, and Dex are going to start explosive."

"But it's Theo we have all seen how he plays. We are being tricked." Connor pleads.

"I assure you There is no deception going on," I say

"Oh, really you just expect us to trust the Sultai player and the Jund player." Kkura teases

Yujin and I shrug at the same time which causes a riot at the table.

"Seriously you two are perfect for each other." Yunjin says in between laughs." Kkura nods in affirmation. after that Siyeon and Sakura go with draw engines for their turn ones. Sylvan Library for Sakura (She was Playing Tymna Hana I believe) and Siyeon was playing Evelyn the covetous. so her turn was a rhystic study turn one.

"Hey, Kkura or Connor how is Giselle? I haven't seen her in a while."

"Oh, she is dating this new girl Erin…I think is her name. she's a vampire like Yujin and Aeri." Connor says.

"OH, what type?" Yujin asks brightly

"Nightstar. if I remember correctly."

"Cool it will be awesome to have another Vamp to hang out with."

I give Connor a thanks and a thumbs up while also noticing the wince in his voice describing Erin which makes me believe she may be less than friendly but hey anything is better than HER. I think to myself. I watch as Dex plays more disciplined magic and doesn't feed Rhsytic study except to kill it with a clutch turn one nature's claim. Eunbi on the other hand explodes her hand all over the battlefield dropping artifact and ending it all with an Esper Sentinel. "Ah, Noona what did I say about feeding Rhystic study." Eunbi turns to Dexter and sighs as she remebers.

"Play under it because it is an incredibly powerful spell," Eunbi says.

"Yeah but why couldn't you just wait till I cast Claim before casting all your stuff."

"Well I got excited I finally got turn one sol ring and a fellwar stone," Eunbi says elatedly. Dexter relents in his frustration and nestles closer into the tiny woman. I smile at their relationship. My hostility is replaced by a firm sense of longing for something similar to what the Inuit/Russian young man and the Korean young woman have. It sent a pain in my chest that was painful but not unpleasant just dull.

"Tj-ah you're crying," Yujin says bringing me back to reality.

"Oh sorry Eunbi and Dexter are just so cute together," I say as I wipe my eyes.

"Oh don't be such a softy." Yujin teases

"Why not you love that about me." I retort

"Yeah, but I can't love you right now so stop it," Yujin says and we share a laugh as does the rest of the table. it gets back to Yujin and I turn and she begins with Birds of Paradise and another flyer with Death touch that I couldn't remember the name of. I play a Zagoth triome, honored Hierarch, and a mystic remora, and the rest of the table looks at me with confusion. This begins the arms race between Sakura and Siyeon, versus Connor and Yunjin. Yunjin is worried because Kkura is playing one of her stronger decks as is Siyeon and they've already had really strong starts. this at least allows Yujin and I to have some breathing room. Something I was going to take advantage of. So on our next turn (after drawing 5 cards off Mystic Remora I pay for the fish then I play my commander as does Yujin. I put a -1-1 counter on the Avacyn Yunjin swung with and passed. Unsurprisingly Yunjin's next move after getting avacyn is a board wipe. everyone who isn't Connor or Yujin groans including Yujin but I pay one and make all of our stuff indestructible. Several eyes widen upon seeing this. after that, the table begins to hate Yujin and me while letting Connor and Yunjin acquire value, but the issue is a lot of the deck is just protected because of the avacyn of one player, the Shalai of another, and so forth. Eventually, it culminates at turn 5 where I make my commander a copy of scute swarm and crack two fetch lands making three of my commanders but with Scute Swarm's name, at this point, I don't have a lock but I do have a lot of exceptionally strong pieces that make the game incredibly hard for everyone else. The only issue was getting through Avacyn. So I did the smart thing and just kept needling damage through slowly but surely. waiting for a mistake to be made, and it did. Yunjin went for a massive board wipe due to her avacyn being out. my response was simple. I exiled avacyn after making Volrath a copy of her then watched the board be destroyed and cleaned up the wreckage from there securing one of our first wins together. Yujin was all smiles as she turned to me and hugged me tight. when she broke the hug the look she had was so full of affection and care, and with everything that happened over the last week and a half I just broke. I ran out of the dorm back to California.

Is Tj, okay Yunjin asks

I'd assume not really he's been dumped twice now in the span of two weeks. First by Astrid and now by Yujin that has to be wearing on him Connor says to Yunjin

He's carrying it much better than I thought he would. Yunjin says with a smile

I guess but honestly I think he's one bad day from full supervillain at this point. Connor replies

Nah he's to gives me too many st Bernard vibes to turn evil. Yunjin counters

You do realise Cujo was a st Bernard. Connor replies

Yeah one with rabies, and besides Tj protects us and himself so well that he would never go feral unless it's for Yujin because he is down bad for her. Yunjin says

Yeah he is extremely down bad for her but, I don't know that game he just played showed me some worrying traits of his Connor replies

Like what Yunjin questions

When I'm down I go to either the beach or the tar pits. Today was a tar pits day. I found a nice quiet corner and I cried for a good while. I cried about losing Astrid, losing Yujin, losing Kylem, losing my job. Thankfully it was in private so I could be alone at least for a little bit. While I sat there I got a message from Yujin.

Through the tears I began singing “Hated” by beartooth which provided some comfort at least

"Please come." It said. So I got up and space sifted to the dorm. I walked in as it was unlocked and went to the living room where Yujin, Wonyoung, and Gaeul were sitting. Yujin's face was puffy and full of tears I watch as Wonyoung glares at me along with Gaeul.

Why did you leave me Yujin asked me

My response was a simple one do you want the honest answer or the one that will be easier to here.

Before Gaeul could even speak I turn to her and say I am aware she is hurt and my affectation is unpleasant but this is between us so please reserve judgementuntil after we converse.

Gaeul and wonyoung both Glared at me but said nothing Yujin on the other hand through sobs said I want the truth do you hate Me do you want to leave and never come back.

I thought about my answer for a moment then I responded, Darling I love you and want to be with you like the sky and the horizon, but I want to respect your wishes and you told me to back off. So I did. Also its been a rough few weeks these last few days

Yujin blushed and looked at me with awe and confusion then she asked, wait really? Tell me everything

Not seeing the harm I did

Yujin hears me out and progressively gets more invested and saddened by my words. After my little tale she says, I had no idea Tj

I shrug and say I didn't want to really worry anyone. Ya know got a reputation to uphold.

Yujin groans as she stares at me well then let's see how we can fix this. she says

[slashthrashandcrash]

question! 🤓☝️ about danny and ramona!

let's say Ghostface never got taken by the fog...what would happen between him and ramona? would she ever find out his secret, maybe by accident? would he be around to watch her grow up?

Hmmmmmm...

Well first I think it depends on what happens to Danny in general. If he's caught one way or another, it kind of throws a wrench in the whole plan, because I don't see him going down without a fight. He will live and die in infamy before they can ever throw him in a cell and try to kill him on their terms.

My belief is that by the time he's in his 40s, roughly ten or so years later, is when he would fully retire Ghostface, provided he hasn't been caught at this point. Age is gonna start catching up with him physically and crime solving technologies are getting more and more advanced which creates a bigger risk, not to mention better surveillance and the rise of the internet. By this point, Ghostface would have been stalking the country for nearly two decades -- he's well cemented his place as a deadly legend and his fame will only grow the longer his crimes go unsolved a la Zodiac Killer and Mr. Cruel. Give it another couple years and there will be a massive resurgence in his popularity when true crime shows/podcast/documentaries/movie recreations become all the rage.

So when it comes to adding Ramona in the mix, his retirement would be right when she's about to head off to college, but I think he would become a more permanent part of her life sometime that she's in high school. The older she gets, the more she's going to understand and be upset by his absence and it's going to be harder for him to keep her 10000% fully on his side as daddy's little girl. He needs to show that he's finally willing to put his "job" aside to be there for her as an actual dad. And surprisingly he does, slowly winding down his Ghostface sprees so that he's home more frequently before they stop altogether.

But it's not being done out of the kindness of his heart, obviously. Like I said, age is creeping into his bones (more than usual lmao), trace DNA analysis is getting better, Ramona is at risk of pulling away from him (which links back to how much DNA profiling is improving given that she'd be a 50% match in a system). He's had a good run, he's willing to quit while he's still ahead...for the most part.

Which means it's time to start groveling and sweet talking his baby mama into proving he's a changed man. He's finally matured, he wants to be a provider for his baby girl while he has the chance, he knows he's been stupid but that's why he's just so grateful for his wonderful ex for all the hard work she's done. It takes a long, long time for her to stop telling Danny to fuck off with his bullshit but...eventually, he does wear her down with the point it only has to be a marriage of convenience on a piece of paper. It's not for him, it's for Ramona, and being a (mostly) single mother for like 14 years by now has to have taken its toll. She can't deny having dual incomes and another parent helping out full time wouldn't ease a lot of her burdens...

They're definitely not in love, it's more like a coparenting roommates situation, but it's good enough for them. They've always had a dysfunctional relationship anyways. So, Danny gets hitched, gets a regular 9-5 job working his way up the ranks of the investigative journalism, and watches his little girl finish out high school and go off to college. And maybe he casually thinks of ways his pseudo-wife could get into some kind of fatal accident. And maybe a few of his business trips were for pleasure rather than work. And maybe he still keeps his mementos and memorabilia stowed away to look upon fondly when the girls are away. Y'know, old habits die hard.

One thing that I think would be so funny however is that if Ramona went off to college in 2003, maybe out of state on a scholarship and Danny went with her to help her move into her new dorm/apartment, while he's scoping out the area he ends up running into some punk former druggie named Amanda...

[thatlonelycactus]

Quite a few people have said this already but I absolutely HATE the theories that Aziraphale was lying/brainwashed (like being mind-controlled by our bestie the Metatron)/trying to signal to Crowley for help. And I so so SO hope these don’t become true in season 3. You wanna know why???

Because as EVERY person who has said something about this has said the same thing: it removes all of the blame from Aziraphale. It means that he was never in the wrong because “oh it wasn’t his fault, he had no control over himself” or “he was trying to keep Crowley safe” or, and this is the one that makes me angriest for whatever reason, “he was trying to tell Crowley something was up [and it’s not his fault that Crowley didn’t get his message]”. And if Azi never made that mistake then he has little to no room for growth in the final season. Yes, I probably do have some Crowley bias, I’ll be the first to admit it and I am on Crowley’s side of the divorce, BUT it’s unfair to both Crowley and Aziraphale as well written characters to not have that room for growth in season 3. Because, as I may have mention prior, for them to get their happily ever after one of them will need to understand where each other is coming from when it comes to Heaven and Hell and the way I see this happening is by Azi realizing that Heaven is corrupt for more reasons than Gabriel and Michael. Now, you may be thinking, “well that doesn’t explain why the third option of him trying to signal danger is wrong” and in that, you’re right. And I, personally, don’t like this idea for two reasons: a) as previously stated it cheapens Azi’s character arc and leaves little to no room for growth in s3. He realizes that Heaven is corrupt and so on. And b) this is more of a personal thing ig but I feel like, as a theory, it shifts blame onto Crowley for not seeing his pleas for help which will make him seem like an even bigger asshole when he’s lashing out in s3 which once again leaves all the character development up to him which is, at the end of the day, unfair to both of them. Because neither one of them was the sole reason that they got to the point at which they needed to separate and I think it’s unfair to put the burden on only one of them in season 3. But yeah, that was my rant and I really HATE the coffee and lie theories. It is literally impossible to convince me that they’d be good story lines for s3. But each to their own ig.

[horizon-verizon]

Everyone is asking why no one listens to Helaena when she hasn’t said anything worth listening to! Every dreamer GRRM has written fought against or worked towards what they saw and here she is giving vague one liners and never acting on it.

Daenys dream about the Doom of Valyria: Convinced her father to leave Valyria before the destruction and saved her family and the entire Targaryen dynasty.

Aegon the Conqueror dream about the Others: United the Seven Kingdoms to prepared the War for the Dawn 

Daenerys dream about dragons in AGOT: Putting together all clues from her dragon dreams and performed magic ritual to wake the dragons.

Helaena being compared to Cassandra of Troy is so funny because her dreams literally serve no impact to the story, she’s not even shown dreaming, she just mumbles nonsensical phrases to give the audience/readers a sneak peek than does nothing about it. Helena’s dreamer’s arc was to say randoms words that she didn’t even understand herself, she never analyzed anything until she had the opportunity to react and was made to look like a horrible mother who didn’t cared about her son. It’s disappointing because changing small things like having her act a little paranoid and ask for more guards or being the tiniest bit more insistent about the rat line could’ve made this work because it would look like she at least tried to save him. She didn’t try to make him understand when it’s clear Aegon was confused. She was coherent enough to tell him not to interfere with Jaehaerys’s education so she should have been able to express even a smidge more about her dragon dreams.

Yes, I'd have to agree. I can't believe I'm defending the greens, but what has Helaena actually said that could clue anyone in on anything ominous or threatening or related to anything happening right here, right now? We have seen no instance of her giving as-clear-as possible warning, actually relating her "dreams" to others. And the only time that the latter occurs is her telling Aegon she's afraid of rats...which no one likes...anyone would need more detail. which again, leads me back to my conclusions that to make this neurodivergent girl a false dreamer who can't communicate her "dreams" very well or seemingly with a lot of low effort essentially just "traps" her within the suffering. Unlike Cassandra who was literally cursed, Helaena's obstacle is her inability to communicate and not necessarily others' unwillingness to listen. So they make her disability a critical element of a fatal hindrance AND it emotionally isolates her away from just about everyone. It leans towards dehumanizing bc Helaena/a disabled person becomes more of a silent, "useless", "burden" whose missed value is in those dreams she can't even communicate.

Just to nail it it again: like I said earlier HERE, a true "vision" (from other/most supernatural/fantasy media) is a full-fledged image or sound from a "scene" as if you are present & experiencing it as if you were there or observing it movie-like:

a mental image of what the future will or could be like an experience of seeing someone or something in a dream or trance, or as a supernatural apparition a vivid mental image, especially a fanciful one of the future

What HotD!Helaena is actually "intuition":

the power or faculty of attaining to direct knowledge or cognition without evident rational thought and inference immediate apprehension or cognition knowledge or conviction gained by intuition quick and ready insight

We see no evidence at all of her having fully fledged visions, jsut these "feelings" for us to even qualify her abilities as actual dragon "dreams". Every dragon ASoIAF dream that has been described has been visions as opposed to intuition. And every single dragon dream is told as being "nightmare[s]", "dream[s],". Dany sleeps, dreams, and has her visions that way

(the Qartheen House of the undying are not dragon dreams, Dany had to drink shade of the evening to see whatever the visions these Qartheen warlocks brought her to se and eventually trap her):

“When you come to the chamber of the Undying, be patient. Our little lives are no more than a flicker of a moth’s wing to them. Listen well, and write each word upon your heart.” When they reached the door—a tall oval mouth, set in a wall fashioned in the likeness of a human face—the smallest dwarf Dany had ever seen was waiting on the threshold. He stood no higher than her knee, his faced pinched and pointed, snoutish, but he was dressed in delicate livery of purple and blue, and his tiny pink hands held a silver tray. Upon it rested a slender crystal glass filled with a thick blue liquid: shade of the evening, the wine of warlocks. “Take and drink,” urged Pyat Pree. “Will it turn my lips blue?” “One flute will serve only to unstop your ears and dissolve the caul from off your eyes, so that you may hear and see the truths that will be laid before you.” Dany raised the glass to her lips. The first sip tasted like ink and spoiled meat, foul, but when she swallowed it seemed to come to life within her. She could feel tendrils spreading through her chest, like fingers of fire coiling around her heart, and on her tongue was a taste like honey and anise and cream, like mother’s milk and Drogo’s seed, like red meat and hot blood and molten gold. It was all the tastes she had ever known, and none of them . . . and then the glass was empty. A Clash of Kings -- Daenerys IV

[angeldeviloshi]

Remembers that, I wrote a whole thread about an alternative route where Aki and Angel Devil had an argument when he gave him the letter at the hospital.

Originally I meant for this to be ironic in the sense that Aki leaves with hard feelings after this and survives that day. Lmao. And the Angel Devil calls the hykw house line which Denji picks up and Aki thinks he's calling to apologise to him only to be surprised that the Angel Devil was looking for Denji instead.

cw angst again

Denji gives Aki a brief look, sounding skeptical about something over the phone, telling the Angel Devil he's bad with jokes and that Aki's not that type of guy. On the other end of the line, the Angel Devil asks Denji if he likes living with Aki, if he's happy living the way he does with Aki now. Denji is confused, of course he does, he has a roof over his head, he gets to eat good and sleep on a nice bed. The Angel Devil tells him he should talk to Aki then if he wants to keep this life. For his, Aki's and Power's sake.

Aki asks Denji what they talked about, curious, disappointed and slightly tense. Denji tries to play it off lightly, telling Aki the Angel Devil was being really weird like saying how he's gonna kill Aki and Power and that Aki knew this and kept it from them. Like that'll ever happen, plus it's not like Aki's the type to keep something this big from them or rather if it's that serious Aki would have killed him in his sleep by now or by poisoning his food, knowing how uptight he is about his job. But since he didn't that means he's totally chill with them, and that means he trusts them enough to let them know if something that bad's gonna happen. Prodding Aki if he's teaming up with the Angel Devil for prank calls, never thought he'd see the day.

Aki stays still and silent, hands balling into fists frustrated at the Angel Devil for betraying his trust like that, even if he understands it's his buddy's attempt to save him from his fate. Denji is perturbed by Aki's silence, hoping for Aki to confirm that it was all a prank, a bad joke. Dread settling into him as he remembers the Angel Devil's words before he ended the call. He asks Aki why he isn't saying anything, usually he'd have a snarky retort to their antics. He tells Aki that the Angel Devil told him to talk to him if he wanted to keep this life under the same roof as him. It doesn't make sense, if what the Angel Devil said is true, Aki wouldn't just sit back and let it happen, it's just not him at all. Denji knows he isn't gonna kill Aki and Power, but if something weird happened and they find themselves in that situation, Aki would have taken preventive measures first, he would have told Makima, told them, since he already knew! Telling Aki he might not know everything but he can tell at least that much.

Aki can only give him a vexed, anguished expression. Not knowing what to tell Denji, he never wanted him or Power to know. He sees no point in that if it's only going to lead to complications when it does happen, and he doesn't want anyone to mourn his death, live through grief and guilt like he did, on the off-chance Denji or Power would feel that way for him, you never know. No one's ever prepared for it, he knows it all too well. Calming down, he tells Denji that it's a prank. After what they went through in hell he was trying to lighten up a bit, crack some jokes but they ended up scaring Denji instead. He's sorry about that. Denji eases his shoulders, rubbing the back of his head relieved, telling Aki his taste in jokes suck, though he supposes that's what happens having a stick up the ass for someone like Aki.

Aki tells him he's going to rest up early, Denji should too since they have a big day tomorrow, he needs space for himself to sort out his emotions and state of mind after what the Angel Devil put him through. Even if the future can't change, he'll try to test fate anyways, so Power won't be hurt and Denji won't be burdened by what the prophecy brings if he'd die by the Gun Devil......

An emergency broadcast flashes on the TV announcing the destruction brought by the Gun Devil's appearance. Denji's surprised that things shifted in advance and they didn't receive any news from Makima about it as he turns to look at Aki who's collapsing from the intense flashback to his childhood trauma and the boiling vengeful rage he's put aside over the months as he passes out.

And uhh I guess this can link to that other post I did here where Aki gets recruited by Kishibe and confronts Makima because maybe her containment of Gun by herself without any prior warning to the squad made him sus and because he's hoping to get custody of Denji and Power without her because of the power she now holds and the government's plans. And the Angel Devil confronted Makima himself to ask her what she knows about the Chainsaw Devil for clues on how to save Aki, wondering if he can get Aki to leave Public Safety before it's too late. The Angel Devil asking if Chainsaw's powers can really be trusted and that he won't turn on his supposed allies, Makima finds this peculiar coming from him and the Angel Devil plays it off as him hoping Denji would kill him. Makima tells him that the Chainsaw Man shows no mercy even to those he helps, but under her he'll be purposed to serve the greater good. Just like the Angel Devil, so no he's not going to meet his end by the Chainsaw Man, not under her watch. He asks her for her opinion on Aki and she sings Aki's praises for being a noble and hardworking devil hunter, one of the best she could ask for, she trusts him. He asks if she would save him then, if his life were to be in danger by something so formidable and unstoppable, like Chainsaw. Intrigued, Makima leans forward and asks the Angel Devil to tell her more, or rather, to spill everything he knows. All he has was a second of apprehension before the Angel Devil feels his consciousness slipping.

And uhh I guess the rest could link into this lmao. The prophecy plays out and Denji has to grapple with the fact that it wasn't a prank after all and that Aki lied to him, this is what he must do, wondering if this is what Aki wanted since he let it happen, he has no way of knowing now. And the Angel Devil realising that Aki died because of him, because he cared, because he wanted Aki to survive his fate knowing the futility of it. Asking Denji to kill him too to avenge Aki, it's only fair. Denji refuses, the Angel Devil was right all along though neither of them could be sure if anything would've changed for the better, and it's not like killing the Angel Devil would serve any purpose, Aki wanted him to live so he might as well honour his wish. Both living with the curse of what they did to Aki.