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#with the main character insistent on getting back what he lost
obstinaterixatrix · 5 months
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this one’s interesting, the main character is a bookbinder who wandered into supernatural stuff and now ghosts and demons love showing up around him, each chapter is him experiencing Something Spooky and I like how atmospheric the art is
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it’s gen but the protagonist is gay and has a one-sided crush on an old professor who loves collecting supernatural stuff. ghosts hate showing up around him, so he’s very amped to hang out with the main character
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I’m enjoying it so far, there’s been a couple of visuals that have made me go ‘eugh’
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tofixtheshadows · 5 months
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You guys really need to stop and consider the ways you're talking about Kabru I am dead fucking serious. Like I know that flattening characters is just what fandom does to a certain extent, but Kabru's actual personality is getting lost to the fandom hivemind insisting that he's aggressive/cruel/sociopathic/hateful, and these are particularly concerning takes to see leveled at the only brown character in the main cast day after day. "My poor sweet golden child Laios needs to be protected from this scary brown man" is not a good look! Like, it's very telling that the bulk of the hate and bad faith readings are reserved for Toshiro and Kabru. Everyone else's flaws get to be discussed and validated and forgiven (or erased), meanwhile people are straight making up things to be mad about with Toshiro and Kabru but patting themselves on the back for being smart.
The worst part is how undeserved it all is. I'm trying to lay off anime-onlys because we're still kind of in the red herring stage of getting to know Kabru, but I would still like to gently suggest that even if you think Kabru is up to something, you don't gave to get in the tags of every fan creator's post and bring up how you hate him or You Can Tell he's totally evil. Sometimes I think Kabru's blue eyes give people license to say things about his appearance that they know would sound completely racist otherwise, but referring to his blue eyes acts as a get-out-of-racism free card. The jokes about the dog with brown contacts are getting old, by the way.
For people who have read the manga, it's disappointing. Kabru is one of the most complex and important characters in the story, and if you base your interpretation of him and all your fandom interactions on shallow first impressions you are completely missing out.
I know part of this is because Dungeon Meshi is a comedy, but the story also wants to be taken seriously. For example, it's admittedly really funny when Chilchuck calls Laios "sick in the head", but that doesn't change the fact that the way Chilchuck casually belittles Laios caused him to hide the fact that he was "hallucinating" from his friends for weeks. Those feelings matter.
Like, this
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is funny.
But this?
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Is not. This is just a very clear example of a brown boy with PTSD. As someone else with PTSD, just looking at this fucking sucks, man.
The only reason why Kabru thinks about killing Laios is because he is in the middle of a flashback. He's struggling through a panic attack. If he truly wanted to kill Laios because he's violent or because he finds Laios inherently annoying, he wouldn't otherwise talk with Laios normally. Notice how he doesn't act this way at any other point in the story- it's just because he's triggered by monsters. Even when he's thinking about his plans to "deal with" Laios later, he's reluctant to actually kill him and only considers it to prevent another tragedy. Despite his deadly skills, Kabru relies far more on "soft" power- insight, persuasion, diplomacy. He's a rare example of a character who absolutely is, or at least can be, manipulative, but seems to use his abilities for good. He's not a pathological liar, he isn't looking down on everyone behind a smile. He's someone who is extremely emotionally intelligent, and he's willing to put aside all his own basic wants and needs to stop the cycle of dungeons devouring humans.
I'm going to cut a potential thesis on his character short and just give some examples of things that fandom should consider about his personality more:
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Racism in fandom isn't just about whitewashing in fan art, or using racial slurs. The insidiousness of bad faith readings, reductions to racist tropes, lack of fan content for characters of color, and dismissal of a character's complexity are far more common. You can believe yourself to be completely neutral or even positive about a character and still churn out low-grade bile about them into fandom's collective unconscious. Fandom reflects real life.
And I have been around fandom long enough to see how these behaviors (mostly from my fellow white fans) affect fans of color, how it makes a fandom feel hostile and unwelcome to them. It's fun to make jokes and memes, I'm absolutely not saying that everything needs to be a deeply nuanced take, but we need to be careful that it doesn't veer into toxicity. Please think about how our contributions to fandom come across, and what sort of vibes they cultivate in this communal space.
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lustlovehart · 21 days
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[ Monsters List ] - Sensitive info with targets abilities
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A/n: Not my usual writing at all! these details are relationship stuff each character has with the reader that isn’t shown in the main story. (Some details are omitted to avoid spoilers). Now that this is done, I’ll be going back to the main story line now ^^. If i’m missing any warnings, please say so.
Pairing: [Monster!Twst x Reader] Featuring, Riddle, Ace, Deuce, Cater, Trey, Leona, Ruggie, Jack, Azul, Jade, Floyd, Kalim, Jamil, Vil, Rook, Epel, Idia, Malleus, Lilia, Sebek, Silver, Rollo, & Neige.
Summary: Dear, [Name], Crowley just informed me he did not give the courtesy of listing all the beasts and their abilities into your possession, please allow me to be the one to aid you. Here are bullets of their names and prowesses, as well as species. Please, do stay safe and out of trouble, and remember to eat and sleep well. Love, From, Rollo.
“Did it send?” “I… I’m sorry Sir Rollo, it seems we were unable to reach [Name] in time…” “…What.”
Warnings: Some fuffy and some aren’t, Stalking, Mentions of Nsfw (Vil). Zombies (Ace, Deuce), Biting (Ace, Deuce, and Jamil), Squeezing? (Jamil, Floyd), Hints of possession in each section, Blood Drinking (Epel, Jade, Lilia), They’re all monsters that are evil so… Murder, Kisses (Kalim, Floyd, Malleus), Blood,
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Prologue Chapter
Riddle Rosehearts [ Ghost ]
- Warning: Capable of Magic. [ Magic is a mystery in the field, all that is known is it’s abilities monsters have that aren’t typically in their species skillset, as well as being especially powerful to utilize it ]
- He posses the abilities of, phasing, possession, kinesis (many different kinds), invisibility, telepathy, and short moments of time where he can have a physical body. He tends to forget he’s a ghost leading to numerous times where you’ve accidentally injuried yourself and he rushes to your side to give aid, only for his to hand phase through you instead of truly helping. He feels guilty not being able to help you.
There’s a secret part of him that feels less guilty and more angry, about being incapable of touching you all the time. Sometimes, he wishes he was Ace just so he could wrap some part of him around you, but alas, he can only do so in short intervals, which just… isn’t enough.
- Has a habit of just, watching. You’ve caught him at your window at night. He insists coming in without permission is unlawful, to which you tell him looking at you through glass is just plain creepy. You now invite him for tea parties, yet that still doesn’t stop him from longingly gazing through the glass that separates you two. (freak)
- Glows a bright red when he’s either angry or extremely flustered. You walked in one time when the former was happening and were temporarily blinded, in your own temporary home no less…
With the latter… he was helping you figure out a crossword puzzle from a lost book you had found during the night. When he helped you figure it out, he swears your smile was so bright he was blinded. In your case, at least you didn’t need a lantern to see the page anymore.
- He has numerous stitches on his body, his mouth, his neck, and his heart, or at least, where it would’ve been had he still had it. In the short times when he decides to take on a physical form, he enjoys letting your hands trace over the numerous threads through his skin… He won’t admit it, but it’s a comfort.
- When he’s working, his exposition completely changes. You get scared of him, you forget just how determined he is to being the pinnacle of perfection, even as a monster.
- Survival: Fear and Grievances, prays on victims through Possesion and death.
Ace Trappola & Deuce Spade [ Zombies ]
- Infectious Bites. There have been many close calls where the two almost bit you, secretly hoping to turn you into them in their delusions of being with you forever, it never works though cause when they try, you turn and give them a smile that haunts them so bad they can’t bear the thought of you hating them. The idea always rears its ugly head back to them, but then you treat the two like a regular human and, unknowingly, save yourself just a little longer.
- Anatomy Control (Disassembling limbs and still having control). Deuce has a very common occurring tendency, that leads him to lose his limbs on occasion. He can still feel what they feel, but when they separate from him, they tend to have a mind of their own. There have been several times where you’ve been the one to return a limb, typically his hand, and he’s all fidgety cause it just refuses to let go of you.
“I… I promise this doesn’t usually happen…! I have no idea why it won’t let go of you” with how lovingly it was stroking your hand earlier (which you won’t mention to Deuce)… You’re not too sure either… Does it like the feeling of warmth? “Next time this happens, just… Feel free to stab it” he looks dejected, but you accept his offer nonetheless.
- Ace has asked to sleep with you in your bed because his grave is so cold and lonely. You wouldn’t want him dying alone a second time right? That’s too cruel. He was surprised when you accepted, even more so when you said there weren’t rules like “You have to stay on this side of the bed!” or “Don’t touch me!”, he asked you if you had a thing for him, to which you only quirk up your eyebrow at his question.
“Hm…? I’ve slept with someone before, I don’t think it’s that serious.” … What. Who’s this someone?! He doesn’t end up sleeping as he’s left wondering who you’ve been with before him, little does he know this someone was just a reserved monster hunter who was watching over you with a fever.
- They’re the most attached to you, in a physical sense. Considering at least one, or even more, of the limbs on the duo is just bones, along with Deuce missing an eye and Ace missing part of his face, it’s a bit hard for them to go out without giving people a heart attack. So… They break into wherever you’re temporarily staying, which is typically an abandoned house, and accompany you in every location they possibly can. One very worrying thing they do, is stick their limbs in your bag. They won’t admit it but, it’s cause they miss you. You need to tell them sticking Ace’s eye in there to keep watch is NOT okay.
- Survival: Eating Humans
Cater Diamond [ Ghost…? ]
- Phasing, possession, invisibility, telepathy. Though you don’t see him use any of these capabilities very much. You wonder why but never go through with asking him, how could you when he looks so happy to be in your presence? At least, you think he’s happy. You can never tell if it’s genuine or not… His smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes like everyone else…
- Whenever he decides to spend his time with you, his face is never close enough in view for you to decipher any real features of his. What color are his eyes? What does his nose look like? Is the diamond you remember on him even there? The basics of a face are in your memory, but you can never remember the more eunique traits of his. You… Don’t know why that is at all. It feels like you’re forgetting something from the first meeting you had with Cater, but your suspicions tell you it had something to do with his face.
- Even though he’s a ghost, it feels like he forgets something about that sometimes… It’s different from Riddle, who simply forgets he no longer has a physical body, it’s like he doesn’t remember he even died in the first place. You’ve seen him all alone, the sunny disposition he proposes to everyone is gone, a hollow feeling in his vicinity. You couldn’t hear it clearly, the only word heard at all being sisters.
- The moment he sees you it’s like he’s scrambling to change his disposition, walking up to you casually as he mentions how cute you look today, ahh you should take him shopping! He’ll be discreet don’t worry—
“Cater, how did you die?”
“Wha—? W-who cares about that, come on just take me to town kay’?” you do end up bringing him as he points at things he’ll never be able to use, commenting on how cute they would be to have and show off, even attempting to wrap his arm around your shoulder before laughing off at his arm phasing through your body and making your spine shiver.
You don’t miss the way his laugh is more forced than usual, and obvious distress at what happened. Why is he so upset he can’t touch you? Is there a reason he wants to so bad? For once, you wanna know.
“Cater, lets go on a date again.”
“I didn’t know you were so up-front…! But, if you’re asking then I just can’t say no can I?”
- Survival: Fear and Grievances, prays on victims through Possesion and death(?)
Trey Clover [ Frankenstein ]
- The sight of a giant, buff, green, adult man, hovering over you like a doting boyfriend as you bake is certainly a domestic sight to behold. Though it becomes less heartwarming when you remember this scientifically resurrected man is 8 feet tall, he can basically reach the top shelf when he’s kneeling.
- Just like the zombies of Heartslaybul, Trey can disassemble his limbs, but he has more control over it than the other two… You’ve had a fair share of moments where you’re trying to eat and a stitched up hand crawls towards you with a piece of cake., it’s sweet, but horrifying in the dark.
- He’s a glorified brick wall, if brick walls could also fight back at insane speeds. You watched him unintentionally scare off another Monster Hunter once, they weren't intimidated by his size at all, even attempting to throw a bunch at him to show off. Their try immediately backfired as Trey stood unfazed, watching them run away cradling their hand. Before you can blink, Trey’s already towering over you asking if there was a pastry he should try making for you. Honestly… You need to tell Crowley to hire better employees.
- Trey has electrocuted you once. Totally unintentional on his part, but if someone asked him what he thought when he did it, he would tell them with a soft smile you look cute shocked. Meanwhile, you’re on the other side of the room trying to make sure Trey doesn’t increase the voltage next time he tries holding you. Now, everytime he attempts to do just that, you’re quick to jump out the way. He’ll smile softly but he can’t deny he’s a little disheartened... Seems he’ll just have to rebuild that trust.
- Despite all the stitches on his body, unlike Riddle, there aren’t open wounds on his body, so he’s technically the only one who can accompany you without drawing too much attention. It’s a secret kept between the two of you, but whenever you head into the square, you both walk to as many bakeries as possible, tasting whatever you can afford. Whenever he put something in his mouth, he’d make an offhand comment about his family. You wonder… How did Trey even resurrect like this?
- Survival: Undocumented
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Leona Kingscholar [ Beastman Mummy ]
- Warning: Capable of Magic.
- His skin is wrapped in so many bandages, all of them he can bend at his will. You’re curious as to what he looks like under the fabric, but one glare and the feeling of binds grappling around your body is enough for you to reconsider. That’s only if you attempt to look underneath, if not, he’ll sit in silence as you admire each carefully placed bind, cracking an eye open to watch you close in on him in curiosity.
- Watching him manipulate sand just to make places to sleep is entertaining, but being dragged into his timeframe of napping is surely not. The grip he has on you is ironclad as the two of you lay on the grainy bed, if you complain about sand getting into your clothes he’ll make a sly suggestion of “Just take off your clothes” before retreating into a slumber that you can’t shake him from. Even if you did decide to do that, how would you even take them off…? He won’t let go of you…!
- Despite being a former corpse, if he was still mortal, he’d essentially be an ultimate being. He’s super strong, fast, he’s quick at recovering, and even if you did cut off a limb of his he’d regrow in just half the time it took to get it off him. To make it worse he’s handsome, has an air of nonchalance, and a prince. You can just imagine the sound of Crewel and Rollo nagging at you for thinking such heinous things about a beast you’re meant to be killing.
- Whenever Leona controls the dead, you hide behind him. Not because you’re scared of his army, but because they remind you of Ace and Deuce, and you’d rather not see versions of themselves not heed danger whatsoever. You were half awake one time when he summoned corpses, your blurry eyes mistaking two of them for Deuce and Ace, wrapping your arms around their shoulders and pulling them into you. You only realize it’s not them when Leona grabs your from behind and hoists your body onto his shoulder like a sack.
“Wrong Zombies.” he makes an effort to have you sleep more before you accidentally kill yourself for such a small error.
- That little pain inducement ability he has? It sucks. It’s funny when he uses it to telepathically pinch Ruggie when he’s away. But, being reduced to a puddle of pure hurt and strain is the worst. Just watching Leona use it makes you remember… nevermind. Seeing his victims fall to their knees as he drains them of their life force is depressing, the burden of your defeat rearing its shame when he just knocks back and naps as their bodies turn to sand.
- Even when his tail wraps around your leg in a form of adoration, you can’t help but feel disdain for yourself remembering all those who are now dust on the ground because of him.
- Survival: Feeding off vitality
Ruggie Bucchi [ Werehyena ]
- Please tell Ruggie to stop tracking you with his senses and your stolen possessions, you’ve been scared too many times by him popping up out of nowhere. It’s even more horrifying in the night since his face looks so scary (His happy face looks the same as his hunting face. Don’t tell him though, he’ll rob you of your belongings in pettiness.)
- His eyes are so hypnotizing, both poetically and realistically. You’ve seen him mesmerize loving couples into handing over their belongings in his human form, only to revisit them later in the night to consume the rest of his steal. You asked him once what the point is in getting their stuff in the day only to kill them in the night, and he just smiles before softly placing a piece of bread on your lips.
You never take the bread from his hands, allowing him to feed you himself all the time, feeding you with the same hands stained with a bloody ending to a romance story. Maybe… it’ll get his pension for praying on lovers to soften, the thought of having his own might put his thoughts to bay… Who are you lying to that won’t happen, it’s how he lives, and how he will continue to live.
You know it won’t change when he’s desperately trying to hide the red stains under his nails.
- He’s very keen on being in your vicinity. No reason, you think, but he’s just always there, talking to you like normal. Which is weird, why does it feel so normal? The more you ponder it, maybe he’s more natural in your life cause of how equalized he is. He’s laidback yet cunning at the same time, not too good, but not too heinous (if you ignore his murders.) It’s a nice change of pace from people who see, to be heavily relent on one trait. Even though with a kinder personality feel weird… So, talking to Ruggie is a nice escape—
“Ruggie, did you take my wallet again?”
“How’d you think I paid for that bread? Shihihi— Augh! Ow okay I'm sorry—!” he makes it up to you by giving you his portion of food. You pretend to take it out of pettiness, but late at night when he’s sleep, you wrap it up and leave it on his bedside for when he goes hungry in the night.
When he does wake up, he knows who left the meal by his side, including the extras that lay next to it.
- Survival: Eating anything he can get his hands on
Jack Howl [ Human…? ]
- You always wondered how Jack got so built. Of course, if it’s from training, you would never undermine his efforts. But, his strength is so hardcore you doubt it’s even humanly possible. There had been a speech from Crowley in town you attended with both Jack and Rollo, all three of you booted to the very back. When you commented on how you couldn’t see, Rollo told you “We could always move forward—” But he’s cut off with shock when he watches Jack effortlessly carry you onto his shoulder, keeping you rested there for an hour straight without complaint, even shifting the way he holds you depending on what you wanted at the moment.
“We could’ve just gone up there, Jack… Now put them down…!”
“I don’t mind, They seem comfortable here anyway.” You can’t help but laugh at Rollo's overbearing nature, patting his head as you hold onto Jack.
- Hes never answered you before on when or how he joined the hunting organization, literally. He’s so silent when you ask, but the moment you switch to a different topic he’s chiming in his opinion like he didn’t just give you the silent treatment for 15 minutes. He told you he’d never lie to you, so, you guess he was telling the truth about that statement.
- Whenever Rollo is unavailable to you, Jack essentially works as his “replacement” according to Sam. You wouldn’t call him that though, Jack cares for you the same way Rollo does, but he’s a lot less… Restricted towards you. You can go out at midnight with him as long as you let him walk you back home, You can eat more junk food, and you can even go into the forest with him outside of a job! Rollo is oblivious to it, but there are moments where you might, just a tinsy weensy bit, prefer having Jack watch over you compared to him. You still love Rollo though! (Never say that to him directly, he will dissect what kinda of love it is you’re implying for him.)
- Overall, you can’t wait to see him again when you go to Savanaclaw! You’re curious as to why he hasn’t reached back to you after the 2 months he's been there though…
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Azul Ashengrotto [ Slime Kraken ]
- Warning: Capable of Magic.
- His true form is huge, being bigger than the size of 5 pirate ships combined. When he shrinks himself though, he’s only 7 feet long and huge, rather than 50 feet long and huge! Less scary right? (it’s not, you’re just trying to delude yourself.)
- It’s more dangerous when considering the substance he’s made out of is multi-purpose, making him invisible, essentially unkillable, and extremely capable in offense. You’ve seen it first hand considering you’ve been on the receiving end of his malice once. If you have to admit it though, it’s a lot scarier watching him use his skills on unknowing sailors. You collect what remains of them, and set them to rest far away from the sea.
- During the night, you’re divided on whether or not he can be considered horrifying, or beautiful. The twins glow, but they're limited to their one-color pallets. Azuls body, channels the light from his surroundings, making him more than one color sometimes. It’s a bit saddening when you notice how insecure he is about the material of his body, even using magic to appear more human-like in his state. If you tell him he’s handsome in his regular slime state, he’ll flush in embarrassment. (If you go a step further and hug him as such a gross substance, goodness, he’s already looking through books at the bottom of the ocean about human courting. Never mind you’re still trying to kill him, he’ll slay your heart if he has to!)
- If he uses Magic, he, can turn himself into a human for a little. He never really had a reason to go on land, he’s powerful in the sea, even ranked as one of the 7 most wanted monsters. But, now that you’re in his life, he wants to follow you and see what it would be like to live with you as a person. He doesn’t call it a date, but he thinks of it as one, even imagines himself telling Jade and Floyd (Little does he know they already beat him to the punch on that one…). You take him by the hand and the urge to stay on land with you becomes even stronger. But, so does the need to have you in the ocean with him.
- His tentacles along with his crazy strength, just make him an even harder foe to fight. Truly… What are you meant to do when you’re sitting down and in his sleep, he just clings onto you with a tentacle, and now you just, can’t leave? Besides he’s asleep, how are they latching onto you so hard… They don't have a mind of their own— You remember seeing an article that wrote about such a phenomenon. Okay, so maybe they do act of their own volition… why do they cling so desperately to you?
- Survival: Eating as much of whatever is available
Jade Leech & Floyd Leech [ Skeleton Sea Serpents ]
- During your stay in their abode, you’d wake up to Floyd squeezing you so hard you swear one of the bones on his tail were gonna puncture you. He’s too strong, horrifically strong to the point you fear getting squeezed more than twice a day could genuinely kill you. If you don’t voice this concern, you might risk your death, but if you do, he’ll restrain himself a bit (he couldn’t bear the thought of killing his shrimpy! You’re too fun to play with, let him kiss those sore places better yeah? Besides, just a little biting doesn’t hurt)
- Their senses are so enhanced, it’s just as scary as their strength. You had sliced your hand once, a medium amount of blood pouring out, and before you could even do anything, Jade had swam up to you and latched onto your wrist, pulling you down, almost tugging you into the water, and began licking the wound clean, his eyes empty and his sharp teeth dragging across your skin. You thought he was miles away…?! How did he know you were bleeding…? When he’s done, he pats your hand and smiles before engaging in a casual conversation about your day, uncharacteristically gentlemanly after such a scary display. If you ask him what that was about, he’ll innocently tilt his head and ask you “whatever are you talking about?”
- Just like Azul, their true forms are giant, not as big as his, but still equally as terrifying, the sharp bones that poke out their body further proving this fact.
- Extremely Fast, You’ve seen this first hand when Floyd jumped out of the water and dragged you through the sea to transport you to a “beach date” in the middle of the ocean, in only 3 minutes…He heard of these dates from Azul, “Said he was gonna take you on one, thought it’d be funny if I took yah instead.” You’re unable to inquire what he means by “Azul trying to take you out”, as he’s brightly smiling when he places a sailor's cap on you. The small sight of blood in his canines is all you need to know about where this hat came from.
- Their teeth are sharp that’s for sure, you watched Jade sink his teeth into unsuspecting marine life. The thought of him doing the same to ships 7 times the size of such animals, makes you worried for future sailors, and… For yourself. He flaunts those ivories at you so much, you’re worried he’s trying to hint at his insatiable hunger. (He’s doesn’t bite like Floyd does, but honestly, you’d prefer if he bit you instead of grazing his teeth on your skin so sensually)
- They like to drag you into the water with them. You’re sure it’s how they have fun, the only exposure to the human world other than you is Azul and artifacts they collect from ships they were responsible for destroying. So of course, they wouldn’t know the first thing of human play, yet… you have the underlying feeling they have a reason for doing such a thing that isn’t just entertainment.
- Survival: Anything they can fit in their mouths (Whether it be marine life or ships. Though, these two have a specific craving for human)
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Kalim Al-Asim [ Genie ]
- Extremely strong, every time he hugs you he completely forgets his strength. In the moments where he does realize it, he’s quick to apologize. If you tell him where you hurt, he’ll insist “kissing” it will make it better! It’s what worked on his siblings, so it must work for you! If you don’t tell him… he’ll cry, so it’s better to just tell him.
- Wishmaking. He insists on letting him give you a wish, after all, you did save him from being lonely! (You’re not sure if you could call it “saving” considering you were trying to kill him… and still are… ). You never accept his offer, with the knowledge that everything has a price, (Thank you Azul for such a good lesson learned) which makes him sad, but in your awkward ways of comfort, you tell him the only wish you want, is a hug. He is ecstatic and wraps his arms around you, tight. You’re regretting your wish now. Though, the glare from two pairs of slit eyes tells you you’re not the only one who doesn’t like the wish.
- Too many riches too count… You wake up, gifted in gold and jewels, you’re halfway through the day, more diamonds and rubies, going to sleep… Gold and emeralds. You told Kalim no more. He found a loophole and just replaced the cheaper items with more expensive ones. It’s technically not more so… You make a reminder to dump it all on Rollo, he’ll surely enjoy having money to tend to his garden. (He won’t. You already know he’ll refuse anything from a monster. But, if you bat your eyelashes enough he might accept it.)
“Kalim, I don’t need any more rubies.” You’re sat on his golden throne, the optimistic wish granter between your legs with his arms wrapped around your waist as he sits on the floor, a beaming smile making you hesitant on his next words.
“Then I’ll just give you more diamonds!” … Truly, you thought genies could only give out three wishes, why does it feel like this one wants to give you more than that… It’s gotten to the point where you think he wants only you to be the one he grants anything to, going so far as finding a way to bypass the rules. He even gave you his lamp, which you gave back to Jamil upon receiving it.
- You do wonder… Where are the rest of the people Kalims granted desires to? Even more so, the rest of the genies, as far as you’re concerned, Crowley said there was only one left (that he wanted to get his greedy hands on). If you had just searched Kalim and Jamils shared space, surely you would’ve found the corner filled with broken lamps in it.
Survival: Not sure, Either immortal or some secret to survival.
Jamil Viper [ Snake ]
- Warning: Capable of Magic.
- Half snake half man, his lithe body is enough to give you pause no matter how many times you see it, even after seeing the leeches who have a similar body. You think the reason might be more cause of his intimidating eyes rather than his actual body however, 2 sharp slits are enough to make anyone rethink their judgment.
- When he sleeps, he unknowingly wraps around you, his human half bunching you in his arms as if he isn’t squeezing your legs. You think it’s just his instincts using use as warmth considering he’s cold-blooded, so you let him (Little do you know he’s perfectly warm enough, his body is just drawn to you for some reason). When he wakes up, he considers poisoning himself from embarrassment.
- Venomus, the long pointed fangs could tell you that much. When he sheds a tooth after meeting you, he doesn’t toss it away like he used to, he finds a piece of string and slides it through the solid, letting you watch him in skepticism as he slithers towards you, gently placing the newly formed necklace in your palm as his forked tongue sticks out. (He also left a little venom trapped inside, in case anyone gets a little too close than wanted.)
- Don’t stare into his eyes to long, or else you’ll find yourself entranced by the slits in his pupils, and completely hypnotized without even his knowledge. It’s like he’s so enchanted by you that he forgets he can do something like that. When he realizes what he’s done, an hour goes by before you come to. You don’t feel any different, but one looks at your wrist adorned with a snake bracelet that wasn’t there before tells you something happened…
You can’t move it from its place, but you honestly don’t want to, it’s pretty. Works perfectly well in Jamil's favor, if you had, you definitely would’ve noticed the two holes punctured into your skin by a familiar set of fangs—
“Jamil, Kalim gave me his lamp again.”
“… Really?” He’s quick to take it off your hands. If only he could wish instead… it would make his life so much easier.
- Survival: Undocumented
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Vil Schoenheit [ Incubus ]
- Warning: Capable of Magic.
- You’re human. You’re not immune to charm and flirtation. It’s disappointing that Vil is so good at what he does. You haven’t given into temptation, at least, not yet.
- Shapeshifting, he’s told you before if you have someone in mind you’d ever want to do such things with, he can transform into them if you hope to practice your confession, when you tell him nobody comes to mind, you fail to notice the devious smile that perches on his lips in victory. It seems the only face that will appear in your brain in such moments of vulnerability will be his, and that’s enough for him.
“Though, Since I used to see Neige almost every day maybe his? He has seen me in moments even Rollo hasn’t…”
What?
- Feasting on the vitality of humans is something commonly known for incubi, you’ve asked Vil before if you’re going to die soon from him touching you… You already know he’s an amazing actor so when he answers you, you can’t tell if he’s lying or if it’s the truth, especially when he takes your hand in his and brings it to his lips like a prince, perfectly playing off the suspicion in his answer.
- You think it’s unfair he’s so attractive, if he had only half his looks it would at least be easier to not stare at his pretty features— what are you thinking…?! You can already hear the scolding of everyone else telling you how heinous it is to think such thoughts, but once again, you're distracted by the feeling of Vil dipping into the couch next to you, offering a drink as if you two were just ordinary people. To be fair, his whole survival depends on how well he can interact with humans… He only smiles when you take the drink.
- Making Hallucinations is just common practice for Vil, Rook praising him for all the people who gave into his temptations from his feats. You were once sure he had never used it on you, you could never fall for such a puny delusion, but now, your confidence has faded. Things in your memory are blurry, unclear.
Has… Vil has been using it on you…?
- Survival: Corruption of humans through desire, feeding off vitality
Rook Hunt [ Boogeyman ]
- You make an extreme effort to avoid all manners of shadows since you’ve met him. Lurking in the dark is his forte, and it doesn't bode well for you because almost all your work is done in the dark. Even then… your efforts are in vain because you still feel the sensation of eyes burning into you at all times of the day. In these cases, you retreat to Vil in hopes he can rein him in a bit.
- Shapeshifting is a rare and dangerous ability. Unfortunately, Rook of all monsters has it. Even in places with no signs of shadows, it feels like he’s still there. It doesn’t make it any better that he hints towards that being the truth.
“Ah trickster, you looked magnifique in that bathing suit!”
“You were the waiter who kept offering me drinks weren’t you.”
“The way I observe my muse shall not be disclosed!”
- Watching Rook feast on fear isn’t scary, but rather… unsettling…? He places his mouth near his victim as what you can only assume to be their fear twists up into his throat, the horrified human trembling in terror. Such a scary expression quickly disappears when he turns to you with the happiest smile and gushes to the poor human about how wonderful you are, rubbing his cheek to yours like a sappy couple.
“Ah! Trickster…! You are quite sweaty! Shall I dry you off—” you shut him up by throwing the same towel he was about to clean you up with, in his face.
- His skill set is already horrifying, but adding in the basic ability of enhanced strength just makes it worse. You can’t even begin to count how many walls Rook has torn through for you… A simple ow, and what you originally thought to be a brick wall, is now a giant hole with the boogeyman at your call. It’s harder to be nice to him when he’s insistent that you train your capabilities on him. The amount of times Rook has turned a stab into a firm held waltz is just too many.
“Non non, You must hide your hand better trickster.”
“I would do that if you weren't cradling me into a dip right now Rook— Stop dancing with me already!”
- Survival: Fear and Grief
Epel Felimer [ Newbie Vampire ]
- He's asked you before if he could suck you dry. He honestly expected you to say no, but when you reached your arm out and told him to just not turn you, he was sure you must be some sort of blessing in disguise. When he’s done, he begs you not to tell Vil, as the incubus banned him from feeding. You’ll come to regret it at some point though, as now he continuously comes back to you in times of hunger.
- He runs at such fast speeds, it’s incredible to you, you’ve clapped for him a couple times, but, every-time you did… he got distracted and would trip. He wishes the sun would come up and kill him in those moments.
- Compulsion is a dangerous thing, you shouldn’t be shocked, but luckily for you, he… doesn’t seem to know how to use it the way it should be utilized. The moment he does finally master such an ability, you’ll have to find someway to get past that. He did try using it on you once, a simple command asking you to tell him how “manly” he is, somehow, someway, the command turned into something much more… embarrassing. He stands in bewilderment at the way your hands are cupping your face, endlessly praising Epel about how amazing he is, and how you wish to stay with him forever.
Vil and Rook stepped in to save you. He was sat in the corner as a punishment.
- His hunger is, insatiable. You’re not sure you’ve ever seen such a monster so bloodthirsty. It’s like he has some goal to just, feast on as many people as he can… He mistook you as a stranger he could freely feast on, jumping on you, ready to sink his fangs into your neck. He’s only narrowly stopped when the moon shines on your face and he knows it’s you. If it wasn’t, whoever took your place would not doubt be dead.
- Survival: Blood
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Idia Shroud [ Reaper ]
- Warning: Capable of Magic.
- With how moody Idia is, you forget what his occupation is until he shows up at your door with the scythe he uses to escort the dead.
- Reapers aren’t necessarily evil or good, which is why you’re always conflicted about how to feel about Idia. Should you… Make your decisions based off his personality rather than what he is to slay him—? Why is he whispering about how all the other monsters should drop dead— Ah, he thinks they’re cooler than him.
- You essentially work as a discounted vent session as Idia talks about how everyone else is so much worthier than him to be slain by hunters. They all have cool abilities and cool looks, what is he stuck with? An edgy cloak and a tool farmers use to cut hay—
- His rant is cut short at the sound of a cheap board game slamming on the table, his eyes looking up to you placing a game piece on the spot, signaling him to take his turn as you tell him how he’s “the only one you find playing games with fun”. Truly, you must be one of the kindest souls he’s had the fortune of meeting, he should know, half of the spirits he escorts are huge douches.
- It just makes him all the more worried about bringing you to the after life.
- Even though Idia doesn’t have a reason to actively hurt humans, it’s still worrying when he describes to you in detail of his After life Capabilities. He once told you a story about how a guy was acting so high and mighty he trapped him in the space between life and death, only coming back to laugh at him when the man was practically broken. He only stops his retelling when he looks up and sees the most hurt expression on your face.
- After that, he sits up before you can even say anything, leaving immediately as he buries his head in his hands. The next day, he’s at your door as you silently stare at him, his form of retribution for your hurt being whatever you mentioned wanting during the week. You accept his gift, but that still doesn’t stop the fear of what Idia does to the souls he guides with a lack of fondness.
- Survival: Unable to Die. (Speculation)
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Malleus Draconia [Dragon Gargoyle… And… something else?]
- Warning: Capable of Magic.
- Heavy durability, as he is pure stone. in times of desperation, you watch as green sparkles fly around the man as stone turns soft. His spell doesn’t last long but in his desire he chooses to pepper you in kisses with smooth lips. The first time he attempted to romantically place a peck on your arm, you cringed at the feeling of rough stone on your skin. It hurt his feelings so he opted to just spell himself instead.
- Heavy. He didn’t wanna move away from a doorway you had to exit through to leave. You tried lifting him out of the way, you don’t think you’ve ever tried so hard to move something before. He thought it was an attempt at a hug, so you ended up being smooshed in his arms for an hour before Lilia saved you.
- Camaflouge, the stone he’s made of, and moss that grows on his body can be manipulated in any way he wishes, even his size, it’s scary watching him go from his regular 6 feet to an astonishing 10. This trait of his has served numerous moments where you’re surveying his castle only to feel arms pulling you back into a stone exterior. Your reflexes are swift to throw a punch, only to have the cruel reminder of rock busting your hand.
“Ah forgive me, I did not mean to hurt you Child of hunters”
“My hand is broken Malleus.”
“We can just get you a new hand can we not?” That night serves as the first of having to tell Malleus he can’t always spell you when you’re injured. To this, he tells you that’s nonsense and he’ll expend all his reserves for you.
- Considering he’s also a Dragon, flight, and fire breathing really shouldn’t surprise you. What does surprise you is when he looked more dragon than gargoyle sometimes, his eyes becoming more lively, scales being more obvious, and his wings and horn being truer than they’ve ever been. You have a sneaking suspicion his instincts change forms too, his already heavy clinginess increasing tenfold. You’re either held by his clawed fingers or wrapped in his wing.
- Despite Malleus being marked as one of the most dangerous kills possible, you find it extremely easy to… ask him to do something. In fits of anger, he’ll cling impossibly close to you, trying desperately to attempt to cease the ugly feeling festering inside him. He’ll tell you he never wants you to leave his side. If you’re not feeling like being trapped inside, all you need to do is wrap your arms around his neck and lean into his ear with a low whisper, asking him to let you go. For a moment, his grip will tighten, but slowly he relents, his stone eyes watching you wave goodbye.
- Though, truthfully, You don’t feel like you’re free… Sometimes, you notice gargoyles in places where there shouldn’t be any. Sooner or later, his resolve might break, asking him for such freedoms might not be as easy.
- Not only that but… There’s definitely a side to him that isn’t just some Dragon Gargoyle. Whenever you have the chance to dig deeper into it, you’re met with a wall that separates you from the truth. Just what is Malleus?
- Survival: ???, Unable to Die. Do not attempt.
Lilia Vanrouge [ ??? ]
- Caution: Possibly capable of Magic.
- Certainly the most mysterious of the bunch… To be fair, everyone in the Diasmonia space is filled with anonymity. He doesn’t have any specific qualities that warrant a decisive conclusion, but you’re confident that he’s not a human. Sometimes he has wings, sometimes fangs, sometimes spider legs, just what is he?! (He has used this capability to scare you on numerous occasions, taking the form of a giant wasp and chasing you once. When he gets bored though, he clings onto you endlessly, not as bad as Malleus but still very often. You woke up to him in your bed once, and now he occasionally appears there to “wake you up” by sliding his arms around your waist. Please tell him you’ll only let him do this if he stops turning into freaky stuff…)
- You have no doubt he’s one of the monsters that eat humans. You took a sniff of his red juice once, it’s definitely blood, and considering why you’re here, it’s for sure not animal blood. Out of guilt for failing whatever human is his current meal, you offered up yourself as a blood bag, and he happily indulged, pining you to the table and nipping that delicious spot on your neck. Out of courtesy for everyone else in the castle... You lock the door.
But it doesn’t matter, you’re quite sure he didn’t honor the agreement anyway, as he’s happily feasting on a mystery meat you know isn’t any creature near this castle.
- He always keeps you on your toes, one of the moments being when he used his flight to carry you all over the sky, laughing at you and your body clinging onto him in fear of dropping to your death. It makes it worse that he doesn’t do it slow, he flies so fast you can hear the wind slicing through the air, your arms only wrapping around his neck trying to get even closer than you already are.
“Lilia…! Lilia! Put us down—! I’m gonna die…!” you can feel his hand pat your head as he tightens his grip on your body.
“Aww…don’t worry, as long as I’m here you won’t fall!” you believe him, but that doesn’t make you feel any safer at all…
- Despite how decrepit the Diasmonia castle is, there are still photos of its rein on the wall. In an attempt to know your targets better, you look at some of them, immediately recognizing Lilia in one of the frames… But, his aura seemed different, more cold, more cruel… He was bloodied, and you’re sure that body he’s holding is what you think it is, but, he doesn't have that usual crazy happy look he has when he catches his next meal.
-Just how did Lilia end up like this?
- Survival: Undocumented
Sebek Zigvolt [ Swamp Monster ]
- He says you’re pathetic. (He continues to leave flowers specific from his swamp at your door) You’re not… You’re not very sure what he thinks of you…? He says you’re a coward, yet continues to gift you plants after you offhandedly mentioned how you think they’re pretty. So… What does that mean…?
- Maybe they’re poisonous… Heh… Maybe you can use them on Crowley—
- Your plan of attack is interrupted as a booming voice bursts your ear drums, the source of distress being the green being covered in moss, water, and vines. You follow the trail of plants leading from the swamp to the creature behind you, a bear, wrapped in controlled swamp foliage by the monster of the water. Sebek huffs and chastises you for such carelessness, but the feeling of you scooping his hands into yours and thanking him with a smile makes the words on his tongue go numb. Not for too long though, as he tells you obviously a beast like him can handle such lowly creatures, no wonder you didn’t notice.
- Before you came along, according to Silver, the water he resides in used to be a mess, as he said “Lilia believes it to fit my role of Swamp Monster, so I shall keep it!” so he kept it the way it is and let it out control. But, apparently, after you, it subtly became neater, flowers adorning the ridges of where once was messed moss, his water adorned with petals of your favorite color, the place even smelling like your favorite scent. He tells you it’s just a change of scenery for Malleus, not anyone else, you only smile at him, not replying. Malleus doesn’t have the same favorite scent.
- Like his fondness for nature, his power of water is equally as tantalizing to watch. He didn’t know you were there, but you were watching him train, your eyes becoming more entranced in his movements when you saw him become sidetracked from his patience for a moment. A book was laid in front of him, one that he delved deeper and deeper into with interest. It seems he has a fondness for literature, so after that, you would leave books you had at his residence, watching with amusement at how fascinated he was. Unfortunately, you walked up to him once when he was meant to be training, and in attempt to hide his hobby, he flicked his hands and let the water swallow every page in aqua.
“I have been training this whole time human…!”
“Ah, I got you all those. Now they’re wet…” He acts like he doesn’t care, but he secretly feels bad, so discreetly, he attempts to piece every page lost in the water together before presenting you with a new book.
- Survival: Swamp
Silver [ ??? ]
- Honestly, his abilities are lighthearted when not used to a heavy extent. He can eat dreams of those who sleep, typically, nightmares. There have been rumors spreading of a night creature who creeps into rooms, sucking the ambitions and hopes of its victims… They’re not wrong, if he’s called upon too often he’ll strip the person of all their wants and, dreams. Go a step further, and he might as well suck the life out of a human.
- But… You know he doesn’t mean to… At least you hope not.
- Sometimes your judgment feels misplaced when you watch him go overboard in his hunger, his trance only capable of being broken when you grab him by the shoulder, maybe even point a blade at him in desperation.
- He can travel into dreams. You’ve caught him lurking in your conscious one too many times to count. It’s not like he’s devouring your fantasy, but you can’t help and wonder why he’s almost always there. He doesn’t change what’s happening in it, he doesn’t destroy it so… Why is he there so often?
- it’s ironic, a creature who lives off the manifestation of people’s conscious, sleeps so much. You remember sorting through flowers Sebek had “gifted” you, (You’re not sure if it counts as gifted considering he threw them at you saying “they’re frail, just like a weak human.”) and Silver had sat right next to you, begining a sentence before dropping his head into your lap, a deep slumber commencing on your thighs.
- He wakes up ready to apologize, but the feeling of your hands gently playing with his hair, is enough for him to fall back asleep immediately.
- He’s a lot more welcoming to stay with compared to the rest of the monstrous residents of Diasmonia. If you’re free from Malleus and Lilias's grasp, you’re quick to run over to him. He’s typically sleeping, so, when he’s nodding off you sit down next to him, slowly placing your head on his shoulder as you fall asleep. If you’re to be trapped here for a bit, it wouldn't hurt to have some form of comfort in this run-down place.
As you fall into slumber, you secretly wish to meet Silver in a dream again.
It’s coincidental that he wakes up the moment you place your head on him, it’s a pretty sight to him. He hopes… you’ll stay here, he enjoys your company too much. As soft snores leave you, his hands move on their own, grasping onto your hands, intertwining his fingers with yours.
It’s selfish, he was raised to do what he must to survive as a monster by his father. So he knows, what he feels is natural, but there’s a lingering thought he shouldn’t feel this heavy about a human… He doesn’t wanna let you go.
- Survival: Dream Feasting
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Neige Leblanche [ Angel ]
- It’s… a bit unnerving how kind he is… You understand he’s a supposed Guardian Angel specially dedicated to your well but goodness, he was not very good at his job.
- He essentially watches you go about your day, occasionally blessing you to see your eyes light up with happiness.
- Despite how much he grooms the feathers on his back, he never lets you get too close to them, folding them back up when you’re near enough to see them more intricately or graze your fingers on them. It never bothered you, truly, he’s so nice to to you you could never be suspicious of him.
- He had to attend to personal matters once when you were eating together, his wings fluttering before he ascended. A pair of feathers had fallen in place of where he once was, One plumage was as white as snow, and the other…
- Was as dark as ebony.
- Survival: Being Good
Rollo Flamme [ Human ]
- He’s always been by your side.
- He would never be one of those wretched filthy beasts. He’s always cared for you when you couldn’t care for yourself.
- Don’t look at him like that. Why… Why is there scorn in your eyes…? He’d never hurt you, never.
- You’re the only sanctuary of purity in his life, he wants to embrace you. He always has, your happiness has always been his.
- He has always wanted to save you from the hellish life mother nature had dealt you.
So please…
- Let him hug the one thing he cares for one more time. And…
Forget the white lie he gave you.
- Survival: You
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The day is today. The date you left Rollo without saying even the slightest hint of a farewell. It has been 364 days, without you.
It’s a sorrowing sight for coworkers of his who know how close you are. But, if they had just looked closer, the looming feeling of festering jealousy would no doubt impede their senses.
Rollo knows he can feel it. He will find a way to drag whatever wretched beasts are ruining you with their filth, down to hell.
“Ah! Mr.Flamme, Hello Hello—!” ringed fingers slam mercilessly into the wood of a desk, any harder and he might’ve broken it. “Be careful…! This desk is expensive…!”
“It’s been a year since [Name] left for these jobs… Why aren’t they back?” Rollos on the verge of bursting a vein, the only composure he has left is strung together by the thin thread of hope he has of you coming back, coming back to him.
“Well, My little Birdie is—”
“There is no My, and there is no Birdie, don’t call them that.”
“Possesive much…”
“It’s not posseviness.” Crowley only nods at him, obviously, he doesn’t believe the man, but he’ll pretend if it means moving this conversation along.
“I will answer your question in due time, now would you please… remind yourself why it is you’re here in the first place?”
———
A/n Did I do a shit ton of research about monsters and their abilities for this, a post that was meant to be a shitpost? No, who would do that? (I would). Anyways, I hope this can satisfy Monster!Twst enjoyers while I work on the heartslaybul chapter, I promise I’m working on it to make it the best possible! (Blame the economy for my lack of activity on it)
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cloudiinumaki · 1 month
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teenage cliches — megumi fushiguro
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NOTES ! — at what point does a piece of writing get long enough that it should probably have a read more thing is there like a number or what
WARNINGS ! — lowercase... (but it's fluff so it matches)
REQUESTS OPEN !
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it's the late evening, and somehow you've managed to coax megumi into watching a film with you— and, not just any film, a film that he quite adamantly hates and has openly said so. still, at your pleading words, he'd taken a seat next to you to watch the film, not pulling away as you lean into his side.
for him, it's just as annoying as the first time he'd watched it, though you latch onto each and every scene, loving the film in his stead. honestly, he wasn't sure when he started doing these things for you. watching films he hated just so he could see you smile next to him, and possibly have you lean into him as you watch… focusing more on your face than the clunky dialogue of the characters. still, despite inwardly noticing this new behaviour of his, he can't really stop it.
by the time half of the film's gone by, he's almost ready to die. he somehow hates the main character more than he thought was even possible, and he wonders what sick thought process the director must've had to make a film so terrible in quality. megumi turns his gaze away from the blinking screen, moving past the features of the dim bedroom to look at you. you're clearly trying to hide it, stifling your yawns behind your hand, and blinking your eyes insistently to ward off sleep, but he can see you're getting tired too.
"should i turn it off?" megumi asks after a quiet moment, eyebrow slightly raised as he glances between you and the film on the screen. he'd be glad to, honestly. but, you wave him off, nestling back into him as you force your eyes to focus back on the scene.
"no, not when this is the best part of the film," you say insistently, adjusting yourself slightly. mentally, he wondered if it was even a good thing that the 'best part' of the film was so early in its run time. after a few moments, amicable silence filled with the sound of the movie, megumi puts his arm around you almost gingerly. you settle into the touch, finding it comfortable and he resolves himself to continue watching the film. sure, it sucks, but he can feel your quiet breaths near him, the small huffs of laughter you'd make when a piece of dialogue was slightly funny. it's an unusual scene for him to be in, such a quiet and mundane activity. but, it's… not unwelcome either.
he only pauses when he feels a weight against his shoulder, a short glance to his right confirming that you had, indeed, fallen asleep and against his shoulder, of all places. he won't deny that he froze up for a good few moments, but he eventually settles his mind, also glad for the fact the two of you were alone. if anyone else saw this, they'd probably have a field day with teasing him.
after a few moments, megumi carefully adjusts your position: as falling asleep like that would certainly leave a crick in your neck. and, when your eyes blink open in a daze, despite his best efforts to not wake you, he won't have much to say— honestly somewhat lost for words.
"it's fine, go back to sleep," he murmurs, his voice soft and steady, and his hands are feather-light as they adjust the pillow under you, and set you down, before (reluctantly) pulling away. still, you fall back asleep just as easily, and by the time it's morning, you're left wondering if that tranquil moment was just another part of your dreams.
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BONUS ! —
later that morning, you find megumi, having just finished up his training. when you move to greet him, you notice the momentary, but visible redness at the tips of his ears— the most reliable way of noticing when he's flustered. he brushes the moment off quickly, but at once, you're reassured that, no, that moment earlier was not part of any dream.
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your-nanas-house · 5 months
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Just acting... right?
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◇ Pairing: Neil Lewis X Best Friend fem!Reader
◇ Warnings: filming, shitty acting skills, dry humping, Neil cumming in his pants, Y/n director, bit of shaming
◇ Summary: Neil needs some help for the sensual scene they need to record.
◇ Note: Sorry for the mistakes and the English. This isn't proof read.. like most of my works but 🤫 I'm tired. This is based on this BEAUTIFUL moodboard made by @darlingsfandom . Also Happy B-day @emilyrosier !!!!
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"Stop, Stop... Cut!" Y/n's disappointed voice interrupted Neil in the middle of his acting for a clip of the short movie they were recording to promote an event at Gumshoe Video.
That time the nerdy man had asked a little help from his best friend in hope to improve and give a kind of upgrade to the usual stuff.
The scene on the script, which was written by Neil himself, should have been a passionate and sensual one where the main character was having an intimate moment with a lover of his.
Due to the low budget there wasn't actually a second person there, not that they really needed it since that scene had the cameras all pointed at Neil's face, taking in his expression and the movements of his body.
So yeah... it should have been a sensual and sexy act that should have aroused and not disgusted or made the viewer worry of the main character conditions. "Dude... what was that? Are you okay?... it looked like you were having some kind of attack or about to throw up. Geez" the young woman confronted her best friend while staring at him with concern before rolling her eyes as soon as he went on the defensive
"Shush, no arguing with the director. You can't act this kind of scenes on your own, it's the forty-first try we make... I can't suffer this thing again. Sensual, sexy, you're having an orgasm... not dying by a bullet or due to poison" her harsh words slapped Neil right across his face, making him shut his mouth and follow her orders.
His best friend moved closer, fixing the camera again before meeting his gaze still lost in her thoughts.
They needed to find a solution to finally finish that short film.
"Okay... nerdy thing. Let's... Let's simply pretend shall we?" Y/n murmured with less confidence as she climbed on his lap and fixed the background which were the sheets of the bed and the pillows... there were also some rose petals because Neil had insisted.
Her eyes met carefully Neil's piercing light blue ones and she had to swallow the lump, that had formed in her throat, without stopping to fix the set to try for the forty-first attempt "And... action!" Y/n exclaimed as she focused the filming on her friend's freckled face, her hips casually grinding against his clothed crotch.
As the minutes passed and Neil said his lines, his expression started to become more genuine and real— expecially when his hips started to thrust up in seek of more friction. His slender fingers grabbed her hips, forcing her to grind harder on him while getting to the exact position the two characters should have been in the script.
A long whiny moan and his beautiful eyes were rolling back, his back arching softly and his swollen lips parting, as soon as his climax hit him like a train.
The scene was perfect, they didn't need to film it again, so Neil had all the time to change his cummed pants and underwear before recording the final parts of the script.
They were just acting, right?, Y/n asked herself as she glanced back at her best friend, still feeling the tension and butterflies in her stomach.
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beomiracles · 5 months
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ᴛᴜʙᴀᴛᴜ ᴀꜱ ꜱᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ʟᴇᴀᴅ ꜱʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ ੈ✩‧₊˚
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DREAM RECALL "'Second male lead syndrome' is where the second male lead is or seems infinitely superior to the male lead, and you curse the main character for choosing the wrong guy."
pairings non idol!txt x gn!reader warnings yeonjun is kinda mean, beomgyu is pervert (I can't help myself when I write for him), beomgyu's hints at sexual themes.
#serene adds ✎... it's been forever since I wrote for all five like this hehe. this one's lowkey a little sad... :>
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ʏᴇᴏɴᴊᴜɴ ᴀꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴄʜɪʟᴅʜᴏᴏᴅ ‘ʙᴜʟʟʏ’ who you had sworn off years ago due to his persistent snarky comments and mean pranks. In your eyes he was nothing but a bully and you did everything in your might to keep your distance. 
Yeonjun, who had only been a small boy with a crush on a small girl; now finds himself hopelessly watching you from afar as you laugh with your friends. Despite years passing and the fact that you were both grown up by this point, your grudge seemed to persist. 
Yeonjun who doesn’t know how to express his feelings for you so he chooses to pull pranks instead, hoping it will catch your attention. Not understanding why you get upset with him and ignore him when he passes by; it only makes his comments grow nastier. 
Yeonjun who trips you over in the hallways, yet hesitating — wanting to reach out a hand and help you back up again. Yeonjun who tells you that your shirt is dirty when he actually wants to tell you that blue looks nice on you. 
Yeonjun who calls your boyfriend a down-grade from your last, when he wants nothing more but to be the one you call your own. 
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ꜱᴏᴏʙɪɴ ᴀꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʙᴏʏꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅ’ꜱ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅ who always seemed to hang around your boyfriend whenever you were present. Your boyfriend who always explained it as it being a ‘guy thing’. 
Soobin who knew that it was wrong to have a crush on his best friend’s girlfriend. So he never made a move. 
Soobin who knew that he stood no chance against his best friend. Yeonjun was confident and charismatic, easily swooning you with every other sentence. All the while Soobin has to rehearse his next words before even daring to address you. 
Soobin who gets flustered under your stare, and you don’t understand why he insists on hanging out with you and your boyfriend as he rarely speaks. Yeonjun who explains it as him being shy — it only makes Soobin feel even more guilty, his best friend oblivious to his true feelings. 
“You listening, Binnie?” Your sweet voice makes his knees weak and Soobin has to blink a couple of times before realizing that he hadn’t heard a word of what you had just said; too lost in your eyes, the way your soft lashes subconsciously moved as you spoke.  “Uh-huh”, he splutters, earning a giggle from you, Soobin who loved your laugh.
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ʙᴇᴏᴍɢʏᴜ ᴀꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ʏᴏᴜɴɢᴇʀ ʙʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴏꜰ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʙᴏʏꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅ who’s gaze always seemed to linger whenever you were around. His brother would often bring you over, and you would always so politely greet him, making his heart flutter like a little school boy.  
Beomgyu who loved the way your eyes would crinkle up as you smiled at his jokes. He would always make excuses to pass by his brother’s room whenever you were over, earning quite the scolding from his elder sibling. In the end it was always worth it. 
Beomgyu who doesn’t understand why you had chosen his older brother over him. His brother wasn’t twice as funny or good looking, yet he was the one who’s cheek you pressed soft kisses to whenever you could. 
Beomgyu who doesn’t know if he loves it or hates it when you stay over. The sounds of your sweet moans as his brother has his way with you in the room next to his own –  keeps him up at night. And he knows it’s wrong, the way he tries to peek at you whenever he thinks you aren’t looking; he can’t help it. 
Beomgyu who always got compared to his older brother, desperately wishing to have everything he had, most of all he wanted his girlfriend. Beomgyu who hopes that one day you’ll see what’s been right in front of you all along. 
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ᴛᴀᴇʜʏᴜɴ ᴀꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴛᴜᴛᴏʀ who helped your grades go from D’s to B’s. Taehyun who usually never offered to tutor, despite being the top student in all of his classes, but when you came along, there had been no question about it. 
Taehyun, who always waits for you after class so that you can study together. He doesn't mind when you don’t get it right away, in fact he likes explaining things to you, even if he has to do so over and over; only to see the way your eyes light up in joy as you finally understand. 
Taehyun who loves when you ask questions about the subject he’s helping you with. Sometimes he even messes up, too lost in the way you chew on your pencil or the way your painted nails itch at your rosy cheek. 
Taehyun whose mood turns sour as your friends approach, whisking your attention from him in milliseconds. Heart aching when you tell him that you would have to leave earlier because you had a date. 
Taehyun who wishes you would ask to hangout outside of school, outside of tutoring. Taehyun who wishes you would ask questions about him and not the boring equations you tried to solve. Taehyun who wishes to be more than just your tutor.
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ʜᴜᴇɴɪɴɢᴋᴀɪ ᴀꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʙᴏʏ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅ who never seemed to understand the appeal you saw in the guys you chose to date. Who also never wrapped his head around the range of emotions they caused you to undergo. 
“He’s such a dick!” You groan, slamming your phone down on the table as you lean back in your chair. Huening frowns, yesterday you had told him that he was perfect, you seemed to change your mind a lot. 
“I’m sure he’ll come around” Kai reassures, though he secretly wishes he wouldn’t. You give him an uncertain look, “you think so?” Your best friend nods, “you’re gorgeous y/n, he would be a fool not to.” 
"Oh, stop it!” you giggle, ignorant to the fact that he had meant every word. Hueningkai who wishes you would see yourself through his eyes, perhaps then you would realize his true feelings for you. Instead he’s forced to watch from the sidelines as guys sweep you off your feet. 
He gives you a small smile, cheeks reddening as you wrap your arms around him in a tight hug. “You’re such a great friend, Kai” you sigh against his neck, his heart sinks, friend, that’s all he was to you. 
Hueningkai who pats your back and dries your tears after yet another unsuccessful date. Hueningkai who listens to you vent about the guy you’re currently talking to, wishing more than anything to be in his shoes. Hueningkai who’s too much of a coward to ever admit his feelings out loud. 
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devine-fem · 3 months
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Let’s talk about Jason Todd in the Al Ghuls and why it bothers me to extreme levels in fandom. There’s a lot of content that insist on Jason raising Damian in the League of Assassins ergo Young Justice Animation or whatever and I want to talk about why I heavily dislike this concept.
Sure, it’s way to create interesting content for Jason and Damian but that’s exactly my issue with it, any valuable relationship that Damian is supposed to have in the League of Assassins get begrudgingly replaced with Jason, they even get as bold as to call him “Jason Al Ghul” which is somewhat disturbing because that’s kind of a form making Jason appropriate Damian’s culture. I also see this is popular amongst Damijay shippers as well and any post that talks of Talia and Jason having a deep relationship sounds extremely shippy to me. Which would make sense because Lost Days; one of the main comics supporting the idea that Jason would have a deep relationship with Jason reduces their dynamic to Jason being Talia’s bicycle.
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Then because of this; DC comics is given an inch which makes them want the moon.
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I cannot even iterate how deeply ooc this is. There’s multifaceted reasons as to why the Al Ghuls wouldn’t want to do anything like this but this should be ridiculous to anyone with common sense of DC comics.
Even if you insist that you would wish Talia and Jason to have a mother and son type of relationship and it’d be good for him… what’s the point? Did you forget about Nocturna? He already has that with someone.
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Also, why is it just Talia that cares about Jason? Is Ra’s Al Ghul a none to the Al Ghul name? I mean it does go to show that originally Ra’s was depicted as feeling responsible for his death and greiving Jason to the point where HE was the one who sought out Jason’s body and brought him back to life, then he STOPPED TALIA from killing him again.
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Or is it only because Talia is this sexy older woman figure? Or did you not know this about Ra’s Al Ghul? If you liked the Al Ghuls so much I would hope it’d be graceful of me to assume that you already knew this considering it’s one of his bigger character traits.
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Also, overall there’s no need for this sort of concept considering that in the future and even now there are facets of Damian and Jason’s relationship that are soon going to be explored in the comics with the way that they actually are and is far more interesting anyway. He does care deeply, he’s not deeply unfeeling so why does Ra’s Al Ghul never help raise Damian? He’s not sadistic, he would help take care of Damian assuming that from the fact that Damian is the perfect air that he’s been waiting for centuries for.
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But never forget that Jason and Damian are not as close as you may want them to be, his first interaction with Jason was him spiraling into madness and shooting him in the chest so…
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whatdudtheysay · 7 days
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Context - You're on a boring 'date' with the duke of the north. But a certain someone keeps catching your eye...
Tw - slight nsfw but nothing major.
Note - this series will have switching povs to show inner thoughts of both main leads <3 - might include other important characters.
Credit - @cafekitsune
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You sighed softly as you woke up in your large bed, stretching with a light moan.
Another day of pretending to be poised and demure. You got out of bed and stretched once more before heading over to the long and big rope bell in your room.
You shook it tiredly and only 0.5 seconds passed before five different maids entered, two carrying hot buckets of water and three empty handed.
They all curtsied in sync, smiling at you warmly.
"good morning, your highness."
"good morning." You greeted back.
The two with the water moved into your ensuite to prepare your bath while the others went to your huge closet, holding out different dresses until you decided to choose a simple light blue dress. They nodded, offering comments like "excellent choice" and "you'll look amazing in this dress, your highness."
But you've heard it all before. You were then ushered into the bathroom for a bath, the maids helping you undress before helping you into the warm water, their hands helping wash your hair.
It was nice of them to do but you thought it would stop when you were 16. However, your mother insisted.
Luckily, time passed quickly and you were out of the bath. luckily, after you 'kindly' told them to excuse you to dress yourself, they did.
After they left, you laid back on your bed, your towel slightly slipping off. You were dreading today. A date with a duke? He's probably been divorced 4 times and has 7 children.
You were dreading it. But it wasn't like you had a choice. You sat up quickly and pulled on some underwear, your stockings, then your dress and then your jewellery.
After a long thirty minutes of doing your hair and drowning yourself in rose perfume, you finally got up and headed downstairs.
There, you entered the dining room and saw your father at the head of the table, smoking a fat cigar and reading the royale newspaper as usual, your mother beside him, drinking some tea.
"good morning." You greeted before taking a seat opposite your mother.
"Morning, sweetness. Are you prepared?" Your father asked.
"Prepared?" You feigned ignorance, staring at the window as the maids served you breakfast.
"do not play dumb, y/n. It isn't befitting-"
"-of a Princess. I know, mother." You cut her off gently. "But do I have to go on this outing? I know you all want what's best for me but a duke?"
"you rejected 30 princes, 5 imperial knights and an earl. This is for your own good since you love being stubborn." Your dad sighed, turning the page of his paper. "I'm guessing you got that from your mother."
Your mother gave your father a glare before she refocused on her breakfast.
You wanted to argue further but you knew that they'd make the situation worse for you. You hated how your parents acted when it came to your life...
It was your only chance at living and yet you weren't in control. You were just a doll to them... And then you'd be a doll to your future husband. The cycle wouldn't end.
"Very well, then. I shall prepare." You grit out before getting up and leaving your breakfast untouched.
You were walking. You didn't know where but you were angry and you just needed to walk it off before you got yourself in more trouble.
You continued to mumble to yourself, ignoring the different palace helps who stopped to greet you. After almost five minutes, you looked up and realised you were in a deeper end of the palace.
Unsure, you glanced around. Despite living here since you were born, you'd never explored this much. You weren't allowed to. Funny.
You continued going deeper. At least if you got lost it would give you an excuse to hold off on the date with the duke. Eventually, you found a room at the end of the hall and pushed it open, revealing a large hall.
"woah." You audibly mumbled. It was so big. A bit smaller than the main... You guessed it was a spare....
Hesitantly, you stepped inside and noticed a lot of portraits around. So this was where your childhood ones went. One of you as a baby, a child, then the most recent was from your 18th, just a few months ago.
You were about to let your hand gently brush against the golden frame when-
"A beautiful portrait."
You gasped and turned around to see.... Him...
Lieutenant Fushiguro.
"Lieutenant- what're you doing here?" You asked. Did he follow you? You hadn't noticed... Or heard him.
"forgive me for starting you." He bowed. "The king wants me to guard your date with the Duke...I tried to find you but the maids said you stormed off in this direction."
Oh.... That made sense....
You somewhat calmed down and nodded. "I see. Sorry...I didn't mean to waste time..."
It was a lie. You did.
But you couldn't deny, the view was... Delectable. The view of him in that tight dark blue and cream royal guard attire... The brooches on his blazer, his hair that was slicked back yet somewhat messy...
It was hard to ignore that delicious shiver that kept tingling down your spine.
"It isn't a problem...besides, I'm sure you are...dreading the meeting?" Toji supposed.
You sighed in relief. It felt like he was the only one who wasn't lobotomized around here.
"Finally! Someone who isn't brain-dead. Uh, no offense." You huffed.
He chuckled deeply in a way that made molten heat pool in your lower stomach.
"I'm not sure a woman such as yourself should settle for anyone you find below your standard." Toji shrugged simply, taking a few steps between you, eating up the distance.
You found yourself nodding to his words almost eagerly. How did a stranger manage to see it and say exactly what your heart wanted while your parents believed the complete opposite?
"I'm glad someone understands." You mumbled, glancing back at your portrait.
"Well sometimes you need a change of perspective." He spoke calmly, his voice a lot closer than before.
You glanced over your shoulder, swallowing thickly when you noticed he was merely a step away from you.
Before either of you could speak up, the doors suddenly opened and your father entered. You glanced at toji, then your father, noticing the stare off they were currently having.
"Y/n. Down to the main hall. The duke is waiting for you." Was all your father said.
But he said it in that voice. The voice he used when you were two ticks away from trouble. So, you moved around Toji awkwardly and quickly left the hall, your father closing the door behind you. Curiously, you pressed your ear against the door, overhearing some muffled words but nothing coherent.
"my lady."
You almost screamed at the sudden voice, whirling around to see your lady's maid and friend, Nobara.
"Gosh! Nobara, I told you not to sneak up on me anymore!" You lightly chastised, moving to interlink your arms, hoping your father hadn't realised you'd been eavesdropping.
She laughed softly. "Sorry. But I was told you'd be going out today?"
"yes... Just got a while. I hope." You sighed, remembering your 'date.'
"in that case, should I tell the emperor you'll see him next week?" She asked.
You raised a brow. Satoru wanted to see you? But why?
"I guess so. I'll probably be tired after the outing." You nodded. Now you wished you didn't have to go.
Satoru was your childhood friend before he inherited the Gojo empire. You barely ever saw him because it was situated in the far north and snow was fun until you got frostbite.
But you had to face reality... Before you got yourself into more trouble.
As you walked ahead, you took one last glance at the hall. The bigger part of you hoped you hadn't gotten Toji in any trouble...
ㅤㅤㅤ⊹────⊹ ꯭┄ׁ┄ ʚ͜♡͜ɞ ┄ׁ┄꯭ ⊹────⊹
(TOJI'S POV)
Fuck, it was hot. He was in the carriage with you, staring out of the windows, alert as usual.
But he was also discreetly staring at you. The heat was no match for a royal either. You were lightly fanning yourself, a bead of sweat moving down your collarbone, settling between the deep line of your cleavage.
Fuck. He had already ensured your father biting his head off about being near you earlier and now he was staring at those pretty tits eyes of yours. You kept glancing out of the window and then to your lap. Your fidgeting was making him nervous at this time.
"You alright, princess?" He asked, causing you to look up quickly.
You huffed, fanning yourself more. "Of course I am! I'm just... Thinking about my wonderful future wedding with the duke."
Toji chuckled, causing her to shyly avoid his gaze.
"I'm sure you'll receive many blessings of wealth and fertility." Toji hummed, making you gag.
"Ew, Ew, Ew! Don't!" You huffed, becoming more worried.
Toji sighed slightly. He could tell you didn't want to be bound to some random man and pop out more babies for him. Besides, who knew what the duke would make of the kingdom when your future husband took over.
Sadly, the ride slowed to a stop and toji helped you out of the carriage. He glanced around the large estate. It was....clean, kept...nice. befitting of a royal.
A woman came out, short and she had blonde hair.
"Good morning, I hope the the ride wasn't too eventful." She smiled, mostly at you than Toji.
"Oh, it was smooth, thank you." You replied with a smile as you had been accustomed to.
She led you up the path, Toji tailing behind, ensuring to keep an eye on the surroundings just in case...
They finally got into the estate, moving into the parlour which was thankfully, a lot cooler than the summer heat outside.
But then you suddenly stopped. Toji was a lot taller so he looked over your head and noticed a man sat, waiting...staring deeply into you.
Short silky blonde hair, regal robes and two different brightly coloured eyes. He had a wry smirk upon his lips and an odd look in his eyes as you stared at each other.
Naoya...the duke of the northern region.
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Tags ღ - @blobkvna , @byerno6 , @iseeyouuu , @iloveaustinelvisandmannymore , @aloserprobably , @tojislittleprincesss , @meforpr3sident , @someonejasjsj
A/n - by changing povs I mean the story will focus more on one person than another just to lyk <3
Please don't steal or copy my work. None of the art in my works are mine 𓈒ㅤׂ 𝜗𝜚
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wistfulcynic · 11 months
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a non-izzy-centric reading of the events of season two
i didn't really want to get into this because it's so, so tiresome and i'd rather talk about the things i loved about this season. Poison, positivity, etc. But.
reading this post about people doubting their own judgement due to the overwhelming noise from Izzy stans along with a rewatch of season two from start to finish made me realise that i too had been influenced by a year and a half of being intensely frustrated by people insisting so loudly that OFMD was in fact the Izzy Hands Show. My initial issues with S2 mostly stemmed from overcompensating for that by resenting any development of Izzy on the screen because i did not want it to feed those people. Which meant that i also was centring Izzy in a way that he should not be centred! i was letting their noise lead me to read him as far more important than he actually is.
So i looked back at several points from the season that had me feeling uncomfortable and which, from a cursory browse through the Izzy tag i've concluded his stans see as a contradiction or a betrayal or something and re-evaluated them from the perspective of Izzy not being a main fucking character.
point one: "He's our dick."
When Archie (a newcomer and therefore a fairly effective audience stand-in for anyone not balls deep in fandom bullshit) asks Jim why they're going to so much trouble for Izzy, who she has immediately clocked as "kind of a dick", Jim gives this response. Which, if you think Izzy is important, may read as an expression of reluctant fondness. But then, Jim continues: "There was a time when life meant something on this ship. When we lived for each other, not just to survive." These lines are punctuated by a flashback to the famous Revenge crew found-family Renaissance-painting moment. Jim is nostalgic for the "good old days" of the Revenge under Stede's people-positive management style. It is out of respect for that (seemingly) lost way of life that they take the trouble for Izzy, not for Izzy himself. They'd have done the same for anyone, because they desperately want life to matter again. Izzy, as the person whose gamy leg is a direct result of his threatening Ed and bringing the kraken era down on all of them, is simply the one whose life happens to be on the line.
(honestly, i love this from Jim, who was one of Stede's boldest detractors in season one and still the crew member most likely to call him out on his bullshit. That's your "reluctant fondness" moment right there.)
point two: the new unicorn
apparently Izzy stans see the gift of the unicorn leg prosthetic as a symbol of deep love and respect from the crew to Izzy. Which is an absolutely wild reading when you look at what led up to it.
There's tension on the ship. Divisions. Lucius is chain-smoking and jump-scared by his own shadow. Jim, Archie, Frenchie, and Fang are overcome by guilt over their mutiny and frantically scrubbing nonexistent blood from the deck in what is a fantastically darkly funny Lady Macbeth moment for them. Izzy is sloppy drunk and yelling nonsensical abuse at the unicorn masthead. Roach, Pete, Oluwande, and Wee John make a well-intentioned but ill-conceived attempt to bring everyone back together (i say "everyone" but Izzy, significantly, is not included) which leads to them all being at each other's throats in the sort of mutually-assured-destruction configuration that starts world wars. It's a great scene. Izzy is not a part of it.
until he interrupts them, throws the unicorn legs at them and in his drunken clumsiness breaks his prosthetic. He then pointedly refuses their offers of assistance and drags himself away along the floor by his arms.
my friends. This is peak pathos. The crew do not respect Izzy in this moment, they feel sorry for him. They realise that he's worse off than any of the rest of them and that knowledge brings them back together. Making the unicorn prosthetic is barely about Izzy at all. It's about the crew coming together, repairing the rifts in their found family and as a bonus helping out their grumpy second cousin who doesn't really want to be there but has nowhere else to go. It's also a very generous offer of a new place on the ship--as the new unicorn--and a fresh start. Because that's what life on the Revenge is. For everyone.
point three: la vie en rose
much has been made of Izzy putting on drag makeup and singing at the Calypso birthday party, and fair enough. That's a big character development point for him. i don't hate it, though i wish there'd been more build-up to it, a longer conversation between Izzy and Wee John at least (insert obligatory "fuck Max" here) but regardless, if we accept Izzy's amputated leg as cutting off his old self and replacing it with the unicorn then we can arrive at a place where he's able to participate in a drag performance without too much cognitive gymnastics.
i've written before about the curious choice to have Izzy sing La Vie En Rose in French (after he initially sang it in English) at the very moment when Ed and Stede are having sex for the first time. On first watch i felt viscerally troubled by it, it felt like a validation of the obsessive psychosexual reading of Izzy's feelings for Ed. Looking at the season as a whole, it feels more like a (cringy, creepy, waaaay over the line) attempt on his part to signal approval for Ed and Stede's relationship. Especially when taken in conjunction with his (super creepy, like wtf who greenlit this) interruption of their breakfast in bed the next morning to make a ham-fisted innuendo. Weird but okay i guess, it's not like Izzy and social niceties have ever gone hand in hand.
many people point to the drag scene as the crew embracing Izzy and welcoming him as one of them. Again, i don't disagree. But, also again, this is not specific to Izzy. This is just what they do. They also embraced Archie with her snake-cult stories, they re-embraced Ed (who yes, they do love, refutations of arguments that they don't love Ed are a whole other essay though) and later they embrace Zheng and Auntie and also Jackie who once stole their savings jar and threatened to cut off their noses. That's what they do! They embrace people! That's what the show is about!
point four: the death scene
i have to be honest, i still hate this. i don't hate that Izzy died, i hate that he died in Ed's arms with Ed calling him his only family. That still feels unearned to me, and alas was probably another victim of the shortened season. But even with this extremely kind and forgiving death scene, the stans are not satisfied! They feel that the entire crew should have been gathered round, assuring Izzy of their profound love for him. There should have been weeping at the funeral, wailing and gnashing of teeth, rending of garments etc. It's what he deserves as such a beloved member of the crew!
except he wasn't beloved. He was accepted, yes. Welcomed, even. But acceptance is a far cry from love. Cheering as someone sings a song at a party does not mean you feel ready to weep at their deathbed or proclaim your undying affection for them.
yet even so, the crew are visibly distraught at his death scene. There are tears in many eyes! But effusive declarations of feeling from any one of them other than Ed would have felt (to anyone not convinced Izzy is the main character) completely wrong and very weird. You can headcanon what you like to fill the gaps in canon but on screen we have seen very few meaningful interactions between Izzy and any of the existing crew aside from Fang and Lucius and to a lesser extent Wee John. Izzy's primary relationship with another character is with Ed and so, as much as i still don't like it, Ed is the only one who has any real reason to be at Izzy's side as he dies.
as for the brevity of the funeral and the fact that they went straight from it to Pete and Lucius's wedding instead of having, idk, a prolonged wake at which everyone speaks at length about how important Izzy was to them, i mean. Obviously that wasn't going to happen. More than enough screen time had already been given to a side character who spent most of it either being miserable himself or making others so. It was time for the rest of them to find some moments of joy. As Izzy himself said, not moving on is worse.
in conclusion, i'd like to address the people saying that Izzy should have lived so he could continue his arc of self-discovery and sure, that would have been great--on the Izzy Hands Show. But OFMD is about Ed and Stede and Izzy had served his purpose in their story. i feel certain there will be copious fanfics to soothe anyone who feels Izzy was shortchanged.
on the show, though, he was treated in a very logical and foreseeable way as the antagonist who was able to see the light at the end but not necessarily to thrive in such a well-lit environment. Literature (by which i mean also films and tv) abounds with examples of this sort of character. They see the error of their ways but they are too stuck in them, shaped by them, to exist comfortably in any other way. They help bring about change to benefit others and not for themselves, that is the bittersweet beauty of their endings.
Izzy let Ed go. He embraced the softer parts of himself. He died surrounded by people who may not have loved him but at least accepted him as one of their own and felt genuine sorrow about his passing. That is a satisfying narrative end for a reformed antagonist! If you truly feel that he was shortchanged by it then you have forgotten what show you're watching and what sort of character he was.
Izzy Hands: not the main character, still an interesting one, absolute nightmare, what a guy.
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sapphic-agent · 3 months
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I think my biggest argument against Bakugou stans insistence that none of his awful behavior is his fault and that he has amazing character development is this: you have to WANT to change in order to actually change.
I won't deny that his teachers and society in general played a part in making him the person that he is today, but people love forgetting that Bakugou could have chosen to not behave the way he behaves. In my previous post, I talked about how he could have actually reflected on how and why he got kidnapped, why he was being criticized by the media, and why he failed the PHL exam. He could have realized that 1B and 1C hate 1A just because they're associated with him and his arrogance.
Instead, he just projects his own insecurities on Izuku and acts like just because he has not just a Quirk, but a "hErOiC qUiRk" (god I hate that so much), he's entitled to treat people - Izuku especially - like dirt. He throws a tantrum because Izuku gets a Quirk. He throws a tantrum because he lost against Izuku in the Battle Trials. He throws a tantrum because Uraraka put up a damn good fight against him. He throws a tantrum because Todoroki didn't fight him at his full power. He throws a tantrum when he's being taken back to camp during the Training Camp Arc. He throws a tantrum when the rescue team finds him. He throws a tantrum when he fails the PHL exam. He throws a tantrum when he finds out about Izuku having OFA.
And even after this supposed #bigmoment for him, he STILL acts the same as before. He offers absolutely nothing to the table during the OFA meetings except for his obnoxious arrogance, he's STILL an asshole to civilians when that's precisely why he failed the fucking exam in the first place. Instead of realizing that his treatment of Izuku is one of the main reasons why he left UA and sees himself as worthless, he blames ALL MIGHT of all people and completely absolves himself of any and all responsibility. He completely brushes past how and why he "looked down on Izuku" and gives a surface level apology... before acting exactly how he did before. He even has the nerve to make Izuku losing OFA all about him.
Bakugou doesn't want to change, so he doesn't see behavior as wrong. No one around him sees his behavior as wrong either, which just adds to it. And in arguing that Bakugou isn't responsible for his behavior, it takes agency away from him and his non-existent "growth".
Honestly, there are a million and one ways Bakugou's development could have been improved. But for me, just keeping him more aware of his actions and reflecting on them would have been enough. Him making the conscious effort not to be a dick would have shown he's actually changing and wants to improve.
But no, Bakugou doesn't see fit to change because no one makes him. He can't take the criticism from others to heart because people- Aizawa, Kirishima, Uraraka, and even Izuku and All Might- are there refuting it. How is he supposed to improve when the people around him are defending and condoning his awful behavior? How is he supposed to realize how bad his actions were when the narrative is using other characters to downplay them?
(Having Uraraka of all people defend him in the light novels was such a weird choice. I talked about it and mentioned it to @doodlegirl1998 before, but it's clear throughout the fight that Bakugou still looked down on her. Her not being able to recognize that and turning into one of his props was such a slap in the face to her character. She's one of the main victims of bad writing in the manga and having her agency stripped even more is just insult to injury. She deserved so much more)
Bakugou is, at his core, entitled. He felt entitled to treat torment Izuku. He felt entitled to know how Izuku had a quirk. He felt entitled to face Todoroki's fire. He felt entitled to know about OFA. Bakugou's character centers around this thinking that he can get his way no matter what, and then throws a temper tantrum when that doesn't happen.
This literally persists to the very last moment because he's currently devastated that Izuku lost OFA, when he's not the victim here. How fucking self-centered do you have to be when your so-called friend lost an important part of himself and he has to comfort you about it because for some reason you're acting like you were the one that was hurt?
Bakugou constantly makes everything about himself and the narrative not only enables that, it perpetuates it
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moongothic · 1 month
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So a few weeks ago I ran into this, old, old Crocodile meta post from 2015, the OP of which hasn't been active on Tumbr (at least on that account) since 2018. And this post (along with some of the OP's other posts) has been living in my head rent free since then.
There was just something there about seeing these old meta posts, completely detached from the current state of the story, the fandom and the Crocodad Propaganda... It just made for a truly refreshing read, but they also had such great observations about Crocodile I hadn't even thought about or noticed*, and somewhat most importantly... validating my own feelings/observations about things I've been kind of afraid to vocalize myself lest I apper completely delulu. Like I dunno I do worry sometimes if I'm just reading into things too much just to make massive reaches to get The Reading of the character that happens to support the Crocodad theory specifically, instead of trying to get a more objective reading instead. So seeing someone else make either those exact same or similar observations nearly 10 years before I did is so validating, and really just made me want to discuss some of those things.
*(Like this whole post about how "DON!" is often used to add emphasis and show the true beliefs of characters, and how Crocodile doesn't really say things with a DON!, almost like his heart isn't in most of the things he does or says. I dunno it was such a good read)
Sidenote: I do want to quickly comment that I don't agree with the OP on some of their readings about stuff, and more importantly, due to the age of the both the original posts and the OP not being active anymore, I didn't want to, like... Treat them as if they just posted it recently and interact with the posts as such. (I dunno, when people go digging through my decade old main blog and start reblogging shit I posted in like 2014 it just. I dunno, it's just kind of uncomfortable. Like you're allowed to browse my past but I wished people let my ancient cringe stay in the past. But that's just me) Like for example I feel like OP has a fundamental misunderstanding what being "trans" really even means (thus I don't agree with their take on trans Croc), but again, OP's take is old and so I don't want to hold it against them. They could have grown since then and come to better understand what being trans means, and regardless of that they don't have to buy into the theory either. And I absolutely do not want anyone to start trying to pester them about it or anything (again, they posted these things nearly 10 years ago), regardless of if they're still active or not. But yeah, that's why this is a whole separate post rather than a reblog with commentary.
So OP in their post speculated how in this moment (chap 206), based on the face he makes and the serious look he gives to Luffy, Crocodile seems to find the idea of someone being willing to die for someone else's sake absolutely incomprehensible, as if he's trying to wrap his head around the mere concept. That, or he used to know what it was like to hold someone/something that dear to you, but has long forgotten what it was like
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Rereading this arc a while back I couldn't help but to take notice of this panel too and that unusual, somber(?) look on Crocodile's face. But because I'm a Crocodad Truther, of course I couldn't help but to feel that this was a face of recognition, of Crocodile understanding Luffy exactly in this moment, that willingness to do anything for a loved one. Especially because I have been speculating Crocodile might've been doing all of this with the goal of nuking the World Government out of orbit to protect his long lost baby boy (it's just that he simply finds Luffy's insistence on protecting this random ass princess from a random ass country he has zero ties to ridiculous, as opposed to like, doing all of this to protect immidiate, close family)
So again, despite the different reading it is validating as hell to see someone else think this panel in particular was odd. But the more I thought about it, I did kind of start leaning towards OP's reading. Now this one was originally pointed out by opbackgrounds, how in this scene (chapter 196) while Crocodile is meant to be laughing and mocking the royal guard for "throwing their lives away" to protect Cobra, he isn't actually smiling. We don't even get to see his full face with his eyes blacked out, so we don't get to see Crocodile's true feelings in this scene
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And that does kind of reframe what he says in the second panel. For a long time I wondered if the implication was that Crocodile does actually value people's lives more than he lets on (especially with his seeming willingness to blow up a million people in a violent, orchestraded coup), just having a "small sacrifice for the greater good" kinda outlook (as we know, casualties can't be avoided in war, Croco and Luffy both agree on that) (where as I would IMAGINE Dragon having a more "no sacrifices, we have to save as many people as possible" kinda principle)
But now, looking at these two moments together, and knowing Crocodile has trust issues for unknown reasons, there is also that option that, perhaps... No one has ever shown that kind of loyalty towards him, a willingness to follow him to the grave or support him, to stay by his side? And if so, maybe, in these two scenes, Crocodile does recognize that kind of deep loyalty and trust and love, and has to cope with the fact that he has and may never experience it himself, that he's doomed to be alone, surrounded only by people who "respect him" out of fear (something that could be extra painful while knowing someone had just recently betrayed him by leaking his info to ruin his plans/after figuring out it was Robin, his very literal partner in crime. Like talk about rubbing salt into a wound).
And y'know, that is an extremely sad reading and I feel so bad for my poor little meow meow (that man needs a hug so bad), but also that doesn't really add to pushing The Crocodad Agenda, which is very unfortunate. Especially because I feel like between the two readings, Crocodile recognizing loyalty no one will ever show him (and being hurt by the fact) feels like a more comprehensive and simple reading, than if one is about him showing he doesn't fully believe in what he's doing is right and the other about him relating to Luffy on a deeper level.
But then, as OP pointed out in their post, for the entirety of page 2 of Chapter 207 while Luffy is keeling over from the poison finally kicking in, Crocodile looks like he's fully letting down his walls to express genuine relief, as if the those beliefs Croc had carried and convinced himself were true were just confirmed
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What're his beliefs again? That trust in others is worthless, and you can not afford to have ideals if you're weak, great strenght being the only thing that allows you, if not straight up justifies you, in doing whatever you please? Now, maybe it's just me, but if Crocodile was showing relief here over his belief that trusting others is worthless after being reminded time and time again of the love and loyalty the Strawhats have for each other and the Alabastan kingdom has for everyone in it (etc)... I dunno, I feel like that would be kind of weak, if that's where Crocodile's internalized beliefs were wavering. But if Crocodile's whole Utopia-plan had been about destroying the WG to protect his baby boy (and release the whole world from the WG's oppressive rule while he's at it) at whatever cost, while he deep inside knew what he was doing was fucked up beyond belief... Yeah, Crocodile trying to convince himself what he was doing was "justified" would make sense. Him having his beliefs potentially even waver a little bit through out this whole ordeal would make sense. Crocodile in this moment experiencing relief that what he had told himself was the righteous would make sense.
Everybody remember's Doflamingo's speech from Marineford, about how history is written by the victors and its them who decide what is right and what is wrong- the winner becomes "justice" itself. Vegapunk kind of called back to this concept during his broadcast too, and yeah, Crocodile did kind of introduce us to it back in Alabasta. If he had won, he would have been "justified" in what he had done, because it'd be him who'd be deciding what's right and what's wrong.
Now I don't really have anything else to add to that post in particular (though I absolutely love the reading on the Crocodile vs Robin part and now that I've read it I can't unsee nor disagree with it), but OP did make a separate post speculating about some of design decisions Oda made regarding Crocodile, starting with discussing the logo for Baroque Works. And they pointed this out
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Bro wrote this in 2015, they have no idea, oh my god, dude had no clue whatsoever
So quickly looking that one up and yeah, wings have sometimes been used to represent the sun (most commonly with the sun, as a winged sun?) and yeah, that actually has a lot of meaning in the current state of the series re: God of Liberation the Sun God Nika. But what's more is that this is actually the SECOND time we're actually finding a way to link Crocodile to sun-symbolism, the other being Crocodile being a reference to the Egyptian god Sobek (protector god, god of military, go to Wikipedia), who has an alternative form (/fusion with Ra) called Sobek-Ra, where he is a sun god. And what was Crocodile trying to do in Alabasta if not falsely "liberate" the country from its original rule. Also worth noting is that seemingly the winged sun was most commonly used in Egyptian iconography, so if Oda ever did research Egyptian mythology for inspiration in Alabasta (which, considdering the sheer amount of Stuff in the story as a whole is more than likely), then it is very possible he could have read about the winged sun and used it intentionally.
But what I do find interesting is that, yeah, wings kinda are a symbol one would considder "heroic" or related to "freedom". And, as I have been going on and on about, if Crocodile's ultimate goal in creating his funny little "utopia" was to overthrow the World Government and "free" the whole world of their rule. Like. That really lines up with the whole symbolism with the sun and the liberation and the freedom and shit, like. Why does it line up so neatly good dear god
I dunno how to end this post, these were just a few little things that I had been thinking about after coming across OP's blog and, yeah, just wanted to discuss them.
Again, OP hasn't been active for years, but if they did suddenly come back please don't bother them or god forbid harrass them/try to get them to change their mind about trans Croco. Just don't start shit, please.
End of post byeeeeeeee
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flowerandblood · 11 months
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The Prince and The Fox (2)
[ modern! • Aemond x friend! • female ]
[ warnings: bullying, mention of sexual abuse, trauma ]
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[ description: After the events of her childhood, despite her best efforts, her neighbor and the younger brother of her friend Helaena, Aemond, does not want to know her. This state lasts until a house party organized by his older brother, Aegon, during which an incident occurs that will change their relationship forever. Slow burn, angst, toxic ex-Alys, rough Aemond. This is several anon requests combined into one fic. ]
WARNING: The main plot between the characters takes place in high school. Yes, in high school. The belief that teenagers wait with an intimacy when they are in love in high school is ridiculous to me. Aemond and the character here are the same age. Don't ask me how old they are, in my country you are of the age of consent in your first year of high school and an adult in the last year of high school, so if it is more convenient for you, think about it that way and decide for yourself. In this story, I am not following the trail that they are magically friends right away, but how they become friends and what that even means. I'm writing this fic to give the perspective of young, lost people, not adult women who want to see exactly themselves in everything they read. If that's all you expect, this isn't the fic for you.
I don't want whining about this in my comments or asks. I will delete these and block you. You have been warned.
Aemond + Evans Series Moodboard
This is my first story that has its own playlist, but yes! Get in the mood! Story Music Playlist. Songs used in this chapter: Turn Your Back on me & The Lion's Mouth by Kajagoogoo and Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N' Roses.
* English is not my first language. Please, do not repost. Enjoy! *
Next chapters: Masterlist
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That night she slept very badly. Her parents asked why she had come back so early and if she had enjoyed herself. She burst out crying, unaccustomed to lying, and told them what had happened.
Her father was furious, stormed out of the house and made her show him which boy had nagged and touched her. She begged him to let it go, Cregan had been away from the party for a long time, they had gone somewhere with friends.
Her father said he wouldn't leave it like that and demanded to speak to Aemond. The next morning she appeared, accompanied by her father, at their house, embarrassed, her father explaining what had happened. Their mother was shocked by what she had heard.
She, her father, Alicent, Aegon, Aemond and Helaena sat down in the living room to talk about it.
"What? God, I swear, Mum, I didn't know Cregan would do something like that!" Mumbled Aegon, shocked at what had happened, Helaena was distraught and sat beside her, stroking her hand. Aemond looked at her, some kind of understanding in his eyes.
He felt that she had done the right thing telling her parents about it.
"Aemond, my daughter told me that you stopped him and stood up for her. I am very grateful to you and I want to ask you, if his parents insisted that it was word against word, will you be able to confirm what she said?" Her father asked, and he nodded without hesitation, tightening his lips.
"Yes. It was exactly as she said. I heard him tell his mates at school during break that he was planning to fuck her here at the party." He said in shame, lowering his gaze, his mother shaking her head in disbelief, slapping her hands on her thighs in a gesture of helplessness and rage.
"And you kept silent?" She asked with disappointment and pain. He pressed his lips together and swallowed hard, overwhelmed apparently by remorse.
She felt her stomach tighten at the thought that he really hadn't meant to stop then, that he could have done something much worse to her.
Aemond lifted a gaze full of pain and shame at her.
"I-I thought he was just bragging to his mates and... I don't know, that you're into each other. That maybe you want this too. That he's actually a good guy and wouldn't do anything to you against your will. But when I saw your face when he started touching your thigh on the couch, that look of discomfort, I…" He said in a slightly trembling voice and paused, looking her straight in the eye.
She swallowed hard, understanding what he wanted to say.
He didn't expect it from him either.
She nodded, feeling warm in her heart nonetheless at the thought that he had followed them out to see if anything would happen to her.
If he would hurt her.
She covered her face with her hand, her father put his arm around her and stroked her tenderly.
"It's good that you spoke about it, sweetheart. You can't leave it like that." Alicent said, nodding her head. Suddenly she clapped her hands as if she remembered something.
"The cameras! Our security company keeps footage for 48 hours. We also have one in the garden in case of a break-in, why don't I call them and ask them to send us the video from yesterday? We'll check if we can see anything on it." She suggested, her father said it was an excellent idea.
She lowered her head, terrified that her father and others would be able to see it, that perhaps on the video it wouldn't look like sexual assault at all.
After all, she had hugged him herself.
They waited impatiently by Alicent's laptop, sitting down and glancing at her inbox, the security company employee who was in charge of her equipment said he would try to send her the footage within fifteen minutes.
They all flinched and moved closer as a new message appeared with a video file. She swallowed loudly, terrified, ashamed, feeling a tightening in her stomach and throat, afraid that it didn't look at all like she said it did, that everyone would think she was lying, that they would never believe her again.
She felt herself shaking, her knee moving up and down in an involuntary tic. She shuddered when she heard someone put a chair next to her, Aemond sat down touching her with his knees and shoulders, placing his elbows on the table, leaning over the monitor.
"It was about ten o'clock at night, Mum. I remember because by the time I left the clock was striking the hour in the living room." He said lowly, and Alicent quickly ran the cursor to that hour and turned on the accelerator a few times.
"Oh okay, mum, it's them, I can see Cregan!" Said Aegon, leaning between them, turning off the acceleration. Alicent pressed the spacebar, stopping the video.
"Do you want everyone to watch this?" She asked her quietly. She looked around and thought, in essence, that she recognised that these were people she trusted, who she hoped cared about her.
She nodded, swallowing hard.
Alicent pressed play.
The camera was up high and part of the bench was obscured by the canopy, their faces not visible. She saw them sit down, saw his arm around her, stroking her hand for a moment. She felt a cold sweat on her back as she saw his fingers lift higher and higher, heard Aegon and his mother draw in a loud breath as his hand slid under her dress.
Her father covered his mouth, heartbroken when he saw her hand immediately clamp down on his wrist in a clear gesture of defence, her whole body tense, it was obvious she was trying to pull away, to push back, to escape, and instead of letting her go he pressed her tighter against him.
She felt tears under her eyelids and lowered her head, not knowing where to look, she felt Aemond press his body closer to hers, felt his breath on the top of her head, felt him looking at her.
"− Jesus −" Muttered Aegon in disbelief, running a hand over his face. "− fucking piece of shit −"
Then they could already see Cregan and Aemond struggling with each other, her sitting down on the grass and crying, Aemond crouching down beside her and putting his arms around her, saying something to her.
The footage had no sound, but what could be seen on it was enough to clearly understand what had happened.
Her father got up and said he needed to get some air for a while and smoke a cigarette. Alicent followed him out, apparently wanting to work out what they were going to do, whether to report it to the police or not.
She felt Helaena's warm embrace, felt her lay her head on her shoulder and hugged her immediately, Aegon and Aemond looked at them in silence.
"− I'm sorry − fuck − if I had known, I would never have invited him! − I saw you two cuddling on the couch in the living room, but God, I thought you two were just in love − that, I don't know, you're together, just unofficially yet −" He mumbled, and she swallowed loudly, rubbing her eyes, trying to pull herself together.
"− please, Aegon − it's not your fault − you didn't do anything wrong − don't worry, I won't tell anyone about the alcohol −" She said quietly, tiredly, and he sighed heavily, scratching his head, clearly distraught that something like this had happened at his own party.
Aemond said nothing, fiddling with his mug of already half-cold coffee, it seemed to her that he hadn't slept well that night either.
Her father had decided that they would drive with this recording to his parents.
She was horrified.
"I will go with you." Aemond said, and her father nodded.
They drove there together in their car with Alicent's laptop. They sat side by side in the back seat, she saw that he was pulling at the cuticles around his fingernails again, she noticed with pain that he had actual wounds around them.
When he saw in the reflection in the window that she was looking at him he stopped immediately and swallowed loudly, lowering his gaze.
He was stressed too.
When they arrived a surprised Mrs Stark opened the door for them, asking who they were and what had happened.
"I would like to talk to you about your son."
She, Aemond and her father sat on the couch on one side and Cregan and his parents on the other as her father played them the video. Cregan was pale, sitting with his arms folded, feigning indifference, his knee shaking restlessly, he was biting his lower lip, his eyes red.
He was terrified.
His mother made big eyes when she saw the moment he slipped his hand under her dress and looked at him with disbelief mixed with pain. His father snorted, shrugging his shoulders.
"And what, are you going to go to the police? Destroy a young boy's life because he made a mistake, because his hormones are raging?" He asked as if it was a trivial matter, a complete nothing. She felt the rage surge in her father.
"Because of your son's hormones, he can act like a mindless monkey and grope girls who don't want him to?" He hissed, his father raising his eyebrows, pointing at her with his hand.
"Please, forgive me, but from what I can see in this video your daughter was pushing herself into his arms, after all he could have misunderstood her…"
"Mark." Said his wife, clearly not believing what she was hearing, pale.
Her father stood up, pointing his finger at her.
"My child came home crying because someone molested her. He only stopped because her classmate went out into the garden. And what would your son do if no one helped her, hm? How long would he hold her while she tried to break free?" He thundered furiously on the verge of tears, she had never seen him like this before.
She just sat on the couch, looking at her shoes, shaking all over, feeling that her biggest nightmare had just taken place in front of her eyes.
Please, forgive me, but from what I can see in this video your daughter was pushing herself into his arms.
Mr Stark raised his hands in a defensive gesture as if to show that his aim was not to argue or escalate the conflict.
"I admit, my son acted unwisely. He misread the girl's signals and behaved badly. We will be watching him more closely in this area. Is that all?" He asked, and her father closed the laptop with a loud slam and growled to them that they were leaving.
She stood up and cast one last look in Cregan's direction, he was looking at her with a hatred she had never seen in her life before.
She burst into sobs as soon as they got into the car, her father comforting her loudly telling her not to cry, that they were driving to the police station.
"No, no, please, no!" She whimpered, leaning forward, grabbing his arm, her father looked at her in the mirror.
"What?"
"I can't do it, I can't do it anymore. I… stop, I think I'm going to throw up." She mumbled, her father stopped with a squeal of tyres. She got out and immediately vomited on the grass, coughing and crying, feeling her stomach convulse in pain.
She heard them both get out of the car, her father put his arms around her saying that everything would be fine, Aemond stood beside them not knowing what to do with himself, not knowing how to behave.
The next few days at school were extremely difficult for her. Some of her friends and acquaintances were shocked and horrified, giving her their complete support and understanding, saying they were disappointed by Cregan's behaviour.
However, others thought that she was simply lying.
"Attention whore." One of his friends growled, hitting her on the shoulder with his arm as he walked past her.
She saw that someone had scratched the word 'liar' on her locker standing in the corridor. She looked at it indifferently, then opened it as if nothing had happened and exchanged the books she needed with the ones she could put away.
This time he was the one looking at her.
She felt his gaze on her back in the classroom, in the corridor, as she sat at the bus stop looking at her shoes.
For some reason, even though she was alive and everything was going on, she felt dead.
She couldn't erase his touch from her mind.
She sat on the bus in total reverie, occupying the seat at the back by the window, sitting in her earphones, listening recently to nothing but Kajagoogoo songs, 'Too shy', 'Turn Your Back On Me', 'Ooh to Be Ah', 'The Lion's Mouth' looped on her player.
Their electronic sound and the wonderful bass guitar in the background energised her when she had no strength and couldn't rouse herself.
She had just listened to 'Turn Your Back On Me' for the second time since the morning when she felt someone sit down next to her.
She glanced to the side and spotted a black sweatshirt, familiar hands clicking something on his phone, apparently pausing the song he had just listened to on his player, she saw that it was 'Welcome to the Jungle' by Guns N' Roses. She pulled down one earpiece, looking at him in surprise.
"What are you listening to?" He asked, pulling on the cord of his black earphones, which dropped gently onto his lap with a quiet click.
She handed him her earphone, which he took from her, placing it in his left ear, moving a little closer to her so that there was enough cable for both of them. He mused, listening.
"Interesting." He muttered lowly, glancing at her player.
"Kajagoogoo." She said quietly, going into the track list so he could see what their songs were called.
"Nice bass." He admitted, as if surprised by this discovery himself. She nodded and closed her eyes, resting her temple against the glass, just sinking into the sound of the music.
He listened to the songs of her favourite band with her until they reached the school.
When the bus stopped he handed her back her earpiece, their hands touched. They looked at each other, for the first time so closely. He picked up his backpack and rose, trying not to hit his head on the low ceiling and walked out in front of her, no longer paying attention to her.
She walked through the corridor of her school listening to "The Lion's Mouth", trying not to pay attention to whether anyone was looking at her or not, focusing on the words of the song, staring blankly ahead.
Hey fool watch out! (Watch out) You'll get mauled by the lion's mouth -
Hey fool watch out! (Watch out) You'll get mauled by the lion's mouth (I don't think so) -
Hey fool watch out! (Watch out) You'll get mauled by the lion's mouth -
The music suddenly stopped when someone tripped her up. She wobbled and fell over, collapsing on the floor, her earphones falling out of her ears. She lifted herself up on her arms and turned over her shoulder, noticing Cregan's hateful stare.
A moment later, several things happened at the same time. Aemond who threw him to the floor, pounding his face with his fist, holding his sweatshirt, growling that he was a fucking piece of shit, a mere abuser, a nobody, a zero.
His colleagues and teachers had to separate them, Cregan spat blood on the floor.
She felt someone grab her shoulders, Helaena stood over her, looking at her in horror.
"Are you all right?"
She sat in her classroom terrified, glancing anxiously over her shoulder at the empty seat in the bench he sat in, knowing that he and Cregan had ended up at the headmaster's office.
That he was in trouble because of her, that he could be suspended because of her.
She shuddered when she heard the sound of the door opening and saw him step inside, the teacher paused his reasoning for a moment and grunted, returning to the subject of the lesson.
Aemond walked over to his bench without a word, not looking at her, and sat down in his chair, pulling off his backpack, taking out his textbooks and notebook, giving her one calm look.
She pulled her phone quickly from her sweatshirt pocket, reminding herself that she had his phone number, and quickly texted him.
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She heard his phone vibrate on his bench. She sat looking ahead, feeling her heart pounding hard.
After a moment, the display of her phone lying on her thighs lit up and she saw that she had received a new message. She opened it quickly, feeling a tightness in her throat.
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She turned towards him over her shoulder, his lips curving into a grin. She smiled gratefully at him and breathed quietly, turning ahead, trying to finally focus on what her teacher was talking about.
Boarding the bus after class, she dared to sit next to him. They looked at each other, he watched as she untangled her earphones and plugged them into her phone. She saw him pull his own off and pause his player.
"Are you going to listen to that band with weird name again?" He asked lowly and she nodded, smiling at him.
He held out his hand to her and she handed him her earpiece, this time with her left hand, turning on 'The Lion's Mouth'.
"This is my favourite." She admitted with a smile, feeling calm for some reason, her stomach filled with warmth.
"Mmm." He hummed, their elbows resting against each other lying on their armrest, however neither of them seemed to mind.
She understood then.
The Little Prince took a step towards the Fox of his free will.
She smiled under her breath.
He wanted her to tame him.
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Aemond Taglist:
(bold means I couldn't tag you)
@its-actually-minicika @notnormalthings-blog @nikstrange @zenka69 @bellaisasleep @k-y-r-a-1 @g-cf2020 @melsunshine @opheliaas-stuff @chainsawsangel @iiamthehybrid @tinykryptonitewerewolf @namoreno @malfoytargaryen @qyburnsghost @aemondsdelight @persephonerinyes @fan-goddess @sweethoneyblossom1 @watercolorskyy
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suffersinfandom · 6 months
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I don't care when people have takes that don't agree with mine or love characters that I don't. What does get under my skin is when people are smug and self-congratulatory about a take that's just wrong.
"The story of the show in season one was that it was a bunch of people with conflicting personalities shoved onto a boat together."
The story has always centered Stede, Ed, and their relationship. The initial idea of it came from the fruitiness of historical Stede Bonnet and Blackbeard's whole situation, and David Jenkins always meant for it to be a romance about those two guys. (He talks about it in this interview. The romance wasn't added partway through filming, it was changed because of the way Rhys and Taika played it.)
"Season two of OFMD was an ensemble show and season two wasn't."
OFMD was never an ensemble show. Stede and Ed are the primary characters and everyone else, however much we love them, is secondary. Even Jim, the only other character who gets a flashback and a through-line in season one, is a supporting character. And their story is fantastic! It's about finding a place where you can be who you are, learning who you are beyond assigned roles, and finding belonging and family -- and that's also what our A-plot is about. Jim's story supports the main story.
The crew does have considerably more screen time in season one, and that's because season one has more time. I truly, sincerely wish that season two had the space to feature the crew the way season one did because I love almost all of them and wanted more of them. I think that the crew's relative absence in season two is, overall, to the show's detriment.
But let's think, just for a second, about why there was less time devoted to the crew in a season that was much shorter. If the crew's storyline was the main one and if all characters were equally important, why did David choose to spend the time he had focusing on Ed, Stede, and their relationship? Is it because he lost the plot of his own show?
No.
Season two is shorter. Cuts had to be made, so David cut back on the crew's stories and kept the main story -- the Gentlebeard story -- intact. A writer does not sacrifice their primary story for subplots. When you show me that season two has more Gentlebeard per episode, you're not proving that the nature or focus of the show changed. You're underscoring the importance of the story that has always been the show's center.
If you liked the show better when it had more time to commit to the supporting cast, that's okay. I sincerely don't mind that some people liked season two less because it was heavier on the Gentlebeard. I just don't understand why it's so important to downplay the importance of Ed and Stede in the first season. OFMD has always been their show, and insisting that that's not true is bonkers to me.
Literally no one is saying that Ed and Stede should be the only characters onscreen. No one who loves Gentlebeard hates the crew; I'm deep into Gentlebeardie tumblr and there's tons of love for every single character (with maybe one exception). No one is saying that Ed did nothing wrong or Izzy is the devil incarnate or time given to characters who aren't Stede and Ed is time wasted.
There is a right answer when we're talking about what OFMD is about and who the main characters are.
Also: anyone who's still struggling to understand Anne and Mary's importance should read this. Atticus wrote a lovely and concise essay that ought to clear everything up.
Also also: anyone who harasses people, anonymously or not, is the worst kind of fan. There are no fandom opinions that warrant racism, transphobia, homophobia, doxxing, etc.
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bearsbeetsbeskar · 1 year
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Restoring the Roots (Joel Miller x Therapist! reader)
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Chapter 1: Pre-Contemplation
Chapter 2 here | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | main masterlist |
Pairing: Joel Miller x therapist! reader, post outbreak Rating: none, will be changed to explicit in future chapters (slow burn, eventual smut, age gap) Summary: Life after moving to Jackson looks drastically different for Joel, survival mode is over and now he and Ellie can finally put down new roots. Ellie adapts easily but Joel finds himself struggling to settle into this new life, in more ways than some. At Ellie and Tommy’s insistence, Joel begrudgingly finds himself in therapy to try and work through his struggles but what he encounters is more than just painful memories and deeply rooted trauma. A/N: I cannot say enough thank you's to the number of lovely humans who encouraged this idea and supported me as I embark on my very first fic! And what better Pedro character to be the guinea pig for this idea? Lots of this story draws on my personal knowledge as a social worker, as I am working towards becoming a certified equine assisted therapist. Consequently, there are lots of horsey terms, therapy terms, and vivid descriptions of trauma at certain points. Feel free like, comment, or reblog if you enjoy it :)
Taglist (for now): @beskarandblasters, @pr0ximamidnight, @theewokingdead, @atinylittlepain, @prolix-yuy, @swiftispunk, @harriedandharassed, @amywritesthings
If anyone wants to be on the taglist please let me know! If you don't want to be on it then also let me know lol.
~~~~~~~
You sat up taller in your chair, arching your back and rolling your shoulders in an effort to stretch out your spine, exhaling softly as you heard the cacophony of crunches and protests from your muscles. You had been hunched over your notepad for over an hour, eyebrows scrunched together and your mind running on autopilot, as you caught up on client notes that you had fallen behind on for the last couple days. The downside of having a small therapy practice, hell any therapy practice, was that there was a never ending litany of documentation to fill out. Seeing as you were the only therapist in the tiny commune of Jackson, there was never a shortage of clients and consequently, never a shortage of session notes that you had to write. 
“Hun.”
You hear your name spoken in a warm tone from behind you. You barely look up from the page as you try to rewrite the word ‘diagnosis’ after what feels like the fifth time. The word has basically lost all its meaning at this point. 
“Honey, c’mon, the sun is about ready to set and you can wrap that up tomorrow.” The cover page to the notepad closes on top of your hand and you look up to see your assistant, Tracey, giving you a knowing look and then glancing towards the front of the office. You follow her gaze to the front windows and take in the deep ember orange hue washing over the business faces and windows on the opposite side of the street, signaling the end of another day. Sighing softly, you lean back in your chair and cross your arms over your chest with a frown. You know she’s right and yet you still have the same dispute every day. 
“Trace, you and I both know that if I don’t get them done today, they will just be added to tomorrow’s to do list, besides this is the last one I swear,” you say to her with a smirk, as if she has not heard that excuse before. 
You were never the kind of person to half-ass your responsibilities at your job, including client documentation, even if there was no longer any governing body or association to uphold professional social work standards. You did your job with integrity, even the mundane administrative tasks that involved more writing than actual talking with clients. Tracey knew this of course, it was something she admired about you, how suited you were for this line of work. It was clear that you cared deeply for the clients that you supported. But it doesn’t mean it was not a fight when the end of the workday rolled around and she had to tear you away from your desk and practically shove you out of the office door. 
She rolled her eyes at you and her lips curled into a small smile as she headed towards the door with her coat and bag in tow. “Promise me you will at least be out of here before the night patrol starts?” She points her finger at you as she stops just ahead of the door. You nod and wave her off as you turn your focus back to the notepad, smoothing your palm over the words etched into the cover ‘Restorative Reins.’ 
You had only been in Jackson for roughly over a month, though it felt like much longer. Much like everyone else who had survived the outbreak and came to find refuge in the small settlement after the world went to shit, you were grateful to accept any basic decencies of normal life that were afforded to you. Warm meals, warm showers, hell running water in general was a miracle in and of itself at that point. So when you actually arrived in Jackson, you were dumbfounded to see how much normalcy surrounded you. Children running and playing in the streets, storefronts of various thriving businesses, sheep being rounded up in a nearby corral - hold on, a fucking MOVIE THEATER? 
While it took some time to grow out of the perpetual fight or flight mode that you were entrenched in from life on the road, you did eventually fall into a good pace in Jackson. Especially after getting involved in the community and taking up the job as the local therapist, you had never been busier, and you loved it. 
The world felt unflinchingly obsolete post outbreak, but being able to support others with their mental health never failed to bring you joy and an unshakeable sense of purpose. You wanted to help others as they navigated their pain and broke down the mental blocks that entrapped them in their trauma. You wanted to help them realize the innate strength that they possessed. Sadly, you never got the chance to practice long term, as you finished up grad school just before the outbreak happened. But that didn’t seem to matter now as you had an endless stream of community members that you saw on a weekly basis at your practice, all with their own pain and struggles, seeking support.
It was crazy to think about the short period of time that had passed since you started at the job, how much you had done for the residents, how much more that you wanted to do. You were pulled from your memories when the office phone rang, internally groaning as you looked at your watch.
4:58 p.m. Of course. 
Steeling yourself you picked up the phone, praying that it was a quick call.
“Restorative Reins Practice, how can I help you?” you answered.
“Oh! hi ma'am,” a warm, mellow Southern drawl greets you on the other end. “Are you the local therapist that has been helpin’ folks out around here with their mental health?”
"That's me,” you reply warmly, “what can I do for you?”
The man hesitates briefly, “Well, I was uh wanting to know a bit more about the business I guess, how the therapy process works, fees and stuff for someone who was interested in getting help. Not me though, it’s not for me, it’s for my brother, Joel. My name is Tommy by the way,” he mentions quickly. 
“No problem Tommy, I can explain the basics to you including the different types of therapy I offer and how the process works,” you reassure him. You explain to him the different services, how the equine therapy worked, walk in hours, session lengths and so on. 
“I should probably mention that my brother ain’t keen on getting help and reaching out to others when he needs it, he’s too damn proud to acknowledge it, so he really doesn’t think he has any issues and thinks everything is fine… but he’s having a real tough time settlin’ down here. He’s so haunted by his past and he’s been acting differently lately, more temperamental, well, more than usual,” Tommy adds. You smile to yourself and nod, as you’ve had many clients before who were stuck in similar struggles and closed off to therapy initially.
“I can definitely understand that,” you sympathize with him. “It sounds like your brother has been through a lot and you just want him to get some support, which is great. Therapy isn’t for everybody but I have worked with many individuals like him who were going through similar situations, and they found great success.”
“That’s great to hear. That’s all I want for him is to get some help,” Tommy states.
“Now with that being said,” you continue, “therapy is voluntary, I cannot force someone to attend, but if your brother would agree to a consultation with me, I could chat with him more about where he is at, the kind of support he could benefit from and go from there. No pressure to commit to anything,” you propose to him.
“Hmm, I think he could be persuaded to try that, now that you mention it like that,” Tommy chuckles, sounding pleasantly surprised. 
“Awesome! You can tell him to stop by the office any time and we can discuss it more. We’re open from 9-5,” you tell him, silently relieved that it was an indeed quick call. He thanks you and hangs up. 
Something else akin to curiosity creeps into your mind as you recount what Tommy briefly told you about his brother. Maybe more so intrigue. You wonder how resistant he is to therapy, what happened in his past to hurt him so deeply, but you catch yourself before your thoughts run away from you further, either way you look forward to helping another person in need. 
~~~~~~~~~~~
“Tommy, I swear to god if you bring up this damn therapy shit again, I won’t hesitate to shoot you next time we’re out on patrol,” Joel growled through clenched teeth, as he walked away from his brother into the kitchen of the house. 
“Boy, it ain’t like I never heard that before,” Tommy quipped sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he followed Joel into the kitchen, pausing in the doorway as he leaned against the frame, hands shoved into his pockets. He observed his brother's rigid stance, the tightness in his shoulders, as Joel stood over the sink, looking out the window. 
This felt like the umpteenth time that Tommy had broached the subject of Joel getting help and talking to a ‘shrink,’ as he dismissively described it, for the issues that he was struggling with. Joel was fine. He didn’t have any fucking issues. He was doing just fine and didn’t need some professional to scrutinize him, reduce him to his vices, and open old wounds from his past life. He was encouraged to go to grief counseling after Sarah died but by some grace of God, or whatever godforsaken omnipotent entity existed at that point, the outbreak occurred. Forget mental health, physical health and survival became the only focus.
Tommy exhaled softly. “Listen, I'm only suggestin’ it because I care about you. Ellie cares about you. You both have been through hell and back in the last year, I mean shit, we all have. But it seems like everything y’all went through is still affecting you, holding you back from letting your guard down and settling in here,” he states plainly, sadness lacing his tone. 
“That’s bullshit Tommy and you know it,” Joel snaps, turning to face his younger brother and leaning back against the counter, arms crossed in defense. His gaze narrows.  “I go out on patrol don’t I? Pick up extra shifts wherever it’s needed, help out with the contracting jobs, go out with Ellie in town.” Joel stood up taller, puffing out his chest, challenging his younger brother. Tommy shook his head, running his hand over his face with an exasperated expression. Heaven forbid Joel did anything for himself that did not involve contributing or providing for someone, period. He just couldn’t shake that from his identity, and it broke Tommy’s heart as he watched his brother’s stubborn pride, ridden with guilt and trauma, swallow him whole. 
“Man when are you gonna fuckin’ do something for yourself Joel?!” Tommy asserted, his frustration reaching a boiling point. “Forget the damn commune, forget the community, forget Ellie for a sec and think about the last time YOU did something for yourself, the last time YOU reached out for help goddamnit.” He pushed off the doorframe and crossed the threshold of the kitchen as he strode towards Joel.
“You’re not on the run anymore brother. You don’t have to just survive. You can have a life here. You can sleep without keepin’ one eye open and relax without lookin’ over your shoulder. Don’t you want that? Don’t you think you deserve that?! Don’t you think you deserve this?!” Tommy said as he gestured around the cozy kitchen and fixed his older brother with a pleading stare. 
Joel’s eyes widened as he tried to step back, the edge of the counter biting into his lower back as he took in Tommy’s weary face, the pain in his soft brown eyes, mirroring his own. His younger brother rarely raised his voice anymore. The outbreak took its toll on his hot headed temperament that never seemed to simmer down, even after he was discharged from the army. Joel knew that Tommy cared about him, hell he knew how deeply his brother loved him, after all they had respectively been through in the last twenty years, it had to be serious for him to raise his voice. 
Joel opened his mouth, ready to bite back but his brother raised his hands in the air in surrender, “Look, this is the last time I will bring this up, I swear. But yesterday I called up the therapist in town who’s been helpin’ folks out, and asked her about the therapy process and she seems real nice, and supportive. She said you could come in for a consultation and talk to her and see if you’re interested,” Tommy said quietly.
Joel’s gaze narrows as he scrunches his eyebrows together in incredulity, “You-”
“I had nothing to lose Joel. Absolutely nothing. And neither do you,” Tommy cuts him off, raising his chin in defiance. “At least go talk to the therapist, if you don’t like her or you’re not feelin’ it, then I’ll drop it and let it go. Okay? The office is on the main street, just beside the clothing store, adjacent to the stables and they’re open everyday from 9-5.” 
“Jesus fucking Christ Tommy,” Joel leaned back as he looked up at the ceiling, wishing it would collapse in on him. Gotta love that brotherly love.  
“Look I should be getting back now, Maria will be waiting for me. Here’s the number and address for the business. I’ll see you around okay?” Tommy patted through his pockets and retrieved a small piece of paper with writing scribbled on it, placing it on the counter beside Joel. He gave him a last placating look before he walked out of the kitchen, the front door closing behind him with a soft click. 
Joel pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled sharply before turning back around to look out the kitchen window. He hung his head in defeat, rounding his back as he rested his elbows on the counter and glared into his matte reflection in the sink. He didn’t need any help. He was doing fine. He’s still upright and breathing, with blood coursing through his veins isn’t he? Albeit, he's not jumping out of bed like a sprightly thirty year old anymore. His knees pop and crackle when he gets up from crouching over machinery for too long, his joints protest the next day when he pushes himself too far, moving slower than usual on job sites. 
Hell, even his memory is starting to get cloudy around the edges. If it weren’t for Ellie some days, he’s sure he would leave the house without pants on, what with her always reminding him where things are in the house, special events that are coming up in the community that he forgets about. He had been a bit more snappy than usual, as Ellie so lovingly pointed out one day, but that’s nothing compared to his normal demeanour. 
“You’re becoming a grumpy motherfucker y'know that? Jeez, who shit in your cornflakes this morning?” She grumbled at him with a mouth full of cereal, after he snapped at her reminder that it was parent day at the local school. Parent day, P.A. day, Joel hadn’t dealt with any of this shit in over twenty years since Sarah was in school. Even then he managed to swiftly neglect many of the parental events, seeing as Sarah was the perfect student, with nothing but glowing reviews from her teachers. The fact that Ellie was going to school amidst a fucking apocalypse was enough for Joel to be content. 
But still, he’s doing fine, right? Just fine. 
“Maybe talking to someone that’s not related to you would help you, y’know? Being able to talk about shit that you can’t talk to me, or Tommy, or anyone else about you know?” Ellie proposed to him later that night.
As luck would have it, she was already home when Joel and Tommy spoke in the kitchen and she had heard pretty much the entire conversation. And like Tommy, she only wanted Joel to get support because she cared about him. 
“Think of all the shit that we went through in the past year, forget the infected, and the raiders, and FEDRA, and almost dying,” she casually listed off on one hand as if she was reciting a grocery list.
“There's so much shit that we’re both carrying with us, demons from our past, and it’s gotta come out one way or another. Look, therapists aren’t there to judge you, or analyze you,” she continued, “they’re kind of like a sounding board for you to bounce your thoughts off of, and they help you process shit you’re going through. You never know unless you try it,” she said matter of factly. 
“Like Tommy said, you got nothing to lose man. Plus the whiskey and pills will only help you numb reality for so long, you’re gonna go insane eventually,” she said, fixing him with a knowing look as she leaned back into the couch beside him.
Joel just grunted in response and frowned. Damn this kid for being too insightful for her own good.
Ellie might be young but she most certainly wasn’t naive. And as much as Joel would have liked to assume that her easy transition into life in Jackson was on account of her youthfulness, it really wasn’t. It was just the fact that she had never known a normal life, as heartbreaking as that was. She never had the chance to experience such normalcy before everything turned on its head. But she developed friendships with a few of the other teens in the community, namely one girl Dina, who she hung out with after school, went to the movies and other community events with.
She didn’t have to actively try to fit into Jackson, she just did. Joel would never acknowledge the pangs of jealousy he felt gnawing at his insides when he saw her getting on so well, but it didn’t mean they chipped away at his morale any less. 
Ellie smirked at his lack of response, knowing he was mulling it over in his mind. With the relationship they had developed over the past year, she was grateful to be able to talk to Joel and actually get through to him.
“Damn maybe I should be a fuckin’ therapist, that was good advice wasn’t it?” she grinned at him, elbowing him in his side.
Joel snorted and shook his head. “Christ, I must be losing my mind for real this time if you’ve got me considering it.”
“Now c’mon,” she wiggled her eyebrows at him, “you owe me at least a few games of Boggle for that pep talk,” she said triumphantly, holding up the weathered board game that was on the coffee table.
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strawnarrries · 1 year
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Dirty Book
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Summary: Your husband catches you reading another dirty book and doesn't enjoy you getting turned on without him, so he takes matters into his own hands and makes you forget all about your book.
Requested: Nope but my box is always open!
POV: 2nd
Word Count: 4.4k
Warning(s): M/F receiving oral, unprotected sex
The sound of the water pellets hitting the shower floor echoed throughout the bathroom and floated into your bedroom, a perfect background noise for your reading session. It was around 9:30pm (21:30) and you were currently laying in bed, snuggled up under your cozy, white comforter, reading a romance thriller- a book your best friend had insisted you read. This book was all over tiktok recently so you were excited to see what the hype was all about. Plus, you loved a good spicy book.
After dinner, you had taken an everything shower. You washed your hair, and your body, exfoliated, and shaved everything, as well as doing a face mask and your skincare routine. You lit one of your favorite candles to make the room smell sweet before snuggling under the covers to read. You loved the vibe that you were living right now- freshly clean, soft skin against your silky sheets, nose filled with the perfect mix of scents from your candle - raspberry nectar, iris petals, and airy vanilla - while you were snuggled under your soft covers, reading your favorite genre of book.
Your husband, Niall, had walked into the room not even 5 minutes ago, but you were so engrossed in your book, you didn't even acknowledge him. He head straight for the bathroom and turned on the shower. He came out only a few minutes later and you couldn't help but let your eyes snap up to watch him once you noticed he was completely naked.
You would be lying if you said the words you were reading hadn't made your thighs squeeze shut and your heart rate increase as you pictured you and Niall instead of the two main characters. He walked towards the dresser that sat right in front of your bed, ruffling through one of the drawers for something. You were so distracted by him that you hadn't even cared to notice what he was doing. The way his back muscles flexed with every movement he made, the countless number of freckles against his skin that you loved to kiss, and his perky bum cheeks that you never resisted grabbing whenever the occasion arrived. The back of him was so pretty and you wished you had admired it more over the years.
He lifted his head and your eyes flicked up to his in the faint reflection of the large, black tv hanging above the dresser. You made eye contact with those pretty eyes and couldn't help the blush that arose on the apples of your cheeks. His head flicked around to check if you were actually looking at him and his lips turned into a smirk when he noticed he wasn't just seeing things.
"Quit droolin'," he teased.
You rolled your eyes with a soft grin on your lips before finding the place where you left off in your book, getting lost in the pages once again. He walked back into the bathroom, closing the door behind him and you soon heard the glass door to the shower open and close, signaling that he had hopped in.
You weren't sure how long he was in there, but soon enough you heard the shower turn off and the only noise filling your ears was the words you read on the page. Niall had quickly dried off and done his basic skin care routine before walking back into your bedroom, not even bothering to put on any clothes. You hadn't acknowledged him, too engrossed in this spicy scene to want to look away even for a second.
He walked towards the end of the bed and climbed in between your legs, "'s dat one of yer dirty books?"
"Maybe," you grinned, peeking your eyes just over the brim of the pages to look at him.
He was fresh out of the shower, his hair still wet and his skin glowing from his skincare regimen. He didn't reply, he just pushed your shirt up to reveal your belly and rested his cheek against it, his damp hair cold against your warm skin. You continued to read your book and you felt his fingers play with the strings on your pajama pants.
"Don't like dat," he mumbled suddenly.
"Don't like what?"
"Don't like the fact dat yer gettin' turned on without me."
"'m not gettin' turned on," you replied, letting your book rest on your upper lip while peeking over it once again to look at him as he lifted his head to look at you.
"Oh really?"
"Mm mm," you shook your head.
"So if I took a quick peek, ya wouldn't be wet at all?"
"Nope," you hummed, popping the 'p' confidently.
He sat up and slipped his fingers past the band of both your pajama pants and your panties, tugging them down your legs. You obliged and lifted your hips to help him. Once he pulled them off each leg, he threw them carelessly onto the floor. You immediately closed your thighs, hiding your secret. He placed both palms on either one of your knees and urged you to open them for him, "Lemme see."
You didn't fight it, starting to feel more desperate for him to touch you by the second. You let your legs fall open, your stringy arousal now in full view for him. You watched his face transform as he admired you, a smug smirk curved onto his lips and his eyes slowly darkened with lust. His fingers immediately slipped through your folds, feeling and spreading your wetness.
"You fuckin' liar," he teased.
You hummed softly at his touch, your hips instinctively bucking up. He laid down on his belly and wrapped his right arm around your hips, now face to face with your throbbing center. You crossed your ankles around his shoulders, butterflies erupting in your stomach from excitement for what's to come. Using his left hand, he placed his callous fingers on your swollen clit, rubbing it back it forth.
You whimpered out his name softly, eyes fluttering shut. Your hips bucked up and he let his fingers move south, easily slipping a finger past your dripping entrance. He felt all around you, curling his finger up and finding that special spot just under where your clit was located. Focusing on that spot, he moved his finger in and out of you, hitting the spot with each thrust. You felt your orgasm slowly rising and the book getting looser in your hands, threatening to fall closed on the sheets beneath you.
Using his free hand, he spread you open for him before leaning down and wrapping his pink lips around your throbbing clit. You let out a pornographic moan, dropping the book onto the bed next to you, not even bothering to mark your page. Your hands immediately threaded through his dark, damp locks. He suckled on your bud, fingers moving in and out of you, hitting your spot with each thrust. You knew it wouldn't be long until you were arching your back and screaming his name.
No words were spoken between you two. He was desperate to get you off and you were desperate to get off. The only noises filling the room was your moans and the wet sounds of him working you towards your orgasm. He quickly slipped his fingers out of you, wrapping both hands around your hips and pulling you closer to him. His mouth watered at the sight of you soaking and swollen for him. He licked up your entire center before dipping the tip of his tongue into your entrance. He felt around your walls and your grip on his hair tightened.
Your arousal coated his tongue and he hummed against you, vibrations from his voice sending waves of pleasure up your spine. He pulled his tongue out of you and flicked the tip back and forth against your clit, causing your breath to hitch in your throat. With his free hand, he reached up under your shirt and grabbed onto your right breast, squeezing and kneading it. You quickly grabbed onto the hem of your top and pulled it up over your head, throwing it across the room and exposing yourself to him.
Keeping yourself sat up slightly, you rested your elbows on the sheets under you, supporting your body up so you could watch him. He glanced up at you and you made eye contact with those pretty blue eyes, an open-mouthed grin quickly growing on his lips. His hair was sticking up in every direction from your previous tugging and the scruff that perfectly lined his jaw tickled your skin. His calloused fingers were tweaking your nipple and your thighs were loosely wrapped around his head as he lapped at your clit, sliding the tip of his tongue all around it as he felt it throb against him. It was a scene you never wanted to forget. Just the sight of him could send you into a frenzy.
"Ya like dat?"
"Niall, oh my god," you whimpered, letting your head fall back onto your shoulders.
He chuckled against you, his breath warm against your burning skin. Grabbing onto your hips with both hands to keep you in place, he wrapped his lips around your clit once more and began to suck with the perfect pressure he's learned you love. You bucked your hips up into him, lifting your head to watch him again. This time, all you could see was a mess of brown hair between your thighs, causing your abdomen to clench.
Your moans got more frequent the closer you got to your orgasm and you both knew it would only be a few short seconds before you are thrown off the edge. You let your body relax on the bed again, your fingers immediately tangling through his locks and pushing him impossibly closer to you.
"Gonna cum?" he mumbled against you.
"Mhm," you whined, your face contorted with pleasure as you focused on your orgasm quickly approaching.
He used his left hand and stuck his middle finger and his ring finger past your opening, thrusting it back and forth, doing everything in his power to unravel that knot in the pit of your stomach. With his fingers hitting all your sweet spots and his mouth suckling your clit, your orgasm took over your entire body.
Pleasure filled every one of your senses, pulling you out of reality and putting you into your own universe. You never wanted this feeling to stop. Your back was arching off the bed, your toes were curling against his shoulders, your thighs were trembling against his head, your grip on his hair was tightening, and moans were continually spilling from your lips. He felt your warmth coat his digits and he slowed down his thrusts to milk out your orgasm. Soon enough your body relaxed into the soft sheets beneath you, your moans being taken over by heavy pants.
He licked you clean before slipping his fingers out and climbing up the bed to hover over you. He hovered his fingers in front of your lips and you opened your mouth, taking them in and tasting your release. You let your tongue slide in between his two fingers and bobbed your head once, twice, to give him a preview of what was to come. His eyes were locked on your plump lips wrapped around him, jaw opened as a groan escaped his throat.
"God, you're so hot," he hummed.
You giggled and he slipped his fingers out of your mouth, pressing both hands on the bed next to either side of your head to support his weight. He leaned down and pressed his lips to yours. They moved in sync, his tongue slipping out and asserting his dominance. You love that tongue, obviously, but especially when he kissed you. He did it so well and so gracefully, it was so sexy.
"I love you," you whispered against his lips
"I love ya too," he hummed back.
After catching your breath from your release, you finally gained back the energy to return the favor. You pushed him onto his back on his side of the bed next to you, getting ready to straddle him before hearing him grunt, "Ow."
He reached under his back and pulled your book out from underneath him, handing it to you with a facial expression to show you he wasn't impressed.
"Don't crush it!" you exclaimed, grabbing it from him and making sure the pages weren't bent before placing it on your bedside table.
He rolled his eyes teasingly and you straddled his lap, sitting perfectly so his hard member was in between your folds. He wrapped his hands on either side of your hips and you pressed your hands against his toned chest. You began to grind your hips back and forth on him, soaking him with your growing wetness.
Your hands slid up to cup his jaw as you leaned down and pressed your lips to his, kissing him passionately. Your hips were still mindlessly moving against him, the friction between you two sending light waves of pleasure across you.
"I wanna taste you," you hummed against his lips.
"Go for it, baby. Ya know I won't stop ya," he chuckled.
You grinned at him and pressed a few more kisses to his sweet lips before they trailed down to his jaw, his neck, his chest, and down down down until you were sat on your knees between his legs. You wrapped your hand around his already hard length and began to pump him in preparation. His swollen, red tip peaked out underneath his foreskin with each down stroke, precum oozing from his slit.
You pressed a sweet kiss to his tip before wrapping your lips around him, suckling gently. He lifted his head up to watch you as you came off of him with a soft pop and leaned down to the base of his shaft. You licked up the underside of him like a melting popsicle before taking him into your mouth, palm wrapped around what you could not fit in. Reaching down, he entangled his fingers through your long, brunette locks, pulling your hair into a ponytail and holding it out of your face. You began to bop your head up and down and you heard a groan leave his lips and his head falling back against the pillow underneath him.
He smelled and tasted so good. Being fresh out of the shower, the manly scent of his body wash filled your nose and the salty taste of his precum mixed with your previous arousal swarmed your taste buds. You hummed against him, acknowledging that he wasn't the only one enjoying this. You loved making him feel good. Being able to watch his stomach clench and his face twist with pleasure lit a fire in your abdomen. You were the one making him feel so good and you were the only one making him feel that good.
Flattening your tongue, you began to lick up the underside of him again. Your mouth watered for him, you were practically drooling over him; he was soaked, drenched in your saliva, but that's exactly how he liked it.
Paying attention to his tip, you began to swirl your tongue on the underside of him, your palm quickly pumping his shaft. He lifted his head up to watch you again, the sight of you on your knees for him being one of his favorite things to watch. Feeling his stare, you flicked your eyes up to his and came in contact with his usual blue ones darkened by lust. His jaw was lax and formed in an 'o' shape, his eyebrows were furrowed together, his stomach clenched each time your tongue drew a full circle around him, and a thin layer of sweat glistening his skin. You couldn't help the smile that erupted on your lips at the euphoric look of him, your tongue never stopping its movements around his tip.
Breaking eye contact, you wrapped your lips around him again and took him in. You moved your head up and down at a quick pace, feeling his grip on your hair tightening. You placed both hands on either one of his thighs and gripped him for stability as you relaxed your throat and took him deeper. The course patch of curls lining his pelvis tickled the tip of your nose each time you took him in and the moans that left his lips were like music to your ears.
"Fuck, Y/N, yer so fuckin' good at dis," he moaned and his words went straight to your center, your wetness growing.
After feeling your jaw begin to get sore, you wrap your lips around his tip, suckling it while your dominant hand pumped him at the pace you knew he loved. Your other hand went to cup his balls, massaging them ever so gently. You were doing everything in your power to get him to his orgasm. By the twitch of him in your mouth and the growing sounds of his moans, you knew it would only be seconds until he was pushing you away. And you weren't wrong.
"Mm, fuck, okay, okay, okay," he whimpered painfully since he wanted to cum, but he knew if he did, he wouldn't get hard again quick enough to be inside of you, "Wanna be in ya."
You licked your lips as you straddled his waist again, cupping his face and leaning down to kiss him. Your kisses were sloppy and desperate, moving in sync with each other. You sucked his bottom lip into your mouth, biting it gently and pulling it back before letting it snap back into place. You sat back up and were about to reach down to position him at your entrance before he stopped you.
"Hang on," he breathed out, "'m gonna cum immediately if 'm in ya right now."
"You're too easy," you grinned at him, wrapping your arms around his neck and pressing kisses on each freckle that lined his skin.
As you gave him a few minutes to cool down, you moved your lips back up to his. They moved leisurely against each other, your tongues entangling and causing the taste of each other to overwhelm your senses. Your painted fingernails ran through his damp hair while his bitten ones ran up and down your back slowly; a much slower and sweeter moment than earlier when everything was sexier and faster-paced. It wasn't long before he deepened your kisses once more, picking up from where you had left off.
"You ready?" you asked excitedly.
"Mhm," he nodded.
You sat up on your knees and positioned him at your entrance. You wasted no time before you slid down on him, taking all of him in until you were sat on his lap again. After watching him disappear inside of you, you looked up at him, both of your jaws slack. Giving yourself a few seconds to adjust to him, you purposefully squeezed your walls around him and watched as a groan left his lips and face contorted with pleasure.
You began grinding against him, the curls lining his pelvis stimulating your clit with each thrust. Hovering over him, you let both of your elbows rest on either side of his head. He placed his hands on your hips and helped you rock back and forth as you watched each other react to the euphoria that came with your bodies connecting. You pushed a strand of hair behind your ear and smiled down at him.
"You feel so good," you whispered, lips slightly brushing up against his with each thrust.
"Ya do too, baby. Don't t'ink I'll last long with ya lookin' like dis on top of me," he replied, one hand sliding up your body and cupping your breast.
You chuckled breathlessly and pressed your lips against his. Your lips moved in sync with his, tongues slipping out and caressing each other. You gently nibbled on his bottom lip, sucking it into your mouth before sitting back up. Placing both hands on his chest again, you began to move your hips faster against his, slightly bouncing on him.
The knot in the pit of your stomach began tightening as the feeling of his girth filled you completely and sent pleasure throughout your body. You could feel every vein, every ridge, every inch of him against your slick walls. His tip brushed up against your special spot with each thrust and you couldn't stop your teeth from sinking into your bottom lip.
You looked down between your connecting bodies and watched as his member disappeared and appeared. He was completely coated, glittering with your arousal. His fingernails were carving crescent-shaped moons into the skin of your thighs, sure to be deep enough for you to find tomorrow morning. Your breasts bounced with each thrust of your hips and Niall was in complete awe as he watched you above him. His gorgeous wife, completely naked above him, moving back and forth against his throbbing member, soft whimpers occasionally leaving her pretty lips, it was something he never ever wanted to forget.
Your thrusts began to get sloppy as you felt your thighs begin to burn in overuse. Soon enough the burn overpowered the pleasure. You stopped your thrusts and sat completely on him in a huff, "Can you spoon me?"
"Yeah, c'mere," he answered.
You climbed off of him, feeling unsatisfyingly empty as he slipped out of you. You lay on your side next to him while he lay on his. His back was pressed to yours and you lifted your left leg over his leg to give him easy access. He immediately grabbed onto his throbbing member and slipped it inside of you. Wasting no time at all, his pace was fast and hard. His arms were wrapped around you tightly as your body moved with each slap of his hips against yours.
His right arm was laying straight, his bicep acting as a pillow for your head. Using your right arm, you reached out and grabbed onto his hand, intertwining your fingers and squeezing him tightly as you moaned out his name, "Oh, Niall."
"Ya feel me deep, baby?" he asked, using his right hand to press on your lower stomach, feeling the repetitive movements of him sliding in and out of you.
Unable to form coherent words at this point, you moaned in response, your toes curling against his ankle. The pressure from his hand against your abdomen intensified your pleasure. Your orgasm was quickly rising again, your stomach clenching each time he thrust against your sweet spots.
Using the hand placed on your stomach, he wrapped his palm around your neck, sliding it up to cup your jaw and moving it towards him. You moaned as his lips connected with yours, opened-mouthed kisses shared between you two. He swallowed your moans, the vibrations sending goosebumps to arise on his skin. Your kisses were sloppy and desperate as you both chased your orgasms, straining for a release.
"I love ya," he grunted against your lips.
You replied in a delighted, breathy hum, "I love you too."
Sliding his hand down from your jaw, he cupped your left breast in his palm, kneading it as his thrusts sped up. He pinched your nipple between his index finger and thumb, twisting it, causing a whimper to leave your lips. Your walls mindlessly began squeezing around him, silently signaling him that you were close. You were so close.
"Gonna cum? Need ya t' finish first," he grunted in your ear.
"Mhm, touch me," you whimpered, grabbing onto the hand that was kneading your left breast and moving it to your throbbing center.
His calloused fingers quickly moved back and forth across your throbbing clit. The pleasure only heightened and you were bucking your hips into his hand, breath hitched in your throat. Your moans grew as your orgasm grew closer and you knew it would only be seconds before you were releasing on him.
"C'mon," he encouraged, "Know yer close. Lemme hear ya."
And just like that, the tight knot in your stomach unraveled and pleasure numbed your entire body from the tip of your toes to the top of your head. You didn't hold back your moans, you relaxed your throat and let him know just how good he made you feel. Your back was arched and your toes curled. His pace never slowed down as he carried you through your orgasm, your face scrunched up in pleasure. The feeling of your warmth engulfing him had him instantly releasing inside of you, coating your walls with his love for you. He buried his face into the back of your neck, your hair muffling his groans and the feeling of his warm breath fanned the back of your neck.
His thrusts slowed down as he milked out the last bits of your orgasms and soon, your moans were taken over by heavy breaths as you both came down from your highs. He gave you a sweet kiss on your cheek before getting up to retrieve a clean washcloth for you, a routine you both fell into once you got an IUD and stopped using condoms. You lay there with your eyes closed, feeling your heartbeat slow and your breath calm. You heard him turn the sink on and running water echoed throughout your bathroom. He soon turned it off and you heard his footsteps get closer to you.
Climbing on the bed again, he rolled you on your back and gently opened your legs. Still recovering from your powerful orgasm, you kept your eyes closed and he grinned at you, "Ya still wit' me, baby?"
"Mhm," you hummed delightfully, opening your eyes and looking at the beautiful man above you.
He wiped you clean with the damp washcloth, the lukewarm temperature of it against your burning skin giving you chills. After double checking you were all cleaned up and making sure none had dripped onto the bed, he walked back into the bathroom. He set the dirtied towel on the counter, planning to deal with it later before walking back into the room and falling onto the bed with a big grunt.
"Jesus," he breathed out in a chuckle, "I feel like I need t' take another shower after dat."
"Wanna take a bath?" you asked, looking over at him through your eyelashes.
"Sure," he replied quickly.
"Really?" you asked excitedly. Niall never wanted to take baths with you!
"Yeah, but only if ya add bubbles."
"I'll add as many bubbles as you want."
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sapphicscholar · 4 months
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Hacks Episode 3x09 Thoughts
Okay, so back during S2, I wrote up my thoughts about each pair of Hacks episodes as they dropped – partially for sharing but largely as an archive for myself of my own thoughts/feelings to revisit when I watched the episodes later to see how they held up, how it compared to watch them serially vs. as a whole season, etc. Anyway, I was incredibly stressed out and busy for much of this season (after over a year of that being the key set of words to describe my life), but I wanted to throw out my thoughts about the finale before they grow too stale! And maybe I’ll come back and revisit the prior episodes in posts later when I have the time (hopefully in just a couple short weeks!) to enjoy them properly
As always, disjointed bulleted lists are the name of the game, going from the big picture to the detailed:
Overall, this felt like a very solid episode in the vein of season 1 in many ways! It brought us back to the interpersonal as the primary ground of conflict after many episodes (here and in S2) of the new hour, the special, and the Late Night host gig quest being our main plot drivers (which, at many times, made for weaker storytelling for reasons that exceed the scope of this post!). In particular, I felt like this episode hit its stride around the halfway point, and never really faltered after that in impressive ways!
That being said, I had two somewhat significant critiques of the finale (both of which reflect larger trends about strands of the show that continue to leave me a little disappointed)
We should have seen Marcus' conversation with Deborah about the new job. Period. I'll get into what could have been cut in my second critique, but even if there weren't weak spots in the episode, I still would have been deeply disappointed in the show for this oversight, especially since they apparently filmed it. Although Hacks is clearly a show with a leading duo, it once had a core ensemble, but S2 saw them moved more and more to B-plots and bit roles, and now S3 has seen many of the characters we know and love eliminated almost entirely--a point that's particularly galling given that it's almost entirely characters of color (many of them canonically queer) who have been cut in favor of new white characters. Moreover, this scene would have been SO IMPORTANT - I could have seen it going 2 ways: a) Marcus quits after the convo where Deborah tells Ava she's willing to lose her, and Deborah has a reaction that is so utterly outsized because it's the terror of losing the person she's had with her the longest now compounded with the reality setting in that she's also driven away the woman who gave her new life when she most needed it; or b) Marcus shows up to quit, and Deborah immediately launches into a rant about Ava's leaving, which puts Marcus in the awkward spot of adding to that at a pivotal moment in the career of the woman he's spent much of his adult life with or giving up something he needs to do for himself; it could have been a lovely callback to S1 when he shows up with his whole speech prepared but then accepts the promotion without ever telling Deborah how he feels - only this time Marcus would have changed so much, and he'd have the opportunity to showcase that growth by insisting that he needs to do this for him. So many lost opportunities...
re what could have been cut because imo it did NOT work: Kathy Vance's return. Now, I love Hacks in large part because it insists on the complexity of its characters. No one is purely the victim or the hero of the story, and Deborah's "click" moment showcased that better than anything. AND YET the writing here did not work. Back in the Christmas ep, I messaged a friend saying I was glad that they brought Kathy back but seemed not to ask us to side with her - after all, she comes crashing back into Deborah's life, doesn't take ownership over her actions and in fact insists she was in the right because it only happened a few times, because Deborah wasn't sleeping with him (very "you weren't playing with it, so it's mine now" little sister energy that is deeply unappealing in a grown ass adult), and because they were the "better couple" which is, I'm sorry, NEVER the fucking thing to tell someone whose marriage and life you destroyed. I joked then that I'd take back my compliments if her role in the finale suggested that actually we should be on Kathy's side here. And lo and behold... What's a real bummer is that there were ways to do this better! Because you can have sympathy for an imperfect character--this show is a testament to that fact!--but not like this. We as an audience have no reason to side with Kathy when she insists that Deborah will be worse than ever and berates her for cutting their weekend short. Instead, we see a woman with a large sense of entitlement she's done nothing to earn and directorial choices that don't make it a smooth transition. But what could have been lovely is, for instance, treating the Christmas and finale reunions as these deflationary moments of anticipation and disappointment because they are, after this many decades, essentially strangers to one another. Had we seen two women who longed for the deep affective ties of their childhood relationship only to be confronted with the cold hard fact of their estrangement from one anther, it would have been so much more powerful. And here you could ACTUALLY garner sympathy (some) for Kathy by having it be this moment of "I lost my sister" partially through her own actions "to Late Night once, and now, right when I have a chance to try to build something with her again, I feel like I'm going to lose her again before I can even really try to do right by her this go around." THAT could have worked. This was just too much time on something that did almost nothing in the grand scheme of the plot (because we didn't have the emotional connection to feel it as another compounding loss for Deborah in an episode where Ava's "and you're going to die alone" could have landed with even more force)
Okay so it turns out this is getting hella fucking long, so some shorter praise and giddy feelings things:
I LOVE how often Ava got to say the things we've all been squeeing about for years during this episode - especially that the material is good because of their relationship, not the other way around; their dynamic is not incidental to the work, and that's so important to me personally.
I had guessed that Ava would be offered head writer and quit her current job, only to have it taken away because Deborah was too scared to rock the boat, but I did NOT see the end coming! In fact, I kind of thought Ava might end up suing Deborah for intellectual property theft (using material Ava wrote outside of her contractual appointment for the new show because, surprise surprise, the writers who sucked when she was a guest still suck now compared to Ava!) In fact, I sort of thought that end scene might end up being a return to the car scene, and was relishing the thought of Ava's mimicking Deb's "It'll be fun, honey." But the blackmail as a form of love/devotion was soooo much better. Truly chef's kiss.
Also the way this rewrote the S2 finale even as the underlying message remained the same is so special to me - I'll stay with you even when it's bad for me (sacrificing my career -> sacrificing my morals) because it's good for you and more importantly it's good for us and the work. JPL know how to write a finale, and I'd give up a kidney to have that same energy be there throughout a whole season again (not that the eps are bad, but they lack some of the sharpness in writing and emotional depth that JPL do so well with finales and also often with the first couple eps of a season too)
Lastly JPL going on the record that Deborah was turned on by that final scene + Ava's "I would, wouldn't you?" and "Let's begin" - truly some of the hottest TV. We're so back babyyy. No more half naked superheroes with all the eroticism of a desk chair. Give me messy women determined to fling themselves into the air because they know the thrill is worth everything good and safe they're leaving behind, even if they hit the ground with no parachute!
I have many, many thoughts about S3 and what's to come, but I'll save them for another post because phewww this got long as fuck
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