baddyxangel

[baddyxangel]

[baddyxangel]

[baddyxangel]

grishaverse x tbosas – darklina x snowbaird

while reading tbosas i kinda thought snowbaird and darklina share very similar dynamics so yeah i had to draw this oopsie

[baddyxangel]

Imagine a villain straight refusing to fight another member of the Hero Team just cuz his hero archnemesis is not present

"Where are they?"

"Oh, not again." The protagonist could feel a headache coming on. "Look-"

"-Are they hurt?" The villain's eyes went dark and dangerous. "Who hurt them?"

"They're fine! Oh my god."

"Then where are they?"

The protagonist definitely had a headache. "It's their day off."

"They didn't tell me they had the day off. What's wrong?"

The really concerning part was that the hero probably would tell the villain which days they were working and which they weren't. The two of them were as bad as each other! The hero was going to be unbearable when they came back and found out that the team had fought the villain without them.

"Can we just get this over with?" the protagonist tried.

"No."

The protagonist sighed. They pinched the bridge of their nose and took a few deep breaths. "Okay," they said slowly. "But you realise I'm still going to have confiscate your nightmare robot."

"It's not for you. And don't think I didn't notice you dodging the question!"

The protagonist considered their options; lies, truth, everything in between.

The villain's nightmare robot hunkered down a little more pointedly in the middle of the bridge. Several people honked their horns. It was, honestly, embarrassing for everyone involved at that point.

"Their grandma died."

"Oh no." The villain's whole face softened. "Grandma L or Grandma P?"

Of course he knew the hero's grandparents. Of course he did. "Look, about the robot-"

"-I'll reschedule," the villain said.

"I can't let you keep the robot. My boss would have my head."

"That sounds like a 'you' problem. I have flowers to send."

The protagonist's eye twitched. "If you try and walk away with it-"

"-Do you really want to traumatize this entire bridge of innocent civilians?"

"I'm sure they're traumatized having to listen to you two idiots on a weekly basis."

"I'm taking the robot. When are they back?"

"They haven't said," the protagonist said, through gritted teeth. "As you know-"

"-They'll be doing all the funeral arrangements. Yeah. You know what, give me their number. I'll text them."

"I'm not giving you their number."

"Why not?"

"It's against policy."

"I'd like to express my condolences."

The protagonist looked them dead in the face. "Mm. That sounds like a 'you' problem. I have a robot to confiscate."

The robot slammed a fist into the bridge. It wobbled precariously.

The protagonist raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. They folded their arms across their chest.

"You're a real piece of work, you know that?" the villain snarled.

"I hate you too, don't worry."

"I should kill you."

"They'd have so much paperwork when they got back from the funeral. It would really improve their month, you killing me."

They ended up glaring at each other.

"If I give you the bloody stupid robot, will you give me their number?"

The protagonist smiled sweetly. "That's the only smart thing I've ever heard you say."

Everyone, generally, preferred it when the hero was around.

They all made sure it didn't happen again.

[baddyxangel]

33. Something guaranteed to make them cry

32

37

33) Something guaranteed to make them cry

The death of a person that is like him. Immortal and powerful. Someone that will stay with him. Forever.

He cried when Baghra died, I'm sure of it. Because she was his mother and the only goddamn person that stayed with him through all those years. Everybody else died. And she was the only person he could come back to that wasn't dead. They also shared the same experiences and knowledge.

If Alina died, he would cry then too. When she lost her powers he was devastated and it was the first time Alina herself saw him so much upset and distressed. There was no act, no theater. He broke down emotionally. If she had died, the tears would come too.

He fears and hates loneliness. So the death of a person that could cast away that, would make him cry and mourn.

32) Something guaranteed to make them smile/laugh

Alina.

No, I'm not kidding this time.

Alina made him laugh three times in S&B. Her spontaneous nature, witty comments and natural way of expression were something entertaining for him. He also made him smile many times. One of them in the name reveal scene. Alina could "bring to the surface" that innocent, carefree boy he used to be. She could bring him joy when others couldn't. Even at times of war against each other.

Apart from that, a really good joke could make him smile. Or the presence of a fluffy animal that rubs against him would draw out an unintentional smile from him.🥹

37) What they really think about themselves

THAT'S THE EASIEST ONE.

He thinks he's powerful. More so than other Grisha. Wise and with much experience. The years that he has lived made sure of that. Also, the only man capable to bring the Grisha to a new, bright age. He is confident with himself, that's for sure and I also think he feels responsible for his people. Especially for the ones that fight on his side. He wants to protect them and provide for them. He thinks no one else cares enough.

He knows he has become cruel but he doesn't mind because how else is he going to survive if he doesn't toughen up?

So, generally, he thinks himself as the hero of this story. The only man capable for the job and the only one that does the right thing. He considers himself strong, intelligent, wise, experienced, powerful but still knows that he desires company and love.

[baddyxangel]

my favorite interpretation of him is as a man who WANTS that companionship and love but. He’s been burned so many times before, falling in love with people he outlived due to war and his slower aging. So he can’t allow himself to be hurt like that again. Deep inside his little black heart he would love to be equals with Alina but unfortunately years of trauma and pain have left him entirely unable to exist in a relationship that doesn’t have a power imbalance in his favor. He doesn’t know how to let go of his want for power even in his relationships anymore. And now that he needs Alina for his Grand Schemes, well he definitely can’t fall in love with her without potentially fucking up his plan, right? He needs her to do many very specific things and he can’t be blinded by Real Emotion that might make him change his mind so instead he keeps her at arms length while making her THINK her feelings are requited and he pulls her strings to get her to do what he needs so that his centuries of living will have paid off. And deep deep down the man he used to be yearns to have built something real with her, to have companionship who won’t die in the blink of an eye, someone who understands this Otherness he experiences, an equal. If only the man he’d become could stand to let go of the reins in any relationship for more than like. Thirty seconds. Lol

⚠️TW!: sexual abuse and sexual assault! mentioned at some point⚠️

Yup. You get it, anon!

My favorite interpretation of him is as a man who WANTS that companionship and love but he’s been burned so many times before, falling in love with people he outlived due to war and his slower aging. So he can’t allow himself to be hurt like that again.

I completely agree to all of this!

What antis seem unable to understand is that the Darkling is human most of all. Not a villain, not a hero, not a Grisha but a human being with human emotions and needs. In fact, I find him the most human character in the Grisha trilogy. We all want love and companionship. None of us likes the feeling of loneliness (it's one thing to want to be alone and another to be lonely) and the Darkling is no different in this aspect. He wants to love and be loved. He wants someone to keep him company forever, to not abandon him because of betrayal, death, age or mortality. He doesn't want to be alone. For centuries he suffered from it and was desperate to find someone to fill this void. Alina was this person. She ticked (most of) the boxes for him.

(just a small pause to say that we can also see evidence of his desire to feel and live human things in RoW:

(He might considered otkazat'sya beneath him, but the feeling of humanity was something surprisingly pleasant for him. And he seeked Alina out to feel this way again. Even though he denied it:)

(A part of him wanted something simple. Peace and calm and a girl that loved him and he loved her at his side.)

If I could describe the Darkling's need for someone to join him and be with him, for Alina to come to him and love him, I would use this passage from the book "City of Heavenly Fire":

“Imagine if you were the last Shadowhunter left on earth (in this case let's use the term "the last Grisha of your kind"), imagine if all your family and friends were dead, imagine if there were no one left who even believed in what you were. Imagine if you were on the earth in a billion, billion years, after the sun had scorched away all the life, and you were crying out from inside yourself for just one single living creature to still draw breath alongside you, but there was nothing, only rivers of fire and ashes. Imagine being that lonely. And then imagine there was only one way to fix it. Then imagine what you would do to make that thing happen.”

THIS is how I imagine the Darkling's desperation to gain Alina. His last hope for love and companionship.

He has been hurt hundreds of times in the past. The lovers he had, the people he fell in love were dying in front of his eyes from their mortality. Others couldn't understand his powers, couldn't fathom him as a person (because I bet almost all, if not all, his lovers were otkazat'sya). So at some point, he just gave up. Gave up on love and stopped having relationships. He wouldn't be hurt again, he wouldn't allow it.

Deep inside his little black heart he would love to be equals with Alina but unfortunately years of trauma and pain have left him entirely unable to exist in a relationship that doesn’t have a power imbalance in his favor. He doesn’t know how to let go of his want for power even in his relationships anymore.

"his little black heart" that sounded so cute 🥺🫶😭

And, yes, I agree that deep inside (veeery deeply though) he wanted to be equals with Alina because on one hand it seemed right to him, logically and strategically (she had the power of light, he had the power of darkness. They were both immortal and she had a strong spirit). But years had already passed where he had the control in all things. Okay, not all. He couldn't stop Kings and Queens from making stupid or unspeakable things (and yes I'm alluding Genya's sexual assault from the King here). But he had a habit that he couldn't break. "Old habits die hard" fits here. He couldn't put aside his need for domination and just say "Yeah sure do whatever you want in this relationship, Alina! Peace and love!🥰✌️". No, he would still want to have the upper hand in their relationship and their rule.

And now that he needs Alina for his Grand Schemes, well he definitely can’t fall in love with her without potentially fucking up his plan, right? He needs her to do many very specific things and he can’t be blinded by Real Emotion that might make him change his mind so instead he keeps her at arms length while making her THINK her feelings are requited and he pulls her strings to get her to do what he needs so that his centuries of living will have paid off.

Yup. He didn't want to fall in love with her. Just to manipulate her. But the problem is that we don't choose when to fall in love and who. It just happens. And that fucked him up emotionally.

1) Because he hadn't felt that emotion in years.

2) Because it wasn't part of his plans, just like you said.

He literally panicked and didn't know what to do and he certainly didn't know how to express it in a healthy manner.

Alina's constant rejection and rebellion against him (+ her love for Mal and her choosing only him) made him go feral and do impulsive things. Made him fuck up his well-thought-out plans. So, in the end, he really is a person that sometimes let his emotions rule his mind unwillingly.

About him making her think that her emotions are requited, it's a complicated matter. In R&R he confirmed that he seduced her (if you call that seduction) as part of his manipulation.

But I think he also played himself back then at S&B. He tried to appease her worries at that time and in S&B it seemed genuine. Honestly, for me, it still does. But, according to him (and Bardugo) he did it to feel more bound to him, more loyal.

BUT! I think that in the meantime he played himself and caught feelings.

Like "He he I'm gonna make her feel good for herself 😈......shit.....now I feel something for her. FUCK!!"

But he would never admit that to Alina. Not in a verbal way anyway. Because when he gave her his name it was a type of love confession (GIVING HER HIS HEART, HELLO??).

I kinda agree that he wanted to make her feel that her feelings were requited but he also must have been like "but let's not tell her that I also caught feelings👀👀".

He wanted to fulfill his plans, yes. But he also fell in love with her in the process and everything went DOWNHILL FOR HIM.

And deep deep down the man he used to be yearns to have built something real with her, to have companionship who won’t die in the blink of an eye, someone who understands this Otherness he experiences, an equal. If only the man he’d become could stand to let go of the reins in any relationship for more than like. Thirty seconds. Lol

Hard agree to all of this too.

Just like I said, he didn't know how to live a life without controlling it and everyone in it.

[baddyxangel]

Part 4 of Aleksander Morozova being a jealous bitch

And this is the rest of his salty moments from "Siege and Storm".😏

(Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 btw🖤)

I've run out of things to say so let's just comment and judge his pettiness.😭

LMAO WE'RE OFF TO A GOOD START

But did he lie tho? Nope.

The tether only works if they are both thinking of each other and here Alina was thinking of the Darkling while Mal tried to kiss her (THAT'S OUR GIRL)

But the fact that the Darkling wants Mal to know this makes me laugh so much😭

He really misses no chance to get in his face.

Here we see the Darkling faking a sympathy towards Mal. He's like "I feel you. I've been through it before myself with the same girl you have".

I have already commented on this moment here but it's actually kind of interesting that the Darkling has already said this line before here:

And because the Darkling never says or does anything without a cause, I believe he said this twice out of real hurt that Alina betrayed him after he fell in love with her. He truly believes in this line.

On the contrary, we have his mocking remark that Alina fell in love with another otkazat'sya. He's like "Girl? When are your standards ever gonna be raised??"

Instead of choosing him, the only person that can be her equal, she keeps involving herself with mortals and he is done with it😭

He's enjoying seeing them fight so much. He takes pleasure from it. Not only because he finally sees them bicker (in front of him) but this fight also confirms his words to Alina that her tracker would never understand her. Would never stand with her. He sees how right he was now. And for him it feels just 😚👌🏻

This moment makes me wanna laugh a little, ngl😭

He really rubs this on Mal's face.

"Alina WANTS to come with me."

"She doesn't want to be with you homeboy."

He actually NEVER calls Mal by his name. He always calls him "the tracker" or "otkazat'sya". He feels such disdain, jealousy and spite for him that refuses to even speak his name (MOOD).

He tries so hard to make Alina understand that Mal will never understand her true self or her powers and he certainly cannot be her equal.

UNLIKE HIM OF COURSE 😌

And the way he's like: "If you love him that much, if he gets you that much, then why were you looking for me? Why were you calling me? Huh?😏"

And of course the fact that he answered. 'Cause he too felt alone and wanted to see her. Be with her.

The Darkling: "Bitch you can't hold a candle to me. Sit your ass down, I'm talking with my wife here."

I love this line. He appeals to her loneliness, her desire to be herself 'cause he knows that if things were the other way around and somebody would speak this line to him, he would go forward in the speed of light. They are alike. He knows it. And he knows that this might be enough for Alina to choose him.

Also the slight competitiveness again😭

The vibes it gives:

"My Alina, I've seen what you truly are and I've never turned away. I never will🥺🥹.

CaN hE sAY tHe sAmE??😒😒🤢🤢."

This line also gives me vibes of: "PICK ME! CHOOSE ME! LOVE ME!"

It's a straight bargain here but he really wants her to cut off every person from her life and be with him. And only him. The only shelter she'll have.

And we're done with his "Siege and Storm" jealousy moments and on the next part we'll study his "Ruin and Rising" ones.

(he gets even saltier there😭)

[baddyxangel]

Part 3 of Aleksander Morozova being a jealous bitch

And now we will dive into his "Siege and Storm" salty moments. I will analyse them, make comments and flesh them out. Prepare yourself for some real dramatic shit (he's just built like that).

Here's part 1 and here's part 2 btw)

Grab your snacks and let's go!

So what's the translation here?

"I won't kill him now. But I will at some point 'cause his time is long overdue."

Part 237721 where he uses Mal as leverage against Alina.

BEFORE YOU START SAYING: "HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT'S THE DARKLING??"

Leigh herself has confirmed it:

From this small paragraph we can draw so many things out.

He took some time out of his planning and leading to take care of her. Make her eat and get better (after letting his nichevo'ya bite her). That shows me at least, that he keeps going back to her out of his own loneliness. She is the only one like him. He seeks her presence and gets tender with her by stroking her cheek. Even if he can't be sure that she can feel him or see him, he still does it.

Secondly, the moment she says Mal's name he quickly withdraws his hand like he got electrocuted. He got instantly angry and jealous that the first person she thought and called out was him.😒

Damn man calm down😭

There are four words that he uses here that are crucial. And I will highlight them.

"I want to watch your tracker die slowly with my knife in his heart."

He wants to see every detail of his death.

He wants him to die slowly and in agony.

He wants to do it himself with his own knife.

He wants to plunge it into his heart. Not just in any random spot and that's it. No. Into his heart.

This is personal vendetta at this point😭

Also, he ALWAYS picks the most gruesome ways to kill Mal (feed him to the volcra, gut him, slowly and painfully plunge a knife in his heart).

He holds a lethal grudge against him for taking Alina away from him. For keeping her hidden from him. For the love they share and makes him insanely jealous. And that last one makes him even think to throw Alina overboard too. But he can't and he won't.

Can he be any more petty?🥲

He is so possessive here. Primarily, he did it to get on Mal's nerves and actually displays such competitiveness. Like "Look what I do😏", "I touch and caress her".

But! There's no way he also didn't do it for his own pleasure.

(He's so thirsty bye-)

He sees Mal's reaction and knows that what he fears most is Alina sleeping with him. So he plays along and threatens him with that iconic line down here:

Not that he doesn't want it to happen deep down of course but ANYWAY

The fact he wants to ensure that Mal will hear it when he makes Alina scream is again so petty. He wants to make sure that he will throw it in his face when it happens.

Also the confidence😭

The sure confidence that he can make her scream while the two...*hem hem* you know.

I could post more pictures but I chose not to 'cause next we have the tether and chapel scenes. And I want these to be in one post but I hope you enjoyed this! 💛

(Also tell me if you like this meta)

[baddyxangel]

Part 2 of Aleksander Morozova being a jealous bitch

So. We already covered most of the Darkling's jealous moments from "Shadow and Bone" (hehehe, it was fun) and now this is the rest. I had so much fun doing these as well.

(Here's part 1 in case someone missed it)

Grab your popcorn people and let's dive in! 🍿

It's not a jealous moment, I know 😭 (Actually it's the result of it). But he's so emotionally done and drained he needs a therapist ASAP. Our boy has turned to drinking to deal with the pain of Alina abandoning him, no longer loving him, loving someone else AND most importantly one of his greatest dreams (finding the stag, giving the colar to Alina and using it to enter and control the Fold) is no longer a victory. He's not celebrating anything. He just stands there sulking with a bottle of kvas beside him. He wanted her to be on his side willingly. To do this together. And now his dream, his long-awaited victory went puff.

Oh! By the way, he's not drunk here. Leigh has confirmed it and her explanation makes sense:

Again. Not exactly a jealousy scene but it would be foolish to leave it aside.

He is so good at reading people. But also he tries so hard here to make her talk to him. He's like "Speak to me. Start talking". He brought her all the way to his tent where he's having an emotional breakdown (he could have hidden this part of himself, this vulnerable and broken scene of him, but he lets her see him this way) to make her explain to him why she did what she did. Why did she run? Why did she believe Baghra that everything was a lie (even his feelings for her)? Did she stop to think what her loss, her abandonment would mean for him (I love that last line of his and I'm gonna make a post about it in the future)? And he's using an obvious threat towards Mal's life to make her talk. He knows Mal is the only thing that can arouse her attention to him. Boy, isn't he desperate for her attention. Her explanations.

I CAN'T 😭

He's so like: "I gave you power, strength, encouraged you and supported you and you chose a freaking tRaCkEr??? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME??"

"... keep house for your tracker." HE'S SO SARCASTIC PLEASE-

Also, he seems genuinely surprised at the lengths Alina would go for Mal. She's willing to see him exiled from Ravka if that means that she can join him too.

Literally the Darkling with Alina's way of thinking here:

First of all, he's right.

Second of all, he literally doesn't give two fucks about Mal 😭😭

(Again the scorn and sarcasm here😚👌)

For him, he's worthless, unworthy of attention, another passing otkazat'sya but he's still important to Alina (a huge fucking inconvenience in other words).

Btw, is it me or does he sound a little hurt, a little annoyed that Alina doesn't care that he betrayed him? And that she only cares for Mal? And not for him. Just for Mal.🙃 Like "you don't even care how I feel about it. The only thoughts you have are about him (okay gonna shut up now).

AGAIN, he tries to force her to talk to him. He is losing control of his emotions, the whole betrayal and jealousy situation makes him crazy and that's why here he tries to regain control. Do you remember what Leigh said before? That the Darkling doesn't like being out of control? Yep! We see it here, clear as day. He hates it. And he seems desperate to regain it. So he makes her beg.

(and the fury he has and lets out through a painful grip. He is INCAPABLE of tolerating the reality that Alina loves Mal more than him.)

Also, are you really sure you want to know how much she loves him, Aleks boy?? 'Cause I think the honest answer would make you drink five more bottles of kvas😭

The fact that he wants to make sure that she will witness his death.

It gives such strong vibes of "I'll kill that asshole and I want you to be there to see it".

I mean he definitely does it 'cause he's a traitor and deserter but there's also so much bottled resentment. He could have hanged him, shoot him in a corner or stab him and that would be the end of that. But no, he has a special punishment for him 'cause there are personal feelings here. A punishment that Alina must witness.

Dark jealousy here indeed.

So here's part two of Aleksander being done with Mal, Alina, his feral feelings and the world. On part three I'll analyse his salty "Siege and Storm" moments (some of the most iconic lie there).

[baddyxangel]

When I first read the books, I always really liked how desperate Sebastian was for Clary. Like, even though she hated him, he really couldn’t care less. I think that’s so romantic. And the way that he would pull strings while they were travelling around. Like knowing that she was using her ring to communicate. And taking anything that she could have used to write stuff down with. And saying all of that stuff about how Jace would spend the rest of his life, thinking that she liked her breakfast done a certain way. I don’t know how to describe it.

It really has this feeling of like, “Yeah, I love you and I’m gonna make sure that you don’t fuck us over, but I don’t care if you don’t love me back.” I am a sucker for a self-aware villain lol. 

Ahhh, and I just remembered the scene where she sneaks out and follows him and he’s aware of it ❤️❤️❤️ And she says, “Great, so you were going to manslaughter me” or something. And he says, “It’s only manslaughter if I use a car”

I don’t know how to describe it. He loves her, but he can see right through when she’s lying and sincerely doesn’t give a fuck that she’s trying to fuck them over. It’s so cool. Ahhh ❤️❤️❤️

[baddyxangel]

YALL I JUST REALISED ASMODEUS BOUGHT A PRETZEL FOR MAGNUS AND SAID “HERE SON FOR YOUR STRENGTH”. THIS BITCH LITERALLY WENT SHOPPING FOR BREAKFAST FOOD AND SAW A PRETZEL AND WAS LIKE “OKAYYYYYY THIS LOOKS HEALTHY AND IT’S SHAPED WEIRDLY LIKE A HUMAN HEART LUCIFER MUNDANES ARE SO FUCKING WEIRD BUT WHATEVER IT WILL RESTORE MY SON’S STAMINA AND MAKE HIM LOVE ME. LADY GIVE ME THIS ONE I NEED ONE OF THESE FOR MY SON HE NEEDS HIS STRENGTH YES I WANT A FUCKING TISSUE WE ARE NOT RUINING OUR MANICURE WITH YOUR PRETZEL BUTTER” OMG CAN YOU BELIEVE??? I STAN A CLUELESS GREATOR DEMON FROM EDOM.

[baddyxangel]

so you’re interests in Valentine is because we don’t know too much about him? I actually understand, i feel the same. I have so many questions about him

Villains always attract attention, and charismatic villains who do not know that they are bad guys attract doubly. I always want to know their history, their psychology, the reasons for their fall. what do we know about Valentine? His father, whom he loved and hated, was killed, and he began to go crazy. I don't quite understand how a kind guy, as friends say about him, could be so transformed? Was he initially kind?

p.s. Even in the book of flowers, where there is a brief new information, we learn that he was engaged in carving in his youth, made chess out of bone and horn, and did not say where he took the material. There are riddles everywhere😅

[baddyxangel]

not to be dramatic but not only did naomi novik include a REAL, AUTHENTIC enemies-to-lovers in spinning silver (aka the staryk king and miryem, who have the BEST banter of the whole book), but also a hardcore narkik au feat. a beautiful king living with a demon inside him and a wife who doesn’t put up with that shit and spends her time swerving his thirsty ass + being badass ugh i love an icon

[baddyxangel]

"My god." The stranger studied the protagonist, idly pinning them up against the bathroom wall. "That is incredible. You are incredible."

"I -" They didn't know exactly how they had expected the meeting to go, but it wasn't like this. "I didn't mean to startle you. The bartender gave me your change."

They shifted in the stranger's grip, which was about as effective as a mouse squirming beneath a lion's paw.

"Mm. They would, wouldn't they?" The stranger's head tilted as they wet their lips. "Wow. My own little doppelganger."

"I'm not - I'm just Riley."

"Riley," the stranger echoed.

"...And you are?"

The stranger laughed.

The two of them looked identical. It was uncanny. Obscene, in the face of the simmering hunger in stranger's face, that the protagonist would never have recognised on their own.

The protagonist shifted again. They politely cleared their throat.

The stranger smiled, honey slow. "You can keep the change. I don't need it."

"R-right." When the protagonist caught a glimpse of the stranger across the hotel bar, they had followed them to the bathroom. Not to be creepy or anything. They'd just been...curious.

"New to the city, are you?" the stranger said.

"Just passing through! Can you - can you let go of me?" It sounded like a question. The protagonist tried again. "Let go of me."

It was obvious that the stranger didn't like to be followed and didn't expect anything good from anyone doing the following. Which, fair. Still, it must have been obvious after the initial instinct that the protagonist was hardly stalking them for some untoward reason.

They'd just wanted a glimpse. To double check that their mind wasn't playing tricks on them.

The delight of discovery faded beneath the stranger's bright and wondering gaze and they rather wished that their mind was playing tricks on them.

The stranger's grip eased, mercifully, after a moment. Their palm smoothed down the protagonist's front with an eerie and less merciful possessiveness. The smile they flashed, though, was exactly the same one that the protagonist had seen a hundred times before in the mirror.

"Get a drink with me," the stranger said, and they didn't correct it into a question. "I want to hear all about you. Incredible."

It was, admittedly, incredible.

By the time they'd established no family connection, no easily apparent trick or explanation, it was late. The stranger - one Carter Eden - was charming when they wanted to be, but the protagonist couldn't shake their unease and the memory of those strong, weirdly familiar fingers fixing them in place as if it were nothing.

It explained something, though, of the looks the protagonist had been getting since they arrived. The treatment. The assumption that they were a creature of wealth, power and influence. Carter Eden was certainly that.

"Well, this was - something," the protagonist said, managing a smile. "I should get going though."

They wished now, too, that it had been a pub. Somewhere with less obvious rooms that they were obviously staying in.

"Mm." Eden was leaned towards them across the table, face cupped in one hand, intent. It might have been dizzyingly flattering in other circumstances. "This really was quite something, wasn't it? Serendipitous fate, perhaps."

The protagonist smiled again and pushed to their feet.

"You're so like me," the stranger said. "And yet...so utterly not. I just want to see everything you do." They sounded mesmerised. Intoxicated on more than the small amount of wine they'd shared. They stood too.

They were, of course, exactly the same height. Same build. Same everything, except the posture and mannerisms.

"Pleasure meeting you," the protagonist said, with a stiff politeness.

"All mine."

They woke up the next morning, with the stranger sitting in their room, watching them sleep with that same consuming curiosity.

The protagonist's belongings - wallet, ID, everything - were gone. Spirited away somewhere in the night, beyond locked hotel room doors and ordinary life.

They froze. Fury and fear swelled in their throat in equal measure.

"Good morning, gorgeous." The stranger rose, tossing them clothes that were most certainly not the protagonist's old and comfortable ones, and far more indeed like the antagonist's garments. "I'm afraid you're coming with me."

The protagonist knew then that they never should have followed the devil into the bathroom.

[baddyxangel]

wgshdwgd im sorry if youre not accepting snippet reqs </333

but could i req you write abt a villain who *everyone* is genuinely terrified of. and then the hero just politely tells them to shut the fuck up. like, villain could be monologuing or smth and hero would cut them off saying that they would really appreciate it if villain could finish up in the next hour or so because they dont want to miss bargain day at the supermarket.

uwah im sorry if i broke any rules </33 stay safe its a crazy world out there <333

"-Could you please just shut up?"

There was a moment of absolute, horrified silence. One man promptly fainted. Nobody seemed to breathe for a few seconds.

The villain turned, slowly, towards the protagonist.

They were on their knees on the floor, surrounded by armed guards ready to execute the various staff still in their building. Their expression was one of exhausted long-suffering, one hand pinching the bridge of their nose as if to stave off a headache.

"Excuse me?" the villain asked, oh so softly.

"Will you please stop talking?" The protagonist dropped their hand, levelling the villain with a look. "Like, if you're going to slaughter the lot of us, just do it, don't make us listen to the spiel first. It's been forty five minutes."

"Are you so eager to die?"

"No. But if I'm going to die, I think I'd like to get it over with. Otherwise, I'd like to just go about my day. I need to buy food before the shop closes and takeaway costs a fortune. I mean, bloody hell. Forty five minutes. Do you really think anyone here is listening?"

The villain stared.

"Like, not to be rude," the protagonist said. "But they're all scared out their minds. They are not processing the finer points of your monologue. It's just so unnecessary."

"I could cut out your tongue and feed it to you."

"You don't have anything better to do?"

"I could cut out their tongues," the villain swept a hand around the room, "and feed them to you. That sorts out dinner, doesn't it?"

"I mean, I'm vegan, and not a cannibal, but I appreciate you're more concerned with being menacing than actually addressing the issue."

The villain stared some more.

The protagonist stared back.

"The data I need is still downloading," the villain said, after a long moment. "If I let you leave, someone will do something stupid like try and call the police."

"Sure, sure. But the monologue."

"You don't enjoy the sound of my voice?"

"I wouldn't take it too personally. It's been a week. Bit overstimulated, to be honest. Anyone's voice right now feels a bit like a cheese grater on my nerve endings."

"A bit like a cheese grater."

"No offense."

The villain blinked at them, slow and somewhat incredulous. "A cheese grater."

The protagonist shrugged.

"I'm assuming you didn't miss who I am in the last forty five minutes," the villain said.

"No."

"And yet."

"It's not that you're not terrifying," the protagonist said. "I just - forty five minutes. Humans aren't set up to be this stressed for forty minutes. My head is killing me. Processing all this - if you don't kill us - is going to be hard enough without having to fit in all the life admin I'm not currently getting done."

"Come here."

"...what?"

The villain crooked a finger to beckon the protagonist forward.

The protagonist swallowed, eyeing the villain warily, but didn't make them ask again. With a glance at the armed henchmen, they shuffled forwards to the spot the villain had gestured at their feet.

"You know," the villain said, "it's been a very long time since anyone has talked back to me."

"Sorry. I'm really not trying to be rude."

"No," the villain mused, head tilting with something alarmingly like curiosity as the protagonist came to a stop. "You're really not, are you? Turn."

"...turn?"

The villain gestured again, to indicate that the protagonist should face away from them.

"...You can't just give me all the orders at once? I get this is more dramatic, but I probably wouldn't be trying your patience as much if-"

The villain seized the nape of the protagonist's neck, like scruffing a kitten, making their breath catch.

Everyone watched for the inevitable torment. The punishment. The kill.

The villain's fingers dug into the knots of tension in the protagonist's neck, power sparking up the touch.

The protagonist sagged. "Holy shit," they breathed.

"Better?"

"Um. I mean - yes - but -"

"Good." The villain glanced up to the henchmen. "Shoot everyone else."

"What? Wait - no -"

The sound was deafening.

Then the silence was, once again, absolute.

"You didn't have to do that," the protagonist whispered. "I didn't mean - if I offended you -"

"Oh, you didn't, don't worry. That's why you're still alive. Tell me about yourself."

The villain's grip stayed unrelenting on the back of the protagonist's neck, holding them securely in place.

"T-tell-?"

"We still have ten minutes," the villain said, in a tone of great patience, "before the download completes. Tell me about yourself. I shouldn't be the one doing all the talking, after all. It's very rude of me, isn't it?"

Hesitantly, the protagonist talked, watching the blood pool on the floor. What else was there to do?

The computer finally gave a quiet beep to indicate that the download was complete.

"Good. Very good." The villain gave the protagonist's neck another gentle enough squeeze. "Now. Let's go grocery shopping," the villain said cheerfully. "Up you get. Dinner's on me."

[baddyxangel]

I choose to think that at some point, Jordan complains about Stiles less than legal inclinations in front of the others, and Liam chimes in to inform Jordan that one of his very first meetings with Stiles was when Scott kidnapped him and enlisted Stiles’s help. Jordan has a brief moment of hope that Stiles maybe hesitated or refused to help with yet another crime, only for Liam to mercilessly crush that hope by telling Jordan that Stiles immediately jumped into problem-solving mode and also terrified Liam by semi-threatening to kill him (Liam clarifies that he now knows Stiles was just letting him know that the bite would kill him if it didn’t take, but since the poor kid got the worst explanation in history, this was not clear at the time and he really did think Stiles was telling him that murdering Liam was an option. Jordan visibly wonders if he can get drunk as a hellhound). Jackson eyes Jordan, briefly considers not twisting the knife before deciding that there is no mercy when it comes to informing Jordan he’s part of the most criminal supernatural group around, and tells Jordan that he briefly had a restraining order against Stiles (Isaac pointedly reminds Jackson that he was a Kanima and being used to murder people and Jackson says that motives and his status as a murder weapon aside, he was still kidnapped by Scott and Stiles. Isaac rolls his eyes so hard he triggers a migraine and Liam is henceforth referred to as mini-Jackson by some of the others due to the fact that they’ve both been kidnapped and Stiles was involved both times)

MINI JACKSON. This is beautiful.

Honestly, Jordan doesn't know half the illegal shit Stiles was involved in, and it's probably better that way. 😂

[baddyxangel]

Okay, so I was reading season 6 transcripts, and they did indeed admit that Stiles is the planner. I wanna say it’s 6x06 but I’ve already forgotten, but the Pack tells Peter that essentially, they’re going to get Stiles out and then have him decide what they should do concerning the Wild Hunt and Peter, summing up roughly the entire show, responds with “so the plan is to get Stiles to come up with a plan?” And that’s just all hilarious, season 6 lays down its premise that Stiles is like 90% of the brain cells in that town because everything goes to hell when he’s gone (and 6A is pretty much everyone going “where the hell is Stiles? We need him, I want him back and I want him back now, let’s do whatever necessary to get him back and then do whatever he tells us to do to deal with the Ghost Riders”) and then, right when he arrives back, he’s fixing the issues. Everyone else struggled with the anukite, but Stiles goes to free Jackson, gets the holy grail that is mountain ash, hauls ass to the library, and kills that thing in less than a minute. Even way back in 3B, the plan was more or less “just make Stiles aware and awake again, and let him do the hard work of taking control back.” Even freshly unpossessed and literally dying due to said possession, it’s Stiles who figures out that hey, the Nogitsune is making an illusion rather than like any of the healthy people.

The braincells are shared mostly between Lydia and Stiles. They both have 45% (the percentages where a bit different while Kira was still around). The rest of the back works with whatever is left. The issue is that while Lydia is tremendously smart, she's booksmart. That's not the type of smart that's needed to deal with all of that supernatural bullshit coming after them in. Luckily, she learnt to think how Stiles thinks to a degree, so they weren't doomed from the start, but they still need Stiles to put the nail in the coffin of whatever supernatural shenanigans are currently wreaking havoc in Beacon Hills.