#(guess who saw the newest episode)

[sockenpuppe]

[creamecream]

Name meanings, band version.

My handwriting is particularly bad this time around, sorry.

Name: Naaz. Meaning: Pride.

Name: Carys. Meaning: Love.

Name: Euna. Meaning: Hunger.

Name: Anasuya. Meaning: Without Spite or Envy.

Name: Raivo. Meaning: Fury.

Name: Alora. Meaning: Dreamer.

Name: Kauri. Meaning: Tree.

[genericpuff]

rereading the og LO pisses me off bc why did Hestia take Kore’s coat??!! The Minthe plant situation, but as a side note Eros + Psyche was such a beautiful story in the beginning. Also do you plan on giving Hermes a partner?

OH so that's actually sorta explained in the physical books, there's a bonus chapter in Volume 2 that tries to make sense of it.

Frankly, like most of the bonus episodes, it doesn't really do a good job of filling in plotholes or logical inconsistencies, for a few reasons:

1.) I think it's wild that this episode was supposed to explain Hestia's cruelty in taking the coat (Rachel even addresses this in the author's note leading into the episode) but then Hestia is still kind of an irresponsible asshole when she just IMMEDIATELY starts infodumping to Apollo, completely unprompted, about how Persephone is the newest initiate in her virgin club. Like it's just bad writing for starters because it's clear Rachel's just trying to get the 'plot' of the episode rolling, but it's also like... wasn't this group supposed to be about protecting women from men? Why is she volunteering that information so enthusiastically? 💀 I get it's kind of a nitpick but it still kind of made me go "huh???" because it's frankly just none of Apollo's business as both a man and a non-member and there's just zero reason why Hestia should be releasing that kind of information publicly, especially when it's regarding such a sensitive and personal topic like virginity. Like was there seriously NO BETTER WAY for someone as "conniving" as Apollo to find out this info?? He didn't even intimidate or weasel the info out of her, she just started fucking spilling on her own 😭😆

2.) I don't know why Hestia just immediately took Apollo's word on what he "saw" and opted to go along with his idea to "punish her" which somehow led to the decision to take the coat. He doesn't specifically say to do that, sure, but it's clear she's taking his word over Persephone's literally IMMEDIATELY when she even says aloud that it's out of character for Persephone, and even after getting Persephone's side of the story in that episode where she confronts her, she still takes the coat ???

This is another one of those "where is the feminism???" issues because even with the bonus episode included all we get is "men are evil and awful!" despite the fact that Hestia is a grown ass woman who should be capable of making her own sound judgments. Like where was Hestia's OWN AGENCY that she could have used to decide Persephone was telling the truth about what really happened ??? It's obviously just another opportunity to villainize Apollo which, sure, okay, he's been established as a scumbag rapist at this point so he's undeniably a villain, but... why is Hestia not listening to Persephone at all? And then if that was supposed to be the point, why wasn't that actually addressed in the comic which was still ongoing at the time? Hestia didn't even have the nerve to bring the coat back to Persephone herself, it was Artemis who returned it to her in the end. So we never even get a proper resolution to Hestia's actions, she never apologizes to Persephone, she never takes accountability for her own mistakes in trusting Persephone's rapist over her (which is unfortunately something that happens a lot in these kinds of situations and would have been great to address in a story that's actually trying to be "feminist") and ultimately she just never grows as a character despite having such a direct impact on the main cast.

3.) What was the point of this bonus chapter, exactly? Like I guess we sorta know why Hestia took the coat now (if we don't take ANY of what I addressed above into account) but it doesn't explain at all why that was the decision, nor does it end up affecting the overall plot because Persephone still winds up working in the Underworld, she still spends a shitload of time with Hades, and Hestia is nowhere to be seen, despite the fact that she knows at this point through Apollo that Persephone has interacted with him. How does smugly taking the coat from a 19 year old girl who was recently force fed alcohol to the point of blacking out and then dumped in Hades' car address the original problem that was brought to her attention via Apollo? Despite the bonus episodes being used as a way to "patch up" holes in the narrative, it still doesn't really explain anything, it kinda just raises more questions than it answers.

(*I'll even add real quick that Rachel's apparent reasoning in her author's notes for these bonus chapters not being included in the comic is often so silly because the comic itself is full of so much pointless filler and nonsense that goes nowhere, while the actual important explanations get shoved into the back end of the physical books. It's incredibly backwards and tells me less that these were "deleted scenes" and more that they were attempts to backtrack on Rachel's own poor writing, with the added benefit of making money off it to boot due to these otherwise essential scenes and bits of information being exclusive to the physical books. Many "bonus episodes" feel more like they should have been in the comic and so many canon episodes that got published feel like they could have been bonus episodes. Again, at best, it's bad writing and bad editing, so much so that apparently even Rachel can't fully stand by her decisions because she can't "decide" if these bonus episodes are canon or not.)

4.) Yet another case of "the worst guy ever just made a good point" because even though Apollo's doing it for nefarious, self-centered reasons, he's not wrong that it was extremely concerning for Persephone to spend the night at Hades' place, and that's made worse by the fact that we know Persephone wound up telling her side of the story just for Hestia to punish her anyways. Unfortunately because Apollo has to be Bryce from 13 Reasons Why, the only angle he's coming at it from is "YEAH YOU BETTER GET REVENGE ON PERSEPHONE FOR DOING THAT!!! SHE'S SUCH A SLUT!!!", but there's a whole other separate angle here that his villainy is distracting us from, an angle that actually WOULD have accomplished the subjects of feminism that LO claimed to be tackling and failed at - why was Persephone put into that situation in the first place?

There's never any real consequence to Eros for intentionally getting Persephone blackout drunk and dumping her in Hades' car. There aren't any real consequences to Aphrodite for targeting a girl who did nothing but exist. There aren't any real consequences to Hades for offending Aphrodite within earshot by comparing her to a 19 year old girl who he just spent several minutes oggling through a window. The only one who's actually allowed to suffer consequences is the easily identifiable rapist character, because anyone who knows what sex is knows that Rape is Bad, but no one actually wants to identify and discuss all the other terrible actions and characters within this story - including the leading man who's supposed to be "perfect" for Persephone - because those actions are a lot more subtle and normalized and aren't capable of being consumed easily within a single tweet.

It's a no-brainer to understand "rape is bad"; it takes a lot more self-reflection and honesty with yourself - especially if you're part of LO's core demographic of both young teenage girls and middle aged women - to recognize that Hades and Persephone's relationship is predatory right from the start, and that being a feminist doesn't mean exclusively caring about 'good' women and punishing the 'bad' ones.

[triptuckers]

wild flowers - percy jackson

Request: yes! "Can I request a platonic Percy Jackson x Child of Demeter!Reader based off the new Disney series? Where Child of Demeter!Reader is significantly older than Percy (17/18 maybe?) and is the one to welcome him to camp instead of Luke. Reader is more gentle and understanding to Percy's questions and is in general sort of a parent figure in the camp?" Pairing:  percy jackson x demeter!reader (platonic) Summary:  you welcome the newest kid at camp half-blood Warnings:  none (omg??) Word count:  1.1K A/N: was excited when I saw the new episode will be out on Tuesday but then I looked at the time zone and it's 3 am for me so I'll still watch it on wednesday :') thanks for your request, enjoy!

you try not to look away as percy, the newest addition to camp half-blood, nearly shoots another camper. he falls to the ground due to the force of the bow.

'alright.' you say, walking over to see if percy's okay. 'so not archery.'

'I didn't mean to!' says percy, looking at the kids who had flattened themselves to the ground to avoid being shot.

'of course you didn't, they know that. can I have the bow?' you say.

percy quickly shoves the bow in your hands as well as the quiver of arrows. you hand them back to the apollo kid who was teaching him with a thanks and an apologetic smile.

'see, I suck at this.' says percy. 'I'm not good at anything.'

'hey, that's not true.' you say. 'everyone is good at something. c'mon, I'll take you to my favorite spot at camp.'

that gets his attention. 'your favorite spot?'

'yep. right this way.'

you lead him away from the archery field. you can tell he's curious. you take him to the strawberry field, where some of the satyrs and your siblings are tending to the plants.

you walk past the strawberries to a field of grass where wild flowers grow.

'it's pointless.' says percy as the two of you sit down.

you frown. 'what is?'

he gestures around. 'all of this. I'm not one of you. it's clear there's something wrong with me. none of this matters because my dad won't reveal himself, he doesn't care. my mom is gone. I suck at archery. and I can't work in the forge. I can't do anything.'

you look at him. most kids are tough on themselves when they arrive. percy isn't any different.

'at least you didn't suck as much at archery than I did.' you say. 'contrary to you, I actually did hit someone when trying out archery '

percy's eyes widen. 'you did?'

you nod. 'apollo kids had to patch them up. luckily it wasn't that bad. but still I haven't touched a bow since. and I'm also not good at sword fighting. I only carry one because it's the weapon I suck the least with.'

'what if you suck at everything?' asks percy softly.

you smile at him. 'this is all normal. we all felt like this when we came here, regardless if we could already fight or not. and look at me, I still can't fight that well. I'm a joke compared to luke and clarisse if it comes to fighting. gods, even annabeth is better than me and she's your age.'

you point ahead to the strawberry fields. 'my cabin doesn't bring forth the best fighters. and that's okay. we're good at other things.' you say.

percy looks at your siblings, sure enough, not a lot of them carry weapons. maybe you do because you're head counsellor of your cabin.

'when did you find out who your mom was?' asks percy.

you sense he's not just curious about your godly heritage. he wants to know how long it would take before his father claims him. and he already knows there are unclaimed kids.

'for me it was pretty clear. I've always loved plants. I've got an impressive garden back at home.' you say. 'demeter claimed me my second day at camp.'

'so pretty fast...'

'for some kids it's fast. for some it's slow. some kids are very certain about who their godly parent is and sometimes they're right and sometimes they're not. you can't predict it with 100% accuracy.'

'did someone guess it correctly?'

'most of the times it's the athena kids who are right about their hunches. but they're athena kids of course, very smart. also a lot of ares kids are right. and for others it's a 50/50 chance. for instance, milo. everyone was convinced he was a hephaestus kid because he really liked to blow stuff up. turns out he's an athena kid. he's just really smart about blowing stuff up.'

'I bet I'm a kid of the god or failure or something. I'm just a regular kid, I'm not special. I don't have any impressive powers. not like you.'

'you think my powers are impressive?' you chuckle. 'I'm good with plants percy. over the years I've learned how to master those. but at first all I did was accidentally make flower patches.'

percy looks at you, frowning. 'you what?'

you laugh, then point to your shoes. they look like you've worn them every day for the past five years. which you have, somehow they won't wear down.

'these were a gift from my mom. if I don't wear them, flowers grow where I walk.'

'really?'

you nod and take them off. you get up and walk a circle around percy. and indeed, flowers grow where you put your feet down on the grass. you pick one and give it to percy, then put your shoes back on.

'it's the only thing I still can't master. maybe it's not something to be mastered. I'd ask my mom but the only time I saw her was when I was out fighting for my life. wasn't really the time to ask about flowers. she didn't even give me my shoes in person, just sent them here.'

you and percy are silent as you look out over the valley. you remember your first days at camp, how scared you were. you didn't know anyone, you were told your mom was a goddess, and you could never have a moment alone because there would always be someone who could find you based on the flowers you left behind.

'everyone here has been through what you're going through now.' you say. 'maybe they didn't experience it in the same way. I mean, you did kill the minotaur. but all of them have been confused, wondered about wether they belong, if there's something wrong with them. we all found our way in the end.'

'did you feel like you didn't belong?'

'sure. but then chiron explained to me it's all because of the gods. we've got dyslexia because our brain is wired in greek. the adhd is from our need to fight. it's all in our dna. just give it time, you'll belong. any other questions?'

'what do you do when you're not at camp?'

you smile. 'try not to run into any monsters and wait for the time to go to camp again. you'll find your family here, percy, trust me. now let's see if the aphrodite can teach you anything.'

you get up and offer your hand to percy. after pulling him to his feet, you start to walk toward the aphrodite cabin.

'you know, regardless of what cabin you belong to, you can always come to me if you have any questions.' you say.

percy smiles at you. 'thanks.'

A/N: If you want to request something, make sure to read my house rulesHere’s the list of characters I write for. Everything that I have written can be found on my masterlist. Please don’t repost my work, as I spend much time and effort on it!! Thank you for reading! Much love, Marit/Max

[s4bbatical]

Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want | Part 3. (Rivals Declan O'Hara x Reader 18+)

see masterlist (PINNED) for all parts Warnings: profanities, consumption of alcohol and cigarette use. hints of sex! age gap (reader!22) enjoy!

━━━━━━☆━━━━━━

You're at your desk when you hear the news, the entire office in commotion as Cameron, Tony and Declan appear after the wrap of Declan's newest episode.

"Rupert said yes?" You gasp, smacking Seb's arm. "Fucking brilliant, man." You say, grinning. "Declan's gonna take a chunk out of his neck, it's gonna be grand." You look over at Declan, who's clinking glasses with Tony in his office.

"I'm just grateful our efforts aren't going to waste. Christ knows how much time we put into this sleazy bastard." Seb grumbles, crossing his arms.

"Why you look so down on yourself Seb?" You ask, standing up straight from your previous position of leaning against the oak desk.

"I don't know, y/n. Maybe you can figure that out yourself." He says bluntly, walking away towards the common space.

Your jaw drops slightly, throwing your arms up. "What the fuck?" You whisper to yourself, grabbing the back of your neck. You had been turning down Seb's advances on you due to your clandestine actions with Declan, not realizing how much of an impact it really had on the ginger. You knew he liked you a little more than just friends, you just hoped he'd let go of it sooner than later.

As far as you were concerned, still no one knew about you and Declan. You tried to stay focused on your work and not overthink it much, although it was on your mind every minute of your waking hours. Not telling anyone, especially your new best friend Taggie, was taking a toll on you. How does one tell another that they find their dad very attractive, and also have been banging him in his office after hours? It wasn't an easy feat for anyone. You tried to remind yourself that it was okay to have a little fun, as long as no one else knew about it.

You jump slightly as you notice Declan standing by your desk, straightening out your blazer as you nod towards him. "Declan, hi. Congratulations on securing the interview with Rupert." You say, giving him a smile.

"Thanks, y/n. You've been a great help with it all, I wouldn't be as confident as I am without you." He says, a smirk growing on his face. "Would you mind doing overtime on Saturday? To help me with additional flawed research?" He asks, now properly smiling.

"Ah, I would, but your daughter has asked me to accompany her in catering for Baddingham's falconery that day. I'm sorry." You admit, shrugging.

"That's alright. Will you be coming to our home for dinner afterwards, then?" He asks.

You grin, tapping your chin in thought satirically. "Yeah, I guess so." You say, letting out a small laugh.

"Great, see you then." He says, a light tap on your bottom as he walks away.

You gasp lightly, looking around hastily to ensure no one saw. "Unbelievable." You whisper to yourself, sitting down at your desk.

-

As Saturday rolls around, you find yourself bright and early at The Priory, attempting to hold back your yawns as you prepare cheese and fruit platters with Taggie.

"Can I ask you something?" Taggie asks, rinsing a bowl of grapes.

"Course, yeah. What's up?" You say, slicing wedges of brie.

"Do you think my dad should go through with interviewing Rupert?" She inquires timidly, putting the bowl of grapes on the kitchen table.

"Rupert is an asshole. He deserves anything that is thrown at him." You say bitterly out of respect for your friend, and her father.

"Y/n, I don't think he should go through with it." Taggie says, meeting your eyes. "I'm afraid my father will ruin him." She whispers, frowning.

"Taggie," You start, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Where is this coming from?" You ask, worried about her concerns.

"I think Rupert isn't as horrible as everyone thinks he is. He sincerely apologized to me, and I can tell he wasn't just doing it out of spite for me or my father." She explains, sighing. "After you left before the party ended, we slow danced together and..." She trails off, seeming upset with herself. "We shouldn't've, I know. But there's something about him that isn't worth destroying him over." She finishes.

You furrow your brows and purse your lips. "I'm not the one to call the shots on this, Tags. You know that." You say.

"My father listens to you better than me, for some reason." She says, causing your breath to go still. "I don't know why, but I would like for you to try saying something." She pleas. "For me, y/n. Please."

You let out a deep sigh, letting go of your breath. "Fine, I will. Don't get mad if he goes through with it, though." You mumble, reorganizing the assembly of cheeses.

"Thank you." Taggie smiles, giving you a side hug.

"Course." You whisper, it was the least you could do considering what secrets you've withheld from her already.

"Taggie!" Declan yells, entering the kitchen. He is taken aback by our presence, perhaps not expecting you so early in the morning. "Y/n, hello." He smiles. "Have you seen my plaid shirt your mum put out to dry?" He asks his daughter.

"I folded it up in your dresser, dad." Taggie says, causing Declan to nod.

"Right, course. Thank you darling." He places a kiss on her head, secretly gliding his fingers across your lower back as he steps away. "See you girls later." He says, waving as he exits the kitchen.

"Why'd you look at my dad like that?" She queries, nudging you.

"Like what?" You say defensively.

"Like he was a piece of meat." She says, scoffing.

"Your dad's hot, that's not my fault. It's not like I'm doing anything." You exclaim, raising your hands.

"Good, you better not." She says jokingly, grinning at the banter between the two of you.

You laugh, trying to not frown at your inner thoughts.

Only if you knew, Taggie. Only if.

-

Declan is in the office, going through evidence against Rupert as he notices Charles Fairburn reorganizing his office. "Charles!" He says out of surprise.

"Oh, hello." Charles says. "I didn't expect to see anybody."

"I'm researching Campbell-Black and needed something from my office." He says, approaching Fairburn.

"I never thought I'd see the day when Tony Baddingham had Declan O'Hara doing his dirty work." The road of Baddingham's distaste for Campbell-Black is a long one, and quite complicated enough even for you to even know about.

"I have my own reasons for wanting to take that bastard down." Declan interjects.

"You know, in different circumstances, you and Rupert could've been friends." Charles says simply. "Both complicated, both stubborn, misunderstood." He jests, putting down office supplies on his new desk.

"Bollocks." Declan states. "What are you doing in on a Saturday?" He queries.

Charles clicks his tongue, "Moving offices ahead of my grand return." He says, now holding a clipboard. "Apparently, my recent coronary episode makes me a medical liability." He says, referring to the panic attack that happened on New Years. "Which is why Cameron Cook is now controller of programmes and I'm--"

"Head of Religious Broadcasting." Declan says, reading the new plaque on the door underneath Charles' name. He looks back and gives him a look of sympathy.

Charles scoffs. "I can't begrudge her too much. Climbing the greasy pole requires its own set of skills." He mumbles, sitting down. "Especially when the greasy pole in question, lives in Tony Baddingham's trousers." He says sarcastically. A moment of silence passes by.

"How's the heart?" Declan asks, redirecting the conversation.

Charles sighs. "Oh, you know, broken." He goes quiet for a moment. "How's the new journalist, Declan?" He asks, watching as Declan's face contorts into bewilderment.

"What'd you mean by that?" He asks, attempting to act confused by Fairburn's statement. Heat rose to his face as his heart began to race.

Charles gives him a weak smile before speaking again. "I'm sorry for what I saw at the New Year's Eve party. I was out in the garden and wasn't expecting to see you, especially with y/n." He says quietly, Declan staying dead silent. Fuck.

"I'm not telling anyone." Charles adds, seeing the worry in O'Hara's face. "Don't show Tony any weakness, Declan." He abruptly says. "Or this is what you get." He whispers sadly, referring to his new demoted office space.

Declan looks down for a moment, unable to find words as he slowly walks away. He looks back again at Charles Fairburn before he returns to his office, closing the door and running a hand through his dark curls.

Charles knew of Declan's dirty secret, but regardless of what assurance he is given, he has to keep it completely under wraps now. He has to be careful, and so do you.

He notices a folder on his desk, opening it to reveal a note from the sender mentioning of a phone call regarding Rupert Campbell-Black accompanied by a photo. He grins, his worries dissipating as more evidence has landed in his lap. He folds it up tightly, enclosing it in a new envelope with a devilish grin.

-

You find yourself back at The Priory with Taggie later that afternoon, your stomach unwell from seeing all the dead birds that day.

"God, it's astounding how they manage to eat and drink so much while killing those innocent creatures." You say, taking a leftover ham sandwich and taking a bite out of it.

Declan enters the house, returning after his time at the office. "Ah, how was the shoot?"

"Well, they killed loads of birds," You say, swallowing your food.

"But they liked my food." Taggie finishes the sentence for you. Declan chuckles. "Rupert stopped by." She adds, crossing her arms.

You watch in bemusement as Declan reacts poorly. You take another bite of your sandwich.

"Oh, Jesus Christ. Is there no place free of that man?" He exclaims, walking away.

Taggie furrows her brows, looking over at you to do something.

You sigh, taking the last bite of your sandwich as you follow her father into the other room. "I'll talk to him." You mumble to Taggie as you pass her.

After quickening your pace, you follow him into the master bedroom, where he begins unloading his blazer. "You shouldn't be so harsh on Rupert, y'know." You begin to say, closing the door behind you.

"And what makes you think you have any say in that?" Declan replies with an edge in his voice, putting a cigarette in his mouth and lighting it.

"Taggie's forgiven him, I think you can let it go-"

"Let it go?! Let go of the fact that he groped my daughter? That my own wife still wants to sleep with him even though he's a horrible fucking bastard?!" Declan yells, aggressively huffing on his cigarette.

"Look, I understand where you're coming from Declan, but this could backfire and then what happens to you, huh? What if he ends up burying you into the ground instead of the other way around?!" You try to explain, holding your place as Declan begins to undo his shirt, tossing it onto the bed. You stare at his torso as he breathes heavily in anger, his chest rising and falling. Time and place, time and place.

"He will not do any such thing." Declan mutters harshly, putting out his cigarette in the ashtray atop his dresser. "You know that Charles Fairburn knows of us, huh?" He says, leaning against a bed post.

Your eyes widen, taken aback by his statement. "What? How?" You ask meekly, guilt mixed with fear rising up your throat from the pit of your stomach. "But no one saw us?" You whisper, beginning to pace back forth.

"Well he did." Declan states flatly. He grabs your arm and halts your movements. "He said he won't tell a soul, but this means we have to keep it controlled or this can no longer happen, y/n." He whispers firmly, staring into your eyes.

"I think I'd rather quit than stop whatever this is." You mumble, turning yourself completely towards Declan.

The two of you stare deeply at one another, Declan placing a hand on your cheek. "I need to control myself." He whispers, leaning in close enough to have his lips hover over yours.

"No one can see us now, Declan." You remind him.

-

The two of you come undone in multiple positions. You find yourself cuddled up beside Declan as he lights a cigarette, inhaling as he strokes your hair.

"Thanks for that, I needed a good fuck." You joke, closing your eyes as Declan hums.

"My pleasure." He grins, inhaling his cigarette once again.

"Wait, shit." You say, sitting up abruptly. Declan looks at you with confusion. "Taggie is still here, she must be concerned why it's taking so long." You say worriedly, getting out of the bed and retrieving your clothes.

Declan watches you with a smirk, his eyes trailing over your exposed body as you shimmy your underwear and jeans back on, following with your shirt.

You run over to Declan's side of the bed, pressing a firm kiss on his lips. "I'll see you for dinner, Mister O'Hara." You tease, smoothening your hair as you exit the grand master bedroom. He simply laughs, inhaling his cigarette.

You hurry down the hall, slowing down your pace as you look for Taggie.

"Tags?" You yell, eventually stumbling across Declan's study.

She had opened his file of evidence against Rupert, abruptly closing it when she hears you approach. "I-I was just looking through it, I'm sorry. Please don't tell my father." She says hastily, getting up from the desk chair.

"Taggie, relax. It's okay." You say, hoping nothing about your appearance gives away what you had been doing for the past half an hour. "I tried convincing him, I really did. He wouldn't budge, Tags." You admit, sighing. "Maybe you can warn Rupert, I don't know. I think your dad has more dirt on him than we know." You warn, running a hand through your hair.

"Maybe I should talk to him, then." Taggie says, beginning to walk past you.

"No-!" You say, grabbing her arm. She looks at you with confusion. "He seems exhausted, I think he needs to be left alone to be completely honest." You say, hoping Taggie would drop the whole thing for today.

"Alright, then." She says, your grasp loosening on her arm. "I'm gonna start making dinner, then. Care to help?" She asks, walking slowly out of the study.

"Always." You say with a smile, following Taggie out the door.

-

As the evening rolled around, you found yourself around the dining table with Taggie to your left, Maud and Caitlin on the other side as Declan sat at the head of the table.

"This food is incredible, Tag." Maud muses, taking another bite of the dish.

"It's y/n's recipe, actually." Taggie admits, smiling at you.

"Oh, y/n. Lovely job, then." Maud says, sending a smile towards you.

"Thanks Maud. It's my mom's favorite dish. I ate it a lot growing up." You say, taking a sip of wine.

"Hmm, American culture doesn't taste as bland as I thought, then." She remarks, taking another bite.

"Be nice, Maud." Declan warns, glaring at his wife.

"Actually, my mom's from Greece. It's Mediterranean, not American." You correct her, trying to hide a shit-faced grin behind your glass of wine.

Caitlin stifles a laugh, earning a light kick of the shin from Taggie.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you." Maud apologizes, clearly embarrassed.

"No, it's okay. I agree, American food is god awful." You assure her, taking a bite of your meal.

"So, what's this big interview you've announced on live television about?" Maud says, looking over at Declan.

"Ah, I'm interviewing Rupert on Valentine's Day." He says casually, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"That's it?" Maud persists, raising a brow.

"He wants to take him down, mum." Taggie interjects, Declan scoffing at the statement.

"I'm not doing anything that he doesn't deserve." He emphasizes, taking a sip of his glass.

"Declan, don't you think you're taking this a bit too far? They're calling you the Corinium Butcher, for god's sake." Maud exasperates, putting down her cutlery.

"I am doing the interview the way I want to and that is that!" He states firmly. "Now, can you all get off my arse about it and enjoy this lovely meal y/n and Taggie put together? Christ." He exclaims, picking up his fork and taking another bite out of his dish.

Everyone goes quiet, returning to their meals.

You feel a bit cold in the room, the peaks of your breasts hardening as you realize something dire-- you've left your bra in their bedroom.

You clear your throat, standing up. "I have to use the restroom, if you'll excuse me." You say, hurriedly exiting the room.

You make your way down the hall from the foyer towards the master bedroom, slowly opening the door and flicking on the overhead light as you scan the room hastily for your bra.

You get down on your knees, looking underneath the bed on the opposite side from the door. You see it just within arms reach, stretching your arm out as the door opens.

"What are you doing?" Maud says, causing you to smack your forehead against the bedframe, unable to grab ahold of your bra as you stand up hastily.

"I uh, Taggie was giving me a tour earlier and I thought I lost my ring in here. I was just trying to find it because I realized I lost it when I was going to the washroom." You lie out of your ass, smiling oddly at a very confused Maud.

"Oh, what does it look like?" She asks, not realizing this ring did not exist whatsoever.

"It's small, really small. Honestly it was super cheap it's not that big of a deal!" You force out, making your way towards the door. "Let me know if you find it though, it was from my mom." You laugh awkwardly. "I'm going to the washroom now."

You hastily exit the bedroom, leaving Maud behind as you run into the nearby washroom and close the door behind you. You panic as you stare at yourself in the mirror, whispering profanities to yourself. You wash your hands as if you had dirtied them with your actions, almost afraid to return to the table.

You take a deep breath and open the door, walking back out to the dining table as you practice breathing normally.

Maud had already returned to eating her meal, seeming disinterested in your bizarre behaviors from before.

"Is everything alright?" Declan asks you, referring to your tense aura now present in conversation.

"Yes, everything's fine." You say, taking a sip of your wine.

"Y/n was trying to find a ring she lost earlier in the master bedroom, maybe you can keep an eye out for it too." Maud says nonchalantly to Declan, whose face drops at the mention of you being in their bedroom.

"Is that so?" He asks, coughing slightly as he tries to swallow his food down. "That's a shame. I'll keep it in mind then."

You watch as Maud gives him a puzzled look, her eyes squinting at her husband with suspicion.

"Would anyone like dessert?" Taggie asks, standing up.

"Me!" You say abruptly, also getting up. "Let me help you with that!" You offer, following Taggie into the kitchen.

She suddenly stops right by the kitchen island, causing you to bump into her. "Something's going on with you y/n. You've been acting weird all day. Is everything alright?" Taggie asks, a look of concern upon her face as she grabs ahold of your hands.

"Sorry, I'm just stressed out about the whole Rupert ordeal." It wasn't a complete lie, ever since you landed this internship you've felt like putting your head in a door way and slamming the door repeatedly on it. You couldn't imagine how many grudges these Lords hold against each other, it would've been disputed in an instant if you were back at home.

"I shouldn't have brought it up, I'm sorry." Taggie says, sighing. "I tried getting Rupert to step down earlier at the falconery, but he wouldn't listen. He's convinced my father doesn't have the capability to take him down." She whispers, afraid of her father overhearing the two of you.

You quickly glance into the next room where Declan was speaking to Caitlin, Maud seeming very displeased in the middle. "I don't know if we have any more options, Tags. I think we have to let them go at it." You say remorsefully, looking back at her.

"I'm not giving up just yet." She says firmly, picking up a platter of desserts as you shake your head, bringing out another bottle of wine to share.

-

It was now Friday, February 14th. You and Seb were in mid conversation when Cameron Cook comes barreling down the office floor, yelling about needing coffee.

"You'd think the promotion would make her happy, but she's angrier than ever." You say, closing your folder. Your desk phone starts to ring.

"I'll get the coffee, you get the phone." Seb says, walking around from your shared cubicle.

"Hello, y/n y/l/n speaking." You say.

"Look, I'm going to make this very clear y/n." Maud says on the other line. "I know that you are seeing my husband." She says, causing your eyes to nearly pop out of your skull.

You laugh breathlessly, looking around as you sit down, almost whispering into the phone. "What are you talking about?" You ask, your body beginning to sweat profusely.

Declan's wife has called you, at work, on the day of all god damn days, to confront you about your affairs.

"I found your bra underneath my bed when I was looking for something else." She says, almost sounding too calm for the circumstances she was speaking of. "I know I am one to talk, but I insist if you know any better, that you no longer see him. His work already keeps him away from our family, god forbid someone at The Corinium starts doing the same." She remarks, her tone never wavering.

Your jaw drops slightly, unable to find your words.

"Oh, and good luck tonight. Don't ruin my husband's career." She says, the line going dead.

You are left in dismay, slowly putting the phone back down on the hook. You look around your workspace once more in complete mortification.

"Oh god." You whisper to yourself, getting up to retrieve a cup of coffee to mask the fear building up inside. You couldn't fathom the audacity Maud O'Hara had to tell you to leave her husband be when she was trying to get with every other well-off man in the county.

All personal feelings aside, you knew you had to listen to her wishes in order to keep your job, and Declan's. It would be unfair to both parties if you kept this up.

You shakily pour the coffee pot into your mug, putting one cream and one sugar in after before stirring it with a spoon. You stare at the ground, unable to gather your thoughts up properly as Declan quickly walks past the kitchen with his focus on papers in his hands, taking a step back when he notices you standing idly.

"Y/n, what're doing just standing there?" He asks boastfully, causing you to jump and spill some coffee on your hand.

"Fuck," You whisper, wincing as you quickly run your hand under the cold tap.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Declan says, coming up beside you and placing his hand on yours. "Is your hand alright?"

You turn to face him, giving him a flat tone. "It's fine, thanks." You say, pulling away as you grab your coffee and step into the hallway. "I have work to do."

He grabs your arm. "What work? You've done it all already." He says, raising a brow. "Is everything alright?" He asks, his eyes full of concern.

"What? Haven't you heard the news?" You quip, staring at him with dread in your eyes. You hated yourself for developing feelings for Declan O'Hara. You were smarter than this, and to allow yourself to dig such an emotional hole was the last thing you needed for your brand-new career.

"Everything is fine, Mister O'Hara." You say, pulling your arm away from his grasp. His face drops when you refuse to use his first name. "Maybe you need to ask your wife the same question." You add bitterly, stepping away from him. His eyes widen at the mention of his wife.

"Elvis is about to enter the building." Seb says, him and Daysee both running down the hall past you two.

Declan looks you for a long, silent moment. "We'll discuss this later." He mutters, following them down the hall.

You close your eyes and sigh, walking away towards your desk.

-

You're now standing in the control room, biting your nails nervously as Daysee counts down Declan, now live broadcasting the interview. You exchange glances with Seb as Declan begins with mundane questions before hitting him with mildly offensive comments that will eventually snowball into something worse.

You cover your mouth as Declan brings up the topic of adultery, and how it must do Mr. Campbell-Black well for life within the Conservative Party.

"I'm sorry?" Rupert says with dismay.

"You know, sneaking around, lying, betrayal, sexual degeneracy." Declan lists nonchalantly, as if Rupert was born for such actions.

"Oh fuck." You mumble into your hand, Seb patting your shoulder with a sympathetic look.

"Remember, Declan's just doing his job." He reminds you.

"I'm no longer married." Rupert exclaims.

"Yeah, but you were, for six years! And yet throughout your marriage, your affairs were common knowledge." Declan states confidently, gesturing to the crowd. "I mean, one Gloucestershire peer has described you as 'rather a nasty virus that everyone's wife caught sooner or later.'" Declan reads off of a card.

"Well if you've seen his wife, it's definitely later." Rupert retorts towards the audience, causing everyone to laugh. Declan's jaw vividly tenses on camera.

You sigh putting your head in your hands. "Oh wow, that's great." You mumble to yourself.

"What a fucking arsehole." Seb mutters, crossing his arms.

"And that's the break in five..." Daysee begins counting down.

You nervously watch as Declan composes himself to announce the commercial break.

"That's time for break. When we return, who knows what Mister Campbell-Black might choose to share with us when we return." Declan says through a forced smile, looking directly at the camera. It felt like he was looking right at you.

"...and we're out." Daysee says.

"Thank fuck." You quickly exit the control room, needing to be elsewhere for the next three minutes. As you make your way through the halls, you run into Taggie.

"Taggie?" You say in a quizzical manner, causing her to turn and face you.

"Y/n, I'm here to talk to Rupert. Something's very wrong about this." She says urgently.

"Jesus, Taggie you can't-" You begin.

Rupert appears around the corner with his assistant. "Taggie, what are you doing here?" He asks her.

Taggie walks past you. "You need to go. Just walk out."

"Rupert, I advise you to not do that." You warn him.

Rupert laughs at you both. "Your father's not the first old socialist who's tried to catch me out." He reassures Taggie, putting his hand on her arm. "Whatever you're worried about, it's already out there."

"Taggie, you need leave-" You begin, tugging at her arm.

"No, I know him." Taggie says, ignoring you as she pulls away from your grasp. "He's saving the worst for later. When he wants something, he's ruthless." She warns him. "He'll do anything, I mean, he's-"

"He's just like you, Rupert." You say, pursing your lips.

"Exactly." Taggie says.

Cameron Cook appears, interrupting the conversation. "Minister, we need you back on set. The break's almost over." She directs Rupert, who keeps his gaze on you and Taggie.

"Listen to Miss Cook, Rupert. You have to go." You say.

"Just walk out of the building with me." Taggie interjects, pleading with her eyes.

"Minister!" Cameron snaps, glaring at Rupert.

"Screw this." You say, walking away from everyone. You return back to the control room, slamming the door behind you.

"What's going on?" Tony Baddingham asks, puffing on a cigar.

"Cameron has it under control." You simply say, returning to the corner with Seb and Daysee.

"What happened?" Seb asks quietly.

"Taggie's shown up to try and get Rupert to leave. She thinks Declan has more blackmail on him than we are aware of." You whisper, grabbing the back of your neck as you watch Daysee begin to count Declan back in.

"Where the fuck is he?" Tony says harshly, looking down through the viewing glass.

You hide your face behind your clipboard, unable to watch the scene about to unfold.

"Y/n look, Rupert's back." Seb says, tapping on your back to redirect your attention. You look over the clipboard at the monitors, watching Rupert Campbell-Black sit back down on the stage. Rupert begins to compare the interview to being back on the playing field.

"Seb, I don't have a good feeling about this." You say quietly, covering half your face with a clipboard.

"Just watch, relax." Seb whispers.

"It's an interview, there are no winners." Declan tells Rupert, who gives him a look.

"That's not true though, is it?" Rupert queries, looking towards the audience. "He wants to beat me." He exaggerates, giving a shit-faced grin.

Your eyes widen as Rupert begins to compare him to Declan, putting both of them under the same umbrella metaphorically. Declan brings it back around by repeatedly shitting on Campbell-Black, about to pull out an envelope from underneath his blazer as Rupert does something no one expected; admitting everything Declan has said to be true.

"Oh god." You whisper.

"I remember what it was like, to be the best. And what I was willing to do to stay there." Rupert says grimly. "What are you... willing to do?" Rupert asks in a taunting manner.

Declan goes quiet.

"To your family?... To yourself?" Rupert asks solemnly, the both of them having a stare down as the control room starts to light up in commotion.

You watch in fear as Tony urges Declan in his earpiece to take down Rupert, your eyes flickering between the multiple camera angles on a very, very quiet Declan.

"You're right." Declan finally says. "I'm a workaholic. And when I'm consumed by something... I can be, um... I can be a-"

"Monster." Rupert finishes the sentence, the both of them sharing a stare once again.

Rupert makes a comment about Declan being a better husband than he ever was, which causes you to look away from the screen when Declan argues against it. You couldn't help but feel as if you're one of Declan O'Hara's many flaws.

The interview starts to go in the opposite direction. You look back at the screen, watching Declan pull out his earpiece as Tony becomes enraged.

"If it's any consolation, we've made some really great television." Cameron Cook reasons.

"This would have worked if you'd just done your fucking job!" Tony yells at her, causing the rest of you to side eye him madly.

"Seb, I need to go home." You tell him flatly, putting your clipboard down.

"What? Y/n, the show isn't over yet! Where are you going?" Seb exclaims quietly, confused by your course of action. Daysee also gives you a look of worry.

"I just said home! I'll see you on Monday." You whisper aggressively, leaving the control room.

You hastily go over to your desk to retrieve your bag and coat. You glance over quickly at the viewing room the rest of the staff was in, your stomach tying in knots as the sight.

Heading down the hallway and the stairs, you push open the front doors and end up outside, where a massive group of fans stood awaiting Rupert Campbell-Black's return. They all share looks and noises of disappointment as they see you, an intern on the brink of tears instead of the acclaimed bachelor.

You push through the crowd, hurriedly approaching your car and unlocking it. You sit inside the beater and stare off in the distance. Your cheeks are stained with tears against your own will, your forehead resting upon the steering wheel as you begin to sob mercilessly.

You felt so hopeless amidst it all, no longer sure of yourself as you were before.

-

i will not lie this chapter was becoming so fucking long it's just gonna end up a continuation into the next part... also im lowkey too awkward to properly write out sex scenes because i give myself second hand embarrassment so forgive me this fanfic is plot driven over sex driven (':

as youve noticed ive started to follow by the episode plot line, it makes it easier for me to write and follow. thank you again for the support, and as always keep interacting with my works! keep me motivated ;)

much love,

isabel

[cuppajj]

Thoughts about BY 5 and 6

So I finished the episode at an unhealthy morning hour, and now after getting my full sleep, I can fully share my thoughts!

And of course, spoilers for the newest episode!

First things first, I want to talk about Burning Spice himself. A while back, I made a post about my hopes for him and how I didn’t want him to be a temperamental meathead, but instead a smart and calculating person who took from his extensive knowledge of history to psychologically destroy as much as physically. Did we get that?

Kinda, kinda not. Spice isn’t another Purple Yam like I’d hoped, he has more character than being just angry, but the hotheadedness does remain most of the way through. He reminds me of a strongman anime villain, the kind whose braun speaks more than brain, but still capable of strategy. Most of that strategy comes from Nutmeg Tiger though, as Spice is mostly interested in fighting Cheese from beginning to end. There’s no moment where he messes with her mind directly and picks apart her vulnerabilities beyond surface level “you hold things dear to you that I will destroy”. Which, implication is that he was more focused on just fighting, which in the context of how/why he is the way he is, kinda makes sense.

And about that, I’ll address it briefly: So we learn that Spice’s corruption, at least the straw that broke the camel’s back, was that he got bored watching history unfold. I think it’s very cool! While I was interested in a little more nuance behind his boredom, sometimes villains don’t need a complex reason for why they do what they do. It does make Spice less sympathetic than Mystic Flour though, so it seems like not all Beasts may be equal in cause and backstory. However, stuff about him may be explored later, since he’s going to be back.

So I would say that Spice isn’t as one note as I’d hoped, but he is a simple villain. A simple and very very fun and scary villain, but there could’ve been a lot more to his character in this story that made it lacking for me. I know BY chapters are usually short, but there could’ve possibly been more time showing the parallels between him and Cheese beyond a dialogue or so. It would’ve been really cool if Spice addressed those directly, using it against Cheese. Making her rethink/relive the trauma of losing everyone and mentally destroying her… like what if there was an exchange in the prison cell when she was at her lowest? What if Smoked Cheese had either been incapacitated and unable to speak, or in a separate cell so Cheese could be entirely at the Beast’s mercy? (We DID get a bit of that when Cheese realized how apathetic he was and what he saw in her soul jam, but that was more of a disgusted shock than a mental breakdown.) Smoked could help her out of her turmoil later (an exchange between him and Spice could’ve also been awesome), but Spice leaving mental damage on Cheese would’ve further spread the idea that he also values breaking things internally.

But, I guess Spice is just destroy destroy destroy to the point where he doesn’t really care about anything else, which is… fine. Admittedly not my cup of tea because it’s so basic, but it doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy his motivation. I hope we get a little more nuance next time we see him.

Anyway love these sprites!! I wished we got more related to the first two, it shows a mellower and/or ironically colder side of him that I think would’ve really helped amplify his fear factor. Spice is all fun and destruction but the oh shit comes from him showing more of the calculated side he used to have.

But speaking of Golden Cheese, I’ll talk about her next.

Overall I really liked her story here! I love seeing her in action and on her own, and her interactions with Smoked Cheese were fun to see! Smoked Cheese was extra fun, I loved how he had sass while still caring for people beyond his kingdom’s entourage (his voice and mannerisms remind me of tfp knockout it’s crazy). I was also happy to learn how the soul cheese worked, since that was a question I had from last episode. It appears Smoked isn’t in his body, but his soul is projecting a physical form given mass that relies on Golden Cheese’s power. Very interesting, and I wonder if he’s just going to stay out now, or if he’ll return? And what of the others too…

Now, something I will say about Cheese is that while her character arc made sense for her in a bubble, I feel a similar thing like I did with Spice that it could’ve been much better. Personally, while Cheese staying true to her greediness and immense care for her treasures is a good thing to power her up, I don’t think it made her as bigger a person than Spice than she could’ve. What would’ve been cooler and more thematic for her character would’ve actually been accepting that destruction and the loss of things she cares about is a natural part of life.

What I mean by this is that while Spice embodies destruction, Cheese essentially embodies creation, which are two polar opposites that have their place in the universe. Antagonizing one or the other should come with a deeper approach to the message, and frankly, antagonizing destruction in its entirety is a very black and white angle. Destruction can be inherently bad and tragic, yes, but it can also pave the way for new life and new things to be created. Plantlife grows back after a forest fire. You can build something better upon the ruins of what was before. For Cheese, her kingdom could’ve been lost/destroyed, but she could’ve accepted it and strove for a newer and better kingdom. Which, in some parts she did, but my philosophy also applies to people lost too.

Death and destruction was a prominent theme in Cheese’s backstory, and much of her Golden City arc was confronting that. I suppose this is a separate talk for another time, but to put it simply, she didn’t have an arc about accepting those who were lost, moreso about striving to bring those who were lost back. The story ended with her promising to bring her friends back, instead of accepting that she lost them and focusing her strength on protecting those she still has with her. That last part could’ve actually been what the Spice story led to, with her first wanting to find a way to bring everyone back, but deciding by the end of it that she can protect the memory of her kingdom along with the living friends she still has. Smoked Cheese could’ve even helped her with that, showing that he cares for her over himself, leading to a heartfelt goodbye between the two. This is just a wishful image, but it would’ve been a really good way for CRK to tackle a deep theme and touch a lot of people’s feelings. But what we got was a lot simpler, with both Spice and Cheese’s characters and themes, which I guess makes sense. Some stories (or the game itself) don’t really want to be anything super deep in narrative, and that’s fine as long as they’re still fun, which this was.

Lastly I will say, I fear the awakening thing will get a little predictable and repetitive from here on out. Beast is a threat for the first chapter, continues to be a threat up until Ancient does a power of love and friendship introspection and transforms into a stronger version of themself. I hope one of them will be a little subversive in this—I don’t know how, I just hope these great stories aren’t bogged down by predictability!

But anyway, those are my thoughts about BY 5 and 6. Overall a great story, I’m so happy to get Spice and Cheese action because they’re two of my favorites, Smoked Cheese was fun, and I’m looking forward to the new Shmilk stuff we will be getting around the anniversary. After that I really hope Eternal Sugar is next, I have a bunch of thoughts/hopes for them too!!

Anyway thanks for reading!

[gaybananabread]

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ Perfection is Relative ˖ ݁݁ 𖥔.

~Soooo I’m in my rewatch-comfort-shows era, and Helluva Boss is next. I can’t wait for the newest episode, so I’m trying to get the insanity out with this. For anyone who happens to read this, I hope you Enjoy!~

Lee: Moxxie

Ler: Millie

Summary: Moxxie is second-guessing himself and stressing out about his appearance. Millie notices and decides to lovingly remind her husband what the word “perfect” truly means in this life.

Warnings: spoilers for Helluva Boss and fluffy couple romance (few kisses)! This is a tickle fic, so if you don’t like that, scroll away!!

Moxxie had always had confidence issues. Be it moral dilemmas, other’s perceptions or just general life itself, he would second-guess himself and shy away. However, there was one thing he could always trust himself to nail: his presentations.

Whenever Blitz had a performance-based job, Moxxie put his best hoof forward and found a rare spark of assurance and self-confidence. His outfits were on point, any makeup was flawless, and he got into the metaphorical zone. Nobody could ruin that for him, or so he thought.

At the summer camp, Moxxie had spent a good few hours designing his persona and the look of it. He was actually pretty proud of it. That was, until those teenage girls and everyone else at the camp insulted his appearance and disregarded his existence.

Millie and him had already discussed how it made him feel, and while he was incredibly happy for and proud of his wife, he couldn’t get those thoughts out of his head. It bled into his everyday planning, making him critique every little detail about himself. Like that morning, where he’d spent half an hour adjusting his bowtie position.

“Maybe a bit lower to point the focus…” Moxxie mumbled to himself, loosening his bowtie once again. He’d left the bedroom door open, too focused on the mirror to notice. He didn’t even notice as his wife peeked in, nor he did he catch her small, knowing sigh.

“Honey…what’re you doing?” Millie came up behind him, resting her hands on his waist. She’d noticed his extra self-consciousness lately, but she hoped it was something he’d work out. It was apparently deeper than that, though, so she was at the ready with support and a - hopefully - helpful conversation.

“Adjusting my bow. It’s not really symmetrical, and I want it to send a certain message about me.” His words were a bit rushed, giving his wife a peek into the swirling storm of his mind. She wasn’t happy with what she saw.

“You really don’t need to worry, Mox. You look amazin’ already.” Millie gently grabbed his chin, turned him and kissed him. He sighed at the affection, pulling away after a second. Moxxie felt bad about kissing her; he wasn’t good enough yet. Millie deserved the world, and he couldn’t help but feel inadequate.

“If you say so, Mills. Just let me fix up a few more things.” Moxxie tugged at his collar, adjusting the bow and tugging his hair into place.

Now, Millie could’ve just left her husband to finish getting ready. However, doing so would’ve meant letting him think he needed any of the extra glitz and ritz he was putting forth. He was handsome and wonderful enough as-is; she was determined to get that through to him.

With a suppressed smirk, the female imp grabbed his chin once again, her tail snaking around his waist. Moxxie was oblivious to her true plot, just suspecting she wanted attention. “Millie, just gimme one seco- EEP!”

He cut himself off with a squeak as Millie’s claws skittered across his neck. Down below, the pointy tip of her tail was dragging along his side. The smirk was no longer suppressed, her adorable tooth gap showing in the playful grin.

“Mihihillie! Whahat are youhu dohohohoing?!” Moxxie squirmed and wriggled, trying to slip away from his wife. Millie wrapped her free arm around his waist, securing him while adding more wiggling fingers to his stomach.

“Gettin’ you outta your head, Mox. You got too much judgmental crud about yourself up there.” Millie placed a fluttery kiss behind his ear, making him squeak once again. Her fingers were still going at it, dragging the pointed claws along his belly and neck while her tail teased his side.

Moxxie instinctively folded like a lawn chair, his giggles squeaky and scratchy. His wife’s arm was the only thing keeping him from dropping to the floor.

“Mihihills! I cahahan’t- KYAAhahaha!” The sharpshooter kicked his hooves, each impact making a small clack against their wooden floor. Millie couldn’t help but coo at this.

“Aww, there we go, sugar~” She purred, chuckling against the warm skin of his neck. His careful bowtie placement was all messy now, skewed and crooked from Millie’s evil affection. She was hoping to get him all nice and messy before she stopped. He needed to see how amazing he was at his least dolled-up.

While his giggles were certainly music to her ears, she was looking for something with a bit more gusto. Millie wanted to really make him laugh.

Quickly spinning her husband around, she pushed him down onto their bed and grabbed his thighs. Moxxie’s eyes went as wide as saucers, but before he could say a word, her claws were wiggling into his sensitive skin.

“NAHAHAHO! MIHIHILIHIE PLEHEHEASE!” Moxxie’s precious giggles quickly rocketed up to loud, screeching cackles as Millie targeted his worst spot. He thrashed on the bed, ruining his hair and untucking his shirt in the process. She was quick to take advantage of that, slipping her tail underneath the fabric to tease his stomach once again.

“O-OHOHO MY SAHAHATAN!” Small tears of mirth gathered in the corners of his eyes, his cheeks stained a deeper, purple-ish red. The blush was adorable to Millie, though his tears showed she had gone far enough. She stilled her fingers, kissing his smiling lips.

“Ihihihi… oho cruhuhums…” Moxxie took a few deep, giggly breaths as he tried to regain his composure. That attack had come out of nowhere, but he didn’t exactly hate it. “Whahat was thahat for?”

“I already told ya, hon. You’re bein’ too hard on yourself.” Millie rolled off him, lying down beside her husband. He sighed, shaking his head.

“I juhust…I dunno, Millie. It’s just not enough. I need to be perfect.” She brushed a bit of his unruly hair back in place, humming. “I think you look pretty damn perfect right now, Mox. You’re only perfect when you’re you.”

Moxxie felt himself tear up at that. Millie was just…so herself. He thought she was perfect, so…maybe she was right. Leaning forward, he kissed her lovingly, his tail wrapping around hers.

Millie smiled into the soft embrace, cupping his face with one hand as the other held him close. He was so adorable just then: rosy cheeks, loving eyes, messy hair and love-drunk eyes. She could gaze at him for eternity and never tire of his most natural beauty.

“Uhum…what were we getting ready for again?” Moxxie asked as he pulled away, finally remembering that they had planned on going somewhere. It did kind of spoil the moment, but he genuinely couldn't remember.

“Well, I think…Blitz called us in? Somethin’ about a pop-up client.” Millie sighed, knowing that their boss was probably ready to kill them for not being there yet. She didn't regret a damn thing, of course; Moxxie was more important than work.

“Shit…you wanna get ready together?” Moxxie shrugged, offering the small moment. Millie looked him over one last time, taking in her perfectly amazing mess of a husband before nodding.

“Sounds good, Mox. But no spendin’ forever on silly things, got it?” She booped his nose for emphasis, wiggling a few sneaky fingers on his side. Moxxie giggled and jerked away, playfully glaring at her.

“Gohot it,” he agreed, sticking his tongue out with a smirk. Millie rolled her eyes before hopping off the bed as well, joining him by the mirror.

Moxxie looked into the reflective glass, seeing himself in near complete disarray. But, with Millie’s smiling figure by his side, loving every bit of him unconditionally, he couldn't help but like what he saw just that much more.

[kirbybecomesastarwarrior]

Mastermind (Celarthur)

Helluva Boss just dropped this song, and I had to do this... and it fit Arthur & Celestine's well.

This fit Celestine's trial perfectly; it hit all the exact same emotional notes and tone. However, while making this, I realized I never made a separate post on the topic. I explained it in Lady Celestine's bio, but I think it deserves its own in-depth post.

Keep reading for more... and a spoiler warning for the helluva boss (if you have not seen the newest episode other than that, enjoy the lore content)

However, unlike Blitz, Arthur wasn't able to be at the trail... that would be Nonsurat's doing...

You see, Nonsurat had gathered enough evidence on Arthur that he was secretly aiding Merlyn... however, just as he was about to turn it in, it was stolen. (I believe it to be Arthur who stole.) He demanded a mandatory search around Arthur's sector... and Arthur had to be present while the trial was secretly taking place

Too bad he got the wrong man... Imagine his surprise to see his evidence being used during Celestine's trial!? And it couldn't have been Arthur they would've called him for the trial... but unbeknownst to him (Nonsurat.) He had been the catalyst of the worst day in Arthur's life... (that's why he's peeking in the back).

Sir Icarus - Satan

Sir Icarus - Andrealphus

And I hope you guys enjoyed Kit being there & a little preview of Drosselmeyer

Also, to answer this question: @poyoofthestars

No, she does not, and however, she regrets not being able to prevent this incident from happening.... here's why:

(And buckle up folk this this layered like a lasagna)

So like Stolas, he very much needed and wanted to make sure that she was seen as this grand mastermind!

SHE PLANNED EVERYTHING!

This incident happened because her future sight warned her of Sir Nonsurat ratting out Arthur. She had stolen his evidence to frame herself... These were a series of horrible visions, seeing Arthur take the fall for her & die in her place in each vision, Arthur refused to reveal her identity... (It was supposed to be Arthur!)

Had she been careful, maybe she could have prevented this... or simply not involving Arthur at all. Truthfully, she was supposed to leave Arthur earlier on (the visions had warned her), but... she just couldn't leave his side... she just didn't have the heart to. And then, of course, thing- accidentally falls in love with him- Arthur finds out about the whole Merlyn - yadayadayada

In short, not only was she taking the fall for Arthur as Merlyn's secret accomplice... but she was taking responsibility for her actions leading up to this decision as well and (technically and inadvertently ) turning herself in as Merlyn... (I guess in a third-person type of way).

There was also the looming fact that Nonsurat knew the truth she didn't forget him. Committing such a heinous thing would make the irrefutable grand traitor that no one would ever question it. Imagen trying to convince people it wasn't Celestine after that fiasco she caused.

~

My main inspiration for Celestine's trial I got from GoT when it came to Tryion's trial... it's quite similar to his about his breakdown. After everything he did for the people of King's Landing, almost everyone was against him... just because he was a dwarf. Despite knowing that people had always looked down on him for this... he was still emotionally crushed when it was brutally confirmed during the trial.

(Similar to Tryion) During the trial, Celestine saw the very worst of what society had to offer. Despite all the contributions she made... everyone was ready to turn on her when they had the chance to take the piece of the political power she had.

While she indeed knew what was coming... it was the very act of witnessing too much of it all in one room. While she did all these grand things to benefit the galaxy & the GSA... all her contributions amounted to nothing to them... she was still disposable to them.

These were the mages that were responsible for her upbringing. Including Absolum, these weren't innocent by standards by no means. It was very much a painful truth that she was going to leave the galaxy with these horrible people...

And you best believe our girl got her Tyrion breakdown moment.

~

And it wasn't just senseless killing; she needed to sacrifice 500... for you see, Celestine is the reason why they disappeared.... Remember The final thing she had said: "I CURSE YOU ALL..." She really did curse them all the ancients. "Once you have reached the peak of their depravity, you shall all disappear..."

And what was the peak of their depravity... SEALING GALACTA KNIGHT! (Basically, Celestine, in a way, got revenge for Galacta Knight as well as herself) However, the reason Hyness got out of this was that he was exiled (a story for later, moving on)

``

Not only that, but it also solidified Arthur's importance to the ancients... Icarus wasn't able to stop her... nor was Uther. She was on the verge of having her body break completely. She was overloaded... but also given a tremendous amount of power as well.

So, by the time they caught up with her, Arthur had their little mock duel. It looked like Arthur really did a number on her... so coming out of this he looked like the grand hero. That where "WHAT ARE YOU DOING I DON'T DESERVE THIS..." fits in with Arthur.

He was painted as this Great Hero after her death... a titled as a Holy Knight and taking a position to replace Celestine. (In short, everyone was praising him for helping defeat the love of his life... ouch-)

~ Not only that it, it aligns with her counterpart Merlin's demise (aspects of it)

You see, I use the part of Arthurian legend that I can use in the story; in other words, the pieces that fit. And the pieces of that are merely elements of it. So bear with me when I explain this... it's very watered down, everybody.

In Arthurian legend, with Merlin's demise, in which he falls in love with a woman named Nimue. (Despite not loving him back...) Long story short, Nimue is creeped out by old Merlin...

However, she uses this love against him and then has him teach her all the magic he knows. And then, after that, he uses that against him to trap him in a cave (sometimes it's in a nook of a tree)... where he cannot leave and dies alone.

But the thing is... MERLIN KNEW THIS! When he sensed that his time had come, the man went, "I GUESS I'LL DIE!" And readily walked into his doom because he was in love. Despite warning Arthur of the very same thing, Guinevere.

Very much accepting of his death... and not even regretting the decision because it was meant to be and it was in the name of Love.

Despite Merlin's cringeworthy demise (the man could have stopped it... and his pursuit of Nimue was unsavory), there's something I found fascinating about it. Both Arthur & Merlin seemed to have had the same circumstances of demise in a way.

Despite knowing what would happen, both foolishly ignored the warnings and gave their loyalty & love to the wrong person. And due to their own foolishness & actions, it ended up being their greatest downfall, LOVE... which got my gears turning... And boom, this!

-

~So it's an act of revenge & an act of love all rolled up into one.

(hopefully, I didn't forget to mention a thing or two... or do a correction on the reread) But anyway hope you enjoyed it nonetheless and you are all around for the next one~

Thank you for all being so patient! Love you guys!

[itsteddydarling]

In honor of The Amazing Digital Circus’ newest episode, “Fast Food Masquerade”, coming out, here are some weird and awful incidents that happened to me when I worked as a cashier at a fast food restaurant:

*A serial arsonist set our dumpster on fire and the fire spread to the back of the building. Luckily the fire was put out before the restaurant burnt to the ground. This happened on my second day of work.

*A lady threatened to call the police on me and accused me of stealing her money after I accidentally miscounted the amount of burgers she ordered. (She kept switching between wanting 12 or 13 burgers and I put in an order for 12, but she claimed in was actually 13)

*A man sneezed in my face and didn’t bother to even say, “excuse me” or “sorry”. (I had just recovered from a two day cold and it took everything in my power not to attack him. This happened in 2021, still around COVID)

*Found a drunk girl passed out on our bathroom floor with her pants down and I had to help her get dressed, drag her out of the bathroom, and had to call her friend on her phone to come get her before I closed for the night. (She tried to hook me up with one of her friends)

*Saw a homeless woman outside that was leaning against our window and masterbating.

*I was taking a customer’s order when a car parked across the street suddenly caught fire. I blurted out, “Oh my God, someone’s car is on fire.” and everyone in the restaurant turned to look. (Dinner and a show I guess?)

*I got into a fight over the phone with a customer ordering multiple combos with extra everything who accused me of overcharging him. He ended up being a fucking cop and even after I showed him his receipt and went over his order with him he still thought I was overcharging him. (He didn’t even end up paying for his order. His friend did. He even left me a five dollar tip.)

*A man who was probably in his 70s was trying to flirt with me with his WIFE right next to him. He kept complimenting my makeup until his wife hissed, “Why don’t you just take the little girl home with you?”

*A heavily tattooed man accidentally flashed me his gun when he reached into his jacket pocket to pull out his wallet. He eyed me but I pretended I didn’t see anything. (Nothing happened but I was shaking afterwards though)

*A group of middle schoolers stole our tip jar and took off running and I tried chasing them down but I had to return empty handed. (Dumb move on my part, I know)

*A homeless man pulled down his pants and showed me his dick. (After that I put in my two weeks)

Be nice to fast food employees everybody. They go through hell almost everyday.

[eternal-eepiness]

Unfortunately for everyone the newest episode has me crying, shaking, screaming, and eating drywall like hot pockets so I'm gonna write some poorly articulated essay about a character who the episode wasnt even focusing on! (Guess who it is lol)

SPOILERS UNDER CUT

So, about Jax. I noticed a few things while watching the episode and after some thinking I have some stupid things I need to get out of my brain.

Something bad has obviously happened to Jax at some point. And by thinking about what Kinger said about how "The worse thing you can do is make somebody feel unloved" we can probably imagine that it was something like that along those lines. And with further pondering, I realized something.

Jax REVELS in being the asshole. The jerk. The no-good shit eating grin having chaos-loving asshole. It's all he ever really shows to everyone else. Which is even more interesting when you realize he never wants to show anybody at the circus what happens to him when he holds his breath. He's trying to be 2d. A flat, bland, shallow person. And I think I know why.

Think back to what Caine said congratulating him, Ragatha, and Gangle for completing the pacifist route. "Congratulations on what good people you are!" The camera is on Jax, and he looks upset. This could be chalked up to his usual "If it's not everyone suffering it's boring" attitude but I'm delusional and the camera focused on him for a reason which means it could mean something more.

Something, or someone could have made Jax feel unloved and unwanted, convincing him he was a horrible person who was good for nothing other than being an asshole. And if that's a possibility he obviously held onto that view of himself like a lifeline. Think about it. He is the happiest when others insult him, are suffering because of him, or just hate him in general. He loves negative attention. So, what does that mean with the combination of possibly hating being vulnerable?

Jax doesn't know who he is besides how others perceive him.

He can't be vulnerable or show his real self because it's not really there anymore. All we know of him is that he's a jerk and that seems to be all he acknowledges about himself. He won't show anyone anything because if anybody knows he's more than a jerk or (god forbid) TOLERATED HIM then he's lost his only sense of control and familiarity. And a thing about people who hide themselves or have gone through terrible things DESPISE new scenarios. Because new means uncertainty, which means a chance to be hurt again, and that's the last thing Jax wants.

TLDR:Jax is a jerk because that's all he knows and if anybody saw past his tomfoolery and prick behavior he will realize that his only sense of familiarity and stability is flawed and he's terrified of change because change means bad things can happen. Also something something about how he's convinced he can never be loved again.

Anyway how was your day?

[witchykittyy]

Agreement 💖

@marcyyywukinnie asked: Hi could you make a fanfic Yandare Blitzo x reader x Yandare Stolas where they just fight about reader, before coming to terms that theyll share them??

I am soooooooo sorry about how late this is!!! I really am. Life's been really hectic and I went through a very depressive episode but I promise to be on top of stuff more often! I really hope you like it! ❤ Sorry if its not really enough fighting per say. 😅

TW: Demons, Hell, Blood, Arguing, Cursing (lots of it), Mentions of kidnapping, Stalking, and other yandere themes.

"Damn that was a fuck ton of clients!!!" Millie jumped up into Moxxie's arms pumped and covered in blood. "Yea it was and it was so fucking awesome! But I think imma head in for the night." You're the newest member of I.M.P. A few days ago you saw their help wanted poster and decided you needed the extra money so you decided to join. You got along really well with Moxxie, Millie and surprisingly Loona. The only person who doesn't seem to like you is Blitzo. He was always staring at you. Watching your every move like he's waiting for you to do something wrong. So you always tend to keep your distance.

"Yea I think me and Millie have had enough excitement for today as well. Goodbye sir! Goodbye Y/N!" "Bye Blizto! Bye N/N!" Moxxie and Millie wave goodbye as they leave. "Whatever, bye." Loona continues on reading her magazine. "Bye guys!" You wave goodbye to them sweetly. "Bye lovebirds! Don't get too kinky while I'm away!" You can almost hear Moxxie rolling his eyes at those words and you chuckle. Now its just you, Loona and... Blitzo. Though your back is turned you can feel his eyes burning into info our skin, its very unsettling so with out turning around you decided to say your goodbyes and leave. "Bye Blitzo! Bye Loona!" "Bye dork." Blitzo doesnt say anything and you start to walk off sill feeling his gaze on you. Suddenly he says "See you soon Y/N"

You got home and were extremely exhausted as you flopped down onto your semi comfortable bed. Due to only recently having a job you dont have that much money to buy yourself a nice place so for right now you're stuck in this crummy apartment. Even though you didnt mind your situation someone else did.

Stolas has been watching you from the day he saw you in the I.M.P headquarters while he was visiting Blitzo. He's been obssessed with you ever since he saw you and has stalked you finding out your likes, habits, dislikes and everything else about you. He truly believes that you deserve so much better than what you have. He loves you and believes you deserve to be treated like a queen. A problem with that is that Blizto is also in love with you. Stolas notices the stares he give you and the longing look in his eyes. He's sure Blitzo has noticed his interest as well and thats probably why Blitzo hasnt spoken to him. But nevermind that.

You change into your PJ', get into bed and start scrolling through Helltok. "Ah shit its getting dark and I have to work tomorrow" you sigh. "I guess I should go to bed as Moxxie would say thats the responsible thing to do." You turn off your phone and go to bed. Stolas stares at you from the window wishing that he were next to you.

After a while he sees someone climbing onto your balcony. He's about to go stop him but then the two lock eyes. "Stolas?! The fuck are you doing here?!" He almost tumbles off the balcony from the surprise. "I should be asking you the same question Blitzo." "Look dipshit im doing the same thing you are but going inside." Blizto starts opening the window. "Wait! We shouldnt do that it invading her privacy." He goes to stop him but then Blitzo slaps his hand away. "Oh and stalking her isnt invading her privacy?! Look just leave ok if you dont wanna do this. Not like I want you stealing my girl anyways." He grumbles the last part but Stolas is able to hear him. "Well I sure as hell am not leaving her alone with you." "Then come in with me." He grabs Stolas's hand and stealthly brings him into the room. Stolas blushes at the sudden contact. 'Wait why'd he blush? What the hell is happening to him?'

You're dead asleep on the bed. "So smart ass what do we do now?" He tries to cover up the fact that grabbing Blitzo's hand made him blush. "We look around bird brain." They start looking around the crummy place, dodging the clothes thrown on the floor. Eventually after looking around for a while Blitzo decides to look your computer as Stolas watches you sleep peacefully. Out of the corner of his eye Stolas sees him breaking into your computer. "Hey!" He yells silently. "What do you think you're doing?" "I'm looking through her computer dipshit." Blitzo rolls his eyes as though its obvious. "Well yes I know that but why?" "To make sure she ain't seeing some other loser."

Blitzo searches and suddenly stops dead in his tracks. "You need to see this birdie." They stare at the computer reading you're messages with some guy named Dennis. "Oh hell no" they growl out in unison. You whine and shift in your sleep as they go dead silent. Once they're sure you're not awake they continue. "We can't let this shit happen." Blitzo growls with malice. "I completely agree. This dirt bag isn't good enough for our Y/N." Stolas nods. "Wait, our?" "Well yes I suppose we'll need to team up to stop this guy and ensure that she stays with us. Is that an ok arrangement?" Stolas questions. "Yea.. Thatd be great." Blitzo looks down blushing madly.

[kudouusagi]

I find it so frustrating seeing the criticism regarding Bucchigiri, particularly its main protagonist Arajin. I believe that his dumb behavior is meant to eventually be a critique and deconstruction of insecure masculinity, especially with the male power fantasies of the Japanese bancho genre. He's a horny dick of a main lead trying to assert his masculinity, but he's acting this way for some reason they'll get to down the line ala ADAM in SK8. I trust that Utsumi knows what she's doing with him

I will follow Utsumi to the ends of the Earth. I have full trust she's going somewhere with this lol

I just think Arajin is supposed to be unlikable right now. And honestly, I'm enjoying him being unlikable but I understand why other people don't lol

In the newest episode we're finally starting to see why he's not friends with Matakara now. We saw Arajin and Matakara as children training to be honki people (god I still hate that translation but I guess that's what we're calling it now) and he ran away when Matakara got beat up because he was scared.

So, I think Arajin started avoiding him, gave up on being a honki person, and moved away because it was his idea to train to be a honki person but that got Matakara hurt when he wasn't strong enough. He runs and pretends he doesn't care about being a honki person because he wants to protect people he cares about.

And main quality of honki people is they don't run away. It's the first thing they say about them in the show when they introduce them. So this must be the story of him learning not to run away lol

I'm not sure, but I think his girl craziness is part of his running away. He has to act like a normal teenage boy, not someone who wants to be a honki person.

[urproblematicfav-arsonk]

What are your thoughts on the newest helluva episode. I don’t hate myself that much to watch an episode about Stoliz. How are Stella and Octavia handled?

"I DONT HATE MYSELF THAT MUCH" OHJJFNDJGELEHNLE

I swear I make one post about how Stolas sucks and now I got like 5 asks help

Uhhhh as an episode by itself, its the same as its always been which is Mediocre™

Been going fUCKIBG INSANE in the dm's with @grimfeywizard over the implications of Satan(and all the Sins??) being in Hell before Lucifer and thus the lowly hellborn/imps are actually indigenous to Hell and Lucifer was the one who forced the whole Sinner's are above Hellborn and the circus theme, but that's technically all AU because despite Satan saying that he was there before Luci....in the ep....as a lore drop......Viv corrected on twitter to tell everyone that he was lying about it because she's a good show runner and is good at writing it turns out.

Satan is sexy as fuck. Big dragon daddy voiced by the hottest bass to hit the hellaverse, Patrick Page. It enrages me to no end that Viv gets this INSANE talent, and just wastes it. Hades is playing Satan and its ufigkgnofjofgjtgitb💦

Stolitz is boring. Blitz gets falsely accused of rape, and correctly accused of stealing the grimoire but instead of Stolas coming clean and saying "I wanted to fuck him also I hate y'all" he just calls Blitz dumb and like, takes the fall in a way that doesn't actually accomplish anything. "I'd rather die then live without you" Stolas you know nothing about that man. You know his dick girth size not anything about him as a person, what are you on about.

Also consent king Ozzie, does absolutely fuck all when someone is falsy accused of a rape that he knows didn't happen and can testify against. "Satan is sooo powerful, the other Sins can't even stand against him!!" Yes they can. They can?? They obviously can. Also why are they there if Satan is the Law and does what he wants.

Also making "even Bee thinks Mam is disgusting for eating a lot" feels fatphobic and weird. Just like....unnecessarily mean spirited? Bel is cute slepy shepy, but Leviathan could be better I think.

And with Stella, she was just robbed, Georgina Leahy was robbed. Once again, more implications that Stella was legitimately being neglected and actually doesn't know how to read or function in her society outside of popping out babies. More evil woman evil with no actual interesting backstory or motivation. I saw some leaks/previews or storyboards, or something about the next ep awhile back and it definitely feels like we're setting up for Octavia to be like "I HATE U DAD!! U ALWAYS PUT SEXUAL PARTNERS FIRST AND NEGLECTED ME!!" And then gasp, reveal!! It was Stella who was the bitch!!!! Stella TRICKED Via into thinking Stolas did those things!! Good thing Stolas doesn't have to make amends with his daughter for the child abuse, because it was alllll her fault. I expect this only to get worse. Really sucks because 2 minutes notice was SUCH a high note for me and then....all this happens so like, fuck me for getting excited I guess. Imma go rewatch centaurworld, Helicopter Mother will save me.

Anyway, bonus funfact: I completely forgot to watch Ghostfuckers because I hated Apology Tour so bad and just didn't take the time. I only watched this ep for Hades lmao

[lt-alara-kitan]

Screen Wrecked || A Seth MacFarlane AU

Chapter One: Decisions & Diatribe Romantic Pairing: Seth x OFC Tags: Awkward flirting, power dynamics (nothing too intense for the first chapter) Summary: [Alternate Universe] She's a writer down on her luck looking for a big break. He's the powerful CEO of a giant production studio and he wants her as his very personal assistant. Notes: This is an RPF but also an alternate universe. It gives me more room to play around with the idea I had. Not much is different about this universe when it comes to Seth other than he's the owner and CEO of a powerful production company. Seems like a logical step for someone like him anyway. Disclaimer: Absolutely nothing in this story is meant to reflect Seth in real life. That's why it's an alternate-universe setting, of course. The main character is just an original character I created.

"I didn't actually think I would be hired to write for the show let alone become full time staff. I don't fit in here. Nothing about this is working." She sighed as she watched the bathroom door. The last thing she needed was for someone to walk in on her talking about this job in such a bad way.

"You wanted your foot in the door this is your foot in the door. Whatever it takes, remember?"

"I remember but when they figure out I'm kind of a fraud I'm going to be out of here anyway."

"Fake it as long as you can to find the right person to take you to the next level. You have the talent now you just need the opportunity."

"Fine. Fine. I just want it on record that I already said this was a bad idea." She ended the call and slipped her phone into her back pocket. As argumentative as she could be, she also knew that Clare was right. Maybe what she was doing now wasn't the most exciting job in the world but she was working for a TV studio on a huge lot. A lot that also made movies and saw various celebrities and producers coming in and out all the time.

Unfortunately she'd now wasted fifteen minutes of her lunch break which meant she only had fifteen minutes more. That left her with precious little time to hurry out of there to get to the cafeteria to hopefully grab a sandwich and a soda to make it back to her desk in time. She was supposed to have the latest draft for the newest episode complete by the end of the day and she didn't want to have to work late again.

Hurrying down the hall and towards the elevator she ignored the vibrations from her phone as they continued to go off since she figured they were probably just from Clare sending her messages of encouragement. By the time she'd gotten to the elevator and pushed the button the notifications had gotten annoying enough that she had to take the damn thing out of her pocket to at least put it on do not disturb.

There was a ding as the elevator arrived and she took a step forward not looking up from her phone as she did. Which turned out to be a big mistake because she ran right into *him*. This made his coffee spill from the cup he was holding and splash all over his white shirt. Some designer looking fashion that would have cost her a month of her salary if not more.

"Oh my god I am so sorry." She breathed wanting to attempt to make eye contact but also being afraid of it. She knew who this was. Everyone knew who this was. He owned the entire studio. No one could go anywhere around there without hearing about Seth MacFarlane .

"It's okay," he laughed, "I didn't really like this shirt anyway and the stain kind of looks like Elvis, well, maybe if he was melting." She blinked a few times trying to process what was going on. He wasn't mad? Why? Shouldn't he be calling for security to have her escorted off of the lot?

"Yeah I guess it does but still I um...let me make it up to you." She offered. The doors closed behind them and she turned to press the button to open them again. "Were you getting off here?"

"No I was going down." He nodded, "And you?"

"Yeah me too. Guess we'll be getting off together." She paused then laughed nervously realizing what she said and how it sounded. "I mean like on the same floor not uh...the other thing."

"Other thing?"

She couldn't tell if he honestly didn't know what she meant by that or was just trying to pull her leg and get her to stick her foot in her mouth even more. It was hard not to gaze at him in complete awe. Before he'd become the studio owner he'd also been a writer, actor, director, producer, pretty much everything she'd always wanted to be. The only difference was that he was stunningly gorgeous and she didn't feel like she'd ever been much to look at.

"Never mind." She whispered and pushed back some of the hair that had fallen out of the clip she'd used to put it up in the bathroom.

"Do you really want to make it up to me?" He asked, leaning against the wall to the elevator.

"Yes because I'm so sorry and it will never happen again. I swear." She sighed, "I'm just so...it's not your problem really so never mind all of that."

"You're having problems here?"

"No, I mean, yes but not with anyone specifically everyone has been super nice I just don't think I'm the right person for the job on the show that I've been writing for." She tried to explain without getting into all of the details. He kind of motioned in her direction and she blinked a few times trying to figure out what he was indicating. That was when she realized she hadn't even pushed the button for the ground floor. "Oh fuck sorry...I mean...not fuck..."

"It's okay." He laughed. "Deep breaths you're doing fine." With a nod she reached out and pressed the button for the ground floor. The elevator started to move then there was a rusty screeching sound. The lights above them flickered then shut off as the elevator came to a halt.

"Fu-n." She managed to correct herself at the last moment.

"Do you really think I don't know what you were going to say?" He chuckled again and seconds later the orange glow of the emergency lights flickered on. At least they weren't in pitch black anymore. He stepped forward and pressed the emergency call button, though it didn't seem to do anything either. "What was your name again?"

"Lisa." She said, "Lisa Brixton."

"Ah the new hire for Quantum Echoes." He nodded. She arched a brow, surprised that he'd know anything about that. She guessed it mad some kind of sense but her low level compared to his much higher level position denoted that he wouldn't be bothered with that. "I read the spec script."

"You did? No one told me-"

"It's one of my favorite projects on this lot. Those scripts go through me from time to time. Especially when we need a new writer. I liked it. What makes you think you're not a good fit?"

"Oh well I'm much more into horror than sci-fi, hence the plot of my spec script being relatively horrific. I feel like the sci-fi part was understated for the actual content of the show and I'm really not great at writing science fiction. I just love Siara and wanted to give her some special redemption episode."

"She's a great character. Probably my favorite other than Captain Miller." He nodded then took a sip of what happened to be left in the coffee cup she had spilled. "Horror huh? You have any other spec scripts?"

"No, just actual screenplays and pilots I'm trying to get out there."

"About what?"

For a moment she was rendered speechless since she didn't think she'd get this far in the conversation or that he'd be interested. Probably had they not been stuck in an elevator like this then he wouldn't have but what else were they supposed to do other than talk until help came?

"Oh one of them is kind of a dark comedy horror thing about demons and demon hunters. I have another one that's just a mafia crime drama but I guess there's plenty of dark humor in that as well. Big fan of dark humor." She nodded glad that the orange of the lights in there hid how much she had to be blushing as she forced herself to talk about this to the most powerful guy in the studio.

"You know if you really don't feel like you fit with Quantum Echoes I may have a better position for you. It just opened up."

"Mmm okay what would that be?"

"Personal assistant."

She clenched her jaw as she had kind of been hoping that maybe, just maybe, he was going to offer her something else. However, she also knew that she really couldn't expect an immediate movie deal from him based off of what she had said and her minimal experience there. Being his person assistant would be a step up. She'd get to know him a lot more intimately and it would certainly open up the doors she'd been trying to open for years. She'd never do that as just a staff writer for a show she enjoyed but shouldn't have been writing for in the first place.

"Yeah I mean I'd love too if you think that's a good idea."

"You have any experience with it?"

"Way more than being a staff writer for an actual TV show. It's how I started my career out here."

"Smart move." He chuckled and leaned passed her to press the emergency button again. "The position I'm considering you for will probably be different than what you were doing previously, though."

"Oh? Well I'm a fast learner and I can adapt like that." She snapped her fingers on the last word. "I can send you my resume and recommendations if-"

"That won't be necessary." He said. "Be in my office tomorrow morning at eight and we'll get you started."

"What about my-"

"Don't worry I'm sure I can find them another writer to replace you if things work out." She grinned. Just as he was about to press the emergency button again there was static on the intercom then a voice informing them that things should be up and running in five minutes or so.

"Thank you, sir. I promise that I won't let you down."

"Don't start making promises until you know the details of the position." He said looking her right in the eyes as he spoke. Then he took another sip of his coffee.

"Details..."

"Nothing to be discussed here. You'll have to sign an NDA first."

"What kind of..." before she could finish the lights came back on and the elevator shuddered back to life. It started to descend to the ground floor once again. She looked at him her mind swirling with thoughts about what he could possibly be talking about when it came to this position as his assistant. Her mind went to sex, of course, probably something perverted or kinky.

*Whatever it takes. *

The mantra echoed through her head. She knew what she was doing here and no doubt he knew what this was as well. It couldn't have been any more obvious with him bringing this up right after she explained to him what she really wanted to do with her writing career. Still, there were worse things she could be doing to climb her way to the top. Worse people too. The doors opened and he stepped out in front of her before pausing and turning.

"You were right about us getting off together you know." He laughed and without another word he headed for the men's room probably in an intent to clean up his shirt. She felt her face heat up like crazy as she flushed with arousal and embarrassment. She wasn't sure why he'd be so interested in her but it didn't really matter. If this was her way into the life that she always wanted to have, she was going to take it.

*******

She didn't know how she was supposed to dress for this meeting but she chose to go with a business professional look. Something that she'd modeled after the other personal assistants she had seen around. Even if she had this job before it hadn't been for anyone nearly as high profile as Seth. She guessed she would find out soon enough.

When she arrived there was a secretary in the waiting area. A very annoyed looking woman with overfilled lips and an obvious boob job. She was filing her nails and seemed put out by having to actually do her job and tell Seth that someone was there for an appointment. She took a seat to wait for him but he was fairly punctual. It was a good thing since she hadn't wanted to wait long enough for the panic to set in and convince her to leave.

"Come on in, Lisa." He said and motioned for her to join him in his office. She'd never been in there before but it was huge and luxurious. At the same time it was cozy and warm. Not sterile and cold like she somehow expected it to be. "Have a seat." She looked at the chairs across from his desk and sat down.

"Thank you for seeing me, sir."

"Don't be so humble I don't like that. Besides I asked you here so the pleasure is all mine." He smirked and then opened the top drawer of his desk with a key. He removed two stacks of paper from in there and set them on the desk facing her. He slid the one on the right forward first. "There are two contracts for you to look over."

"I'm not really the best at legal speak unless you want me to take a few hours to really comprehend what's in here." She laughed softly.

"You can certainly take all the time you want but I can summarize it. I guess it's up to you to believe it or not." He said. She nodded and picked up the papers that he'd slid towards her first.

The first page was standard stuff. Mostly about privacy and a non disclosure agreement for being his assistant. On the next few pages were details of what was expected from her in this position and then a general dress code. All of it was familiar to her and things she'd done before.

"You can summarize this if you want but it's like every other contract I've signed for this job so I don't think you're trying to screw me or anything." She laughed.

"Ah don't speak too soon." He smirked and looked her over. She blinked a few times wondering what that was supposed to mean. "The standard contract which you are free to accept will pay 150 thousand a year with car allowance and-"

"I'm sorry what?"

"That's pretty much the going rate for good personal assistants, isn't it?"

"Well 100k and um not a car allowance so..."

"Anyone ever tell you that you're too honest for your own good? Look if you want a decent place to live here and a car that works you need the salary. I also can't have my assistant driving...what is it you drive?"

"A 2016 Toyota." She said. It was old and had a lot of miles but still worked. Mostly. It probably wouldn't be that way for long.

"Yeah so that's not going to be reliable or flashy and I can't have people thinking someone who works for me has that car. No offense." He sighed. "Look I'm really not this narcissistic it's the business you know? Appearances and all that."

"I understand sir. Please continue." She said knowing that she was making half what he just offered as a staff writer and was living with roommates. The new salary would allow her to get her own place and in a better part of town.

"It also includes medical and dental and paid vacation time. Oh also a Christmas bonus depending on how well the studio does this year. Any questions?"

"Not about this." She looked up and motioned to the other stack of papers which was obviously another contract she just couldn't read it from where it was on the desk.

"This is another contract for a very personal assistant." He said. "Don't freak out. I'm offering, sure, but you can say no and still keep the regular job it won't come up again." He said. "No pressure."

"Very personal assistant?" She knew this had to be a sex thing but she was way more intrigue than repulsed. Also confused. Why her? "No offense sir but can't you have any woman on the planet?"

"Most of them yes but that's not what this is about." He chuckled. "This is about a power dynamic."

"I see." She said and sat up a bit more to try to get a glimpse of what the contract said but he put his hand over it quickly.

"Interested?"

"I can't say I'm not but I also can't say yes or no at this time. Can I at least think about it first?"

"Alright you have one week then the offer is off the table and I find someone else. For that job. As I said you can keep the normal one." He said. She nodded looking down at his hand then back up to his eyes. This wasn't going to be an easy decision.

"But if I'm your special personal assistant wouldn't that mean another person would-"

"No. You'd still be my personal assistant just with more benefits." He said. "And that's all you get to know...for now."

"How am I supposed to know if I want to agree to this if I don't know what else is in the contract."

"Life is about risks. The greater the risk the greater the reward. Up to you to decide. Not me." He said. "So if you are starting today there's a whole list of things I need you to get to by day's end." He grabbed a planner from his desk and held it out to her along with a pen. She took it and signed the first contract quickly not wanting that to be taken off the table for a second.

"I'll get right on it, sir and you'll have my answer within the week. Maybe less."

"Good to know." He said and turned to look at his computer. She watched him for a moment before heading out of there to start taking care of her list. The first task was a Starbucks run. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. A new car. A new place to live and a job she was better suited for, even if it wasn't exactly the dream option. Yet try as she might, she couldn't get the idea of the second contract out of her head. She was positive it would torment her the rest of the day too.

[spurgie-cousin]

my period better be close bc why am i crying my way through the newest episode of sister wives 😭

the first thing that got me was meri meeting back up with the other wives individually. and when she saw Christine they hugged and said "I love you"s while visibly emotional. and Christine kept saying things like, "it's going to be so much better. it is so much better on the other side, you'll see". So that got me good.

ok and then I cried at Kody coming to Gwen's engagement (to a woman for those who don't know) bc I guess that just activated some latent conservative dad trauma

and finally at the very end there was a clip of the next episode where David proposes to Christine, and they were at the red rocks and she was just in jeans and a hoodie with her hair down, and the camera angle was from the side and I swear she looked just like she was 21 again. so I just cried again thinking like, she gets a do-over 😭 young Christine who was a hopeless romantic and sheltered and had no idea what she was signing up for marrying Kody gets to finally be the most important person to the man she's married to. so then I cried a THIRD time

[disventure-rewrite-takes]

Something that’s always annoyed me is that we literally never saw Emily actually do her job before she got fired. In episode one, they said her job was to create drama between the contestants and use the confessionals to do that, which she then.. never does??? I feel like it’s such a missed opportunity that they never really used her for this, especially when all the characters just jump to conclusions and create drama on their own which just makes them unlikeable most of the time. For example, she could’ve told Jake things about Tom and Aiden (even if that plotline sucked), made the Jake and Ally plot worse, Connor and Riya, Ellie with the villains alliance, etc.

Plus, I could be misremembering, but I’m pretty sure we never find out WHY she even helps Yul out in the earlier episodes. It sort of makes sense for his manager to contact her out of all the staff since she’s the newest, but why exactly does she decide to help?? How does it benefit her at all to do something that could (and did) get her fired for the sake of his reputation? Just because the manager would pay her?? It makes no sense to me.

I don’t think ONC had any idea what they were doing with her character for this entire season. Like, what the hell was the POINT of spending 5 episodes straight building up a friendship between her and Trevor that was clearly good for both of them, just to fuck it up for the sake of Trevek. And again, we have no idea what her plan to “ruin the show” even is. I’d assume that she intended for the scorpions to seriously injure or even kill one of the contestants so the staff would be in a lot of trouble, but. How did they NOT consider this as a possibility. They (or atleast Trevor and Derek) knew about the scorpions since season one, they’re in the same caves, and it was probably them who locked them in that cage in the first place. Plus, Trevor seemed to know exactly what Emily was gonna do and just didn’t.. try to warn anyone or say anything at all? Ok. Emily I’m so sorry for what they did to u queen, you deserve to be in a better show than this

every single character deserves to be in a better show, because i can truly get behind why characters like riya or even fucking YUL can be nuanced. TRULY, they do have potential, just not under ONC.

but EMILY??? they did her DIRTY. i don't get anyone saying it's in-character or out-of-character because guess what, her character is barely fucking established. it is SURREAL just how BAD her writing is. if you did a proper character analysis for her you couldn't say shit because there's so many contradicting things to say!! and this sucks!! because she could've been great!! but in ONC's eyes if a character is queer they're interesting enough who cares about actual development that makes sense!!!!! they're so progressive you guys!!! don't you want to watch disventure camp because they show up in those '_ rep in shows' slideshows from tiktok?!!?!?! don't you !?!?!??!?!?!?!!!