#(i know its so unlikely and they might fuck him up somehow but i believe in hope and i hope so hard about this)

[jetcorax]

[lemon-natalia]

Nona the Ninth Reaction - Chapter 31

quick note first of all, would anyone be interested in me also doing a liveblog for 'The Unwanted Guest' as well as these remaining chapters?

and after three books we’re back on the Ninth where this all started. Kiriona’s putting on a bit of a show with the ‘Home sweet home’ thing, but it really can’t be pleasant returning to somewhere she spent an absolutely horrible childhood trying to escape, and without Harrow no less

this might genuinely be the first time there has ever been a dog on the Ninth, i don’t really see the cult of goth priests being big on pets

‘then again, i’m not sure of John period’ yeah me neither, quite frankly even after a book which spends half its page time detailing his backstory i’m still unsure about what exactly his plans and powers are

‘a string of fairy lights wouldn’t have gone amiss’ honestly given Harrow’s general penchant for interior bone design, i think she could be persuaded if the fairy lights were made out of actual bone somehow

ohh holy shit there was a good moment while reading that description of Gideon surrounded by corpses with blood on her sword that i fully thought that she’d come back to the Ninth on some weird revenge mission and just straight up murdered Crux

‘My lady, you have come home to us … at last’ why is this making me feel things for Crux of all people. like he has no idea about Nona, or that Harrow’s lost in the River, or anything she’s been through at all. all he knows is that she left for the First, became a Lyctor, and never communicated or came home again

oh great we’re returning to possibly the creepiest part of GtN with the weird ‘devil’ things. between the duel of the Third and Sixth and possession of Colum Asht, the second half of that book is suddenly becoming very relevant again. while Nona’s been living in a combination slice-of-life/war drama, Kiriona’s life seems to have taken a sharp turn into zombie apocalypse novel. fun!

i’m very intrigued about the little pieces of John and Gideon’s relationship that we get here, notably i think (if i remember correctly) that this is the first time she’s mentioned him as ‘Dad’, seemingly completely sincerely, unlike calling him ‘Pops’ at the end of HtN. and apparently he falsely reassured her that the devils were confined to Antioch, but Kiriona seems to have fully believed him and sounds genuinely upset that he apparently lied about it

wow Crux literally cannot stop hating on Gideon even when he’s actively fucking dying. on one level i can admire the commitment but dude, this level of beef with a literal teenager is ridiculous

‘there was a figure there - dark robes with a pale face’ okay i really can’t figure out what is with the weird stalker figure here. is it Nona having a hallucination of Harrow? just a strange description of one of the nuns?

Pyrrha apparently painted a mint green nursery here a long time ago, i assume for Anastasia’s kid, which would explain the weird remark about helping deliver a baby back in chapter 10. also this implies a version of the Ninth which was at one point not quite so dedicated to the doom-and-gloom-bones-and-death aesthetic, which feels inconceivable to me

well hello Aiglamene long time no see, this is a slightly more welcome return than Crux at least. ngl i really wasn’t expecting to see all these characters from the beginning of GtN again, but it’s interesting to catch up and see how little has really changed there despite all the events of the series

ohhh my god. this is not how i expected a reunion between Aiglamene and Gideon to go. Aiglamene seems so genuinely shaken by the fact that she’s dead, and the fact that she’s apparently very angry at Harrow on Gideon’s behalf, like !! she definitely seems to care about Gideon a lot more than she ever actually let on to her

‘Nona was deeply horrified to see actual walk-around skeletons’ i think Harrow would be mortally offended that anyone in her body could find skeletons horrifying

actually yknow what i take back what i said in GtN about Palamedes, Paul should absolutely not be a therapist with this bedside manner

‘You can’t take loved away’ uh, excuse me for a minute i need to sit in a corner and cry my heart out for a moment. this moment really feels like a summary of a lot of themes in the whole series

ok the final nail in the coffin for my emotional wellbeing at the end of this chapter is that Pyrrha did actually get a birthday present, one that she’ll never be able to give her. here i am completely distraught over cheap moustache rides what have you done to me Tamsyn Muir

istg at least some part of Nona needs to live on. like c’mon Gideon died at the end of the first book and she’s still kicking, Nona can do it too. once again it is nearly the end of a Locked Tomb book and i am in severe denial about probably permanent character death

[hisokamywaifu]

Hisoka relationship hcs (sfw)

Somehow I haven't really written hcs before but here we go

Also first non smut post wtf am I doing with my life??

Warnings: probably cursing but idrk, no outright smut but a couple sexual phrases i guess, Hisoka is a warning in and of himself

~~~

This man

idk how to start this but

You'd definitely have a cat together (sorry if you're allergic 😐)

He's such a cat person, and I feel like when you're chilling at home he'll just look at it 👀 for like hours until it gets a little freaked out and hides from him

he might challenge it to a fight...since that's how he is (you'll have to make sure he doesn't get bored and kill it 😬)

But he'll be great at playing w it tho, he'll set up elaborate hunts and things for it so it's never bored

The poor creature will be a lil bit traumatized but at least it'll get its exercise in 💀

anyway, away from the subject of cats

Unlike what many people believe, I don't think you have to be op and a amazing fighter to get him to be attracted to you

Actually I think he's even more intrigued when he notices someone for reasons other than their fighting abilities

He wants to know more

He's definitely very physical, he's always finding one way or another to be touching you, whether in public or alone

And this is the kind of relationship that is mutually yandere

He will not hesitate to kill anyone he deems as 'too close' to you, and if you do the same, it's a major turn on for him

He's always with you, 24/7 (but if you need some space he's fine with roaming for a while, he might disappear for a few weeks but he doesn't get offended that you need your space)

OH AND THIS MAN

Whenever he wants your attention, or he wants to be closer to you

h-he

he will

p-pull you towards him with his bungee gum 🤭

And don't let him find out you're into it or else he'll start doing it ALL. THE . TimE.

Oh, and when he's fighting? He KNOWS when you're watching. He'll make sure to save the dramatic finish for when you're paying attention.

And then he winks or bows or something at the end to make you laugh which makes his grin widen

this guy

everyone thinks you're insane for dating him but the insanity is what makes you a perfect match for him

Also, he would be into all different kinds of music

so whatever you like, he enjoys too

You can bop with him to all your favorite songs, and just have the best time fooling around with him

You probably don't spend much time in each place, due to Hisoka's...lifestyle? So there may be a lot of moving involved

But anything you wanna try w him in cool new locations, he's willing and eager to do it all with you

He takes you out for manicures and gets matching nails with you every so often

Pull his hair. Trust me. Just do it.

Sometimes he makes you mad on purpose to get you to scold him because thats just the hottest thing ever to him

Since he's so clingy and touch starved he will force you to cuddle with him

But it's okay because he's weirdly comfortable

He will flex in front of you just to see you drool over his muscles

and he's flexible, so he stretches and watches your reaction too

lmao and cooking

This could go either way

He's either the best cook ever without trying, or he has never tried and never will

And this guy is the sassiest bitch ever

He is always snarking at the worst times

And if you guys are across the room from each other you have silent conversations with your eyes just knowing exactly what the other is thinking

No matter how far into this relationship you are, he will never stop flirting with you shamelessly

He switches between big spoon and little spoon, but is always so cuddly and cozy

And if you're even half the amount of clingy that he is, he's over the moon

He absolutely loves whenever you initiate contact

OOOO and carnival dates (I have to lean into the aesthetic here) but he's the best bf for those ever

Overall, he's just the most amazing person ever

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Woah first non smut piece of writing eVeR

I love Hisoka so fucking much. He's probably my favorite of my 100+ anime boyfies (I have a list)

Anyway, if you liked these hcs, feel free to request other ones! I'm taking a break from full fics for a while because writers block is a bitch, but I'm gonna try out headcannons for a while

[babydipper]

I have had this in my head since listening to Halsey's The Great Impersonator. The Batboys as the songs from the album:

Dick as Ego

Been a few months since I crossed over state lines

Talk to my mom, fake smiles over FaceTime

I can't keep my feet on the ground

And I'm nervous what you'll think of me now

I think that I should try to kill my ego

'Cause if I don't, my ego might kill me

I'm all grown up but somehow lately

I'm acting like a fucking baby

I'm really not as happy as I seem

Jason as Lucky

Everybody, get in line to meet the girl who flew too high

Inner child's unrecruited, truth is I'm not suited for it

When I die, I won't have time to spend my money

But I hope that you still love me

A problem child, I was rough

But what do you do with a difficult grownup?

Tim as The Great Impersonator

But sometimes it might get to me

The things on all their minds

Like, "They don't know I'm lonely"

And, "They don't know I'm kind"

Or scared that I can't hack it with the current paradigm

Does a story die with its narrator?

Ah-ah

Surely it's forgotten soon or later

Ah-ah

Hope they spell my name right in the paper

Ah-ah

In here lies the great impersonator

This is a cry for help, callin' for assistance

But you can't tell I need it when you’re watchin' from a distance

Damian as Darwinism

What if I'm from outer space?

And I have fire in my bones and in my veins?

I let it show and scare my suitors far away

Leave them traumatized with visions of its glow behind my face

While they're in paradise, I'm exiled in the sand

And I'm the only outlier, the lonely archetype

You all know something that I don't

You all learned something that I fear I'll never know

You all grew body parts I fear I'll never grow

Well, I was born all by myself

It's not unlikely that I'll die that way as well

feat. Bruce as I Believe in Magic

Please tell my boy I love him so

That I believe in magic and I believe in sin

I still believe in Heaven, if they'll never let me in

I started to believe in love the day I met my little twin

I think I might start tryin' because I haven't been

[littleabriel-blog]

Why You Shouldn't Watch Loki S2

With Season 2 of that show making its debut tomorrow, I thought I would make one last ditch effort to convince people not to watch it. It's not just because it's a horrible show that makes a mockery of my favorite Marvel character. There are a lot of problematic elements that contribute to the long list of reasons why people should not give Disney their money or ratings.

I am imploring people, one last time: If you must hate-watch the season, pirate it. If you must watch with some lingering hope that the real Loki will somehow make an appearance (and based on the reviews I have seen, that seems very unlikely), pirate it. Please don't contribute to Disney's ratings. Disney isn't going to care if you're hate watching or if you are only watching it hoping to get a glimpse of the Trickster we all know and love. They only care about numbers, and high ratings might mean we'll get stuck with another season of this utter dreck.

That said, here are some reasons why you should rethink giving this show your views:

It glorifies abuse and torture

In this show we are treated to the sight of Mobius using torture as "therapy", emotionally beating Loki down to the point where he capitulates to the TVA's demands, punishing him for having a crush on someone else by sticking him in a room for hours (at least) with an illusionary Sif who kicks him in the balls and punches him on repeat while further hammering the whole "you'll always be alone, you don't deserve good things" message, and generally working for an organization that subjects Loki to mockery, bullying, sexual assault (being stripped without his consent--that scene wasn't hot. It wasn't sexy. It was horrifying and I really, really have to wonder about the mental state of anyone who is at all turned on by it. Think about it, if Loki were a woman who was being forcibly stripped, there would have been loads of hatemail filling up Disney's servers), and slavery.

That's even before we get into the atrocious way Sylvie treats him. I've gone into how she treats him many, many times, how she belittles, invalidates, silences, and oh yes tries to kill him for daring to ask her to reconsider killing HWR. If the roles were reversed and Loki treated Sylvie like that? You ladies who love the ship so much would be boycotting Disney. It's no less abuse just because it's a woman doing it to a man.

It glorifies fascism

The TVA is very much Nazi coded yet they are framed as heroes...well, except when they're picking on Sylvie of course, since she's all pure and good and can do no wrong (Mary Sue powers activate!) They torture a character who is very much Jewish coded, an effeminate man who is very much the Other in the home he grew up in.

And what the hell is this?

As a Jew, I find this image deeply, deeply disturbing. It's a fucking gas chamber, y'all. It. Is. A . Gas. Chamber.

I don't know how anyone can NOT see how problematic it is.

It has Jonathan Majors in it

I really don't give a flipping shit if they're "only" allegations or if they wrapped up filming before the allegations came out. People boycotted Flash for Ezra Miller doing basically the same thing, so I don't see why it should be any different with Majors.

But then I know from experience that some of you so-called feminists out there are only about protecting or believing women when it suits you. Can't have a little thing like not supporting a domestic abuser get in the way of your wish fulfillment self-insert fantasies of beating the crap out of Loki before fucking him.

The first season was written by a total creep, and that same creep is producing the second season

'Nuff said.

Selfcest/Incest

I don't want to hear how "selfcest doesn't exist", especially in a fictional universe where you have sorcerers, witches, men with super soldier serum running in their veins, magic plants that turn individuals into superstrong Cat People, and talking raccoons.

And even without the selfcest, that ship is a very problematic one, as I stated above, and have continued to talk about at length.

It's just plain awful

The plot is predictable, full of holes, and not even that original (it's cribbed directly from a script Waldron wrote that was so awful, even SyFy wouldn't produce it, plus see my post with the clip from Batman Returns). Loki is grossly OOC in it...seriously, there is not a single hint of the character I had grown to love from Thor 1, Avengers, and the Dark World. He's nerfed all to hell (an Asgardian god who can take on Thor easily is beaten up by human rednecks?), and he's lost all his cunning, wit, intelligence, and grace all in favor of turning him into a sophomoric slapstick clown and the butt of everyone's jokes. The newer characters are poorly mapped out and one dimensional.

It's just...bad.

So there, that's my last ditch attempt to convince people to boycott this piece of shit. I realize my pleas might be falling on deaf ears, much as Loki's pleas fell on Sylvie's, but I had to get it out there.

Other Loki show antis can add to this or elaborate if they want. I'm too tired to be too coherent right now.

[landoffreaksandfrogs]

Question for you, what are your thoughts on Aranea? I've seen people view her as a complete villain, i've seen people view her as a poor little woobie, and I've seen people deeply concerned about her adoration of Mindfang. I find her very interesting in the fact for all her manipulative behavior in homestuck, I can't really blame her for wanting to NOT fight lord english and just uncanonize him. But also she mind controlled and killed a lot of ghosts and directly or indirectly got lots killed.

i. adore aranea. not because i think shes good or even really all that nice, but because i think she has such a unique range of depth to her character that simultaneously paints her as a genius and an enormous idiot.

its clear shes very intelligent and cunning, as not only is she more powerful than vriska, but unlike vriska, who has to brute force her way through her conversations with her bravado and with her psychics, aranea can actually properly manipulate people with just her words.

shes smug and she idolizes an abuser because shes been lead to believe by paradox space itself that if she had been more like an alternian, she wouldve succeeded.

the thing with both serkets is that they HATE "losing," and losing can mean a lot of things to them and its impossible for them to let it go. aranea is obsessed with mindfang partially because vriska did, and its obvious that she really did want to connect with vriska on a genuine level, but its clear her normal sensibilities werent vriskas style.

no one takes her seriously, and by virtue of the meta-narrative, no one is SUPPOSED TO. the beforus trolls are jokes. they're flat caricatures of whatever person they might have been. homestucks afterlife is so fucked because not only does it degrade your status in the timeline, but also it degrades YOU, as a person. you have no goals, you have nothing else you can do but dick around in an infinite mish-mash of memories. its purgatory and a huge joke.

its obvious aranea seriously projected hard on the alternian ancestors to try to cope with this reality but until lord english started wrecking shop, she didnt have an outlet for this obsession. she seriously believes she IS mindfang despite the vastly different lives they lead, and the fact that she is still only a teenager.

she takes the end justifies the means to the farthest extent possible, blindly believing that one big damn heroic moment would be enough to make what she did okay. and thats a direct parallel to vriska planning to fight jack noir. she wants so badly to believe that one HUGE good thing will counteract the hundreds of small bad things that built up along the way.

shes. psychologically fascinating. the depths of her character is so immense, she is NOT a good person and on some level, she knows it. she fails horrifically because she was stupid for thinking that her plan to overwrite a doomed timeline would work. but its so fucked up and fascinating that. somehow. her actions and interference indirectly did lead to the alpha timeline. john and roxys survival from [s] game over are a permanent reminder of the mark she left upon the narrative. and we never see her again.

[theic-manic]

Hi, so this is going to be a bit of a long ask, and if you don't think you can answer that's absolutely fine, I would appreciate even being redirected to something/someone else.

I've always felt somewhat drawn to hellenism in the last three, two years. I was brought up christian but I never believed in that god, like absolute certainty. I was atheist for most of my life, but I couldn't find it in myself to be that completely skeptic if hellenism when I found out about it. Recently I felt particularly drawn to Apollo, like he outright popped into my head, so I decided to try for real this time, and called out to him, I study the ancient classics and I knew a decent bit about hellenism from my own research, but I went to look into Apollo more and SO much just aligned with my life right now.

We had this one day of blinding sun immediately after, and I was so happy since I felt that was an answer, I go to school very early so I saw the sun rise and in the evening I went out to thank Apollo for the day when the sun was going down.

What scares me is that since I've called out to Apollo, I've been tired, and it's not my "normal" tired. I can usually do things even if I haven't slept well in a while, but all of a sudden I'm tired all the time, from the moment I wake up to when I go to sleep. I tried sleeping more, didn't fix it. I genuely haven't been able to do anything for days, including things I told Apollo I'd do for him since I can't make proper offers yet (I live with my parents atm, not a minor tho). I said sorry but idk I'm worried the reason why all my energies are suddenly gone is because I upset him or someone else, and I would be happy to ask for forgiveness but I don't even really know how to understand WHO I've upset (from my understanding Apollo isn't tied to sleeping or tiredness, i thought illness but I don't have anything) or if I've upset anyone at all, and I was hoping for some tips from someone who had a bit more experience than me...?

Thank you so much for your time and your answer if you're able to write one to me!

Hey,

Thanks for the ask.

This is completely understandable and not unheard of among many of us...

Apollo is the god of plagues and diseases (among other things), so people prayed to him to be healed of the illnesses that he sent them.

He also had a history of giving people plagues and disease out of anger so I understand how you might think you've somehow enraged a deity however unlike Christian religion, it typically takes either someone of great importance or someone to fuck up royally to manage that and I honestly doubt that you've managed either.

There's just a solid chance that you've not set appropriate boundaries with Apollo and also others within your life.

In my intense and extensive experience as his devotee, if you're not doing what's required to look after yourself (such as not establishing boundaries with other people to ensure that you're not setting yourself on fire to keep others warm) he will absolutely knock you onto your arse (make you bedridden) to force such lessons.

The good news is that you have nobody to seek forgiveness from.

You need to do the following:

- Rule out all possible mundane causes such as diet, dehydration, stress, sleep disturbances, changes in medication, seasonal changes etc.

- Start setting boundaries with others to look after yourself.

Yes, that includes close friends and family.

- Start setting boundaries with Apollo (and any deity you worship).

I once had a migraine stop in its tracks because I asked, out loud, "what the actual fuck Apollo? You can't be making me ill whenever you need my attention, this is toxic as fuck".

But yeah, do those 3 dot points, and you should be okay.

Rest, hydrate and try to ponder what lessons on self care you may be needing to learn right now while making it clear to Apollo what your limits and boundaries are regarding worship and how he connects with you.

Sincerely,

An Apollo devotee hit with a random infection and lethargy as I am being reminded of this very lesson in boundaries being an act of self care myself.

[cheesetalia]

Teach My Heart to Bend Instead of Breaking Day 5: Raising a family & Nature

For @hetalia-rarepairweek's Day 5: Raising a family & Nature | England/Canada | warnings: cheating, dubcon relationship

Summary: Arthur wakes up to one of his worst nightmares becoming a reality.

Can be read on the Archive of Our Own or underneath the Readmore:

The way that Arthur and Matthew's relationship was announced to the world happened in a way that neither had intended.

Matthew had pictured himself telling first his papa, then, once Papa had met Arthur and come around to their relationship, Matthew would tell Alfred. Then Matthew and Arthur would just be openly together in public from there on.

The way Arthur had pictured it was that it never happened. He had no intention of ever telling anyone he was involved with Matthew, and just hoped to string Matthew along until the boy graduated. Then Matthew would break things off, move away for work, and settle down with a nice man who wasn't in the closet and already married.

Arthur had dreaded, even had nightmares, about some of the ways word of his affair might get out. Gilberte finding lovebites from Matthew on his skin, Gilberte finding texts or nudes from Matt on his phone (he'd since switched anything incriminating to a second, burner phone), the college Dean using his master key on Arthur's office door and catching him balls-deep in Matthew.

But the revelation of Arthur's affair with Matthew didn't come from a furious Gilberte or a sanctimonious snooping college employee.

No, it was a betrayal from Arthur's own son, Kyle. Unlike Gilberte, Kyle had seen the signs and put two and two together. Worse, he'd spotted the burner phone and somehow snuck into it to sync all its contents up with an account of his own.

Then emailed the naughty texts and photos to all of Arthur's coworkers and the college dean. Emailed them to every relative and friend of Arthur and Gilberte. Which included one Francis Bonnefoy, still one of Gilberte's best friends, although Arthur despised the arrogant prick and avoided him.

Gilberte seemed angrier that he'd cheated with Francis's son than that he had cheated, period.

"You sick fuck," she'd fumed, "I held Mattie in my arms when he was a baby."

She was busy tossing shirts and pants into the suitcase on the bed, but wasn't too distracted to give him a tongue lashing while she packed. Arthur rubbed some sleep out of his eyes. He'd been awoken a few minutes before his alarm usually went off, by Gilberte cursing him out as a selfish cheating prick. He'd thought he was in one of his recurring nightmares at first, but the soft morning light and Gilberte's livid face proved all too real.

"How was I supposed to know Matthew is his son? His last name isn't Bonnefoy and there are three different Matthews in that class!" Arthur protested.

He didn't know why he was bothering to argue; he didn't care that Gilberte was angry. He was just acting on autopilot, his mouth moving of its own volition. He was still reeling, like a boxer who'd been on the bad end of a flurry of blows. Only the punches to the head were the incredulous and furious emails and texts from their friends, family, and some of Arthur's colleagues. He'd gotten a few outright calls, which he'd hung up on quickly when they immediately began shouting, and then silenced his phone.

"You know," Gilberte said, "I believe it. That you're stupid and selfish enough to stick your dick in my best friend's kid without even knowing who you're fucking. That you've been fucking him since—" she stopped to scroll on her phone, and Arthur burned knowing she was scrolling back to that first photo he'd taken of Matthew, the first evidence of their affair.

"Since almost the start of the semester, and you never thought to ask him about his family. So typical of you," she mocked.

"Gilly, I really am very sorry—" Arthur began (he wasn't, but it seemed the thing to say).

"Dude, I don't even care. I'm leaving. You can clean up this shitstorm on your own this time," Gilberte said.

"Where are you going?" Arthur asked, his voice high and desperate.

He prayed she'd say just to a motel for a few days to have some space, or to Antonia's house.

"To Monika's," Gilberte said.

She tossed a clear toiletry bag into the suitcase and then slammed it shut.

Arthur's heart skipped a beat. Monika was back living in Berlin; if Gilberte was going there, she probably wasn't coming back any time soon.

"When will you be back?" Arthur asked.

Gilberte grabbed her suitcase with one hand and headed for the door. Arthur followed her downstairs. She paused before the front door.

"Back to the states? Dunno. Back to you and this house? Never!" Gilberte laughed.

Then she flung the door open. Arthur stepped out onto the porch, still in his slippers.

"But what about the kids?" Arthur yelled.

Gilberte didn't give him so much as a backwards glance, just tossed her suitcase into the backseat of her car. Then she was backing out of the drive way. Then driving away. Then gone.

A small hand tugged on Arthur's sleeve. Arthur glanced down, seeing his youngest son standing beside him, still dressed in his anchor and lighthouse patterned pajamas.

"Where's mama going?" Peter asked.

Arthur put his hand to his head and began rubbing his forehead. He was getting a headache. He needed to get Peter ready for school and then go face the music at the university. And check on how Matthew was doing. If Francis hadn't woken up, Matthew might not even be aware yet what had happened. And it would be better for everyone if Francis heard the truth from Matthew, instead of finding out via filthy texts and photos of his son with cum dripping from his eyelashes.

He was pulled from his musings by Peter continuing to yank on his shirt and repeat himself louder and louder til he was shouting up at Arthur. Arthur gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to shout back.

"Listen, if you'll leave me be for five bloody minutes you can stay home from school and play with your Playstation or build Lego houses or whatever it is you do," Arthur told him.

Maybe it had been Kyle that liked Legos? Perhaps Gilberte was right and he really did need to spend more time with the kids. His youngest was too annoying though. And Kyle was a traitor. Leo, his eldest who was away at a university on the other side of the country, was the only member of the family he wasn't currently pissed off at.

"Really?" Peter asked, big blue eyes widening up at Arthur.

"Yes, really," Arthur said.

"Yay!" Peter yelled, jumping way too energetically for Arthur's nerves.

He turned and ran off, whooping, and Arthur was glad to be rid of him for the moment. Arthur couldn't very well go to the university while caring for a nine-year-old, so that was out. He needed to come up with a cover story, some excuse. Check if he was in any of the photos or if there was anything else proving it was truly him and not a malicious prank. Make sure Matthew was going to keep quiet and not spill the beans to any college officials. Talk to his union rep.

Arthur could kill Kyle for this. Fortunately for his son's continued survival, he'd decided to leak his poisonous little trove of texts and photos on a week he was staying out of town with friends.

With a mounting list of things to do, Arthur headed to his study to pour himself a stiff drink. First things first, he had to break the bad news to Matthew.

[mischief-lies-and-stories]

Loki Episode 5 Coherent Thoughts

Spoilers for Episode 5. Once again, I have not rewatched before posting.

Most of this is lokius related because I'm still a damn fool.

I want the twist at the end to be that Loki gives Mobius (and the others) back his memories to give him the choice to go back to his life, and is just really sad about it, because he expects Mobius to want to go back to his kids who don't have a mother. But he gives him his memories of his past and they're... not what he saw when he found him. Like at all. I'm not gonna speculate on specifics (*cough* Theo Bell *cough*) but he doesn't have the responsibilities of being a single parent. And Loki's like 'No, but you had two boys,' and he tells Mobius about them and they both kind of realize at the same moment that they looked like Mobius but acted like Loki. None of that was real. Mobius made all that shit up and it somehow manifested. Because he's got it B-A-D for Loki, like a middle schooler with their first crush imagining an entire life with them.

Alternatively, I saw only one other post about this but maybe it's gotten some traction by now, but maybe Mobius's wife got Blipped four years prior. So the good thing is the boys are gonna have a parent in a year even if Mobius decides to stay with Loki.

Hi hello I'm still disturbed that these very young children have been possibly left home alone for eight hours (he says his shift is 9-5), and Mobius couldn't even answer the phone when they called. We don't see a babysitter. Mobius, this is neglect. For the children's sake, I fucking hope either A. they aren't real, or B. a more responsible parent is about to come back and take care of them in 2023. (Ugh, but Love having cousins who are about her age and just as chaotic as she is would be amazing.)

I've come up with the worst Dad joke and a way for Mobius to get out of his bribery with his kid he for sure cannot deliver on. He brings OB around for dinner. OB's timeline name (if I read the subtitles correctly) is A.D. Doug. ADDOUG=A DOG. And his TVA name is Ouroboros, the SNAKE eating its own tail. (Alternatively, you now know Loki, you can borrow his sons Fenrir and Jormungandr. Blended family.)

I know it hasn't been explicitly stated, but I thought the whole thing with Alioth in season one was meant to imply that Loki now knows how to restore memories. So why the fuck doesn't he try it in this episode? Even if he's pretty sure they're all where they were prior to the formation of the TVA, it's still after for him, so why wouldn't he at least try it? When he kept moving toward Mobius in the garage scene I thought he was gonna grab his head but he doesn't. (Maybe he was interrupted by OB, but he has ample opportunity later.)

It just needs to be said because I love history. I am obsessed with Casey being Frank Morris. Both he and Loki being central to these ongoing (technically) mysteries is amazing. Like unlike Cooper it is generally accepted that Frank and his co-escapees drowned during the attempt, but no bodies identified as the men were ever found (if my shallow dive into the wiki article immediately following the episode is to be believed). OB, your boyfriend's a convict lolololol!

AD Doug is still gender-neutral though. It's 1994 but my boi can still be enby. (I'm aware enby people existed well before this but, and the wiki is not being helpful, I think the specific term was coined in the mid to late 90s or possibly later, so OB may not have been aware of it.)

I don't think Marvel is moving toward Casey/OB (at least not before the end of this season, if we get another season it MIGHT be a different story), but fuck it would be so funny if they met so much later than lokius but were able to get their shit together faster than lokius. I think it'd check out for for everyone involved. Hell, maybe they're already together and it just hasn't come up yet to the group. That'd be funnier (bonus points if B-15 already knows though).

Loki for some fucking reason: Hold on, I gotta look cool and suave for this dork of a single dad who's already informed me at least three times of his own volition that he's single.

[crplpunkklavier]

obsessed with how klavier's canon timeline just fully makes no sense.

his trial against phoenix is his first, right. at this point, the gavinners are already famous enough to perform expensive concerts, due to their debut single hitting platinum overnight. we don't know when this happened, just that it had to be before the gramarye trial, because klavier talks about it there. ok.

when kristoph talks to him before the trial, in the flashback, we briefly see klavier's office, that already seems to have guitars all over the wall. that's not necessarily an inconsistency, it just means that even before he ever went to court, klavier had that office, and enough money to cram it full of guitars, which also suggests they aren't necessarily like a carefully curated collection, but were in fact just some 16~17 year old guy who just got a lot of money and bought 50 guitars at once in some sort of teenage frenzy.

we also don't know when exactly he took the bar exam, only that he took it in europe. obviously, it was before that first trial, so he might have even been younger than 17, but we don't know.

my favorite part, though, is that he says that daryan was the first detective he'd ever worked with, which can also mean a number of really weird things. clearly, the gavinners existed before klavier started prosecuting, so,

either he knew daryan before daryan was a detective, and they started the band together and then both also started into their law enforcement lives, in which case its hilariously strange of klavier to say that he was the first detective he ever worked with. like, i guess, but you also knew him when you were in high school.

or the gavinners existed without daryan for a short time, which seems unlikely, but would also be really funny given they had a platinum hit without this dude then. and then klavier starts working with a detective and is like hey you should join my glam rock band. yeah youve heard of us

or klavier worked with him on a case he just didnt prosecute, either because it didnt go to trial, or maybe he worked on it for school or something, which then implies that either daryan somehow made detective before he hit 20, or daryan is SEVERAL years older than klavier. which, according to canon ages, he is not. they're the same age. but maybe daryan pretends to be 5 years younger or something. wouldn't put it past him. or he pretended to be older with a fake ID so they'd let him into the force (also hilarious). because we know daryan didn't study abroad, since he canonically has never left the country.

and then lastly there's the fact that it is heavily implied that klavier just.... stopped prosecuting after the gramarye trial. or at least the judge hadn't seen him around in a while, and klavier doesn't deny that he was absent, allegedly because his band got so big. we're made to believe that he only returns once he hears of apollo, and yet his office looks the exact same, as far as we can see in pictures. which once again leaves us with two possibilities: klavier's office was left completely untouched for 7 years, or he moved out of there after one trial, and then came back 7 years later and decided, yep, i should put my guitars up again the exact same way i did when i was 17.

there's also a thousand other ways of reading all this really. i honestly think this was all just the writers sort of winging it, and it's not like the mason system doesn't fully fuck up the timeline in that game anyway, so i don't think any of these are any more or less canon than others. they're just fun theories to play around with. what the fuck was this guy doing.

[m-ir-a-n-da]

You simply cannot convince me that Summer and Qrow aren’t actually Ruby’s parents.

• Qrow has always been much more protective of Ruby than Yang. He’s always been much closer to her. Despite the fact that technically (if Summer and Tai are Ruby’s parents) Ruby is not actually Qrow’s niece.

• Ruby exhibits no resemblance to Tai. Yang very clearly looks like both of her parents, but Ruby looks just like Summer. Which is of course a thing, but she inherited Qrow’s personality in many ways.

• Summer and Tai getting together and having a daughter less than two years after Raven left just seems so unlikely to me. Their relationship is confusing if we believe the information that’s been presented to us at its shallowest level, and everything we know about Summer would lead me to believe that Tai is not her type. At least not right away. And then how were she and Raven still friends or at least cordial in the Volume 9 flashback?

•Also, the way Qrow assumes authority over Ruby even in Tai’s presence and the way Tai yields makes me think that Tai respects Qrow’s rights as a father.

•I think it’s possible Summer and Tai began to fall for each other as they raised their children together, and I think it makes sense for Tai to love Ruby as his own. He has raised her on his own. Perhaps that’s even the source of the tension between Tai and Qrow and explains Qrow’s drinking and pain surrounding his semblance.

• not to mention, Ruby’s last name isn’t Xiao Long because Tai ISNT HER DAD. Also, it explains why Qrow is always coming around even though he and Tai clearly don’t enjoy each other’s company. He would want to watch Ruby grow up, and Tai wouldn’t take that away from him regardless of his personal feelings.

• But the one thing I can’t figure out is why Ruby wouldn’t know. Why would Qrow not have raised her? For what reason did Summer and Tai raise their children together? Perhaps Qrow’s semblance? In Volume 4 he says it makes things hard on his family, and you can tell there is some DEEP rooted trauma there. Also, Team STRQ is known to have made some very poor decisions when it comes to emotions and relationships in the past, so why wouldn’t they think it was a good idea for Qrow to pretend to be Ruby’s uncle? I mean, they kept Ozpin’s secrets their whole lives in order to avoid panic and disorder.

I want more info on the dysfunctionality of the Xiao-Long-Branwen family. Did something happen that is related to Summer’s disappearance? I feel like this information is about to revealed to us.

Ruby had to go through the transformation she did in Volume 9 so that she can handle the fucking bomb that’s about to be dropped on her in the coming volume(s). They are setting us up for a major development in the STRQ past that is somehow going to be directly linked to how they defeat Salem.

Team RWBY has continually made better decisions than Team STRQ did at their age which will show us why STRQ has failed to defeat Salem and why RWBY can.

(Me hoping to god Rooster Teeth doesn’t ruin RWBY by making too many volumes, but also trusting them to do the right thing for the story, because they have always prioritized its natural development.)

There is a Harry Potter level of complexity to the relationships between all the characters and the story that doesn’t make it into the script. (I mean just look at how much depth they gave to Neo and Torchwick without Neo ever saying a word and Torchwick barely even interacting with her on screen.)

I don’t care that Miles Luna said Qrow is not Ruby’s dad. That was five years ago. I think the show has brought us here in a way they might not have intended it to.

Sorry that’s a disorganized mess, I’m just spewing my thoughts. Moral of the story: I am excited about all the ways volume 9 left us uncertain of the story’s next steps and I cannot wait to see where they take us next.

[one-vivid-judgment]

Hi! Can I request some possessive or jealous hcs with Eiji, Ebina and Soma? Thanks!

Not quite NSFW, but rest assured, the spice shall return soon 🤧🤧

Eiji Mitamura

The most possessive motherfucker out there. Always has to be touching you in some way when you are out in public, mostly a hand on your waist or on your ass. He needs to make sure everyone around knows you are his.

If any asshole thinks they are so smart that they can flirt with you right in front of him—well, first of all, newsflash: they are not. He’s got an eye on everyone he thinks might try to mess with you, and by the time the guy approaches you, he’s already one step ahead, walking up to you and taking you away, shooting the guy a death glare.

He can tell when you are trying to make him jealous by purposefully letting guys flirt with you where he can see. He doesn’t think it’s funny at all, unlike you seem to believe. If you want a rough fuck, you could just ask for it like a normal person instead of playing games, you know?

Masataka Ebina

Okay, I lied. He is the most possessive motherfucker out there. Not even your friends are safe from his judgment at first—oh, he trusts you, of course, but if he notices one of your friends is acting suspiciously flirty towards you, he’s stepping in. Not necessarily with physical contact either, he’ll just stand by your side with this deceitfully sweet smile while giving your friend the side eye.

There was this one Seiryu grunt who tried to hit on you behind Ebina’s back and thought no one would find out. Obviously, he thought wrong, because somehow, someway word got out and it found its way to Ebina. The guy straight up vanished after that, and no one knows why or what happened to him. If you ask Ebina about it, he’ll just laugh and brush it off with a “Now, let’s not talk about pointless stuff like that, shall we dear?” Honestly, it’s better not to know.

He actually thinks it’s kinda cute when you let guys flirt with you in front of him. He knows it’s all a game for you, and that all you want is to be put in your place. Sure, you can always ask for it, but also, this is kinda like foreplay for you two, so...

Kazuki Soma

Surprisingly low on the jealousy escale. Which doesn’t mean he can’t be a possessive son of a bitch sometimes. He doesn’t like it when others disregard that you are his and hit on you like he’s not even there. He’ll stand in between you and that asshole with a dead serious expression; if they still don’t take the hint after that, then he may resort to threats and a knife.

Akutsu flirts with you right on his face sometimes, to get under his skin. Soma knows he’s not serious about it, but it doesn’t make him any less mad. They never outright fight, verbally or physically, but the other RK members can tell when Akutsu has done something stupid by how Soma seems to snap more easily than usual.

Thing is, you sometimes play along with Akutsu’s flirting and that does make Soma mad. Wanted to be roughed up a little? Oh, you are getting a lot more than you bargained for. He’s not stopping until he’s certain Akutsu will look at you tomorrow and know just who did that to you.

[late-to-the-magnus-archives]

So this fic may only be canon up to Malevolent 29, but...

I'd say some recent issues are working their way in anyway, wouldn't you? ^_^

(Fic still in progress, largely unedited, etc.)

(This scene is after so much drama, and they are wandering around the King's palace, stuck until someone decides to let them out. They're in the cookie jar for later, folks.)

(John has not benefited from hanging out with his older self, and has been nudged into some inappropriate behavior. Good luck getting him to SEE that, though.)

--------

Arthur isn’t okay that they’re in a glowing blue garden.

The last time they were someplace like this, things had gone very, very wrong. 

They’d fought each other - worse than they ever had, saying things neither of them could ever take back. They’d been captured, and dumped into the prison pits for months, and Arthur had defended himself against a cannibalistic murderer by committing murder and then cannibalism. None of it was okay, none of it was dealt with, none of it was a thing he’d ever want to think about again, but here they are, and John won’t stop talking.

It’s comforting. The blue light from the fungus might have some unseen properties; it’s calming, I’d say intentionally. There are benches here and there along the black gravel path, human-height, clearly designed to be inviting.

“Mm,” says Arthur.

Perhaps the fungus is better tended here, or maybe it’s merely part of the same genus, but it is a different plant. There are leaves, Arthur; leaves, and an occasional flower, unlike any I’ve known - shaped a little like lavender, but cascading down like weeping willows. The light is soft and gentle. I get the impression the walls, covered as they are in living things, might be soft to the touch. Arthur, are you listening?

“Mm,” says Arthur.

There is a pond of sorts in the center; not big enough to be called anything else, yet its clarity and stillness give an impression of great depth, says John, sounding significantly less calm. It is somehow silver in spite of the blue light; it doesn’t reflect as much as I’d expect, but remains so clear, so perfect, like the moment between breaths. The position of benches makes me think one is supposed to sit and contemplate it, perhaps think deep inside it, perhaps learn to be as still.

“Mm,” says Arthur.

What the fuck is wrong with you?

“Are you done?” Arthur wants out. He’s afraid. Deeply afraid. Keeping that barely under control with anger.

There is a pause. This isn’t like before, Arthur. We aren’t in immediate danger.

“Right. Right. Of course. Are you done?”

Another pause. Arthur. We need to talk.

“You know, John, you keep saying that, and it keeps being as absurd as it was the first time you said it. No we don’t, and we need to find Martin and his Jon. Which direction do I go?”

Yet another pause. Arthur doesn’t understand what’s going on with those. They’ve been happening since he woke up in that weird, luxurious bed.

Maybe John is consulting documentation, haha. Arthur gets the imaginary visual a manual labeled, RUINED HUMAN (MODEL: ARTHUR LESTER) INSTRUCTION BOOK.

John makes a sort of choked sound, as if he almost laughed.

“Oh, what is it now?” Arthur snaps. 

I refuse to go any further until we work some of this out! John snaps, his basso profundo bolstered by his contrabass growl.

“Are you bloody serious?”

Yes! Do you know how bad it would have been if he’d been who we feared today? Do you have any idea? And we wouldn’t have been prepared because we hadn’t talked about it!

“We most certainly have talked about it,” says Arthur in a light, pleasant voice he can barely believe he’s producing. “We already know what we would do: fight to the death. That’s all.”

NO.

Arthur stiffens. “No? No?”

John is puffing away in his head, sounding like an angry bull.

“You want to talk about it? Fine! We’ll sit here until the King changes his mind, or decides to distill us into some kind of stew, or opts to send some fucking animal after us to hunt us down for sport! Is that what you want? Fine! Then we’ll do that!” Wild with stubbornness, Arthur storms in his best guessed direction for a bench, and he rams right into one.

His shin does not thank him.

“Ow! Fucking damn it! That’s your fault.”

Arthur!

Arthur sits, well aware he’s flouncing onto the stone bench the way Faroe would during a tantrum, but utterly unable to stop. “What?” 

I can’t lose you again!

Arthur goes completely still, and John is amazed at all he can feel.

The flutter of Arthur’s heart; the twist in his stomach; the way his hand clenches and unclenches; the way his back straightens, stiffens, aches.

The way his eyes blink rapidly, because they are wet, and he doesn’t want John to know.

The taste in his mouth has changed - metallic, now, somehow an anxious flavor, and Arthur is also producing more saliva. Even his balls have tightened, as if to withdraw into his body.

Arthur exhales slowly. “You won’t lose me.”

You don’t know that! He… the King… 

“What, John?” And anger rises, narrowing Arthur’s eyes, tightening his jaw. “He did do something to you, didn’t he?”

And here was the perfect segue.

John was going to tell him about the thought-reading thing eventually, but it wasn’t a segue for that. No - this was an attempt to correct an error before it came back to bite them on the ass.

In the wake of everything, John had forgotten that Kayne threatened him with the knowledge of who the King in Yellow truly was.

John had lied about it. He had to cut the legs out from under this one before it had a chance to return.

He wasn’t even sure why he’d lied about it in the first place. Shame, maybe? Is that what this was? I need to tell you something. About the King in Yellow. About who he really is. And yes, he did do something to me. He showed me your death. Your counterpart’s death. Arthur, I… 

Arthur has grabbed John’s hand and is holding it. “That’s horrible. John, I’m so sorry. Why would he do that?”

He wasn’t trying to be cruel. He was trying to warn me. Trying to make sure we don’t make the same mistakes he did.

Arthur isn’t getting it. “What? How could you make the mistakes he did? We’re not even in his world. Fucking asshole.”

John briefly wishes he knew how to calm Arthur the way his counterpart had, then pushes the thought aside. That’s too far. That’s too much. He won’t do that. I… I lied to you, Arthur. I panicked. I didn’t want you to judge me, to… to hate me. And I lied.

Funny, how Arthur’s eyes still widen in response even though he can’t see anything out of them.

Funny, too, how the panic has ebbed, transformed into concern for John - and now, it’s getting a little prickly around the edges. “All right. When did you lie?”

About who the King in Yellow is. He is the King in Yellow, but I… 

“Is he Yellow?” Arthur guesses. “That would explain… but what happened to the original? Where is he?”

Dead. Killed by this one’s hand. But no, he isn’t Yellow.

“This one killed the King?” Arthur is staggered; then, disturbingly, he’s jealous.

It’s hard to see thoughts with Arthur like this, under waves of cloudy water and emotion, but John still gets the feeling that Arthur wishes he could kill the part of himself that must be responsible for everyone dying, everyone leaving, everything going so wrong.

John knew that was why Arthur wanted to kill Larson, why he’d gone apeshit on Uncle. Sure, he knew.

But this is a lot more self-loathing than he’d realized was there.

It runs deep. Right to Arthur’s core, and that palimpsest conversation comes back to John’s mind. That guilt is dangerous. Poisonous. Damaging.

Oh, this was not going to be allowed, no it was not, but John isn’t sure yet just how to make it stop.

“John?”

He’s waited too long again. John tells himself to focus. Arthur, what am I?

Arthur is confused. “What? You… you’re John. You’re my friend.”

I am your friend. But Arthur, that’s not what I asked you. What am I?

Arthur is genuinely confused. “Irritating?”

Arthur!

Arthur sighs and rubs his face. “I don’t know what you want from me, John.”

Yes, you do. He gentles his tone. I didn’t ask you who I was. I asked you what I was.

Arthur genuinely does not understand that John is, always was, the King, and he simply is not getting it. “Bored, maybe? John, is this really what you wanted to talk about? You said you lied.”

Fuck the gentle approach. He couldn’t stay here doing this for hours. I am the King in Yellow, Arthur - and the King in Yellow is me.

Arthur’s mind goes as blank as if he’d unplugged it from the wall. 

Arthur.

“You… what?”

John has a wicked idea.

Is it wicked, really? It’s just the truth. But saying now, when Arthur is in shock -

It will plant itself in him.

And John wants it to. The King in Yellow in this place is me without you.

“Y… you…what?” Arthur’s brain tries to start up again like a faulty engine, grumbling and stalling.

I lied because I was so afraid you’d judge me by what he’d done. That you’d… hate me for it. Arthur, I… I’m sorry.

John tells himself to stop there. Overselling it wouldn’t help.

And Arthur is tearing up properly now. “John…”

It is so damned hard to wait.

To let the seed take root.

To sit in silence and feel Arthur churning, balancing anger, betrayal, shock, love, hope, the choice of forgiveness, fear, loneliness, knowledge, against what he thinks he knows.

John hadn’t considered before how often Arthur has to choose his response in any given moment. 

There’s so much in there. So many emotions, so many conflicting beliefs, so much chaos and shame and anger. John is beginning to regret not taking the King up on the offer to just sit in Arthur’s head for a while when it was still clear.

“John. I forgive you.”

Oh, Arthur…

“I think I understand why you lied. And that you told me before I found out somehow, not because you had to, but because you chose to - that’s important. Thank you.”

Though he’s afraid now just how much he can trust John.

Though he’s afraid the King did something to make John lie.

Though he’s afraid.

Arthur, seeing what became of, me without you has…

Arthur waits.

I’m not okay.

He is, though.

Arthur is his. And while Arthur might not think of it in those words, exactly, he’s leaning into that choice.

“John.” Arthur squeezes his hand again. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m not thrilled you lied, but I understand why. I suppose you’ve seen the worst of yourself today, and it must have been frightening.”

Arthur is thinking it must be like when he saw Larson.

Oh; oh, it’s not like that.

John has zero problems with how his alternate self turned out. He can see the reasons behind every decision this other-him made.

But he’s still going to make different ones. Why? He won’t lose his Arthur. You forgive me.

“I do.”

Arthur…

“Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?”

Y… yes.

“No wonder you’ve been squirrely ever since we got here.” Arthur hasn’t risen yet. “I understand. I don’t envy you, my friend.”

You… you don’t hate me for it?

“Of course not.”

Then I don’t care about him anymore.

Arthur squeezes John’s hand reassuringly. “We might not want to tell Martin and Jon, though. This other you has… hurt that Jon. Badly. I don’t know how they’d respond, and I don’t want to have to try to protect you against Martin’s strength and Jon’s… whatever it is he does.”

Agreed. Though they already know, of course. We can keep exploring now.

“I’m ready.” Arthur stands. Now that he feels like he’s carrying John - metaphorically, not just physically - he is determined.

John can see inside that, too.

Arthur feels like he’s let down every single person he's ever known except for John. (Maybe John, too, but John is still here.) It's like he's trying to make up for a lifetime of failure with this one, good thing.

Mine, thinks John, who hasn’t missed that when doing things for him, Arthur is far more stable than when doing things for himself. Turn right. Now straight. Arthur, I think we won’t get home unless Kayne decides to send us back.

“Well,” says Arthur with a sigh. “He owes us a body, anyway. I suppose we can discuss it when he shows up.” 

The chill of fear that washes down Arthur’s spine with that is so much worse than John expected, and he peers closer.

Left me, Arthur is thinking, literally thinking, left me, leaving me again, and he doesn’t stop thinking it, and doesn’t stop remembering that moment when John left (That’s not what happened! John thinks, uselessly), when John proved that Arthur had suffered so much for no nothing, when John proved that Arthur really would always be alone, alone, alone, and Arthur may have forced John back via Kayne and capriciousness, but it was only for now because John would leave because everybody leaves, everybody always leaves, and - 

“Straight?” says Arthur, not even the tiniest hint of any of that showing up in his voice.

My Arthur is bleeding, John thinks, because he’s going to fix this, find a way to stitch this, though he doesn't know how.

He mentally shouts a thank-you to his alternate self, because he wouldn’t have known about this if not pushed to look inside.

He’s not telling Arthur about that, though. Not yet. Not for a while. He has to gather more information first. It’s logical.

Mine, he thinks again. Straight ahead.

It was not too late to turn this around.

[alexwatchesshows]

Black Sails VIII (S1E8)

Spoilers for up to and including E8.

I forgot that all this happened in one episode, but then again it's Black Sails, and this is the first of four amazing season finales.

Silver is somehow still alive and on the Walrus, although given that his position currently relies on Randall, he's probably not as secure as he'd like to be. To be fair, those 18th century prosthetics don't look fun and I'm not sure I wouldn't feel the same if someone tried to make me wear one. Either way, Silver somehow has less problems than the rest of them. His schedule was actually correct (can we just take a moment to appreciate that this man held a full fucking schedule in his head for weeks after having it for one day), Eleanor's still protecting him (I assume), and he may be about to come into a lot of money. He clearly wants some clarity in terms of what Flint's plans for him are, which Flint absolutely will not give him, but, honestly, things could be worse. He could be Gates.

Flint and Gates are just a complete mess at this point. A bunch of people are expecting Gates to kill Flint whilst Gates, the wonderful man that he was, was going to help Flint escape but even then would definitely end his career as a pirate. Flint, meanwhile, would never let anyone get in between him and the Urca. I'm pretty sure they put that drinking scene in there just to hurt us even more, to show us that a) Flint and Gates are actually really close friends and b) Gates is (was) a gem of a human being. Seriously, who else would spend weeks trying to deliver a letter to a friend's sister? And all that just makes the events of the following day even harder. After everything that's happened, the Urca isn't there. I can't explain why, but something about that just feels so fitting. It's not good for Flint though, as it brings all the tensions between him, Gates, and the rest of the crew to boiling point. De Groot wants Flint tried then and there, Flint wants to go after a literal man o' war (I don't know much, but it having "war" in the name is generally a bad sign), and Gates, oh poor old Gates, just wants to get everyone back to Nassau before shit hits the fan, but I think he knows that that won't happen. Him handing Dufresne the letter with his confession was him admitting that to himself, and letting himself believe, for the first time, that Flint might rather kill him than give up on his dreams. This realisation is, for him, the breaking point that brings all the other realisations crushing down, and he loses it with Flint. He finally tells Flint that "(his) duty is to the (crew) not you", something that Flint had convinced both of them wasn't true, and Flint can't recognise that Gates is beyond believing in anything he says, I don't think he realises the extent to which he's grasping at straws until he accuses Gates of muntinying and Gates reveals everything he's been doing to manage the actual muntiny but, at this point, I think he's too far gone to actually act rationally on it. The final straw for Flint, though, is Gates' crushingly well-meaning plan to get him and Miranda to safety. The second he heard the word pardon, it was over for Gates. Whatever the backstory is between Flint and Miranda, I don't think he knows all of it, because, unlike Miranda, he didn't even try to sugarcoat the suggestion of taking the pardon. I think the worst thing is, neither of them could have stopped what was going to happen. Gates couldn't have prevented a mutiny for any longer, and Flint couldn't have let Gates take his life as a pirate away from him. Despite, or because of, its inevitability, that scene is the most emotional one in the show so far. It really showcases what Black Sails is becoming and the direction that it's heading in (more on that in my season 1 wrap-up probably). And the most Black Sails thing about it is that, as Flint is killing one of our most beloved, genuinely kind-hearted, characters, we feel more sorry for him than ever before. I can't express or describe the emotions that watching Flint choke his best friend to death, all while crying and apologising again and again evokes, but oh boy are those emotions powerful. This is definitely some kind of turning point.

Then, as Flint is processing what he's just done, holding Gates' body, Silver comes in. These two are a match made in hell, we can be sure of that. Flint has just killed someone, acting on emotion and impulse, and now Silver is coming in with little to no emotion and immediately treats the situation like a crime scene, all while Flint is collapsed like a cornered, dying animal. Flint tries to stop Silver but quickly gives in, whether because he sees the logic in it or just because he can't fight anymore (probably a bit of both). Then, just as a new sort of equilibrium has been achieved in this moment of absolute chaos and upheaval, Dufresne also comes to shake things up. At this point, it's probably good that Silver's also present, because Dufresne hasn't always been the best at acting on what's smartest, as opposed to what feels best. Silver is possibly too good at talking people into being what he wants, because Dufresne ends up giving Flint important advice, reaching some kind of uneasy truce.

As such, they go into the confrontation with the spanish ship with some kind of (not necessarily firm) footing, which Flint immediately tests with his ploy to prove that the man o' war is there for the Urca, and then going to attack a ridiculously overpowered ship. Also, Silver speaks Spanish? Anyway, this proves to be too much for Dufresne who shows more awareness of other people's perceptions of him than I maybe gave him credit for and choses the right exact moment to call Flint out. De Groot, meanwhile, is being the grumpy and prophetic old man we all know and love (I mean, seriously, "Time and time again he gambles with our lives. That is, when he's not taking them in cold blood." this man could make a killing as a writer of some sort, along with Mr "there are not legacies in this life ... just the water. It pays us, then it claims us" Gates, grumpy prophetic old men rise up I guess). For the second time in one day, Flint is having his power, future and dream taken away from him at the last moment. There's a moment where everything comes full circle as Logan(?) confirms the evidence condemning Flint is true, much as Billy confirmed Singleton's "theft", except, this time, it's likely that the evidence is true (although we never see the letter). Flint can see he's lost, but he keeps screaming for the guns to fire, then tries to fire them himself, only stopping when Dufresne literally shoots him.

At some point in the middle of all this, De Groot stops being a pessimistic prophet for a moment to actually do something. It's a good move, because Silver is one slippery man, and De Groot almost has him when we get one of the plot twists of all time: Randall, the man who, as far as we've known so far, has barely any awareness of his situation and little to no loyalty to Silver, fucking knocks De Groot out with his prosthetic leg, and follows that up with "you're welcome". What a guy. He remains a mystery to me-- this only complicates things-- but what a character. Silver then uses this opening to just shake shit up, I guess maybe because he thinks that starting a battle is one way to avoid immediate execution. We get a few moments of not quite calm, but organisation, as the Walrus crew accept that they're in battle and now need to win. Flint gets some semblance of control back as he advises/commands Dufresne, moving round the ship freely again, despite having recently been shot. The pirates have momentary victory thanks to the element of surprise. Then, in a moment of incredibly cinematography, the man o' war's gun ports open, audio becomes distant for a moment, then all hell breaks loose.

At this point, we should probably admit that Gates, Dufresne, and everyone who said that firing on a man o' war would be a really, spectacularly, bad idea were probably right. The Walrus is met with pure destruction. At some point, Flint is knocked overboard into the water. Whether he's unconscious or just letting himself sink is unclear but that shot of calm amidst the destruction is eerily beautiful.

Meanwhile, on Nassau, things are not going a whole lot better. At the beginning of the episode, it does look like Jack has some level of control over his new (not necessarily ideal) situation. He's firing Mapleton, he's working well with Max, he's got the merchants on his side, things are the best they've been for him for the best part of this season so far. Anne is not happy about any of this, but doesn't really say why. There's also a moment of her just... looking at Max in a moment of yearning(?) that breaks her general grumpiness for just a second. Eleanor, too, has got her shipping consortium more or less sorted. Sure, Mr. Scott is leaving her and she has no idea what's going on with Flint, but, like Jack, she's made the best of a bad situation and has more than found her feet

Then, just like with the Walrus, everything comes crashing down around them. Vane has returned with a vengance, a new crew, a shockingly effective plan, and a flare for the dramatic. Immediately, he sews as much panic and confusion as is humanly possible and, in doing so, effectively asserts his power. Mr Scott, despite his increasingly complicated relationship with Eleanor, immediately goes to protect her, making him possibly the only helpful person in this situation. Vane doesn't seem to have much of a goal beyond the ever-elusive ideals of power and strength, and all Hornigold cares about is his fucking chair. Vane then comes fully onto the scene with a slightly out of place story about Eleanor being fearless in Nassau, then claims to know her. Honestly, a lot of this seems like a massive ploy to get Eleanor to talk to him, but I guess it has worked a little. Eleanor is, for once, incredibly pragmatic about the situation, switching loyalties from Hornigold to Vane very quickly. That definitely won't have any negative consequences. Vane, too, adjusts very quickly to his new situation and immediately goes around to tie up his other loose end. As Anne predicted, he's suitably mad at (what he thinks was) Jack killing the remainder of their crew, and has found the worst possible punishment for a man obsessed with his name and reputation. At least, while all this is going on, Max and Eleanor come to some kind of agreement. Max is dressed spectacularly, and they're both stood in a secure position, looking out over Nassau. Max has come to appreciate Eleanor's point of view (and also possibly enjoys showing Eleanor how well she's doing without her) and each one seems to appreciate and respect the other's position and perspective. Yay for communication and emotional maturity!

Then we get our last moments on Nassau, after Max's "on sand, nothing is fixed" speech (prophetic women! yay!), with Vane in Hornigold's damn chair and Eleanor on the beach, just like in Vane's memory of her. It's a cool way to show how the power has shifted in Nassau, all whilst Flint and co. are off dying elsewhere.

Flint is, once again, absolutely covered in blood and sand and just general grime. Silver has pulled him out of the ocean, probably because he's recognised that Flint is the only guy who might not want to kill him immediately. He also seems to have mostly undressed Flint and given his bullet wound the school nurse treatment (wet paper towel). Silver is, once again, looking shockingly unaffected by everything, even maintaining some kind of optimisim that James "why am I still alive" Flint has long since given up on. Then we get yet another stunning shot of Flint and Silver on the beach, looking very small in the space of everything. It's an interesting perspective to just throw in there, even for a moment. Flint also gets an answer to his question pretty quickly as he (now with crumpled shirt) is shown the Urca. That sure is some painful irony-- that, if they had taken one piece of information into account, none of the past episode might have happened. Now, he and Silver are being kept alive as likely sacrifices for the process of getting the gold. What a way to end the season. I'm glad that all the seasons were released by the time I started this.

[theliterateape]

Unforging Marley's Chain: The Enduring Affect We Have on the Lives of Others

by Don Hall

"I wear the chain I forged in life," replied the Ghost.

"I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it. Is its pattern strange to you?"

Scrooge trembled more and more.

"Or would you know," pursued the Ghost, "the weight and length of the strong coil you bear yourself? It was full as heavy and as long as this, seven Christmas Eves ago. You have laboured on it, since. It is a ponderous chain!"

Scrooge glanced about him on the floor, in the expectation of finding himself surrounded by some fifty or sixty fathoms of iron cable: but he could see nothing.

— A Christmas Carol

I write about this passage every year on the Ape. It bears repetition. I don't know so much if anyone reads it—most people who might be predisposed to read it aren't on the internet on Christmas Day—but that is, in this case, hardly the point.

I write about this passage for myself.

Dickens' tale of four ghosts visiting a greedy miser on Christmas Eve is one of those stories that traverses culture on some level and pervades our Western cultural sensibilities in an almost all encompassing way. Everyone from Bill Murray to Chuck Jones has done some sort of spin on it. Apple+ got in the juice this year with Spirited.

While the concept of being shown, in no uncertain terms, that one will die and, if he is an unrepentant asshole in life, die alone and despised, is a motivator to not be such an asshole, it often pops into my head that if Scrooge simply didn't care about his legacy or was not afraid of death, the ghostly experiment wouldn't work.

I wonder if Donald Trump or Mitch McConnell watch A Christmas Carol and, if they do, they see themselves in Ebenezer Scrooge. I wonder if they spend even 30 seconds pondering their own demise or simply disengage and somehow see themselves as the heroes of another spin, one where Scrooge's miserly ways were always correct and that Tiny Tim should just pull himself up by his meager bootstraps and stop hoping the State will bail him out? Does the possibility they may be the evil in the world even cross their minds? Does it cross anyone's?

I don't see myself in Scrooge much—not wealthy or particularly skin-flinty with dough—and I'm not Republican in any way yet I'm finding a bit more appreciation for Bill Clinton-style centrism. For me, it's those fucking chains of Marley that give me pause. 

Link by link and yard by yard. The chain we forge in life. I'm not a religious thinker but I do have a lingering suspicion that when we shuffle off, this is just one version of reality and that there is something beyond. Maybe it's the muiltiverse and other versions of me exist across dimensions. If so, I hope there's at least one version named Coupe DeVille Hall and made a ton of cash, stayed married to one person, and wasn’t a big jerk in the process.

Even if there isn't and when we kick we just become food for worms and particles of energy in the ever expanding cosmos, I think the idea that we forge a chain that we carry around with us in this life is helpful.

Unlike the current climate of Rage Profiteers, Utopians, and Traditionalists, I also believe that once the chain is forged, those links can be unforged. Broken. Redeemed. Not through punishment (because punishment is never about rehabilitation or redemption—punishment is simply about vengeance) but through changing the course (like Scrooge) and rewriting the script one follows.

Not in a moral "Here's a Laundry List of the Shitty Things You Did" way, but in a "Here's a List of the People You Affected, Destroyed or Helped" way. That chain is comprised of the humanity you encounter, and each link is someone you turned your back upon or casually dismissed as unimportant. For every person you try to shame, a link is forged. For every human being you reduce to a stereotype and treat poorly because of it, a link is forged.

If there is something that resonates with me about the story of Jesus, it is the idea that anyone—anyone—could be Him. The homeless guy near the corner of I-15 and Tropicana. That obnoxious woman who thinks that your job is contingent on her satisfaction. The old timer who sits on his porch and complains about fluoride in the water being a Communist plot. My mother’s MAGA neighbor.

I have my chain. Sometimes I wonder how long and how heavy it is. If Dickens is to be heeded, however, each person you go out of your way to assist, to support, to help in large and small ways, unforges one of those links. 

At very the least, that's a goal to strive for.

Merry Christmas, Gracious Readers! God (if you believe in that sort of thing) Bless Us, Everyone.

[thewritingginger]

AoT Boys - Preferences

This is something... I have nothing else to say about it lol

Also it may be a bit all over the place idk 

Fandom: Attack on Titan Characters: Reiner Braun, Armin Arlert, Eren Yeager & Jean Kirstein Warnings: 18+ Minors DNI, Fem! Bodied Reader, Mentions of sex, Swearing, lot of boob, ass, & thigh talk, also switches b/w saying s/o and you I'm a mess :)

 Enjoy ~

Reiner

Reiner is a simple man that loves dem tiddies!

Big or little doesn't matter

Man has giant hands and if it fits it ships

“You fit so perfectly in my hands.”

Loves to lay on your chest - #LittleSpoonReiner

When he had a particularly rough day all he wants to do is nizzle into your chest and breathe in your scent

Likes to massage them over your clothes when y’all make out

Can’t keep his mouth off of them, licking and biting them as he also plays with your nipples

He may give them a few smacks here and there if that's the mood 😉

Honestly would so happy to just play with your chest and nothing else, especially if you really like it

Likes when his s/o rides him - not only cuz it gives them more control of the pacing but also bc he gets a full view of their breasts

If you want to make this man nearly combust send him a saucy pic while he’s out/at work and can’t get to you

Man is weak for some lacy lingerie - really likes pastels and white (to him if makes it almost feel naughtier cuz of how sweet it looks)

“I was thinking of wearing this to our date tonight, do you like it? 😇” - w/ a mirror pic of you in a matching lacy set, wearing one of his large button up shirts and make sure you put your hand on your cheek sweetly, pressing your breasts together

He would call you so fast!

“Sweetheart, I am at work! Please-”

“And change of plans, instead of going out Imma need you to be on that bed when I get home tonight because we will not be leaving that room till you’re completely fucked out.”

Really likes clothed sex - why would he just rip of that pretty lingerie you put on for him when he can continue to enjoy it on your beautiful body while he rails you?!

He just overall enjoys seeing and feeling your chest and bonus points for it also feeling good for you though he doesn’t really touch them w/o your permission/ when y’all are getting it on

However, in his sleep his hand can become a bit of a wanderer

So he is a perv but not so outwardly so

Really likes lacy or mesh shirts where can see your bra/bralette  - though sometimes it can make him feel some type of way

“Beautiful, I always love what you wear but you gotta stop doing this to me, my heart can’t take it.”

Man just melts for you! ok?! 

Armin

Armin is a Thigh Man! and I will die on this hill!!!

He loves to hold and squeeze them - in both sexual & non-sexual situations

Laying on them is prime time for him, he may even leave a few sleepy kisses behind before falling asleep on them

Also Thigh fucking is his jam!! And you can’t convince me otherwise

Not only does he love the feeling of your thighs jerking him off but also it’s about that teasing he loves to give his s/o

May even taunt them about it

“You like feeling my cock slide between your thighs?”

“My Angel wishes they had my cock inside them, huh.”

He also just generally loves kissing, licking and biting your thighs, he likes to take his time especially when he is about to go down on you

He likes to have his hand on his s/o’s thigh while sitting next to them, whether at home or out for lunch with friends - not necessarily in a sexual way well… unless you want him to 😉

Want to make him excited? Wear some thigh high stockings

If you are wearing a skirt and at some point in the day you lift the hem to show the garter strap holding up your stocking he’ll let out a little low hum of approval and needs to get his hands on you soon 

That also goes for if you want to send him a little pic in the day to show you miss him just a little

“Thinking of you bb 🥰” - w/ a picture of your skirt raised or just in a pair of cute panties while sat on your knees with your thighs pressed together would do the trick

He would blush a little at the initial shock -especially if around others-  but would be quick to excuse himself before responding

“You’re so beautiful, when I get home I’m gonna spread those pretty thighs open and have you screaming for me.”

Boy really likes not only shear tights but also fishnets

Whether you wear them under a skirt/dress or under distressed jeans and it peeks through holes and over the top he’s in for it

Has 10000% had sex with a pair of fishnets on - the ones with the extra large holes that he can fit his dick through - yes ma’am

Also just plain old ripping them open so make sure you don’t spend a lot of money of your tights cuz they might not last too long oop

Eren

Also a Boobie Man!

Whether he is just chillin on the couch watching t.v. with his s/o or making out and getting down to business, his hand somehow always finds its way to a boob

He will just put his arm around your shoulder and snake his hand down the collar of your shirt and just cup it - maybe will begin to give a few squeezes here and there mf treating it like a stress ball smh

Will motor boat you - he doesn’t care if there isn't much to your chest either cuz he will go for it anyway

If he is having sex in missionary best believe both his palms would be kneaded his s/o’s breasts

Or if from behind he will lean over and wrap his arm around their front to hold them

But lets need not forget the tiddie bounce when his s/o rides him

So many choices baby boy doesn’t know which one he likes best 🤔

Loves some tiddie-fucking

And cumming on dem boobies as well

“You look so good with my cum drippin down your tits.”

This bitch will be at work and ask for nudes smh

Of course he wants boobie pics - loves when you are topless and holding your breasts with your hands or simply just your cleavage down your shirt

“You’re always so good to me Babygirl. I’ll see you when I get home 😉”

Likes when you wear revealing tops

Of course he’ll about throw hands if someone's gaze stays a bit too long but he is proud of his baby and knows they are beautiful

Eren, unlike Reiner, is more outwardly pervy

Always encourages you not to wear a bra

“Your nipples are so cute, why wouldn’t you want to show them.”

Also you know he aint afraid to stare and when you catch him he’ll just give you a wink and a cocky smirk

Jean

Bonafide Booty Man!

Like Reiner, the size doesn’t matter!

Big or little - if he can grab he can vibe with it

This boy always has his hand on the butt any chance he gets

Cuddle Time? His hand will rubb and hold the booty

When y’all are making out? You best believe he’ll pull you real close and squeeze your ass

So safe to say that taking his s/o from behind is great booty access

Also reverse Cowgirl is a nice view as well

“Fuck, I love seeing your ass bounce on my cock.”

Loves to squeeze, jiggle and spank your butt

Also kissing and biting the cheeks are a yes in his book

Likes to bend over his s/o and go down on them from behind, having is tongue covered in their taste as his hands grope and smack their ass - sign him up

Likes days in at home with you, especially if you opt out of wearing pants - Pants are always optional in his household  😉

If he sees cheeks he’s a happy man

Expect to get little booty love taps &/or pinches while around him - mostly when it’s just you two at  home

If you want to fluster him a bit give his ass a little smack/squeeze of your own 

Likes when you send him pics but when he’s at work? He’ll have to breathe for a minute and leave the room if others are around

“Baby, should I get these?” - w/ a pic in a dressing room wearing a silky “pajama” short set that leaves little to the imagination; booty on full display of course

“Yes! 😍😍😍”

“My sweet girl, I want to see you in that when I get home.”

Big fan of leggings and high waisted pants on his s/o - all about extenuating that booty

Just tight pants in general tbh

If you ever come out in a little number and the booty is poppin he’ll grab your hand and make you do a little spin for him to get a full 360 view

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Hope you liked that! Want more? Let me know. 

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💛 ~