#(if people can do unspeakable acts & still get jobs i don’t get it)

[pcetstcrtured]

well i will NOT be watching s.cream vii tyvm

[justastraymoa]

HOW DID YOU LOSE MY CAT?

I was in a complete state of panic and three thousand miles from home, unable to do anything to help the situation at hand.

"How did you lose Cheese?” I wheezed into the phone trying to calm my breathing and thoughts enough to focus on the problem at hand.

Its really my fault. I made the mistake of trusting a neighbor to watch my precious baby boy while I was on a week long work trip. The trip was mandatory and last minute so I had no choice.

I just moved a couple months ago and with the new job and settling into the new apartment I hadn’t had time to really get to know the neighborhood or the neighbors. Still, the middle aged man across the way seemed nice enough the few times we chatted and he agreed to go feed Cheese twice a day.

He didn’t give updates unless I specifically asked for them, but beggers couldn’t be choosers and I had no choice but to go on this last minute trip.

"Its not my fault. He bolted when I opened the door.” Luo responded. I could practically hear the shrug over the phone.

"Well did you go after him?” I pressed. Honestly I felt like I was pulling teeth here. The man took responsibility for my cat by agreeing to take care of him for the week, the least he could do was feel bad for losing him.

There was a drawn out dismissing noise on the other end of the line. “Not really. I followed him to the stairs but he was gone by the time I got to them.”

I clenched my fist and nearly bit my tongue off. I wanted to yell and scream at the man for not caring even a little bit about my loved one! “Can you go out and look for him or put up posters or something?” I asked. Surely this was not too much of an ask. It was the bare minimum someone in this position could do!

"Ill put a bowl of food out for him, but I don’t have time to wander around town looking for a cat. Just get another one when you get back if he doesn’t show up. There are shelters full of them I am sure.”

I stood in my hotel room in angry shock. How could this asshole say that to me mere minutes after learning my pet ran off to god knows where! How heartless!

"Listen, I have to go. Ill let you know if he shows up.” The line clicked and I looked at the screen to see my own reflection staring wide eyed back at me in the black screen.

I looked around the room, thinking through my options. I was the lead in this meeting and no one else could present like I could. Even if someone could take over for me, I am the only one on this trip from my company who knows most of this information. There was no way anyone could answer any of the questions the others were sure to ask. And I was still too new at the company to risk a bad review or ask for any favors.

Bottom line. I was stuck here while my baby was out on the streets thousands of miles away doing god knows what. He could be hurt or worse! He was an all black cat and there were some sick people out there who would see that and use him for some awful purposes and do unspeakable things to him!

There was no way I was going to be able to sleep for the rest of this awful trip! And I still had to look and act presentable! Five days of not knowing what was happening to my Cheese! Why did I think this job was a good idea. I was perfectly fine where I was. In my cozy little hometown working at the local grocer on the weekends and the tiny doctors office the rest of the week.

Sure my knowledge and degree were being wasted there, and I was miserable at both jobs. But I knew everyone there and was known back. And people cared about each other there. Everyone knew Cheese and would have turned the town upside down to try and find him the moment he got out the door. Not that he ever even tried to get out with me. He is mischievous, sure, but he had never once tried to escape. But no, I got the opportunity to work my dream job in a big city hours from home and I thought it was perfect.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe Cheese would come back for dinner in a couple hours and this whole nightmare could be over.

A text message the next morning from Luo stated that the food bowl he put out had not been touched.

I went about my day as best I could. I noticed some odd stares and several of the other people asked if I was okay because I was being quieter than usual. I was honest with them as much as I could be without being annoying and whiny. They were appropriately sympathetic, but of course could not or did not offer any solutions.

As I sat at a dinner with a whole group of people I only just met for this trip my phone pinged with a new message. After a quick glance I excused myself and almost ran to the bathroom.

I quickly texted everyone I could to see if anyone was available to go pick up Cheese from his savior and cat sit for me for the rest my trip.

Parents were immediately a no. Dad got hurt trying to clean the gutters by himself and mom was stuck waiting on him and making sure that he actually rested and took his medications properly.

BFF was also a no. She was on a vacation with her new boytoy out on some beach somewhere with perfect sunsets and white sand. I’m a little jealous not gunna lie.

I wracked my brain for any other options on people. Luo was obviously a hard no. Forever. I would not trust that man to borrow a cup of sugar from now on.

At least Cheese seemed to be okay. And he found himself a friendly household. In the pictures this Bangchan sent Cheese looked happy and healthy. No visible injuries, and Bangchan said he didn’t see any either. He even has a cat loving roommate. So Cheese would be okay for a little while until I could figure out someone who could go get him.

I felt really guilty for sticking my cat on some strangers who already had gone above and beyond for both him and me. But Bangchan seemed adamant, and I knew Cheese would be okay with them.

I need to go out and get something for them. A gift or souvenir or something to show my appreciation. That’s how I would spend my evening to occupy my time and brain from the guilt and missing my boy.

Okay so me and Lino are going to get along amazing I can already tell.

First he sent me a pic of my boy without even me asking first. An actual update without having to ask for one!

Second, Bangchan was not lying. He is a cat lover through and through.

Lino:

'I have happily sacrificed half my bed for Cheese.’

A new picture of Cheese and him all cuddled together on what looked like a very large bed soon followed the message.

I laughed to myself.

Me:

'Don’t let him hog the bed too much. He likes to shove me off the side occasionally.��

My bed was a queen, and I only upgraded to that size because of Cheese. My full size was just not big enough for both of us. He liked to touch you when sleeping, and he will physically use all 4 paws to push you until you are on the very edge of the mattress.

Lino:

‘its far too late for that. I happily give it up though to be honest. And he snores! It’s the cutest thing I have ever heard in my entire life! I recorded it.’

Then a recording came through, the first time I was hearing my baby boy in days. I nearly burst into tears, as it was my eyes stung. I saved the recording and set it to my message tone so I could listen to it anytime I got a text.

Me:

'Thank you so much for sending me that you have no idea how much I miss him'

'I was so worried when he got out and my neighbor didn’t even care!

Lino:

'I understand somewhat. I have three boys at my parents house that I miss so much.'

A picture of three adorable cats followed all labeled with their names.

Me:

'Aww they are so cute!'

Bin is allergic to cats! The guilt is back full force and more! Not only did I stick my cat on some strangers for 3 days, but one of them is ALLERGIC!

I truly am an awful person. I need to go out and get more thank you gifts for them. There is no way I have enough.

Much later as I was getting ready to head to bed I got a videocall from the latest of Bangchans roommates. I answered a little leery about video calling someone I only just messaged for the first time a couple hours ago.

I tried not to react to the absolute cuteness that greeted me on the other end of the call. Not only was Cheese there, but Bin was a cutie himself. Cheese was curled up on his chest as he lounged on what looked like a couch.

“I know its strange that I am calling you when we haven’t even met.” Bin started cheeks turning a little pink. On the screen I could see him absent mindedly stroking down the length of Cheeses back over and over.

I melted inside. “its not a problem. Is something wrong? I truly am sorry you are stuck with Cheese when you are allergic. I feel really bad!”

“Actually that’s why I called. I don’t want you to feel bad. I would tell you if it was a problem, I promise. But he doesn’t seem to be triggering my allergies much.” Bin shrugged and Cheese chirped in annoyance at being jostled.

I sighed as I curled up on my bed. “If you are sure. I can still try and find someone to come get him.” I offered. It may be easier to get mom to come out if it was only for tonight and tomorrow. I was due back the day after that in early morning. I could probably convince her if I begged and pestered enough.

“No no don’t. I am enjoying him. He is a little heater! Feels good after a long workout.”

We chatted with no real conversation for a good half hour more, which kinda shocked me. I wasn’t one to be super sociable. And I didn’t even really know this person. He was just sweet and really easy to talk to.

Hyune, the fourth roommate, made me realize that I hadn’t told anyone my name. It didn’t even occur to me to. I was so focused on Cheese and that whole situation. Even if he asked for it in kind of a rude way. Who asks for a name without giving one first??

AND HE WAS A DOG PERSON!

My poor Cheese is stuck with a dog person! The horror! Its downright wrong! Im a bad pet parent!

Still, it felt really good to be so easily folded into their conversations and bantering like they did. And they don’t seem to mind when I banter back with them. It feels like it used to when I lived in my hometown. Friendly.

I was going to be home tomorrow. Finally sleeping in my own bed with my baby in my arms!

And I could shower in my own shower and cook actual food on a stove and not have to go out for every meal!

I missed home. I missed Cheese.

There were tears, though I didn’t point them out to either Lino or Bin. I just politely ignored their sniffles and quick swiped across their cheeks.

It warmed my heart to know that they liked Cheese so much. He was the best cat ever, so im not shocked. But it makes me feel better since they watched him for me for several days.

I didn’t stay at the Bangchan apartment long. I was exhausted from the flight and week long travel, and I think the boys could see that as well so they didn’t push.

I gave them the several bags of gifts. Everything from keychains to food. Anything I could find that I thought suited the situation.

Hyune and Bin snatched the bags and moved a few feet away to look at everything in excitement. Lino was still standing beside me, petting Cheese who was in my arms. His eyes were still wet and he sniffled occasionally.

“You really didn’t have to get us anything. We enjoyed Cheeses company. It will feel a little lonely here without him to be honest.” Bangchan stated side eyeing his two roommates.

I shook my head with a smile. “It was the very least I could do. I was out of my mind with worry when he was missing and then you took him in for days when I couldn’t find anyone. Trust me, this isn’t even close to enough to show how thankful I am.”

Bangchan smiled sweetly. “Well thank you, im sure we will love everything. As you can see they are already very excited.”

I headed home soon after that. Giving Cheese the lecture of his fuzzy life as I drove. For his part, he listened quietly, but didn’t seem at all fazed.

A/N: okay so since the texts were originally by themselves they don't match up perfectly but bear with me here.

I don't know if anyone will really enjoy this but I wanted to get more detailed my own self so I am writing for me mostly. Self indulgence.

Love you all and thank you for even trying to read. Sorry for errors, I'm hooman 🤷🏻‍♀️

And thank you in advance for any reblogs, notes, comments, tags, replies, and/or anything else. Let's have fun with this together 🩷💙💜

Masterlist

[orphicrose]

The co-host (Alastor x femreader) II

< >

Summary: You are Alastors Co host in life, perhaps more. But are separated by a sudden death. When you are finally reunited in the under world, it is up to Alastor to figure out why you don’t remember him.

------------------------------------------------

Alastor had arrived in hell a few years after you, completely unaware that you ended up in the same place. You both saw each other as saints, i guess that's what love does to you.  If only you had more time to truly know each other. His last years weren't as dignified as yours. And neither was his death. 

All through your sickness, he was by your side. Cooking for you, entertaining you, helping out with rent. Your mother would have, but she lived in another state, and had very little money to come visit you or support you. So Alastor did.  But when your body decided enough was enough, you took a toll for the worse. You were gone within days, with him still by your side. Willing to do anything to see your eyes full of life just one more time. It truly broke him as a person. But no one would ever know. 

He sent out a broadcast to honor your name, all of your frequent listeners shedding a tear over the loss. Because it truly was a loss. Spreading kind words like "she's in a better place now", if only they knew. 

Then there was Alastor. In the end, everyone was glad the world had ridded such a monster. No one knew it when he died, but they did when the remains of those who had gone missing was uncovered. Some argue they deserved it, some argue it was an act of evil. 

It had been a few weeks since the encounter with Satan. Y/N didn't have much of a choice, her soul was his. Now she had to do his dirty work. You see, Satan's a busy man. Being the keeper of the wraith ring, and having the people of earth call on him frequently for deals. He couldn't keep up with all of it. So, he gave some of that responsibility to Y/n. Someone who can claim souls and grant wishes from the desperate and needy. Of course the souls still belonged to him, she was just the messenger. With this comes the ability to travel to the mortal realm, and fear of other sinners when you are being called the sacrificer. Within days, Y/n rose the ranks as an overlord who owned a large territory. Unspeakable amounts of power being given to this singular soul was a lot to take in, but she didn't have a choice.

The business was now up and running, "The slaughter house". Satan being the CEO, of course. Y/N being the manager, and other souls of Satan being his laborers who dealt with mundane things like paper work. The pay wasn't too bad though. This operation being set up in hell also gave other sinners the opportunity to sell their soul to Satan in return for a high paying job. Its a bit extreme, but it gets very desperate in hell. I'm sure you can imagine. 

Y/n's name was lost, now being called the demon of sacrifice. It was incredibly de-humanizing, and she hated it. Only using her power when absolutely necessary or when business required it. But it wasn't all bad, she had a better accommodation, a steady cash flow, a lot of useful contacts and very little conflict with other demons. It was also incredibly lonely. Because of the fear around her name, very few people were willing to befriend her. 

Then, on top of that, was the pain of her memories from life. Knowing that all if this is ultimately her fault. All because she just wanted power. How was she to carry on. Then it hit her, she has the power to do what she pleases. She can be whoever she wants to be down here, and to start this she needed to forget everything that haunted her.

Alastor landed in hell four years after y/n, after being shot in between the eyes. Not many know how his rise to power happened, but it was merely overnight. Tormenting the citizens of hell, kidnapping powerful overlords that few would dare to mess with, and giving a new reason for sinners to fear for their lives. The radio demon was born, and it didn't take long before his radio broadcasts displayed what had happened to his unfortunate victims. No one was safe.

"Miss l/n! Todays demand for Satan is big today, I don't think we will be able to get through all of them" a small, fishlike demon ran up to her, struggling to keep up with her pace through the corridors. 

"Its late, imp. I will deal with them tomorrow. Prioritize the simpler requests, none of that fame or millionaire shit." Y/n bit back, eager to leave.

"But ma'am, The sin of wraith isn't very happy with how the number of souls are dropping"

"uh huh, uh huh. I'll see you tomorrow, imp" The door slammed in his face, and the handle was too high for him to reach. 

"I'm not an imp" He mumbles under his breath, watching the overlord walk away in the windows of the door. 

Y/n had a coffee date with one of her closest friends, Zestial. One of the few overlords who still had his head attached to him. They had arranged to talk about the affects of the new tormentor, needing a plan to put their people at ease and to protect the skin on the bac of their necks. Usually, she'd have someone accompany her. But this occasion was far too private.

The night had progressed fast, the crimson sky darkened and street lamps struggled to do their job and lighten the streets. Y/n was almost at her destination when she noted a faint buzzing sound in the back of her head. It definitely wasn't there before. She stopped at the end of an alley she had just walked through, and assessed her surroundings. No one, not a soul in sight. Behind her, again no one. A strange feeling made its way into her throat, as if her body sensed danger. The sound getting louder, louder. Street lights seemingly struggling even more, and eventually going out. One by one. The street was pitch black within seconds. Y/n couldn't do anything but remain in their position, against the wall of the alley. 

A small, voodoo doll like creature ran passed the entrance of the alley. Paying her no attention, and laughing as he went. He was barely audible as the static became more insufferable in her ears. But she knew something was after her, she just prayed to lucifer that it wasn't who she thought it was.

"Not even going to try and run, dear?" The static stopped, the voice sounding like it was in the air. Having no body attached to it. Then he materialized seemingly from the shadows. His slim body accompanied by a tailored red suit, and an eerie smile refraining his face from showing any sort of emotion. The radio demon. He was here. Her face was barely visible in the darkness he had created, only the glowing from her eyes was an indication of life. 

"Come on, give me a chase. Make this interesting. I'll give you a head start" He taunted, slowly getting closer. Leaning his cane at his side, making it hard for y/n to get out. 

"No? I guess this will be the easiest kill yet" His smile widened a the seams of his mouth, being pulled by an invisible string like a doll. His form followed in lead, being hoisted up and enlarged to intimidate his prey. 

"Don't touch me freak." Y/N finally spoke, kicking his cane over and materializing into the ground. Becoming nothing more than a shadow that cant be touched. He watched at she disappeared into the night, almost in disbelief. He's heard that voice before. But it can't be, there's no way she is down here. She can't be. His smile never faltered, and he decided to leave this chase for another day. Street light finally flickered back on, and everything remained as it was before. Other than Alastor's new knowledge. Their story wasn't over yet.

[holylulusworld]

Footloose - Flufftober 4

Summary: Loki is part of the Avengers now.

Rating: Teen

Square I5 filled for @lokibingo: Feelings denial  

Square 7 filled for @puretombingo: “Dance with me.”

Pairing: Loki Laufeyson x Reader

Warnings: fluff, banter, idiots in love

Trope: Enemies to lovers

Words: 980+

Kinktober vs Flufftober 2023

“I got it, Tony. This party will be the most spectacular and awesome party mankind had ever the pleasure to witness,” you roll your eyes at Tony’s antics. He wants you to help him check the guest list and won't stop talking about the event. “How about you invite some male stripper for the ladies too. I bet they’ll give us a good show.”

“We want this evening to be spectacular, not vulgar,” Tony scrunches up his nose. “We will have music, the best food, the finest wine and alcohol.”

“Fine, have it your way. Now, how can I help you, Tony?” You look around the room. There is not much left to do. The party planner did a great job. “Tony?”

“You’ve got a special task this time,” he wraps one arm around your shoulders, walking around the room. “Loki is now part of our team.”

You purse your lips. Loki is still the guy attacking New York City. “The answer is no.”

“You don’t even know what I want from you.”

“If it includes being around Loki Laufeyson, the guy influencing me with his tricks to get me to strip in front of my friends, I’m out,” you grunt. Loki managed to use his mind games to make you do unspeakable things. Like eating pineapple on pizza.

“He offered redemption and promised to never use his powers to influence you again,” Tony tries to persuade you to help him with his problem, but you’re not convinced. “A lot of important people, and the press will be around. We need to show them that Loki changed.”

“How? Shall he sing a chanson?” You snort. “I don’t think he will ever not be an asshole and a Trickster. We don’t need him to cause trouble with one of his dramatic entrances again. Do you remember the last time he made an appearance in public?”

“Y/N, please do this for me. Loki refuses to attend the party. We need him to smile, and act like a gentleman.”

“You want me to convince Loki to attend the party? That’s the important task?” You huff. “You can’t be serious.”

“Please, Y/N. For me. You’re the only person besides his brother Loki talks to.”

“Yeah, to harass me. He’s always sassy and gets on my nerves,” you snap at Tony. “If you want me to do this dirty job, you will buy me the most expensive dress, shoes, and accessories for the party.”

“Deal,” Tony drops his arm from your shoulders to shake your hand.

“If there’s a catch, I’ll cut your balls off in your sleep,” you point a finger at Tony. “No tricks, Stark, or you’ll regret doing business with me.”

“Move your ass out of your room and follow me. We are going to buy a suit for you, and you’ll behave like a good boy today,” you yell outside Loki’s apartment. “Get out, or I swear I’ll not be nice any longer.”

“Darling, you look dashing,” Loki pokes his head out of the door, smirking. “I’m afraid I got no time for you. Check in later. How about you come back in a few weeks?”

“I said, get out of the room, raven-haired rat,” you purse your lips, close to breaking the door down to get Loki out of his room. “I don’t have all day. It’s only three more days until the party. We need you to make an appearance. Just say yes and let me buy the suit for you. You can come to the party, and dance. Maybe have a drink or two.”

“No.”

“Loki, this is not a request, it’s an order. Move your ass out of the room,” you grasp for his hair, harshly tugging at it. “Come on. Don’t make such a fuss.”

“I don’t want to dance,” Loki wrinkles his nose.

“Because you can’t dance?” You grin. “Did Loki Laufeyson finally admit his defeat? Is there something he cannot accomplish?”

He opens the door to step outside, a dagger in his hand. “I’m warning you. Never underestimate Loki Laufeyson, God of mischief. I’m the Master of Dance, I just don’t like dancing.”

“Well then, let’s buy a suit and you can stand in a corner and watch other people having fun…”

“I hope you know I had to cancel my date for you,” you grunt as Loki walks next to you. He insisted on not going alone. Which means you are his plus one for the time being.

While you try to find a way to get rid of Loki and keep your promise to Tony at the same time, the Avengers watch you and the raven-haired trickster with interest.

“She made it,” Tony can’t believe Loki is following you inside the ballroom. “It was worth the money.”

Thor frowns when his brother grabs your hand to guide you away from the Avengers and toward the dance floor.

“What are you doing?” You wonder as Loki guides you to the middle of the dance floor. “Loki? What are you up to?”

“I remember vividly that you suggested a dance,” he says. “So…dance with me?” He bows and offers his hand to you. “Please give me this dance.”

“I-“ you take his offered hand, hoping he doesn’t want to trick you once again. “If this is a joke, I’ll kill you.” You growl, but your cheeks heat up as he smiles at you.

He grins. “I’m counting on it, my love.” You end up in his arms, swaying to the song he requested before coming here with you. “I hope you know; I’m courting you…”

Loki twirls you around, grinning as you squeak and hold tight onto him as he gets even faster. Your feet move on their own, and you cling to him when the room starts spinning.

“What are you doing?”

“I don’t want the others to watch us.” You rest your head against his shoulder and close your eyes. “I manipulated reality a little bit for this dance. You only belong to me tonight…and forever.”

Tags in reblog.

[catknifetime]

The Wheel of Time Ajahs ranking + reasoning. From best to worst. Inspired by a late night conversation I had with my sibling. (Full series spoilers)

1: Brown. They are the best Ajah for 2 reasons, one: they actually do what their Ajah is supposed to do and don’t just fuck around doing politics like roughly 80% of the other Aes Sedai. And two: they are, on average, some of the least insufferable Aes Sedai to talk to. + Verin bias.

2: Blue. They, like the Browns, do also actually do what their Ajah is supposed to do. The unfortunate thing is that what the Blue are supposed to do is basically whatever they want. But they seem generally the most likely to actually help normal people and be invested in making the world better. + Moiraine bias.

3: Grey. They also do their stated job pretty well and consistently. They are the last Ajah until the Red (arguably the white) to do so. tbh the Grey is mostly here because we get so little information on what they’re actually like. But they seem to be doing a pretty good job and not fucking up in any significant way, so they get 3rd.

4: Green. I like the green Ajah. They just don’t really do what they say they do. “The Battle Ajah”? Really? So why aren’t you in the borderlands helping with fighting shadowspawn? Or doing anything actually? Because I thought about it for a while, and I genuinely can’t remember a major thing that the Greens were doing, as a group, before the last battle. But they’re generally pretty cool and when the last battle did actually happen they showed up.

5: White. They’re fine, just the ones we’ve seen seem pretty annoying to talk to. They also are actually philosophers and mathematicians, but from what I can tell they don’t have a ton of contact with philosophers and mathematicians from outside of The Tower. Which is not really good practice if you want to advance those fields. So they fail at their stated job by not actually sharing their work enough. Basically they’re the much less cool and more annoying browns.

6: Yellow. AAAAHHHHH!!!!! The way the Yellows act makes me unspeakably mad. First, they completely disregard traditional medicine, because they can do stuff with the power better. HEY WHAT THE FUCK? The power has limits, especially with healing. Aes Sedai say that constantly throughout the series. But NO. No studying how traditional medicine could teach you more about the body. No seeing if some herbs could help with the recovery from healing. No interest in learning anything new! The most understandable kinda stupid thing they do is that they don’t research new healing weaves out of fear. But the second and worst thing is that they call themselves the healing Ajah, but from what I can tell don’t heal ANYONE who doesn’t come to The Tower or they just happen to heal out in the world. Again, HEY WHAT THE FUCK? There should be HOSPITALS!! At least one small one in every major city. Or at least in a few? I know there’s a problem of them not being able to heal everything, but they could still save a lot of people! Especially if they recruited people who could use normal medicine! But no. They seem to be the worst offenders of sitting on their asses in The Tower just doing politics.

7: Red. Do I really need to explain why Red is the worst? If you’ve read the series you know why I’m doing this. They are literally such a fuck-up of an Ajah that at the time of the series the there hasn’t been an Amyrlin raised from the Red for OVER 1,000 YEARS because the last one was such a disaster. And then when there is a Red raised to Amyrlin during the series she literally causes The Tower to completely fracture and have a little civil war when THE END OF THE WORLD is about to happen. And even though they technically do their job of dealing with men who can channel, they do a really bad job at it (specifically in how they treat the men after gentling, I go into it here). As well as the fact that most red sisters aren’t actually hunting men who can channel. Like 50 of them are at most. That’s 1/4 of the Ajah that’s doing it’s job. Also The Box was the Red Ajah’s idea.

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for protecting a man’s life?

First of all, if you think you recognize any of this, no you don’t. ,)

I (100+ immortal demigod) have been trying to help solve the murder of my sibling M’s partner for a few years now. With the help of someone close to the case, we found the killer (33M) and he's in jail now. Now we can’t agree on what to do with him, and they’re mad at me, and I just want to explain my side of the story.

Now, about the killer, this guy is the worst. He’s the kind of pathetic tryhard who would hang around us constantly trying to get our attention, and something about the way he acted always creeped me out. Honestly, I’m not really surprised he would pull some stunt like this, some people will go to unspeakable lengths to climb the social ladder. But as creepy as he was, he got what he wanted: money, fame, and M wrapped around his finger. Until, of course, we found out the truth.

Since the incident, M hasn't been taking it well. They used to be such a good, levelheaded leader, always following every rule and ethical teaching that we were taught. Kind of a killjoy even, but I’d rather they be boring than a shell of their former self, fixated on nothing but this case. It’s heartbreaking to see. I thought catching the killer would finally make them happy again. Mystery solved, right? But even now, they’re still so caught up in their grief that all they can think about is revenge. It all came to a head the other day, when M tried to break into where he was being held, presumably to rip his head off or something.

I expected they would do this, so of course I did what any good leader would do, and I set up security so they couldn’t get in. I wasn’t going to allow them to murder someone, even if he was a murderer himself. It wouldn’t bring their partner back, and it’s just unconscionable to kill one of the people we’re tasked to protect, especially one as wealthy and influential as him. I told M as much, and they accused me of only caring about our reputation, which just isn’t true! Of course, I’ve been taking measures to uphold it, but that’s just a part of my job as a ruler. It doesn’t make it more important than serving justice, just another consideration to take into account. M didn’t like that, so they punched me in the face.

I just don’t understand. M has been destroying everything in their path because of this case, almost killed a man, and they think I’m the asshole for stopping them. They think I’m the asshole for caring about anything besides their dead partner. For continuing to do my job. I mean, forgive me for thinking he still deserves some dignity, right?

I don’t think I did anything wrong here, but then again, I’m now writing this with a broken nose. AITA?

[ajevil]

AITA for protecting a man’s life?

I (100+ immortal demigod) have been trying to help solve the murder of my sibling M’s partner for a few years now. Recently, we found the killer (33M) and he's in jail now.

I can’t give any more information about this guy, other than that he is the *worst*. He’s the kind of pathetic tryhard who would hang around me and M constantly trying to get our attention, and something about the way he acted always creeped me out. Honestly, in hindsight, I’m not really surprised he turned out to be like this. I like to think I’m pretty good at reading people, and I know some will go to unspeakable lengths to climb the social ladder. But M liked him well enough, so I held my tongue for their sake.

Now that their trust has been broken, we can’t agree on what to do with him, and they’re mad at me. All I want to do here is just explain my side of the story.

Since the incident, M hasn't been taking it well. They used to be such a good, levelheaded leader, always following every rule and ethical teaching that we were taught. Kind of a killjoy even, but I’d rather they be boring than a shell of their former self, fixated on nothing but this case. It’s heartbreaking to see. I thought catching the killer would finally make them happy again. Mystery solved, right? But even now, they’re still so caught up in their grief that all they can think about is revenge. It all came to a head the other day, when M tried to break into where he was being held, presumably to rip his head off or something.

I expected they would do this, so of course I did what any good leader would do, and I set up security so they couldn’t get in. I wasn’t going to allow them to murder someone, even if he was a murderer himself. It wouldn’t bring their partner back, and it’s just unconscionable to kill one of the people we’re tasked to protect, especially one as wealthy and influential as him. I told M as much, but from how they reacted, it was like they only heard the second part and completely ignored the first. I know they’re going through a lot, but they lashed out at me and accused me of only caring about our reputation, which just isn’t true! Of course, I’ve been taking measures to uphold it, but I just want to keep this situation from getting worse than it already is. M wasn’t having any of it.

And then, without even hearing me out, they punched me in the face.

I just don’t understand. M has been destroying everything in their path because of this case, almost killed a man, and they think I’m the asshole for stopping them. They think I’m the asshole for caring about anything besides their dead partner. For continuing to do my job. We have people to look after, and despite everything, he is still one of them. I mean, forgive me for thinking he still deserves some dignity, right?

I don’t think I did anything wrong here, but then again, I’m now writing this with a broken nose. AITA?

🧐

[xphantomyx-blog]

I know discussing trauma isn’t exactly one of Resident Evil’s best skills but hoo boy do I want it for Leon Kennedy between RE2 and 4.

I mean, starting out, you’re just a cop. No, not even a cop, fresh out of the academy, on your way to your first day on the job. What you find instead is a hellscape beyond anything you could have imagined. You wanted to help people? How about you shoot these zombies instead, who used to be people but have lost all control of themselves? It’s you against them—and you got to apply the knowledge you’ve been taught towards getting out of here alive, whatever it takes. Even the National Guard and the Army are overwhelmed with evacuation of citizens and containment of the virus outbreak, so honestly the deck’s stacked against you. The survivors you find—most of them end up dead or an accomplice complicit in the disaster. The woman you thought could trust, the one you took a bullet for, has been lying to you the entire time and is, in fact, a mercenary, stealing the virus to potentially cause another disaster like this.

Needless to say, you barely make it out with your life. Yeah, sure, Umbrella gets liquidated in the states, but the government is still denying the existence of B.O.W.s, so it’s not like you can actually talk to someone and get the help that you do desperately need without sounding like a crackpot lunatic. And it’s not like they’ll let you go, with all of this “valuable” experience and dangerous knowledge on what actually happened, so they “offer” you a job. That you really can’t refuse. Acting as a special agent and killing B.O.W.s. That don’t actually exist. Officially.

It might help to talk to another survivor. Just make sure that you’re not going crazy, being the only survivor again and again, staring death in the fact and being dragged back to the world of the living, back to sunlight by your ankle time and time again. No one else would understand the death, the savagery, the terrible misfortunes that happened there. But Sherry’s a ward of the state now, Claire’s out looking for her brother, chasing him around the world, so that’s not happening, and Ada’s not who you thought she was. Every other person you try to confide in ends up dying, going evil, or turning into a monster, so you end up… alone.

You see it every time you close your eyes. You remember their faces, sometimes, lunging from corners, peering around doorways, peeking through windows. You can’t figure out a way to cope, to escape from this rotten hand you’ve been dealt. So instead you catch yourself thinking about what could have been different, I’d there was a way to avoid the catastrophe to begin with. It’s horrible, because no matter what you do, the memory of that night is always lingering over your shoulder.But you don’t have a choice but to carry on—people need you, after all.

And now, here you are again, faced with the same sort of situation, but now in Spain so it’s more exotic and mysterious: people being infected with a parasite that turns them into unspeakable monsters. Do you think they knew? Did they try to flee? Are they in pain? How much do they feel? How much of their humanity is left? Can they communicate or are they just too far gone?

And there’s another young girl wrapped up in all of this, struggling for her life. Not again… not again. Don’t allow it to happen again—if you do, you might end up losing your mind. Things have to be different, for her sake and for yours. Maybe this will prove that you can save someone, be able to protect life instead of only being good at killing and taking it away.

I dunno. Just Leon.

[yukidragon]

How far do you think Ian could go to get us back?

Ok, I know you have already written many scenarios where Ian loses his sanity and tries to get closer to M/C but seeing more there is... do you think that Yandre Ian could be worse than Jack?

Apart from that I saw a post where someone made a hypothetical scenario where Shaun stays with M/C and they start a family, only for Ian to show up...in that hypothetical scenario, How far do you think Ian or Yandre Ian would come?

It’s hard to say for sure how far Ian is going to go to try and get back together with MC in the game. So far, he’s resorted to making numerous phone calls, leaving a ton of voice mails, stalking their socials, talking about past memories in an uncomfortably manipulative way, swearing he’ll fix things, making promises, and he has a plan to “fix” things that involves his new job with a starring role in a kids show.

While I did theorize that all the love interests in the game are yandere for MC, it’s admittedly not a theory that has much in the way of evidence. It’s mostly a “wouldn’t that be cool and these things might foreshadow it” sort of theory. It’s hard to say for sure how far Ian will go, even if this teaser gives some yandere vibes. For all we know, he won’t go that far.

That being said, I am still inclined towards this theory, if only because I think it would be very interesting. I think a yandere character can be taken in many different directions, as there’s more than one way to be love sick to an unhealthy degree. (I still need to get that post dissecting the yandere trope done, but, alas, I am easily distracted by rambling about Jack headcanons.)

Jack is canonically a softcore yandere. He has stated he can’t and won’t do anything his sunshine doesn’t want. It seems as though he supernaturally is unable to do anything without MC’s consent. There’s limitations in place for how far he’ll go when it comes to MC.

The same wouldn’t necessarily be true for another yandere.

I think if Ian is a yandere, it’s hard to say just how far he’ll go exactly. I wrote a what if where he poisoned Shaun due to that one yandere AU picture Sauce drew where he was covered in blood and holding a bottle of (presumably) poison.

Given the nature of the game, I doubt any yandere character is going to go as far as non-consent. I certainly don’t want to go there in any of my headcanons either. So while they are technically capable of that, from a meta perspective, there’s a hard limit on how far they’ll go there.

A yandere is someone who is not well mentally. Their feelings of love for someone have taken to an unhealthy extreme. This can be taken in a lot of directions, so it really comes down to your preferred flavor of yandere, I suppose.

For me personally, I think a yandere Ian would probably go as far as the what if scenario I wrote, not being intentionally violent against MC, but going to desperate lengths to have them back. Given how rough he is with MC when it comes to sex, he could make assumptions about his advances, but given too how apologetic he is, I think it’s entirely possible even in his most yandere mindset, he’d genuinely regret making MC uncomfortable with, say, an unwanted kiss.

A yandere Ian might even apologize for slaughtering other people in order to “fix” things between them.

It would be kind of twisted for a yandere to do some unspeakable acts of violence, only to cry and apologize afterwards... but still be willing to do more in order to keep the one they love. It kind of fits Ian to be this sort of yandere given what we’ve seen of him so far.

I doubt I’ll go as far as Ian poisoning someone in Sunshine in Hell though, even if I do follow through with the yandere route with him. I’m still deciding on the exact flavor of yandere for each love interest, but, in the end, it’s hard for me to not want to give these characters a happy ending. Sure it might be bittersweet that Ian and Alice can’t reconcile, but sometimes that’s how things go.

With a non-yandere Ian, I can imagine him seeing MC move on with someone new is going to break his heart, but he can only hopelessly regret the relationship he ruined, knowing it’s all his fault that things ended the way they did.

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore  

[in-ky]

Hi! I’d love a story about Negan being a serial killer who only kills “bad people” (like in Dexter) and maybe he saves the reader from her ex who’s about to kill her and Negan can save her and takes her in because she’s a mess but she’s actually a killer herself (who kills rapists etc/ only the bad ones) and Negan and the reader start fighting and then get caught up in steamy hot sex 🥵 thank you!

Savior - Negan Killer AU

Warnings: Warnings: GORE + violence, smut, domestic abuse, swearing, dirty talk ig? idk how to tag this lol

A/N: hey! i struggled over this one for a while lol. ive only seen like. 3? episodes of dexter so. i really hope this meets your expectations! also forgive any mistakes its late, im tired, and i wanna get this up lol. also, is negan batman? maybe. 3.7k words

"Will, stop you're hurting me!" I hissed, grabbing at his wrist. He tugged me out of the bustling restaurant and into the dark street.

"I don't really give a shit," He snarled, throwing me into a secluded alleyway a few buildings down from the restaurant. Will had taken me out to a business dinner with his boss in hopes of showing me off and making a good impression. But things didn't quite go according to plan. "You embarrassed me in front of everyone!" He pushed me against the brick wall of the closed department store.

"What was I supposed to do?" I sneered, trying to wiggle away from him "He kept commenting on my body, saying how he wished he could take me home at the end of the night and do all kinds of 'unspeakable things to me'."

"You were just supposed to shut up and take it!" Will said, voice filled with rage "But no, you and your untamable fucking complex just couldn't handle a compliment. You threw your drink in his face! You're lucky he didn't fire me right then and there. You made me look like some pussy who can't control his whore."

"You're an asshole." I shouted, tears welling at the edges of my eyes. Will's face contorted further into a look of pure, unadulterated hatred.

"What the fuck did you just call me?" He seethed, clasping his hand tightly around my throat and constricting his fingers around my airway.

"I said you're an asshole who cares more about his dead-end career than his fucking girlfriend." I croaked. I hated him. I hated him so much. My vision clouded with the combination of disgust, loathing, and lack of oxygen, so I hit him where I knew it hurt. "There's a reason you needed me for arm candy tonight. It's 'cause you're a boring, piece-of-shit, lowlife who has no skill whatsoever. How does it feel knowing you need me to make something of yourself?" With that, he threw me to the ground by my throat. He wasted no time and pinned me to the cold concrete. His knees dug into my shoulders and his hand flew to his back pocket, whipping out the switchblade he carried as a precaution against mugging. My eyes widened as they caught a glint of the moonlight off the sharp knife. He brought the blade up to my throat and slapped me over the cheek harshly with his free hand.

"You better take back those words, bitch," He hissed, pressing the blade into the soft skin of my jugular "or they might just be your last." A dribble of blood ran down my neck with the pressure. Realization flashed through my mind. I could die right then. That could have been my last moment. Was I scared? No. Why wasn't I scared? Maybe it had to do with the shadowy figure that was slowly approaching us from the ally entrance.

There was plenty of time for me to warn Will that someone was coming. But I didn't. Instead, I stayed quiet and watched as the shadow figure pulled Will from my body with ease and tossed him to the side. Everything was kind of a blur. I was still oxygen starved and filled with a whirl-wind of emotion. I heard Will cry out in surprise and indignance. The shadow figure said nothing. It saw the switchblade with a steady line of my blood. It kicked Will in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Then it lifted up a baseball bat over its head and cracked it down over Will's skull. He continued to beat Will until he stopped squirming. The shadow figure paused and swung the bat over his shoulder. I had regained my breath and pushed myself to my elbows. The shadow noticed me moving and took a few heavy steps in my direction. I squirmed away slightly, instincts telling me to get away from the thing that had just pulverized my boyfriend. The shadow entered a stream of moonlight. It was a man. He had peppered hair and a blood-speckled face. He had dark brown eyes and a small smile perched on his lips.

"You okay, sweetheart?" He said. His voice was deep. I was partially surprised. He wasn't a bulky man. He was tall and had a broad frame, but his limbs were long and his body was lithe. He wore a leather jacket and his boots were slick with what I could only assume were Will's brains. I didn't want to look at his bat.

"W-Why did you do that?" I whispered. It was all I could muster.

"He was going to kill you." The man sounded confused, like I was supposed to know who he was and why he saved me.

"You don't know that." My voice was quiet. My eyes were glued to a spot behind the man, unblinking. He let out a throaty chuckle and dropped to a squat, leveling with me.

"Doll, he had a knife pressed to your throat," His words were gentle "Looked like he was gonna fuckin' kill you." He hesitantly reached out two fingers in the direction of my face. I didn't move. He was wearing leather gloves. The ridged fabric ran along my injuries. "Seems like he did some damage before I could step in. Damn. Sorry about that. Listen, I live a few streets down. If you want, I can get you cleaned up."

"Okay," I said softly. I let him help me up to my feet. He guided me along with one arm while holding his bat with the other. As we walked out of the alley I couldn't help but look down at Will, or what remained of him at least. His forehead was split in half, a pool of chunky blood bubbling on the ground. I clenched my jaw and forced myself to swallow the bile that had risen in my throat. And yet, I didn't feel sad. I didn't mourn him. Maybe it was shock, maybe it wasn't. "Thank you?" I murmured, though it was more of a question. The man and I stepped out onto the street and I was grateful there was no one around to see us leaving the scene of a very heinous-looking crime.

"No problem, doll," The man hummed, setting a brisk pace down the sidewalk. "The name's Negan, by the way." Cool. Negan: my Savior.

~~~

"So you're like Batman?" I asked Negan as he dabbed the blood away from my neck. He gave a short chuckle and tore away the sticky part of the band-aid.

"I guess you can say that," he mused, splaying the bandage over the cut the knife had left "but I specifically go for people that I know have hurt others. The baddies, if you will."

"Is that legal?" I tilted my head, crossing my ankles as they dangled over the bathroom counter. My palms were flat on the surface of Negan's marble sink top, fiddling with the wrappers of the medical supplies he had used to clean and bandage my small cuts and bruises.

"I haven't been caught," Negan shrugged "besides, it's less work for the police. They don't have to do any interrogation bullshit or anything. I usually catch people in the act, like tonight. Then I do my thing."

"Do you kill everyone?"

"Only the bad people," He reminded, tossing away a bloody tissue "only people who have hurt others. But, yes, usually the offender ends up on the business end of Lucille over there." He pointed out the door into the living room, where the still-bloody bat rested against a chair. I furrowed my brow.

"Well, doesn't that make you a bad guy?" I pressed. He tapped my knee and I dropped down to the tile floor, tucking my hair behind my ear and gathering some of the scraps.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you still kill people, right? Even if they're bad? So doesn't that still make you a killer?" Negan was quiet for a minute. "Let's put it this way," I continued "What would you do if you came across someone who was like you; someone who hurt the bad people. Would you still kill them. They're hurting people." Negan took a deep breath and let it out with a contemplative sigh, itching his bearded chin.

"I'm not sure," He mused "I've never really thought about it before. See, I don't consider myself a bad person per say. Yea, what I'm doing might be considered fucked up. But I'm doing it for the right reason. I'm protecting people by attacking their attackers. In the end, someone's saved." He brushed off his hands and led me out of the bathroom, flicking the light off. "Would you rather me not have saved you tonight?"

"No," I said immediately "thank you. Really, thank you. You saved my life. Will is...was...always a dick, but I never thought he'd actually hurt me. I guess that proves people can have a whole bunch of layers." Negan nodded and moved to the kitchen. He raised a bottle of whiskey as an offering. I shook my head but he poured himself a glass.

"I was just doing my job," Negan grinned sympathetically "I'm sorry your boyfriend was an asshole who tried to murder you." I shrugged, amusement in my eyes.

"Eh, it happens to everyone." I smiled as he let out another laugh. I felt as if I shouldn't be laughing, but at the same time, everyone has their own responses to almost getting stabbed to death in an alley. So I let myself have this moment. Besides, Negan was a good guy to be around. He made me feel safe, comfortable, secure. Everything I needed right now. "So, Negan, what do you do? Surely vigilante-ing can't pay well, and this apartment is really nice."

"I'm a retired baseball player," Negan said, sipping his whiskey and settling into one of the armchairs in the living room "Hence the bat."

"Were you any good?" I asked. He let out a loud scoff.

"Was I any good?" He mocked "Sweetheart, I have a whole damn trophy room. I was fucking amazing. I just got old."

"So you're rich with no real job, you kill bad guys, and you have a massive ego," I listed "You really are like Batman, aren't you?"

~~~

Negan let me stay on his couch that night. It was leather, like everything else that man seemed to own, but it was comfortable. I woke up to the smell of bacon filling the air. I groaned and rubbed my fists against my eyes, clearing them of sleep. I stretched my arms above my head in a yawn and rolled off the couch, stumbling into the kitchen. Negan was hunched over the bubbling pan, dodging pellets of grease as they shot up at him.

"Smells good!" I purred, closing my eyes and taking a deep inhale.

"Good," He grumbled "You better fucking enjoy it because I've gotten burned at least three times." I laughed and walked up to him examining the small red patches that dotted his arms.

"You didn't have to make me breakfast you know."

"Yea, but I wanted to make sure you were comfortable," He sighed, turning off the stove and scooping the cooked bacon onto a paper towel. "Besides, I was craving some bacon when I woke up. I haven't had someone to share a meal with in a while."

"Well, if you want, you can come by my house for dinner." I offered, crunching down on a piece of bacon "I've been meaning to whip out the family alfredo recipe for a while, maybe a hot date would give me that incentive." I gave him a playful wink and he chuckled.

"Sure thing, doll," He hummed, putting the pan in the sink "I love me some fucking spaghetti. I'll see you around seven?"

"Sounds good."

~~~

I ran down the sidewalk, chest heaving. There was enough darkness to cover me, but I still kept my head down to prevent recognition. I held my hands close to my stomach, praying that the blood on my fingers wouldn't drip on the pavement and leave a trail. I had been on my way home from the store when I heard some commotion coming from an alley. My first instinct was to run, but then I heard the girl crying for help. Negan came to mind, what he did, how he helped people. I couldn't turn away. I marched down the alley and saw a greasy man pinning a woman to the wall of a building. Flashbacks of the night before hit me like a train. I looked on top of the alley dumpster  and saw a crowbar perched on one of the lids. I grabbed it and stormed up to the man, whacking him upside the head with the weapon. I kicked him to the side and brought the crowbar over my head before swinging it down. It connected with his face in a sickening 'thwack.' I thought of Will. I thought of what might of happened if Negan had never stopped him. I thought of all the times that bastard had gotten drunk and told me I was nothing. I let the rage bubble up and fuel my beating. By the time I was pulled back into the moment, my muscles were screaming, the woman was gone, and the man's face was unrecognizable. I tossed the crowbar into the dumpster and ran back home.

Dried blood is extremely hard to wash off. It sticks to your skin in flakes, creating a pattern of red veins crawling over your hands. Fuck. I scrubbed as hard as I could under the rushing water of the sink, pumping more and more soap into my hand. It was under my fingernails. It was stuck in my palm prints. Shit, did I leave fingerprints at the scene? Would they be coming for me? With a hiss, I rubbed even harder at my skin, small flecks of blood turning the sink water red.

Suddenly, my door opened.

"I'm ready for my s'getties!" Negan boomed with a wide smile. My head whipped around, looking at him with wide eyes. His grin faded and he crossed the room in record time, grabbing my wrists and turning the sink off. "Is this fucking blood?" He snarled, bringing my hands up to my face. I clenched my jaw and dropped my eyes to my feet. "Jesus, who's is it? Answer me!"

"I-I heard someone screaming on the way home," I said quietly, eyes still downcast "I thought I would help..." His jaw went slack and he let go of my hands, running his fingers through his hair.

"Jesus fuck, you can't just go around killing people!"

"Why not?" I snapped, eyes meeting his "You do it all the time? What's the difference? Why can't I help people?"

"Because it...Because you just can't!" Negan growled, shaking his head.

"Why are you so special?" I hissed back, drying my hands off on a towel before tossing it at him "It's not like you can get a permit for fucking murder. Why do you do it, anyways? Is it some perverted thing? Do you get off on saving people from attackers?"

"Watch yourself." Negan warned, eyes darkening.

"Pfft, or what?" I laughed, tossing my head back "What are you gonna do, kill me? I'm not afraid of you, Negan." As soon as the words left my mouth, he charged me. His hand flew to my throat, squeezing my airway lightly. His hips pressed me against the counter. I let out a small gasp when he shoved his face next to mine.

"Oh, but doll, you really fucking should be." He spat, curling his lip "I could snap your neck right here, right now." He gave a small squeeze to emphasize his words. I let out a strangled moan. We both froze. "Are you turned on right now?" He muttered, furrowing his brow. I licked my lips and squirmed in his grip, pressing my thighs together slightly in an effort to alleviate the warm pressure growing in my belly.

"No," I lied, voice weak. A sinister grin curled over the bottom half of his face and he licked his tongue over his teeth.

"And I'm the perv, huh?" He sucked on my earlobe and peppered kisses down my jawline "Sweetheart, tell me, do you want me to fuck that pretty little pussy of yours? Do you want me to make you cum harder than you ever have?" I whimpered at his dirty mouth. "Use your words, doll, or I'll leave right fucking now."

"Y-Yes!" I breathed as Negan's lips sucked on the sweet spot right beneath my ear.

"Yes, what, princess?"

"Yes, I want you to fuck me, please!" I groaned, clawing at his shirt. He let out a short chuckle, muttering something about how needy I was, but I didn't care. Right now, the only thought running through my head was that I needed Negan. I needed all of him. And damn me if I wasn't going to get it.

We clawed at each other's clothes like rabid animals. Once we were completely bare, Negan moved his kisses down my body. His large, calloused hands kneaded my breasts, twisting my nipples between his thumbs. My arms flew around his neck and I dragged my fingernails up his back. He shivered against my touch and slid his hands further down my body. They settled firmly on my hips as he captured my lips in a fervent kiss.

"Fuck, sweetheart," he grunted, pulling back for air. I looked at him. His tawny eyes were now black, pupils far beyond dilated with lust. Both of our lips were swollen and red from the intensity of our kisses. Negan's chest inflated and deflated quickly as his eyes roamed over my body. "You're so damn perfect." I smiled sheepishly and pulled my bottom lip between my teeth, looking up at him through lidded eyes.

"You're not so bad yourself," I reached out my hand and used my pointer finger to draw a line from his collar bone down the center of his chest and through his navel, finally ending right over his pulsing cock. He sucked in a breath as my fingers closed around him. My thumb swept over the hot tip, gathering precum on the pad of my finger and rubbing it around.

"Shit," He hissed as I slowly pumped him "I'm not gonna fucking last if you keep doing that." He gently pried my hand away and took a step closer to me. I could feel his hardened length resting against the inside of my thigh. The thought of him being so close made a burst of heat rush down between my thighs. Negan took a long finger and ran it through my folds, collecting my wetness. I moaned as he teasingly dipped the first knuckle into me. He pulled back and let out a low whistle. "Damn, girl," he chuckled, raising his finger to my face "You're fucking dripping. Who's that for?" His slick-coated fingers glistened in the light of my apartment. I let out a deep groan as he slid them between his lips and sucked.

"You, Negan!" I whimpered, wrapping my legs around his waist "It's all for you." A wolfish grin spread over his features as he tugged me off him and pulled me down off the counter. He spun me around and pressed gently between my shoulder blades until my chest was flat against the cold surface.

"Then if you don't mind," Negan cooed, lining himself up with my entrance "I'm going to take what belongs to me." With that, he slowly pushed into me. I gasped at the stretch, balling my hands into fists as he continued to split me open.

"Fucking shit," he groaned once he bottomed out "you're tight as hell. I bet you've never had a dick as big as mine." He pulled out slightly and I let out a moan at the growing emptiness inside. The moan soon turned to a yelp when he brought down his hand against my ass. The smack was loud and he rubbed the red spot tenderly. "Have you?"

"N-No!" I gasped when he thrusted into me for the first time "Never. Fuck, you feel so good." Negan's thrusts sped up, his hips snapping against my ass in an obscene rhythm. Grunts and moans of pleasure slipped from both of our lips as he plowed unapologetically into me. I could feel every inch of him. He was hitting every spot, dragging against my walls in a sinfully perfect way.

"You're doing so good," He purred, kissing and biting my shoulder "So good for me. You're so perfect." I tossed my head back and he grabbed my chin, tilting my face towards him so he could give me another bruising kiss. I could only keep up for so long, though, and the white bliss of pleasure he was giving me soon became overwhelming. My jaw went slack and my head dropped against the cool tile of the counter in an attempt to ground myself in the moment. "I want you to cum, doll, cum around me. Wanna feel those walls squeeze me." His thrusts were starting to become sloppy and I could tell he was getting to his end. One of his fingers danced down my spine and found its way to my clit. He circled it with just enough pressure to get me to the edge that I was so willing to jump off. "Now." Negan growled. I obeyed, feeling the band in my lower abdomen snapping violently. We reached our releases simultaneously. My walls clenched around him, milking him of every drop. I screwed my eyes shut and screamed his name, holding in a large breath as the world around me spun. Negan eventually pulled himself out and collapsed on top of me. We both were breathing heavily, sweaty bodies entangled as well as we could over a counter. I swallowed, my throat dry from panting through my orgasm. When my eyes fluttered open, I could see Negan's thumb tracing circles over the love bites that were starting to darken on my shoulders.

"Are you going to kill me?" I rasped, running a hand through my wild hair "I guess I'm a bad person now." Negan chuckled, still out of breath.

"I think I'll make an exception," He mused, pressing a sweet kiss to the shell of my ear "I don't think I'm ready to let you go just yet."

[opheliawillowbrook]

How the Cookie Crumbles

To say his brothers fought would be an understatement: They warred. That. That was the better word. However, it was Dick who was the peacemaker among them. The mediator extraordinaire, translating all his brothers’ woes and misunderstandings into less doom-pending transgressions. But to say this unofficial, yet very necessary part he played was tasking was yet another understatement of unspeakable proportions. It was a FUCKING LOT.

“I swear to God, Drake. You and Brown are a special kind of stupid.”

“Shut up, Damian! It’s a good idea!” Tim grumbled in reply.

“Yeah! You’re just mad you didn’t think of it first!”

Dick’s face fell upon hearing the argument and considered turning the other way, but he’d learned the hard way that his lack of interference could result in bloodshed. Damian did have a history of stabbing Tim, and Robin had an impressive body count, according to Jason. I’d better  make sure he doesn’t add two more.

“Well, fuck me and my  entire life,” Dick droned in frustration. “What are you three bitching about now?”

“Damian keeps saying our idea is stupid,” Stephanie tattled.

“Yeah!” Tim added with crossed arms. “He says we lack the fortitude for good ideas!”

“You do!” the current robin exclaimed.

“Damian?”

The youngest batboy rolled his eyes and reasoned, “Listen, I know these two brain donors barely have two brain cells to rub between them—”

“That’s not the only thing they rub!” Jason called from the other room.

Damian again rolled his eyes in contempt and continued, “And I’ve accepted, as a member of this family, that everyone gets to act a little stupid from time to time. However, as much as I would like to respect their commitment to their shared stupidity, I feel as if they are abusing the privilege and it needs to stop before one of them gets hurt.”

“Wow, he actually cares,” Jason added from still in another room.

“Have you been sitting there listening the whole time?” Dick asked, near facepalm.

“Affirmative,” Jason confirmed, entering from the hall.

“And you did nothing to stop them fighting?”

“It’s funnier this way.”

“Do I always have to be the responsible one?”

“Affirmative,” all four said with little thought.

“Okay then,” Dick sighed with reluctance. “Damian, I know you find it hard to accept the choices of others, but you need to understand that free choice and expression is about accepting that others may not make the same choices as you, and that’s okay. It’s the same as you choosing not to take my dating advice and ask Raven out because you’re afraid of rejection—”

“Shut up, Grayson! This isn’t about me!!!” Damian spat.

“Damian has the hots for Raven?” Jason teased. “You have good taste, Mighty Mouse. She got a great—”

“Don’t even finish that sentence, Todd!” Dick and Damian ordered in unison.

“I was gonna say personality,” Jason droned. “Get your minds out of the gutter. I mean for fuck’ sake.”

“Sure you were,” Tim replied with a glower.

“Yeah Tim, cause you never stare at her tits while you talk to her,” Jason added, throwing him doubly under the bus.

“Dude, are you trying to get me killed?” Tim said, shooting an elbow into his brother’s ribs as Damian and Stephanie both glared. Spurring Dick into a further mood for murder.

“My point being is, just because you don’t like other peoples’ ideas, doesn’t mean they’re stupid.”

“Tell them the idea, guys!” Jason urged, stirring the pot.

Stephanie and Tim looked at each other and nodded, as though they’d discovered the holy grail itself. “We’re gonna write a series of YA novels and sell them on the web!” Steph sang optimistically.

“Yeah, it’s a huge and diverse market,” Tim added.

“And with established characters, we’ll make a killing.”

Dick’s brow furrowed. “That sounds like fanfiction?”

“It sounds like utter bullshit,” Damian sneered, not single fuck given.

“It’s not bullshit,” Tim snapped. “YA novels make up a huge portion of the market. People love those things.”

“Then name one YA novel that has sold more than a manga in the last 10 years?”

Tim shrugged. “I can’t think of one at the top of my head, but there they definitely exist and sell.”

“Yeah, so does my fanfiction based on this family,” Jason added under his breath.

“What?” Everyone asked.

“Nothing. Continue.”

“So anyway, I told Damian it’s a foolproof plan.”

Dick rolled his eyes with a bit of doubt, but who was he to judge or discourage their creativity. I mean, he dropped out of college after all? “I’m not saying I believe it’s bulletproof, because frankly, nothing is. But I’m curious why you would consider telling Damian? I mean, he hates most things.”

“And Drake. I hate Drake.”

“We’re all very aware, Dami,” Dick drawled in annoyance. “But yeah, why would you tell him anything important to you? Especially that?”

“Well, we kinda needed a loan. I knew Bruce would undoubtedly say no and, well, Damian has money.”

“Because I make good business decisions.”

“I don’t know why I thought of asking you?”

“You didn’t, Jason told you to,” Stephanie confessed, recalling an earlier conversation.

“Jason, really?” Dick tsked.

“Hey, Damian does make good business decisions. Who do you think cleans and invests money? It’s certainly not Alfred.”

“Because Alfred would have nothing to do with your blood money, Jason. And Damian, I’m very disappointed in you!”

“Grayson, I don’t know what high horse you are riding on today, but you better come off it. Father told me if I wanted money, that I needed to earn it and that I should get a job. So I got one.”

“Laundering money for Red Hood’s criminal Enterprise is not a job!”

“Actually it is. Mighty Mouse made us an LLC and everything. I own several Wash & Folds, all legitimate! Thanks to Hell Spawn here! I’m actually considering making him a partner.”

“So will your LLC fund our YA Novels?”

“Oh fuck no!”

“Come on, Jay! We have a solid business plan,” Stephanie pleased.

“You’re business plan is a bunch of meaningless numbers written on the back of a napkin and poorly illustrated versions of us,” Damian said, holding up the napkin in question.

“Okay, so it’s not the final draft, but we’re working on it!” Tim said pointedly.

“Yeah, as tempting as this all sounds, I didn’t make my money making half baked business decisions,” Jason reasoned

“No, you made it by taking over Gotham’s drug trade,” Dick clarified with disapproval.

“Which was a solid business decision.”

“Why do I even talk to you?”

“I don’t know why I talk to any of you,” Damian scowled, arms crossed, grateful there was no shared genetics between him and his adoptive kin. “I don’t understand what father saw in any of you.

“I can’t answer that,” Jason replied. “However, I can tell you, from personal experience, what he saw in your mom.”

“Do you wanna die, Todd?”

“Do you wanna not have a job?” Jason wanted. “Also, been there done that. But hey, if I died twice then I’d have buffy status so don’t threaten me with a good time, kid.”

“On that note, I’m leaving,” Damian grimaced. “I have to meet Raven, anyway.”

“Oh,” Dick sang. “You have a date!”

“It’s not a date.”

“Bet you wish it was a date,” Stephanie teased. “Y’know, if you just stopped acting like a dick all the time, I bet she’d go out with you.”

“Shut up, Brown.”

“Oh no,” Dick smiled. “I know it’s hard to believe, but he’s nice to Raven.”

“Hey keep that shit up,” Jason added. “If you’re nice to her, she’d be nice to you!”

“I hate all of you,” Damian proclaimed and stormed away.

“Fuck you too! See you at work Monday! Jason called, earning a tiger middle finger.

“He might be an asshole, but he’s a good kid,” Jason nodded with a sense of pride, causing to Dick to silently scoff. “Still needs to get laid though.”

“Bruce is gonna be so pissed when he finds out you pulled Dami into your bullshit.”

“You’re using Raven’s pet name for him now?” Jason mocked. “And fucker’s gonna have to prove it first; there’s a reason I hired ‘Dami’ for that job.”

“Dude, fuck you; dig your grave,” Dick lamented. “And don’t come at me with one of your tired ass death jokes, they’re getting old.”

“Suit yourself,” the Outlaw glowered as silence set in.

“So Dick,” Tim dared sheepishly. “You, um, wanna invest in--”

“Absolutely not,” the elder hero replied.

Leaving Jason to chuckle. “And that’s the way the cookie crumbled.”

If you enjoyed that feel free to leave me kudos 👉 here on Ao3 lol. If you have any remdom prompts send them my way; maybe I’ll feel inspired 😘

[sullustangin]

Darth Marr and Satele Shan:  Names and Priorities

I’ve reached the point in my Yavin fic that I’m starting to use Marr’s POV on occasion.  One of the things I’ve been chewing on (likely to the annoyance of others) has been the Marr-Satele-Theron dynamic during the Yavin 4 op.  It’s clear that Satele and Marr have put aside differences and have become friends (as much as a Force ghost and a self-exiled Jedi Master can be friends) by Chapter 12 of KotFE. 

I give credit to @swtorpadawan for posting about Satele on Yavin 4 a few months ago and being willing to have continued discourse about the post -- thank you.  In comments and reblogs, there’s been discussion about how to interpret Satele’s references to Theron during the op and her motivations for why she does this. 

This is a spin-off of that post, since I’ll be focusing more on the dynamic between Marr and the Shans instead of Theron and Satele. 

During the Yavin op, Theron is consistently referred to as Theron, not as Agent Shan or as Shan.  The issue of his last name is avoided.   A few people (including me) have the headcanon that ‘Shan’ is a common name in the galaxy, like Smith or Patel or Garcia would be on our world; two people named Shan does not a family connection make, necessarily.  It would explain why Theron doesn’t have a code name (though he jokingly? complains about it on first meeting). 

And yet, Satele avoids using the name in reference to Theron.  So does Marr.  And Theron doesn’t insist on being referred to by his last name, even though his peer, Lana Beniko, is referred to as ‘Beniko’ by Marr. (Satele never addresses Lana using her name.)

Why the dance? 

Honestly, when I try to reverse-engineer dev!logic, in terms of the game design for Yavin 4, I’d guess it was done to help the player differentiate between Grand Master Shan and Agent Shan.  And maybe that’s all it is: calling Theron “Theron” just keeps the player from getting confused, especially if the player isn’t a Jedi and doesn’t know Satele; and/or skipped the Forged Alliances quests and thus doesn’t know Theron.

Within the universe, however, what’s an explanation a player can come up with?

The Spies in Question

Theron’s name was broadcast across the galaxy as a wanted man for killing Colonel Darok.  He was to be apprehended on sight, but Theron was a spy; spy agencies to this day rarely let any images of their active duty agents be circulated, even if they do go rogue or defect to the other side.  Theron’s image in direct connection to his name and job as SIS agent would be on a need-to-know basis.  This has led me to headcanon that Director Trant was well-aware of Theron going off the grid; in fact, he aided and abetted it.

Lana, on the other hand, was a known member of the Sphere of Military Offense.  She commanded troops on Hoth.  She had a known face, and there was an Imperial bounty contract on her head, per Theron at Manaan.  If anything, Lana was in as much danger as Jakarro; someone could try to claim the bounty on her head, since the bounties weren’t lifted til the end of the Yavin op.

And yet, Theron’s name was the unspeakable one. 

Satele and Theron

As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, I feel that the dynamic between Theron and Satele is not that of son and mother; both of them have gotten past that decision.  Rather, it’s more similar to a child who was given up for adoption looking for some sort of acknowledgement from his birth family -- it’s not love.  It’s not approval.  It’s.... complicated.  Acknowledgement of existence.  Acknowledgement that the decision had impact on Theron well beyond his first year of life.  Acknowledgement that Satele hurt Jace. 

I’ve interpreted Theron’s bristling at the use of the term “my agent” to be more directed at the possessiveness of the word, yet how far apart they still are, despite the biological connections.  Technically, Yavin 4 was the first time they worked on an op together.  This was their first professional collaboration.  They haven’t seen each other socially, they can’t talk about their issues/relationship/whatever.....and they have to save the galaxy together.

Giving up Theron doesn’t mean Satele felt nothing. She privately struggles with what she did and how it turned out -- still does, based on 6.2.   However, she, like Jace and Theron, believe in serving the cause at great personal cost.  Seeing Theron beat to hell after Rishi bothered her -- it would bother anyone with any sense of compassion (which she does have).  Theron got the beatdown he did because he was taken by the Revanites.  Revan attempted to convince Theron to join him on Yavin 4 by invoking the idea that they are flesh and blood -- family.

Pretty sure Revan wasn’t talking about the Malcom side.  Satele knew that.  Was there a sense of protectiveness for Theron because of what happened immediately before Yavin 4?  I think so, yes, but it’s not motherly.

Theron’s experience on Rishi probably made Satele hyperaware that if Theron was of interest to the Revanites, then the Empire would doubly interested in Theron if they knew that he was not only an heir of Revan, but that the Grand Master of the Jedi Order was his biological mother.   Referring to him as “my agent” may be Satele’s way to avoid using any part of his name on Yavin 4.

I’m willing to bet, regardless of any efforts to ignore or conceal Theron’s name, that Marr quickly figured out that the agent who managed to outfox Revan, resist torture, get Marr’s attention, and unravel an intergalactic conspiracy was something special to the Republic.  Odds were that this agent had acted against the Empire.

Marr would be interested.

The History of Darth Marr and Satele Shan

Prior to Yavin 4, Marr and Satele had most recently squabbled over Makeb in the Hutt Cartel expansion through their various operatives.  When Marr saw Satele on the Imp side Battle of Rishi, he bowed.  He respected her and she respected him.  I didn’t get any other impression from their interactions. They saw each other as equals, though on rival sides; that creates tension, since a fight between them would be a draw or mutually assured destruction.  It’s highly likely they fought against each other in the previous Galactic War (which I’ll talk about below). 

Marr was born in 3702 BBY, Satele in 3699 BBY.  They’re about the same age, and they ascended almost equally quickly when the Sith returned in 3681 -- Satele is 18, Marr is 21.  I have spoken about how Satele and Jace (who seems to be somewhere between 16 and 20 in the trailer) were essentially just kids when the conflict started.  So was Marr.

The big difference, in terms of how their characters are constructed, is that we have the end product of Marr.  Period.  We don’t know what his name was before he took on the name ‘Darth Marr.’  We know nothing about his family, his relationships, his struggles.  As Marr said later to the player in KotFE, he wanted to be a symbol to the Empire.  Marr did not let himself be just a man.

Darth Marr is not the singular leader of the Sith.  Marr is the head of the Sphere of Defense of the Empire for decades, and as of the Battle of Corellia and the death of Darth Decimus, he also becomes the head of the Sphere of Military Strategy.  With 2 of Military Spheres in his grasp, Marr was the de facto leader of the armed forces of the Sith Empire.  The Sphere of Military Offense passed from Baras to Arho and then to Arkous after Ilum.  When Arkous is killed by the player’s character, there is no indication as to who was the next head; that Sphere is never spoken of again in-game.  We may assume Marr took hold of that.  Either way, he has become the de facto leader of the Sith Empire.  His voice, his robes and mask -- immediately recognizable to the whole galaxy.

The creators of content for SWTOR took the opposite approach to Satele. We can read about how her mother Tasiele was forced into exile when Satele was still a child.  We meet Satele at 18 in a SWTOR trailer during the first Sith incursion at Korriban.  We see her in comics fighting against the Empire.  We see her at the Battle of Alderaan against Malgus.  In Annihilation,we see bits and pieces of her falling in love with Jace Malcom and hoping she doesn’t get too attached... until a pair of permanent complications occur in 3667 BBY:   Jace was severely maimed in the Battle of Alderaan, and Satele got pregnant.  Jace’s injuries made him a much harder person than the soldier Satele met in 3681 BBY; he scared her with his hatred of the Empire. 

I’ll take a moment here to say that Satele wasn’t dumb or naive when she made the decision about Theron.  Satele was at least 32 years old, possibly 33 by the time Theron was born in 3666 BBY. She wasn’t a teen having a knee-jerk “oh noes, he’s evil” moment.  She had been in a constant state of war for 15 years when she got pregnant.   It’s in that context that Satele was concerned that Jace’s hatred could drag their child to the Dark Side... but also, Satele’s love for her child would make it impossible for her to serve the Republic without a second thought.  She couldn’t fight and die for the Republic if she was always preoccupied with coming home to her baby.

So she let Theron go.  She had other adventures.  She was at the Treaty of Coruscant.  Satele founded Tython.  She became the Grand Master of her order.

We don’t get any of that pathos or glory with Marr.   Marr IS.  Marr is the Empire. He is the best of them.  He has been, is, and will be. 

The odds are pretty good that Marr and Satele met each other in combat, directly or indirectly. The bow on Imp side Rishi is a big thing for me that points to that.  Also, look at their responsibilities during the last war.  Marr was responsible for not only defending Korriban and what would become the Imperial core, but also any gains the Sith made over time against the Republic.  That’s the job of the Sphere of Defense of the Empire; taking planets was somebody else’s rodeo, not Marr’s.  His job was to defend... something the Imperial people living on these planets would love him for.  He was their protector against brutish Republic troops and their systemic corruption. 

Satele was responsible for winning those territories back; we see her on counter-strikes against the Sith.  Satele is cast as the liberator of people imperiled by the spreading Sith Empire, not a conqueror taking new territory.  Marr probably had to defend against Satele at least once in their careers, possibly multiple times.  If she was absent from the front lines for any period of time, Marr would have noticed; he had to anticipate the next move of Republic counterstrikes as part of his job. 

And indeed, Satele was absent for an extended period.  How long Satele was absent from the battlefield due to her pregnancy, we don’t know. Satele did continue her battlefield duties for “months” after she found out.  The only information we have about post-partum Satele is that she stopped visiting Baby Theron at 6 months old, according to Lost Suns.  I don’t think she could just skip off at random while in command, so I think she probably was off the battlefield at least 10 months (last 4 months of her pregnancy, 6 months post-partum), possibly as long as 18 months, since Gnost-Dural reports she was assigned to duty with the Republic Navy at some point in 3665 BBY.  She did give birth on a random planet in a cave, so she didn’t exactly have the best medical care immediately.  Maybe there were complications. Maybe she did show early. We don’t know.

Regardless of the timeline, Marr would have been paying attention.  Marr would have noticed when Satele Shan stopped fighting for the Republic.  Where was she?  What was she doing?  Was this part of a greater plot by the Republic?  What were they planning?  And when Satele did return, he may well have wondered what she had been up to.  But no matter; she had returned.  Marr had to be ready.

There’s no obvious indication in the game as to when Marr figures out Satele and Theron are mother and son.  He makes no comment to indicate that he knew before Rishi.  Based on Marr’s dialogue in game on the Imperial side, he heavily suggests that he knows who Theron is by the time Iven, the former commandant of the Imperial Guard, is taken into custody and it’s time to interrogate him. Satele objects to Marr’s plans to torture Iven.  “And what do you think your agent has done in the Republic’s name?” is Marr’s response. 

The delivery of ‘your agent’ is indicative that Marr knows.

Theron himself stated at the end of the Imp side romance that if he was indeed recruited by the player to join the Empire, people would be suspicious that he’d be working for his mother.  That would have to include Darth Marr. 

Personally, I would guess that the after-action reports from Lana and Theron would have some clues for Marr.  However, once Theron had healed up from the Rishi events, Marr may well have taken one look at Theron standing next to Satele, and then had an epiphany so immense it gave him a headache that Lana felt across the compound.  There’s the answer.  That’s why she disappeared for almost two years, twenty-nine years ago. Theron Shan.

(According to Jace in Annihilation, Theron has some similar features to his mother. He doesn’t specify which ones.)

The Lie of Omission

A lie of omission is permitting an inaccuracy or a falsehood to continue to circulate without correction, even though the person knows the truth. (In contrast, a lie of commission is when you actively make something up or contribute to the lie -- you commit the act lying.)  Marr signals he knows who Theron is by the time Iven is retrieved from the Imperial Guard training facility on Yavin, but he never says the name Theron Shan out loud.   It’s simply “the agent” “your agent” or “Theron.”  But not Agent Shan.

The use of “Theron” in the Pubside story is most eyebrow-raising.  

Marr calls people by their titles. Marr always keeps professional distance.  Underlings are uniformly referred to by their titles.  Lana doesn’t like titles, so Marr doesn’t refer to her as Lord Beniko or Darth whatever;  it’s just Beniko.

Calling someone by their first name is highly irregular.  He does not refer to Satele as such until 6.2 (and that might be the Socratic Problem of Marr in the player’s memory rather than the real Marr).  It’s always Grand Master or Grand Master Shan. In a unique instance in the game, Marr calls Theron by his given name when he finds the Imperial Guard’s buildings in ruins during the Pubside story:  “But given the destruction Theron describes, it’s mostly likely a distress call.”  This is before the Pub operative annoys Marr by going to the Imperial Guard facility by themselves; it’s not said in anger or in irritation.  It’s said under ‘normal’ circumstances (if circumstances on Yavin are normal at all). 

But why?  Why not “Agent Shan”?  That would differentiate him from Grand Master Shan.  Just referring to the pair as Grand Master and Agent would work too; how many Grand Masters and SIS Agents are running around on Yavin 4?  Why is Marr avoiding attention to the man’s last name?

And why doesn’t Marr hop on this and use it to the Empire’s advantage?

Pragmatism and Prioritization

Marr is not a Jedi.  Marr doesn’t do things for the greater good.  He does things for the Sith Empire and for the people of the Sith Empire.  Offing Theron Shan?  Definitely on the agenda.  So is killing Satele, eventually.

But not now.  Not on Yavin 4.

Marr is probably the person closest to knowing what Revan is going to try to do in order to make the Emperor take physical form again so he can kill him.  It’s going to involve a lot of dead people.  That can easily happen; up until this tiny fragile cease fire between Marr and Satele, the Empire and the Republic have been engaged in a hot war. When they first make camp on Yavin, there is a real possibility they’ll frag each other regularly.  This is why players have to do daily quests, in theory -- to build good will between the factions. 

My partner is a military nerd and a Star Wars nerd.  He watched both version of the Battle of Rishi.  His conclusion:  based on the ships we see, Marr had more than twice the number of troops that Satele did (I put the numbers in my Yavin 4 fic).  The Imperial troops, at Marr’s word, probably could wipe out the Republic forces on Yavin 4, pack up, and head back to Dromund Kaas in time for tea.

But they won’t.  Marr wouldn’t permit it.

He knows how dangerous the Emperor is, and if he does let his troops kill the Pubs, they feed him. There also appears to be some sort of weird mystical thing going on with Revan’s bloodline.  Revan knew highly personal information about Theron (and Theron says so when the player opens the temple later on); somehow, Theron was able to use that connection to get Revan to give up Yavin 4 and secure an invite there at the end of the Rishi op.

Marr knows about this.  Marr doesn’t know what Revan would do if Marr did kill Theron or Satele, plus there’s the more predictable possibility that the Republic would respond to the death of Satele Shan thanks to the Jedi feeling it through the Force.  Chancellor Saresh would not let that opportunity pass by, even if it did feed the Emperor; we saw that at Ziost. 

Grand Master Shan is a public figure.  Her name and her power is obvious to everyone in the Yavin camp.  Theron, however, is everything his mother is not.  He is a spy.  His face is not known to the general public.  His work is secret, his exact abilities unknown.

Sure, the last name is common enough....

But Theron and Satele have never worked together before.  They’ve never operated in such close proximity before.  Yavin 4 would be the first time all the pieces could fall into place to someone observant.  Marr is many things, but one of the things he really gets annoyed about in regard to the Sith is their arrogance.  They get such fat heads that they can’t see obvious danger or they overlook aliens and non-Force Sensitives to their own detriment. 

Marr isn’t arrogant.

He doesn’t think he’s the only one who can see a family similarity or sense some connection between them.  Saying someone’s name is a powerful thing; we get upset when someone screws up our name.  It’s how our attention is attracted.  Shared last names of interesting people attract attention.  Attention leads to distraction away from the primary goal of stopping Revan and the Emperor.

That’s something Marr doesn’t want to deal with right now.  Revan and Emperor now.  The Shans later.  He avoids referring to Theron as “Shan” so as to reduce any chance that some young Sith will attempt to make their bones killing Theron, since that would spell doom for the Empire, whether through Revan’s anger or the Republic’s revenge.  It would also help empower the Sith Emperor to retake physical form, which is the last thing Marr wants him to do. 

Exposing the Grand Master as having a secret son would remove an ally from the field for Marr; Marr doesn’t want to destroy his assets before he’s used them to their full ability.  There’s no point in burning Satele Shan on Yavin 4 before Revan is dealt with. 

...And Marr respects her.  It’s a cheap way to win against a rival he knows to be his equal.

Marr wants to end Revan and the Emperor now, in that order, to defend the people of the Empire.  He’ll worry about the Shans later.  Marr will let Theron’s last name be overlooked and unmentioned, if only because it makes his job as Defender of the Empire less complicated for a few months.

**

Thanks again to @swtorpadawan​ and also @inyri​ @shabre-legacy​ @theniveanlegacy​ for discussing the original post about Satele and Theron and making me think about this.  

Headcanon Postface:

This last bit is purely my headcanon ideas about Marr, so you can leave here if you so desire. I’m placing them here rather than making a separate post and having to link back to this one. 

As I’ve described previously, we have the finished product of Darth Marr, with none of the personal insight that was provided for Satele Shan.  Who’s under the mask?  Nobody knows, really.  His first comic book adventure takes place in 3678, when he’s about 24 years old.  There’s nothing about his life beforehand that would let the player wonder how his past life affected his current decisions.  Marr ultimately would do the best he could for the Empire, regardless, but knowing if he ever hesitated, ever had second thought, had a regret -- that would make him mortal. 

And Marr is an icon, not a man, in the grander SWTOR universe, per the writers. That’s the point driven home to the player.  So that leaves it to fan fic to take off the mask or not. 

In “The Planter of Trees and Other Tales from Yavin 4,” Marr comes to this conclusion about the Shans’ relationship after observing two Shan chins.  He then alludes to understanding Satele’s decision to conceal Theron’s existence.

After Marr had gained his seat on the Dark Council (late 3680s, early 3670s), a lot of Sith families wanted him to add to their prestige. The man needed a legacy; he needed heirs.  Marr had already set himself on his path, however; he understood that it was better to be an icon.  If Marr was a normal man, he would be weakened by family connections, love, protectiveness, concern for his personal future.  Instead, Marr’s devotion to the Empire was unmatched and pure.  In the public’s eye, he was the great defender. He was the perfect Sith.

Marr never did have a public wife or a political marriage. His private life -- better secured than Imperial state secrets -- produced a  daughter that did not inherit her talents from her Force-Using parent.  Marr had been relieved that his daughter was not like him.  It meant she would never be pressured to come into public life. It meant she was free of the burden of his legacy. 

Lately, I’ve considered that, regardless of having access to the Force or not, a child of Marr was always in danger of becoming a pawn.  She was something Marr’s enemies could use against him, if they ever found out about her; being Force-Null simply meant that others could not detect her as easily. That may have also have been a concern of Satele in regard to Theron, especially as she rose through the ranks of the Jedi Order.  As soon as Marr could let his daughter fly away from Dromund Kaas, he did.  She was free. 

She died shortly before the Sack of Coruscant.  Marr did not go to her. The Empire had to matter more.  That doesn’t mean he didn’t love her.  He just never could prioritize her over the Empire. 

In my fic universe, Marr understands Satele’s choices.  He can keep his mouth shut.  For now. 

Theron is far more dangerous to the rival faction than Marr’s daughter ever was, however; he is an active player in the war, while she... just got caught in the middle, in the end....

Revan and Emperor now.  Shans later.

**

[connieslover]

wounded soul | part one.

༄ؘ marleyan nurse! reader , season 4 eren

༄ؘ fluff

part two : https://connieslover.tumblr.com/post/646834471134429184/wounded-soul-part-two

✧˖*°࿐ you work as a nurse in a hospital and you’re assigned to take care of an oddly mysterious and suspicious man.

the sound of your alarm clock ringing violently woke you up from your deep and peaceful slumber. groaning, you reached your arm out and hit your alarm clock, making it shut up. your eyelids remained closed as you pulled the warm blanket closer to your body. you wanted to lay in your bed forever.

your eyes finally fluttered open. you stretched your arms and lifted your body up. yawning, you grabbed your alarm clock to check the time. with wide eyes you jumped out of your bed. 

you were late, for the third time of the week. 

well, who couldn’t blame you for sleeping in? marley had just won the mid-east war after four long years. it was a night for you, your family and friends to rejoice in victory. 

you ran into the hospital, ignoring the stares of the staffs and patients as you eagerly searched for your co-worker.

“oi y/n! there you are,” you heard your co-worker call out, “late again huh?”

the figure who eyed you watched as your nestled messy hair moved along with the wind as you ran. he looked at your nursing uniform that was so obviously threw on last minute as a few of the buttons were still unbuttoned. 

‘people here really don’t take their jobs seriously’

“tch, as if you weren’t partying last night too,” you snickered. you sent him a glare before taking a check board from his hands. your eyes surveyed the soldiers who were standing in a line. 

“whatever. anyways, these are soldiers who are facing psychological problems due to the war. i already checked every patient’s details. you’re assigned to kruger,” he pointed to the long brown haired male with a bandaged eye who had a crutch under his arm which supported his body as he was missing half a left leg.

“i don’t know about you but he looks homeless to me,” he leaned in to whisper to you.

you rolled your eyes before looking through the medical details of kruger on your board.

“poor thing. he must’ve really suffered during the war,” you sighed, feeling empathetic for him. you walked over to the male with a soft smile on your face,

“hello kruger, i’m y/n. from today onwards, i’ll be your nurse. if you need anything, feel free to call me,” 

the male only stared at you in silence. asides from his towering height, his dull emerald eyes seemed to bore into your soul, intimidating you. 

“w-well i’ll bring you into your room,” you cleared your throat, breaking the eye contact. you lead the patient into the hospital and into a monotonous room where there was only a window, curtains and a hospital bed.

you placed his arm around your shoulders and gently guided him into the bed, helping him sit down. 

“i’ll start checking on your vitals,” you announced. after a temperature measure, reading his pulse and checking his blood pressure, you could deem that he was fine.

“okay, it seem’s that you’re all good, kruger,” you beamed, placing your check board on the desk beside his bed. kruger solemnly nodded before leaning his head against the board of the bed, staring at the ceiling.

intrigued about the war, you hesitated to ask kruger your question. he was a psychological patient and you didn’t want to make matters worse for the poor soul. but curiosity ate you up. 

“kruger, do you mind if i ask you a question about the war...?” you asked with great caution. kruger’s facial features remained stoic as he stared at you. 

“i understand if you don’t want to talk about it though! i’m sorry, i shouldn’t have asked,” you spluttered, waving your hand around frantically.

“the war was hell. i never imagined that humanity’s greatest enemy is humanity itself. titan’s were flying everywhere. it was a repulsive sight.” that was the first time you had heard his voice. it was deep and raspy, with a hint of torment hiding somewhere. his voice sounded like a violin with broken and old strings. 

your facial expression contorted into pity, mixed with slight fear.

“you must’ve went through a lot kruger. i sincerely thank you for fighting for marley,” all of a sudden, you had a jolt of enthusiasm coursing through your body,  “i will do my best to take care of you!”

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。..・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。..・。.・゜✭・.・

“so....how was kruger?” your co-worker sneaked up behind you, giving you a startle. 

“oh my god, don’t scare me like that!” you scolded, hitting him lightly on his shoulders.

he only chuckled before repeating his question, “so are you going to tell me how kruger was or ?”

“he seems very...closed off. he doesn’t answer a lot of my questions. i don’t know what else i can say about that. the war must’ve traumatised him really badly,” you sighed, crossing your arms on your chest.

“and he was only fifteen when he enlisted,” added your co-worker. he checked his wrist watch and patted your shoulder, “i gotta go now, see you later y/n.” you nodded and bid him goodbye.

“well, i guess i should be looking for kruger,” you mumbled.

after jogging around the corridors of the hospital, inquiring about the whereabouts of kruger to your other co-workers, you finally spotted him. he was sitting outside on a bench, accompanied by a familiar light brown haired boy. your eyes gleamed in joy.

“falco?” 

falco’s eyes widened once he caught sight of you, tears gathered in his hazel eyes. he jumped out of his spot and wrapped his hands around your waist, nuzzling his head against your chest. you laughed before ruffling his short hair. 

“i haven’t seen you in so long falco. i worried every single day, praying for you and the rest to come back to marley safely. well, i knew that you warrior candidates would make it back safely but still... im thankful that you made it back,” you smiled, breaking off the hug to wipe away the tears on his face with your thumbs. you felt an immense amount of relief and joy when you stared at falco.

although he wasn’t your blood relative, you treated him and the other warrior candidates as your younger siblings and they treated you like you were their older sister.

“i told you we’d make it back alive,” he chirped, lips forming into a smile. 

“you made marley proud,” you ruffled his hair once again. your eyes then darted to kruger who had been watching the two of you the whole time. “so, i see that you’ve made a friend,”

“mr.kruger here has been giving my encouraging words- oh, speaking of words i have to deliver a letter he wrote. i’ll see you soon y/n!” with a letter in his hand and the other waving at you, falco was off running to the post. a small smile made it’s way to your face. you sat down on the bench, beside kruger.

“you seem to get along well with falco. how did you two meet?” you asked.

“he helped me the other day. it’s good that we get along well,” he simply responded, looking into the direction falco ran.

“his uncle was one of the ringleaders of the eldian restoration movement. the restorationists and all their families were sent to paradis. falco and his brother aspired to become warriors to protect their family. and now that his brother will be inheriting the beast titan, their family will be safe,” you started, “i’m so proud of falco for becoming a warrior candidate. im hoping that he’ll inherit a titan too,”

“why are you telling me this?” kruger could only question.

"don’t ask him to send letters for you, they might get suspicious. so instead, i’ll deliver your letters from now on,” you said. kruger only nodded to your words.

an awkward silence engulfed the two of you.

remembering something, you excitedly jumped on your feet, “kruger, let me bring you somewhere,”

the male rose a brow, “where?”

“you’ll see,” you grinned, helping him stand up. the walk to your secret place was silent well, asides from your occasional humming. 

“we’re here!” 

the two of you arrived at a small hill. there was a garden of astonishing flowers that were spread on the green grass. furthermore, from where the two of you were standing, you could see the blue sky, accompanied by the ocean. the view here was breathtaking. you spotted your blanket you hung from a tree and grabbed it, placing it on the grass.

“come sit,” and kruger did as he was told. kruger sat in the space next to you. you brought your knees to your chest as you admired the scenery. there was a gentle breeze in the air. you could hear the chatters of the citizens, along with the sound of the cars on the roads and some birds chirping. 

surprisingly, it was kruger who broke the silence. 

“after the festival, i’m going to go back home,”

“oh, i see. your family must be worried about you,” 

“so, how are your family like back home?”

you swore you saw kruger’s eye twitch for a second. pain sprawled on his face and disappeared quickly like lightning. 

“my parents are dead,” he stated emotionlessly. your mouth flew open.

“i’m so sorry, i shouldn’t have asked,” you apologised, cursing to yourself in your head.

“it’s alright... i have a half-sister who always followed me around and a childhood friend who does the same. i guess they are my family now...” you gazed upon kruger. although his emerald eyes had a dullness to them, you couldn’t ignore the sadness that often glinted. 

“that’s nice. i haven’t seen my own family in a while...but it’s okay since i have falco... and the rest,” you slowly laid down on your blanket, crossing your arms behind your head which acted as a cushion. “we’re both people with broken families huh?”

“yeah...”

you were too occupied at staring at the sky to notice kruger who was staring at your resting state.

 he was eager to hear your thoughts.

“say...what do you think about the devils of paradis?”

you were silent for a couple of seconds before you spoke, “well, everyone says that only devils live on that island. devils who turned our world into hell and selfishly made their own utopia. ‘we eldians have devoted our lives as we atone for the unspeakable history we brought to marley. because we are virtuous eldians,’. virtuous eldian’s my ass.” 

“no one deserves the fate of turning into a mindless titan. after all, at the end of the day, no matter who we are, we’re all just humans right? i bet there are kind people on paradis too. not just devils. we can’t just judge a race we don’t have a lot of knowledge about. actually, we shouldn’t even judge a person based on their race. so i’d like to believe that the people on paradis aren’t devils,” you finished speaking. 

kruger could pick up the sincerity in your voice as you spoke. he was moved and speechless. he had never met someone who had the same ideology as you; that there was a chance that people on paradis weren’t devils. and that everyone was one and the same.

you had earned his respect.

'she’ll get along well with armin,’

“what about you?” 

flustered by your question, kruger cleared his throat, “i don’t think they are devils too,”

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。..・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。..・。.・゜✭・.・

days passed with you continuously doing the regular routine of checking kruger’s vitals, sending his letters, you sharing your own stories and bringing falco to talk to him. 

you didn’t know how but visiting kruger’s hospital room became something you looked forward to doing everyday. it was something about his mysterious aura that made you interested in him. 

and you visiting him was something the man himself enjoyed. surprisingly. your radiant and cheerful energy could lighten up any dim lit room so easily. you were the only good thing here in marley. 

the two of you were walking around the outdoors of the hospital as ‘physical activity’ was something kruger lacked. 

“and then after the party, my friend reiner started throwing up everywhere so badly he couldn’t get out of his bed the next day. and guess what? when he woke up, the first thing he did was vomit. on me!” you rambled about your story of reiner throwing up, your hands moving animatedly as you talked. 

something about you that kruger brought himself to like was the fact that you were so talkative and extroverted. and the way you spoke with your hands. it was cute. at this point, kruger wasn’t even paying to the words you said, and instead he was just staring at you. with an unexplainable feeling and admiration. 

whilst you were busily telling your story, you felt a person bumping into you harshly, causing you to lose balance and toppling yourself onto the floor. you felt a sharp pain on your tailbone and you mumbled an ouch before opening your eyes.

falco bent down in front of you, a sheepish look on his face. your cross face immediately disappeared.

“sorry y/n, i guess i was too excited,” he apologised, picking up the sheets of paper that were once in your hands and now on the floor. 

“it’s alright falco,” you pulled yourself from the ground and dusted your uniform before redeeming the files from falco. kruger peered at the sheets of papers in your arms, interested.

“what are those?” he asked.

“those are y/n’s secret works,” whispered falco to the taller man. you shot falco a ‘why did you say that look?’ before hiding the files behind your back.

kruger raised a brow at you, “secret experiments?”

your mind came into a blur as you tried to give an excuse.

“secret works? w-who said that? falco was just joking. after all im just a nurse...i’m way too busy for secrets. falco, tell kruger you were joking,” you gave a fake chuckle and nudged the boy’s side. falco simply blinked before understanding what you were doing.

“oh yeah i was just joking kruger. y/n would never experiment on anything. she’s too clumsy!” the both of you shared an obviously fake laughter. 

kruger was not fazed. his eyes just stared at you. intimidated by his looks you gave a sigh and signalled him to follow you. falco gave kruger an excited look, before trailing behind you.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。..・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。..・。.・゜✭・.・

you had lead the two into the entrance of a locked experimental lab which was in the most deserted floor and area of the hospital. grabbing the keys out of your pocket, you unlocked the door knob, then pushing the doors open.

“welcome to my little lab,”

the lab was dimly lit and slightly dusty. there was a slight aroma of stinging chemicals that filled the air. on the tables laid test tubes, conical flasks, microscopes- basically any chemical laboratory equipments that has ever existed. kruger’s eyes moved to the shelves that had bottles of unknown substances.

“so, do you mind telling me what your secret works is all about?” questioned kruger. 

you placed the sheets of papers in your hand on one of the nearby tables and sprawled it out. kruger took it as a sign to move closer to where you were. on each sheet of paper there were complex formulas, messy handwriting and sketches of titans. kruger picked one of the sheets and read the bolded handwriting out loud,

“fast regen number four,”

“my mother was a scientist and my father was a doctor. with the existence of titans, naturally, they were both intrigued. and as i grew up, i became fascinated in titans too. i wanted to become a scientist so that i could discover more about titans but...that sort of job doesn’t exist here in marley. and so, i just decided to become a nurse,” you explained your upbringing and interest in titans.

“y/n couldn’t give up on her fascination with titans though. and so~ she started playing around with zeke’s spinal fluid and started creating weird serums and stuff,” chimed in falco. you puffed your cheeks with air in embarrassment. 

“i wasn’t playing around falco, i was experimenting!”

"are the serums in that shelf?” kruger asked, pointing to the dusty shelf.

“yup,” you grabbed one of the serum bottles from the shelves, “i’m currently developing a tonic that speeds up the regeneration for shifter titans. it could be handy for when they’re in war,” 

“what else have you been thinking of developing?”

“you’re one curious fella aren’t you?” you chuckled.

“so far only the faster regeneration tonic and stimulants that can make a titan’s power stronger for a period of time,” you answered showing kruger a sheet of paper that had a messily written recipe.

“hange would go crazy if she saw this,” kruger muttered, just loud enough so that you could hear.

“hange?”

“she’s an old friend of mine,”

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。..・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。..・。.・゜✭・.・

today was a busy day in the hospital. it was much more busier than usual. although your body was aching and that you were very desperate to go back home to sleep in your comfortable bed, you still had to check up on kruger.

you entered his hospital room, flabbergasted that he wasn’t sitting on his bed, waiting for you like usual. 

slightly panicked, you ran to your co-worker, asking him if he knew about the whereabouts of kruger.

“kruger? i saw him leave the hospital a while ago....”

you immediately ran outside the hospital, eyes surveying the perimeter. you didn’t see the familiar long browned hair male. 

there was only one place left you could think of,

your secret place.

you practically panted when you arrived. it was as if you had just ran a 1500m marathon. you didn’t know why you were so eager to look for him. wiping the sweat off your forehead, you looked up and there he was. you felt like every fibre of your body wasn’t aching anymore when you saw his figure.

relieved that you found him, you quietly sat down beside him. 

“you gave me a scare. i thought you had ran away,” you chuckled, then laying down onto the blanket. you closed your eyes, your chest heaving up and down.

“freedom.” was all he said. you remained quiet, allowing him to continue.

“the only thing i want is freedom. for me, and the people in my hometown. i’ll do anything it takes...to acquire that freedom for them,” kruger’s emerald eyes gazed upon the horizon. the hues of orange and red from the sunset reflected in his eyes.

“what do you think is freedom, y/n?”

“freedom feels unreachable but the closest thing to freedom for me is being with you. i don’t know how to explain it but being with you feels like this. a cool breeze, relaxing with no worries and-” a warmth infusing on your cheeks made you stop talking. you realised that if you were to go on, you might spill something that you wanted to keep for yourself. 

“what were you saying?”

the sound of the branches and honking of cars were the only things he heard. he turned his head, facial expressions softening when he saw your sleeping figure. your eyes were closed, displaying your lashes that rested on your cheeks nicely. your lips were slightly parted as you breathed. the pink on your cheeks were faint but still visible. you looked composed and peaceful. 

the male scooted closer to you and placed your head on his lap.

kruger didn’t know what brought him to do it.

with slight hesitance, he grazed his fingers on your messy hair. he caressed your hair with such fondness and gentleness that it reminded him of when his mother used to caress him as a child.

you were a kind soul. anyone could tell. kruger found himself adoring at the way you spoke with sincerity whenever you talked about a subject you were interested in, with your eyes lighting up like the stars in the sky. how you took great care for the one’s who were injured, how you had such strong beliefs, how you didn’t care about the whole history of eldian’s and especially, how he felt like when he was with you.

he hasn’t felt this way with anyone before.

though he inherited visions of the future from his titan powers, he didn’t inherit any emotions from them. they were all new. he wondered if this is what he was supposed to feel.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。..・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。..・。.・゜✭・.・

kruger stared out of his window, looking at the sky as the clouds moved. he only had a few days left before the festival. a few days left before he would be going back to his hometown. in his period of time in marley, he never expected that he would get personally attached to a person. 

a person who he had to often remind himself was one of his enemies. 

his thoughts were cut off when he heard your voice,

“good morning kruger! you can’t guess what happened to-”

you were so ecstatic to see the male that you had tripped on your own feet, making you fall onto the ground with a thump. with a bruising forehead, you heaved your body upwards, wincing at the pain.

you felt yourself getting embarrassed until you heard a chuckle escape kruger’s lips. his lips were turned upwards and the corner of his eye’s had crinkled slightly.

you saw his soul in his smile.

and it was a soul that was wounded but pure and beautiful.

this was the first time that you had heard him laugh and smile. and it was a delight.

you didn’t know if your heart was racing because you felt embarrassed, or how over the moon you were over the fact that you had finally made him smile or over how good-looking he was. 

“how dare you laugh at me,” you shot him a glare.

kruger stood from the bed, hopping over to where you were. he reached out his hand, offering to help you up. your hand reached to hold his and you pulled yourself up from the ground. his hands were large and coarse. you could see a mark on his hand that was ever so faint. holding his hands made your heart stir.

“i haven’t laughed in a while,” kruger confessed, his lips slowly returning back to it’s neutral frown.

“well, i’m happy that i made you smile,”

you then realised that you were still holding onto his hand. you felt your ears warm and you quickly let go of his hand. you shifted your eyes to the walls of the room, glancing everywhere but at him.

“s-sorry. you’ll be leaving tomorrow right?” you stammered, wanting to change the conversation. 

kruger didn’t respond to your question and instead said, “let’s go for a walk.”

the two of you were walking next to each other, admiring the silence between the two of you. 

“you’re the first person i have ever brought to my secret place,” you hummed. your feet stopped. you then turned to face kruger,

“i never knew that i could ever befriend a patient. thank you, kruger.” 

your eyes sparkled when you smiled at him. it felt as if a ray of sunshine was all over your face. you radiated such brightness and warmth that it took everything in him to not break down. 

kruger felt like the world was a better place when you smiled. he had the urge to protect the smile that you had shown him. 

but he knew that your smile wouldn’t last. 

“actually, my name is eren,”

you blinked twice.

“eren?” you repeated, letting his real name roll off your tongue. the male nodded.

“eren...is a nice name,”

“i hope to see you again in the future, y/n,” and with that, the two of you remained silent. 

[teamsarawatshusband]

Day 12 - Favorite Cast

I feel a bit ashamed that I’m so way behind schedule, but I’m intend on catching up. So!

This one was tough, because I don’t have one show that has an absolutely perfect cast, but I’m gonna pick what I think gets closest, based on what I feel makes good actors. So, to me, a good actor is capable to portray a multi-layered role, i.e. a character that has more than just one personality trait.

The Untamed is a show that has a ton of actors, many with minor roles which still provide a chance to show exactly that skill. So, aside from the obvious awesomeness in the main cast, here’s some other examples (by far not all that the show has to offer):

Zi Teng as Lan Qiren - the character is honorable and strict, a perfect teacher, but he also has some rare moments where he is amused by the young disciples, even though he’d never admit it, and he does recognize and respect Wei Wuxian’s honesty and intelligence on more than one occasion, even though he’s mostly outraged by him. And, I think Zi Teng’s acting as Lan Qiren was beautiful in its nuances.

Zhang Jing Tong as Madam Yu - She is so unspeakably horrible to Wei Wuxian in how she emotionally blackmails him again and again, whether it’s out of jealousy over her husband’s adultery rumors or the motherly need to support her own son above all else. She can be ruthless and unforgiving when she wants. But, she very clearly loves her children and her clan and would do whatever it takes to keep them safe, even if it costs her life. I think the series also did a really good job at showing that, deep down, she truly loves her husband. It became clear in those last moments where she crawled towards him as she was dying. What a great badass character. And Zhang Jing Tong played her wonderfully.

He Peng as Wen Chao - OMG, don’t we all hate him with the fire of a thousand suns?! Wen Chao is SUCH an asshole. Pardon my French, but it’s the truth. He’s a whiny little good-for-nothing bitch with a superiority complex. BUT, he’s also so sadly desperate for his father’s approval, and, at the end of his life, he’s just a scared little wimp, isn’t he? It takes a great actor to be able to portray a character like that. I definitely applaud He Peng for the amazing job he did.

Cao Jun Xiang as Ouyang Zizhen - I don’t know about you, but I just really like him. For a super minor character, he’s actually incredibly relatable. He gets scared, shows feelings. And, guys, he’s not afraid to cry nor is he afraid to stand up to his father. He’s such a wonderful character with actual development. I love him. And Jun Xiang was a great choice for this role.

Guocheng as Lan Jingyi - Since we’re already talking about the Junior Disciples... This guy is so many people’s favorite, isn’t he? While he is a Lan, i.e. calm, serene and well educated, sometimes he just steps out of those Lan lines and gets just a tad sassy. He’s not afraid to put people in their place and sting them with their own poison for a bit. Not many people could walk the fine line between respectful junior and underground sass queen like Goucheng. Look at that smirk. Perfect casting is perfect.

Chen Zhuoxuan as A’Qing - Wasn’t she amazing??? What a great character... a little girl with street smarts who cons people by pretending to be blind, who finds a friend to take her away from that life and strive for better, only to end up blinded for real and robbed of everything good in her life. And she has so many layers. She’s smart, funny, cute, sassy, but she also has a heart of gold and is so desperate to protect her found family. The way Zhuo Xuan acted her suffering at the end of the Yi City arc, yet STILL determined to save so many lives is just one of the most impressive acting jobs I have seen on this series. I mean, WOW!

Wang Haoxuan as Xue Yang - Do I even have to explain this one? Look at him. Look at him acting a character that is so full of hatred, so crazy in mind, that he has no other goals in life than taking revenge on everybody. He feels perverted joy in other people’s suffering, the worse the better. Yet, for a sociopath, he is so sadly desperate to make connections to somebody. He yearns for Xiao Xingchen’s company and willingness to remain his found family. He yearns for Wei Wuxian’s approval when it comes to his demonic cultivation. He’s not GOOD, but there’s more there than just hatred. There’s desire and dreams and hopes. Also, obviously, he’s very very sexy. I mean... And Wang Hao Xuan portrayed this character so perfectly. I can’t imagine anybody else doing it like he did it. So so so good.

Ji Li as Nie Huisaeng - I know I said no main roles, but... how could I not mention him, when, for most of the series, I had no idea of his involvement in... everything. For the longest time, I wasn’t even aware how much of a main character he truly truly was. It takes a perfect actor to play the role of a seemingly scared, incompetent and indecisive man who is secretly the one who pulls all the strings - and be so convincing that most of the audience doesn’t see it coming. Ji Li, man... what a great great actor, omg.

[qqueenofhades]

Thank you for your answer to my last ask! Just sort of carrying on from that, what do you think about how they should cover medieval queerness in a potential prequel? I read your post about the deep relationships between knights which was really interesting. I guess what I'm asking is what would "Period-typical Homophobia" for Nicky and Joe actually be? Thank you for educating us better than school does.

Okay, I’m gonna come in here with a Scorching Hot Take that may ruffle some feathers, but possibly... none?

If the point of including casual homophobia or homophobic references is literally just for the sake of evoking some supposed Medieval Bigotry for ~Le Atmosphere Of Dark Age, there is a) no point to it, and b) not much historical evidence either. People love to point out that we didn’t have the modern identity labels of “gay,” “lesbian,” “bisexual,” etc. in the olden days -- well, in that case, we don’t have modern homophobia either, or reactions to those behaviors in the same way. We don’t even have much textual evidence for how ordinary people (outside clerical/religious elites, who would be predisposed to disapprove, just like the religious right today) reacted to so-called “queerness” in their communities, and the circumstantial evidence we DO have suggested that it was far from any imagined universal experience of rejection and isolation. Besides, what we call “queer” due to fragile modern heteronormativty and toxic masculinity was actually intensely normal for medieval people.

One of the tiresome arguments that Straight Historians tend to use, when queer historians are arguing for a queer, romantic, or sexual relationship between two people of the same gender (usually men, because that’s who mostly appears in our sources), is that “friendship was a lot more romantic/intimate/emotional/physical in nature back then!!! They’re not gay They’re Just Pals!!” This is actually true, in that medieval men, far from this Iron Man No Homo No Emotions trope that (once again) we ourselves have come up with, were encouraged (as I wrote about in my gay knights post) to love each other almost, if not quite, beyond reason. There was so much crying, kissing, embracing, tender declarations of loyalty, etc (see: Is It Gay or Is It Feudalism?) Any of those behaviors would make the modern viewer go “lololol HOMOSEXUAL!!!”, but it’s not even always the case? The standards of physical affection, vows of devotion, and close emotional bonds even between platonic friends were just different, and while yes, there was a corresponding anxiety about this attachment turning sexual, the fact that it was considered as a worry in the first place shows you how intense these bonds could be. So while the modern viewer may see two men acting like that and go “oh no gay cooties,” this just wouldn’t raise any eyebrows at all to a medieval person, and hence they’re not going to come back with some dumb manufactured homophobic comment.

Next, in re Joe and Nicky specifically: I SORELY long for a scene in this imaginary prequel where after something romantic has happened between them for the first time, Nicky understandably freaks out a little and goes to confession. There is one other guy in front of him, and a bored priest who is not very good at his job. Guy In Front of Nicky (we’ll call him Guy) goes into the booth and kneels. Priest looks at him, doesn’t even ask. “Oh, is it sodomy again? Fine, seven days fasting bread and water, say two decades of the rosary, Ego te absolvo in nomine Patris -- ”

Waiting outside the booth, Nicky can hear this (since remember this priest is Bad at his Job and has apparently never met the concept of confessional confidentiality in his life) and sags in relief a little. Oh sodomy isn’t that bad, right, it’s a venial sin, no big --

“Father,” says Guy, “I confess that I have also consorted with a Saracen in search of a magical remedy.”

(We don’t gender the Saracen, because we don’t believe in supporting  stereotypes, and since it’s established Guy is into Kinky Stuff, you never know.)

Priest LOSES HIS SHIT.

“You WHAAAAAAAT? CONSORTING WITH A SARACEN FOR MAGIC!! THIS IS A TERRIBLE SIN!!! YOU NEED TO REPENT IMMEDIATELY!!!”

Cut back to Nicky. OH SHIT!!! Sodomy not bad, he could deal with that. Consorting with a Saracen?? OH SON YOU’RE DOOMED. SODOMY WITH A SARACEN??? OH MY GOD I’M GOING TO HELL!

Cue Nicky’s silent existential crisis Dying in the background while the priest lectures Guy to within an inch of his life. Finally, Guy decides fuck this priest (not like that, this is not Fleabag) and scuttles out. A thoroughly terrified Nicky thinks about following him, but since the priest has already seen him, he can’t flee. He goes into the booth and kneels down, Quaking.

“What have you come to confess, my son?”

Nicky.exe has stopped working.

“.....jealousy.”

You get the idea. And guess what? This would be COMPLETELY accurate, because if we were using, say, Burchard of Worms’ Decretum, an early 11th-century handbook advising priests what penalties to give to various sins, that’s basically how it’s treated. Sodomy is blown over briefly with the other venial sins as a certain amount of days fasting on bread and water, while Burchard is really, really worried about witchcraft, magic, non-Christian beliefs, and other such things. So again, really, what is “Period-Typical Homophobia?” We’ve already established that behavior between two men that would raise modern eyebrows would be absolutely nothing remarkable to a medieval person, while priests obviously don’t approve of sodomy, but they’re not that fussed by it either. (Unless you’re Peter the Chanter, who’s just a dick, but he is yet again one guy writing about one specific context, 12th-century Paris, and the fact that he’s complaining so much means that it’s obviously happening in reality.) Besides, the whole idea was that sodomy was the “unspeakable sin,” aka something people just didn’t mention or talk about, which is why it can be hard to track down reliable or unambiguous treatments of it. Obviously, queer erasure isn’t a surprise, but it doesn’t mean that these people didn’t exist; it just means that chroniclers, especially monastic chroniclers, didn’t write about it. So even if this is outright happening, i.e. Joe and Nicky’s romance and/or the number of other queer characters we will be sure to include for verisimilitude, there’s still no guarantee that anyone would even actually SAY something.

And besides: not every minute of history was filled with homophobia, just as not every minute was filled with filth, torture, misogyny, etc. There is actually no necessary reason to include it, especially in boring modern homophobia form, unless you’re trying to beat us over the head with Things Being Bad Back Then. Especially if we’re making a movie that honors and empowers queer people, who deserve a chance to escape into a lavish historically detailed gay romance with Joe and Nicky and not have to deal with bog-standard microaggression as a result. Because what I’ve laid out above is just as much (in fact more so) historically accurate, and MUCH more funny, interesting, authentic, and original.

(And thanks so much!! Another GREAT question.)

[thebigqueer]

Solangelo - "Lethal Enemies" - One-Shot

Summary: Nico and Will are venturing through Tartarus, and there they meet a familar god: Eros.

Word Count: 2905

SPOILERS: Tower of Nero, Burning Maze; TW: Homophobia/Internalized Homophobia, some violence (and blood but it's not too descriptive), outing mentions

Read on AO3

Heat pulses in the air, scorching Nico’s skin as he and Will stumble through the darkness. He isn’t sure how long they’ve been down here, but his body is already aching and screaming from all the effort of fighting monsters and trying to survive.

Will’s arm brushes against Nico’s, and the child of Hades almost jumps back at the touch. His skin feels feverishly hot, bursting with unnatural heat. When Nico looks up at him, he realizes that Will’s face is severed with scratches, gashes, sweat, and an overall pale wash. Small holes smoke in his CHB T-shirt, and his jeans are ripped at the sides from where a monster clawed him.

At the sight of him, Nico’s chest constricts with sympathy and guilt. As much as he loves Will for coming with him, he knows the kind of pressures that would put on both of them. Will looks so out of place in such a dark, gloomy world, where only terror and misery reside.

To Nico, Will is the complete opposite of terror and misery. He’s the sunshine after a terrible rain storm; he’s the sweetness after the sourness. But here, in the raging darkness, Will looks washed out. He doesn’t belong here.

Tartarus is Nico’s terrifying, unspeakable past; Will is his bright future. The two should not be clashing.

This hell was made to ruin. And it seems like it’s doing its job on Will, too.

Nico slips his fingers into the blond’s and squeezes, pushing his own feverish warmth into his boyfriend. Will turns his face to Nico’s and, for the first time, Nico sees a crack in his eyes - usually so sky blue, they’ve turned almost gray with fear. He’s breaking.

Nico leans into Will’s side, trying to find solace in the overbearing darkness. “It’s only going to get worse,” he mutters.

“Then I’m glad I’m not doing it alone.”

Nico offers a wavering smile, and they continue walking. For the most part, it seems like they’re safe from any monsters, but Nico knows from past experience that he can never be too careful. His eyes swerve all around them, watching out for any new monsters, and his Stygian sword pulses in the darkness.

After a few moments, there’s a shift in the air. It’s still warm and unbearable, but there’s a new scent - like a faint waft of the outside world, the breath of a fresh summer day. It smells almost like Will.

The blood in Nico’s veins buzzes and he stops immediately. Fear courses through his body. Will staggers as the child of Hades grips his wrist and pulls him back. At the sight of Nico’s ashen face, Will leans in. “Everything good?” he asks.

“That smell,” he whispers. “What does it smell like to you?”

“Well,” Will says, eyebrows knitting together as he thinks, “it kind of smells like you, weirdly? Like, the earth after a rainy day.”

That’s all Nico needs to know before panic settles in his chest. His mind crawls with memories and the pain of humiliation he faced just a year ago. Jason, Croatia, Diocletian’s spectre.

“No,” he mutters. “Will, we need to leave.”

Without waiting for a response, Nico tightens his fingers over Will’s wrist and starts to pull him away. But a voice murmurs, “Oh, leaving so soon, child of Hades?” and Nico knows right then and there that he and Will are trapped.

The voice pours over the heat like melted chocolate, smooth and deep, but a dagger of betrayal resides in it. Nico’s heart thuds on overtime and his nerves flair with anxiety, but he knows he can’t go anywhere. This meeting was bound to happen.

“Eros,” Nico hisses.

“Ah,” the voice murmurs. “So you recognize me.”

The god isn’t visible, but Nico can feel his cold presence anyway. “Who would forget such a jackass?”

A low, rumbling laugh echoes around them. Will’s hand releases its hold on Nico’s and lingers over the gun at his side. Nico raises his sword.

“Well, well, well,” the god says, “it looks like you’ve got a new friend here with you. How sweet.”

“Show yourself,” Will demands. “Face us like the hot-headed deity you are.”

Though he can’t see it, Nico still senses the raised eyebrow over the god’s eye. “Oh, he’s feisty, too. You sure have won with him.”

“Stop talking about him like he’s some kind of object,” says Nico. “You heard him. Show yourself.”

The same laughter crashes over them, and after another moment, a being appears. His long, black hair gleams despite the absence of light, and his red eyes glimmer maliciously in the darkness. They stare right through Nico, stabbing him in the face, and suddenly Nico’s hurtling to the past, to the misery. He scowls at the god.

Eros’ wings spread around him, the feathers fluttering a little as he shifts. He crosses his arms and offers a sharp smirk to Will and Nico. “Aw, look at you two,” he purrs. “So young and in love. Ready to fight together in Tartarus.”

“What do you want?” Nico asks, brandishing his sword. “Why are you bothering us?”

Eros’ shoulders rise and fall gracefully in an innocent shrug. “Oh, nothing, really. I was really just hoping to see how you were. I heard you were traveling down here, and I thought I would check on your progress.”

“Well, great. You’ve checked. You can leave.”

He laughs again, a low, tumbling laugh that heightens Nico’s rage. “Ever the sarcastic, child of Hades. No, listen. I can help you.”

“And how will you do that?” Will asks, raising an eyebrow. “You’re nothing more than a love god.”

“Have the Aphrodite children taught you nothing, pitiful child?” Eros hisses. “Love plays an important role in life.”

“I don’t see how love is helpful here,” Nico says, spreading his arms to gesture to the rest of Tartarus. “All I see is pain and misery. You can leave.”

“Oh, but I see where love can become important.” Eros raises a brow and tips his head to the boys. “Are you two not in love?”

Nico blushes. “That is not of your concern.”

“I can influence a lot,” he promises. “Especially the way you two act together. Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase - the two you were oh-so-jealous of only some time ago - came here together. They got away safely. I can influence a lot between you and Will Solace.” He steps forward, and against his lips, a dagger-like smile beams at Nico.

The son of Hades crosses his arms. “I happen to remember that I got through here on my own. Love does not solve all problems.”

Eros raises an eyebrow. “Does it not?” He begins to circle around Will and Nico, glaring at them with his ruby-red eyes. “Tell me, Nico, does Will not make you feel special? Does he not help you feel better?”

Rage billows up in Nico’s chest, pushing against his sternum. “I am happy with Will. But he does not solve my problems, just the way I do not solve his.”

“But you are happier with him, is that right?” Another smile flashes across his mouth. “And who are you to thank for him, hmm? If it were not for me, you would not be here today with him. You would not be happy accepting who you are.”

Nico’s anger rises up to this throat, hot waves of rage crashing against the back of his neck. He surges forward, but Will pulls him back. “No,” he whispers. “He’s a god, Nico. Don’t try.”

Nico glares at Will, but deep down, he knows Will is right. So he sighs and stands still.

“I would not be happy?” he growls. Nico's muscles tighten with rage. “You humiliated me. I wasn’t ready to admit who I was; I wasn’t ready for any of that.” This time, despite Will’s insistence, Nico rushes forward, his anger pulling him toward the god. “It was my choice, and you stole it from me! And you’re congratulating yourself?”

“It’s not like there were many people there,” the god scoffs. “Only Grace.” He pouts. “I heard about the demigod’s untimely death, however. Terribly sorry.”

Nico shakes his head. He knows Eros is just trying to get under his skin by mentioning Jason. He can’t let himself get distracted.

“Your outing of me was not something to celebrate,” hisses Nico. “I spent so much time hating myself, hating Percy because of who I was. When you forced me to blatantly admit that I was gay” - a burst of confidence blooms in Nico’s chest as he says the last word - “I had never felt so violated. I only hated myself more, because I was terrified of who I was. The entire experience was humiliating. You ruined me.”

“Did I?” Eros asks. “The first step in accepting yourself was to admit you were gay in the first place. I pushed you to accept yourself.” He gestures to Will. “Now look where you are! Happy and in love with a boyfriend! Is there anything better?”

Nico’s chest heaves as another wave of rage suffocates him. His body shakes with anger. He feels like a detonating bomb; in just a few seconds, he will explode and destroy everything in the area.

“You only made things worse,” mutters Nico. “I spent days worrying about who was watching me, worrying about how much people knew. I hated myself every moment, every second afterwards, even more so than before you forced me to admit that I was gay.” Nico takes a deep breath, his chest expanding as he does so. “Maybe you’re right - maybe I did need to admit to myself who I was. But it should have been on my own terms. You did not help me accept myself; all you did was make me tell myself what I already knew. You made the entire process of accepting myself more difficult than it needed to be. When I spat out that I liked Percy, I felt… I felt violated. I felt like someone had stabbed me right through the back. I… I hated myself more than I ever did at that moment. I thought it was the end; I thought right then and there, I would die. Not from embarrassment, but from someone else’s hands. My own hands. I thought there was nothing more humiliating than to be forced to tell someone I didn’t know that I was some kind of disgusting creature. I felt so dehumanized.” Nico glares at Eros. “Don’t feel happy that you did that. You did not improve my life; only I did that. Not Will, not you, not any of my friends. Me. Do not take credit for my accomplishments.” Hot fury seethes in Nico’s core, washes up over his chest, crashes against his throat, trickles down his arms and legs. His lungs expand and exhale as he breathes hard, each breath like acid burning down his sinuses. “My work has been looked over too much, ever since I first learned of demigods. Do not take the credit for my self-improvement, because you are one of the many reasons I was destroyed in the first place.”

For a moment, no one speaks. An eerie silence lingers in the air, holding Nico in a chokehold. Eros simply watches him, his eyebrows lowered and a fierce, judgmental, angry look glowing in his red eyes. Will tilts his head at Nico and offers the ghost of a smile. I'm proud of you, he seems to be saying.

Nico doesn’t return it, but even then, a little flower of confidence blooms in his chest.

Eros crosses his arms once more, airing his defiance out into the open. Arrogance sparks along his wings. He raises a brow at Nico. “You have become more bold in yourself. Self-assured.” A sharp smile grates against his mouth. “And that would not have happened had you not admitted you were gay at all. I may have humiliated you, but in the end, you have become stronger through your pain. You have become sturdy, grounded into the world. I have led you to your happiness.” He offers a secretive smile to Will. “And your happiness is your boyfriend. You’re welcome.”

Nico watches Eros, glaring at his over-confident face, at his casual posture, at the pride in his eyes. He is too assured in himself, too hot-headed.

The sword in Nico’s hand grows heavier, a hum buzzing through the metal. Irritation and anger swirl in his chest, creating a tornado in his body, and he’s drowning, drowning in his rage, in his memories, in his untamed emotions.

He knows what he has to do.

Nico raises his sword, and, without even thinking, he slashes the god’s shoulder.

“Nico!” Will cries, but it’s too late. Eros cries out and hisses through his teeth, holding his arm in his hand. His angry red eyes gleam right at the child of Hades, projecting all his rage and pain right to Nico’s core. The demigod merely stands still, waiting for the god’s next move.

“Oh, you arrogant hero!” Eros cries. Golden ichor slips past his fingers, dripping onto the ground, and for a strange, fleeting moment, Nico finds that it looks beautiful in the darkness, sparkling where it should not be.

Only pain belongs in Tartarus. Nico wants to hurt Eros the way he hurt him.

Nico knows the act was stupid, but he can’t help the grin that takes over his face. Laughter bubbles out of his chest, sprinkled with something maniacal, something angry. “What’s wrong, my lord?” Nico purrs, leaning against his sword. “You said love fixes pain. Can it fix you?”

Eros snarls at Nico, but the son of Hades doesn’t care. Nothing beats the thrill that thrums in his body at the sight of the god being so frustrated.

Eros pants through the pain, his face turning red. “You think you are something special, don’t you, child?”

Nico laughs, the sound of it ironic in such a painful place. The laugh overflows with repressed pain, with hot anger.

That laugh belongs here in Tartarus, with its madness and rage.

“Oh, Eros,” Nico mutters. “I spent so long thinking I deserved nothing. I spent so long thinking everywhere I went, misery followed me. I have never felt special.” He glances up and down at the god. “You asked me if even Will makes me feel special. Well, no. He makes me… feel good. But you know what makes me feel actually special?”

Despite his rage, curiosity strangles Eros’ eyes. He waits for a response, hissing as more ichor spills out of his godly being.

“What makes me feel good, what makes me feel like I have a worth in this world,” Nico says as a smile creeps over his face, offering him a maniacal glow, “is when I provide justice to those who have done wrong. Originally I always believed Death has no mercy, only justice.” He slashes again at Eros, who cries louder and falls to his knees. He pants through the pain. “Well, I suppose there are other ways to provide justice.”

Nico runs his finger through the golden ichor that gleams over his sword. Touching it, Nico’s finger tingles with power. He looks at Eros again. “What makes me feel special is when I defeat entitled assholes like you, my lord.”

“You have not defeated me,” the god growls.

“No, not physically,” Nico agrees. “But I have defeated the pain you have caused me.” He touches the tip to Eros’ chin, balancing it mere millimeters from his skin. The point gleams red as it reflects the glow of Eros’ eyes. “Begone, you pitiful asshole.”

Eros snarls and throws Nico’s sword away, but the demigod only smiles. This is exactly the reaction he wanted.

“You cannot kill me, arrogant hero,” Eros reminds him.

“No, but I can scare you.” Raising an eyebrow at him, Nico says, “Many have been scared of me. I am a child of Hades. You may be a god, but you have no idea of what I am capable of.”

Eros regards Nico with a sharp glare, but the sight of it no longer grates against Nico’s conscience. He’s only bursting with energy, with confidence. He hasn’t felt so alive in years. Power hums in his core, billows over his chest, courses through his veins. He feels almost invincible.

“You have made an enemy, Nico di Angelo,” Eros promises. “And love is no enemy you want. Especially not with someone in your situation.”

Nico falters. What does Eros mean? Does he mean his being gay? Does he mean with society in general? Then Nico turns to his boyfriend, who’s shivering with fear and adrenaline at his side, and it clicks. He means Will.

Nico scowls at Eros. “You say I have made an enemy, Eros, but the truth of the matter is that you made me an enemy long ago. When you first stabbed me in the shoulder with your weapon.” Nico glances at the wound on Eros’ left arm and shakes his head. “You made a mistake long ago. You are only now realizing it.”

Silence lingers around them, floating tensely in the hot air. Then Eros says, “I can influence a lot.” A glimmer of confidence returns in his eyes. “Be warned, child of Hades.”

With that, Eros disappears. And Will and Nico are left alone once more, staring ahead to whatever terrors lie ahead.