#IT'S EXPENSIVE AND WRITTEN REALLY WEIRDLY

[thenationofzaun]

Thoughts on Act 1 of Arcane Season 2

The positives:

- The animation is fucking incredible.

- Jinx and Sevika teaming up watered my crops and cleansed my skin.

- Underwater goodbye with Jinx and Silco. That scene was made specifically for me.

- Jinx's voice actress continues to be excellent.

- Loved the designs of all the Chembarons. The glimpse we got of the gang wars was also interesting. Unfortunately, too tiny a glimpse. Which brings me to...

The negatives:

- Too many plotlines. They stuffed the season with too much shit which is why each individual plot gets a much shorter screentime than it should. Smeech is introduced and killed in the same episode. Chembarons' gang wars, a huge issue which has repercussions on the entire Undercity, gets only one musical montage before moving on. And this is coming from someone who loved that montage, as well as the song. My favourite on the soundtrack so far. But musical montages shouldn't come at the expense of the story and definitely shouldn't replace the story. There are just way too many music video scenes in general that feel like a way to condense a storyline into the sparknotes version because they don't have the screentime to flesh it out. And they would have the screentime if they cut out all the extra stuffing. Look I'm happy for the League fans who are excited for the Black Rose and all that, but what the hell is it doing in a Piltover/Zaun show. And with zero foreshadowing in Season 1 too. It would definitely be easier to swallow if they had at least hinted at it in the first season. They could have kept Ambessa's beef with this magic cult for a Noxus show. The P/Z narrative has enough to deal with, enough characters to handle already.

- The new side characters are uninteresting and generic. Maddie and the two other enforcers (we don't even know their names after three episodes LMAO) are bland. We know nothing about their characters or personalities. Maddie looks like a rookie, and one of the dudes is an alcoholic, yet they get chosen for an elite strikeforce to capture Jinx? Isha is pretty generic too - the token cute kid that needs protecting. I get the role she will play in Jinx's arc. But that's the problem - she should be a character in her own right, not just a vehicle for someone else's character development. A good example is Mylo. He died for Jinx's arc, but when he was alive he was a distinct character with his own personality. We had a sense of his insecurities, his goals, who he was as a person. Name a single personality trait of Isha and Maddie other than "generically nice person". That's right. You can't.

- Whatever the hell is going on with Viktor. He wakes up from his coma and immediately rejects Jayce so quickly that it was funny. Apparently disapproves of Jayce using the Hexcore to save his life, but then immediately goes to use the Hexcore to save random Undercity people. Bruh. I also don't really like the way the fridged woman from last season seems to be his motivation so far. Nor the way he seems to have no agency in his Machine Herald arc. Instead of Viktor himself believing in transhumanism and mechanizing himself, Jayce does it for him. Instead of Viktor having an ideological drive and wanting a "Glorious Evolution", he is driven by guilt over Sky. Meh. Also he's not even mechanized, instead he's weirdly fleshy?? In a magical way?? More like The Magic Herald :(

- Vi. Her whole character is a mess. Insanely rushed arc which I find unacceptable for one of THE main characters and one of the faces of the show. She and Jinx are supposed to be the leads, their relationship the heart of the story, but so far only Jinx is a well-written fleshed out chaacter with a believable arc. I have too much to say about Vi so I'll expand more on this on another post.

- So much nuance and detail is missing. How does Heimerdinger feel about his ex-colleagues being killed? Does he care? Does he feel guilt? Relieved that he wasn't in the chamber when the bombing happened? No clue! Let's have comedy Mission Impossible instead! How does Ekko feel about the Council attack? Does he approve of it? Think Jinx went too far? How does he feel that she even survived their fight to begin with? No clue! Here, have him joking around with a Councilor for a bit (someone whom Ekko logically should despise), then he can talk Science with Jayce and all three get sent to another dimension together. Yay. What does Vi think happened to Ekko? The last time she saw him, he was fighting Jinx to the death to give Vi and Cait time to escape. He could be dead for all she knows and she doesn't give a fuck. Doesn't even think about him nor mention him once. It's like the writers forgot they're childhood friends. What does the entirety of Zaun make of Silco's death? I assume they heard about it from Piltover (who heard about it from Caitlyn), but how do they think it happened? His body is gone and to Zaun it seems he just mysteriously disappeared. Are there conspiracy theories? Conflicting accounts and rumours? So much nuance that would give the world and characters more depth, sacrificed so we can pack in more rushed subplots and music videos.

- Caitlyn "Wifebeater" Kiramman. And Caitvi in general. So far Caitlyn has guilt-tripped Vi, manipulated her into joining the enforcers, insulted her and then physically abused her. After Vi sacrificed everything for Cait, wore a badge she hates for Cait, even let Cait kill her own fucking sister (and only intervened when the random kid got involved). Why should I give a shit about such a one-sided relationship lmao. "B-but Cait's mom is dead so she's sad about it", every other fucking character in this show has dead parents. Half the cast has faced unfathomable amounts of trauma and pain that make Cait's pale in comparison. Nothing justifies her hitting Vi. "B-b-but it's a parallel to when Vi hit Powder", a shit parallel then. Because the circumstances are not even remotely comparable. "God forbid lesbians do anything🤪", give me a break with this corny bullshit. Be serious for a second. I'm not even a Vi fan and I think she deserves better than this mess of a relationship. The power dynamic between them makes it worse. The way Caitlyn is one of the richest people in the city and Vi is broke. The way Caitlyn is highly educated and Vi never went to school and spent her entire teen years locked in a box. Did the writers think about all this when writing their relationship? Keep in mind, Vi met Caitlyn like a week ago. She barely knows this chick. She's been out of prison FOR A WEEK. Where she was physically abused every fucking day. Putting her in a relationship with a cop who hits her would certainly be a choice! Do I have faith this show will handle it with care? Not really, no. They already ignore Vi's prison trauma. Most likely they will make Vi forgive Cait way too easily because "muh mummy muh grief".

[italiansteebie]

Somehow, Steve is behind on every pop culture reference of this century, even with all the children he babysits. 

That's why when Eddie Munson walks into the coffee shop he works at, he has no idea who he is and why he’s whispering. He almost wants to yell at him to speak up, but the way the guy is pulling his hat down over his face, sunglasses planted firmly on his nose, Steve can’t help but to wonder if he’s okay. If maybe he’s trying to avoid someone.

So before he can order, Steve leans in asking softly, “Hey are you okay? Is it someone in the shop you’re hiding from? Because I can kick them out.” His protective streak apparently extends beyond his kids. The guy seems to brighten at this, “I'm okay, honest. Just trying to stay out of the spotlight.” There’s something in his tone of voice that is more serious than it should be, but Steve continues on with the transaction. 

It’s pretty dead in the shop, so Steve decides to strike up a conversation. “You new in town?”

“I- What?”

“Oh sorry. I just- usually only regulars come in on Sundays. I was just wondering if you've moved here recently or if… I don’t know, you're visiting or something?” Steve finishes awkwardly. And the guy lets out the most angelic laugh, Steve thinks he’s in love. 

“I’m just visiting.”

Steve gets the feeling this guy doesn’t want to talk, so he moves to finish his drink. Handing it to him with a “Well, I’m here if you need someone to show you around!” and a smile, with his instagram handle written in bold, black ink on the side. The beautiful guy smiles at him, more genuine than it had been before, and turns to walk away.

“Wait! What’s your name?”

Beautiful man arches his eyebrow again, and shakes his head, a small smile gracing his lips.

“Eddie.”

And with that he leaves, and Steve is left starstruck for the rest of the day. 

It’s not long before Steve sees Eddie again, in fact he’s there the next morning. Waiting by the counter with his hat and sunglasses planted on. Steve wonders if maybe they’d been glued to his face in some sort of prank. Seems unlikely though.

Eddie approaches the counter, and before he can order Steve leans in, “I was serious yesterday, if there’s someone around here bothering you let me know. It just- seems like you’re uncomfortable or something.” And that beautiful smile graces Eddie’s lips again.

“I’m okay, really. It’s just. A lot of people know me and I don’t… I just want a normal morning at a coffee shop, y‘know?” Steve shrugs, “I can’t say I do, but If you want to talk I’m all ears. Well- Not now of course,” He laughs, “I'm on the clock, but I get out at noon?” He suggests. And who can blame him, there's a beautiful man right in front of him and he’s only human. Of course he’s going to flirt. 

It seems to work too because Eddie agrees and shortly after there's a phone number written on his arm, with weirdly strict instructions to not share it with any one. 

—

It’s noon, and Steve’s expecting to pull up to a house, but the GPS leads him to a rather nice hotel. One more expensive than he could afford even for one night. He spots Eddie waiting in the lobby, waving at him, signature hat and glasses still on.

“Hey, I decided to meet you down here. I don’t think they’d let you up without me.”

And Steve just smiles and nods, happy to be hanging out with Eddie outside of a place of business. 

Once they reach Eddie’s room, Steve trails in slowly behind him, almost in before there's a firm hand on his shoulder pulling him back. He flinches, as a deep voice loudly says “Where do you think you’re going?” 

“I- Uh. I was, uhm, going to see Eddie?” He finishes voice pitching up at the end like its a question, biting his lip willing the anxious tears that sprouted not to fall. The guy glares at him, “I don’t think so-” But he’s cut off by Eddie, “Woah, Gareth. It’s okay, he’s with me.” And that seems to calm ‘Gareth’ down, and Steve’s shoulders slump in relief. “I didn’t um. I didn’t mean to cause trouble,” He says, cheeks going red. Eddie waves his hand, “Don’t worry about it, Stevie.” And for a second Steve wonders how he knows his name before realizing he’s been wearing a name tag in every one of their interactions.

“He’s harmless, I promise.” Eddie assures ‘Gareth’ again. 

And with that he leaves them alone. They talk for hours, and the time flies by, and Eddie invites him to dinner with him and his friends. He agrees easily, from what Eddie has told him, they all seem pretty cool, although he finds it a bit odd that they all share the uniform of sunglasses and hats. 

At dinner, he can hear the subtle clicks of cameras and whispers, and he quietly wonders if there’s some type of celebrity around. Eddie and his friends laugh, but Steve seems to have missed the joke. 

Overall it was a great night, ending with him and Eddie leaving hand and hand, sharing a soft kiss as Eddie walks him to his car parked in the hotel lot. 

Once safely alone in his car, he squeals like a teenage girl, kicking his feet, twirling his hair, the whole nine yards. He goes to call Robin but in some odd coincidence, she’s already calling him.

“STEVE WHAT THE FUCK.” She’s shouting before he can even speak.

“Robs! I was just about to call you! I had the most amazing date,” He gushes, conveniently leaving out the part where he admits that his date's friends were with them. 

“Yeah, I know, Steve. It’s ALL OVER TWITTER.” And she’s screaming again, so loud he has to pull the phone away from his ear.

“What do you mean? It was just a date, I wasn’t with anyone else!”

“You were with EDDIE MUNSON.”

“Yeah I kn- How do you know the name of my date?”

“Steve. Steve, Steve, Steve.” She sighs.

“What?”

“I can’t believe you met Gareth AND Eddie AND Jeff and Keith! The only four men I would ever let inside me!” Steve cringes at that, “Robs. Never say that to me again. And what is going on? Did- Did you follow me to my date again?” He can hear her exasperated groan from the other side of town, no phone needed. 

“Steve. Listen to me. Do you know the band Corroded Coffin?” 

He shrugs, “Yeah, kind of. Dustin talks about them sometimes.” he doesn't know what this has to do with the beautiful man he just went out with. 

“Okay. So here’s the deal. You have gone on a date, and smooched, SMOOCHED, the lead guitarist of Corroded Coffin.”

“I- What?”

“You kissed the lead guitarist of a very popular band.”

“Oh.”

“YEAH, OH, DINGUS.”

His phone chimes and he pulls it away from his ear to check the notification.

‘eddiemunson_CC just followed you.’

Another one follows immediately after that.

‘eddiemunson_CC sent you a message’

“Oop- He’s texting me, hold on.”

“Put me on speaker!”

“Oh, he has a blue check mark next to his instagram name thingy, that's cool!”

“Steve, oh my god, what did he say?”

Steve looks at the message, ‘I was trying to avoid the paps. Sorry, Stevie, they caught us.’ He responds quickly with an ‘It’s okay Eddie! I had a great time tonight!’ He narrates this all to Robin who is responding quite enthusiastically. “We can be famous by association, Steve!” She says in a “duh” tone of voice.” Steve rolls his eyes, “I think I’d rather just date him.”

He ends the call with Robin shortly after that and proceeds to text Eddie, punching in the faded sharpie written number on his forearm, Instagram DM’s weren’t very private according to Eddie, easily hacked or something like that. They text back and forth for a while, arranging a proper date in Eddie’s hotel room where they don’t have to be so discrete. 

Eddie’s back in the coffee shop the next morning, uniform intact, basically loitering until Steve is done with his shift. They head back to the hotel room, blatantly ignoring the photos that are being taken of them. Back in Eddie’s room, Steve hears Corroded Coffins music for the first time, it's good. No wonder they’re so famous. Steve shares that sentiment and much to his chagrin, Eddie teases him relentlessly about it. 

The internet knows of Eddie's new beau, and by extension, so does Dustin, who yells at Steve for not mentioning it sooner.

And if Corroded Coffin’s next album has more love songs than the others combined, well. We all know why.

inspired by @steddiealltheway's rockstar Eddie and clueless Steve fic!

[inkpot909]

The Entire Group Having Feelings for the Reader Headcanons (Bucciarati’s Gang)

↳ Fem!Reader; pronouns aren’t specified but is written as a girl. Reader is around Bruno and Abbacchio in age. Their sexuality is undefined, but is written as liking women. It’s made clear the Reader is not interested in anyone on the team/doesn’t reciprocate anyone’s feelings.

Summary: Having once been the newbie on Bucciarati’s team, a certain amount of unwanted attention was to be expected from your peers. However, the reactions to your inclusion on the team were more than you bargained for.

Warning(s): None.

The first one you’re going to catch harboring a little crush is most likely Narancia. Still young, he heard there would be a girl joining the group and his interest was immediately peaked. Weirdly enough, Bruno was quite keen on brushing past that fact.

One small comment from Giorno- feeling the need to point out how Narancia was considerably less friendly towards him his first week -and it was soon obvious to you what was going on here.

In all honestly, everyone knew right away and no one took it seriously. It was difficult for the others to not notice, considering Narancia would follow you everywhere and take every possible opportunity to include you in something.

The dismissiveness of his feelings also came from you yourself; to the point where it only ever crossed your mind if someone else made a jab at Narancia’s expense.

You did scold the others for making comments about it though, finding it insensitive. Sure, the age gap is a clear enough indication nothing will ever come of it, but you don’t go out of your way to be rude.

Only once did you have to not-so-subtly turn him down. He never really acted on it, but he did have the tendency to showing off for you whenever he could.

One particular occasion of him doing so, Fugo had made a snide remark at Narancia’s expense. “Oh, please, you’re only doing this because you like her. It’s embarrassing,” he told him outright.

Sensing a possible fight, you laughed it off and said affectionately, “Leave him alone! He’s just being sweet. Besides, nothing’s ever gonna happen. He’s like a brother to me.”

Could you have handled it better? Probably. Was that a blow to Narancia’s confidence? Definitely. Did it articulate your feelings in manner he could understand? Most certainly.

He’s a nice kid, you recall thinking on the matter, Someone’s gonna fall head over heels for him someday. Guys like him always find genuine love.

Little did you know at the time, there were other reasons as to why no one else took Narancia’s affections all too seriously.

The next one you noticed catching feelings was Mista. However, this time around the realization was abrupt and much more difficult for you to brush off.

Sitting next to him on Bucciarati’s couch, you’d been relaxing together one afternoon.

It was the first time you two ever had done so; much to your excitement. Your heart swelled with hope, internally eager to soon be considered a part of their little family.

Then he just had to try putting an arm around you.

Your attitude over responding to Mista’s advances is notable compared to the others, because he acts very specifically towards you. He openly and clearly flirts. And a forward approach warrants a forward rejection. It’s an attitude you remember Abbacchio positively commenting on.

You turned your head, hands motionless on your lap. Yet your eyes were fueled with firm resolve, a slight squint to them.

“No thank you,” is what you simply said, more than enough for him to remove his arm and even put a few more inches between the both of you.

That honesty is respected by him, though. It causes him to change his approach for a while. And at some point, he likely realized you’re not looking for anything like that from him.

Regardless, both him and Narancia still continue to follow you around like lost puppies. Clambering for your attention and approval.

The closeness at least formed a genuine friendship with the two, one that you truly hold dear. And if the lack of any confessions is any indication, they appreciate it as well.

And where those two go, Fugo is usually following close behind them with a sour look on his face.

You just had to laugh; the trio was certainly a force to be reckoned with. Narancia and Mista welcomed you with open arms, much to Fugo’s clear annoyance. He was put off by their quick acceptance of you, likely being one of the first to point out that it’s ‘because you’re a girl.’

What really seemed to set him off initially was that they started including you in the three’s tiny click within the group as a whole. Now it isn’t just the three of them anymore, there’s a forth person taking up space.

Wouldn’t suggest mentioning it to Mista or he may genuinely consider kicking Narancia to the curb.

Eager to please, as well as apologize for disrupting this friend group’s dynamic, you tried your hardest to see eye-to-eye with Fugo.

Fortunately, the only difficult part was finding things to talk about after some time passed and he begrudgingly accepted that you were there to stay. After that, it was a slow but natural progression.

Soon, he seemed to tolerate your presence much better. Then, he started instigating conversations with you instead of it strictly being the other way around. Once enough of a bond was established, you’d started getting the impression he would much rather spend time with you than the other two.

Like with Mista, the realization hit you while sitting right next to him. It was out of the blue, as Fugo hadn’t said a word to you that day. No, your mind was just wandering and happened to connect the dots.

Well, shit. You had laughed out loud, earning confused looks from the three around you.

You were honestly concerned; more so than with the others. You couldn’t brush it off as easily as you could with Narancia, as Fugo’s timidness on the matter could mean he’d just become upset. Couple that with his short temper, and you feared you could lose his friendship over it.

Your worries were proven to be unfounded, luckily. After some discussion with Narancia and Abbacchio, you learned Fugo doesn’t actually want anything from you.

You’re silently thankful, happy to coexist with him just as normal. He could have his little crush, and still hold onto a very real friendship. Quite mature of him, but never something you’d never compliment him on directly.

In fact, thinking of Fugo makes you reminiscent of Giorno’s admittedly weird style of approach.

By then you had said… what, maybe two or three sentences in total to the kid? But out of the blue, one morning, you passed him while leaving the house.

He stopped you in your tracks, holding out his hand in front of you and keeping you still. For a moment, he was silent. But before you could open your mouth and ask him “What’s wrong?” he beat you to the punch.

You… admittedly don’t remember exactly what he told you. Something poetic about your beauty… yeah. It was the type of sentiment that was thought out thoroughly beforehand.

Still, despite feeling guilty over not remembering, it’s easy to assume it doesn’t really matter. Considering he completely went radio silent on the subject afterwards.

Perhaps he just felt like he really needed to say something before moving on, you figured.

And honestly, credit where credit is due, both Giorno and Fugo kept their distance. Enough to express it was a simple crush and nothing more. You were glad you never had to vocally turn them down, because they already understood you weren’t the one for them.

You entertained the idea of them maybe bonding over it. Talking about girls while they braid each other’s hair, you giggled to yourself, amused by the thought.

Speaking of bonding, through almost it all, Abbacchio was your rock.

It was a rough start with him, no question. For the first couple of weeks he was very critical of your decisions on missions and outside of them rarely gave you even a passing glance.

But he gradually became your scapegoat when the others were tripping over themselves for your time. Even Bruno insisted on getting his far share of time with you.

You had came to Abbacchio first, confinding in him and taking his advice very seriously. That was something he appreciated. Abbacchio’s casual attitude was a breath of fresh air when you really needed it, and was surprisingly understanding of your viewpoint (The prospect of possibly upsetting Giorno’s got to factor into that, right?).

The two of you mostly spend time together one-on-one, whether in deep conversation or comfortable silence. The foundation of your friendship was born from complaining, but you found other subjects to focus on as well.

It was, with hindsight, the most shocking development yet. Out of everyone there, you weren’t expecting to become close to Abbacchio… ever, really.

The closer you got, the more you were able to appreciate his character. He’s got a surprisingly good sense of humor, and looks after everyone on the team more than he’s given credit for. Most of all, he’s a really good listener if you’re completely h-… Are you… are you kidding me? What is happening?

You actually doubted your guess this time around for a good while; it’s far too absurd! Abbacchio’s a reserved individual, so it wasn’t as noticeable after all.

But conversations with the others made it all too clear. They knew him better than you, and when it comes to Abbacchio, no one is going to lie about his feelings just for the sake of it.

Regardless, like Giorno and Fugo, he kept his lips sealed whenever you’re around.

You felt a good amount of guilt having vented to him in the past, but if he wasn’t saying anything, you weren’t going to either.

By the time you one day received word that Bucciarati wished to speak to you in private, you seriously contemplated ditching him entirely. However, you respected the man too much to do so.

It’s an ungodly hour, you point out helplessly to yourself. I have no idea what on earth he wants to talk to me about right now, and at this point I don’t even want to know.

Your mental ramblings pause in tandem with your feet, stopping firmly in front of your boss’s office door. You shiver, pulling your robe over your front to the point of overkill. Peaking between the bottom of the door and the floor below, you smile upon seeing light still illuminating from within.

Yes, it’s an ungodly time. But both Bucciarati and I work late at night often anyways, you reason. With that in mind, you knock gingerly.

You hear a gentle “Come in,” from within the room. Smiling, you already feel Bucciarati’s aura of comfort. Entering, you spot him hunched over behind his desk. A laptop sits open on its wooden surface, but his attention’s been turned away by now.

“Apologies for asking you to come here so late,” he chuckles, returning your pleasant expression.

“It’s not very professional of you, Capo,” you jest lightheartedly. Moving swiftly, you sit yourself down on a chair placed opposite to him.

“Fair enough,” he decides, crossing his legs. “How’s your day gone, tesoro?”

You hum, contemplating his question. It’s sweet; something he always asks whenever he can. Thinking of Abbacchio, then everyone else in turn, you barely give yourself another chance to breathe while you lay out all that you’ve experienced thus far.

You loved the team, but you’d be lying if you said everyone’s affection wasn’t getting to you a little. Most of all, you worried how their feelings could effect the team as a whole. And ever since discovering how Abbacchio feels, you haven’t had anyone to discuss it with anymore.

You weren’t sure if Bruno could really do anything about it. Hell, you didn’t know if you really wanted him to. Just to talk about it unfiltered was enough weight taken off your shoulders.

Minutes pass before your voice dies down, taking in short breathes. With wide eyes, you stare at Bucciarati expectantly. However, much to your discomfort, he remains silent. His head is tilted away from you and down at his desk, pupils remaining fixated in one position. It’s a clear sign he’s in deep thought, something you’re wary of disturbing.

A moment is too long for you to wait, quick to become self conscious over your word-vomit.

He clears his throat, catching your full attention once more. Adjusting the front of his collar, his eyes were glued to your own. During a mission it would be grounding, or maybe even a little intimidating. Any other time it would be comforting. Now, the nervous energy pouring from his person offers the exact opposite.

Quietly, he simply says, “…Maybe we should talk another time, then.”

At that point, you didn’t know why you were shocked. Leaving his office, there was no doubt.

Bruno was fair, not the type to ever play favorites with anyone on the team. But upon reflection, you realize he dotes on you in a special way.

Not only did he accept and voice your place on the team almost immediately, but he seemed to request your presence during peaceful moments just as much as anyone else in the group.

And by the time you new about everyone else, that should have been a dead giveaway.

Fights or arguments had over you is never something you’ve seen for yourself. According to Narancia and Abbacchio, they do happen. The how and why is kept so vague you almost believed they were just pulling your leg.

The last time it was talked about, there was no more room for doubts on whether or not they actually occurred.

Bruno happened to be present when Narancia was talking to you about it. He was quick to step in, downplaying whatever goes on during those arguments. After that, he silenced the discussion entirely.

You were a little disappointed the subject suddenly became taboo after that day, but was also quite grateful. It was clear he took your worries very seriously, considerate of your comfort with the rest of the team.

But time marches on, making the first year with Passione feel like a lifetime ago.

You long became a part of their found family, and the idea of the others crushing on you hardly ever floats around in your brain anymore.

And when it comes to the members you’re close to in age, all thoughts of “What if…” or “Just maybe…” eventually fizzle out from their minds as well.

How could they persist? Especially after one day, when you came home from a lunch out with an old friend of yours. Smiling wide and blushing from head to toe, you couldn’t help but cheerfully tell the group about the person you now happily call your girlfriend.

[song-witch]

Wants Manifest As Needs

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Natasha Romanoff

Word Count: 6,432

Warnings: Negative self/body talk, slight smut, angst, flashback.

A/N: im going bonkers :)

Part One Part Two

Wanda stood in front of the mirror in the small dressing room, a mix of some distraught emotion mixed with anxiousness written on her face. She hadn’t been shopping for lingerie really ever, especially not at some fancy and expensive boutique. But Nat had insisted on it, had told her she deserved something nice and not to worry about it. Of course she was worrying about it.

“You can’t laugh, okay?” Wanda spoke seriously, a no nonsense tone to her voice. She slowly turned her body from side to side, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth and a hand on her stomach. It was weirdly reminiscent of when she had been pregnant with the twins: shopping for a new bra because her old one didn’t fit. She thinks she’d be happy about not having small tits anymore, though it was more of an inconvenience than a bragging right. Plus, she had Nat. She didn’t need to flaunt them.

“Baby, why would I-” Natasha sighed and Wanda could practically see her rubbing her forehead. The brunette said it was a trait of the redhead getting old, that the 34 year old was aging faster than she realized. That had landed her something akin to a punishment. It hadn’t taken her long to find out she wasn’t a fan of edging. Nat, however, was.

“Just promise me. Please.” The brunette bit on her lip harder, trying to stem her sudden anxiety. Nat had seen her completely naked, so why was she so nervous all of a sudden? The redhead had actively encouraged their mall date, had said she’d get some too if it helped ease her anxiety. She had hoped Nat would go first, that they’d have no choice but to go home after because Wanda just couldn’t hold back. Nat had other plans, though, and had said Wanda should go first to get it done with. Wanda wanted to scream at least five cuss words at her.

“I won’t laugh, now let me see.” She could hear the woman shifting in her seat, clearly impatient. She hesitated though. They hardly had sex with the lights on and the fake fluorescents of this store highlighted every single inch of her body. She hated it. Despised it, really. The curve of her stomach, fullness of her hips and thighs. It’s a stark contrast of before she had been pregnant; nothing but skin and bones.

She didn’t want to go out. Didn’t want to open that stupid curtain and for Nat to actually see her. She was glad that they were in a small room separated by a curtain meaning no one else would be able to see her. At the same time, she was basically forced to show Natasha, not wanting to face the way she would be looked at if she ran out. She was sick of pity.

“Wanda?” Natasha’s voice pulled her out of her reverie, blinking at herself in the mirror. She hadn’t meant to zone out. Well, she hardly ever did. It just… happens. She wants to be more in the moment, more present. She’s not sure that’ll happen. “Are you okay?"

“What? Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay.” Wanda wiped the water from her eyes, shaking her head. No, she wasn’t okay. She forced herself away from the mirror, looking around the small space. She knew Natasha was standing right outside the curtain, her hand grasped at it as if she were going to tear it open and save her. She’s not so sure she’s worth saving. Or that there’s anything worth saving.

“Are you sure? You’re quiet.” Despite the hand on the curtain, Natasha didn’t open it, though her fingers twitched. Wanda felt awful. She should be able to try on a bra and underwear for her girlfriend. Her t-shirt sitting on top of her pile of clothes caught her eye and she practically lunged to grab it, pulling it over her head.

“I’m okay.” Wanda took a deep breath before opening the curtain, coming face to face with the redhead. She smiled brightly, hoping the woman wouldn't be suspicious. Natasha smiled back at her, her hand letting go of the curtain to instead cup Wanda’s cheek, effectively grounding her. The woman’s eyebrows furrowed at the sight of her shirt, her lips pursing.

“Did they not fit? We can get a different size.” Her eyes traveled up and down her body and Wanda had to fight the urge to shut the curtain. Logically she knew Nat wasn’t trying to make her feel insecure, that it was her own brain yelling horrid things at her. It didn’t make it any less humiliating.

“No. No, they fit. I just…” Wanda trailed off as she looked down to hide her blush, grasping at the bottom of the shirt. She just hated the way she looked and knew Nat would too and- She needed to stop thinking. Natasha had never once commented on her body in a negative way, despite her own body being, quite clearly, fully matured.

“I guess I’ve just never tried on lingerie, I don’t-” Wanda shrugged, the hem of her shirt being rubbed between her pointer finger and thumb. She wanted to take the damn lacey shit off, wanted to get out of the stupid boutique entirely.

“Hey, that’s okay. There’s a first time for everything, right?” Natasha smirked at her. Her hand covered Wanda’s, tugging softly at the fabric. Wanda knew Natasha’s pupils were dilated, that she was desperate to see Wanda in lingerie. She had only been suggesting the idea since they met.

“I guess so.” Wanda only shrugged, holding the woman’s hand. Their fingers easily threaded together, a common occurrence. Wanda seemed to always be reaching for her hand, needing the physical reminder that Nat was actually there.

“Let's make a deal. You show me this set or whichever you want to, I’ll show you mine and then we get lunch, okay?” Nat’s voice softened, her free hand tracing down Wanda's face. She leaned into the touch, looking up at the woman through her eyelashes.

“What’s the catch?” The student raised an eyebrow, much like the redhead would, looking at her suspiciously. There was always a catch. Sure, she and Nat had been dating for a month and a half, but there had to be some secret side that she didn’t know about. She just had to wait to figure out what that was.

“There is no catch. What do you say?” Natasha shook her head though, a serious look on her face. As much as she wanted to take the shirt off of her girlfriend, she would wait, knowing that Wanda had to have it on for a reason. It was okay though, there would be many opportunities to see the brunette in lingerie.

“Deal, but only if you go first.” And with that they had shown each other a single set each, albeit Wanda much more grudgingly than the older. Nat’s had left very little to her imagination and she had forgotten she still had to show Nat hers, the horniness she had ignored while she was pregnant coming back full force. Wanda’s was not nearly as showing, the panties high waisted and the bra covering a majority of her ribcage. Nat still drooled over her and she had half the mind to stop them from having steamy dressing room sex.

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Wanda felt her heart beat faster as she scanned the menu, worrying her lip between her teeth. Everything was so expensive. Sure, she saved a lot of money by not buying formula, but that didn’t make her rich by any means. She felt bad for how often Nat paid for them when they went out, always trying to offer her card or cash. The redhead never accepted it, though, told her to put it towards college or her nephews as she helped her brother with the twins. It was quite the opposite; Pietro paid roughly three quarters of their rent while she handled the rest and any utilities. He was selfless like that, always taking care of her issues.

“What’s on your mind?” And Natasha was grabbing her attention again. She was still looking at her own menu, barely glancing at the brunette over the top of it. She knew Nat knew what she was going to get, having mentioned frequenting the restaurant numerous times before, and was trying to ease her anxiety. She appreciated it more than she could ever say.

“I don’t know what to get.” Wanda giggled nervously, meeting the redhead’s gaze. Nat had this look on her face, like she knew what Wanda was thinking. It was unnerving at times, just how well Nat knew her. She supposes that’s what happens when you’re in a relationship with someone who actually cares. “I think I’m just going to get a salad.”

“A salad? Wanda, you have to get more than that.” Natasha looked upset. Why did she care about how much or what she was eating? Sure, the woman tended to be a health nut, but that concerned herself, not Wanda. Plus, isn’t the college experience to eat shitty, non-nutritional food? At least, that’s what everyone said.

“I’m not that hungry.” Wanda shrugged, fiddling with the menu. The only way she could describe the restaurant was as a family owned, more expensive Olive Garden. She remembers how often she and Pietro would beg to go there as kids. They didn’t get to until they had their own jobs. And no parents. That part hurt.

Their server came before either one of them could say anything else, a girl who was definitely in college. Wanda wondered if she had ever been in a class with her or if Nat had taught her before. She was always scared that someone would see them together and would tattle, but Nat had reassured her that there were manys excuses they could use. It didn’t make her any more confident. The girl was asking what she would like and, before her mind could comprehend, Nat was ordering for her. The waitress was leaving before she could say anything, some pasta dish written down instead of what she was supposed to order.

“Nat.” Wanda whispered harshly under her breath, leaning forward in the booth. She glanced around to make sure no one was listening to them, anger flaring in her chest. She had wanted salad for a reason. Why Nat wouldn’t order it was beyond her.

“I don’t… I can’t afford that, Nat, you know that.” Venom coated her words, a tone she hardly used. She was beyond upset right now. Natasha knew how little she made. Knew she spread herself so thin that oftentimes when she’d go over, she would end up falling asleep.

"Wanda. It’s okay. Don’t worry about it, alright?” Natasha shook her head, taking the brunette’s hand. Nat had money. Nat knew she had money and actively tried to spend it on Wanda no matter the situation. Wanda had jokingly called her her sugar mommy and Nat had only smirked and tried to buy her clothes. It had flattered her early on; Nat paying for dinner, for her coffee, for lunch. As their relationship grew, Wanda had very quickly realized that Nat downright refused to let her pay, even for something as simple as a drink at the gas station.

It had started to irritate her. She wanted to buy things for Nat. Wanted to spend what little money she had on her boys and Nat. She has started making little gifts, small thank yous whenever she came over. It was often some sort of candy or flower or something for them to try or do together as her own form of payment.

“Why?” Wanda pursed her lips. She was genuinely asking. She wasn’t worth spending money on. Sure, she can excuse dinner here or there, and even then she was trying to pay the next time or for her own meal. Natasha fought to spend money on her.

“Why what?” Natasha was confused. Wanda almost laughed. The question was simple. She sighed before rubbing her face, fixing the woman with a look.

“Why do you keep doing this? You…” She gestured to the space around them. Wanda dropped her head into her hands, groaning as she couldn’t formulate a sentence. There were so many things buzzing through her head, she wishes that Nat could just read it for once. “You buy me stuff and don’t expect anything. I don’t… I can’t repay you, Nat.”

"Because I want to, Wanda. Money doesn’t matter to me, okay? Besides, you need to eat an actual meal.” Natasha gently pulled her hands away from her head, smoothing her thumb over the tops of them. It was a practiced move, something so little yet meaningful. She shrugged as she spoke, knowing Wanda couldn’t argue with the fact.

She had a bad habit of not eating breakfast, something Nat picked up on early in their relationship. When questioned about it, Wanda only shrugged and explained that her stomach hurt when she ate before a certain time. It wasn’t a lie, though she failed to mention the part about growing up poor, that they didn’t have food for breakfast for a reason.

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"So, do you want to tell me about what happened on Wednesday?” It wasn’t until their food had come and they had filled the space with small talk that Nat dropped the question, cutting into her chicken. Wanda choked on her food, harshly coughing into her elbow. She had been waiting for it, had been waiting for Nat to ask all week, yet hadn't expected mid-bite.

“What do you mean what happened?” Wanda briefly glanced at the woman. She didn’t look mad or even upset, just curious. Maybe a little confused. Hell, even she herself was confused by what had happened. Before she had had the twins, she hadn’t had an anxiety attack in years. She figures it was because she wasn’t allowed to. Pushing that thought away, she had barely made it to the bathroom before she had broken down, hardly pulling herself together before going to class.

“Wanda. Neither of us are dumb.” Natasha set her fork and knife down and Wanda knew that meant business. She had the look on her face that she kept on in the classroom; a look that Wanda had seen when students were acting up. She never thought that look would be directed at her. It made her squirm.

“Nothing happened, Nat. I don’t know what you’re expecting.” Wanda sighed, twirling her fork around her pasta. She wasn’t hungry anymore. She didn’t want to be there either. She wanted to go home with her babies and pretend that the last week hadn’t happened. Pretend her and Nat were happily married and that the twins were hers and holy shit. She wanted Nat to be their mom. Wanted to stop pretending they were Pietro’s, wanted Nat to know they were hers.

“I just want to know what Agatha was talking about. You dropped out?” Natasha was eating her food again, which was a good sign in Wanda’s eyes. She was no longer looking at her like she had done something wrong, her face returning to her normal stoic expression. Sometimes, she didn’t know which was worse.

“No, I-” Wanda cut herself off, exasperatedly sighing. She hadn’t dropped out. She withdrew from Agatha’s class, had the twins and was going to school again. It’s not like she wanted to withdraw from her class, far from it if she were being honest. She rolled her eyes. “Dr. Harkness was being dramatic.”

"Oh-kay? So what happened?” She really hated how often Nat asked questions sometimes. What did she expect dating a professor with a doctorate? It wasn’t her first rodeo. Except, they hadn't dated. Were only friends with benefits. Not friends. Fuck buddies? No, that was too vulgar. People who occasionally had sex together that meant something but neither were committed? Whatever they had been didn’t matter anymore.

“I-” Had twins. Wanda set her fork down, pushing her hair out of her face before rubbing her eyes. The only person at her college who knew about the twins was her advisor, and even that was because she knew that, realistically, she’d be giving birth within a month of finals and would more than likely fail. Not to mention issues she had with a certain… someone in one of her classes.

“Things happened with Pietro and-” My ex, her mind screamed, and she wished she could turn it off permanently. Wished she could stop thinking about him. She shook her head, biting her lip. She was lying again. She hated how much she lied. But she knew Nat wouldn’t want her if she told her the twins were hers. She was 19. Who wanted a college sophomore with a life full of baggage and twin newborns. “-And I had to withdraw. It wasn’t a choice.”

“But she said you were looking better, did something happen to yo-” Natasha shook her head, her eyebrows furrowing. Wanda’s story didn’t make sense. Why would Agatha say Wanda was looking better if something had happened to Pietro? Unless Agatha didn’t know Wanda had withdrawn. That would make sense.

“I don’t want to talk about it. Please.” Wanda looked down. She didn’t want Nat to look at her. Didn’t want the woman to look at her with pity. She loved Nat, craved her at the most inconvenient times, but couldn’t tell her the simplest thing.

“Okay. Okay, we don’t have to. Whatever it was, is better now, right?” Natasha was reaching for her hands before she could say anything, rubbing her knuckles. Wanda wanted to pull away, wanted to break down and tell Natasha every shitty detail of her life and for Natasha to just hold her, tell her everything was going to be okay. That they’d be okay. She could only want, though.

“No. Yes. I don’t know. It’s… complicated.” It wasn’t complicated though. Her ex was a shitty person, she had the twins, had somewhat of an affair (if you could even call it that) and was now dating Nat. She didn’t know or really care about what happened with her ex, had disappeared after the whole hospital fiasco, hadn’t texted her in three months.

“I’m here if you need anything, Wanda. You’re not alone anymore.” Natasha smiled softly, squeezing her hands once and pressing a kiss to them before pulling away, resuming their lunch. The rest of their date went on without any further bumps, well, not counting the every date struggle of Natasha paying while Wanda argued that she should. They had parted their ways at the exit, a single kiss of a promise that they’d see each other soon.

Wanda had gone home to feed and play with the twins, spending time with them after her morning out. She had given Pietro her leftovers, more than half of the dish in a takeout container tossed his way. She stayed until nearly 7pm, her duffel bag packed and ready to spend the night at Nat’s. She kissed both of her boys goodbye, pumping before leaving so the boys had enough to last them through the next day.

She was hardly in the door before Nat was kissing her, using her to shut the door. She doesn’t think she’d ever get sick of this. Doesn’t think she’ll ever get sick of Nat. Ever get sick of her lips. And legs. And hands. And fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. “Baby.”

“You looked so good in that set.” Natasha stopped for all of two seconds to look at her, before trailing her lips down the brunette’s neck, her thigh raising between the girl’s. Wanda moaned, letting her head fall back onto the door. The redhead was sucking spots into her skin, her tongue cold against her heated skin.

“Bed.” Wanda gasped, grinding into the woman’s thigh. She had initially thought their night would have consisted of a movie and Wanda cooking dinner, a nice, relaxing evening after a stressful week. Clearly, Natasha had other plans. Not that she wouldn’t be relaxed after their night.

Natasha’s hands wrapped around her thighs, urging them around her waist before she was lifting up. Wanda practically squealed, dropping her bag in favor of wrapping her arms around the woman’s neck. As much as she would have loved to have sex then and there, she preferred Nat’s bed. Neither of them wanted to deal with the back pain in the morning.

“You’re lucky we didn’t fuck in that store.” Natasha smirked against her neck. She was right. Wanda had nearly bust on the spot when she saw Nat, keeping her hands in her lap as the woman modeled for her. Wanda could only hope she looked as good as the woman in fifteen years.

“You would’ve gotten us kicked out.” Wanda grasped the woman’s hair, pulling her head back. She knew her pupils were as blown as the redhead’s, possibly even more.

“Would’ve been fun.” Natasha smirked and it only made Wanda want her more. Her body was pushed onto the mattress, Natasha on top of her, pulling her shirt off with no hesitation. Her chest heaved as Natasha cupped her through her bra, arching her back. “So pretty for me.”

The words had her absolutely soaked. She was tugging at Nat’s shirt, desperately trying to get it off. Natasha had that cocky smirk set on her face, brushing a thumb over her nipple before she could complain. It had her moaning, tugging even harder at the redhead's shirt.

“Please.” Wanda begged. She had never been against begging and even if she was, Nat made it so easy. She wanted Nat so bad. Needed her. She can’t think about anything but the woman, her brain short circuiting.

“Please what?” Natasha squinted at her, her eyebrows raised. It sent more flutters through her stomach. She continued to play with her tits, pinching and squeezing and tugging lightly on them. Wanda was cursing through a breath. She was so fucking sensitive. Nat knew that and used it to her advantage, teasing her more often than not.

“Let me see you.” Wanda whined, tugging yet again. Natasha obliged with her request, easily pulling her shirt over her head and tossing it to meet Wanda’s on the floor. The brunette couldn’t help but ogle. She was so desperately in love with every part of the redhead’s body. Maybe even the redhead herself. The thought had her lunging forward, reattaching their lips.

“Someone’s eager.” Natasha mumbled, swiping her tongue against the seam of the brunette’s lips. Wanda moaned into her mouth, allowing the older woman access. Nat’s hand unhooked her bra, one still grasping at the soft mound, the other pulling the material away from her.

She ground her hips into the brunette’s, smirking as another moan was pulled from her lips. The professor bit her lip before scaling down her body, sucking harshly at the soft skin of her breasts. Wanda arched into the touch. Before she knew it, Natasha's lips were trailing down her stomach, fingers tugging her leggings and panties down in one go, her mouth following. She was panting as she laid there, her body practically shaking at the thought of what was coming next. Quite literally coming next.

Nat was kissing her way up her legs, stopping at her knee to nip at the skin there, reveling in the way Wanda pulled back just slightly. The back of her knees were ticklish and she couldn’t resist. It only lasted a moment, though, before she was kissing and nipping her way up again, biting at the apex of her thighs. It sent a tingle down Wanda’s spine. She thought Nat would continue her way up like normal, that they’d make out before one of them put the strap on. She didn’t continue up like normal, however, and was licking a long line up her vulva.

“S-stop.” Wanda gasped, gently but urgently pulling at Nat’s soft curls. She felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest and that her lungs were going to explode, panic coursing through her body. Her muscles spasmed, her legs closing and arms pulling up, desperate to get Nat away. Something between whines and gasps left her mouth, her body shutting down.

“Wanda, hey, hey calm down.” Natasha pushed herself off of the brunette, wincing slightly at the sheer force Wanda was using to pull her hair. She had never seen her so panicked, except for maybe in her office with Agatha, but even then, she hadn’t had a look of pure terror on her face.

“Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop.” Wanda shook her head, still grasping at the woman’s hair. She couldn’t see Nat anymore, instead being replaced by a head full of dark hair and anger. He was mad at her, beyond pissed that she had even entertained the idea of him going down on her.

“No, no, I’m sorry. Plea- I’m sorry!” She was absolutely petrified, unable to move as he slowly crept up her body. He was going to hurt her. Again. She couldn’t let that happen. She had the twins now. He couldn’t win again.

He didn’t say anything as he climbed towards her face and she almost thinks thats for the better. Thinks she would rather die than hear him say something about how much of a slut she is and how she didn’t deserve to be a mother. She was inclined to believe him. She squeezed her eyes shut as he got closer, yet she could still see him, still feel his rough hands against her body.

“Please don’t.” Wanda whispered, desperately trying to stop her tears. He hated when she cried. Said if she wanted to be a little bitch, she could go home. She didn’t have a home. She only had him. And he knew that too. Knew she had nowhere else to go and no one to turn to. And he would always use it against her.

His hands were wrapping around her throat before she could say anything, forcing her down against the bed. She gasped as her airway was cut off, her eyes popping open in surprise. She tried to take in a breath, struggling against him as she was unable to, shaking her head once again. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t breathe and he was going to kill her. It sent another wave of panic through her body. Her boys. He was going to kill her and take her babies and-

“Wanda!” And she was pulled back to reality, gasping as cool water hit her face. She curled onto her side as she started coughing, arms curling around her stomach. A hand against her back had her flexing away from it, gasping through her coughs. “Hey, hey, you’re okay, you’re okay, Wanda. It’s just me.”

“Nat?” Wanda blinked her eyes open, eyes trailing up the redhead’s body in slight confusion. What happened? She felt woozy, like she could throw up any second. Nat’s hand disappeared from her back, instead threading through her sweaty locks. She leaned into the touch.

“Yeah, it’s me, sweetheart.” Natasha smiled sadly at her, brushing the wet hair out of her face. It vaguely occurred to her that her hair was a mix of sweat and cold water. It made her realize how cool her chest was all of a sudden, a stark contrast to how hot she had been moments earlier.

“Why am I wet?” Wanda murmured, delicately touching her forehead. Sure enough, as she pulled her hand away, droplets of water followed, dripping onto her chest. It pulled her attention down, registering the fact that she was very much naked. It was instantaneous how she curled around herself even tighter, wrapping her arms around her breasts and stomach.

“You were freaking out. Nothing was working so I went with water and well, you know what happened from there.” Natasha looked sheepish, her hand being removed once again in favor of placing a towel over the brunette, her free hand dragging the comforter over her body. First the water and now a towel. Where was she getting stuff? The bathroom, her tired mind supplied.

“Oh.” Wanda mumbled, her eyebrows furrowing. Natasha stood and walked towards the closet and Wanda had to suppress a whine, not wanting to be alone. The feeling of danger still rang through her head, a gross tightening still in her chest. It felt like he’d appear at any moment. That it wouldn’t be Nat coming out of the closet, it would be him. The thought made her shudder.

But the redhead was walking back into the room seconds later, a pile of fabric held in her hands. It sent a wave of relief through her body, her chest loosening just slightly. Natasha sat on the edge of the bed, holding the clothes in her lap. She wrung them out, briefly holding them in the air for Wanda to see before laying them out on the bed.

“Here, sit up.” Nat helped her up, letting Wanda keep her arm wrapped around her towel. A shirt was being pulled over her head, the redhead silently guiding one of her arms through the hole and then the other, pulling the top down over the towel and to the top of her comforter. A sweatshirt was guided onto her as well before the towel was pulled away, Wanda’s body remaining covered the entire time.

“Thank you.” Wanda spoke softly, a certain apprehensiveness to her tone. It was accompanied by a blush. She felt vulnerable and insecure, not even able to put clothes on herself. She wasn’t complaining about the fact that the clothes were Natasha’s, though, the scent of sandalwood and fabric softener washing over her.

“Lay back.” Nat didn’t react to her, instead urging her to lay down, one hand supporting her back while the other pushed her shoulder back. Wanda easily obliged, sighing softly. More clothes were held in front of her before being laid out, Nat waiting for her eyes to meet hers to talk. “Can I touch you to put these on? I won’t look.”

"Y-yeah.” Wanda swallowed thickly, nodding her head. She didn’t know how that was going to work, but she trusted Nat to figure it out. Before she could even try to think, the redhead was standing, flipping the comforter over her ankles. The sudden change in temperature had her shivering, a small smirk pulling at Natasha’s lips.

“Sorry, baby.” Nat pressed a kiss to her ankle, her breath hot against her cool skin. Wanda breathed a sigh through her lips, forcing herself to relax against her pillow. The thought made her blush. Her pillow on Nat’s bed. It made her heart swell. She hardly paid attention as the woman slid a pair of panties up her legs, barely touching her body. It made her heart swell even more. “Lift your hips, love.”

The term of endearment made her stomach flutter, though it clearly slipped past the woman’s lips without a second thought. That made it even hotter, if anything. She whined as she raised her hips off the bed, Nat sliding the garment past the curve of her ass and settling them on her hips. She carefully slid the tip of her fingers in the waistband, easily sliding them around her body to make sure it wasn’t twisted anywhere.

“You doing okay, baby?” Natasha was back by her face, gently pushing her hair back once again. It was so intensely intimate, the way that Nat didn’t hesitate to take care of her. Wanda loved it. Loved her. Holy shit. She loved Natasha. Truly, genuinely loved her. Fuck.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay.” Wanda tried to shake the thought away. If she hadn’t been so shaken up about what had just happened, she thinks she would’ve taken Nat on the spot. Not thinks, knows. Instead, she laid there in her daze, barely aware of the redhead’s hands on her body.

“Up.” She was lifting her hips without a second thought, the softness of the woman’s sweatpants comforting her even further. Nat made sure the elastic wasn’t twisted once again, pressing a kiss to her forehead before tugging a pair of socks over her feet. “Good job, sweetheart.”

Wanda keened at the praise. She pursed her lips, humming as Nat took the hint and pressed a kiss against them. She loved Natasha’s lips. Wanted to kiss them forever. The woman laid a multitude of kisses across her face, not stopping until she deemed the entirety of her face covered.

“Let’s get out of this wet spot, yeah?” Wanda had forgotten about the water and cringed. She hardly nodded before Nat was tugging her to sit up, easily maneuvering her across the bed and into her arms. Smooth, Wanda thought.

The brunette easily cuddled into her frame, sliding her head under the woman’s chin and wrapping an arm around her waist. Natasha held her close, pressing kisses along her forehead and brushing her hair. This is why you love her. Wanda’s heart leapt at the thought. They laid there for what seemed to be hours, decompressing after the unexpected.

“What happened?” And for what seemed like the upteenth time that day, Natasha wanted to know why she was so fucked up. Why she couldn’t go through her day like a normal person. Her tone was soft, though, like she expected Wanda to not answer.

“I don’t… I don’t know.” Her tone was just as soft, accompanied by confusion. It was the truth. She didn’t know what happened. Nat was kissing her one moment and the next… the next she was being choked by him. The thought sent shivers down her body and she curled into the redhead.

“Was it something I did?” Natasha pushed her chin up, forcing their eyes to meet. She was so genuinely concerned it made the brunette want to cry. Except, she had already cried enough that night and didn’t want to anymore. It was embarrassing. She knew it was because of how fucked up her hormones were, but it didn’t make it any less humiliating.

“No! No, I just…” Wanda trailed off, blushing as she didn't know what to say. It was hard to look away. They both wanted to know why she freaked out so suddenly. It had never happened before. Why now? She was tempted to leave it at that. To say she didn’t know and call it a day. She had an idea as to why though and was blurting it out before she could stop herself.

“He never-” Wanda cut herself off with a nervous giggle, her lips quivering. She knew Nat would never make fun of her for it, theoretically, at least, but she couldn’t help but feel embarrassed about it. He had eaten her out once, and it didn’t even count because he was drunk and it was no more than a warm-up for him to sloppily fuck her before he passed out. It had been discovered early on that faking her orgasm was the only way she would get him off her case. He had declared the next time he was thrusting into her that neither of them had liked it and that it would be a waste of his time. Thus marking the first and last time Wanda had ever been eaten out.

“My ex never did… that because neither of us liked it and it doesn’t matter that I don’t like it, but I don’t want you to do it because you won’t like it, either.” Wanda covered her face as she spoke, muffling her already high-pitched and hurried words into something unintelligible.

“Woah, woah. Wanda, slow down.” Natasha reached to pull her hands away, gently holding the brunette's wrists between her own hands. Her face was flushed a bright red that traveled down her chest as her breath heaved, clearly embarrassed by the revelation.

“Hey.” Nat let go of one of her wrists, allowing it to drop onto her stomach in favor of brushing her hair out of her face, trailing her hand down her face to cup her cheek. Wanda could hardly see the woman with how glassy her vision had become, a new set of tears threatening to shed, no doubt.

“I wouldn’t have done it if I knew you didn’t like it and I’m sorry for not asking beforehand.” Natasha spoke softly, stroking her cheek as she did so. Wanda’s eyes traveled along her features, scanning for some sort of insincerity on her face, only to find none. It was both confusing and comforting. “As for me not liking it, well, let’s just say I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t like it either.”

Wanda laughed half heartedly at that. She sniffled as Nat brushed the pads of her thumbs under her eyes, swiping at imaginary tears. The brunette’s eyes fluttered shut, relaxing further into the woman’s hold. Her body felt like jelly, her brain working at a pace far faster than she was able to process in the moment.

Natasha didn’t say anything else, instead reaching to turn the TV on and pulling the comforter snuggly around them. It was a position they found themselves in often, mostly after sex, but also after a nice day or night where both of them are exhausted. It was nice. Being held in someone’s arms without any ulterior movement.

“I’m sorry I ruined the mood.” Wanda’s voice was quiet, spoken in that soft, timid timber she uses far too often in Nat’s opinion. Had they not been so close together, Nat thinks she wouldn’t have heard her. Natasha shook her head.

“You didn’t ruin the mood, love.” She spoke just as softly, letting the fleshy part of her palm near her thumb rest against her cheekbone. Wanda could hear that her heart was steady, nowhere near as fast as her own was beating. She thought of how a nurse had explained to her that that’s why her twins loved to be held, that they could feel her heart beating like they had when she was pregnant and it comforted them. She wondered if it was the same with adults.

“Okay.” Wanda whispered, sinking further against her chest. She felt safe. She hadn’t felt that in a long time. Maybe Nat could protect her. She’s not sure against what, but the thought warms her heart. It’s the last thing she thinks of before she falls asleep, just how much she loves the woman. Maybe she did need her after all.

[ihatedean]

please help my baby get his ear surgery done<3

thank you for clicking read more :)

so after months of testing the vet informed us a few days ago that our cat does, in fact, have skin cancer. to get more specific it's actually squamous-cell carcinoma.

(text is in spanish but im sure google lens can translate pretty well.)

it's affecting the tip/side of his left ear and hasn't spread to his nose or the other ear, so the vet recommended surgery to get the ear removed as soon as we possibly can. this would be on september 2nd, this monday.

exams like x-rays and biopsies have already been pretty expensive so i'm making this post to hopefully offset the cost of his pinnectomy (ARS$180,000->USD$189) even just a little bit. the whole thing has been really stressing and adding to that a messed up family situation where i can't ask them for help, please trust me when i say i wouldn't do this if i didn't need to.

details for the fic commissions:

my ao3 account for reference

right now im working on stuff for supernatural and formula 1 so that's where my brain's at, mostly, but ive done a lot of writing for jojo's bizarre adventure (im Very fluent with jotaro and all part 3-4 characters) and for the argies in the room, i've even written stuff for los simuladores and el marginal. i have no issues writing in spanish (rioplatense).

im also comfortable writing for genshin impact. been playing for years and im familiar with the lore up until fontaine. i've been itching to write something for a while :)

im Very Very familiar with x reader fics and will do OC x Character or OC x OC gladly as long as you provide character art or detailed descriptions to help me capture them best.

im comfortable writing pretty much every ship for the fandoms i named and can do gen, teen, mature and explicit works. im open to all kinks and have a history of doing incest and age-gap pairings. im comfortable with most dark themes— will write dub-con, non-con, cnc, and want to hear your weirdly specific skinks. in general, it's easier to say what i will not do than what i will. no judgement, as long as you respect

what i will not do:

horror

gore

necrophilia

violent non-con or explicit non-con (mentioning it in the story is fine, but i will not write the actual scene)

scat

vore

race play (hateful imagery/racial slurs)

kidfic

for formula 1 im simply inept at doing maxiel and c2. in general, i struggle with max and carlos. won't write anything for lando, sorry. anything else from 2010 to 2024 is fine, and im open to AUs of any kind as well as gender bending :)

pricing

Tier 3 — USD$5 for 500 words. 5 slots open

Tier 2 — USD$10 for 1k to 3k words. 2 slots open

Tier 1 — USD$25 for 4k to 10k words. 2 slots open

if i exceed wordcount in any case, it's on me. i'm a yapper.

contact me here or ask for my gmail in tumblr dms ^^

i can only accept ppal for USD$. if you're in argentina and you're interested, dm me for mercadopago info :)

(if you just want to donate that's totally cool. i just felt weird asking for money without anything to offer. it's a me thing)

ppal link

if you read this whole thing, thank you. here is the boy himself. he's almost 11 years old, incredibly grumpy, manipulative, called ugly by almost all my friends, has already gone through eye surgery so that's why his eyes look Like That, and on the rare occasion he sits on my lap i literally cry.

please put sunscreen on your cats, especially if they have white hair like aki. we didn't know for the longest time that exposure to the sun could cause skin cancer on cats and by the time we knew and started doing it, it was too late.

[transmutationisms]

given how you have talked about succession and race before, do you have any thoughts on the recent interview by Juliana Canfield in Vulture? The main gist of the Jess scene in the last episode being meant to be funny, according to one of the (white) writers. (Quote: "Three weeks later, a bunch of us went out to dinner and one of the writers, Lucy Prebble, was like, “We’re cutting together episode eight, and the scene is funny.” I was like, “It’s a funny scene?” It had never occurred to me that it was written to be funny. I saw it as deadly serious, existentially chilling, and reminiscent of the 2016 election.")

so, wrt that scene in particular, it's not totally clear to me what prebble thought the joke was, and imo that would make a difference. to me it read as a very dark joke aimed at greg, who's clearly torn between thinking mencken is 'bad' in a very distant way, and wanting to please his boss and do his job. jess's lines i did not think were delivered or played as funny, and the overall effect of the scene, to me, was to shift focus to the people who work for waystar but cannot really be said to make executive calls: assistants, underlings, &c. i read jess as feeling like she's been complicit in what atn was doing this entire time, and trying, too little too late, to stop it. her field of action is obviously very limited because she, like everyone else on the show, is still operating within waystar's orbit, and within capitalism.

more broadly, i think this jess convo is a little bit frustrating in some of the same ways the sophie stuff has been. it's a very last-minute shift for the show, to actually address head-on (sort of) jess and sophie as women of colour and what that means for them as people who are involved with the roys in different capacities. it's hard to do this well this late in the game, and especially in a season where by necessity the siblings' grief is so central. we still haven't spent any time with jess alone, and we've never really gotten into her head---also a problem with sophie. so, just as the sophie scenes work mostly as kendall characterisation, the jess/greg convo does a lot of its work as greg characterisation, and kendall's remarks to jess earlier in the season about atn covering african politics also tell us much more about how kendall sees jess, himself, and racism than they do about jess herself.

none of this is a new problem for succession; it has always been pretty clear that it's about its white characters. so, these last-ditch gestures toward more commentary on race can read as a bit tacky at best. with the election night thing, i don't mind a joke at greg's expense (it's continuous with him trying to claim he has "principles" in s2), but it is true that in that scene the show is using jess and her race (implicitly) to do that. the show's premise has always foreclosed a lot of potentially interesting questions about people like jess and in jess's position: again, disempowered, but also benefitting in some way from the company and from selling reactionary politics. that could make an interesting avenue to explore, but it's simply not one that this show has chosen to go down. again, it's not clear to me from that interview exactly what prebble thought the joke was so i can't really say much more about her specifically, but the scene itself in the show is part of a larger pattern in how the writers handle race (usually weirdly ignore it, sometimes use it to explore their white characters' psyches).

[ohbo-ohno]

Collared kitten au anon here - IF I WERE MORE CONFIDENT WITH MY WRITING ID DO IT FOR SURE!!! I've written one thing one time and it was fluff. But i have leetol ideas to share:

Like kitty having a subscription tier, simon and Johnny are the most expensive - one of the perks is that she makes custom videos for them. moans their names on camera and is a huge tease. Buys a collar with Simon's name on the tag and doesn't put it on but just bats at it all playful. Drives them both up a wall.

Maybe even sets up a donator play date goal. Whoever donates x amount gets to be featured in a video and can play with kitty, donor gets to choose the theme.

MEANWHILE kitty thinks these dudes are kinda cringe but loves the attention and money, and sometimes they say things that get kitty irresponsibly wet . But she's never had a master before so she's definitely not gonna let some strange man collar her, even if his video requests always send a thrill up her spine that leaves her eying up the collar with his name on it.

Kitty secretly wants a master but doesn't know how to let herself be owned 😿

-🐈

she thinks they're probably just some weirdos in their basement who happen to be weirdly good at dirty talk but then she offers a video call and sees johnny and she's like... oh... they're hot...

doesn't have a master because she likes doing her videos and she hasn't found anyone willing to be with someone who's also a sex worker :( but ghost and johnny kinda love the idea, showing all these people what belongs to them, what only they get to touch. they don't let her play with toys bought by someone else though, their kitty only plays with toys bought by her pup and her master

her buying a nametag with simon's name and never putting it on, just teasing, and he threatens her with with all sorts of punishments and she just giggles cause he can't really do anything to her :) simon keeps tally and tans her hide once he gets his hands on her <3

[ailichi]

reading since around august (selected)

Antigone, Jean Anouilh - French play based on the ancient Greek play by Sophocles, from 1944. loved it. I always love Anouilh's stuff.

Coal Dark Mornings, Brett Anderson - first autobiography of Brett Anderson, taking you up to the time when he formed Suede. I think you could read this even if you weren't into his music, it's well-written and gives a very good description of the time and place he grew up in while still being very quick to read.

The Coffee-House of Surat, Leo Tolstoy - short story by Tolstoy because I guess I'm trying to 100% his work.

Prophet Song, Paul Lynch - it's alright! it gets better and better very steadily as it goes along; I liked it much more on page 250 than on page 150, that kind of book. it seems to be out on the display tables of bookshops across Europe - not sure it's that much of a sensation really. but it takes like 2 days to read, not a waste of time.

Everyone Loves You When You’re Dead, Neil Strauss - I read most of these interviews and they're good but the book exists to record the Liam Gallagher one for me.

Getting High: The Adventures of Oasis, Paolo Hewitt - it's good!! I think I already posted a quick review but if you're a fan and want to read One book about Oasis, it's the perfect choice.

Shout!: The Beatles, Their Life and Times, Philip Norman - dear Lord, is this comprehensive. and it continues after 1970 - post-Beatles stuff is like half the book. I did enjoy it, but especially the first few hundred pages (yes), where he talks about each member before they joined, the other people in that Merseyside scene, etc.

Supersonic: The Uncut Interviews, Simon Halfton - interesting to see how they edited the band interviews for the documentary.

Remembering, Sinéad O’Connor - she can really write, wow. obviously parts of this book are very heavy, and it did make me cry. I'm glad I read it though.

Hadji Murad, Leo Tolstoy* - I'd read this before and apparently forgotten large swathes of it. it's fine, nothing crazy good, very much hampered by the noble-Oriental thing he's got going on. every day I realise I am the world's most unenthusiastic Tolstoy fan. like I'll read it but Jesus Christ.

The Horse, The Wheel, and Language, David W. Anthony DNF - if this is the intellectual standard expected of US undergrads, that's shocking. forget student debt cancellation, they should be giving them money back with interest. lmfao

Ulysses, James Joyce - it's Ulysses, it's great. but there were bits I subjectively didn't like (predictably, the grimy sex scenes, all that tackle). um. a masterpiece, clever, etc., didn't exactly have me weeping. it IS brilliant and very enjoyable to read on a pure prose level.

Do You Believe in the Power of Rock and Roll? John Robb - good interviews :)

Solenoid, Mircea Cărtărescu - been reading this on and off since the translation came out in 2022. interestingly weird until it's weirdly not interesting. probably excellent for someone, but not for me. which was really disappointing, because I was excited for it.

Regenade, Mark E. Smith - absolute masterclass of an "autobiography". I loved it. is there a lot of 'information' about his life story? of course not. can you necessarily believe that things happened as he writes? not really. (but then, the way the story is told is telling in itself). starts in media res. essentially the only story he tells from his childhood is Japanese Prison Camp, and yk? I'm pretty sure we used to play something like that too. obviously the whole book is hysterically witty. so good at having opinions, it's outrageous. made me laugh at jokes at the expense of Noel Gallagher, so it really is that charming as a book (don’t even think those anecdotes happened. like. at all. except maybe the one about him sneaking a look at his shirts in a hotel room. lol). "charming" in the slightly sinister fairy-tale sense. MES o7

[creation-key]

Imagine:

You are apart of the Smosh crew and as a “prank” surprise for you, Smosh books Cory Mylchreest to read Reddit stories with you and Shayne Topp.

Word Count: 1,525

TW: 1 curse word, pure fluff, barely edited :(

A/n: So i’ve been recently getting back into the creative flow, as well as my obsession with Smosh videos b/c they remind me of a time when I was a little kid with no worries, sooo please do excuse this poorly written imagine that is really an excuse to distract me from actually being an adult 🫡

You walk into the reddit room, saying hi to Brett and Kiana before sitting down on the couch. Shayne walks in shortly after, walking up to the ipad sitting on a table, unplugging and walking up to Kiana, whispering. He looks at you, smirks cheekily weirdly, and turns back to Kiana smiling widely, looking at the ipad and back up to her again.

Based on his mannerisms, you assume he’s conversing with her based on whatever reddit stories you were reading today. The schedule read, “Crazy Fangirl Stories” which you thought was fitting for you to have been picked, seeing as how your gimmick on the channel is being a massive fangirl of literally every cute white boy, your latest obsession with the Young King George star, who you have let everyone in the office know, more than once. You also have some pretty crazy stories resulting from your obsessions, which make for some funny icebreakers.

Tim calls for 10 minutes until shoot, making you look up and realize there’s more people in the audience then usual, in fact it looks as though the whole cast and crew showed up to watch the shooting today. Everyone one of them talking and smiling with excitement, confusion etched all over your face.

The cameras start rolling to test for any unforeseen difficulties that need to be fixed, while Max, or audio man as you like to call him, hooks up your microphone, turning it on asking you to test it.

“1. 2. 3. annnnd 3. 2. ONE!” You yell the 1 at the end getting a thumbs up from audio man, and a totally manly cry, as he yanks off his headphones rubbing his ears. You laugh as you watch him connect Shayne in as well, him testing even louder than you did, absolutely shattering audio man’s eardrums.

Shayne walks over and sits on his chair, looks over at you, smiles, then looks over at our audience.

Remembering that everyone is there, you finally ask Shayne,

“Hey, why is everyone here? I thought we were just reading Reddit stories? Everyone’s whispering and looking at me like they know something I don’t. And i don’t like that.” You say jokingly (maybe) glaring at your friends watching.

Shayne just shrugs his shoulders and smiles.

“I’m not sure, I think everyone just found some free time, and plus this is our only shoot today, because it’s Friday.”

You squint your eyes at him, both of you know he’s lying, but only one you actually knowing exactly what he’s lying about. You’re about to open your mouth to ask another question, when Kiana yells out 10 seconds until the intro.

You decide to put it off for now, kicking off your shoes and tucking your feet criss cross style on the couch. Seeing as how this is your 1st Reddit read story, you’re pretty nervous, but also excited since this is an area you’re familiar with.

With 5 seconds left the stage door opens and the last person you ever expect walks in, already mic’ed up, and walks (practically in slow motion) towards the couch, THAT YOU ARE ON.

You scoot over, mouth agape, the camera pointed at you, closing in on the interaction. Shayne laughs loudly, as always, and introduces you, special guest Cory Mylchreest, and the topic of the video. You look around the room seeing everyone laughing and cheering at your expense. You finally close your mouth, looking to the right of you at Cory and then at Shayne.

“So y/n, how are you feeling right now, I feel like I can see your thoughts” Shayne jokes.

Corey laughs, making you whip you head at him.

“I think i’m just in complete and utter disbelief as to how vivid this dream is.” Everyone laughs, including Cory.

“I promise it’s not dream (he grabs your hand) see!” He squeezes your hand, putting emphasis on his words.

You internally scream, but calmly lift your intertwined hands up, displaying to the camera, making a face of shock.

“Guys Cory Mylchreest is actively holding my hand. I just want you all to see this and understand what’s going on right now.” Laughter fills the room once more, before Shayne changes the subject and starts the video, telling everyone to like, subscribe, and comment who else they want to see Smosh surprise me with, I chime in with no one because my poor heart won’t be able to take anymore.

Cory laughs at that, fueling you with so much confidence that you just start cracking jokes the whole shoot, aka doing your job but like 10x better, in the hopes just to hear his laughter.

Throughout the shoot, Cory holds your hand the ENTIRE TIME never letting go, even when getting a drink of water. You were practically staring at him with heart eyes the whole time.

To your disappointment, you get to the last Reddit story. Shayne starts reading the title , him smiling as he goes on.

“AITA for saying my almost girlfriend isn’t hotter than Cory Mylchreest?

Me (23F) and this girl i was with at the time (22F) got into an argument while watching Young Charlotte because I jokingly (maybe) said Cory Mylchreest could run me over and i would apologize. She starts joking along with me until i call him hot. She responds back ‘not hotter than me though, right?’ I don’t respond because I don’t want to hurt her feelings. She immediately starts packing up her stuff and starts to leaving. I don’t stop her, because I feel as though she was being a childish, I mean no one’s hotter than that guy, but before leaving, she called me an asshole. So Reddit, am I the asshole?”

You open your mouth wide, for the 2nd time that shoot, covering it, with the hand not holding Cory’s of course, filled with immediate embarrassment.

“How did y’all find my account?” You say defeated. Everyone laughs hysterically at your embarrassment.

“So y/n, this story is 100% real? For the viewers at home who may not know for sure, could you just clarify.” You glare at Shayne knowing he only wanted you to admit it, because you were sitting right next the man who you would let run you over.

You look at Cory,

“I am so sorry.” He giggles squeezing your hand.

“That’s okay, I’d say the same about you” He smiles. You internally screaming, squeeze his hand back smiling, before looking at the camera-

“This story is 100% true. That girl and I are no longer seeing each other, seeing as how Reddit sided with me and also agreed that they too would let Cory run them over.” You finish your monologue with a deep breath, earning some cheers and whistles from your packed studio.

Shayne finishes the outro and thanks Cory for agreeing to come on and scare surprise you while promoting his show. Like a true gentleman he thanks Smosh, saying he had a fantastic time, whilst pulling you into a side hug/ cuddle on the couch. You smile, your cheeks warming up at least 10 degrees more.

Cut is yelled, and Cory is still side hugging you, pulling you off of him, he smiles at you once more before pulling you back in for full on hug saying cute things like ‘It’s so nice to meet you’ ‘I’m glad they introduced us’ ‘You’re so pretty’

You hug him back just as hard thank him, before pulling off, realizing where you are. Getting the mics and other equipment off, Cory pulls you out into the hallway away from everyone and their chatter.

“Hi” He says sheepishly.

You giggle saying hi back.

“I know this is forward, and that it’s unfair of me to ask because I am still traveling for promo and wit won’t be for a while, but do you think I could get you number so that we could go on a date?”

He looks down at you, the height difference only being a few inches, due to your amazing genes.

“I- you want my number? for a date? really?” You tilt you head in a questioning manner. He only nods his head profusely, before taking out his phone and giving it to you.

You start to type in your number before you remember,

“Wait a minute… are you even going to text me? You have built quite the reputation for yourself in recent interviews Mr. Mylchreest.” You point a finger a him, poking at his chest with it. He lets out a small giggle grabbing your finger, opening your hand, encasing yours in his saying,

“If it’s you texting, I’ll always reply.”

~fin~

[inheartofwinter]

A super late Halloween piece written for @drarrymicrofic 's prompt "trick or treat". G | 697 words.

Trick or Treat

"Happy Halloween! Trick or treat?"

Harry stared at the vampire standing amid ten kids in front of his door.

He must have been hallucinating this. There could be no other answer.

Harry rubbed his eyes. The person was still standing there, bonus a scowl.

"What the heck are you doing here, Malfoy? And wearing that!"

The vampire—Malfoy—folded his arms in front of his chest. "Participating in a Muggle tradition, of course. You know my terms of probation."

Harry knew Malfoy's terms of probation. How could he not when he was the Auror assigned to make sure that Malfoy followed it? One of them was learning about Muggles. Under torture, Harry would admit that it was quite fun to watch Malfoy interacting with Muggle things. Malfoy took to drama series, rocks and rolls, takeaways and jeans like a fish took to water, but he shrieked whenever he had to get in a Muggle transportation, too scarred by all the stories about car crashing and plane falling Harry had gleefully told him in details.

However, trying as hard as he could, he could not remember anything about wearing costumes and going around to ask for candies with a bunch of Muggle kids.

"Malfoy—"

"Where're the candies?" asked a kid in an annoyed voice, not caring a bit about whatever the adults had to say.

Following their leader, the other kids started voicing their displeasure at Harry's lack of candies.

"Give us our candies!"

"Candies!! Candies!! Candies!!"

"I want chocolate!" chimed in Malfoy, smirking at Harry.

"I want chocolate, too!" A boy in a giant pumpkin costume yelled. Malfoy high-fived him.

"Don't you have any sweet?" A girl wearing a Frankenstein's monster costume waved her bat threateningly—or would be threateningly if the bat hadn't been bright pink with a huge bow on top of it.

Harry sighed and discreetly Summoned the bowl of sweets he had prepared beforehand.

"Here you go," he said, presenting the kids with the bowl of sweets. The Frankenstein's monster girl looked disappointed. For a moment, Harry had a flashback of Fred and George. He shuddered.

The sweets disappeared in approximately ten seconds. It seemed the spicy tamarind candy had appealed to the Frankenstein's monster girl; she had put her bat down to open the wrap and throw the candy into her mouth. The pumpkin boy jumped in delight with the cheap chocolate bar Harry bought from the supermarket that morning. Harry noted to himself to buy a more expensive brand of chocolate next time.

Before Harry could be relieved that the world's peace was restored, a voice resounded.

"Where is my share?" asked Malfoy in a heartbroken voice, no sweets in hand.

Harry looked down at the bowl of sweets. There was none left.

"Eh... I'm sorry," said Harry, feeling weirdly disappointed at himself. He hadn't intended to give Malfoy any sweet, but still.

Malfoy dropped his head. The kids immediately surrounded Malfoy and cooed at him. A girl in a ghost costume hugged Malfoy to comfort him. The pumpkin boy offered to give Malfoy haft of his chocolate bar. The Frankenstein's monster girl glared at Harry, bat in hands again.

It was when an idea sprouted in Harry's head. "Come back tomorrow! I'll give you your chocolate tomorrow!"

Malfoy looked up, eyes widen with hope. "Really?"

Harry nodded eagerly. "Yes! I will even give you a whole box of chocolate!"

Malfoy smiled brightly.

The Frankenstein's monster girl gave Harry a thumb-up. Harry thumbed up back.

The kids and Malfoy waved him goodbye and moved to terrorise the next house. Harry waved after them.

Now he needed to think about which brand he should buy Malfoy tomorrow.

(*)

"Trick or treat?" A cheerful voice yelled when Harry opened the door. As promised, Malfoy and the kids had come back, minus the costumes.

Harry looked at them, glanced at the clock and groaned. By "tomorrow", he didn't mean 7 o'clock in the morning. He also didn't remember promising the throng of kids more sweets.

"Where are the sweets?" asked Malfoy with a hopeful smile.

Harry watched the dimples on Malfoy's cheeks, and decided that being wakened up at arse hour wasn't so bad.

[sinsandsweetness]

Attitude (sex and zombies- chapter 11)

pairing- {Shane x fem!reader}

summary-You and Shane have something in common.

warnings- 18+ content, MDNI!

notes- flashback/ bonus scene for a Shane request. lets say set in between chapter 1 and 2.

“What the hell is he doin' over there? Gearing up for world war three? Jeesus.”

You were successful in holding in your laugh. Though a tiny smirk escaped that Shane unfortunately happened to see. 

You were standing with him and Rick at the picnic table. Gearing up for the days search party for Sophia. Switching the route up and sending people out in pairs. You’d hoped for Rick as your search companion but Dale was weirdly insistent on being his partner. And so you got stuck with Shane. 'Stuck' might be a harsh word. You got to pair up with Shane. 

“He’s just well prepared I guess.” You shrugged. Also watching the hunter from across camp, geared up with an incredible amount of leather on. Fixing up arrows and cleaning several of his guns. The tying of his shoelaces around his pant leg was what sent Shane over the edge. Prompting the rude jokes about his overpreparation and dedication to the cause. 

“It’s smart! No mice can get up in there.” You tried to defended the man, though still chuckling at Shane’s jokes even at the expense of Daryl. 

“Yeah well he’s still an idiot.”

“He’s just trying to help, Shane.” “You don’t need to be such an asshole,” You and Rick both spoke at the same time. He looked over and gave you a sweet smile at your silent agreement. Both sticking up for the man you were beginning to befriend. Shane huffed a quick ‘whatever’ and continued cleaning his gun. 

You let Rick run over the game plan once again. Paying extra close attention to the veins in his hand and the way his long fingers pointed at the map, and definitely not enough to the words he was actually saying. 

“You ready?” Shane tapped your hip with the back of his hand, grabbing your attention away from the dirty thoughts about what Ricks fingers could be doing to you. 

“Yup. Gun. Knife. Phone. Wallet. “ You joked, patting down your pockets. Your face dropped at his lack of reaction, “Just kidding...” 

He rolled his eyes and let himself smirk at your awful attempt to humour him. “I’ll meet you in the truck,” and lightly smacked your bum. Sending you off towards the driveway. 

You watched him and Rick talk from the window of the vehicle. Lot's of eye rolling from Shane, and a clear argument between the two. His head still shaking as he entered the drivers seat. 

“What?” You asked. The obvious shift in his attitude from before. He shifted the truck into drive and peeled out of the driveway. 

“Is everything ok?” You asked after a moment of his heated silence. 

He looked over while driving, contemplating what to tell you. 

“Rick. He just- I don’t think he gets it. I mean come on, you 'n me both know we ain’t ever finding this girl.”

“Not with that attitude,” You joked.

He glared again. Serious written all over his face. You straightened up. 

“Wait you actually want us to leave? To give up?” You looked at him. Honestly shocked at his forwardness. “Would you do that if it were Carl? Or Lori? Or me?”

“I wouldn’t have let any of you run off in the first place. Rick's too focused on the what if's. What he needs to focus on is the reality. She’s dead. Gotta be. There’s only so much ground to cover here. Hell we coulda been in Fort Benning by now."

“Rick is doing everything he can. He's trying to find a little girl who is scared and alone, surrounded by crazy flesh eating monsters. And you want us to leave? To Fort Benning? You really think that’s gonna be any better than here?”

“Yeah. I do.” 

You scoffed a little. Rolling your eyes and turning to watch out the window. 

The rest of the ride was quiet. You parked and walked the section that Rick had you two searching. 

While you trekked through the forest, Shane began shit talking again. He started by complaining about Daryl, then Dale, then going back to Rick. Which normally you’d love to listen to since it involved Ricks name. But with the condescending tone Shane was speaking with, you were just irritated. 

“-n everyone always has to listen to Rick. Take sides with Rick. Doesn't help that you and that redneck won’t hop off his dick-"

You whipped around quickly. Getting fed up at his bitching.

“Ohmygod Shane. What is your deal? Are you jealous or something? Is that what this is all about?”

“Jealous?” He scoffed. “I need him to get his head out of his ass, and start being a real leader. Focus on his family-” 

“All he does is focus on his family!! You’re just mad that he’s doing a better job leading than any of us could.” You looked up at him. Not shying away from the scowl burning into you. “Or does this have to do with the fact that you're obsessing over his wife.” 

He pulled at your collar, tugging you real close. 

“I am not obsessing over anyone,” He hissed, nose almost touching yours. 

“Well you’re not being very subtle about wanting to fuck her then.” No emotion could be read from your voice. 

He thought for a moment. 

“And you’re not very subtle about wanting to fuck Rick either.”

What an ass. 

“Looks like we got something in common then.”

You tugged yourself out of his grasp and turned around, returning your focus to your search. Checking the ground for prints and hair and clothes. Anything that could have signalled Sophia’s presence in the woods. Looking for everything that Daryl had tried teaching you about. 

“Hey! Get back here. We ain’t done yet.”

“Shane, I'm trying to find Sophia can we please just focus on-“ you were interrupted by his hand turning you by the shoulder and abruptly crashing his mouth against yours. What the fuck is he thinking. 

“Agh- Shane!” You pulled away. Confused and surprised.  

“Aw come on baby. You just said it. We have something in common. You’re pining over him... I ain’t getting over her. Let's take this out on eachother.” 

“Shane I told you I-"

“Don’t even try and tell me that you're saving yourself for someone else cause I know that’s bullshit. He's married. And loyal. Now take your jeans off.”

You could feel your cheeks turn red. Getting turned on by the way he ordered you around. And the way he wouldn’t take no for an answer. 

“We’re in the middle of the woods-" you kept your voice low, trying to pull away but he shushed you, moving in on your frame and pushing you against a tree. 

“You afraid Rick's gonna see us? Huh?” Shane started kissing down your neck as his hands fumbled with the button of your jeans. Tugging the fabric down your ass cheeks. 

You couldn’t think of an answer. Yes. Kind of. Definitely. fuck. 

Not only did you not want Rick seeing, but you really didn’t want Daryl seeing. He might actually fight you if he found out.

“Just like last time baby, just relax,”

He palmed at your breasts, and you could feel the wetness pooling in your lace underwear. 

“That was supposed to be a one time thing Shane-"

He shut you up with his tongue in your mouth. You groaned, feeling him hum against your mouth. There wasn’t much you could do except give in to his grabby hands, pulling at your jeans and moving on to your flannel. Not caring about the search and rescue mission anymore. Just the possibility of getting bent over a tree stump and fucked into oblivion. 

You were no better then any man. 

You kissed him back as your hands went to his chest, pulling on his t-shirt, fingernails digging into his skin. You could hear him undo his belt.

“Fuck,” You whispered as his head dipped back to your neck, kissing down to your shoulder. You kicked your pants off to the ground beside you. Flannel unbuttoned and hanging open with his reach going for your panties, tugging them to the side. 

“Up,” he tapped twice on the backs of your thighs. So you threw your arms around him and held on as he lifted you up. Pulled your legs around his waist and pushed you up against the tree. 

“Atta girl.” He moved his mouth back over yours. Kissing you rough and messy as he lined himself up with your slit, the head of his cock running through your slick a couple of times before he pushed all the way in. 

You let out a groan. From the stretch of practically zero foreplay, but mostly just the pleasure of being filled right up. 

“Fuck baby. So wet and ready for me.” He said against your lips. You only moaned in response.

He fucked you into the tree, your back scratching against the bark and his hands holding tightly at the skin on your thighs. He wouldn't stop talking, spitting continuous praise, and occasional mocking.

“So fuckin' tight for me,”

“You like that? Getting fucked out here for anyone to see?”

“Damn baby you always this loud?”

“Bet I'm takin' care of you better than Rick ever could. Don’t you agree sweet stuff?" 

He kept on going until you were an incoherent, moaning mess. 

“Shane!” You could feel yourself getting close, digging your fingers into his biceps. 

“Yeah princess? You close for me?”

“So close-” 

He lifted you up a little further, bringing your legs up and over his shoulders. Unsure of how he was even holding you up at that point. But the new angle made you cry out. Hitting a spot so deep inside of you that it borderline hurt. The sounds you made were unavoidable, not that he minded. If anything it just boosted his ego and made him try even harder.

"That's right, come all over my cock baby. Fuck. Such a good girl for me." He fucked you through your orgasm. Hard and fast and destroying your cervix. Eyes rolling back with his name on your tongue. 

As soon as your breathing shallowed, he lowered you back down to the ground. 

“On your knees,”

You happily complied. Getting down and taking him in your mouth, hands pumping at the base as you finished him off. Didn’t take long before you were swallowing every drop. 

You looked up at him with swollen lips and half lidded eyes. 

“Goddamn. You really are something else.”

He did up his own belt as you adjusted your thong, and buttoned up your shirt. 

Shane helped you up and started to pull your jeans on. Being sure to cop a feel of your ass as he did. You chuckled at his predictability.

“Hey,” he grabbed your jaw tipping it up. “Feel a little better now? Get some of that attitude fucked out of you?”

"Did you?"

His eyes darkened. "Do we gotta go another round or are you gonna smarten up?" He joked. Mostly anyway.

“You’re still an asshole.” You shook your head and tried not to smile.

He laughed and grabbed your ass again, pulling you in for one last kiss. 

“We should get going. Get the rest of this region checked.” 

You nodded and grabbed your weapons off the ground, following closely behind him. 

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

"Nothing?" Daryl jogged up the driveway as you hopped out of the truck. You shook your head.

"You?"

He shook his head too. Disappointment flooding his face. "Fuck."

"We'll go again tomorrow. We did all we could for the day." You let him grab at your shirt, pulling you towards the camp. Only looking back at Shane for a second, to see him smirking at you from the truck. What a shit head.

"Rick was asking for you." Daryl said as he kicked a rock down the gravel.

"Really?!"

"You don't have to sound so excited about it." he grumbled.

"Shut up."

"Seriously. I'm just glad you weren't paired up with him today."

"Why?"

He almost laughed in response until he realized you were serious.

"Cause you're way too fuckin' easy. Woulda made a cheater out of the poor guy the second you got him alone." 

"I would not!" You shoved his arm gently. Couldn't help but feel a little hurt at him calling you easy. Mostly because you knew it was right. And while Daryl may have been relieved about you not being paired up with Rick, he probably didn't realize he should've been worrying about Shane.

If he knew how truly easy you'd been in the woods, he'd have you over his knees for sure.

[asterrrrion]

Alright so part two of my explaining BSD french authors:

Arthur Rimbaud !

This is the boy. Looks young, right ? That's cause he's seventeen in this. (Funnily enough, he's exactly the same age as Verlaine's wife. Verlaine, though, is 27 at the time they meet. Yeah, I wasn't kidding when I said he was a piece of shit.)

Rimbaud is kind of THE poet of teenage rebellion. He was born in 1854, under Napoleon III to place him back in his historical context. He wrote quite a bit in opposition to Napoleon, actually.

His father is absent at first, and then not here at all later. He has... A complex and complicated relationship with his mother. He gave her a disrespectful nickname, she was seen hitting him several times (although at the time that's hardly surprising...), but at the same time when he asked her to go see him in London (at a time where the trip was very expensive, and she'd never left France in her life before that) she came, and his sister described him then as "the happiest I'd ever seen him". She's often seen as the source of his inner anger and rebellion.

What he hates for sure, though, was living in his house, with his family, and especially in his hometown, Charleville, which he despises.

He's especially known for having fled his house a lot, as in several times a year, for several days every time, walking during the day and sleeping on the road during the night. His most famous poem, "Ma bohème" (unstranslatable title because "bohème" is a french concept, but it basically means living your life day after day, in communion with nature and/or your dreams, often with an artistic dimension and no money whatsoever - also has travel connotations because it derives from "bohemian"), actually talks solely about that.

He wrote from his fifteenth to his nineteenth birthday, and was - still is - seen as a genius, being one of the most influential french poets ever despite having written for only four years. He was famous for being uncontrollable, and it translates back to his style : he took extremely traditional forms and changed their rules. (Which weirdly enough actually kinda fits with Rimbaud's ability ??)

If we ever have a Baudelaire in BSD, know that his character will probably look up to him, seeing as Rimbaud is usually seen as continuing Baudelaire's legacy of completely revolutionising french poetry. His two most famous books are "A Season in Hell" and "Illuminations", his last one. His literary movement is symbolism, invented by Baudelaire, characterized by melancholy and an attraction to the ethereal and mysterious. Rimbaud himself thinks that "the poet must search and describe the unknown" and, well, too bad if he sacrifices his sanity. He's also one of the first after Baudelaire to write prose poems.

He stopped writing, forever, at twenty, after the Verlaine fiasco. Actually, he wrote "Illuminations" directly after, then gave it to Verlaine so that he could get it published instead of doing it himself.

That's where his life gets really weird. He tries to learn seven different skills and languages while traveling everywhere, fails, his sister dies and he shaves his head for her funeral, is forced into the military to fight in Java, then deserts, gets hired on a boat on his way back and becomes a sailor, then tries to get hired in the American Navy, doesn't get any answer, goes in a circus then a factory, and all of that while traveling everywhere in the world in the space of about three years.

Nobody knows where he was for the nine months after that - and during all of this, everyone who knows him is hoping that he gets back to writing poetry - and then he goes home to help his brother with his farm before leaving, AGAIN. He walks from France to Italy, then gets in a boat to Alexandria, where he works in a construction project to manage the workers. This keeps going for about eleven more years, so I can't list everything this guy did : we'd need a whole ass novel.

He stays in Northern Africa for almost the rest of his life, although he travels quite a lot in that region and never stops moving. In France, he's still as famous as he was at 17, and several eulogies are written for him without his knowledge. We can also note that he does weapon trafficking, for a very short period, at some point. He writes to his family that he's "bored", of all things. He's described by the people he meets then as "smart, sarcastic, not very talkative, never talking about his past".

He then dies in Marseille, in his thirties, from cancer in his leg.

I'm gonna be honest : I don't like his BSD characterization. Rimbaud's a wild card, a chaotic teenager, as an author. I also ! Hate ! That he's Verlaine's mentor. But that'll be the next part, where I'll talk of IRL Rimbaud and Verlaine.

Previous and future parts are in the #IrlBSDFr tag.

[sunny6677]

The Sugar.

(A rewritten scene of Kevin's scene in Unwanted Guest for the Saturated AU.)

TWS FOR DRUGS (IMPLIED), OUTBURST TOWARD THE END, BOMB MENTIONS, ETC

@mayisgoingnuts

————

It shows Kevin cheerfully humming to himself, seeming happy go lucky as ever. And this goes on for a few more seconds until the bell rings. He looks down, presumably at whoever just entered.

"Oh, hi—" He pauses. "..did you go on a shopping spree?"

It cuts to the kids, who have a shit ton of expensive bags with tons of toys (mostly dolls) inside hung over their shoulders and even over their masks. On Pumps mask, there's a cutesy heart sticker on it, while Skid has a puppy sticker on his own. They both look visibly tired out of their mind, but still deadpan.

"...nooooo.." They both say at the same time.

Kevin smiles. "Sure looks like you did! Heh.. the stickers look really cute on you though, kids! Who got those for you—"

"It doesn't matter, candy boy—" Pump shakes his head quickly, speaking in a mean tone.

"Yeah. We just want our candy cans. So can you give them to us? Please?" Skid impatiently says.

"..huh.. well—I dunno! It's not Halloween yet."

"You little—"

"But! I'll make an exception for you two!"

"..hmph.. you better make an exception for us.."

Kevin then slowly pulls out two bars of candy. "Here you go! I know you two said candy cans, but I notice you two seem to like eating these the most out of every other candy in there."

"..uh.. thanks." They both reluctantly take the candy.

"Well, I guess this'll do.." Skid comments softly to himself.

Pump then widens his eyes. "Oh—wait—"

He pulls out something that he stuffed in one of the bags, and hands it over. It looks to be something suspiciously rectangular and wrapped in gray wrapping.

"..what's this?" Kevin asks.

"Uh.. I dunno." Pump shrugs.

"Some guy gave it to us. It's probably a bomb or.. something. I dunno. Defintely not important though."

"A-A.. A bomb?" Kevin begins to almost look frightened for a few moments as it pans on his face. But..

"You mean a bath bomb?"

"..ugh.." Skid scoffs. "Yes—a—a bath bomb. Come on, Pump. Let's just leave before it goes off."

The kids march out of there, while Kevin smiles brightly from behind the counter. "See you, kids!"

He then looks down at the wrapped box, smiling curiously. "..hmm.. I wonder what's in it?"

Right then, the bell at the door rings again, and Kevin's face shifts a bit into a more pleased one again.

"Jack.."

"..you sure that was the right thing to do?" John asks Jack as he walks in.

"..I dunno, John." Shrugs Jack. "I feel like—"

They silently look over to Kevin, who is smiling from ear to ear while just staring at them. He notices they're staring, and waves. "Hi, officers!"

"..hi?" Jack slowly says. He then looks over at the box. "..what's that?"

"Oh! It's a bath bomb!" Kevin laughs, "These kids gave it to me. Here! Have a look!"

Jack and John slowly lean in to look over at it after Kevin pushes it in their direction. Jack is the one to reluctantly grab it, and unwrapped it to see what might be inside. But.. the moment he looks in, his expression becomes more serious, along with Johns.

"Uh—you.. are aware that there isn't any bath bomb in here, right?"

Hearing Jack's question, Kevin grows curious. "..uh.. no. I wasn't. What's in it?"

"..nothing. Just, uh.."

It shows an off screen angle where Kevin can't see of the open box, with a suspicious white powder inside—inside of the box is simply written, "Enjoy :)"

"You.. don't need to know." Jack sighs. "Come on, John. Let's just take this."

"..uh.. alright. See ya, sir."

"..see you later!"

Kevin gains back his smile momentarily, but then it fades as they exit. "Huh.. I wonder what was in that."

The bell rings again, and someone large suddenly enters in frame, their eyes bulging.

"Oh—what can I—?

"..sugar."

"..what—?"

"Did you just give those cops sugar?"

"..no. But—we do have some in the back!"

The person who just entered begins to breathe heavily, their eyes weirdly red as they raspiky say, "Sugar.. SUGARRRR.."

They suddenly begin to scream hysterically while practically beating on their chest. Kevin watches with a slightly startled expression.

"SUGAAAAAAAR! SUGAAAAAAAR!"

They scream that over and over as they practically run to the back, and slam the door shut.

Kevin stands with a startled expression, doing the frog blink for a moment. Before his expression becomes normal again.

"..wonder what that was all about." He nonchalantly says.

[cantsayidont]

Here are some older comics that DC easily could and really should put back into print, and yet doesn't because they have a dismissive and contemptuous attitude toward their own vast catalog. In no particular order:

The Silver Age Hawkman stories by Gardner Fox, Joe Kubert, and Murphy Anderson from THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD, MYSTERY IN SPACE, and the first 20 issues of HAWKMAN. Everyone agrees that Joe Kubert's Silver Age stories in THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD are really the defining Hawkman run, and DC remastered all of this stuff for the old HAWKMAN ARCHIVES. They could very easily repackage the stories from the first two Archives as a single HAWKMAN: THE SILVER AGE volume, and I'm astonished they didn't do that to coincide with the terrible BLACK ADAM movie.

The contents of Crisis on Multiple Earths: The Crossovers, two TPBs released in the late '00s to go along with the JLA/JSA crossovers in CRISIS ON MULTIPLE EARTHS (which DC has recently repackaged and reissued), featuring early crossovers between Earth-1 and Earth-2 characters like the Flash, the Atom, and Green Lantern.

Jack Kirby's The Losers from OUR FIGHTING FORCES, an interesting run that drew on Kirby's own experience in the Army during WW2. DC remastered and reprinted these issues in HC in 2009 (along with almost everything else Kirby ever did for DC, including his Manhunter, Boy Commandos, and Newsboy Legion stories of the '40s with Joe Simon) and then immediately let it fall out of print. They could easily do another printing, ideally omitting the 2009 volume's introduction by a certain English sex pest.

The Atomic Knights stories by John Broome and Murphy Anderson, a weirdly chipper, very imaginative, beautifully drawn post-apocalyptic sci-fi series from STRANGE ADVENTURES. DC reprinted this in 2008 in a color HC, and then in B&W in SHOWCASE PRESENTS THE GREAT DISASTER, but then let it fall back into obscurity.

The entire run of Adam Strange stories from SHOWCASE and MYSTERY IN SPACE. DC reprinted all of the Gardner Fox/Carmine Infantino stories in color in three volumes of ADAM STRANGE ARCHIVES, and then in a single hugely expensive ($150) rare hardcover that also included the subsequent Lee Elias stories (some of which were written by Jerry Siegel). The Infantino stories have some of Infantino's finest artwork and design from the height of his artistic abilities, and it would be nice to have them available without needing a bank loan to buy or a forklift certification to handle the compilation.

All the Silver and Bronze Age Legion of Super-Heroes stories. DC has already remastered ALL of the Silver Age and Bronze Age Legion stories, which previously appeared in a record 13 volumes of the HC Archives, and then let most of it fall out of print for upwards of 15 years. For a while, it looked like they were going to start reprinting the Archives on a two-for-one basis as LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES: THE SILVER AGE, but they did one volume and gave up. The early Jerry Siegel/Edmond Hamilton stories are admittedly an acquired taste, but the Jim Shooter/Curt Swan run are among the best-ever superhero comics, and that those stories (which remain foundational to every subsequent iteration of the Legion) have now been out of print for longer than some Tumblr users have been alive is positively shameful.

There are (many) other things I think they also ought to properly reprint, but the above material has already been retouched and recolored, and, barring some accident in the intervening years, DC almost certainly still has the digital assets lying around somewhere. They just don't have a strategy or any apparent interest in most of their own library.

[shenjiushandfan]

Finished the first book and ohhhh my god.

First. I find that both these kids...disciples? Middle class god teir bois, respond to "general." Highly sus. It might have been nothing but it sure as hell wasn't written like nothing. If they're who I think they are then they're just as bad at hiding their "true selves" as fucking Hua Cheng is.

Speaking of which this big ducked Magee be trying to act all innocent like "how did you know it was me?" Sir your acting skills are that of a bland potato. everyone knew. Hell, My cat knew and he can't even read.

Moving on the whole "omg this guy is secretly tiny pei" was not what I expected. Like don't get me wrong I knew he was oddly helpful and weirdly ready to die I just didn't expect junior supreme to make another appearance so soon. And like, all this trouble just to cover up a massacre? If he really wanted all this to end he could have just strapped a bunch of explosives on some animals and blown up everything. Not that hard my dude.

I liked wind master and her big tiddie goth girlfriend. She seems very level headed and cool. Also I like characters with fans. Shes like what Shen Qingqiu wishes he could act like.

Finally I want to add that I still dislike Hua Cheng. Don't trust him like AT ALL. fucking ditches in the middle of the night leaving only a pretty bauble? Put that on my, "top ten ways Hua Cheng makes me think of Jin Guangshan." List. How dare you treat trash grampa like an expensive hooker.

Anyway on to the next book 🎉

[fancyfade]

Devin Grayson gets a lot of stick (sometimes very much deserved) but I gotta say do enjoy quite a bit of her late 90s work. Credits due where it's due so I was wondering which are your favourite of her stories and maybe elements of her writing you like too?

Sadly I think u might be asking the wrong person (not as in on accident just as in. I don't think I'll be able to give you the answer u want) :P I was not overly impressed by anything she wrote*. Her batfam stuff is all mid-to-bad IMO, her takes on the characters relationships as they come across on panel are reductive, treatment of babs is sexist, and treatment of catalina is sexist and racist. in addition to all of the racism she does while writing dick's romani origins

I guess I liked the concept behind the 'dick mentors rose' arc, but not really the execution.

oh wait! I guess I liked her arsenal mini! i think she also might have done 1 story in NML I liked with Helena.

I'll say in terms of writing there's not any 1 thing I think she does especially well. I think there is more emphasis on characters emotions, which many people like, but often times it is not written well or the characters appear more readily open with their emotions/less able to hide it than usual, which reads as like... inauthentic to me? sometimes it hits, but most of the times it misses. i think if you're not invested in dick grayson angst, often at the expense of his own or other people's characters, then her batfam stuff really is meh, and she often writes dick weirdly codependent on Bruce in a way other writers don't', which just diminishes both of their characters and makes their relationship flatter and more boring.

this is excluding all the racism/sexism in the writing all ready, which I won't pretend that is unique to her writing but... if I'm analyzing her writing ofc i'm gonna bring it up :P

like hypothetically i could re-read the arsenal mini series to try to remember why I liked it, but I don't feel the need atm. Sorry i can't give u the answer u want

curious which of her stuff u like if u have read titans (or we just have different opinions on batfam stuff which is fine :P)

*tho I haven't read her Titans series except for like... 3 or 4 issues, so maybe if I read that I'd change my mind?