#Like you don't know how lonely he feels you can't even imagine his absolute loneliness even if he has

[enjomo-arch]

Deuce who compared Ace to the sun makes me foam in the mouth y'all

[adyophene]

lucifer x husk is something i never knew i needed and as a multishipper im screaming

literally. king of hell x some alcoholic furry guy

i love them i need to know how they wouldve met, fallen for each other and started dating. and how much thatd piss alastor off

Ooh I am so happy other people are enjoying this pair as much as I am! I've gotten a few asks about my headcanons for them, and I am happy to blab on and on. Fair warning. This is gunna be a long and rambling essay.

I'm gunna put it all under a readmore, just cause I want to insert the art I've done of them so far, since I've been half-heartedly trying to tell a visual story through the doodles.

Okay. On we go!

How they met;

We did see them technically meet in the show, where they shared their singular canon piece of dialogue, which was just Husk saying 'hey'. And then in the finale where we see a literal split second moment of Lucifer holding Husk's arm.

(also seeing the sweet looks huskerdust is giving each other here just makes me feel so delulu for writing this all, but crackships are silly by definition, so lets get back to the lucihusk) For me, what I imagined, is after the Hotel is finished its rebuilding, that is when Husk and Lucifer finally actually meet in a proper manner. I think Lucifer would be trying to make a good impression on all Charlie's friends at this point, endeared to all of them from their actions during the finale. Unfortunately, I think he is also the King of Bad First Impressions.

[Note. I think at this point Lucifer wouldn't even remember Husk's name quite yet. I think he would call him 'Keekee' ( by accident) or 'Dusk' (confidently incorrect) or just be like "Hey!.... Uh... You?" until Charlie or Vaggie finally corrected him. ]

Husk, on the other hand, I feel like maybe wouldn't gel with Lucifer right away. Wouldn't hate him, but also maybe not be enamored with him right away. Same as Lucifer, maybe he would have sweetened on him a bit through the hotel's rebuilding, but I think they'd start out at very neutral feelings. Maybe a vague sense of 'He's okay, but I don't know if we will really get along.'

Despite this, Lucifer is persistent, and he's going to be everyone's (except maybe Al, unless they start getting along by s2) buddy. He'd start hanging around the bar and participate in the redemption exercises.

Now, we know Lucifer struggles with depression, and I think he would be trying real hard to mask anything going on during this time. They defeated Adam! They rebuilt the Hotel! He believes in Charlie's dream, and he's more involved with her life and other people than he has been for years.

His only issue being Husk sees right through it, both because Husk is perceptive, but also because even the King of Hell can't help but have a lonely night or two at the bar where he ends up venting about his divorce and subsequent lingering loneliness.

[snapcube ref aside, )I really do think Husk would start to feel more positively toward Lucifer after Luci would drop the act somewhat. That they could bond over feeling both at their lowest of lows, while also being to admit that things seem to be getting better!

This would be about the point that I imagine Lucifer developing more romantic feelings! Husk would be a bit less prickly, and Luci would just absolutely eat up any and all positive interactions they'd have. I like to picture a lot of little shows of care at the this point, like Husk memorizing what Lucifer likes and even making up 'fun' drinks just to try and cheer the guy up. And Lucifer would fun a fun game in trying to get the grumpy cat to smile, and just, lighting up himself any time he was successful.

And that culminating into the two of them making each other laugh, with Alastor being an easy butt of the jokes, and a good way for Husk, himself, to finally get a chance to vent. I think Lucifer would be one of the only 'safe' options for Husk to do that with, in just so far as Al can't really threaten Lucifer, and Lucifer already sees Al as a bit of a manipulative bastard.

Falling for each other; At this point, Lucifer would start being a bit more caring toward Husk, though with that wonderful, oblivious flair of his. I don't think Lucifer himself would realize he'd have a crush up until he'd start feeling protective or jealous over Husk, and it would really throw him for a loop at first.

Because fake dating is one of my all-time favorite tropes, I have always had a idea for a fanfic (or comic) that I haven't gotten around to yet, based around Lilith coming back, and Lucifer panickily asking Husk to pretend to be his boyfriend, so he can appear well adjusted/completely over her. Of course the whole thing would backfire, as Lilith would see through it (as Lucifer wouldn't be as good of an actor as he'd think), and that Husk would end up kind of feeling hurt by the whole thing.

Husk, who'd go along with the plot with an eyeroll, would find himself seizing up through the whole fake date/encounter. Would find weird, sudden emotions bubbling up and absolutely hating it.

I don't think that man would think about the class difference between him and Lucifer up until someone would say something about it, maybe Lucifer himself trying to rationalize the (at this time still fake) relationship to Lilith. Now, Husk feels uneasy about the whole thing and ends up drinking heavily the whole night so he doesn't have to think about feelings. (Blitz and Stolas who? Ahaha. fuck.) Meanwhile, while the date would be fake, I think Lucifer would really rather like having Husk on his arm and feeling like he'd have a love-life again, while also not really getting why Husk's mood would be getting worse throughout the night. I think they'd still end up on good terms, but both of them would have their feelings in a jumble, and Husk would not like it. (he thinks he's lost the ability to love, after all)

I think somewhere at this point, as they are starting to develop feelings for one another, is when Lucifer finally starts really realizing how tied to Alastor Husk is, and he starts to make it everyone's problem. I do think Al and Lucifer would stay snarky at each other this whole time, but that it'd only get worse, as Al would poke back since he'd find Lu's over reactions funny.

I also think Al would be maybe the last person to realize anything romantic would be brewing between Lucifer and Husk, and he'd just think it'd be a purely platonic thing.

Beyond just bitching about Alastor, Lucifer would really be ramping up his attention towards Husk too. Fully in that 'puppylove/crush' stage, and trying his darndest to make Husk feel good and special. Husk would be resistant to it all, thinking it would just be Lucifer rebounding hard, and not wanting to get wrapped up in Morningstar family drama when he could happily (miserably) keep his head down and just keep drinking the days away.

But then Lucifer would find out about Husk's love of stage magic, and his history as a performer, and it'd be all over for the catman. It would become Luci's new pet project to rope Husk into some joyful self-expression, and after a song and dance number's worth of convincing, Husk would start to come around. I have to post all these images now cause- I drew them with the intention of mimicking a musical number! Husk starting off as a bit resistant before jumping in whole heartedly, and Lucifer overexcitedly dragging him along throughout the music number, hyping him up and just all around being smitten.

And this is where Husk would start really falling. Getting swept up in indulging his favorite, least destructive hobby, and having someone who absolutely loves it to bond with. Especially when it would be over. When they would just settle down and talk, and laugh, and bond over what they love about performing. The spectacle, the audience, the love of the craft. Its about the comradery!!!

@belladonazeppole wrote a wonderful series of fanfics based off these pictures, as well as the songs from 'The Greatest Showman' that really fit the ship! I would be remiss to not mention them here, because Bella and their fics are just wonderful!

How they started dating;

Now. Don't think just cause they both caught feelings for each other, that they'd immediately admit to it. No. I think both of them would drag their heels. I don't think Husk would admit to them at all, without some outside force effecting it. I think he'd stubbornly try to ignore the crush or drink it away, rather than let his heart become vulnerable to anymore damage.

Meanwhile, Lucifer would be struggling between his feelings for Husk and Lilith. (In the actual canon, I do think they might try to rekindle things, depending on what kind of person Lilith turns out to be, but I digress.) Part of him would be so swept up in a giddy kind of excitement, while the other would be set firmly in the camp of 'this is a bad idea, this won't work out, just look at what happened to your last relationship'. It wouldn't stop him from being outwardly more and more affectionate, but it would be weighing on him.

I do think Lucifer would end up being the one who would be thinking; "What am I doing. He'd never like me back." While Husk would be just sitting there (echoing what was said in the ask- sorry I went all wild and wrote this much about the ship dear god)- "I'm just some fucking furry alcoholic, what the fuck would the king of hell see in me??? Am I delusional? What the fuck is going on??" And I feel like this stage would go on for MONTHS and drive everyone else nuts. It would be clear to everyone (except Alastor, who again, would be just this meme

Though that wouldn't stop him from getting a little pissy about it) And then it would all come to a head during something benign, like a board game night. There would be flirting, there would be jealousy, there would be arguing, and then finally, loudly and with a lot of feeling, Lucifer would shout his way through asking Husk out on a date. A real Date. A capital 'D' date out on the town, dressed to the nines and a real good time. The board would be knocked over in the fray, game pieces raining down upon them while Husk would just stare blank faced, trying to process what just happened. An awkward half-minute would pass before he'd finally, trying to play it cool, shrug out a 'sure'.

How much it'd piss Alastor off;

In the aftermath, a radio static would just lowly grate everyone's ears as Alastor would be slowly coming to terms on how just annoying it would be to have his friend (/Unhealthy co-dependent pet friend possession??) romantically involved (ew) with the King of Hell (double ew)??? Then, either it would be something light hearted like 'he keeps trying to break them up but failing cause he hates interacting with romance' or a darker route where 'he keeps trying to manipulate them into breaking up by preying on all their worst insecurities in the relationship'.

And that, my friend, is all I have in mind so far for this delusional crackship au! There is more I could flesh out, of course, like Angel's role as a friend or potential third in the relationship, or what I imagine as Husk becoming like a stepdad to Charlie, but I've typed enough for the whole month. Hope any of that was coherent! I did not bother to edit or proof read it. Just pure stream of consciousness.

[goodbyemaryjane]

One Year Sober

I wish I could go back to my past self and say: there are moments of joy in your future that are so enormous you don't even have the space in your mind to imagine them yet.

You are going through some of the hardest times in your life so far, I know. You are so full of hurt and boredom and loneliness, it feels like there's no space for anything else. It feels like the best you can do is get high and try not to look at it, try to feel good for a few hours. You don't want to form clear memories of the same boring, exhausting day repeating again and again. Other people get to drink and get high and feel good, so why do you have to just sit here on a Saturday night and stare at your loneliness without relief? Read something, draw something, cycle through the same inadequate distractions?

Sometimes you are okay, even good, but sometimes you are a well of sadness with no bottom. You are starved for closeness but you cannot reach for it, you're too ashamed of how much you need. You feel like an alien watching groups of friends laugh and walk to lunch together, as if it's easy for them. Sure, you can entertain other people, but they don't know you, they only see the light you reflect. You're tired of writing in your journal, of meditating, of painting it out, of trying to compress the longing into a shape that's easier to carry. You're tired of trying so hard to be happy. You deserve some relief, a break from being the way you are so relentlessly.

When you're high, you can finally ignore all of that. And the absence of pain almost feels like love.

But the more you avoid it, the more it scares you. So you get high again, close your eyes again, and the moments when your stash is out and you catch a glimpse of what you've been ignoring are so overwhelming, you'll tell yourself, I can't stop. If I'm sober I'll suffocate in this. Your addiction will grow until you truly believe you are not strong enough to be alone in your mind again.

But you will get sober.

You'll work hard and make things you're proud of, you'll be there for a friend that needs you, you'll walk down the street and smell the rain on the pavement and know there's more inside you than pain. You will learn that most people are lonely like you, that reaching for closeness is the first thing every newborn learns to do, and the more you practice the easier it gets. You'll tell people you need them and they won't leave you. You'll learn that there is nothing inside you that makes you unworthy of love, and you might have to relearn this twice a week for the rest of your life, and that's okay. You'll have a lot of days that are just alright, some days you just live through, and some days you'll keep in your pocket and rub for good luck until they're as smooth as tumbled gemstones and as familiar as Goodnight Moon. You'll decide not to take your secrets to the grave after all, and it will be terrifying, but you'll learn the slow warm comfort of having absolutely nothing left to hide. You'll fall deeper in love with someone, and in his arms, loneliness will just be a word. You'll have experiences that make you feel like you've unlocked a new level of happiness you've never felt before. You'll make art that makes people feel understood; a stranger will thank you at the gallery opening, tears in his eyes. A stranger at the bus stop will confess his relapse to you and you'll tell him that you know it's hard, that you believe he can get sober again, and he'll thank you for understanding. You'll clean out your drawers and start keeping your promises. You'll be strong enough to lean on.

You'll think to yourself, "Thank God I was sober for that," and mean it. You'll think, "I am proud of myself for doing what's right, even when it's hard," and mean it. You'll think, "I want to remember every second of this," and you'll mean it with all your heart.

The pain doesn't go away entirely, but the space inside you will grow. Your life will expand to fit the love that's coming.

[allofthebeanz]

Hi! I saw your post about due South and gender, and I'm so interested in what you had to say, and it definitely got me thinking, and I'm so sorry for the wall of text.

I'm most interested in Fraser's experience of gender, because imo he's a character archetype that female characters aren't often portrayed as (knight errant, duty and responsibility as a mask for real feelings and decisions, etc). Like, Fraser's loneliness and sense of alienation even from other RCMP- Were there many other women in her trainee class? Did male colleagues feel threatened by a stubborn, intelligent, and near-supernaturally talented woman, and if so, how was that expressed? How would Thatcher and Fraser's relationship change? Would Bob Fraser have been supportive of his daughter being a Mountie, or would there always be a sense of comparing her to a son that didn't even exist, however unintentionally?

Even things like Fraser's apartment in seasons 1 and 2. How would Ray V (of any gender really), react to a single woman in a strange city (even a single woman with a half-wolf and enormous capacity to take care of herself) insisting on living in a terrible apartment in a bad part of town? Fraser would have bewildered, infuriated, and endeared herself to Ray V from day 1, and it could be interesting to see how Ray V's notions about women change when he's presented with Fraser's complete inability to be anyone but herself.

I already love the "Victoria's" secret arc, and I think it could be just as compelling with a queer element entangled with Fraser's loneliness,not to mention potentially having to hide the real nature of her relationship with Victoria for a number of reasons.

Again, I apologize for the rambling, and I would love to hear any other thoughts you have on the Rays and Fraser and gender.

Never apologize for rambling, this is fantastic!!!

I always pictured Fraser as a woman trying desperately to even be acknowledged by her father or her peers. You know, it's always brought up by Bob and everyone who knows him how she's just like her father - except she's a woman. Like her being a woman downplays all of her achievements (I recall Thatcher mentioning this in the show). Marginalized groups so often get thrust into a position where they can't be anything less than perfect, and I think in Fraser's case that would be taken to the max. Like, you want your dad to notice you because even if you did everything right he still won't take you camping since you're a girl. You go above and beyond expectations in your class, and no one takes you seriously because most people are objectifying you. (Oh, and don't get me started on how Fraser still faces sexual harassment but now it'd be from men. Oof.) I can see Fraser really upsetting the men at the police station/RCMP because of her solve-rate. Like, can you imagine a bunch of male cops, in the 90s, getting out shined by a lady? They'd have a fit over that. Dewey specifically comes to mind when he said he could beat Lady Shoes in poker because she's a woman. But I also think Fraser would keep that 'innocent mountie' shtick to protect herself, though she's not above using sexism to her advantage (I'm thinking Ms Fraser going 'you wouldn't hit a woman would you'). At the end of the day, Fraser is still very much JUSTICE and the COMMON GOOD above all else, even ignoring her inner yearning to have recognition for her achievements (and yes, love, Fraser would still be incredibly lonely). I think that gives the conversation in the Vault a different weight. And Fraser would absolutely do hair flips.

Okay, so I think if we go with Vecchio being a woman rather than a man, their relationship would have this envy about it. Since Fraser literally acts like she gives zero fucks about doing anything (she lives in an apartment in a sketchy place by herself, ignores the jabs of male coworkers, etc.), I feel like Vecchio would want what she has and be even more annoyed when Fraser gets all the attention in Red, White, or Blue since she'd be undermined and harassed as a female cop in Chicago. God, we all know that Vecchio isn't the best at his job, but instead of being seen as a buffoon can you imagine how they'd berate her as a woman? How she'd have to represent her entire gender, especially coming from a traditional Italian family? Not to mention if we switch it so she's the sole/eldest daughter in the Vecchio family, the societal pressure of that is immaculate. Though, I do imagine her to keep Vecchio being the most emotionally mature (or at least expressive) out of the three leads. She'd be wanting to talk about stuff and Fraser'd be throwing herself out windows more than ever.

Now, Kowalski, oh boy. In the my head she's not changing anything about her style - this woman is 100% butch. Personally, I read canon Kowalski as someone who got bullied in school (I mean, in the 70s he had glasses, had a best friend that was a girl, small, had less money than his peers, and has shit self-esteem. I can't see that he wasn't bullied) and he created this super tough 'loose cannon' persona to fight back (I also read Fraser and Kowalski as definitely queer, with Vecchio being a more grey area but anyways that would make sense for Kowalski's overly butch persona as well). Kowalski as a woman is no different, but now you got an extra layer to that because women aren't taken seriously in law enforcement. A guy calls her 'sweetheart', dude you better fucking run. Guys probably tell her to smile and she punches their teeth out. She's still a whirlwind of emotions but now she isn't seen as 'scary' because she's a woman. And as a butch woman, she's probably seen as a 'freak' and bullied at her job. Probably also a factor to why she goes undercover so much, at least she can get away from the people at the precinct more. And I would switch her name to Stella Rachel Kawolski and her husband Stanley Kowalski (because I think that'd be even weirder for a dad to name his daughter that???).

Now a f/f Victoria/Fraser has some terrible implications into stereotypes of lesbian relationships. You know, the 'Mean Lesbian' as it were, and maybe that would reinforce Fraser's not only fear of love, but her fear of queerness. So, I think Kowalski coming along and being openly gender nonconforming and developing a friendship/relationship with her would be incredibly healing for Fraser. I also feel like Fraser would still be drawn to Kowalski's vulnerability since she was taught never to show emotion other than happiness as a woman. And she's be drawn to Vecchio for not being afraid to complain constantly. When that woman is mildly inconvenienced, she'll let you know. And I think both Rays would really be enamoured by Fraser by all the same qualities in canon, but even more so as she demonstrates you can be badass and a kind person (something hollywood really needs to learn with their female characters already).

I see Fraser and Thatcher at first having a competitive relationship but one sided on Thatcher's part (internalized misogyny) but then in We are the Eggmen she realizes how stupid that is and they have a healthy working relationship :)

Thank you so much for this ask, I had so much fun writing it! Feel free to drop by any time!

[christinesficrecs]

Hi Christine, do you know any fics were Stiles feels like the pack/Derek ignores his contributions to the pack, like ignoring his plans or leaving him at home to "protect" him. The angstier the better. Thank you!

You might want to check the stiles is pushed out of the pack tag. I feel like there are more fics where the pack protects Stiles but they're escaping me right now.

Wanderlust by Cheshyr | 18.1K

Stiles needs to move, to leave, and after graduation he has every intention to do just that. Unless his pack can convince him otherwise.

The House That Wolves Built by LuneFaitLaFolie | 48.9K

"Stiles isn’t stupid. He knows well enough that the pack are done with him. He knows he’s useless, and broken, but it still hurts."

"Derek is running through every interaction he’s ever had with Stiles, trying to figure out which ones he could have caught Stiles with his claws. The unfortunate reality is that he loses count of how many times he could have. "

A Question of Pack by CawCawMF | 5.2K

Stiles had always been sure of his place in the pack. That place being the absolute lowest tier in the hierarchy of werewolf pack dynamics, but he was sure of it all the same. He wasn’t necessary exactly, since just about anyone could conduct research on supernatural mythology, but his job was still important to the pack and he felt good about that. At least, that’s what he always thought. That all came crumbling down one sunny afternoon in the form of Jackson’s big mouth.

Don't Speak by fatale | 68.9K

The Alpha pack has systematically attacked Stiles and his friends for months, testing their strengths and weaknesses. When one of the Alphas goes after Stiles, he awakens in the hospital and realizes that something's wrong. Very wrong. All sounds seem to hurt him, he can't understand what anyone is saying, and when he tries to speak, it's gibberish. How is he supposed to deal with the fact that he's lost the ability to communicate with his dad and his friends?

Without his ability to talk, his sarcasm, and his wit, what does Stiles even have left? Enter Derek, the only one who seems to make it better.

Lone Wolf by Kikileduc | 46.4K

Stiles feels forgotten, he feels left out. So he does something about it, while getting reacquainted with nature he stumbles on to something else. If the pack doesn’t need him, if his dad wants him to stay out of it all, well, maybe he just needs a distraction in the form of 3 adorable wolf cubs!

The Beginner’s Guide to Everyday Magic by aurevell | 29.7K

When the latest threat sweeps into Beacon Hills, Derek decides that the very-much-human Stiles needs to be severed from the pack for his own safety. But when the ritual goes unexpectedly wrong, Stiles finds himself alone—and unable to reach out for help when he needs it most.

Cue a retreat to his mom’s old house, where he finds that magic is more real than he ever could have imagined.

It seems wasted now by DaaroMoltor | 48.5K

It’s been months. Months of lonely days and lonelier nights. And Stiles can’t understand what he did wrong.

Solitary Animals by Mollyamory (Molly) | 13.6K

In which the Alpha pack wants to take something important away from the Hale pack, and there's only one sure way to keep Stiles safe. Negotiations of a personal nature ensue.

Lap Magnet by Prairie_Grass | 30.7K 

Five times Derek and Stiles didn’t notice how close they were (literally) and then a whole bunch of times when they did…

[tallulah477]

Rereading the prince!neteyam au and I saw that him and maid! Y/n are childhood friends right? Idk there's something so lovely abt them exploring their sexuality together like they're really each other's first wow

Yesssss I love it too! The hopeless romantic in me absolutely loves the idea that they were each other's first and only.

I went off a little so I'm sorry about the long post lol It's been a while since I talked about the Royalty AU and I got excited

To be honest, I haven't given it much thought yet about how it might have started. I don't think she would have always been his maid. Maybe she started as a general cleaner or part of the kitchen staff? I don't know any terms lol. I'll have to do some research when I actually tackle writing this. But I imagine they they probably initially bond because of their loneliness.

Neteyam has his siblings and maybe a few other friends who are children of some other higher ups in the kingdom, but he's going to be the future king one day and I think that can be a really lonely existence even if you have siblings or friends around you. The pressure is a lot, even as a child, and even though I would never want to make Jake and Neytiri the "bad" parents who are focused on duty and tradition more than their children's needs and growth - I do think that type of responsibility would weigh heavily on Neteyam regardless and they would treat him differently than his siblings even if they don't intend to, which might cause that rift of loneliness.

For her, I think its more about literally being lonely. I don't think there's many kids her age who are actively working where she is and obviously the kids who are her age are off limits (a.k.a the Sully kids). So maybe she's just by herself, forced to stay close to whoever is acting as her guardian and working like an adult but dying for a connection with someone her own age.

So maybe its a "she falls first but he falls harder" type thing. Not love yet obviously. They're still just kids when they meet. But "she falls first" in the sense that she sees him first. She knows who he is, everyone knows who the crowned prince is, and she watches him from the shadows, even when he's just walking by himself or with his siblings. And she wants to talk to him, wants to get to know him, and she's drawn to who he seems to be as a person even more than any of the other kids. But she can't, it's not her place.

And then maybe its a busy day or one of the maids is too sick and she's sent either with her guardian or by herself to bring Neteyam some treats when he calls down for them. He sees her and is immediately intrigued by her and now he's constantly searching for her, eyes searching the shadows when he used to never look there before.

I think eventually they would start sneaking out. Taking walks together through the courtyard at night and talking about anything and everything. Maybe if they're feeling extra goofy, they play tag or have races just to get out any extra energy. And of course there's guards all over the place but they adore their prince and know he's always so well behaved and doesn't get into trouble so they don't snitch on him (at least not yet) and let him have his friendship.

And then it would eventually transition to them getting older, developing crushes, maybe a "lets practice kissing so we can learn together" type thing. He's engaged to the Princess after all - so maybe its so he can learn for her but we all know its really just so he can kiss Maid lol. And then, well... you know how hormones go.

I think one of the most beautiful things I can see with this couple is going to be the absolute trust they have with one another. They're completely from different worlds and they shouldn't fit at all, but somehow they fit so well. Like two pieces of the same puzzle. And I think them exploring their sexuality together and experiencing everything for the first time with one another is such an important part of that. I think they're soulmates. They would do absolutely anything for each other and they're gonna have to go through some shit to get their happy ending, but they're going to do what they have to do to get it.

[russiandoll-from-brooklyn]

Just Once - Part 2

Title: Just Once - Part 2

Some of y'all were asking for Part 2 of Just Once so here ya go! This picks up right after the first story.

Pairing: Tony Stark x fem!reader

Summary: Grief and loneliness got the best of you last night. Your friendship with Tony was too precious to risk, and now all you want to do is move on. But what happens when the other party doesn't want to forget?

Warnings: smut, language, (technically) cheating, friends to lovers, mentions of past canon trauma, oral (f receiving), protected sex

Word Count: 5.1k

[Starts out sweet and all about tony x reader friendship, then turns into steamy Tony smut. Table sex, included. 😳]

---

Thump, thump, thump.

Your feet hit the pavement rhythmically as you jog your normal morning route. It’s a misty Seattle morning, and the world is still quiet. The sun is rising sleepily, beginning to bathe the world in gold. All is well.

Except. It isn’t.

You turn the block corner, and your apartment comes into sight. You take a glance down at your watch.

42 minutes.

That’s how long ago you had quietly slipped out of your apartment for your morning run. That’s how long it had been since your eyes shot open and you remembered the events of last night, rushing into your mind, all at once like a tsunami. You had turned your head to find Tony still asleep beside you in the bed. One leg sticking out of the messy sheets and his face buried in the pillow. Your pillow.

You had stared at him in disbelief, half-expecting him to disintegrate into a fleeting figment of your imagination. You had rubbed your eyes, trying to clear the haze.

Nope. Still there.

You silently curse yourself and your stupidity (see: weakness in the face of sexual temptation) for the 50th time this morning as you approach the brick building. Perhaps, when you reenter your apartment, Tony will be gone, and this will all have just been a bad trip — or something of the like.

Before you even open the door, the smell of frying bacon reaches your nose. You step inside and are greeted by a peculiar sight.

Tony Stark, clad in nothing but a pair of dark jeans, is buzzing about your small kitchenette. Simultaneously, there are eggs being flipped over-easy on the stovetop, orange juice being procured from the open fridge, bacon sizzling happily in a pan, and toast being buttered. You stand in amazement for a few seconds, processing the scene before you. The wonderful aroma of the all-American breakfast makes you mouth water.

“Y/N! Hey!” Tony exclaims when he sees you.

You slide onto a stool at the bar top, overlooking the controlled chaos unfolding in the kitchen area. Tony truly has remarkable skill when it comes to multitasking. You guess, all that time in the suit, operating about twenty computing systems at once, was good practice.

“Wow. Breakfast?” you remark, raising an eyebrow. “Since when do you cook?”

He scoffs, shooting you a brief smile before turning away to rapidly crack some black pepper onto the eggs.

“Cooking is easy. People think it’s a skill, but really it’s just planning, timing it out. It’s like assembling anything else. You just do the parts in order, trying not to break any yolks.”

You roll your eyes sarcastically at the classic “Tony” response.

Suddenly, all the components come crashing together, and Tony is setting down two perfectly assembled breakfast plates on the bar top — complete with a glass of orange juice for each of you. It looks delicious; it’s been way too long since you had a proper breakfast. Meaning, a breakfast that wasn’t cereal, a protein bar, or a bowl of sad, pale, scrambled eggs. You thank Tony as he pulls up the other stool to sit across from you.

“Dig in,” he says cheerfully, raising his fork. “Good run this morning?”

You nod, taking a big gulp of orange juice.

“Yeah, I heard you leaving,” Tony continues mindlessly. “Kind of weird waking up to an empty bed after a night like that. I finally know what it feels like to be on the other side, I guess.”

You nearly spit out your bite of toast. And just like that, reality comes crashing back down to earth. For a brief moment, it had felt like things could possibly come out normal on the other side. You and Tony could go back to being perfectly normal best friends.

How ignorant.

“What?” you remark incredulously.

You’re on the verge of laughter, partially out of amusement but mostly out of bewildered embarrassment.

Tony gives you his award-winning “I’m innocent!” raised-eyebrow expression. You suddenly become acutely aware of the situation. Tony Stark is sitting in your kitchen, shirtless, serving you breakfast. After you spent a far-from-platonic night rolling around your sheets together. You want to slap yourself.

“I’m talking about the incredible sex we had last night. And then, you leaving me alone before sunrise,” Tony explains casually, pushing your buttons further. “That's usually my play.”

He looks up at you, expecting a playful quip in return. Instead, you just slowly set down the fork you had been gripping.

“Tony,” you begin, seriously and calmly. “Let’s not talk about it. It was one night, and it won’t happen again. It was just once. We gave into the moment, but we shouldn’t-“

“The moment?” Tony suddenly blurts out, interrupting you. You purse your lips, surprised by the new and unexpected edge of anger in his voice. “God. Y/N. The moment, huh? You’re really just going to shrink it down to that. Just a moment.”

You stare at him, confused. Tony’s big brown eyes hold yours with an intensity. It's amazing how fast his sarcastic, playful tone can morph into ferocity. You want to look away, break his gaze, but you can’t. This whole thing was a mistake.

“It was fun,” you finally say. “But it was just a fuck. We were lonely.”

“You know, Y/N. You’re so damn smart,” Tony replies, leaning back a bit in his seat. “So, why do you always try and kid yourself? It bothers me. I know -- that you know -- that this wasn’t just a fuck.”

Your mind races through a million different responses.

Then, what was it?

What do you mean?

Why are you acting like this?

I'm not kidding myself.

But something tells you, deep down, that there's nothing you can say that won't lead to something you don't want to hear.

So, instead, you angrily snatch up your glass of orange juice, rising from your seat at the bar. You grit your teeth at Tony one more time before turning your back and striding toward to your study. You feel your cheeks burning hot.

The study is a second living room-sized space where you keep all your projects. Early sunlight is now streaming in through the large windows, falsely giving the impression of a peaceful Saturday morning. The large wooden table tops are littered with wires, microchips, and other electronic parts. When you first met the Avengers year ago, you and Tony butted heads over your shared expertise in technology and robotics. After much bickering and trying to outdo each other, you eventually accepted one another's intelligence and bonded over your shared field.

You look to the floor of your large study to see the air mattress you had set up there prior to Tony's arrival yesterday, obviously still pristine. You squeeze your eyes shut. Your apartment is absolutely dripping with reminders of last night's events. The empty whiskey glasses, still sitting on the side table in the living room. The couch pillows crumpled from the weight of your bodies, hungrily crashing together above them. You don't even want to think about your bedroom, where you're sure Tony's missing shirt is strewn on the ground.

You push the thoughts out of your your mind, pulling up a seat at your work table. You start to fiddle with a new lightweight shoulder pauldron you're currently designing. You can feel yourself going into 'shut-out' mode, trying your hardest to focus all your attention on the metal in your hands. This was all too much. This was all wrong.

When you hear footsteps behind you, entering the study, you ignore it. Tony quietly traverses the floor, coming to pull up a chair on the other side of the work table. He silently watches you working the wires into place. You don't look up. You don't have to see his expression to know the contemplative expression undoubtably painted on his face. You also don't have to look at him to know he's pondering more than just your work.

"You know, aluminum-titantium alloy won't hold up after a few heavy hits," Tony comments, nodding to the armor piece.

"I'm gonna chromatize it," you reply dryly, not looking up from your hands.

"I wouldn't bother. You can't just give everything a shiny coat to hold it together. If the problem is underneath, that is."

Fuck Tony and his fucking metaphors.

You growl angrily, throwing the pauldron down in frustration. You sit back in your seat and cross your arms, finally meeting your friend's eyes.

"Ok, fine," you say matter-of-factly. "Let's talk about it. It was good. It was really fucking good. And we both needed it. But that's it. I'm willing to leave it at that and forget about it if you are."

Tony rubs his beard in his palm, seemingly mulling over your words. His brown eyes don't leave yours. The warm sunlight coming in through the window behind him paints yellow patches on his bare shoulders, bathing him in gold. You take a mental picture of him, sitting there in his thoughts. A brief, intrusive thought passes through your mind, threatening that this could be the last time you see him. You immediately banish the notion. This friendship means too much to you. Not even a fuck-up as big as this one could make you want to toss it away. You hope Tony agrees.

"Help me understand where your head's at, Y/N," Tony finally replies. "What is your biggest concern right now? Wait, listen, I know there's a lot of reasons why last night was bad. But I want to know what you're thinking."

You sigh, uncrossing your arms. As much as Tony's 'list-and-analyze' reaction to crisis could be annoying, in some ways, it comforted you. Tony is impulsive, yes, but those who know him best also know his calculative nature: the mental risk assessments, the contingency plans labelled through Z. Always searching for the route that will hurt everyone the least. Always.

You consider his question carefully. Again, there's a million answers: the risk of ruining your friendship, the potential awkwardness, Pepper -- oh, god, Pepper --, the pain and grief you've both been through in the past few years. You close your eyes and pick one.

"You're one of the only people left that I trust. One of my only friends. Complexity doesn't often end well."

"You're right," Tony admits. "But aren't you the one who asked, 'is it wrong to not want to be alone'?"

You scoff loudly, angered by his using your words against you. However, that bitterness melts away into nothing when you see the heart-wrenching expression on Tony's face. His lips are pursed, and his eyes are searching yours desperately. Tony rarely shows outward weakness, but right now, the man before you isn't Iron Man. The man before you is broken. Someone who has tried everything to hold it -- his sanity, his relationship, his life -- together, to save the people he loves, to be strong. Someone who failed at that. Someone who truly felt alone.

You rest your chin in your palms and sigh, the weight falling over you as well.

Finally, you speak.

"Isn't it awful -- and strange -- how it can feel like a lifetime ago and just yesterday at the exact same time?"

Tony nods sadly at your observation. Of course, you were talking about the snap. About Thanos.

"You're right. About everything," he remarks. "Sometimes, it just gets too much. The...”

Loneliness. You finish his sentence in your head.

“Me too.”

“You should know though,” Tony continues. “I would never stop being your friend. No matter how complex things are. This — what we’ve been through — could never change, Y/N.”

There it is.

Some situations feel like you're running in circles; you're spiraling downwards and everything you say only makes matters worse and worse. It feels like sinking in quicksand with no way out. In every one of those situations, there's a key -- that one sentence, that one idea, that effortlessly clears the fog. This was it. Tony is going to be here, always. Everything is going to be alright.

You straighten up a bit in your seat. You let out a long sigh and give Tony a small smile.

"I know," you assure your friend. "Sometimes I forget everything that's happened. How complicated it's been before. How we made it out."

Tony laughs, and you're relived.

"How could you forget? It's been a wild ride."

The two of you grin at each other. You take a sip of your orange juice, which you had forgotten about and was now lukewarm.

"OK, happy?" you inquire with a playful tone. "Base material fixed. No need for shiny coats of anything. We're solid now."

Tony lets out a hearty chuckle at the stupid analogy. Suddenly, he stands, circling the work table until he's right in front of you. You suck in a breath of oxygen. From your seated position, your head only comes up to his abs. Bare abs, that is. You tilt your face upwards to meet his eyes.

"Y/N," he says gently. “Stand up.”

Confused, you rise to your feet. Before you can open your mouth to say anything else, Tony’s lean and muscular arms are wrapped around you. He pulls you into his chest, embracing you in his warmth. His grip is firm, as if he’s afraid you might run away. You soften into the hug, wrapping your arms around his back. You feel safe.

After a few moments, Tony releases you. However, he doesn’t move away, and the two of you are still nearly chest-to-chest. You peer up at him, and your friend’s warm toffee eyes meet yours.

“Wow, a Tony Stark hug?” you remark sarcastically. “I should play the lotto today.”

Tony chuckles under his breath. Despite your joking, it was true that Tony rarely gives hugs. He just isn’t the touchy-feely type — according to himself. Somehow this gesture, right now, meant everything. A hug was the most intimate thing Tony could have given you. It was a seal, a mark saying ‘I meant every word I just said.’

Tony is still standing directly in front of you, so close there’s only a magazine’s width between you. He’s so near that you can feel the warmth of his steady breathing, and the slight radiating heat from the arc reactor in his chest. Suddenly, you feel that familiar tug in your stomach. A rush of blood downwards...

“Tony-“

“Do you want me?” Tony cuts you off. His voice is low, gentle.

You suck in a breath of air at his words. Despite his directness, there's a detectable edge of nervousness in his tone. You smile internally at knowing you have this effect on Mr. Playboy. The slight uncertainty in Tony's voice also tells you that it's true: this is different. Last night was not just a mindless fuck. This is an understanding, wrapped around a mutual care that runs so deep that it burns.

You don’t even try to convince yourself that you don’t want Tony. Every ounce of your being is screaming to close the gap between you. You can still hear the scientist-logic-brain in you resisting, but your heart feels at ease. You and Tony. A concept that felt like the forbidden fruit itself just ten minutes ago now looked more like an oasis. And oasis that was maybe alright to take a drink from every once in a while.

You snake one hand upward to hold his cheek. Tony pushes gently into your palm.

It's you who leans in first. When your lips collide, it's soft. He presses himself into you, a delicate sigh escaping. You pull back just enough to whisper a breathy "I want you."

And oh, god do you want him.

“Then, have me,” Tony whispers back, gently.

You nearly visibly shiver. Any trace of hesitation is gone from his voice now. His words are demanding, but his tone is more of a plea.

“Do you want to go the bedroom?”

“No,” Tony replies immediately. He’s breathless. “Right here.”

You immediately feel wetness drop into your panties. Tony’s eyes have grow darker, as they bear down at you. The intensity makes your legs feel weak. You need him. He needs you.

In a moment of boldness, you bring your hands down to the hemline of your shirt. You lift the garment up and over your head, placing it on the work table beside you. Tony’s eyes wander to your red sports bra and your now-stiffened nipples showing through the sleek fabric.

In the next breath, Tony is suddenly kissing you again, his lips against yours in a desperate hunger. He brings his large, roughly calloused hands to your waist. He firmly grips your body, making you feel tiny in his hold. You let a small moan escape your lips.

Still holding you in his grasp, Tony starts to walk you backwards until your backside is pressed against the edge of your large work table. Tony’s hips press forward into you, making you gasp with excitement. You fingertips tangle in his hair, just wanting more and more and more...

In an effortless movement, Tony lifts your sports bra over your head. He throws the red fabric to the side, neither of you caring where it lands. Tony breaks away from your lips, starting to kiss down your cheek, jaw, and then finally giving attention to the delicate skin on your neck. Again, he’s careful not to nip or suck too hard to leave marks. The light scratching of his facial hair contrasts with the soft wetness of Tony’s lips, making you throw your head back in pleasure.

He continues to attend to your neck and jaw as one of his jean-clad thighs moves to fall between your legs. You let out a deep groan as Tony begins to rub and and roll his knee forward, stimulating your clothed core. His movements are like a wave, every forward crest bringing you a tiny bit of that friction your body wants so, so much. You’re in awe of the control Tony has over his movements and the effortless pleasure he’s capable of giving. You can’t help but find his experience and expertise sexy.

“Y/N,” Tony breathes against your neck. “Say it again. Please. Say you want me.”

It occurs to you that, aside from last night, Tony hasn’t felt wanted in a long time. Like, truly wanted. A pang of sadness fills your heart.

“Tony. I want you,” you declare, making sure the conviction in your voice shines through. You don’t have to try. You desire him more than anything right now. “I want you. I want this.”

With your words, Tony moans deeply into your jawline and begins to move his leg between yours more vigorously. Your fingertips trace over his bare back muscles. You trail your hands upward, into the nape of his neck, massaging his scalp. Everything about his beautiful form fits perfectly in your hands.

Tony continues moving downwards, soon finding your right nipple in his mouth. You arch your back, letting a loud moan escape your lips. He works your nipple expertly, rolling it and playing at it with his tongue. He alternates to your other nipple, his thumb replacing where his mouth just left. He lightly strokes the hard, spit-slick bud, and the combination of coolness and friction is heaven.

Tony stands back up, and a second later, his hands are at the elastic band of your running shorts. His eyes meet yours for a moment, silently asking for your permission. You nod a bit too eagerly, and Tony cracks a small, teasing smile. You scoff and lightly slap his shoulder, returning the smile.

Tony pulls your shorts down in one swift motion, leaving you in just your underwear. Next thing you know, Tony’s arms are around your waist. You let out a soft, surprised squeal as he lifts you effortlessly to sit on the edge of the work table behind you. Slightly elevated now, you come to about the same height as Tony.

“Hey,” you protest playfully. “Be careful. There’s important stuff here.”

Tony reaches behind you to clear the area, moving your half-finished projects and parts to the side.

“My apologies, Ms. Y/L/N,” he replies with a huge grin. “Got a bit carried away.”

You pull him into another deep kiss. He growls with pleasure when you nip at his bottom lip. Tony is now standing between your knees, his torso pressing gently into your panty-covered pussy. You can feel his erection through his jeans, straining against his clothes. After seeing Tony’s length for the first time last night, the mental image of his cock — just a few millimeters away from your core — is enough to make you drool. You wrap your legs around him, pulling him in harder against you. He moans into your mouth, and you feel the vibrations as your tongues tangle together.

You feel Tony’s body leaning forward, slowly coaxing you to lay down on the table. Now fully on your back, Tony’s above you, taking in the sight of your body.

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re the most magnificent creature on Earth?”

“No,” you reply with a smirk. “But now, knowing how many other planets are out there in the galaxy, just being Miss Earth doesn’t seem like a huge deal.”

Tony laughs, smiling with his teeth. You find the crinkles that form on the outer corners of his eyes utterly endearing.

“Well, you’re still one out of four-and-three-quarters billion,” he jests back. “Not too shabby. It’s all about the little victories.”

You giggle. The pleasant thought passes through your mind that despite the current situation, everything does feel strangely normal. Tony is still Tony; you’re still you. The banter between you and your friend is still comfortable and easy. Your relationship, although maybe morphing into something more nuanced, remains unmoved.

You’re so caught up in your inner thoughts, that you don’t register Tony kneeling to the ground between your legs. You gasp when you feel his warm mouth over your still-clothed pussy. The combined wetness of his mouth and your core easily soaks through the fabric of your panties, making it cling to your skin. Tony runs his tongue over your folds, through the saturated cloth. You groan with pleasure, the small of your back arching off of the table. You grip Tony’s dark hair, needing something to hold onto.

The sensation of Tony’s lips and tongue through your thin panties is completely unique, and fuck, does it drive you wild.

After a few minutes, Tony’s hands reach up to hook in the waist of your panties. He removes your final garment, leaving you fully bare. His mouth immediately returns to your pussy. His tongue circles your clit, before running downwards through your lips, and then back up again. He alternates this pattern with gentle sucks on your clit.

“Oh, Tony. Shit,” you manage to call out. “That feels so good.”

He hums hungrily into you, pleasuring you to a level that no previous lovers have ever come close to. Tony’s large, rough hands wander upwards. One palm gentle grips your breast, while the other comes under your waist to hold the small of your back.

You raise your head slightly to glance down at Tony. The sight is pornographic. His face is buried in your cunt, head bobbing. The shape of his shoulder muscles, and his strong back. His tan skin, all bathed in golden sunlight.

Pleasuring you. On his knees.

It’s like a painting. Beautiful and erotic.

“Tony. I need you,” you gasp out, suddenly overcome with neediness. “Inside me. Fuck, I want you.”

Those magic words, again. I want you. The effect they have on Tony is instantaneous. Without hesitation, Tony is on his feet. He swiftly unbuttons his jeans and pulls down the zipper. His pants fall down to his ankles where he kicks them off. To your surprise his naked cock springs free. A glistening pearl of precum is formed at the tip.

“Wow, commando, huh?” you tease, gently biting at your bottom lip. “You were so confident you were going to get lucky again today?”

“Of course not. I just like to let it breath sometimes,” Tony remarks. “You wouldn’t get it. It’s a man thing.”

You scoff and roll your eyes sarcastically. Lovable idiot.

“Top drawer?” Tony asks, referring to the location of the condoms.

“On the left.”

Tony hurries out of the room and returns a second later with a condom from your bedroom. Stepping closer between your knees, he gives his cock a few pumps in his fist. You can feel your heart quickening with anticipation. Your pussy is nearly pulsing, needing to be stretched and filled.

Tony rips open the shiny wrapper and rolls the condom down onto his length. You scoot slightly closer to the edge of the table as his hands travel to grip your thighs. You moan deeply as Tony rubs the head of his cock over your slit, spreading your moisture.

“Are you ready?” Tony asks, eyes dark with desire.

“Mmhmm,” you hum. “Make me feel good.”

With that, Tony starts slowly pushing into your dripping pussy. You groan as your walls accommodate to his girth. It’s amazing that you took him just last night, and he’s already capable of stretching you like this again. Tony throws his head back, hissing in pleasure as he bottoms out, his pubic mound flush against yours.

He starts pumping gently. The way Tony’s hips roll forward in fluid motions makes you want to scream with pleasure. His hands are gripping your thighs tightly, fingertips digging into the soft flesh.

Tony’s pace quickens, and soon the room is filled with sounds of wetness, skin slipping on skin, and the moans leaving both your throats. One of Tony’s hands moves to your pussy. His thumb rubs tight circles on your clit making you see stars behind your eyes. The extra stimulation almost immediately starts tightening the orgasmic coil in your stomach. Tony seems to know the exact speed to move his cock and thumb to turn you into a whimpering mess beneath him.

“Oh, more,” you groan, your pleasure growing. “Tony Stark. Yes, oh, please.”

“Come for me, Y/N,” Tony growls almost primally. “Wanna feel you squeezing around my cock.”

Tony’s filthy demands go straight to your pussy. You love the feeling of being under him, sprawled out on the table, completely naked for him to fuck. And the dirty talk is the cherry on top.

The pleasure in your abdomen continues to rise until you’re on the edge of ecstasy. With one last thrust, your orgasm washes over you. You scream Tony’s name into the room, not caring who hears. Pulses of pleasure rip through your entire body, even making your feet tingle. When you come down, the convulsions slowing, your head feels fuzzy and bubbly.

Not even a moment later, you feel Tony lifting your legs higher. Still inside you, he straightens them, bringing your ankles to rest on his shoulders. The new sensation is instantly nirvana. He starts pumping into you, and the head of his cock rubs your G-spot on every thrust. Penetrative sex had never felt this good for you.

“You feel so fucking amazing, Y/N,” Tony manages to says between moans. “I’m not gonna last much longer.”

The feeling of your pussy being pounded in this angle has your eyes rolling back into your skull. All your thoughts seem to leave your head. The only thing you can focus on is the immense pleasure. The sound of Tony’s balls slapping against you wetly with every stroke combined with his desperate moans fill your ears.

Tony’s thrusts start to become more jagged, needy. His moans slowly transform more into whimpers as he continues to fuck into you. Suddenly, Tony comes with a series of loud groans, his eyes shut tight. You feel his dick pulsating inside you as he orgasms. He thrusts a few more times, riding out the last waves.

He gently slides out of you, his hands coming down the tabletop next to your waist to steady himself. Both of you are breathing heavily, your bodies radiating with the afterglow of pleasure.

Silently, Tony helps you to stand before sweeping you up easily in his arms. You lean into his chest as he carries you to the bedroom. Tony lays you down carefully on the cool mattress before hurrying to the bathroom. He returns a moment later with a warm washcloth.

After cleaning yourselves up, Tony crawls into the refreshing sheets beside you. He slips one arm under your neck, and you cuddle in closer to his body. The warmth and smoothness of his skin is so, so welcoming. In the strangest way, it feels natural.

“I didn’t think it was possible to top last night,” you finally say, chuckling.

“Me neither,” Tony replies. “I guess we just have good chemistry.”

“Who would’ve thought?” You laugh and drape an arm over his chest. “Hey, question.”

“Ask away.”

“Why did you cook all that stuff earlier? Like the eggs, toast, the whole nine yards. It was sort of...”

“Out of character?” Tony finishes your sentence.

You nod. Tony takes a deep breath, exhaling loudly.

“Honestly, when I woke up, and you were gone, I was freaking out a little bit. I wanted to talk about last night, but you weren’t there, and I just didn’t know what you were thinking. If you were having serious regrets, or if you were angry, or upset with me. Or if you were thinking our whole friendship was burned to the ground.

“I just needed to do something. Anything. Busy my hands, distract my mind. Sorry that I kind of raided your kitchen.”

You turn to peer up at him, letting out a soft laugh. His chocolate eyes meet yours, and you give him a kind smile, endeared by his typical, hyper ramblings.

“I’m sorry I left,” you start. “I was freaking out a little, too. I guess that’s always been a difference between us. I always try to run from the unknown, while you just want to plow straight through it.”

Tony smiles warmly and blinks his gorgeous, thick black eyelashes at you.

“It’s why we make a good pair. Balance. Yin and yang. Ya’ know.”

You both chuckle, content in one another’s arms. You open your mouth to reply, but you’re cut off by a loud growl from your stomach. Tony bursts into laughter.

“Your fault for barely touching breakfast,” Tony remarks playfully. “Which — not to toot my own horn — was quite artfully made.”

“I guess I could settle for a bowl of lowly cereal as punishment,” you reply with mock sadness.

Tony chuckles and shakes his head. He starts to rise from the bed, then offers his hand for you to follow.

“C’mon, I’ll make you some more eggs.”

[hephaestn]

Hey 😁

Why do you think steddie stans are so hell bent on giving Eddie Billy's trauma, but then when it comes down to it, they don't acknowledge the fact that Billy's trauma is exactly why he was the way he was- in fact even saying he deserved everything that happened to him?

The "ugliness" of Billy's character imo, like his rage for instance is very realistic. Human.

They want to give Eddie another character's trauma but... they refuse to even acknowledge that there are many ways to react to traumatic events like abuse, and there is no "perfect" victim?

I don't quite understand why people think that just because Billy wasn't sweet or quiet like Will... they completely disregard the fact that Will wasn't abandoned with Lonnie. And even if Joyce left, Will had Jonathan. Will had friends to catch him when he fell.

Billy was like Will, at one time, whether they refuse to acknowledge that or not.

Why can't antis crack open a can of empathy 😃🤌

hiiii <3

i simply don't know tbh i think they might want to give eddie's character more depth and instead of pulling from what we canonically know of eddie they... go for billy's traits, fuck knows why. i think you can explore eddie's own trauma tbh from what we know his dad taught him to hotwire cars and he's living with his uncle for a reason so, you could do so much with that but instead... yeah.

people in general simply don't like abuse victims that don't stick to the picture perfect victim. but trauma, all types of trauma, can lead to such different ways of dealing with it... depression, anxiety, drugs, violence, alcohol. sometimes it can be only one, sometimes it can be all of them. there's no rule to how someone will react... now, i haven't read any steddie fics so i don't have a clue but i imagine they go for the "socially accepted" trauma responses. distrust, sadness, feeling jumpy, nightmares, etc just bc they can't add any type of darkness to their uwu little meow meow, right?

billy had no one. literally no one. if he had had a joyce in his life, a jonathan in his life... god, who knows. but i think he would've grown to be a very different person. still cocky? sure. still a bit of a little shit? absolutely. but i highly doubt he would've been so angry all the time. loneliness, the type of absolute loneliness he had... will most definitely lead you to feeling angry. angry at anyone else. because why can these people have a mom that loves them, a friend that will do anything for them, why can they and he can't? like that shit messes you up... and after a while you get used to the loneliness and drive away anyone that could come close, just in case. because what if you stop feeling lonely for a little bit only to feel worse when they eventually leave... as his mom did.

the general audience's hate for billy is something i will simply never understand. sure, you can be against the things that he's done. i am too. i don't condone his behaviour at all but it's sad... so sad and discouraging to read the things they write online. there's no empathy. none. he's not a mass murderer, for fuck's sake... he's just an incredibly lost, angry, missguided, lonely seventeen/eighteen year old, who — as much as people like to forget — died for someone he didn't even know but that showed him kindness for the first time in years

[sk1fanfiction]

the many faces of tom riddle, part 4

-attachment, orphanages, and yet more child psych: time to add yet another voice to the void-

FULL DISCLAIMER THAT THIS IS JUST MY OPINION OF A CHARACTER WHO DOESN’T HAVE THE STRONGEST CANON CHARACTERIZATION, AND THUS ALL THIS IS BASED ON MY CONCEPTUALIZATION.

I'm going to be super biased, because my favorite portrayal of Tom Riddle is actually Hero Fiennes-Tiffin as eleven-year-old Tom Riddle, in HBP and I get to chat about child psych in this one, sooo here we go.

First of all, I’m just so impressed that a kid could bring that much depth to such a complex character.

This is the portrayal, I feel, that brings us closest to Tom’s character. Yes, Coulson’s brought us pretty close, but by fifth year, the mask was on.

We don't really get to see Tom looking afraid very often, but it's fear that rules his life, so it's really poignant in our first (chronologically) introduction, he looks absolutely terrified.

The void being the fandom's loud opinions on a certain headmaster. I wouldn't call myself pro-Dumbledore, but I'm certainly not anti-Dumbledore, either. (Agnostic-Dumbledore??)

Since I'm not of the anti-Dumbledore persuasion, I decided to poke around in the tags and see what the arguments were, so I don't make comments out of ignorance.

Most of the tag seems to be more directed towards his treatment of Harry and Sirius, but a few people mentioned that Dumbledore should have treated Tom with ‘exceptional kindness’ and tried to ‘rehabilitate’ him.

As I said in Parts 2 and 3, I am 100% in favor of helping a traumatized kid learn to cope, and I don’t think Tom Riddle was solidly on the Path to Evil (TM) at birth, or even at eleven. Not even at fifteen.

Could unconditional love and kindness have helped Tom Riddle enough for the rise of Lord Voldemort to never happen? Possibly, but...

Yes, I'm about to drag up that Carl Jung quote, again.

“I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.”

The problem with this is that if you’re going to blame Dumbledore for this, you also have to blame every other adult in Tom’s life: his headmaster, Dippet, his Head of House, Slughorn, his ‘caretakers’ at the orphanage, Mrs. Cole and Martha, and possibly more. In fact, if we're going to blame any adult, let's blame Merope for r*ping and abusing Tom Riddle Senior, and having a kid she wasn't intending to take care of.

Furthermore, you cannot possibly hold anyone but Tom accountable for the murders he committed. (I should not have to sit here and explain why cold-blooded murder is wrong.) And if you like Tom Riddle's character, insinuating that his actions are completely at the whim of others is just a bit condescending towards him. He's not an automaton or a marionette, he's a very intelligent human being with a functioning brain, and at sixteen is fully capable of moral reasoning and critical analysis.

I've heard the theories about Dumbledore setting the Potters up to die, and I'm not going to discuss their validity right now; but he didn't put a wand in Tom's hand and force him to kill anyone. Tom did it all of his own accord.

And while yes, I have enormous sympathy for what happened to Tom as a child, at some point, he decided to murder Myrtle Warren, and that is where I lose my sympathy. Experiencing trauma does not give you the right to inflict harm on others. Yes, Tom was failed, but then, he spectacularly failed himself.

We also have no idea how Dumbledore treated Tom as a student.

In the movies, it’s Dumbledore who tells Tom he has to go back to the orphanage, but in the books, it’s Dippet. We know that Slughorn spent a lot of time around Tom at Slug Club and such, yet I don’t really see people clamoring for his head.

I regard the sentiment that Dumbledore turned Tom Riddle into Lord Voldemort with a lot of skepticism.

But let's hear from the character himself -- his impression of eleven-year-old Tom Riddle.

“Did I know that I had just met the most dangerous Dark wizard of all time?” said Dumbledore. “No, I had no idea that he was to grow up to be what he is. However, I was certainly intrigued by him. I returned to Hogwarts intending to keep an eye upon him, something I should have done in any case, given that he was alone and friendless, but which, already, I felt I ought to do for others’ sake as much as his."

Now, assuming that Dumbledore's telling the truth, I'm not seeing something glaringly wrong with this. No, he hasn't pigeonholed Tom as evil, yes, I'd be intrigued, too, and it's a very good idea to keep an eye on Tom, for his own sake.

“At Hogwarts,” Dumbledore went on, “we teach you not only to use magic, but to control it. You have — inadvertently, I am sure — been using your powers in a way that is neither taught nor tolerated at our school."

Again, it seems like he's at least somewhat sympathetic towards Tom, and is willing to at least give him a chance.

More evidence (again, assuming Dumbledore is a reliable narrator):

Harry: “Didn’t you tell them [the other professors], sir, what he’d been like when you met him at the orphanage?” Dumbledore: “No, I did not. Though he had shown no hint of remorse, it was possible that he felt sorry for how he had behaved before and was resolved to turn over a fresh leaf. I chose to give him that chance.”

Now, I think Dumbledore is pretty awful with kids, but I don't think that's malicious. Yeah, it's a flaw, but perfect people don't exist, and perfect characters are dead boring. I am not saying that he definitely handled Tom's case well, I'm just saying that there's little evidence that Dumbledore, however shaken and scandalized, wrote him off as 'evil snake boy.'

It's also worth taking into account that it's 1938, and the attitudes towards mental health back then.

Why is Tom looking at Dumbledore like that, anyway? Why is he so scared? What has he possibly been threatened with or heard whispers of?

"'Professor'?" repeated Riddle. He looked wary. "Is that like 'doctor'? What are you here for? Did she get you in to have a look at me?"

"I don't believe you," said Riddle. "She wants me looked at, doesn't she? Tell the truth!"

"You can't kid me! The asylum, that's where you're from, isn't it? 'Professor,' yes, of course -- well, I'm not going, see? That old cat's the one who should be in the asylum. I never did anything to little Amy Benson or Dennis Bishop, and you can ask them, they'll tell you!

Tom keeps insisting he's not mad until Dumbledore finally manages to calm him down.

I'm really upset this wasn't in the movie, because it's important context. Instead we got these throwaway cutscenes of some knick-knacks relating to the Cave he's got lying around, but I just would have preferred to see him freaking out like he does in the book.

There was extreme stigma and prejudice towards mental illness.

'Lunatic asylums,' as they were called in Tom's time, were terrible places. In the 1930s and 40s, he could look forward to being 'treated' with induced convulsions, via metrazol, insulin, electroshock, and malaria injections. And if he stuck around long enough, he could even look forward to a lobotomy!

So, if you think Dumbledore was judgmental towards Tom, imagine how flat-out prejudiced whatever doctors or 'experts' Mrs. Cole might have gotten in to 'look at him' must have been!

Moving on to the next few shots, he is sitting down and hunched over as if expecting punishment or at least some kind of bad news, Dumbledore is mostly out of the frame. He’s trapped visually, by Dumbledore on one side, and a wall on the other, because he’s still very much afraid. uncomfortable, as he tells Dumbledore a secret that he fears could get him committed to an asylum (which were fucking horrible places, as I said).

It brings to the scene that miserable sense of isolation and loneliness to that has defined Tom’s entire life up to that point (and, partially due to his own bad choices, continues to define it).

And, when Dumbledore accepts it, his posture changes. he becomes more confident and more at ease, as he describes the... utilities of his magical abilities. 

"All sorts," breathed Riddle. A flush of excitement was rising up his neck into his hollow cheeks; he looked fevered. "I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want them to do, without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who annoy me. I can make them hurt if I want to."

Riddle lifted his head. His face was transfigured: There was a wild happiness upon it, yet for some reason it did not make him better looking; on the contrary, his finely carved features seemed somehow rougher, his expression almost bestial.

I do think Harry, our narrator, is being a tad bit judgmental here. Magic is probably the only thing that brings Tom happiness in his grey, lonely world, and when I was Tom's age and being bullied, if I had magic powers, you'd better believe that I'd (a) be bloody ecstatic about it (b) use them. And, like Tom, I can't honestly say that I can't imagine getting a bit carried-away with it. Unfortunately, we can't all be as inherently good and kindhearted as Harry.

Reading HBP again, as a 'mature' person, it almost seems like the reader is being prompted to see Tom as evil just because he's got 'weird' facial expressions.

So... uh...

Nope, let's judge Tom on his actions, not looks of 'wild happiness.'

To his great surprise, however, Dumbledore drew his wand from an inside pocket of his suit jacket, pointed it at the shabby wardrobe in the corner, and gave the wand a casual flick. The wardrobe burst into flames. Riddle jumped to his feet; Harry could hardly blame him for howling in shock and rage; all his worldly possessions must be in there. But even as Riddle rounded on Dumbledore, the flames vanished, leaving the wardrobe completely undamaged.

Okay, one thing I dislike is Tom's lack of emotional affect when Dumbledore burned the wardrobe, in the books, he jumped up and started screaming, instead of looking passively (in shock, perhaps?) at the fire. Incidentally, I can't really tell if he's impressed or in shock, to be honest. I think they really tried to make Tom 'creepier' in the movie.

This is one of the incidents where Dumbledore's inability to deal with children crops up.

I think he was trying to teach Tom that magic can be dangerous, and he wouldn't like it to be used against him, but burning the wardrobe that contains everything he owns was a terrible move on Dumbledore's part. Tom already has very limited trust in other people, and now, he's not going to trust Dumbledore at all -- now, he's put Tom on the defensive/offensive for the rest of their interaction, and perhaps for the rest of their teacher-student relationship.

Riddle stared from the wardrobe to Dumbledore; then, his expression greedy, he pointed at the wand. "Where can I get one of them?"

"Where do you buy spellbooks?" interrupted Riddle, who had taken the heavy money bag without thanking Dumbledore, and was now examining a fat gold Galleon.

But I'm not surprised Tom is 'greedy.' He's grown up in an environment where if he wants something, whether that's affection, food, money, toys, he's got to take it. There's no one looking after his needs specifically. I'm not surprised that he's a thief and a hoarder, and I don't think that counts as a moral failing necessarily, and more of a maladaptive way of seeking comfort. It would be bizarre if he came out of Wool's Orphanage a complete saint.

Additionally, I think given that the Gaunt family has a history of 'mental instability,' Tom is a sensitive child, and the trauma of growing up institutionalized and possibly being treated badly due to his magical abilities or personality disorder deeply affected him.

And there are points where it seems that Dumbledore is quick to judge Tom.

"He was already using magic against other people, to frighten, to punish, to control."

"Yes, indeed; a rare ability, and one supposedly connected with the Dark Arts, although as we know, there are Parselmouths among the great and the good too. In fact, his ability to speak to serpents did not make me nearly as uneasy as his obvious instincts for cruelty, secrecy, and domination."

"I trust that you also noticed that Tom Riddle was already highly self-sufficient, secretive, and, apparently, friendless?..."

And while this is all empirically true, these are (a) a product of Tom's harsh environment, and (b) do not necessarily make him evil. But the point remains that child psych didn't exist as a field of its own, and psychology as a proper science was in its infancy, so I'd be shocked if Dumbledore was insightful about Tom's situation.

But I've gone a ton of paragraphs without citing anything, so I've got to rectify that.

Let's talk about Harry Harlow's monkey experiments in the 1950-70s.

If you're not a fan of animal research, since I know some people are uncomfortable with it, feel free to scroll past.

Here's the TL;DR: Children need to be hugged and shown affection too, not just fed and clothed, please don't leave babies to 'cry out' and ignore their needs because it's backwards and fucking inhumane. HUG AND COMFORT AND CODDLE CHILDREN AND SPOIL THEM WITH AFFECTION!

I will put more red writing when the section is over.

This is still an interesting experiment to have in mind while we explore the whole 'no one taught Tom Riddle how to love' thing and whether or not it's actually a good argument.

Andddd let's go all the way back to the initial 1958 experiment, featured in Harlow's paper, the Nature of Love. (If you're familiar with Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, him and Harlow actually collaborated for a time).

To give you an idea of our starting point, until Harlow's experiment, which happened twenty years after Dumbledore meets Tom for the first time, no one in science had really been interested in studying love and affection.

"Psychologists, at least psychologists who write textbooks, not only show no interest in the origin and development of love or affection, but they seem to be unaware of its very existence."

I'm going to link some videos of Harry Harlow showing the actual experiment, which animal rights activists would probably consider 'horrifying.' It's nothing gory or anything, but if you are particularly soft-hearted (and I do not mean that as an insult), be warned. It's mostly just baby monkeys being very upset and Harlow discussing it in a callous manner. Yes, today it would be considered unethical, but it's still incredibly important work and if you think you can handle it, I would recommend watching at least the first one to get an idea of how dramatic this effect is.

Dependency when frightened

The full experiment

The TL;DW:

This experiment was conducted with rhesus macaques; they're still used in psychology/neuroscience research when you want very human-like subjects, because they are very intelligent (unnervingly so, actually). I'd say that adult ones remind me of a three-year old child.

Harlow separated newborn monkeys from their mothers, and cared for their physical needs. They had ample nutrition, bedding, warmth, et cetera. However, the researchers noticed that the monkeys:

(a) were absolutely miserable. And not just that, but although all their physical needs were taken care of, they weren't surviving well past the first few days of life. (This has also been documented in human babies, and it's called failure to thrive and I'll talk about it a bit later).

(b) showed a strong attachment to the gauze pads used to cover the floor, and decided to investigate.

So, they decided to provide a surrogate 'mother.' Two, actually. Mother #1 was basically a heated fuzzy doll that was nice for the monkeys to cuddle with. Mother #2 was the same, but not fuzzy and made of wire. Both provided milk. The result? The monkeys spent all their time cuddling and feeding from the fuzzy 'mother.' Perhaps not surprising.

What Harlow decided next, is that one of the hallmarks being attached to your caregiver is seeking hugs and reassurance from them when frightened. So, when the monkeys were presented with something scary, they'd go straight to the cloth mother and ignore the wire one. Not only that, but when placed in an unfamiliar environment, if the cloth mother was present, the monkeys would be much calmer.

In a follow-up experiment, Harlow decided to see if there was some sort of sensitive period by introducing both 'mothers' to monkeys who had been raised in isolation for 250 days. Guess what?

The initial reaction of the monkeys to the alterations was one of extreme disturbance. All the infants screamed violently and made repeated attempts to escape the cage whenever the door was opened. They kept a maximum distance from the mother surrogates and exhibited a considerable amount of rocking and crouching behavior, indicative of emotionality.

Yikes. So, at first Harlow thought that they'd passed some kind of sensitive period for socialization. But after a day or two they calmed down and started chilling out with the cloth mother like the other monkeys did. But here's a weird thing:

That the control monkeys develop affection or love for the cloth mother when she is introduced into the cage at 250 days of age cannot be questioned. There is every reason to believe, however, that this interval of delay depresses the intensity of the affectional response below that of the infant monkeys that were surrogate-mothered from birth onward

All these things... attachment, affection, love, seeking comfort ... are mostly learned behaviours.

Over.

Orphanages, institutionalized childcare, and why affection is a need, not an extra.

His face is lit the exact same was as Coulson’s was in COS (half-light, half-dark), and I said I was going to talk about this in Part 3. I think perhaps it's intended to make Fiennes-Tiffin look more evil or menacing, but I'm going to quite deliberately misinterpret it.

Now, for some context, Dumbledore has just (kind of) burned his wardrobe, ratted out his stealing habit, and (in the books only, they really took a pair of scissors to this scene) told him he needs to go apologize and return everything and Dumbledore will know if he doesn't, and, well, Tom's not exactly a happy bugger about it.

But interestingly, in the books, this is when we start to see Tom's 'persona,' aka his mask, start to come into play. Whereas before, he was screaming, howling, and generally freaking out, here, he starts to hide his emotions -- in essence, obscure his true self under a shadow. So this scene is really the reverse of Coulson's in COS.

And perhaps I'm reading wayyy too much into this, but I can't help but notice that Coulson's hair is parted opposite to Fiennes-Tiffin's, and the opposite sides of their faces are shadowed, too.

Riddle threw Dumbledore a long, clear, calculating look. "Yes, I suppose so, sir," he said finally, in an expressionless voice.

Riddle did not look remotely abashed; he was still staring coldly and appraisingly at Dumbledore. At last he said in a colorless voice, "Yes, sir."

Here's an article from The Atlantic on Romanian orphanages in the 1980s, when the dictator, Ceausescu, basically forced people to have as many children as possible and funnel them into institutionalized 'childcare', and it's absolutely heartbreaking.

There's not a whole lot of information out there on British orphanages in the 30s' and 40s', but given that people back then thought you just had to keep children on a strict schedule and feed them, it wouldn't have a whole lot better.

The only thing I've found is this, and it's not super promising.

The most important study informing the criteria for contemporary nosologies, was a study by Barbara Tizard and her colleagues of young children being raised in residential nurseries in London (Tizard, 1977). These nurseries had lower child to caregiver ratios than many previous studies of institutionalized children. Also, the children were raised in mixed aged groups and had adequate books and toys available. Nevertheless, caregivers were explicitly discouraged from forming attachments to the children in their care.

Here's a fairly recent paper that I think gives a good summary: Link

Here, they describe the responses to the Strange Situation test (which tests a child's attachment to their caregiver).

We found that 100% of the community sample received a score of “5,” indicating fully formed attachments, whereas only 3% of the infants living in institutions demonstrated fully formed attachments. The remaining 97% showed absent, incomplete, or odd and abnormal attachment behaviors.

Bowlby and Ainsworth, who did the initial study, thought that children would always attach to their caregivers, regardless of neglect or abuse. But some infants don't attach (discussed along with RAD in Part 2).

Here's a really good review paper on attachment disorders in currently or formerly institutionalized children : Link

Core features of RAD in young children include the absence of focused attachment behaviors directed towards a preferred caregiver, failure to seek and respond to comforting when distressed, reduced social and emotional reciprocity, and disturbances of emotion regulation, including reduced positive affect and unexplained fearfulness or irritability.

Which all sounds a lot like Tom in this scene. The paper also discusses neurological effects, like atypical EEG power distribution (aka brain waves), which can correlate with 'indiscriminate' behavior and poor inhibitory control; which makes sense for a kid who, oh, I don't know, hung another kid's rabbit because they were angry.

Furthermore...

...those children with more prolonged institutional rearing showed reduced amygdala discrimination and more indiscriminate behavior.

This again, makes a ton of sense for Tom's psychological profile, because the amygdala (which is part of the limbic system, which regulates emotions) plays a major role in fear, anger, anxiety, and aggression, especially with respect to learning, motivation and memory.

So, I agree completely that Tom needed a lot of help, especially given the fact that he spent eleven years in an orphanage (longer than the Bucharest study I was referring to), and Dumbledore wasn't exactly understanding of his situation, and probably didn't realise what a dramatic effect the orphanage had on Tom, and given the way he talks to Tom, probably treated him as if he were a kid who grew up in a healthy environment.

In case you are still unconvinced that hugging is that important, there's a famous 1944 study conducted on 40 newborn human infants to see what would happen if their physical needs (fed, bathed, diapers changed) were provided for with no affection. The study had to be stopped because half the babies died after four months. Affection leads to the production of hormones and boosts the immune system, which increases survival, and that is why we hug children and babies should not be in orphanages. They are supposed to be hugged, all the time. I can't find the citation right now, I'll add it later if I find it.

But I think it's vastly unrealistic to say that Dumbledore, who grew up during the Victorian Era, would have any grasp of this and I don't think he was actively malicious towards Tom.

Was Tom Riddle failed by institutional childcare? Absolutely.

Were the adults in his life oblivious to his situation? Probably.

Do the shitty things that happened to Tom excuse the murders he committed, and are they anyone's fault but his own? No. At the end of the day, Tom made all the wrong choices.

And, for what it's worth, I think (film) Dumbledore (although he expresses the same sentiment in more words in the books) wishes he could go back in time and have helped Tom.

"Draco. Years ago, I knew a boy, who made all the wrong choices. Please, let me help you."

[kafkaoftherubble]

This post contains spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen CH238. I'm going off from the fan-translated version.

Honestly, I just finished reading it, and... Yea. It's not the translation. It really is just kinda... uh, fraying at the seam? I mean, Sukuna fans are eating well, for sure. Gege gives so much attention to Sukuna's monster-ajushi physique that all he needs is a pair of black-rimmed glasses and this guy has the afternoon mahjong/nightly karaoke uncle-auntie getup already. He actually looks like my own uncle—minus the extra arms and mouth. Also, Sukuna doesn't have cataracts.

-

Sukuna analysts rejoice at more breadcrumbs to his backstory! And what did it cost?

....Kashimo being really pointless, that's what. He's as substantive as his revealed trump card. All flash, a lot of air, but no matter. At least I can see how the "love x loneliness x strength/power" trope plays out in Satoru, but Kashimo gets just the barest minimum that if it were water, it can't even support a cactus.

-

I also don't know what is actually new in whatever it was revealed about Sukuna this week. I mean, yea, he's an absolute fucking egotist. Wasn't that already known? Everyone, to him, exists way below him as tools or food or games. At one point I thought he's got that Objectivist stench about him. Again, isn't that already known?

Perhaps what's interesting about him is the how. How did he come to believe love "does not exist"? How did he start to see everyone that lowly? Doofensmirtz's parents weren't even there for him when he was born, but Doof didn't sprout arms and drink blood and eat babies.

Maybe the hint is in "We are loved because we are strong"? It's the way he was revered? The way he was treated? But Satoru was in that spot too, and yet he was unhappy and lonely. Sukuna sounded like he felt nothing. So Sukuna just didn't need love.

He's an absolute fucking egotist. He doesn't feel like his life lacks something at all. Again, doesn't that just circle back to what we already know about him?

Ah well. I'll wait for the Sukuna stans and analysts to do the legwork I'm clearly not interested enough to do. I'll read their meta and essays when they are done.

-

The "slash that cuts the world" just looks like Maximum Output Dismantle, man. You know... a very physical attack. Not some reality-delete cut that I imagined it to be—where the void left by the slash is dimensional, and matter would behave weirdly to a cut on the very fabric of reality. The entire universe was split by that reality-delete cut... something like that.

But no, it just looks like bog-standard dismantle but Bigger. Looks so physical in its effect. Then... shouldn't it be mitigated by Satoru's Neutral Limitless back then? If it doesn't work on "space" the way Satoru's Limitless operates, then it should still be subjected to the effects of Neutral Limitless, right? And Satoru was back at close-to-full power too at that time. The mitigation should work, right?

Man, how is it that CH237 and CH238 somehow made CH236 even more disappointing?

-

It's now up to the principled moralist and one of the biggest altruists to team up and fight Sukuna. I'm rooting for them way more than I rooted for Kashimo! But I'm also deadass worried that after a week's break, Gege's gonna give us YET ANOTHER OFFSCREEN DEATH. Please don't let me see you say "I think I missed a chapter because I took a break! Haha!", Gege.

Yuta is nowhere to be seen. If I were still coping I'd say the absence of a prolific RCT provider is something to hold onto.

At this point nothing can save the manga even gojos return can't save this manga

At this point even if Gojo ascends to Japanese goddess Amaterasu level, it still would be bullshit because at chapter 238 I no longer understand jjk lore and world building.

Whatever the fuck is going on in this manga?

[qvnthesia]

Heard you watched shadow and bone do you ship darklina or Malina? I really love your fics so I would love your insight on their characters(alina especially)

Yes, I have watched 'Shadow and Bone' and I ship Darklina *chaos* Oooh! Another character insight, let's get this bread! (note — I'm going to analyse these characters from the SHOW and not the books)

ALINA STARKOV, THE SUN SUMMONER

When I first watched S&B, my first impression of her was courageous yet hesitant, because I had actually never imagined Alina in my head at all.

Thanks to her life at the orphanage, Alina's grown accustomed to the fact that she can't make it. She hesitates for every important action she takes and is a bit naive about the real world. Not going to blame her, she got orphaned, I wouldn't wish those circumstances upon anyone.

I don't like how she always relied on Mal. Like, I get loneliness cripples you, I get it, totally do, loneliness makes you lost in your own head. It makes you desperate for the company you enjoy to stay. But, I don't know, I just didn't like her dependence upon a man who cared about her when her name came up and not as one of his top priorities. Yes, the Darkling wanted Alina's power, but at least he cared for her, gave her the best of facilities at the Little Palace and made sure she was safe.

As the series progresses, Alina learns about her power and becomes more confident in herself. She escapes the Darkling's clutches on foot and finds allies in the Crows and even Zoya. At the end of the series, she's sure of herself and she takes it upon herself to bring down the Fold and end the Darkling's tyranny once and for all. Can't wait to see her in Season 2! (JESSIE'S SUCH AN AMAZING INDIVIDUAL 😭💖)

ALEKSANDER MOROZOVA, THE DARKLING

(let's just ignore the Kirigan thing)

Before I start off, I'd just like to take a minute to LOOK AT HIM because I cannot understand why all the villains are so attractive. I have no idea, it's like the allure of darkness, maybe we're just too tired of being good and want to blow some things up—getting back to the point, yes, this guy. I saw him turn around in that damn tent of his and I stopped breathing (still alive).

I would just like to take a minute to appreciate how bloody fucking good of an actor Ben Barnes is. He's really captured the Darkling's allure (exactly how I imagined him when I read the first book) and it's all there in his eyes and his expression. He's very subtle, charming and dangerously manipulative. Leigh Bardugo captured the theme of manipulation so well in the first book and it's been so clearly depicted in the show (THE BLUE IRIS) and I love it.

Aleksander's cunning. He's calculated, he's got his allies and his support (not enough beyond the Fold, but definitely a lot in Ravka). Overall, he's at the top position. He can overthrow the bloody Tsar but he doesn't dare because he's not THAT powerful enough as he actually projects himself to be. He's a lonely fella, and he needs an equal as his company, which is Alina.

Now, whatever this guy is, IN THE SHOW, I'm certain he truly loved Alina, even if he had bad intentions. He really loved her and she DID love him back but she chose goodness over him, ergo, Mal over him. That's the only human factor about him, otherwise, he's hot—HE'S PURE EVIL, focus more on that, or we're all going to die.

MALYEN ORETSEV, THE TRACKER

This guy's good, he's like Captain America, he's fucking righteous, kicks ass damn fine and he does seem to be the perfect choice for Alina in romantic terms. But I'm going to clear with you — Alina doesn't deserve him, not after the way he kept on treating her.

It's pretty clear she has feelings for him and he completely disregards that in all of his masculine braggadocio and it's absolutely infuriating. He says he knows Alina the best so why the hell didn't he realize that the girl likes him? God, the amount of gaslighting, it's outrageous!

But, he's like the ONLY support for Alina that's there. And I feel she's going to need him, they're both going to need each other after everything that's going to come. He's going to fight for her and beside her and I honestly can't wait to see that!

KAZ BREKKER, BASTARD OF THE BARREL

Again, why are all the bad guys so attractive? Dude, stop. Freddy's done such an amazing job playing Kaz. His dark clothes, the haphephobia (fear of being touched), it's right there in his eyes and that's why he keeps his hands to himself unless it comes down to punches.

You can see that calculating sparkle in his eyes, he's always watching, observing (damn good at that) and his mastermind skills prove why he's the best choice for leading the Crows. He's a bit cold, but deep down, he cares for his comrades AND I LOVE HIM.

INEJ GHAFA, THE WRAITH

Best spy in Ketterdam, here she comes!! I love her character so much. Her backstory, being trapped in that damn brothel making her the mature adventurer of the Crows. She's also agile and lightfooted and that's so much of a contrast with her overall attitude with strangers. She also has knives so you best better be careful because she's damn good with them.

I like how she's rather superstitious with all of her beliefs about the Sun Summoner. It shows how hopeful she is of a brighter future where she wouldn't have to live being shrouded by darkness and just be herself out in the open. I also like Kanej, yes, very much, no debate, and certainly no follow-up questions.

JESPER FAHEY, THE SHARPSHOOTER WITH A GAMBLING PROBLEM

He spins twin pearl revolvers in his hands and shot a couple of Volcras from riding in a rickety train, I don't need to say anything else. Except that I can't wait to see him become a Grisha in the show *screaaaaaaams* AND I WANT MILO BACK, I DON'T CARE, WE NEED A REUNION

ZOYA NAZYALENSKY, COMPETITIVE GRISHA SQUALLER

I really like her character development, it's quite obvious in the show. She hates Alina at first because Alina's favoured by the Darkling more than she is. But she's good at heart, that's why she decides to join Alina and becomes allies with her. I seriously want to see more of them, they'd make incredibly wonderful combatants together.

I like how she's so bold and courageous in the show and isn't afraid to give someone a piece of her mind, be it good or bad.

GENYA SAFIN, THE BEAUTIFUL TAILOR & DAVID KOSTYK, THE BOOKISH DURAST

I love Daisy's portrayal of Genya. She's captured the character's beauty and it's like a mask for hiding her pain from such horrible treatment by the King. She's loyal to the Darkling, but she's certainly more loyal to Alina. She's truly a wonderful friend and confidant and I hope for a wonderful future for her where she feels protected and the boss of her own life. Marriage with David doesn't sound so bad either, does it? Because I'm going down with this ship.

I love David, he's bookish and he throws a book at Jesper. A book! And he's so polite!

NINA ZENIK, GRISHA HEARTRENDER & MATTHIAS HELVAR, FJERDAN drüskelle

We have an enemies-to-lovers pair here! Bold Nina and a bit innocent and blindly loyal Matthias. However, they both believe in good and aren't afraid of putting their lives at risk to save the people that they love. When the time comes for both of them to join the Crows, I feel that both of them will serve as a voice of reason, especially Matthias and make some of the Crows more grounded. Obviously, both will be of immense help, with Nina's powers and Matthias' fighting skills.

IVAN AND FEYDOR, RESIDENTIAL HEARTRENDER COUPLE

Let's be clear — grumpy and sunshine, the only couple with the power to topple everyone else. But the Shadow and Sun conflict does threaten their foundations, so, oops?

Anyways, that was my character and a bit of actor-acting insight on Shadow and Bone. Thank you for reading my fics and for all of your love and support <33 It means a lot, considering I'm in a terrible unproductive writer's block T~T

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and watch the show again. Take careo of yeselves and goodbye!! *runs*

[musicallisto]

Hello love,

Congratulations for the 800 followers! You absolutely deserve this and so much more! I'm happy to see how your blog grows and that you're still providing all of us with wonderful content. You're one of the first blogs that I've started to follow here on Tumblr and I'm so lucky to have found your blog ♡

As for your celebration event, could I please request a 🍨 vanilla milkshake with a male Peaky Blinders Character?

I'm more on the curvy side (and insecure about it) and I'm ALWAYS wearing black (which I love, no matter what others say or even more if they object). As for my personality, I'm a highly complex, paradox and complicated individium. I'm unbelievable patient, timid, awkward, kind, forgiving, open-minded, compassionate, thruthful, gentle and calm and I've been told that I have a calming effect on others, that I can easily ground anyone and anything, no matter how troubled their mind is. I prefer vintage over modern things. I think rather deep which often leads me to overthinking everything, which in turn leads me to doubting (very much) myself. You would be surprised how timid and reserved I am, I'm sure you wouln't notice me in a room full of people if it wouldn't be for my different appearance (but I like it this way). I'm always well-meaning, yet often misunderstood (maybe because it's hard for me to articulate myself). I can be incredible lazy, clumsy and forgetful. I've always felt like I don't really belong anywhere, so I've started to distance myself from others a while ago. I'm a outsider, weird, a dork, not normal, a loner and I fucking love it, because I like to be different, I would hate to fit into just one box and to be like everyone else. And I like people who are not ashamed to be their 100% true self, no matter how different that is from the mainstream. I'm the most loyal person you'll ever find, once you earn my trust, I'll always be on/by your side, no matter what. That says a lot, because I'm hard to scare away. Sometimes I feel alienated from the people and things surrounding me and I'm sure that I annoy and bore them. I'm very nervous and insecure around others, which is why I try to avoid people and why I'm not talking all that much around them (though, I'm a really good listener). I'm easily overwhelmed by large crowds and much light/noise, that's why I don't like to go outside, I prefer to cozy up at home. I would never intentionally hurt a animal and I'm not eating any meat, which is very important to me. I believe that there isn't a ounce of cruelty inside me. I'm unassuming and understanding, I only believe what I've witnessed on my own and I have endless acceptance for almost everything. Due to my Insomnia, I'm a night owl. I have strong personal values, am very opinionated and I'm really in-touch with myself and even though I'm extremly insecure, I would never reduce or change myself and views/opinions for someone and I neither have a problem to challenge authority and advocating for my beliefs. I'm a perfectionist and sometimes I really hate it. And, as you can see, I'm unable to be brief. My favourite colours are dark green, black, gold and dark purple. My greatest passion is music, even if I can't sing or play an instrument.(I prefer rock/punk/pop/80s/90s) It's the most calming and therapeutic thing when it comes to my anxiety and depression and I could never live a day without it. You will never see me in the street without headphones in my ears and even when I'm at home there's music playing almost all the time. I could talk for hours about music and what it means to me. And otherwise I love to watch films and series (I like fantasy, horror, psychological thriller, science fiction and psychological drama and almost anything from the 70s, 80s and 90s). I love rainy days and to go outside while it's pouring big, fat drops. What I love the most is to drive around without a destination, while talking and listening to music. And I love to spend time with my cat, if I could, I would have endless animals who live peacefully and loved with me. I enjoy to have deep talks and to be challenged to think. I love to take late-night-strolls, while gazing into the sky and watching the stars/moon. I have a fascination for dark and macabre things.

I really hope that's not too much? But thank you anyway ♡

Have a good day!

thank you so much for your kind words, you have no idea how much it means to me to know that I was one of the first blogs you followed ;; here’s your vanilla milkshake - and it’s also my first time writing for peaky blinders, but I hope it’s alright; and I hope finn shelby will find the portrait I paint of him accurate enough...

Birmingham was a drab and disheartening place enough without the war adding to its joylessness; but somehow the streets are even worse to bear deserted than when they’re bustling and fetid. Especially for a ten year old boy who wants nothing but to play with someone, to talk to someone, to see someone.

With his brothers off fighting somewhere in France and his aunt too busy with her businesses (adult stuff that Finn has absolutey no interest in attempting to understand), the youngest Shelby has been fighting off an affliction worse than consumption and measles, because much more insidious for a boy his age; boredom

and he’s so sad, so irrevocably sad, with no one to bruise his knees with and throw mud at, that he just aimlessly wanders the empty streets whenever aunt Polly isn’t looking, to find a semblance of stimulation

(he used to enjoy the solitude, it gave him time to imagine delirious stories in fantastical worlds and read the most enthralling of novels, but not anymore. four years of reclusion is an awfully long time for a little boy.)

and it’s during one of his escapades that he first meets you

you’re a little girl his age, dressed in a pretty dress, wearing pretty booties and holding a pretty little woven basket, but your face is stuck on the most grouchy frown he’s ever seen on a little girl, and you don’t walk, you stomp down the wet pavement like a wrathful titan

And it’s probably the first time in four years that he’s been this close to making a new friend, so he walks up to you, despite how rusty his communication skills have become

“Girls don’t frown. It’s unbecoming.”

(Yes, pretty rusty indeed; but in his defense, he’s ten, he’s bored, he’s lonely, and he’s only ever heard Ada say it, and Ada is the most level-headed of his siblings, so anything she says must be true, right?)

“Shut up.”

(Well, if it was unbecoming of you to frown, it’s even more to rebuff someone so rudely. You don’t even spare a glance and continue walking; he has to hurry to catch up to you.)

“You can’t say that. It’s a bad word.”

“How do you know that?”

“My family says it all the time, but they told me I can’t say it.”

“Well, my family is not your family. And I hate my family!”

You’ve yelled the last words at the sky, so loud that the crows on the neighboring roofs have taken off in a startled flight.

“They want to wear this stupid dress to go to the stupid market to buy stupid meat. I don’t even want to eat meat, that’s cruel! And I don’t even want to wear a frilly dress! I want to wear black!”

And in saying so you tugged at the pink and white ribbons that encircled your waist.

And Finn couldn’t help being extremely intrigued at this little girl who said bad words and refused to eat meet and wanted to wear black. It was the most exciting thing to ever happen in all the duration of the war.

“You want to wear a black dress?”

“Yes, but my mama won’t let me. She says it’s too sad because of the war. But black isn’t sad! Black is beautiful!”

“Maybe I could find you a black dress. I’m sure my sister must have one. Where do you live?”

And, loyal to his promise, the following morning he had run to your doorstep and snuck into your house - a proper Shelby talent, to be able to go unnoticed or make a ruckus depending on the occasion - with an old, crinkled mourning dress of Ada’s, that had probably belonged to his mother and had been mended several times

And it was obviously five sizes too big for you and you looked more like a ghost from one of Finn’s horror novels, your arms floating in the sleeves and the hem of the skirt pooling at your feet, but your smile was the brightest light he’d ever seen in this whole damn town.

“Do you like it?”

(He didn’t really know why he sounds so nervous. Maybe it was having a friend, a real friend, and doing something personal for them... or maybe it had to do with how fast his heart beat, watching you in that gigantic, shapeless dress)

“I love it! Thank you so much, Finn!”

From then on started one of the most wonderful friendships Finn would ever have, and what would bring a ray of light to the grim existence of a little boy in the midst of a global war

Despite the ration cards, despite the loneliness, despite the worry that tugged at his stoic aunt’s eyes for her son and nephews across the Channel... he found an unspeakable solace in your friendship

And one day, without a trace, you were gone

He knocked on your door; gone. He asked all the neighbors what had happened to the family that lived there; gone. He wrote you letters and sent them to the confines of England; gone. He got scolded by Polly for marking numbers at random on Tommy’s state-of-the-art telephone; gone.

Suddenly he was back to the bleak existence he had battled with before meeting you, and the hollow inside his chest only grew wider as the days went on, because he had no explanation as to what had happened to you, and worried every single day

Thankfully, the war ended not long after, and his brothers came back home, all alive and unscathed - well, for the most part

Fast forward more or less ten years, and much has changed in Finn Shelby’s life and in old Birmingham, but the memory of you still stugs at his heartstrings

One evening, he’s tasked by Arthur to run some errands, send a few messages, scout a few places; the most dangerous thing his older brothers will ever let him do

His task leads him to a bar in the center of town, one that pours its joyous light and music into the street outside; he’s there to meet with a client, arrange a meeting; nothing he’s hasn’t done already

But the evening takes a turn for the unexpected when he recognizes the girl sat alone at a table, enjoying the musicians’ jazz with an air of pure bliss on her face

It’s been ten years, of course, but... it’s unmistakable. That face, that silhouette, and the black ensemble from head to toe... and he’s always had a knack for remembering faces, especially those that mark him deeply

Suddenly he’s frozen on the spot, and he has forgotten why he came to the bar in the first place, what his target looks like - all he knows is you, and how beautiful you look in the dim light of the bar, and the undisclosed and unknown feelings he had for you at the time come flooding back.

Except this time, he understands, and he fears them, because he doesn’t have time for any of this, and it’s way too dangerous for you and him

But he can’t just pass you by and not say a word?

He swallows, hard.

And walks up to you.

“Y/N?”

You open your eyes, and your face flashes with recognition, and a little bit of pain as well. Even if you fled without a word, and left him hanging all these years, he’s incapable of rancor

“Finn... wow, you’ve changed so much.”

“You haven’t.”

He gestures at your face, your clothes, how you savor the music like the finest drink in the world, and you laugh and blush, sending his heart into overdrive

“Where were you all this time?”

“I’m so sorry, Finn... my brother died in the war, and... my mom sent me to live with my grandparents in Scotland. We were all destroyed by grief... I needed to get away.”

“Without explanation? Not even a word?”

“I wanted to write to you, so bad, but... I couldn’t remember your address. I couldn’t remember anything about Birmingham at all...”

He nods, slowly, in understanding.

The war opens wounds that never heal, even after all the most beautiful friendships and love stories in the world.

“But I’m really glad I found you.”

His heart is pounding in his throat. Maybe it’s a sign of destiny that he found you here, tonight, alone, and ready to welcome him back. Maybe it’s a word from fate, that you can never truly be apart.

So he takes the seat in front of you, and you smile, that shy but bright smile of yours, and he forgets all about his mission, his client, and his brothers.

They’ll have to understand.

800 follower sleepover

[yzkhr]

Part two of Receiving Gifts!

(This is seriously way longer than it should be)

-

They were fifteen, when Ran received her third sentimental gift from him.

It was a single red rose.

School dances were never her thing. They were loud, crowded, and a little awkward. But of course, having the Suzuki Sonoko as your bestfriend also meant going to hoards of parties and events and a 'no' is unacceptable. It was also a school requirement that made Ran ultimately agree.

She wished she didn't.

Literally everyone was dancing on the dancefloor, leaving her and a couple of other people on the side, glancing at each pair with a tinge of jealousy. Even Sonoko was enjoying herself swaying back and forth with a handsome stranger!

Ran was by no means confident about her looks but being told that you're pretty growing up made her at least believe that she wasn't unattractive.

She also wasn't dense nor blind not too see boys walking towards her but stopping midway. She could be the one to adjust and meet them but something in the suggestion didn't feel right.

So, instead of dwelling over her lack of companion and dance partner, Ran decided to content herself with the event's buffet table and swallow the bitter taste in her throat with food.

That was her supposed plan, until a red rose appeared right in front of her. Slowly backing away, Ran met the brave stranger, in the form of her other bestfriend.

"Shinichi?" astonished, she blinked hard to make sure he wasn't a figment of her envious imagination. Opening them again and seeing him wearing a black suit that, suits him very well, she was convinced.

Finally getting her grip, she asked, "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be working on a case right now?"

He grinned proudly and sported a dreamy look, Ran already guessing what he was about to say.

"Finished early, what can I say? I'm highschool detective Kudo Shinichi, saviour of the police force." she rolled her eyes, as if they were swayed by his cockiness filling the atmosphere.

"Okay, highschool detective Kudo Shinichi," Ran teased, quoting his name in the air, "you didn't answer the question. Why are you here? You don't like stuff like this, right?"

One of the things they had in common would be their dislike at events that requires too much unecessary energy to expend. Shinichi, of all people, never liked wasting energy unless it's soccer or mystery. Seeing him attend a school event just to dance was a ridiculous notion.

The high school detectives' grin faltered, sharp eyes avoiding hers. A beat passed until he finally answered.

"I got nothing else to do. I'd rather attend the school dance than actually make the project anyways." Ran silently agreed. Going to the event would be a lot more tolerable than the substitute project.

"And besides, like I'd let anyone here dance with you..." due to the new music starting, she was unable to hear his words.

"Sorry, the music was too loud, what did you say?" Shinichi smiled rather falsely, before slightly waving the red rose around.

"I said, do you wanna dance? Since you looked a bit too lonely back there." he jested, earning him a glare. Nonetheless, Ran accepted both the rose and his hand, feeling a little conscious how it perfectly fit hers.

Upon reaching the dancefloor, she immediately tried to touch him, gripping his well toned shoulders rather tightly. He winced.

"Ease up, we're going to dance, not do karate." he tried to lighten the air, only to receive another tight grab, this time, the hurt was intentional.

"Shut up," Tentatively easing her hold, she complained, "I'm new to this."

Fingers quivering ever so slightly, Ran figured she had to calm down. Breathing with a pattern and sighing heavily seemed to do the job, with the hands resting on his shoulders loosening, gentle unlike the first time. The fifteen year old made sure to keep her eyes stuck at the ground, afraid to get lost in her companion's dangerous eyes.

As Ran found her spot, it was Shinichi's turn to have a hard time. His hands stayed at his sides, fidgeting and sweating in panic along with confusion where to hold. His gaze went to her slim waist, but restrained himself from moving. Thankfully, her voice broke him out of his dumbfounded reverie.

"Shinichi? What are you doing?" she looked up, impatient and getting a little awkward. This is why she hate school dances!

"O-oh, right." Cautious and unsure, the young detective softly held both sides of her waist, making Ran internally gasped at the electricity she felt. Sensing her hands tensed on his shoulders, he waited. But there was no punching or kicking that transpired, making Shinichi more confident and firmed his grasp.

Then, as the new music played, both teenagers swayed slowly, trying. She noticed that his head was pointed upwards while hers was glued at their shoes. It was honestly a bad position, eventually having one of his foot hit her own.

"Ow," she quietly yelped, resounding with his "Oh, sorry!" making her perk up while his head bobbed down, causing deep blue and light violet to finally clash. Time stopped as both couldn't move, too busy staring at each others' colors, drowning.

Until, Ran laughed.

Shinichi, still dazed and not getting what was funny, raised an eyebrow. "What?"

She giggled, amused at his skeptical expression. "I mean, you're supposed to be the great Kudo Shinichi who knows everything. But," knowing her next line would annoy him, she flashed a smirked, " who knew you can't even dance?"

Sure enough, the great detectives' face warped from bafflement to offended in span of a few seconds.

"I'll have you know I dance very well," he scoffed, voice lowering and confidence wavering the next. "I just need adjusting, that's all."

Ran shook her head for his lame excuse, giving him a challenging stare and a teasing smile. "Show me then."

Never the one to back out from anything, he tightened his hold on her waist and answered her with a smirk as a sign of acceptance. "Then show you, I shall."

The ice finally broke.

And that was how her night turned out. Both bickering and arguing dumbly while swaying back and forth, the dance absolutely messy and sloppy. But, it didn't change how their smiles were wide and fond as they gaze upon each others' orbs, how their steps were light and sweet making others glance in envy, and how the color of their faces were comparable to the single flower Ran was holding the entire time.

Compared to the other two, the rose was a simple gift. But for Ran, it was more than that. It held value no other material can have. It was her witness. Witness to her first dance, with her first love. And for Ran, no other flower or any amount of roses could ever replace that.

-

The memories of his unforgettable gifts come back to her like they just happened yesterday.

Now, they are currently seventeen when Ran receives yet another special gift.

There, he stands on the stairway of the Detective Office they both had so many memories with, bringing her another present.

No, he isn't carrying another stuff animal that alleviates her loneliness, he didn't tame a cat just because she wanted to adopt it, and there is not a single rose or flower he can possibly offer her.

He holds nothing. Not even a piece of jewelry or a handwritten letter. Instead, he wears a dirtied jacket, a shirt brimming with red blood, and an entire body covered in bruises, cuts, and gashes.

He looks tired and worn out, but he still manages to smile so victoriously, making her heart flutter once more.

She hugs—no, pummels him to the ground, not caring if anyone sees. She tugs and cries on his shirt, but tenderly touches and caresses his wounds. He encircles his arms around her small frame after recovering from the shock her action brought. Then, bringing his teared lips to her ears, he whispered.

"I'm here now."

She smiles, knowing that finally, finally, he means it.

"Welcome home."

Despite the lack of an object or animal or plant, tonight, Ran receives the best gift she could ever ask for.

Him coming back to her, permanently.