#Ohhh nooo what's going to happen here?!?!

[herefortarlos]

Ronen's Instagram 9/23/2024

[thecousinsdangereux]

i just recently discovered your soulmate au and i loves it so much. so incredibly intriguing and well written and damn is it hot 🔥 thanks so much for sharing with us. in your mind, does it have a happy ending for them?

also wanted to ask if you'll be checking in to see the big warrior nun announcement coming tomorrow?

Ahhhh thank you! This ask is kind of tragic now given how everything with Warrior Nun ended up going, but I thought I'd use it as a way to share my ideas for the rest of a beggar in the morning, if anyone is interested in learning how it was going to go. Long story short, it was going to have a happy ending. :)

Here's a full outline for what I had in mind for the second half of the fic. Under the cut because it's very detailed in the parts that I'd started writing. Also in case anyone cares about spoilers? At the moment, I don't plan on finishing this fic, but I do plan on returning to writing in general, so guess there's a non-zero chance that I could come back to it. Stranger things have happened.

Beatrice keeps looking for the recipient of the Letter she's been trying to deliver and starts taking trips out into the countryside. She takes Ava's advice and takes to enjoying the journey - stopping into small cafes for lunch rather than eating in the car, taking the long way when it means she can enjoy a new view, etc.

During one of these side quests, she's told about a man who lives way off in the middle of nowhere who has the last name of Reis (the last name of the Letter recipient: Lara Reis), and she tracks him down. He had a sister who had a child with someone who was not her Match. I wanted to go more into what this looks like (and how the church is still anti-abortion in this world, because they think this could potentially ruin a future match, cue eye-roll) but in this case, the woman was basically run out of town. The man directs Beatrice to an orphanage where the child was raised.

This trail eventually goes cold because the orphanage has no records of the girl. They only know she left when she became of age.

The end of chapter six is basically Beatrice being frustrated and taking some 'advice' from Lilith to find someone to fuck hfkjshlk so she goes to the bar and ohhh nooo Ava is working that night, filling in for someone. Ava gets jealous, Bea does some shots, and it's basically a rehash of the lemon drop scene from the show, but hornier. Eventually, they make out, and decide to be friends with benefits.

Chapter 7 was honestly just going to be porn. lol. It's actually some of the first stuff I wrote for this fic - just a page of porn. Beggar came out of a Secret Santa fic exchange, and my friend Alex asked for lots of sex and a soulmate au. So... Chapter 7 was the payoff (part 2). Here's a few disjointed scenes, in case anyone is interested in reading some unedited very E-rated stuff.

A few months go by and all the nuns visit Beatrice for her bday and they're like huh so what's going on here and Beatrice has to pretend that it's not that serious with Ava (lol). I also wanted to do a conversation between Shannon and Beatrice where Shannon talks about the whole Mary thing and loving someone against the will of god (or at the very least, in the very gray areas).

The end of chapter seven is Ava finally talking about her past, which is that Ava doesn't remember hers. She woke up in a hospital without her memories and then spent the next decade traveling around trying to find something that felt like home.

In chapter 8, a lot of time passes, and the fucking continues. Beatrice is kind of losing it, poor girl.

I hadn't exactly decided what was going to happen next, but Ava was going to overstep in some way (or in some perceived way) and Beatrice was going to panic. Either Beatrice was going to have a brief thought about being in love, they were going to have reallyyyy soft sex, or something like that, but either way, Beatrice was going to have to admit she has deeper feelings for Ava than what's allowed allowed, so she goes back to Spain and ignores Ava's texts/calls/etc.

Eventually she realizes she owes Ava closure. She comes back and kind of explains why she's reacted the way she has. She gets more into why she joined the church and it's not for God or the Church itself, but because she does genuinely believe that love itself is holy. She admits she's falling in love with Ava, but she can't break her vows. She believes giving into her feelings would be putting herself above the whole history of love... the sanctity of the entire universe... and to be that selfish would be monstrous.

There's a callback to their early game of three questions, and how Ava still owes Beatrice one answer. Beatrice nearly asks if Ava loves her, but pulls back because she's scared of the answer. They basically break up, but Ava tells Bea to let her know when she's ready to ask her last question.

Beatrice takes it HARD. She buries herself in her work and starts visiting hospitals in various towns. She finds a Spanish doctor and he recognizes the number (or rather, the system behind the number) that is on Letter Beatrice is still trying to deliver. He tells Beatrice she's not looking for a hospital in Portugal, but rather in Spain - one in a small town in Andalusia. He mentions a patient who was in a coma, who woke up without her memories.

At this point, Beatrice obviously knows and she flies to Spain in daze. She visits the hospital, gives them the number, and asks for the name of the patient. When they'd brought the girl in, no one knew where she came from, she didn't have an ID, memories, etc. Nothing except for an old receipt from a restaurant in Portugal. ("Beatrice braces herself for what she already knows, but doesn't want to face.") The nurse at the hospital tells her they used a generic Portuguese name for the girl and it stuck: Ava Silva.

Beatrice visits Cat's Cradle because what else is she supposed to do? How is she supposed to deliver this Letter to Ava, who she's obviously in love with. She talks with Mary and we get the other side of the whole Mary/Shannon thing, and Mary is kind of like, okay, the Letters matter but they don't Matter. Beatrice asks Mary what she would do if she got a Letter (since Mary isn't a nun and could get one, but Shannon never could) and Mary basically says she would throw it away without opening it because she wouldn't want to give Shannon a reason to go self-sacrificial.

Of course, Beatrice doesn't really think this is her call to make. She's going to deliver Ava's Letter. There's this whole scene of her very dramatically and angstily getting ready for the delivery in the Official White Habit, then walking through the town she's come to associate so completely with Ava. And chapter 9 ends.

When Beatrice walks through the doors of the bar, Ava looks up, but doesn't seem surprised, even says 'oh, finally', which is pretty much the last thing that Beatrice expected, but then again, maybe it should have been the first, because Ava is always surprising her, and shouldn't she expect it by now? She asks Ava if she'd known that she was the person Beatrice had been trying to deliver to all along and Ava looks confused at this, like she hadn't considered that at all. "It's not that. I just knew my Letter would be coming because I'd already met you."

Beatrice is like, no no no. That's not how this works. It can't be me. I've been carrying this Letter with me this whole time - before I met you - and the Letters are only sent to a person when they've met their soulmate. And obviously, Beatrice is a nun and can't have a soulmate, etc. etc.

And then Ava says something like this: “Maybe every once in a while, God -- or the universe or whatever it is -- knows that it’ll be really hard to make two people meet organically, so it fudges the rules a little bit. Makes one girl a nun, makes another one hard to find, and sets up the dominos really early on."

And when Beatrice says she's being ridiculous/it's impossible, she says, "I know what’s in that letter. It’s you. I don’t need to open it to know it's you." and "Maybe it’s like some people say and god arranged it all. Fine. Then god chose me for you. Simple. He made me in this exact way, down to my hands and toes and whatever, so that I was perfect for his favorite creation in all of the universe. Because that has to be you."

And: "Or maybe it’s like what those other people say. You know - the past lives reincarnation stuff. Fine, then in our first lives we fell in love and then I found you in the second and third and the five hundredth. I found you and I picked you and I wanted you every time. Or okay, fine, maybe it’s what the the pseudo science people say. Even if those guys are right, I still know. It’s you because at the very start of the universe - at the very beginning of everything - we were the first two bits of something. The first two tiny little sparks. One of those was you and one of them was me. And even when we split off into a million trillion billion infinite pieces, the core of one was you. And the other one was me."

And: "In every religion or in any theory, the world exists so that I can find you again, and the world will do whatever it takes - bend the rules in whatever way - to make sure that at the exact right time, we would meet. And maybe it wasn’t perfect - maybe it was stupid hard for us to get to this point - maybe there was an easier way to make it happen - but I don’t care. Because it worked and I found you and I fell in love with you and I would do anything for that. So yeah. This Letter is telling me that I’m for you. That’s easy. It’s not faith. It’s just a fact.

And: "Besides, whatever’s on that paper? It’s going to be you. If it’s a picture of a butterfly, then it’s going to be you because of that time we went to the dam and one landed on your hand and you said “isn’t the world beautiful?” and that’s when I knew I loved you for the very first time. If it’s the notes to the first bar in At Last, then it’s you, because we used to play it all the time in the bar and I always thought it was fucking stupid to think you'd know like that right away, before everything, but it was the song that played in my head anyways when you walked in the bar that first night. There she is, I sort of thought, a dream that I can speak to."

"It could be any single word or phrase or letter and it would be you, because I love you and I love you so much I see you in every part of this entire world. I love you and I want to keep you with me always, and so you’re always there in my thoughts, slipping over and into everything else and I love it. It makes me love everything I see a little bit more, because it reminds me of you. It makes the world more beautiful."

"So, no offense, but I don't really give a fuck about the Letter. I already know it's going to be you. But I think you need to see it. So you know you’re not as selfish as you think you are."

And Beatrice admits that she wants to be with Ava anyways. Even if it makes her selfish. (Even if it makes her heretical.) Love is holy and what she feels for Ava is holy too, even if it's a sort of holy no one else will ever understand.

I went back and forth about whether they actually SHOULD open the Letter. lol. But I think I eventually settled on that they should, and that when Ava does open it, it's a blank page with like, 7 little dots and Beatrice is like??????????????? But Ava recognizes it instantly and it's the freckles on Beatrice's cheeks, the ones she's always tracing, and she does that again, following the ink on the paper.

Beatrice had been ready to give up her religion for Ava, so getting to keep it, maybe, suddenly is a LOT. She can't quite believe something divine would do something like this for her. But maybe she can believe that something divine would do something like this for Ava.

Later, I wanted Beatrice to have a conversation with Mother Superion. I thought it would be interesting to get into the philosophical bits of it. To debate if Ava could actually be right in her ideas about how this could be, and still fit into what they know about god/Letters/religion. I liked the idea of the conversation ending with neither of them really knowing, and Mother S being like, look girl, you'll never know for sure, but that sounds like faith to me. And Beatrice says no, no this is different, capital F Faith is for the divine. This is just trusting that Ava isn't lying about the freckles thing, or won't get tired of me, or won't find someone else. Etc etc etc. because it's panicking time for Beatrice, suddenly. And Mother Superion just raps her knuckles sort of in the most gentle way she can manage and says "That's love, Beatrice." in the way way someone might say "That's pussy, babe."

Beatrice does leave the church (though she eventually goes back to 'consulting' kind of like Mary). And when she does actually physically leave as well, Ava is waiting outside on a bench. Beatrice asks why she didn't just come inside, and she says something about being a little afraid of churches these days. She did steal god's favorite, after all.

And then they walk off into the sunset, with Beatrice being like wait a second, I thought you said this was all God's plan. And Ava shrugs and says that she would never willingly give Beatrice up, so god might come to her senses and change her mind.

I was going to end it there, but I did consider doing an epilogue as well. Early on in planning I had this idea where, years later, all the nuns regularly come over to the Silvas (because Ava does keep her 'second' name, though she does start to learn more about the Reis family, and meets her Uncle - the dude Beatrice learned about the orphanage from). And on one of these occasions, the nuns are all in white, and they're delivering Beatrice's Letter, which is addressed to Beatrice Silva. In the end, I decided against this, because I liked leaving it more open-ended, but nothing had been set in stone at this point, of course.

So yeah, that was going to be a beggar in the morning. lol. I plotted most of it out before I even started writing, because it wasn't the sort of story you could make up as you went and still tell it well. And I did want to tell the story well! There's a part of me that's sad that I wasn't able to, but I do think it was worth writing what I did. I really loved seeing people realize that Lara was Ava, even as early as chapter 5! And I also loved people coming up with theories about how Avatrice would be endgame. Some of them were honestly really good and maybe better than mine fhdskjhfd I had one person be like PLEASE let Ava's Letter be for someone else so they can metaphorically spit in god's face and honestly that was valid.

I don't know if anyone is going to bother to read this very, very long reply to an ask that doesn't actually ask for any of this, but it honestly just feels nice to put all these ideas together and 'complete' the story. Even if I've done it in the most half-assed way possible I am so sorry fhadskjlfhldsj

[rayroseu]

THE MAJESTIC EXCELLENCY HERSELF 😍😍😍😍💚💚💚💚 also maybe its just me but is it a reach to hope that an ACTUAL Disney villain can cameo in TWST?? 😆 You know like how Mickey randomly appears before us akjdkss

Also i find it interesting how Yuu immediately got up to go to the Maleficent Statue after concluding the dream as "Maleficent is being left out..." She reminded him of One Guy lol 😭 Also Yuu lore crumbs that theyre finally catching up that their dreams is related to the next overblot lol

ALSO AAAAAHHH SEBEKKKK 💚💚💚✨✨✨ I missed hearing his "human!!" FULLY VOICED✨✨✨ Haruki Ishiya san... thank you 😭💚💚💚

I love his attitude change LMFAO and Silver being the polite person he is insisting Sebek to apologize and Sebek just doesnt lol... SOBS... Also agree with Grim lol Diasomnia literally the most dramatic dorm lol

Also I find it so funny that "Malleus evil smile" expression is his Happiest Expression LMFOAOAOA He's thoroughly AMUSED by Yuu calling him Hornton in front of Sebek (of all people) without hesitance 😭😭

Ohhh Malleus loves chaos alright ✅✅✅💥💥 and his family and friends getting along...😭😭💕💕💕

Also the part where the npcs talked about him broke my heart aughh...

He's just talking with his classmates and everyone is already whispering how "he shouldn't be in this school he's going to curse everyone" (OKAY maybe theyre going to be right about that in a few more updates butksjdjs) But aaa knowing the fact he has superb hearing skills.... I like to imagine he's hearing these rumors while talking to Yuu and the knights but he's just ignoring the rumors since there's a few peopke who are treating him like a normal person right now 😭😭

I LOVE HOW THIS IMPLIES LILIA RELIES ON SILVER THE MOST TOO!!! He couldve asked Sebek or Malleus since theyre the people with no sleep problems... but nooo he insisted on Silver waking him up!! AUDGAUHS I thought he's a general who focuses on efficiency... 😭😭 He just wants Silver to wake him up... i know you lilia 🔍🔍🔍🤨🤨

I am in good pain... considering!! in Book 7!! Lilia repeatedly appears to be a reliance for Silver whenever he feels hopeless... I CANT. Lilia is just like more lowkey about how much he actually relies on his son 😭😭💚💚

ROOK BEING IN THE RUINS TOO IS SO FUNNY LFMAOOO THATS ONE OF MALLEUS' TOP INTERSHIP LIST??? ITS LILIA'S P.E VIGNETTE ALL OVER AGAIN LMFOAOAA HE'S GONNA HARASS MALLEUS DOWN IF THEYRE COWORKERS AHFHAHDHA

Imagine them in the ruins and finally Malleus has someone who is enthusiastic about ""boring facts about Gargoyles and Abandoned Ruins"" but its just... got to be THIS GUY Rook Hunt... who once tried to playfully harm Lilia lol

Malleus and Rook Duo is actually so funny though 😂😂 It still cracks me up that Malleus was once invited on Rooks Bday but he didnt attend cuz he's annoying to him and most notably Rook is not even hostile to him??? He just didnt attend bcs he hates his guts omg😭😭💥💥

This fact is so weird to me... What do you mean that some teeth just becomes an automatic RADIO under the right conditions????😭 Is this a foreshadow to Zigvolts Dentistry??? 😳⚡💚✨✨✨

Can a fae teeth play Elvis Presley just by opening their mouths...?? You know like Stitch acting as a phonograph... 😂

But I doubt??? They have radio towers at Briar Valley so it probably doesnt happen????? But It'd be pretty funny if Briar Valley radio just play bardcore music and one poor fae was "cursed" to have "magical radio teeth" playing bardcore everytime lol

My first thought was "Sebek!!!!✨✨✨" here actually 😭💚 Since he's the only freshman we're missing rn...

But I was surprised Yuu thought of Malleus??? That just further implies Yuu recognizes him as a friend that'll help them too 😭😭😭

Its just precious to think that someone finds Malleus reliable, he'll be so happy to assist Yuu if they're having trouble with anything just like how he enthusiastically offered to explain more about the Thorn Fairy since Yuu is curious about it...😭💖💞💖💗💕 I love them to BITS OMFG...

(I'm sad that Yuu is going home too but I'm ignoring that lol🚶‍♀️🚶‍♀️ Yuu is a self insert theyre supposed to speak MY language of staying with Mal-)

Its devastating that the freshmen are so hyped up to be working together THEY ARE NOT PROCESSING THE IMPLICATIONS OF YUU GOING HOME... 💔😂 if Yuu truly goes home, theres no reason for them to be gathering like this on the cafeteria anymore... 😭😭💔💔 Making myself sad that they'll buy an extra plate for them during lunch break and not even Grim touches that food... just to honor their friend😭😭😭

Wait so we know that the first night in "sleepover to discover Mickey" consists of Deuce and Ace as Grim and Yuu's companion...

Maybe the next nights (without Malleus' overblot interupption) consisted of Epel and Jack, and then possibly Ortho and Malleus??? (since Ortho is the one who suggested that therell be a fae)

Oh but Im going to cry if at Book 7's ending consisted of Yuu inviting Malleus for a sleepover at Ramshackle despite what happened... 😭😭😭 and and like the stars aligning appears once again but this time he's not at ruined Ramshackle missing his friend... He's at a peaceful sleepover with a friend group auGh... 😭😭😭💖💕💞💗💞💗

[the-fiction-witch]

Tickle Fight!

Media The Maze Runner

Character Newt

Couple Newt X Reader

Rating Adorable + Flirty AF

Requested Anonymous asked: Could you do an imagine where Newt and Y/n are having a tickle fight and then Y/n accidentally feels his hard-on, and then it’s all cute cause he gets rlly embarrassed? 

I sat against the little log, my chicken skewer in hand, watching the shadows of the fire on the green glade grass and the tall grey walls of the maze, The boys parting away as they often did bonfire nights. Beside me sat Newt, in his usual hoodie with his jar of moonshine in his hands. Every so often he would bring his jar to his lips sipping the mysterious stuff. 

"You're gross."

He jumped a little and glared at me, "I didn't even say anything." 

"No, I don't know how you drink that stuff." I told him, "You even know what's in it?"

"I don't know, Gally's secret recipe" he smirked, 

"Ehh I don't know how you drink it." 

"Well when you've been here as long as I have, I'm sure you'll find your way to relax."

"I have my way to relax."

"Oh?"

"Umm, I have a nice hot shower, then to my room with some fresh yummy strawberries."

"That does sound nice." he nodded, "But you sure you don't want some?"

"I'm sure Newt." I nodded, leaning on his shoulder a little, 

"Ohh, Hi love,"

"Hi." I smiled, "You have a cosy shoulder,"

"Oh, I do? good I'm happy you like my shoulder." 

I smiled and laid my head on his shoulder for a good while before I hugged his arm, 

"Awww," he smiled,

"tickle, tickle, tickle," I giggled playfully as I tickled up his inner arm,

"Ahhh! Noo-" He warned as he stopped my hand, "No tickling."

"Why?"

"Becuase I'm ticklish."

"Ohh are you Newtie," I smirked evilly,

"No. no. I know that look love, don't even think about it." 

"Tickle Time!" I smiled as I jumped on him and began to tickle him,

"Noooo! Nooooo! Noooo!" He whined between his laughs as he tried desperately to remove my hands. "Noo! you stop or I'm gonna have to tickle you back."

"tickle, tickle, tickle," I giggled, 

"Fine! I warned you." He smirked, as he threw me onto the grass and began to tickle me, 

"ahhhh noooo newt!" I yelped,

So it became a fight the two of us scampered around the glade, whenever we reached one another our fight of tickles would continue, and I managed to get him pinned to the grass in the gardens with my knees on his thighs as I tickled him causing his endless laughed,

"nooo noooo! Nooo more tickles no more tickles I give in!" He whined, "You win! you win no more!" 

"I win?"

"Yes you win!"

"good,"

"When I let you win you're meant to stop tickling me!"

"Nope! you must be punished for your crimes!"

"But I surrendered"

"I don't care."

"Noooo noooooo War crimes! war crimes! Geneva Convention!"

"No! no one can save you from my wrath!" I giggled tickling him even more going under his hoodie to ensure he had no escape, 

"Noooooooo please!" He begged trying to squirm away, 

But as I tickled him I felt something.

My face turned utterly red as my hand found something stiff and slightly throbbing through his brown tattered trousers, he noticed where my hand had ended up when he tried to squirm away. He turned even redder than me. We met eyes and there was for the first time in a good while, stillness and silence. I quickly moved my hand and he quickly pushed me off and pulled his knees to his chest. 

"We gonna talk about what just happened?"

"No."

"Newt?"

"No."

"Did you-"

"Don't say anything love." 

"Do you have-"

"Don't!" He warned, 

"Newt?"

"... I uhhh i uhhhh I uhhh I'm really... sorry."

"For?"

"You know."

"I don't care."

"You don't?"

"No,"

"Uhhhhhh you uhhh you don't- Really?"

"I think it's cute," 

"Cute!"

"it's adorable to see you got so excited," 

"Ohhh uhhh well I uhhh yeah I uhhh I guess I did get a little excited."

"Ohh I felt it Newt you got very excited."

"I couldn't help it," he blushed, "Having you... running your hands all over me, and pinning me down, standing over me with your uhhh shirt so... uhhhh umm." He nodded, 

"Dirty little boy." 

"I didn't mean to! but you know... I've been here a long time love and you are our only girl... I - I can't help thinking like that sometimes."

"It's fine Newt I think it's adorable." I smiled kissing his cheek, 

"You're really not mad at me?"

"No of course not,"

"Thank you, Love,"

"It's fine, Little newtie can't help but get excited."

"He can't, not with you around." He blushed, "Little newt can't help but get excited when the lovely girly is around." 

"Very cute," I smiled kissing his cheek again, "but it's not saving you from tickles!" I smiled and jumped on him to tickle him again, tickling under his hoodie again,

"nooooooo!" he begged, "Noo please love!" He pleaded before he grabbed me and flipped us over so he was over me, 

"Hi,"

"Hi Love,"

"you're going to torture me aren't you?" I asked sheepishly 

"Maybe," he smiled but he leant down and kissed my lips with a sweet softness, he held my cheek gently, and stroked his thumb across my cheek, I kissed him back which only made him deepen our kiss till we each pulled away, "Whoa-"

"Ummm... maybe I should tickle you every day if that's how it ends."

"You don't have to tickle me to make me kiss you, love," he cooed closed the gap and kissed me again, I happily slid my hands up under his hoodie to stroke his chest as we kissed, his body began to slightly squirm on top of me as he pushed himself against me, he even moaned slightly into our kiss till I pulled back,

"I think little newtie is a little over-excited."

"I think so too." he gasped before he took my wrists in his hands, "If you're gonna have your hands on me, love, maybe move then... the other way?" he suggested as he gently guided my hands down, 

"You'd like that?" I asked as I wrapped my legs around his waist,

"mhm," He gulped as he nodded quickly and excitedly, 

"Well, how about we go back to my room?"

"Absolutely!" He yelped excitedly as he picked me up in his arms to all but carry me to my room with him. 

[skythealmighty]

Wheel, the Paranoid: An in-depth scene-by-scene character analysis

"We aren't so much angry as very, very worried." - The School of Life

TL;DR: Wheel is not as mean or as angry as he seems on the surface; in fact, he's decently logical, but also paranoid and often worried about things everyone else brushes off! He covers up his fear with anger, and doesn't actually hate anyone (though he does have a sort of rivalry with WWFT). He also has a penchant for fairness in most things, doesn't like killing, and probably feels guilty over Felt Container's elimination. Most importantly though, he's distrusted Clock since the beginning, holding firm in his belief that something about this was very off- and unfortunately for him, was only proven right after he was eliminated. All in all, he's a very interesting character overall, not just because of his elimination scene!

FAIR WARNING: The full analysis below the cut is over four thousand words. There's no content warnings, but it's very, very long without any pictures. Have fun lol

IT’S TIME FOR THE [1:00] - Who’s Jason??

1:30 - “I’m having a weird feeling about today, a feeling that… something’s going to happen. Something bad’s going to happen!”

Note the panicked expression, and the worried expression that follows when Felt Container brushes him off. His first instinct is to look at the sky, too- maybe that’s paranoia, but he was the first one to notice Clock. And sure, he’s a bit mean about it, but it feels like he’s genuinely trying to warn Felt Container about whatever’s coming.

1:59 - “AHHHH! WHAT IS THAT!”

Probably the most reasonable reaction to a being like Clock appearing out of nowhere. He also seems to try and maybe scare Clock away? 

2:11 - “WHO ARE YOU?!” “Ha! Hi. My name is C.L.O.C.K.: Thing That You Tell The Time ohhh wait my name is not an acronym.” “WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM US?”

Figuring out motives. He clearly doesn’t trust Clock immediately (good, but also furthers my earlier maybe-point about paranoia). Notice how he says “us” and not “me”, meaning he’s saying this for everyone (whether they would think to or not).

2:28 - “Okay, I’m in!” and 2:47 

In both of these instances, he’s the only one with a different expression from the rest. Narrowed eyebrows at the premise of a competition show (2:28), and disbelief (negative) at the prize (2:47). I don’t think he went “WOOOHOOOO” with everyone else- and he still clearly doesn’t trust Clock. Not yet.

3:06 - [The whole sequence leading up to the first intro]

I feel bad for him here; he looks genuinely afraid, especially when he gets closer to the ground. He still looks angry, but- well, he’s definitely more afraid than properly angry.

4:45 - “Dang, if only you were like a street lamp or crossing signal or something, would have had a cool team name idea for that.”

While No Way and 57 Ball are occupied with that conversation, Wheel looks offscreen. There’s no way of knowing where he’s looking, but from context clues, it would make a lot of sense if he was keeping an eye on Clock, given his immediate reaction to them. He only actually talks when it’s almost the very end of the time, and… it’s a BFB reference. I don’t know if this was a conscious decision by Wheel or just a reference for reference's sake, but it feels like he pulled the first thing that came to mind to pretend he was participating. (The nervous tone makes me think that he could be afraid of Clock doing something to him for not saying anything.)

6:47 - [Wheel pacing]

Okay, he says he’s doing the challenge here, but he’s more likely just panicking and saying he’s doing the challenge to cover that up. 

8:36 - “Team Earth! Where is your card?” “I KICKED IT!” “He kicked it.”

I’m probably reading into this way too much, but when he’s shaking (or vibrating intensely), it’s pretty clear that he really REALLY does NOT like Clock. (Either that or he’s hiding fear with anger.)

9:35 - “NOOO! That’s not fair, I demand that you host a second challenge, so that we can RIGHTFULLY see who-”

On the surface, this sounds like bratty whining, or nitpicking, but with the context of future episodes this could easily be read as Wheel being afraid of being UFE. After all, a wheel is random, and his team could be picked, even if they did the challenge. (This could also be read as proof for him actually caring a lot about fairness- more on that later.)

IT’S TIME FOR THE [2:00] - Best Source For Weather Information

0:30 - “I’m already out man… anyways, it says next up is Words With Friends Tile.” “LET’S GOOO!” “Wait a minute. H- HE DOESN’T HAVE ANY EYEESS!”

Very small and unserious moment, but another point to the “Wheel caring about fairness” chart. Someone without eyes could very easily win a staring contest, after all. (Of course then he gets into a fight with WWFT, but from the cartoon SFX and the blank stares afterward, this is probably lighthearted and maybe even a common occurrence.)

1:33 - “Yes!! I can’t wait to beat ALL OF YOU IN THE NEXT CHALLENGE!”

This sounds like a brag or a taunt (and in part it probably is), but after seeing this scene multiple times his expression seems over-dramatized… is that the word I’m looking for? Exaggerated. It’s likely he doesn’t actually mean it. (And then the intro sequence happens and he sounds equal parts nervous and annoyed at being picked up. It’s probably less surprising the second time.)

3:48 - “THERE’S NO MORE TEAMS! There’s no more teams!”

Unimportant detail but Wheel is glaring a bit at WWFT and then in the next scene glaring at him even harder (and vibrating in anger), probably because of the fight earlier. Silly little thing I wanna point out!

4:39 - “This doesn’t seem very fair…” “Sure it is!” “Oh okay!” “What.” “Well it ISN’T fair!! None of us even know how to DO the challenge!”

Another point for Wheel caring about fairness! Even when No Way blindly accepts Clock’s response to No Way’s point, Wheel challenges it in his friend’s (?) stead, and then points out another unfair aspect right afterwards. Of course, after his nitpick is fixed, he declares himself hyped for the challenge- this I believe easily, though, since he seems like the athletic type and likely finds this sort of thing cool.

5:15 - [Wheel, 57 Ball and Refill Station doing the challenge]

More proof to Wheel caring about rules- he doesn’t react to Refill Station at all, but he glares at 57 Ball when he sees him rolling on the rail instead of grinding with a board like the rest of them. 

7:14 - “Whuh!? One spot left??” [Vase shatters] “OUT OF MY WAY! HUFF HUFF HUFFF HUFF HUUAGHH I’m gonna make it!!” [Portal appears] “Huh?” “Yes! I’m out!” “WATCH OUT!”

Important moment, in my perspective. It furthers my theory of him being afraid of being UFE, since immediately after Clock mentions there’s only one spot left, he rushes forward recklessly enough to injure Vase. I’m not exactly sure if he really meant to do that, though, because he tries to warn Green before a scenario that’s sure to (and did) kill him. That’s his first kill, actually, if I remember correctly- despite him seeming mean, it’s clear he’s not the antagonist he pretends he is.

IT’S TIME FOR THE [3:00] - Next

0:58 - “Welcome back Pool Ball, Orange and Tire-” “DON’T CALL ME THAT!” “Okay!” “Wait last ti- huhhh???” “We lost the challenge, genius, I’m getting pretty used to this already.” “YOU… you’re the reason I LOST THE CHA-”

It’s not just me, right? Wheel seems extremely high-strung here- yelling immediately after only one minor button was pressed (Clock using the wrong name). From experience with my brother, I can see this being caused by one of two reasons- either he’s overwhelmed, or he’s guilty… or both. After all, he’s up for elimination, and he just accidentally killed someone. He actually seems to be mildly shocked at Green until Green snarks at him, which is when he snaps at him and accuses him of making him lose. I don’t think he actually blames Green- this feels more like a knee-jerk reaction.

1:20 - “GO AHEAD, DO IT!! JUST DO IT ALR-”

He’s definitely used to the intro sequence and hates it, but this feels like a massive overreaction- adding to my theory of him being on edge. He snaps at Green with a threat when he slams him into the ground a few times (maybe as revenge for Wheel killing him) and laughs at him, probably because Green is exacerbating the situation and adding to his stress.

2:11 - “Luck?? LUCK? I DON’T NEED LUCK!”

If I could guess what he would say next, it would be: “I NEED TO BE SAFE!” Uh… that’s my only comment for this bit, other than yep, I still think he’s tense.

3:09 - “You almost killed me, how did you get so many votes?!” “And I’ll do it again if it means people like me!!”

To be blunt, this feels almost like a confession. I don’t think he’s talking about his fellow contestants here, he’s talking about the voters- he needs their favoritism to be safe from elimination, and he’s willing to go pretty far for that. The game is picking up, the stakes are getting higher, and things are getting more intense. I don’t think he dislikes Vase or has anything against her, he’s just being honest. He also seems to be getting more into the game now, his competitive nature arising- despite his distrust towards Clock, he’s far more willing to play their game now that he’s won a few challenges.

5:31 - [Wheel getting water from Refill Station, then getting scared by Clock] “Water bubbler is NOT allowed, that’d be way too easy!” “Wait, what’d you just call me??” “You just SAID ‘get you a cup of water’.” “Yeah, it’s supposed to be a challenge, go on and-” “Hey, I have a cup of water for you Clock.” “...YES!!”

This is a long quote, but all of it is needed for the context. Wheel is taking the easy route here, rushing ahead of everyone else to do so before they think of it- he cares about fairness, but at the time of him getting the water, Clock hadn’t said it was against the rules yet. He’s sort of exploiting a loophole- which fits his admission earlier about being willing to do whatever to keep the audience on his side, just in this case pertaining to his willingness to take the easy route so he can be safe as fast as possible. (Also, his confident “heh, too easy” afterwards feels to me more like an expression of relief than a brag, but it is kind of both.)

6:12 - “Are you sure? It seems like people are already on their way to that lake over there, we gotta be quick.”

Wheel only has a very short (and easily missable) appearance here, but even though he’s safe, he’s keeping an eye on the game rather than relaxing elsewhere. This will be brought up soon.

6:48 - “I’ll be taking this!!”

Honestly, this whole sequence confused me a lot at first, kind of contradicting most of the assumptions I made about Wheel from 1:00 and 2:00. After a lot of consideration, though, I think I’ve come to a reasonable enough theory: he could have made this decision by taking inspiration from Snowball, who he’s quoted before and kind of tries to take after in terms of gameplay. After all, Snowball made it surprisingly far acting this way, and he does not want to be eliminated. This theory depends on whether or not BFDI as a franchise exists in ITFT’s world, though. (There are other theories I have, but they don’t hold a lot of water. This scene still kind of confuses me.)

IT’S TIME FOR THE [4:00] - Do NOT Use The Popcorn Button

1:02 - [Wheel revived] “...youuu don’t have anything to say this time?” [ `,:[ ] “Hm…”

It’s official, he’s used to (and REALLY tired of) the intro sequence. Also, the last few times he actually said anything before the intro, it didn’t exactly help his case, so he might as well just let it happen. He’s definitely not happy about it, though.

1:39 - “One two three four… I thought I put four of you up for elimination this time!”

His expressions here… sorry I don’t have anything to say it’s just. Boy why you so ò៱ó

1:59 - “I shouldn’t BE HERE, I didn’t even lose the last challenge!!” “Why don’t you just… leave then?” “You don’t WANT me here?” “No! No, I didn’t say tha-”

This feels like half catastrophizing and half playing into the Snowball role (as per my earlier theory). He doesn’t want to be at the elimination area, but he doesn’t want to be told to go away, either. Furthermore, I think his frustration here was aimed at Clock, not any of the others, but he had a knee-jerk reaction when No Way interrupted what might have turned out to be a rant.

2:07 - “You’re a loser brah-” “YOU’RE A LOSERRrrrr for the sake of my safety, I will try to use, nicer words.” “...okay?” [PUNT]

I’m not exactly sure how much beef Wheel has with WWFT, but it definitely feels like an ongoing thing- maybe a rivalry or something similar. He was very quick to fight him even before he started acting meaner, after all- and that at least explains him punting WWFT. As for the “for the sake of my safety” part, after a second glance, it’s likely he means safety during elimination, seeing as he looks directly at the camera (fourth wall?) right after he says this. (It seems, to me, that he already assumes he’s going to be up for elimination, and in danger because of this.)

3:54 - “Wellllll next safe is Wheel!! With 0 votes!” “...you’re… serious..?”

Okay this isn’t important at all but it’s really silly. I just wanted to put it here

4:02 - “NO! Let me do the rest of them, you don’t know what you’re doing!”

The thing about this is, he’s right. I have no way of knowing if he’s just trying to insult Clock here or something else, but I feel like this has a double meaning. Clock doesn’t know what they’re doing, and Wheel is aware of this- possibly because of previous eliminations- and his point is proven later by Clock quite literally admitting they don’t know what happens with the eliminated contestants as Green is turned into a radio. (Also, him calling WWFT “Words With STUPID Tile” is pretty funny, and a point towards the two of them having some sort of rivalry?)

5:18 - “Wheel, I think you permanently killed Polka Dot.” “Okayy, wasn’t me- no, really! It was Vase!”

Part of this feels like him defending himself in front of the viewers (plus it almost looks like he’s looking at the camera at 5:23), and the other part feels like he’s defending himself to everyone else, particularly No Way, maybe because the two of them have so far a neutral/positive relationship. Besides, he’s right- Vase was the one who had the idea for the Sun to shoot fireballs at Wheel and the cloud, even if Wheel did cause the cloud thing in the first place. He’s not the one who killed everyone through that.

6:00 - “Here are your teams for this challenge! And only this challenge!!” “Wow, uneven teams again? Huh.”

Another point for Wheel and WWFT having a rivalry- as soon as it’s confirmed that they’re on the same team, Wheel glares at WWFT with balled fists. Also, unlike in [1:00], Wheel no longer has an angry expression in the zoom-out- he does look mildly upset, but it’s more like he’s resigned, almost. He’s getting used to the game and Clock.

6:13 - “Can we name our teams??” “NO!” [ :( ] “...whatever, fine-”

I’m not sure exactly why he immediately says “no” (it could be for a multitude of reasons- playing into the Snowball act, or maybe it’s because he’s aware that the teams will only last for one episode), but the backtracking after Refill Station looks sad doesn’t feel as begrudging as it might seem- he plays the mean act, but he clearly feels a little bad about making RF sad. (I hate to compare this to the tsundere trope but honestly… this is a very tsundere thing to do. You know I’m right.)

6:44 - “WHAT IS THAT?!” “Yo, I think that’s Polka Dot!” “Oh hello Polka Dot!!” “Chill, chill, wait waitwaitwaitwaAAAAAAAAA-”

It’s the exact same panic that Wheel had upon Clock suddenly appearing, down to the words! The difference is, he doesn’t seem to try and hide that panic here, expression genuinely afraid as he looks between WWFT and Refill Station (neither of whom are panicking), and his default angry expression (the same one when he was dropped before the first intro) only returns when the polka dot void starts to spin them around. Once again, he’s worried when no one else is, just like in [1:00]. (It almost feels like his panic is exaserbated by the fact that he’s the only one panicking- they should be worried, why are they just accepting this?)

6:54 - “Come on guys, do the challenge!” “DON’T YOU THINK WE SHOULD SORT THIS OUT?!” “Nooo, no it’s fine!” “!lennahc eht egnahC !lennahc eht egnahC !LENNAHC EHT EGNAHC” “Actually, nevermind, uhh… yeah, let’s… let’s do the challenge. GO!”

Proving my last point, he immediately points out that yeah, maybe they should do something about the weird thing that just appeared; looking frustrated when Refill Station brushes him off, similar to when Felt Container brushed him off in [1:00]. He’s not so much angry as he is worried and frustrated that nobody seems to be validating his worry. However, when the polka dot void starts acting weird and speaking in reverse, he begins to look afraid again and starts trying to get Refill Station away from it. Though he’s clearly still a bit upset that no one’s doing anything about it, he realizes that it’s dangerous and then tries to protect himself (and others) by picking his battles and getting his current teammate away from the danger. Once again, it’s clear he’s not the antagonist he sometimes pretends to be- why would he do this if he didn’t care?

7:37 - “I mean we have so many loaves of bread, we could just mash all of em together into a nice bread structure, what do you guys think?” “Yeah!” “SIIIKE! AHAHAHAHA-”

This daydream seems kind of significant to me because of the people he’s thinking of in it- Polka Dot, Green, and Felt Container. Polka Dot is currently missing, and he was just recently accused of permanently killing her (also, the polka dot void could have reminded him of her); Green is someone he accidentally killed in [2:00], despite him trying to warn him; and finally, Felt Container is the first person he went to when he felt that something was off in [1:00], and who was eliminated the next episode. Given the pattern of Polka Dot and Green being people he had a hand in killing, this could mean he feels he’s at fault for Felt Container being eliminated and assumedly killed. (In fact, he could have even seen that elimination, but there’s no way of knowing if he did or didn’t.) Something, something, survivor’s guilt…

8:39 - “Oh, it’s you again. You trying to steal our idea??? Huh?? HM?!” “Bro, chill out. It’s literally Polka Dot.” “Oh YEAH?? Well, can you explain what THIS is??”

First, he doesn’t seem particularly enthused that they’re all back by the polka dot void, especially since earlier he was trying to get Refill Station away from it. Him ‘accusing’ the polka dot void feels kind of just like a silly joke, but it could also be him proving he’s not afraid of it or something- either way, though, he clearly doesn’t believe that it’s Polka Dot. (He also looks afraid/shocked when Polka Dot shows up in the thought bubble, a similar shock to when he first saw Green after he died. Just pointing that out.)

9:11 - “GUYS! I figured out what we can do!! We can combine all of our ideas!”

It feels like he’s somewhat abandoned the Snowball route by now- and also, he looks almost genuinely excited (or maybe proud) when he suggests this. Maybe he’s just excited that he’s sure his idea will win them the challenge, but to me it feels like he’s happy he realized a solution that could include all of the team. (He definitely cares.)

10:10 - “Didn’t you say this WASN’T a cooking challenge?” “This is nowww a cooking challenge!” 

Yet another point to Wheel caring about fairness- he immediately points out Clock contradicting what they said about the challenge when it was announced, because it now suddenly being a cooking challenge is unfair.

10:38 - “TRUST me Clock! I’ve had it, it’s very good. Yep! …ehh, actually, that can stay right there.”

He’s hyping up his team’s creation, or at least trying to, to possibly give them a better chance at winning the challenge. This could just be for his own sake, but I’m willing to believe it’s for the whole team’s sake too. (He definitely doesn’t want to be up for elimination, though.)

10:54 - “Vote for one of the members of eeuughhh-”

Pay attention to Wheel’s expressions here. Immediately, he first looks nervous on first showing up on the elimination screen. Then, he looks surprised and then mildly suspicious of Clock being there, followed by slightly startling at Clock disappearing from the spot he was looking at. He looks at Polka Dot a little sadly, and then at the screen, worried but resigned. To me, this mainly feels like he’s nervous about his fate at the hands of the viewers (though honestly, he has been this whole episode), but also guilty at possibly killing Polka Dot from the look he gives her- or sympathetic to her mild panic, since she seems to silently apologize for appearing to squish Clock. (I’m not wholly sure why in between those, he gives Clock such a distrusting squint- at least not specifically, since I stand by the fact that he’s been distrusting of the host since the beginning.) Whatever the case, this whole sequence says a lot about Wheel to me, even if it’s just from his expressions.

IT’S TIME FOR THE [5:00] - Fifty-Seven Tears Of The Star

0:56 - “Speaking of the elimination… I think… I wouldn’t mind, a bit of a delay?” “Oh, you scared or somethin’?” “NO, no, I just think… we should look for Tile!” […] “NO, YOU’RE JUST SAYING THAT ‘CAUSE YOU’RE SAFE!!” […] “Know what? SHUT UP! Y- y- man- I’m- I’ma do my own thing.”

That’s pretty clearly a boldfaced lie. He’s been afraid of being eliminated from the start, and especially last episode. I don’t even need to analyze this deeply at all- it’s clear to everyone, even the other contestants, that he’s lying. He just doesn’t want to seem scared, so he covers it up with anger. This has been a pattern since [1:00]; it’s just much more obvious now.

2:48 - “RRRAAH I hate those guys, I hate the GRASS, I hate the SKY, I hate the AIR, I hate the TIME- oh… hm.” “You hate what?” “YOU.” “You… hate me?” “YES. …here we go again.”

Notice how fast he’s speaking in the beginning. To me, it sounds like rambling for the sake of rambling- he’s frustrated and afraid, and he doesn’t know how to get it out properly, so he does this mini-tantrum. I don’t think he means most of what he says there- when kids react like this, they often don’t either- but I do think he means it when he says it to Clock. He’s never liked Clock, this is just the first time he’s openly saying it.

3:10 - “Oh my, please be sure to watch where you’re bouncing, you could have hurt somebody!” “WHO IS THAT-”

Well, isn’t this familiar? This is the same reaction he’s had to Clock- just less intense. This could indicate that he’s not just untrusting of Clock in particular, he’s wary of all strangers. Unsurprising, considering what I’ve analyzed already, but still worth noting. I could also be reading into this too far and he’s just confused, though. (Also, WWFT does an L dance at Wheel, that’s hilarious.)

3:40 - “EXPLAIN. NOW.” “I don’t know anything about that!” “CLOCK.”

As far as I can tell, he’s confused, so he wants answers and goes to the nearest person he can trust (No Way) and then to the host, who probably SHOULD know the answer. It’s not clear whether this is from distrust of Well, or just him panicking, but honestly it could be both.

4:06 - “Oh nonono end this nightmare, one Clock is ENOUGH!”

Okay, well, this is really funny, but also adds on to the fact that Wheel does not like Clock at all. He even sounds a little afraid here- which could be partly because it’s the elimination and he’s just generally nervous, though it would make sense if after all that’s happened he did fear Clock.

5:20 - “[Not like you’ll be around to hear more, bruh, you’re just kinda stupid, like. Overall.]”

At first, I thought this might have been a flashback of things he’d heard before, but more likely WWFT is saying these things in real-time and Wheel is just halfway tuning it out. (This confirms that WWFT and Wheel have a negative relationship, at least.) As for why he’s tuning it out, he seems sort of… pensive, almost. Lamenting. He knows he’s going to be eliminated (he has for a couple hours, at this point), he just kind of doesn’t want to hear it from somebody he clearly dislikes. It’s also possible he’s worrying about what will happen to him. (He could also be thinking about what WWFT just said earlier about 57, but that’s less likely.)

5:32 - “One… one… one, wh- NO-!” “AaaaAAA any final words, Wheel?” “I’m so mad at ALL OF YOU I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU MADE ME LOSE THE CHALLENGE!”

And here it is, the moment he knew was coming. He’s panicked, now, and doesn’t try to hide it, before reacting in the easiest way he knows how- blame, anger. He’s scared, and lashes out because of it, possibly falling back into the Snowball strategy on instinct. He still doesn’t mean any of it, though, as proven by what happens next:

5:43 - “Okay… I… do have a few final words, actually. The Sun, keep doing what you’re doing, you could be an absolute challenge BEAST!” “Thank you!” “Refill Station, you really just need to calm down sometimes.” “Oh my, I love this place, I love the grass, I love the sky! I love the- NEW FRIENDS!!” “What is even happening?” “You are the FINAL member left on our original team and I want you to know that I wish you luck!” “Oh! Thanks…”

This? He means this. This isn’t just him talking to team members, either- he’d never been teamed with the Sun. To the Sun, he encourages, to Refill Station, he gives advice, and to No Way, he wishes luck. In fact, I even think he had more to say, Clock just interrupted him! He cares, and though he’s used to being the mean one, he wants to make sure the people he likes know this before he’s gone, even if it ruins his image. (After all, he won’t get another chance to.) In this moment, he’s letting himself be vulnerable- something he hasn’t done since the start, and maybe even since before then- and it’s important. This is the crown of his arc. This is who Wheel really is behind all the anger and fear. (It’s just a little sad that he only feels like he can and has to do this when he has no time left.)

6:07 - “So… what now?”

The end. He’s hurting, and terrified, and yet his default response is a furrowed brow- he hides his fear with an angry expression. Even at the very end, he kicks and fights and bares his teeth. (No Way and Refill Station look distraught while they have to watch. No Way even reaches out to him, as if to help.) With everything we know now, this is honestly heartbreaking, but at least I can say his last actions proved my point:

Wheel wasn’t mean or evil. He was scared. And he had every right to be.

Thanks for reading!

[tossawary]

So, I don't really like the characterizations in this "Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire" novel. They're serviceable for the most part? They're mostly fine. There hasn't been a "yeah!!! THAT'S the character I know and love!!!" moment so far for me, but there have been a few "ohhh nooo, HARD disagree on this characterization choice" moments. This following passage from Leia's POV is one of the paragraphs that wrinkled my nose the most with its baseline heteronormativity / amatonormativity / sexism:

(CONTEXT: Leia and Luke are on the Falcon with Lando, Chewie, R2-D2, and C-3PO, on their way to try and get Han back from Boba Fett, who has not yet delivered Han to Jabba the Hutt. Luke and Leia had actually separated after the events of Ep5, briefly, so that Leia could try to track Boba Fett and Luke could build himself a new lightsaber, but they have met up again for this mission.)

"She turned and watched Luke as he cleared the micrometeor dust from Artoo. Luke wanted to rescue Han as much as she did. Which was interesting, given that she'd felt the competition from them for her attention. A lesser man than Luke might take advantage of a rival's absence, but so far he had not. That was the thing about Luke. He wanted to win, but he wanted to win fairly." (pg55)

I don't like this. At all.

Where to start? I resent the fact that this is a thought being put into Leia's head as a character. A lot of Leia's thoughts in this novel are too focused on weighing the men around her as romantic partners for my taste, though this is partially because the book keeps having them hit on her. Like, yeah, she's thinking about Han all the time because she loves him and they're trying to rescue him from Boba Fett, but I feel the text could be flavored more with her also occasionally thinking about the loss of Alderaan or her career in the Imperial Senate or her work for the Rebellion, anything to remind us that Leia as a female character has a lot more going on in her life and past besides her male love interest(s).

"Luke wanted to rescue Han as much as she did. Which was interesting, given that she'd felt the competition from them for her attention."

Leia thinking it's "interesting" that Luke wants to rescue Han is a weird fucking choice. Luke and Han have been friends for a couple years at this point, working in the Rebellion together. They're FRIENDS. In the films, Han saves Luke's life once during the Death Star run in "A New Hope" and then again on Hoth in "Empire Strikes Back", so Luke also owes Han a couple life debts. Han was also only targeted and captured by Darth Vader because Vader was after Luke, so Luke is likely to feel partially responsible for Han's capture and wants to fix it. Of course he wants to rescue Han.

"A lesser man than Luke might take advantage of a rival's absence, but so far he had not."

Like, I understand that this is Leia thinking that Luke is DIFFERENT compared to other guys; this passage isn't suggesting that Luke Skywalker would ever leave a friend behind due to something as selfish romantic jealousy. Leia is thinking poorly of OTHER MEN not known to us, sure. But the fact that this is Leia's POV means that it's LEIA noticing again RIGHT NOW, years into their friendship, that Luke is a Nice Guy, and it just contributes to the problematic pattern of having Leia always weighing the men around her romantically. The particular timing of this passage makes it feel like Leia IS a little surprised here and now that Luke would weigh friendship over trying to "win" her attention away from a "rival", and that's a shitty thing to have Leia think at all about Luke and the other men in her life.

Leia's surprise implies to me that, while Luke was getting his robotic hand, they never had a normal fucking conversation about what had happened to Han and what they wanted to do about it. Like, framing him as a "competitor" suggests to me that she doesn't know Luke fairly well by now? Luke and Leia are ALSO FRIENDS, in my mind, but the poisonous "men and women can't ever be friends" mindset is insidious. If I was writing fanfiction here, the recovery post-Ep5 would be the perfect point to have a scene of Luke and Leia grieving together, even if they don't actually talk about it, so it's weird to me that that didn't apparently happen. Like, sure, maybe neither of them had a full emotional breakdown and talked about all of their feelings for hours, fine, they don't know they're siblings yet and their feelings for each other are weird, but I don't think it's OOC for Luke to have said something like, "This is my fault. Han saved my life and I owe him. Leia, we'll get our friend back, I promise."

Like, damn, just let them be friends. Friends who have confusing Force feelings about each other sometimes, sure, but still friends first and foremost rather than "woman" and "suitor". The way that Luke and Leia act in "Return of the Jedi" always suggested to me that Leia had flat-out told Luke by then that she's in love with Han and Luke was cool with it; honesty cutting through any more potential love triangle nonsense. There's no "competition" anymore!

"That was the thing about Luke. He wanted to win, but he wanted to win fairly."

Again, I DO NOT like Leia framing herself as something to be "won" at all. Gross. This is just... a weird thing for anyone to think to me, especially Leia, who has a thousand other things to think about in the fight against the Empire besides love. If Leia didn't come up with this thought on her own, then someone else must have said it or something like it, and I really don't like the idea that it might have been Luke, who ALSO has a thousand other things to think about in the fight against the Empire. I don't like this characterization.

Of course, this is one small passage, not written with bad intentions, and I can admit that I am not reading it with generosity. But the way Leia's POV scenes up until this point have largely prioritized potential romantic connections as the central thing she's thinking about has been really annoying, and this passage is where that pattern gets concentrated into something even more direct, so it annoys me even more than it might have on its own. I do kind of enjoy that most SW relationships are a hot, confusing, poorly defined mess on a good day; their lives suck a lot of the time. I do not need the story to be purely about THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP where no one is motivated by romantic love.

But I do wish I could ban anyone writing Leia's POV from ever having her think about the men around her as "rivals" for her attention. No. Bad. There's a fucking war on. Her parents are dead and planet is gone. Give her A SECOND THING to think about besides love, please, since apparently it's too much to ask SW that Leia (or Padmé after her) is regularly given another female character to talk to.

[romsabombs]

it's that time of the month again guys!

Malevolent part 47 The Hand live notes!!!

AMAZON AD👹 ANOTHER AD ANOTHER AD ANOTHER AD CAN WE JUST START THE EPISODE

FINALLY!!! um whats happening

are their asses still wandering aimlessly

six hours bruh 💀

a cage :/???

a what

a crime! no doubt!🤓

HAHA HE HAS THE PLAGUE i said yesterday That man probably has every disease by now

hes gonna die so bad guys hes a sick victorian child

ohhh john please carry me to the garden so i may see- um Hear the flowers one last time🤒

his sickness😟 i cant believe our actions have consequences

theyre ganging up on yorick😭

HAHA hes fine Physically me asf

"indescribable horrors" that doesnt stop john from describing every horror in immense detail

"we both have" im sorry john did you get stabbed like eight times🙄 this aint about you

💀he folded💀

HAHA so he wasnt lying damn😭 I KNEW IT blud was so ready to kill more children

john defending his comfort character

😟Sold Your Soul😟

"i offered myself to it" gayass

this speech goes so hard actually

NEW MUSIC NEW MUSIC

omg it sounds more hopeful now :((

aw he thanked arthur :)

god damn it yorick🙄

WHAT does the corpse have the hand

i mean they did pinky promise

HIS EYE 😦😦

loose enough to pry with ur fingers😨

yorick is building frankensteins monster i fear

MALEVOLENCE MENTIONED NO WAY NO WAYYYYYY NORWAY IS THIS WHY THE SHOW IS NAMED THIS

can yorick lie is that a thing😟😟😟

come on arthur you were a boyscout u can climb this easily

"the pole is wood" just like mine haha🙏🙏🙏🙏

theyre gonna start a forest fire😶

just throw something at it guys idk

omg a pin‼️ throw something at it!!

"excellent hypothesis my king🤓" "JOHN👹" "right!!🤓"

THEYRE GONNA THROW A ROCK YEAAAAA💥💥💥💥

hows he gonna throw when hes blind

why is he so good at throwing wtf

i guess we cant stay here throwing rocks for the entire episode

ALEXANDER :333

EUHGHH😟😟😟😟😟

DONT THROW ROCKS AT BIRDS THATS HOW THE HORRORS HAPPEN

maybe alexander isnt evil n hes just trying to protect us idk🤕

"i was never much for athletics" we can tell

theres gotta be a theme this season and its gotta be Children or Childhood or something

"if they could see me now" mmmm

WHAT IS THAAATT HUHHH

😨😨😨😨

WHAT IS THATTTTTTT WHAGAAT

maybe its just a freaky bird

hes so good at falling down holes

WHAT HAHA WE CANT RN😭😭

😦ERM? YORICK???????

KELLIN MENTIONED big day for gay people 🙏🙏

so was yorick always evil orrrr coz he said My King instead of john and yorick has called him john before

guys i think alexander might be the Not Evil one here

hand of malevolence would go so hard as like a window decoration

ur telling me john knew what a Hand of Malevolence was and didnt link it to the dark world

NOOO DUMBASS

ummm 😟 whats all this then

YORICK :3333 HIIII :3

what 😀

"john" :3

HAHA what is going on bruh

OMG WHAGT 😃😃😃 thats banger

"thank you i think"

:(( aw alexander IS evil :((((((

she? 🤕

OHHH IS IT LILITH IS IT LILITH PLS LILITH PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

lilith and kayne are having a custody battle over them funny as hell

OHHH she was in the portal

TEEHEE WE'RE HER FAVORITE :33

dont confront her i feel

but theyre BOTH terrible at lying🤕

they're cooked i fear

hes DYING😟😟😟😟😟😟

An Owl Being Strange

flies are insects darling

they finally appreciate yorick :)

john we dont have time for this omg

HAHA silly asf

they have a safeword now

harlan's really making us work for it like im gonna forget this if they dont point it out

the candle has been running out for hours fr

nooo :( r we approaching the ending

how do we still have like 15 minutes left

HAHA this is so funny theyre roleplaying

theyre yes-and'ing like theatre kids

i mean i bet she noticed yall were gone for a solid 15 minutes

so is the king in yellow just not a threat anymore like did we defeat him i forgot

are we in an alternate universe then

i know far too much!🤓☝️

arthur caught the decima virus i fear

STOP COUGHING im so worried

arthur needs his vaccines fr

is he gonna faint

"and if i am sick-" "you are😐"

OH the ring

hes really gonna go over there and spread his plague around 🙄

i feel like arthur wont even make it to the castle🤒

he coughs like a dad

"lean on me" maybe if you had a physical form😐

oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck

we just have to wing it i guess

its WHAT😨

what is going on man 😟

UM😦🤕

WHAAT THATS IT? wtf

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

s4 episode 20 thoughts

(author's note: this review is going to mention rape and reproductive coercion at the end, as it is a plot point. just a head's up in case you forgot what goes down in this episode. no hard feelings at all if you skip this writeup, but i will have an attempt to summarize my thoughts on the matter at the end, and why i felt Uncomfy)

but now we go back to me from yesterday, who did not know what was in store… take it away, past juni:

i’m really excited!! i’ve heard this one is more light hearted, which i have been looking forward to immensely. 

reading the description. tracking a shapeshifter sounds like a real headache.

let us not delay any longer!!

oh god, are we gonna open with someone giving birth? yes, we are.

nooo this poor woman, ms. nelligan, has to answer questions while in labor… please do not tell me this happens in real life!!!!

she can’t seem to give info on the baby’s father. interesting. oh! he’s from another planet. well! i guess there’s someone for everyone.

ohhh she is screaming. good lord. this is… giving birth is… it’s just… a lot.

but something seems to be wrong with the baby? the doctor is surprised when it emerges. well, maybe she has tentacles.

the baby is screaming which i think is a good thing for babies to do. but omg she has a tail!!!

“good lord, not another one” <- HEY WHAT DOES THAT MEAN??

is this hospital plagued by an alien fuckboy and his countless babies…? a nick cannon of the alien world, if you will…?

well the tail isn’t TOO bad, all things considered!!! i was thinking it would be tentacles. tail is actually kinda cool. maybe they can climb trees better, like a monkey or a squirrel.

hey the intro was different!! different from the USUAL different intro!!

“MONKEY BABIES INVADE SMALL TOWN” JHXJSHDJSJ THAT IS THE SHOT WE OPEN WITH??? (at least mulder is aware of how outrageous the imagery is)

the tabloid also says “michael jackson held captive by exotic pets” lmaoooo mulder only gets his news from the most REPUTABLE of sources!!!

scully is describing babies born with bonus appendages in such detail that i’m wondering if she’s dealt with them before or just had a hell of a time studying in med school. and she is so beautiful, even as she says words like “coccyx” and “spinal fluid”

FIVE tailed babies were born in the last 3 months, all in a small town. something must be in the water!!! or a philandering alien baby daddy!!

she says that there definitely needs to be some sort of investigation… but by the health department, and not them. which is fair. unless the health department is compromised!!! by aliens!!!

LMAOOO scully points out the “visitors from outer space” tagline on the tabloid interesting him and he smirks... yes, he did not just wake up one day deeply invested in neonatal healthcare. there has to be a UFO involved.

mulder is here with the mother who gave birth to the latest tailed baby, ms. nelligan. she says that the baby is healthy, “it’s just a matter of a snip” to which he responds “that’s good to hear” and i think he’s being genuine and is glad that the baby is okay, but i’m just dying at having to hear about someone snipping their baby’s tail off being part of mulder’s job. this is what they prepped these two for at the academy.

mulder is questioning ms. nelligan very gently and it turns out the father of said baby is NOT an alien, but he IS from another planet. and his name is luke skywalker. 

“did he have a lightsaber?” scully asks. “no, he didn’t bring it” (incredibly pained mulder shots) LMAOOOOO

hold on, i need a minute. she just asked if luke is the father of the other babies. scully is doing her absolute best to hold it together.

cutscene to mulder looking at the tailed baby in the window, but it kinda just looks like he’s here to pick up HIS tailed baby, and aww. give him a little tailed baby!!!

ohhh he was too scared to follow her into the room!!! 

the nurse explains that the answer seems very obvious but mulder doesn’t know wtf is going on and whispers “what answer” LMAOOO (i always love when he doesn’t know wtf is going on)

so did one guy with the same genetic abnormality father all the tailed babies??

ohhhhhh and mulder puts together that 4 of the 5 women were all receiving fertility treatment!!! is this doctor gonna go to jail??? because that seems illegal. 

ohhhhhhh there is an ANGRY crowd here at the doctor’s office and they WANT answers. 

these people follow some strange rules. having a baby with a tail = acceptable.

a bastard baby with a tail = CANNOT BE ALLOWED!!!

the latest mother didn’t even undergo insemination, so the doctor proposes that this has actually NOTHING to do with him!! he got off the hook with that one.

at the clinic, mulder is on the prowl. he finds some guy fixing the pipes. WITH WHAT LOOKS LIKE A TAIL REMOVAL SCAR!!!

and when he tries to ask some question this guy BOLTS!! but you cannot outrun mulder!!!

and GASP!!! this guy (eddie) IS THE FATHER!! of all the babies!!! he’s bitching about spelling his name wrong… bro you have bigger issues at hand. ur child support bill is going to be crazy.

he’s saying that it isn’t actually a crime, but they want to know how none of the women remember this happening!!! omg did he shapeshift into the form of the husband??!!

hey man i do actually think that is a crime <3 impersonation of someone’s husband def counts as rape because they did not consent to sex with eddie, they consented to sex with their husbands <3 if he actually did shapeshift as it seems to be leading to <3 please go to jail <3

“well if you’re waiting for my usual theory as to what’s going on, i don’t have one” says mulder <- LMAOOO nothing better than a guy who admits when he has no fucking clue

scully thinks he assaulted them (and she’s right- kinda shocked no one else came to that conclusion???) mulder asks how this could have happened if they’d never seen the guy before. but it’s enough to keep him in custody. and while this discussion takes place, the creepy eddie is watching him!!! please get him out of here.

he’s really looking at the cop who is writing up his profile… and then he shapeshifts into him!!! and knocks him out cold!!!

scully is at the scene the next day trying to figure wtf is going on and mulder rings the bell with a smile to summon her over HAHAHA awww she’s smiling at his antics <3

they find eddie’s clothes in the station, and when scully predicts that he’s about to say eddie must have transformed into his captor and knocked him out, mulder says “scully, should we be picking out china patterns or what?” <- LMAOOOO yes pls update the wedding registry!! i’ll chip in what i can

god why are they both so attractive. i’m gonna scream.

he points out that they have both seen shapeshifters before- and she asks if this means he thinks eddie is an alien.

oh, we never DO get an explanation into scully’s conceptualization of the shapeshifting aliens!!! man, i would love to ask her about that. maybe she thinks they can somehow alter your vision?? we need to chat about it.

i wonder if aliens aren’t off the table for her, at least anymore. maybe at this point some aliens are real but werewolves and stuff are just nonsense. 

so, off to eddie’s house. “hey scully, if you could be someone else for a day, who would you be?” “hopefully myself” “so boring” AWWW DON’T BE MEAN TO HER :( she is a great person to be!!!

AWWW SHE’S HOLDING THE UMBRELLA UP FOR HIM STOP… and he’s STILL TOO TALL so he’s hunched over 😭😭😭

is eddie going to turn into her… is this foreshadowing…

(author’s note: IT WAS FORESHADOWING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION!!)

AWWW she settles on eleanor roosevelt (nerd! bisexual) and mulder says it can’t be a dead person BRO YOU DIDN’T EVEN SAY THAT THE FIRST TIME AROUND!! you can’t just change the rules like that smh…

ohhhh they find eddie’s dad!! and he has posters on his wall of him as “eddie the monkey man”! well good for him. make a living.

HDHSJDHDJ EDDIE SR ASKS IF THEY WANT TO SEE HIS TAIL AND SCULLY SAYS “NO. NO. NO THANK YOU” JUST AS WE HEAR UNZIPPING 

mulder looks a little bummed he will not see the tail

aww, he looks so dejected…. eddir sr says his son was begging him to remove the tail when he was a kid

and he said without the tail, his son was just small potatoes!!! haha you said the episode name

OHHHH he calls mulder by his name… and he says how tf did you know that?? eddie sr claims scully told him and he says “mm, no, actually i didn’t” LMAOOO CATCH HIS ASS IN A LIE!!

ah. so he must be the eddie jr DISGUISED as eddie sr. 

and he BOLTS!!! mulder is off to the races again, but eddie gets away

mulder and scully get sososososo close and i’m thinking omfg… then he USES HER AS A COAT RACK FOR THE BATHROBE EDDIE DROPPED BAHAHA THAT IS EVIL

ohhhh eddie runs home to one of the mothers whose baby has had tail surgery while disguised as her husband!!! and in the bathroom he turns back into himself. hmm. this would displease me greatly, finding my husband turned into a different guy.

back at eddie’s place, mulder knocks a bunch of stuff over and it clatters and he yells “I’M ALRIGHT”, but scully is downstairs and can’t really hear so she just goes “what?” and he does this annoyed little huff LMAOOO

he finds a bunch of quicklime in the ceiling…. that is being used to MUMMIFY a CORPSE????? with a tail…. REAL EDDIE SR???

back at the mother’s house, her REAL husband just came home, and is approaching where eddie is in the bathroom…… omfg…. they see someone in there. 

HE TURNS INTO MULDER???? JUMPSCARE!!!!!!!!

scully has the mummy in the lab and is sawing into him. there’s quicklime everywhere so when mulder comes in he covers his coffee LMAOOO i thought that detail was so funny

hard to tell what killed the mummy. “as far as i can tell, this man has a thin stratum of voluntary muscle tissue underpinning the entire dermal layer of his skin” <- now you might have to explain that one for the humanities girls in the audience 

“and thankfully, it’s preserved and intact” she says, as mulder snaps his foot off LMAOOOO HE’S ASKING QUESTIONS TO DISTRACT HER WHILE HE TRIES TO STICK IT BACK ON

HE JUST SETS IT BACK ON TOP OF THE LEG LMAOOOOO while proposing that maybe all that extra muscle could be used to remold his skin which is a BOLD hypothesis 

he hurries out the door before the foot falls off and then when it does she is SO baffled

back to ms. nelligan (luke skywalker lady). mulder pulls out a photo of eddie and asks if she recognizes him. and she dated him all throughout high school!!! and that he was an absolute loser.

mulder’s trying hard to get her to name some positive qualities of the guy and she says they’d watch star wars every weekend. that’s weird. that's suspicious.

he brings out a single rose from his jacket and says he wants to congratulate her 😭😭

WAIT IS HE EDDIE IN DISGUISE?? AND THAT IS WHY HE IS TRYING TO DIG UP WHAT SHE THINKS OF HIM?? OH SHOOT, IT IS!!!!!!

NOOO REAL MULDER COMES IN!!! 

AND THE OTHER COUPLE CALLS ASKING WHEN THEY CAN ENTER THE BATHROOM AND WHY DID HE TAKE THE HUSBAND’S SUIT LMAOOOOO NOOOO 

mulder is trying to track eddie down… and he finds a guy changing and locks him up LMAOOO but then the doctor is in there too so he locks them BOTH UP AND CALLS FOR SCULLY

lmao those poor guys…….. but he sees something flickering in the lights. and eddie says he is “a damn good looking man” and then jumps on him from the ceiling!!!

“mulder” (really eddie) tells scully that he thinks this whole case was a waste of time and i don’t buy it for a second. and he says “small potatoes” again!! ahhh dead giveaway!!!

but real mulder is locked DEEP IN THE BASEMENT!!!! NOOOOO 

he has a lunch tho… eddie was thoughtful in that one matter i guess

FAKE MULDER IS IN SKINNER’S OFFICE!!!! 

KNDJSHDJS skinner tells him he spelled “federal bureau of investigation” wrong LMAOOOO NOOO THE SECONDHAND EMBARRASSMENT. 

he’s all twitchy and he can’t sit still and is making strange faces and i’m gagging at someone playing a character playing a different character.

OHHHH FAKE MULDER PATS SCULLY’S SHOULDER I DON’T LIKE THAT. NO MA’AM.

he asks what she is doing tonight, and she says she’s writing an article on “diminished acetylcholine production in recidivist offenders” okaaaay published queen!! or is she lying to see if he’ll catch on…???

and he cannot get the door open because he doesn’t know which key is which LMAOOOO

but she says she’s going to go investigate the body instead. a STEM queen.

fake mulder is in mulder’s office looking around, taking a seat, falling off the desk, “this is where my tax dollars go?” lmao

he finds mulder’s address on his license plate and HAHAHA “WHERE THE HELL DO I SLEEP?” <- FINALLY THE COUCH IS ADDRESSED!!!

LMAOOO WE HEAR A MESSAGE FROM THE LONE GUNMEN ON HIS VOICEMAIL ABOUT GETTING A BIRD’S EYE VIEW OF THE ZAPRUDER FILM AND ALSO GETTING CHEESESTEAKS. AWW BOYS NIGHT!!!

he slaps the basketball around VERY POORLY I’M GIGGLING 

he has a voice message which i assume is a spam call? about. sexy voices. and lower rates. god, please let that be a spam call and not that real mulder calls NSFW phone lines under the name “marty”

(for my own sanity i am imagining that this is the 90’s equivalent of the 800 “sexy singles in your area” spam ads that infest your email because 1. i do not want that mental image and 2. cannot imagine someone from the FBI using their home phone, that has BEEN BUGGED IN THE PAST, for such purposes. nuh uh. no way. he HAS to be smarter than that. imagine how easy he would be to blackmail if that was the case)

and now eddie as mulder is practicing tough guy lines in the mirror and waving the gun around 

scully is at home reading!!!! on the floor. with her glasses on. how i love her. when she hears a knock. 

it’s mulder!!! but is it real mulder???? no, it can’t be. he brought wine!! real mulder almost never drinks!

WAIT i’m sad to learn that him smiling into her door that i’ve seen in so many gifs was not actually real mulder 😭

she pops the cork and she thinks that there’s going to be deep conversation OH NO “we never really… talk much… do we?” “what, you mean like really talk? no. no we don’t mulder” oh my god is she gonna open up…

(i proceed to make noises that have only ever been heard in wounded baby animals as i consider how excited scully seemed to have a night with the bestie with zero work and some normalcy)

AND SHE IS DRUNK YAPPING LMFAOOOOOO “marcus was the 12th grade love of my life” <- i’m writing that down

(notably, though, he keeps pouring more and more in her glass… and seemingly none in his)

“now i’m seeing a whole new side of you, mulder” “is that a good thing?” “i like it :)” 

OH GODDDD :( she wanted mulder to be chill SO badly

is he going to kiss her….. he’s getting closer and REAL MULDER BURSTS IN THE DOOR AND SHE SHOVES FAKE MULDER OFF OF HER

she did not even look like she wanted to kiss him at all……. she knew something was weird as hell

and he turns back into eddie!!! right there on her couch!!!!

NOOOOO DRUNK SCULLY??? I AM SO SAD YOUR EVENING WAS RUINED

mulder comes to visit eddie in jail in his “superstar” hat… and now he’s on a muscle relaxer so he can’t make faces. and presumably this also cancels out his shapeshifting talents.

“i was born a loser, but you’re one by choice” <- WTFFFFFFF???? (i think this was meant to be commentary on how he only focuses on his work, but it just felt… weird)

he tells him to live a little and treat himself, which i guess is something he needed to hear

“i don’t imagine you need to be told this, mulder, but you’re not a loser” “yeah, but i’m no eddie van blundht, either” (she doesn’t think he’s a loser‼️😭)

(thus concludes episode)

so wtf was that ending!!!!!!!!

if scully never opened up before she is DAMN SURE NOT GONNA DO IT NOW 😭😭😭 that really broke my heart. amazing mutual phoebe wrote a heartbreaking meta on the subject that pointed out how especially cruel it was to dangle the normalcy she has always wanted in the face of her own death in front of her just to rip it away. you should go read it; if i can find it again i'll link it in the replies.

the tone for this episode was definitely a lot lighter than usual, which i enjoyed for most of the episode. the comedic acting was really funny, as has been noted by others commenting upon this episode. DD playing someone else playing mulder had me losing it. he did it SO well, with all of the tiny movements, the way he slapped that basketball, it had me giggling.

but the last half left me feeling very icky. let's get into it.

eddie was a rapist, full stop. he is acknowledged as such in the episode, and it is mentioned that he was placed upon the sex offender registry. at first i was thinking that there was a sexy tailed alien having consensual relationships with all the women in town, which was funny. it became less funny when we learn what actually happened, but it became (to me) not funny at all when we see him try and rape scully.

if i’m supposed to just laugh that off, i’m not sorry, but i don’t find it funny. how eddie as mulder was getting her more and more drunk and then tried to kiss her, which she clearly did not want- it made my stomach turn. we don’t need to subject female characters to assault for the laughs. some may find this shocking, but it is true.

and the narrative attempted to make us feel sympathetic towards eddie, with his visiting ms. nelligan, asking for good things about himself, giving her a rose, and telling mulder to not be a loser. what was i supposed to take away from that? was i supposed to say “aw shucks, he may have raped 5 women and tried to rape scully, but deep down he’s just a softie”. BECAUSE HELLO? THIS IS NOT WHAT I AM THINKING!!

anytime rape is used for comic value, i have to ask if any women alive were involved in the writer’s room, and when the answer is inevitably no, i think about how we need to get them in there, stat.

but let’s be more specific. this wasn’t just rape; specifically, eddie was trying to get these women pregnant, all of which he succeeded at except for with scully. this comes down to reproductive coercion in ADDITION to rape.

i highlight this because a lot of scully’s story ALREADY is centered around reproductive coercion, with the whole abduction plotline. it’s something that has always made me uncomfortable, and i believe this was intentional on behalf of the writers, who are succeeding in their goal to make me uncomfy. scully's reproductive agency has been removed entirely with the procedures she has been subjected to. this is disturbing in an in-universe view, but from an outside view criticizing the writing, i find myself asking why a story must center around a woman's ability or lack thereof to have children, and having that agency ripped from her. because you know damn well that we wouldn't get that arc from mulder (even though frankly i think that would be fascinating). while i have my own complex feelings about the consequences of scully's abduction arc in that regard, i have a feeling that they will grow and change as i progress beyond the 4th season (and please- no spoilers).

but in this context, it makes the writers inserting attempted rape and a man trying to impregnate her all the more gross, because we have already spent time establishing that her bodily autonomy has been violated. while i can maybe find some deeper symbolic meaning in terms of it being the government slash aliens being responsible for that, this felt gratuitous or fetishistic.

i hope that explanation makes sense. and again, i expect my feelings to change on the matter re:abduction arc as i progress- maybe i'll hate it more, maybe i'll hate it less. regardless: rape. not funny. didn't laugh.

i posted a poll yesterday asking what people thought about the episode, and if it made them uncomfortable- the leading answer at the moment is that it was cringe but didn't ruin it for most viewers, which is totally fair. i'm down for differences of opinions, and the things that make me gag aren't always going to be the same as the things that make you gag. however, i do think i have a different viewpoint as i am of gen z age- the me too movement happened right as i started high school, and it shaped the way i grew up. it was an absolutely monumental shift that perhaps we now take for granted, but then i see stuff like this from before then, and i'm like ohhh. i forgot how things used to be. i'm lucky in that regard, to grow up in a space where those conversations have been taking place very loudly. and having grown up in that context, things from before can seem jarring.

that got more serious than perhaps you hoped for an x files episode review, but you know that is how i roll around these parts- terribly heartfelt in all regards. i don't feel a need to justify my dislike for the episode, but it left a nagging sensation in my side to put into words just exactly why is felt so icky. i hope i've been able to make myself understood. it started off fun and strong, but for me, that's gonna make it one of the ones i'm not sure if i'll rewatch. it started off so strong, so i'm conflicted on if watching it again would spark joy or i would just dread knowing what is coming.

but now we need REAL mulder and scully hangout time. i want to know what happened to marcus. need a sleepover fic. i will daydream about this at work instead of making my bosses money.

[sluttywonwoo]

thinking about dom jongho losing it for once and just pressing your face into the mattress and fucking you until he cums and he’s so nice after bc no matter how mean he’s being, he usually makes you cum first

“we need to do that more often, please,” you gasp as you turn over onto your back and spread your legs to watch your boyfriend’s cum drip out of you.

jongho whines, nuzzling his face into your neck. “i don’t know if i can make it a regular thing,” he admits. “i don’t like cumming before you.”

“but it was so hot,” you pout.

he lifts his head and smiles at you softly. “i can try, but no promises.”

“thank you, baby.”

“anything for you, my love. are you feeling okay, though? want some water?”

“i feel fantastic,” you assure him. “can we just lay here for a minute? water can wait.”

jongho chuckles. “sure, baby.”

“god, i’m going to be thinking about that for days,” you moan. “i’ve wanted you to use me like that for so long.”

“you liked it that much, huh?”

“i loved it.”

“i wasn’t too rough?”

“no, baby you were perfect.” you kiss him on the cheek as if to seal your promise. “i should piss you off more often.”

“that was not the lesson you were supposed to learn from this.”

you shift against him, pressing your chest into his. “i don’t know, i think you liked me being bratty more than you’re letting on. you liked putting me in my place, didn’t you? making me cry and beg for your cock?”

“fuck, baby, you’re going to make me hard again.”

“ohhh nooo,” you drone sarcastically. “whatever would we do if that happened?”

jongho rolls his eyes at you and smacks your thigh playfully. “do you want to cum tonight or not?” he snaps. it shuts you right up. he smirks. “good girl, that’s what i thought.”

[lemon-natalia]

Harrow the Ninth Reaction - Chapter 49

ORTUS NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO GIVE AN IMPROMPTU POETRY RECITAL 

and Harrow’s started reciting the Noniad despite the fact that she hates it! aww, goes to show Ortus does mean a lot to her, especially after their little bonding session a couple chapters ago

oooh and Abigail’s coming in clutch with some kind of spell 

they summoned the ghost of fucking Matthias Nonius!!!! guess it really is the time to give an impromptu poetry recital 

‘why am i speaking in meter’ omfg thats hilarious,  i didn’t even notice

imagine meeting the long-dead guy you wrote an epic fanfic about, Ortus might die again from sheer joy

‘Gideon [...] might have better appreciated the anonymous monster [...] she was a prodigious fighter’ i think its very cool that Harrow’s here watching the non-necromancy dream combat sequence, while Gideon’s off dealing with all the ancient necromancers and their weird dynamics. they’re both very out of their depth

i don’t have a lot to say about this combat other than go the Ninth!, Matthias Nonius is a sick fighter. guess i did get to find out more about him after all. now i want to know how the fuck Matthias Nonius originally died, it better have been old age because i don’t want to meet what/whoever could have taken this guy out

‘she had been, once again, so slow’ oh me fucking too, i just accepted that all of this just might as well happen. but there is a kind of weird dream logic to it all, where the rules are those of the mind 

‘plastered themselves in red whorls’ listen to me, book, listen, you gotta be less ambiguous and tell me if the hair is red from blood or its natural colour, because that is very much going to colour my perception of whats going on 👀 and if the Sleeper is the woman on the portrait that happened to look a lot like Gideon …

‘but i still don’t know why i’m talking in meter’ someone free this man

i kinda ship Ortus and Matthias ngl

and the Sleeper has a metal tag, kinda like a name tag but it says the word ‘awake’, like some kind of message to Harrow to wake up?

nooo Abby i don’t want to say bye to all of you ghosty guys again

and the whole ghost gang is gonna go help Gideon the First fight the RB! thats a fight i wish i could actually see on page. speaking of, poor Gid, he’s the only Lyctor apparently doing his actual job at the moment. he’s gonna be so fucking confused when a bunch of stabby ghost cavaliers show up to help him

Harrow is finally getting some therapy. from ghosts, but it'll have to do

oh no but now Harrow has a terrible choice to make. and like i know that accepting Gideon’s death is technically the right thing to do (and probably better for Harrow’s mental health) i also really really don’t want Gideon to die again

‘Jeannemary said to tell Gideon hi’ awww Jeannemary’s lil crush on Gideon is still alive and well, unlike either of them

‘actually i’ve got something to tell you’ ohhh some brand new and shiny information is apparently coming Harrow’s way. would love to know what it is without the dramatic cliffhanger 

[terraliensvent]

About this: https://www.tumblr.com/terraliensvent/762628974139637760/httpsdocsgooglecomdocumentd1hedsgxllpfwh2z

At first, I gotta say that I never wrote something like this before, but the way my asshole burned out from this PSA is indescribable. Second, English is not my native language so I may make some writing mistakes, I apologise in advance.

This is more like an appeal to Veal. So basically the whole thing is like:

You: heyy Civ hru?

Civ: Aww im bad :(

You: ohhh nooo what happened?? Wanna talk about it? I'm concerned :0

Civet: *actually does what you asked them to do and tells how they feel*

You: AHHGG NOOO!1! IM A MINOR AAA!!1! NOO DON'T SPEAK TO ME ABOUT SUCH THINGS NO!!!!11!1 IM A MINOR WTFFFF

Like what the actual fuck, this even feels funny to realise. People are being honest here, but let's be honestER:

You're fucking 16, not 6. You CAN talk about such things. I know damn well you wrote this PSA just to make even more drama and let people know "Oh look! I also have beef with Civ! I'm on your side guys!". But if you really get so fucked up after talking about Alcohol/Drugs/Other I'm not even sure how you exist in the society. Like damn you only got 2 years left to stop being so fucking soft. And btw, you don't automatically mature once you turn 18 at the snap of a finger. It's a process that lasts for YEARS, and if at this age you have issues with tallking about such topics (especially on the internet) then I have bad news for you. You're not a little kid to shout "IM A MINOR! DON'T TALK TO ME ABOUT ALCOHOL!!".

Even when I was 16 I was talking with my minor and adult friends about many different topics, it's internet, all kinds of shit here. And none of them stopped me with words "I'm a minor!! Don't talk to me about this!!" You know why? Bcuz starting drama was not in their interest.

I'm not on Civ's side in the Terra conflict (I'm actually on nobody's side) but this PSA is pure bullshit and has absolutely NOTHING to do with Terraliens. Not only your words make no sense, but you also showed that you're not trustworthy and childish. You leaked a PRIVATE conversation that supposed to be PRIVATE and BETRAYED a person that considered you their friend. All that just for hype.

Like I personally would never trust you with anything, knowing that for you leaking private chats it's easier than actually THINKING. It's like, people like you are the reason why others may have trust issues.

This whole vent post may sound rude as fuck but at least it's the hard truth that you need to realise to avoid bad situations in the future. As a person who was betrayed by many people I have nothing but pure disguist towards this PSA and your behavior.

The moral of the story: GROW UP.

post related

i dont even have a rebuttal to this actually, a lot of what you said is your opinion and if you dont see anything wrong with having a 16 year old emotionally manage you, a legal adult, and make sure that you go to class and brush your teeth, then thats your prerogative i guess

[huffle-dork]

Swap Beyond the Crystalverse Chapter 21: Resurgence

Co-written with @crystalninjaphoenix Read Swapboys | Read Crystal’s AUs

Other Multiverse Stories: SITCV | SATCV | GITHV

SBTCV Masterpost

The group makes it out into the hallway without incident. And down towards the elevator without incident. And Schneep presses the button to open the doors without incident. 

"...this feels too easy," Jackie mutters.

Alt is glitching with anxious energy, “Yeah… way too easy…” 

“Maybe it will actually just be easy for once?” Bro tries to say hopefully. 

“That’s a dangerous sentence, Chase…” Huffle says nervously.

The elevator arrives. 

"Well... are we going in or not, then?" Schneep asks. "Because I do not think that there is another way out of here." 

"That's a fire hazard," Crystal mutters.

Alt takes a deep breath then glitches onto the elevator. 

Bro chuckles, “It is isn’t it? I-I’m sure it’ll be fine!” He follows Alt in. Huffle gives Crystal a nervous look before following them too.

The elevator doors close as they all pile in, and Schneep presses the button to send it upwards. They feel it start to go... And then they feel it stop. 

"Ohhhh no," Crystal whispers, eyes darting around. "Oh I don't like this." The light above turns red.

“Shit!” Alt curses. 

“Nooo I didn’t mean to jinx it!!” Bro whines. 

Huffle presses up against Alt and Crystal in fear. “Ohhh no- w-we’re not gonna get trapped in here a-are we?!”

"Trapped?" A voice says. "Not if I have anything to say about it." An image forms in front of the elevator doors, grinning. 

"That's him!" Crystal gasps. "That's Rift Anti!" 

The other Anti forms in front of the group. "Alt!" he shouts, looking back and pulling his eye-patch off. "Glitch the others out of here!"

Bro gasps and tries to push in front of the others. Alt doesn’t hesitate once inverted Anti appears. He grabs eveyone as quick as he can then concentrates on glitching out.

"No!" Rift Anti shouts— But then they're gone, Alt having taken them right outside the van. 

"W-we gotta get out of here!" Crystal stammers. "We—we can outdrive him, I think?" 

Chase opens the driver's side door. "What happened?"

“Rift Anti is here!” Alt shouts, pushing the buds towards the car first. “We need to book it!” 

"Rift Anti?" Chase repeats. 

"Fuck! That must be the other guy!" Marvin curses. "Go go go go!" 

“W-What about Anti?! Not rift the- inverted one!” Huffle asks as they clamor towards the van. 

“…h-He’ll catch up, I’m sure of it.” Alt says. “Just go!”

Bro helps the buds inside then hops in himself. Alt stays outside the car until everyone is in.

"Alt, get in!" Chase shouts, turning the engine on. He starts speeding down the dirt road.

Alt hurriedly runs after them then glitches in. He quickly stuffs the TRVLR in his backpack then looks out the back window as they start to speed away.

The car radio turned to static. "He's coming!" Inverted Anti's voice says. 

"He's here," says another voice in the back of the van. 

Chase's body suddenly stiffens up. "G-guys?! I can't—I can't let off the gas!" The car is continuing to speed up. "I-I can't let go of the steering wheel, either!"

“What?!” Bro shouts in surprise. 

“W-What’s happening?!” Huffle cries in fear. 

“Fuck! H-Hang on Chase!” Alt calls. His brain scrambles for what to do. 

“Alt! Glitch me outside!” Bro suddenly shouts. Alt looks at him with wide eyes. Then he nods and glitches them both outside- right in the path of the car. Bro’s eyes light up bright blue as he holds out his hands and concentrates all his power on trying to stop the car.

The van comes straight at Bro but he doesn’t budge. It slams into him and for a few scary seconds it seems like it might overpower him. But Bro grits his teeth and digs his feet into the ground, pushing every ounce of strength into stopping its momentum. And finally the car grinds to a stop. Bro breathes heavily, not letting go as he hears the tires still trying to turn.

 Alt takes this time to try to glitch next to Chase and grabs onto his shoulder, trying to find rift Anti’s energy and drive it out.

At the same time as Alt does that, Jackie reaches over and forcibly moves Chase's leg to the side, pushing his foot off the gas pedal. Chase's hand shoots to the side, punching Jackie in the face. He yelps as his head snaps back but grabs onto Chase's arm, holding it. 

It's strange. At first, Alt can't find any sign of a foreign presence in Chase's body. But then he feels it. A slippery lightning pressed against Chase's nerves, blending into what's already there. 

Chase makes a choking sound, and then words come out of his mouth that aren't his. "Do you think you're so great, Alt?" Rift Anti asks through Chase's strangled voice. "Do you really think you can stand against me? When the most powerful Anti you knew couldn't?"

Alt feels dread pool in his gut as he shudders, looking at Chase momentarily in fear. Then he narrows his eyes in determination and tries to push more magic in. “I-I have to- it doesn’t matter if I think I can! I can’t let you keep hurting innocent people! I can’t let you destroy our universes!”

The energy is hard to reach, slippery as it is. Chase's eyes roll back as he lets out a wet growl, like he's gargling on his own saliva. Alt feels something try to grab onto his magic, but it bounces off easily, like it was no more than a balloon. 

"Innocent people always get hurt," Chase's voice says, accompanied by a voice coming from all their phones. "It's the way of the world. Of all of them. That's why they must be destroyed."

“You’re wrong!” Alt growls, “It’s only people like you that cause that hurt! T-There’s so much good in every world! You’re just too blind to see it!” 

"THEN WHY DIDN'T ANYONE COME?!" Rift Anti shrieks, Chase's voice cracking as he forces him to shout so loud that Bro can hear it clearly through the car windows. "Where was your 'good' then?!" 

Alt feels panic well up in his heart though as he hears the pain Chase is in and feel something try to grab his magic. He’s supposed to be able to stop rift Anti right?! Why can’t he stop him?? He still tries- something has to give… but what if he can’t? 

Chase's body jerks as Anti resists Alt's push against him, but then slumps. Anti is gone and Chase is left gasping. Alt jolts backwards, staring at Chase with wide eyes as he lets him go. He just stares, trying to think of how to respond but… Anti is gone. 

Bro rushes to the window and tries to get the car door open, “Other me! Are you okay?!” 

"I'm fine," Chase says, and he coughs and rubs his throat. "God, that always sucks. Fucker made me shout so hard it hurt." His voice does indeed still sound raspy. 

Bro sighs in relief. “I-I’m just glad you’re not more hurt…” 

Huffle is curled up in the back and looks at Crystal with wide eyes, “Cry- what do we do?!” She whispers. “T-there’s gotta be something we can do right?”

Crystal stares back, mind scrambling to remember everything they can about the Rift universe. "Oh!" They gasp. "I remember! A thing I had pl—a-a, um, possible future for his world! W-we have to—if it's possible, we have to, um... this is going to sound crazy, but we have to get him to the area between worlds." 

Huffle looks confused, “Between worlds?” 

Alt looks back towards Crystal then glitches to be in front of them. “the space between worlds?” He knits his eyebrows in thought. “… do you know how his control works? He can do multiple people at a time… b-but maybe it’s harder to hold others down….?”

"Oh! I guess that makes sense," Marvin says. "A space between worlds... in a way. If you have a space, then you have a space outside that space... am I making any sense here?" 

"Absolutely not," Schneep says. Crystal nods. 

"H-he can only do about three people at once. I, uh, don't know about others being harder, I didn't... maybe guys with powers are harder? I was... thinking about that... being a thing..."

Alt swallows shakily then nods, “…maybe I can… I can try to bait him… k-keep him in place. Until Anti can get us to the space.” 

“Alt you can’t use yourself as bait!” Huffle cries. 

“I can’t let him control more of you!” Alt argues. “Especially not you two!”

"Alt, I don't think—I-I don't think you'd be good enough bait," Crystal whispers. They swallow a lump in their throat. "After all... h-he's ultimately after me." 

“I dunno h-he’s been after us for a couple worlds now…” Alt tries to say, but he doesn’t sound as confident. 

“I am not letting him get, Cry! He’ll fucking have to go through me first.” Huffle says with slightly glowing teal eyes. 

"Huffle..." Crystal whispers, their eyes wide as they look at her. 

"We are not using anyone as bait," Jackie says firmly. "There has to be another way." 

“Jackie’s right! There’s always another way!” Bro says.

The car radio whines with static. Inverted Anti manifests, sitting in the space between the driver's and passenger's seat. It would be a tight squeeze if he wasn't all static, in a ghostlike state where the others can pass through him. "Whatever we do, I can get Sam to open us a rift to the Space In-Between. We'll have to be fast about it."

Alt opens his mouth to argue but then Anti forms. He huffs and then grips at his wrist, “t-There has to be someway to contain him right?“ 

Anti frowns. He glances at Crystal. "You're the expert here." 

"I-I am? Oh yeah, I guess I am." Crystal pauses. "I, uh... Th-the thing about Rift Anti is that he's just a mind, no body. What's that Slay the Princess quote...? Solitary lights in an empty city, thoughts without connections, a dim and nascent network." 

"Nascent?" Chase repeats, eyebrows raising. "What's that?" 

"It's like, uh, something that's appearing and forming. That part of the quote doesn't really apply, uh..." Crystal's mind scrambles. "But, uh... since he's a mind, maybe mental magic will have an effect? Magic doesn't really exist in his world, h-he might not be prepared for it."

“Mental magic…” Alt says slowly. “…I.. I don’t use that often but… maybe…?” He doesn’t look too comfortable about that. “… it’s worth a shot.”

"More of a plan than we've had so far," Anti says. He looks at Alt, expression softening a bit. "I'd offer to do it, but I don't think I'd be able to. He'd be able to reach out and drain my power again before I got too deep." 

Alt nods, narrowing his eyes in determination, “…I-I won’t be like Mag if I do this… I-I’ll be doing it to protect people,” He says quietly, like he’s trying to convince himself.

"We haven't known each other that long," Jackie says softly. "But I agree. You won't be a villain, Alt. This guy... he wants to do terrible things. And he won't stop until someone makes him. And, uh, hey, you won't really be hurting him. I-I don't think a mind can feel pain without a body." 

Marvin nods. "I-I know what it's like to... worry about that," he says quietly. "You have to trust in yourself. And trust that your friends will be there for you. To watch after you." 

You still might feel bad about it, but remember, it's different than what your villain does, JJ says. You're right. You'll be doing it to protect others. Not for your own selfish desires. You're not the same as him at all. He smiles. I knew from the moment I saw you that you were different than those villains out there.

Alt looks back at the others with wide eyes, obviously touched. He gives them a small determined smile and nods. “…thank you. I… I can do this.” 

“Yeah you can!” Bro cheers, “Let’s kick some ass!” 

Huffle smiles proudly at Alt.

“Hate to ruin the moment, but we’ve been sitting in one place for a while,” Anti says. “He’s going to come back.”

Alt nods, “R-Right… let’s try to lead him away from the car, then.” He looks gratefully at all the others before glitching back outside. 

Bro furrows his brow in worry, “…what about the rest of you? Are you gonna try to get out of here?”

“Yeah, of course,” Jackie says. “We don’t want to be anywhere near IRIS when they figure out what we did to their machines.” 

JJ frowns. What DID you do? 

“Shhh, I’ll explain later.” 

“I dunno about you guys, but I want to go home,” Chase says, looking back at the others. “See the kids again before he probably shows up.” 

“We’ll protect you, Chase,” Marvin says fiercely. “We promise.” 

Bro’s face softens and he nods, “Yeah dude… go see your family.” 

Crystal grabs their backpack of stuff and gets out of the van. “Do you guys mind if I come along? My going-back device is still on its timer.” They glance back at Huffle. “I mean, unless you want to stay with these guys. But I think we should go with them.”

Huffle blinks then nods, “Yeah I… I want to stick with you…” she says, slipping on her own bag and hopping out. She looks back to the others and smiles. “It was so fun to meet you all! I hope… everything works out for you guys.” 

Alt looks back to the van and nods, “Yeah… thanks guys… for uh.. everything.”

“No, thank you for everything,” Schneep says, smiling. “We may not have gotten Chase back without you two. Or at least, not with his memories.” 

Sam waves their nerve-tail, saying goodbye. 

“Good luck to you guys, too,” Chase says. 

“Maybe we’ll see you again,” Marvin says.

“Yeah! Hopefully we can come visit!” Bro says brightly, 

“I’m so glad we could help.” Alt smiles too and nods, 

“Be safe you guys.” Huffle waves, grinning.

The others all wave. “Well… heading out.” Chase puts the van into gear again. “We’ll see you around!” The guys continue to wave as Chase drives away. Alt and Bro wave too. 

Anti manifests next to Bro and Alt. “He’s definitely coming,” he mutters.

Once Anti appears, Alt’s expression hardens and he nods. “Okay… we gotta lure him in then… is Sam ready with a rift?” 

Anti nods. “When we’re ready, it’ll appear right over there.” He points to a spot in between two trees. “Easy to remember.” 

Huffle presses up close to Crystal and goes to hold their hand, squeezing it slightly. She looks nervous.

Crystal squeezes Huffle’s hand back and takes a deep breath. “Oookay. I guess—” 

The sky seems to darken above them, a shadow being cast by no cloud. Alt and Bro get into defensive stances, Alt collecting magic at his fingertips. 

“—I guess that’s him, then!” Crystal says, eyes wide. The temperature seems to rise. Everyone feels the hair on the back of their necks stand up—and a red lightning bolt darts towards Crystal and Huffle.

Huffle screams as the lightning darts towards them and closes her eyes, going to try to protect Crystal. A teal shield of sparkling magic blooms to life right in front of them, deflecting the blow. 

Alt blinks in surprise, “not good at magic my ass!” He calls to Huffle. 

Huffle blinks her eyes open in surprise and stares at the shield. “I-I didn’t mean to do that but- t-thank god!”

A hiss echoes through the air, like an angry cat being filtered through a broken radio. Rift Anti's image forms in the middle of them, glaring at Huffle and Crystal. "Ever hear the phrase 'death of the author'?" And above them, a storm of red lightning forms in the air, bolts connecting to each other, a web of electricity. Another bolt slams down, aiming for Huffle's shield.

Huffle pales and holds more onto Crystal, trying to hide her shaking. She screams again as the lightning strikes- but surprisingly the shield stays put. A slight crack appears on its surface. 

“Hey leave them alone!” Alt shouts. “Your fight should be with us, fucker!”

Rift Anti laughs. “Why? You can’t help me the way they can. But alright, if you insist.” 

The lightning storm above brightens, and three bolts dart down—one for Alt, Bro, and the other Anti.

Inverted Anti glitches out of the way easily. Bro quickly duck rolls out of the way, almost getting hit and lands back in a crouched position. 

But, Alt doesn’t glitch away, he stands firm. 

“Alt!” Bro shouts in panic. 

Alt holds up a hand as the lightning strikes- and then he grits his teeth as the red lightning courses around him- but doesn’t shock him. And it quickly turns green blue as he absorbs the power- eyes glowing brightly and magic sparking wildly around him. He grins a bit unhinged. “Thanks for the power boost~!” He smirks.

“What?!” Rift Anti’s image, usually so stoic, breaks into surprise. The lightning storm falters. Then increases. “You already have your own power! Don’t take mine!” 

“I-it’s not even yours!” Crystal shouts. 

“Shut the fuck up!” 

Another bolt heads for the two of them, but Inverted Anti leaps forward, taking the blow instead. His body jitters but he doesn’t falter. “Alt!” He shouts. “Use that boost!”

“Right!” Alt builds up magic in his hands and then- a bright spiral of soft blue greens and whites appears behind him. “Hey fuck face! Try to fight this!”

"Try to fight what, you fucking fool?!" Anti's image turns around. "You think you can scare me with a bunch of lights?! A bunch of... swirling lights? Lights that are... are..." His voice slowly fades away. The image fades as well, becoming half-translucent, and the lightning storm above flickers, the electricity dying down.

Alt smirks at Rift Anti, “I was an apprentice of Magnificent, bitch. You think he wouldn’t teach me a couple tricks?” 

Huffle gapes, “I-It worked!” 

Bro watches with wide eyes. 

“You have to get him all together," Inverted Anti says. "He's spread out right now--but he needs to be in one place."

Alt blinks at Inverted Anti then furrows his eyebrows. He seems nervous before he looks at Rift Anti and shakily orders, “F-Form back together.”

There's a slight crackling in the air. The lightning storm and Anti's image slowly disappear. But Alt can feel something forming, something coalescing. Purple light appears in front of him, and he recognizes the feeling of Magnificent's magic--this must be the magic that Anti stole from him, forming into a vague shape of a person. Other than that, there's no indication that Rift Anti is here now. Only Alt's connection to his mind lets him know that there's a full person here. 

"Do we--do we go now?" Crystal asks nervously.

“I-I think so-“ Alt says, wincing as he feels Mag’s power. 

“We should hurry! W-what if he tries to break out?” Huffle says nervously. But she tries to concentrate and the shield covering her and Crystal disappears into vague colored sparks of magic.

"Hurry is good!" Inverted Anti says. "Sam!" 

In between the two trees he pointed out earlier, green lightning unzips the fabric of the world, forming a rift. 

"You two go first!" Anti says, gesturing at Huffle and Crystal. 

"Oh god," Crystal says under their breath, then grabs Huffle and pulls her towards the rift. "Let's go!"

“Woahhh!” Huffle gasps, then eeps as bit as Crystal pulls her. But she quickly catches up with runs with them into the rift. 

“You next, Chase-“ Alt says, looking to Bro, “I’ll momentarily let him go… and get him to follow us in.” Bro looks hesitant then nods, hurrying after the buds.

"Be careful, Alt." Anti glitches over next to the rift. 

Alt nods, “I will.” 

"Don't worry about me. I can get there on my own without an entrance. I'll make sure he goes after you." And his form dissipates into barely-noticeable pixels. 

Alt feels Rift Anti stir beneath his magic. Not pushing against it, but starting to notice it there.Then, Alt breaks the magic and stares back at Rift Anti with glowing eyes, “How’d that feel, fucker?!” He smirks. “Betcha can’t catch me~!” He taunts before glitching behind him then back into the rift.

The purple form of a person disappears. "You--what--how--?!" Rift Anti's voice says. "You took them with you?! Get back here!" And he chases after them. 

After he disappears from this world, the rift disappears, and Inverted Anti goes as well.

[mysteriouspersonrambles]

Live listening to the new Malevolent episode so long post:

Dude fucking medieval Britain being Kayne’s bind spot is so funny - like what a loser

Alexander!!!! My Boy I love you so much

This peace is not going to last

Oh a weaved basket let me guess the village is going to be totally destroyed and that’s what causes the foul taste in the river or the bad river taste came from the witches nest dumping into the river supple

You walk a path with devils- bestie you guys run had fist into the devils on a regular basis don’t act like all those run-ins aren’t your fault

Nooo Yorick - get bagged idiot I suppose

Arthur continues to be the most conspicuous guy of all time. Congrats buddy nobody does it worse than you

Do you still have your lighter remember the magic lighter

Arthur you trespass on the Daily you where a fucking PI dude

Oh never mind Arthur got his spooky sense and being touched by ghosts apparently he truly is beloved

Arthur was a Boy Scout oh man I forgot about that. What a mental image

Oh yeah Arthur’s super dead parents

Oh man friendship let’s go. Wait Arthur what happened with your friend did die or something. Oh who am I kidding it’s malevolent of course he’s dead

Ohh what else is in the pen. Is it bones I hope it’s bones.

Aw boo it’s just a weird figure dudes you guys encounter those things all the time

Bewildered Englishman I love that

Yeah dude he’s different it’s the trauma. Remember he had to eat a man

But your Kayne’s favorite boytoy that should mean something

Dude I hope they run into their other self’s that would be so fucking funny please 🙏 or like a Catbox situation (does anybody get that reference)

Yeah dude fuck the narrative

You might fail but also like you’re the MC’s so plot armor

Huh difficult to see anything else but the fire- this better not be foreshadowing

The Guy is back hell yeah ohhh what a voice

Arthur does not know how the deal with the fay

Arthur this village is fucking dead there is nobody here

Yeah guys this guy has been through some shit

I think he’s warning you dude you know there are monsters about

Yeah dude the Fay the one you don’t know how to handle

I like this guy he speaks in riddles

I this guy talking about the prince or another Arthur or just regular Arthur

Welcoming is a dangerous thing Arthur

Dude not his biggest trauma

This man is not up to date with modern law procedures man

Ohhh spooky ghost man is a story teller

Dude the foul taste in the water

Self hate for the win 🏆

He is the boy’s vengeance

Oh shit was I right or half right but I knew this guy was ghost guy. I think that’s actually so cool

The witches child?? Or Faroe

Arthur these noises are not the ones I would want to hear when talking about children. Like I know you’re morning but the noises man

Good choice Arthur I would want the truth too but it could be something you know but still

That’s so cool that the ghost kids are so powerful good for you ghost kids

Scratch!!!! Or the goat lady the one who was mentioned in the 1st season I can’t spell her name but I was talking about her the other day

Or maybe just another spooky ghost lady either way in hyped

Fuck indeed you just murder one of her kids and she got a good look at you and who you’re traveling with

You can’t destroy the darkness idiot

Oh fuck is Alexander evil please I will cry if he is

You don’t get a weapon you chose a truth

Yeah man you can’t escape the darkness idiot

Is she why Kayne can’t be here. Is Kayne scared of her please that would be so funny

“He is not what he seems” I can’t tell if this is about Yorick or Alexander the owl it could be both but I love them so much.

Also where was Yorick this episode I missed him he’s not evil just kinda dumb and a plotter and he wants a hand of glory but he’s just a little guy

Arthur are you going to sleep on the ground the forest is going to eat you

William aw what happened to him how did he die horribly

I’m sad this episode was a feeler though I’m glad Arthur got a little peace of mind when it came to Faroe. I can’t wait to see the absolute shit show that must be next episode this one was much too fluffy something terrible must be coming.

[underworld-park-offical]

DAIMEN: My husbands like DAIMEN: Blonde DAIMEN: And shit DAIMEN: Crooked teeth? DAIMEN: Limey brit? TOLKIEN: Ooooh yeah TOLKIEN: That's the guy we ran from

DAIMEN: How is he even here anyway? TOLKIEN: Craig opened a portal to hell DAIMEN: Ahhhhh DAIMEN: Yeahhhh DAIMEN: That sounds like something Craig would do. TOLKIEN: Don't speak ill of him, man DAIMEIN: Why? DAIMEN: You guys do it all the time TOLKIEN: He's probably dead DAIMEN: Fuck you mean “probably”???? TOLKIEN: We ran away before we could see what happened

TOLKIEN: Jimmy is DEFINITELY like, MEGA dead though DAIMEN: Awww what??? DAIMEN: Nooo I really liked him! TOLKIEN: We all did TOLKIEN: Things were all cool until Tweek and his blonde boy squad showed up TOLKIEN: Craig had a whole fucking episode or something TOLKIEN: My boyfriend is starting to lose interest TOLKIEN: And there's demons EVERYWHERE DAIMEN: Damn DAIMEN: Kinda sounds like a you problem TOLKIEN: You are literally no help DAIMEN: Save it, whore, I'm working TOLKIEN: Whatever, we thought you could be of some help since you're the son of Satan DAIMEN: That's kind of stereotyping, bro. DAIMEN: Just cuz I'm a demon doesn't mean I know what the fucks going on with the shit

TOLKIEN: … TOLKIEN: You’re worse than Craig DAIMEN: Fuck you DAIMEN: I was gonna tell you why Craigs having an episode, buuuuuuut you decided to drop that bomb on me DAIMEN: So now I'm in the state of DILLIGAF and the capital is “Fuck you and Eat my ENTIRE ass!” DAIMEN: HOWEVER DAIMEN: I can tell you DAIMEN: For 3.50 TOLKIEN: You're joking DAIMEN: I do not joke TOLKIEN: Goddamnit TOLKIEN: Okay, here DAIMEN: Thaaaaaaaaaaaaaank youuuuuu TOLKIEN: Can I get a compensation slushie for dealing with that? DAIMEN: No TOLKIEN: Why did I even bother asking DAIMEN: Continuing on,

DAIMEN: Certain demons can alter certain people's mind's DAIMEN: Letting you in on a little secret, DAIMEN: The sinners in hell are stronger than the hellborns DAIMEN: So they get ✨special powers ✨ TOLKIEN: What kind of special powers?

DAIMEN: The awesome kind DAIMEN: Teleportation, transmutation, transfiguration, telekinesis, the complimentary pyrokinesis that every single demon gets whether they are a hellborn or not, conjuration, that kind of thing

DAIMEN: Gregory, being the....weird diva James Charles asshole he is

DAIMEN: Got goo hands DAIMEN: The goo hands add a special after effect of enthrallment, aka mind control DAMIEN: Though...his type of mind control isn't as cool as it is in the movies TOLKIEN: What do you mean? DAIMEN: He got the "blue hair and pronouns" type mind control TOLKIEN: What. DAIMEN: Chronically online disease TOLKIEN: Ohhh DAIMEN: So yeah, thats what was making Craig more the insufferable prick than you’ve known him to be for several months TOLKIEN: That makes TOLKIEN: So much sense actually TOLKIEN: I didn't think that was exactly how you explained it, but after you explained it it made so much sense and that's exactly how that would work! DAIMEN: Shut up TOLKIEN: Screw you DAIMEN: Is this about your fucking slushie? TOLKIEN: No DAIMEN: Okay fine ill get it for you you needy fuck DAIMEN: My dad damn TOLKIEN: Can you get one for Clyde too? DAIMEN: No TOLKIEN: Worth a shot I guess

TOLKIEN: I can't believe that we like

TOLKIEN: left him behind and probably, 

TOLKIEN: got him…

TOLKIEN: Y'know …

DAIMEN: Killed?

TOLKIEN: Yeah

DAIMEN: Don't sweat it too bad DAIMEN: He deserved it TOLKIEN: I'm starting to think that's not the case anymore TOLKIEN: Considering the knowledge I know of him being possessed. DAIMEN: Wasn't he like,  DAIMEN: A huge prick before that? TOLKIEN: I mean… TOLKIEN: Yeah? DAIMEN: Then it's no biggie TOLKIEN: He was still our friend TOLKIEN: ….ish?

DAIMEN: Well he's an asshole

DAIMEN: Assholes go right on the chopping block

TOLKIEN: I guess so

(Edits made by @pissblanket <3)

[yummyboyzpost]

♥!Boss Bakugo x FemReader!♥

-- 𝔽ᒪ𝓤𝔽𝔽/ 𝓁𝒾𝓉𝓉𝓁𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝑔𝓈𝓉 👊 / ꋊꄲ ꇙM꒤꓄ 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 :0 --

You've worked For Bakugo for about 7 months now becoming somewhat close with him, but he defiantly doesn't hold back on the yelling nor does he give you special treatment but....its Bakugo lol. But what happens when a certain green haired boy comes along. Ohhh nooo who could that be Muhshaahha. You are also Quirkless Oh yes and when I put >(*) Those little star things its just Y/n Talking to herself :) lmao

♥ *part one*♥

(Your pov)

*Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring*

"Oh god, shut up!" I yell at my phone that doesn't seem to stop ringing. It's my one day off who the hell is calling me. I grab my phone seeing the caller id

-𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘔𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳🤬💥-

"ahh shit," I answer the phone "GODDAMN IT Y/N!" I pull the phone away from my ear knowing I'm probably gonna be def tomorrow "I'VE BEEN CALLING YOU FOR THE PAST FUCKING HOUR!" He said heaving breathing on the other side of the phone. ((Oh right for got to mention your his assistant, Gooooddd luckkk babes!!)) "Sorry sir, I was sleeping. I ju-" before I could get anything else out he cut me off "You what?" he said in a unsettling calm voice "I just woke up?" I said confused "My office now!" He said with a stern voice. "Oh uh sir, It's my day off." I said laughing not noticing he had hung up

*That bastard, I'm gonna kill him*

As I was walking into Bakugo's building, I bumped into a tall, buff ass man goddaayuumm. I looked up and I had never seen him before and yet he looked so familiar. God he was Hot as shit, *NO! y/n get your shit together, no time for gocking if I don't get to Bakugo in 5 Minutes I'm as good as dead*

"Sorry." I said grabbing my papers and I was about to get off the floor when I was floating, what the actual fuck? "A cute girl doesn't belong on the floor." he said smiling with the most adorable smile ever! omg my heart I think it might explode. what a lovely death that would me I say taking a step back but regaining my footing *No! Y/n snap out of it! You need to get to Bakugo's office!*

"Ah Thank you for your help uhhm?" I questioned hoping he would answer. but why dose he look so- OH GOD! ITS DEKU. I freeze in shock "Midoriya, you?" I was just standing there like an idiot *Come on Y/n! All you gotta do is say your name.* "De- DEKU!" I scream making everyone look at me *YOU DUMB WHORE!* shit... "I-I mean um, I'm L/n! sorry I just um." I don't know what to say... He laughed "It's okay L/n don't worry abt it, I-" He was about to say something but i saw my coffee all over his I'm guessing very expensive shirt. "OH MY GODS! I'm so sorry, I spilt my Coffee on your shirt! I don't really have money to give you. ummm Here," I said reaching into my pocket. "Thats my card, If you need anything call okay? I'll be there I promise! I gotta go or i might get my head blown off. It was really nice to meet you Deku!" I said running to the stairs.

(Deku's Pov)

Wow she was cute, I wondered If she had a Boyfriend. She gave me her card for what? In all honesty I didn't know what for, its just coffee, yea it might stain but i can just get a different shirt. It's not the end of the world. She made me smile on how clumsy she was, I might just call her.

(Y/n Pov)

I knock on Bakugo's doors hearing him groan knowing that was his was of telling me to come in *SHIT I'm dead* I walk in seeing his back turned to me, "You asked to see me?" I asked walking to his desk. "Where were you?" he said in a calm voice which surprised me. "Oh, today was my off day sir. I thought that meant it was yours too." I said sitting in the chair Infront of his desk. He turned around "You have no off days Y/n" he said eyeing me up and down, I didn't really dress to work today. In all honesty I thought we would just ask me to get him lunch. And yes he calls me by my first name, idk why It doesn't bother me. He's never called me L/n since I started working here.

"You look horrible." he said standing up walking over to me. "Excuse me? You know I could've just not came in. And good luck with firing me, cuz you know damn well no one besides me could handle your explosive attitude Katsuki!" I said standing up and about to walk out but he was already Infront of me. He looked angry "Sit." He said with firy eyes. *Shit y/n what were you thinking, you need this job. You can't just quit like that.

He's defiantly gonna fire you now you DUMB BITCH* I was waiting for him to say not to come back but he didn't say anything. Not gonna lie I was scared, he's never been this quite. "Bakugo, I'm sorry I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed." I said sitting back down in my seat. "Deku, huh?" he said eyeing down on me. "Um what?" I said confused. "Oh you mean earlier? I bumped into him on my way up here and spilt my coffee all over him, So I offered to help him with something in return." I said smiling and grabbing the status report out of all the papers I had on my lap. "Also here," I said handing it to him "I finished it early, Although you're not gonna like it." I said standing up again.

"Didn't I tell you to sit," he said placing the paper on his desk, and making me sit back down by placing both of his hands on either side of the chair. his face was so close I could feel his breath on my nose. his eyes... why is he looking at me like that. My cheeks turn red and my shoulder tense up. "Bakugo w-what are you d-doing?" I said with wide eyes, He didn't say anything he just stared at me. he leaned to my left ear "You won't talk to that damn fucking nerd ever again you hear me?" he said breathing hard *Oh My GoD Katsuki if you don't back up right now I'm gonna... Please back up!!!* "Okay." is all I said why wasn't he backing up? I said okay! then I felt a slight pressure on my shoulder and I heard some mumbling. "Bakugo, I can't hear you you're gonna have to move you head" I said as he shook his head.

He moved his head off my shoulder, "It wasn't important, he said backing off me and back over to his chair. I can't help but to think that he was lying. "You can go home." he said going back to work on his computer. I wanted to say something but, I think it's best if I didn't. I walk out with out but before I close the door I look back to say something but his eyes are already on mine. His eyes widen, "There's no need to be jealous Bakugo, you know yours." I say smiling His cheeks turn the slightest color of pink *cute* I walk out of his office and turn to go to my desk *Welp I'm already here might as well get some work done.*

<<Later that day, everyone has gone home except you and Bakugo, that's usually how it is anyways>>

"I thought I told you to go home." A deep voice said, I knew who it was "And I am," I said grabbing my jacket. "I had a lot of emails to look at and since I was already here I just decided to stay." I said smiling and walking over to him. "You don't drive correct?" he said looking at me "Nope, I sure don't" I laugh walking past him. He grabbed my arm I turned around and he was looking away to him the fact that he was blushing but I could tell *He's too cute! Ugh if only he liked me I'd make this man wish he could kiss me all day HAHAHAH* "It's late, let me give you a ride home Y/n," he said letting go of my wrist

*Why is he acting like this, he's never once asked to take me home. well except that one time I fell down the stairs... yea were not gonna talk abt it.* "Um it's okay! the bus runs late on Friday's. I'll be fine." I said smiling. "I wasn't asking." *UGH Bakugo and his demands... not going to lie its sexy as hell but it also mean I cant say no.*

The ride home was quite, he asked me a few questions abt Deku but that was all. When we got to my apartment, he got out and walked me up to my door. "Goodnight Y/n, I'll see you tomorrow." he said looking down at me with those sexy red eyes. "Goodnight Bakugo." I said about to walk into my house when he grabbed the door nob I turned around *AHHH he's way TOOOO CLOSE MY POOR HEART, IS he trying to kill me?* I turned my head to the left and tried to get ahold of my heart.

"Please don't call me that anymore, just call me Katsuki like you did earlier." he said as he leaned down I turned my head back forward and all of a sudden I felt a warmth on my lips, his lips were on mine?!?!?! His eyes widened and so did mine. He backed up and cover his mouth "I- I didn't mean to-" he was talking but I cut him off "No, N-no, it was my F-fault I shouldn't have-" I cut myself off and covered my mouth. "I- Um, Goodnight Bak- Uh I mean Ka-Katsuki!" I said as I turned around and ran inside my apartment.

*Oh god* I slid down my door and onto the floor. *I JUST KISSED KATSUKI BAKUGO!! I THINK IM GONNA PASS THE FUCK OUT.* my heart was racing and I couldn't catch my breath. What have I done?

algf;iuapfiuabg[uabgd OMG haha you guys kissed what a Silly SILLY Y/N ahahahhaha I'll probably post the second part sometime this weekend. Tell me what you think abt it!!!

I am Jumping with joy!!! this was the post i thought i lost forever lmaoooo it was in my dafts im so mf-ing happy haufgpiafpa

[davilasinfiltro]

In which hellaverse!skephalo sold their souls to each other and learn about soul chains

688 words

Also happy birthday @bagelrites !

“Careful, Skeppy!!”

A red chain suddenly shoots out of Bad’s hand and wraps around Skeppy’s wrist, saving him from walking into a puddle of some poor sinner’s blood slicking up the brimstone.

“Oh thanks Bad, wait what the fuck?”

They stare at the glowing shackle fitting snugly around Skeppy’s wrist for a beat before interrupting each other.

“Uhh—“

“When could you do this? How do you take it off?” Skeppy flails the chain that’s still in Bad’s grasp. “Are we just, like, stuck together now?” His tail sways in apprehension.

“Skeppy, calm down. I’m sure I can just—“ Bad lets go of the chain and instantly it fizzles away. “See? You can calm your muffins.”

“Okay, but what was that? Is it like one of your demon powers?” Skeppy rubs his wrist where the shackle was. It left a slightly cold sensation that actually felt pleasant compared to Hell’s heat.

“I mean. Probably yes? Maybe I have more powers I haven’t found yet”

“Here. Grab that light pole with your chain thingy.”

With an outstretched hand, Bad reaches for the light pole but no chain appears in his hand. He throws his hand out over and over but nothing happens except looking like he’s attempting using Jedi force.

Skeppy giggles at Bad’s increasing frustration. “Dude, maybe you’re just bad at this.”

“Oh, be quiet. It worked when I did it to you.”

Without much thought, he tries to manifest the chain on Skeppy again and this time it latches onto his neck, throwing him off balance so he falls to the ground kneeling in front of Bad with a small yell. Their eyes meet and Bad comes up with the awful thought that Skeppy looks very pretty like this. The slight glow of the chain reflects in his diamond embedded skin and in his eyes. His deep brown eyes looking up at him wide with surprise.

“Look who’s staying quiet…” Bad teases with a low voice. Skeppy flushes hot across his face. Stupid chain thingy and Bad’s stupid smile driving him insane. He’s about to stand up when Bad tugs on the chain and brings him back to the floor so he’s on his hands and knees now. The shiver that runs through his body is obvious but he hopes that Bad ignores it. He looks up at Bad and tugs at the shackle around his neck.

“Okay Bad I’m sorry… you’re good at this. Now can you take it off, please?”

Being able to bring Skeppy to his knees whenever Bad wanted does something funny to his gut. Not only because of the immense satisfaction of getting Skeppy to stop teasing him and apologize, but also seeing him in such a… subservient pose. The chain around Skeppy’s neck commands respect and— it finally clicks in his head.

The chain disappears from Skeppy’s neck and he gets up from the ground, brushing off the debris from his hands on his pants.

“Skeppy, I don’t think this is one of my demon powers.”

“Huh? What do you mean.”

“I think it’s part of the soul deal we made… since I technically own your soul. I have a sort of, control over you.”

“Ohhh… OH! Wait so—“

Skeppy reaches towards Bad’s neck and a light blue chain snaps close around it.

“Agh, Skeppyyy!” Bad grabs the chain to relieve some tension before he can fall face first into the ground. Skeppy laughs at having a tall scary demon leaning forwards precariously from a chain around his neck whining at him.

“I’m so going to have fun with this.” Skeppy wraps the chain around his hand to shorten the length and bring Bad’s face closer to him. Bad grumbles and pushes Skeppy’s cheek playfully with a large clawed hand.

“I should’ve kept my mouth shut. I’m starting to regret selling my soul to you.”

“Aww too bad I’m not giving it back. It’s mine forever.”

“Nooo!” Bad says with a big smile on his face. He summons a chain around Skeppy’s neck. “I guess I’m stuck with you.”

Skeppy swallows hard around the shackle constricting his neck lovingly.

“Yeah you are.”