#The three end up bonding over scheming and bitching about people

[arty-chase]

A Failed Betrothal /Betrothal AU: Take Two

So here is the second part of the betrothal AU that I decided to name "A Failed Betrothal. This takes place before Part 1 which in hindsight should have been done first. Part 2 got too long so I cut it and started Part 3. I have no idea and nothing planned on how long this will go. Hope you enjoy ❤.

[Masterlist]

(Part 1)

PART 2

Marinette also wasn't having a good day or a good week.

Lila Rossi had been up to her usual tricks. You know, spewing lies from her mouth. How she met these awesome celebrities during this trip and they worship the ground she walks on for her amazing and humbling help. There were stories of these charities, trips and galas that she had been to or was invited to. She has problems with her wrists and can't do simple stuff like carry her own bag or do her homework. She has tinnitus in her ears so she needs to sit in the front where the only seat available would be next to Adrien.

And for the finale.

The desert after feeding the class a banquet of lies.

"Mari...nette..has been bullying me, she...told..me not to tell anyone..*sobs*..that she would kill me if I did.."

Lila dramatically gasped and slapped her hands over her mouth. Turning on the waterworks for a more dramatic effect. They all ate it up, jumping on the ‘let’s hate Marinette, a bad person’ train.

"She is going to kill me now and I am so scared." That snake managed to snuck an evil smirk past her glaring, oblivious classmates.

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Marinette, at this point of her life, had frankly given up caring for them due to the class's lack of brain cells and Agreste's spineless 'High Road' Approach.

For Kwami's sake, she went through a brutal torture that was training in some jungle temple in Asia before Sabine Cheng, former mercenary/assassin, kidnapped her (Little Marinette took a risk. She ran away and followed her around until Sabine begrudgingly accepted that she was now the 6- year-old girl's mother because screw it, Tom said he wanted children.) to raise/train as her own while she settled down with a baker whose mother may or may not have ties with the Mafia and other illegal activities.

(Mother-daughter bonding days became much more fun once she had Guardianship of the Miraculous. Sabine was ,at first, furious at Master Fu for dumping everything on the girl and losing his memories before swearing to help protect the jewels. Adopted or not, Marinette is her daughter and no one should let a child, even one with training, fight a war. A good thing to come out of her reveal was that her mother was a great tiger to have as back-up. But now, her training regime had become harder and challenging.)

The point was that Lila Rossi would be dead and body missing since that first time she threatened Marinette in the bathroom. The Italian was in perfect health despite what she claims otherwise, because Marinette didn’t want to be the person she was raised to be and also she didn’t want to disappoint Tikki, she was fond of the little red kwami. But sometimes, she just wanted to give into the urge to kill.

She had met and dealt with unsavory characters of all types and she can safely say that Lila Rossi was a manipulator that thrives on attention and like a parasite, latches herself onto the fame of others. None of the unsavory people she had met get under her skin like Rossi had.

Marinette had enough self-preservation to drop the nice girl act and sometimes let the dragon underneath to surface. She stopped doing last-minute favors and giving away free stuff which Lila uses to her full advantage to further destroy her relationships with her ‘friends’. It was better than sticking her neck out for classmates that were no longer worth her time. Attempts to expose Lila had backfired due to the denial they are in, believing the liar to be a sweet, nice girl living the high life.

Adrien with his rose-tinted glasses firmly stuck to his eyes was not happy at all with her decision. That may also have to do where she suggested he shove his advice after he tried to reason her to take the high road for defending herself for the umpteenth time. She felt like the biggest idiot to ever have a crush on him. Every time, Rossi blames Marinette for a problem, he would shoot disappointed looks in her direction.

Alya being Lila's biggest guard dog tore into Marinette for her newfound 'bad' behaviour. The rest of Lila's supporters backed her up with "How could you do that to Lila","I can't believe you changed." Nearly all her so-call friends had turned their backs and lost all common sense to the Italian's manipulations.

(Alya was supposed to be her best friend, aren’t you supposed to listen to your ‘bestie’ over a complete stranger)

The designer took it all with a bored expression on her face, used to the lecturing which was a waste of time because her behavior isn't going to change, no matter what, Lie-la will keep up the act of being the bully's (*cough*Marinette*cough*) victim.

Her heart that cracks the tiniest bit at the accusations. A small part of her, she admits, is hurt that they think so low of her.Was she really that worthless to them? All those times and efforts helping them out on last-minute favors and giving them free treats. Were they not enough to earn their friendship? Their trust or at the very least, a benefit of doubt?

The only ones who didn’t join the berating to 'correct' the raven-haired girl’s attitude were Chloe (who had proven herself to have changed after the miracle queen incident and Lila stole the spotlight and Sabrina. There were a lot of apologizes, gifts and ‘making up to do’) Alix (she came to her senses when the supposed bullying started) and Nathaniel (Lila blatantly claimed to be the artist for the Ladybug comic to his face).

“Girl, Marinette, are you even listening to me?”Alya demanded.

“Maybe. Did you say anything that doesn’t have to do with Lila or how I did her wrong or how I am no longer the person you knew?”

Marinette knew that being sarcastic would backfire but nothing she does or says will change what they think of her. One word from Lila and they will turn back on her. As much as she hates to admit it, Lila’s threat has fallen through and she was alone. Mostly.

She still had Chloe, Nathaniel, Alix, Luka and Kagami as friends. The trust-worthy and loyal kind.

“Girl,” Alya says in a disappointed tone, shaking her head,“when I look at you, I don’t see that girl who stood up to Chloe the bully-”, Chloe snorted, she had changed but they were too blind and prejudiced against her to notice her efforts, “-Picking on Lila, threatening and harassing her. This isn’t you and you know it. Just get over your jealousy on Lila being close to Adrien and apologize to her.”

If Alya had talked to her in the past 12 months other than demanding things that took away her time or anything relating to Lila, she would know that her infatuation had turned into annoyance.

Marinette sighed, too tired of this routine, tired of trying to knock heads so the brain cells can work again. Apologizing would mean that Lila had won. She was petty and stubborn enough to allow that to happen. Lila said she will take the class and Adrien. Fine, she can have them but Marinette Dupain-Cheng will not admit defeat. Bigger men had fallen to the ravenette for lesser offences. A year has passed since the expulsion and the class still hasn't regained common senses, so they can deal with the consequences after the inevitable downfall of Lila and Marinette will be there to see them lay in the grave they dug.

Steeling herself for the pain that will come with the execution of her plan,

“What if I don’t. I won’t apologize to her because I have not done anything to her or even interacted with her. If I apologize, it would be insincere and a lie. And I hate liars.” The former assassin said evenly.

“Lila is not a liar. I don’t know why you are like this.” Alya said, frustrated.

Marinette knew there would be a small chance of an akuma with Gabriel Agreste having an important meeting to attend on this day that would last for the next hour. This was the small window of opportunity to start the plan and also further confirm the identity of Hawkmoth. Killing two birds with one stone.

“Alya, this has always been me, you just never took the time to get to really know the real me.”, she replied, the last part with an icy tone.

“Well-... I- ..You-, fine, then if you can’t say those simple three words, we can’t be friends. I clearly don’t know what a selfish bitch you are. God, I can’t believe I wanted to be best friends with you. You are now replaced by Lila because unlike you, she is genuinely nice and selfless.” Alya declared. The rest of Lila’s supporters murmured in agreement.

Phase 1, complete. Lure the Lie-la into a false sense of security by making her think she won.

Marinette tried not to show how hurt she was, to be replaced by the scheming bitch. But at the same time she felt relieved, she no longer had to walk on eggshells in fear of losing the friendships of people she used to care about. It felt final as she maintained her stoic expression, hoping they didn't notice the glassy sheen her eyes had.

“Then, it is official. We are no longer friends.”

They haven’t been friends for a long time.

Mme. Bustier finally walked into the classroom to start the afternoon classes, signalling the end of the conversation. After class, Marinette resolves to inform them that she was resigning as class president which she was sure the class will be glad for. She was right.

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

Ladybug was, as the Americans say, pissed at Hawkmoth which was nothing new. He had sent out another akuma just as Marinette was back home and trying to relax after the stressful day. The akuma was not any of her ex-friends which she wasn’t sure to be thankful for or not.

Louise Martin was a boy about Luka’s age and mad at his friends who had blamed their fifth loss-in-a-row on him despite the fact that it was his skills that were getting them any progress. They were playing one of those recently released 5V5 skills and strategy battle games. (League of Legends or Mobile Legends. Take your pick, I am going with the latter)

He was akumatized into Hayakuma as proof of Hawkmoth’s lack of creativity. Hayakuma was a bleached out version of Louise’s chosen hero avatar, Hayabusa whose outfit was basically what the media portrays ninjas to look like with some samurai aspects.

Unfortunately, he also had the hero’s ultimate special powers which were making four shadow copies of himself and being able to switch positions with them. Thanks to Rattlesnake’s Second Chance, they know that he can only make a switch once every two minute. Hayakuma also wields a sword, showing off his skills.

Just lovely.

Hydra and Ladybug were the only ones able to counter his attacks with Hydra’s sword and Ladybug’s summoned one. (Let’s go with that headcanon(?)/trope that she can summon weapons for plot convenience and the others can too but just don’t have enough practise yet.)

The others managed to dodge and shield themselves from Hayakuma’s really sharp sword.

The shadows themselves were annoying as they would distract or hinder the miraculous users by grabbing them by their shadows and making them unable to move. Until Bunnix had the brilliant idea of shadow boxing which gave the heroes gain more even ground.

With how strong and handful the akuma was, it was code ‘all hands on deck’. Ladybug, Stinger, Rattlesnake, Hydra, Bunnix, Trickster. Well, nearly every hand. Lady Mǔ lǎohǔ was busy with the bakery. Chat Noir was nowhere to be seen or very late which had been the norm for the last year ever since Ladybug wanted to form a new miraculous team consisting of permanent heroes.

(He didn’t show up for the first few months because the first permanent member was Ladybug’s mother who did not like his attitude towards her daughter. He ran away with his tail between his legs once he found out how she was related to Ladybug. His face when he realized it, was something Marinette will cherish forever)

At least when Lady Mǔ lǎohǔ was around, he would not dare act out of line. When she is gone however, he is back to his old ways.

After saving one of Louise’s teammates from Hayakuma’s sword, they gathered the rest of the team and hid them someplace safe. Using Trickster’s illusions to trick all the shadows and the original to one place, the heroes were going to surround and ambush them and get the akumatized item. The plan would have been a success if it weren’t for Chat Noir hugging Ladybug from behind, making her miss her cue.

“Hey~ Bugaboo~ Did you miss me~? Your Chaton~?”

Thwack! Smack!

Chat Noir was on the rooftop, groaning pitifully in pain. Especially his crotch area. Ladybug glared at him and looked to the ambush point to see the illusions had disappeared and everyone else gone from their hiding place.

She sighed and turned on the comms, (Thank you, kwamis)

“Sting, did you venomed the akuma?”

“No, he escaped before I could. What happened, LB?”

“A certain cat got me delayed. What’s the status update?”

“Hydra is holding him off and Bunnix found that an umbrella is a good substitute for a sword. The rest of us are keeping track of the shadows. They split up but none of them are getting near where we hid the targets.”

“Where are you? I will meet you later with back-up.”

“Near Notre Dame and tell Mama Tigress I said hi.”

“Tell her yourself.”

She looked down at Chat No-, no he is not worthy of being a hero anymore with the amount of times he had derailed and hijacked the plans to defeat the akumas just so he can ‘earn’ Ladybug’s heart.

She looked down at Adrien Agreste, who was sitting and sulking like a child that was unfairly punished. (Once she got over her crush and started looking at the right things that she managed to piece together her ‘partner’s’ identity by accident. Tikki’s confirmation sealed the deal.)

“Chat Noir, this partnership of ours,” she said, gesturing to the two of them, “ is going to change tonight. Meet me at the ‘spot’ at 11 sharp. Now, go home.”

He left with a small glimmer of hope in his eyes at her words. She felt a little bad about the subtle manipulation but with the way things were now, it can’t go on. He was hindering more than helping and the people of Paris that weren’t shipping ‘Ladynoir’ saw that.

As she jumped towards Notre Dame, she called the bakery with her yoyo.

“Mama, are you free now? I need a little help with the akuma and can you bring the horse miraculous.”

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

Chat Noir waited excitedly at what they both dubbed at their ‘spot’, in the good old days when it was just the two of them. Maybe Ladybug was finally open to the idea of dating. Or maybe she must have seen what a great hero he is and was going to get rid of the team. Or realized that having her mother on her team was a bad idea. Parents are the worst and they both can be two rebellious teenagers in love. Like Romeo and Juliet. So romantic~.

He was so deep in his daydream that he didn’t hear his lady land.

“Chat Noir.” Startled, he nearly fell off the roof. No, don’t make a fool of yourself in front of Ladybug.

“Yes, Bugaboo.” Hoping she didn’t know that he was very distracted. His attention will always be hers 100%.

“Don’t call me Bugaboo. Tikki wants to talk to Plagg about Kwami stuff. So you go over and hide behind that chimney. Then, we can talk about why I told you to be here.” Adrien frowned and then smiled. His lady must be very embarrassed about her mistake that must be why she is taking her time. He tried listening to what they were saying but the kwamis were talking in their special Guardian Language. Was it him or did Tikki’s voice sound more like his lady’s voice?

Whizz!

Adrien was tied up with Ladybug’s yoyo. “M’Lady? Bugaboo!? LADYBUG! WHAT IS GOING ON?!! PLAGG-”

Ladybug cut in, “Adrien Agreste, you have been slack in your hero duty and choosing your own feelings over supporting your partner, me, the holder of the Ladybug Miraculous and current Grand Guardian, in the efforts to defeat the enemy of Paris, Hawkmoth. Due to those reasons, you are no longer worthy to be the Holder of the Black Cat Miraculous” in one swift motion, she took the ring off his finger, “As such you are hereby revoked of Plagg’s Ring.”

“NO, YOU CAN’T. YOU CAN’T DO THIS TO ME! I LOVE YOU AND I KNOW YOU LOVE ME BACK. WE ARE SOULMATES, WE ARE MEANT TO BE-”

Adrien went slack at Lady Tigress’s pinch on his pressure point.

“I don’t what you ever saw in the boy.”

“I don’t know either. I think I dodged a bullet here. Can you carry him back to his home? I think I have dealt with enough of him tonight.” Ladybug muttered, as she erased Adrien’s memories of being Chat Noir.

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Tag list: @alysrose-starchild, @buginetye, @lookatthestars1, @blackroserelina, @macncheesemonster, @mochinek0, @myazael, @tonicxworld, @thewitchwhowaited, @t1dwarrior-of-earth, @kissa-chan, @iwantasecretidentity, @theymakeupfairies, @user00000003, @woe-is-me0, @kashlyn, @mochegato,@moonlightstar64 , @greatcatblaze, @moongoddesskiana, @tazanna-blythe.

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(Part 3)

[moonlit-imagines]

Headcanons for being Diego Hargreeves’ child

Diego Hargreeves x child!reader

warnings: knifes, blood, guns, death mentions, mental hospital

a/n:

prompt: anonymous: “Hi! Could you please write a “The Umbrella Academy” Diego Hargreeves x daughter reader headcanon? I always think Diego is such a overprotective softie dad ♥️♥️”

deigo really said “?????”

how dad

but also he’d just the most loving dad anyone could ever ask for

✨it’s because he was never loved by his dad✨

“hi cutie, i love you, i love you, i love youuuuu”

he locked away all his weapons so that you couldn’t hurt yourself on them

but he always missed a few and he’d turn around and see you holding throwing knives and just FREAK OUT

“no, no, no, you may not have those! knives are for big boys like me, not babies”

“give back”

“‘give back?’ are you nuts?”

diego has conversations with lil you as if you know what the fuck he means dhshshhshs

as you got older, you became more interested in his “career”

“no, i dont care if you have powers or not! you have a bedtime, that means no vigilantism, you hear me?”

“if i say ‘no’ can i be a vigilante?”

“you know what? how about you clean up the gym for al so he doesn’t evict us?”

you did not sign up for this

you really wanted to meet your aunts and uncles, but you weren’t exactly sure they knew about you

i mean, you knew you had a cousin but everyone knew about her because aunt allison was a goshdarn celebrity

“dad, i want to meet the family!”

“no you don’t”

end of discussion

despite having a bedtime, you still watched movies late at night with your dad

he really liked marvel movies

“come on, that would never happen!”

“you come from a family of superpowered kids, a robot mom, and a monkey, and you’re upset about...a guy that shoots arrows?”

“maybe i am, what’re you gonna do about it?”

you ask about umbrella academy stories a lot, you your dad usually makes it about him

“and then i punched that guy in the face! and then i stabbed him in the leg because he was a dick! bet you’re friend’s dads arent as cool as me”

*yawning bc you’ve heard this story a million times*

you go to public school

you do have your dad’s last name

which occasionally gets recognized

“woah! wasn’t your dad a superhero?”

“i have no idea what youre talking about” :)

practicing your knife throwing while diego is away, him coming home to find his knifes stuck through various targets

so proud but he had to make sure you didn’t hurt yourself

you actually had to learn how to patch him up because he did come home a bit battered and bruised several times

“im okay, y/n. no need to freak”

“dad, there is literally blood dripping on the floor will you just sit down and stay still for five goddamn minutes?”

“woah, who the fuck taught you to cuss?”

watching the news at home when your grandfather was reportedly dead

you were actually very upset because you wanted to meet him so bad

even if he was a dick

your dad came home silent and you knew he knew

“you okay?”

“oh, yeah, im better than okay!”

finally getting the chance to meet your family

“who are you?” -allison

“im, uh, y/n. diego is my dad”

*jaw dropping*

and you know what? that happened four more times (plus ben but you didn’t get to see that)

“and you are?” -luther

“who’s the...the little one?” -klaus

“well, what do you know? diego’s a dad” -five

“don’t tell me that’s...no way” -ben

“you’re diego’s? wow, i can’t believe he didn’t tell anyone” -vanya

“i...i know who all of you are” -you

diego bragging about how perfect you are while everyone simultaneously rolls their eyes

“well, y/n, maybe one day we’ll schedule a playdate for you and claire” -allison

“‘playdate?’ how old do you think i am?...but yes i wanna meet her”

“god, you’re so much like diego, it’s unsettling”

you had been secretly training at al’s gym during your dad’s late night activities

so when trouble came your way, you were able to handle yourself pretty well

“where the hell did you learn that?”

“al showed me a few moves!”

“that old man? you’re kidding”

you met your grandmother, grace, who was tasked with keeping you safe at all times

you actually loved her sm

but there was something a bit off about her

besided the fact she was a robot

klaus snuck you out so that you two could have BoNdInG tImE

it wasn’t all bad

ben was a lil choked up that he got to meet one of his niblings

“they’re perfect”

“they just stabbed someone, buddy”

“who are you talking to?”

FIVE EVEN SCHEMED WITH YOU

“okay, y/n, i need you to curve something when i throw it, got that? right at that security guard”

“what are you throwing?”

“you’ll know when you see it, make your uncle five proud”

“IS THAT A GUN”

<3 family

running into patch!!

“hey, kid, i just saw your dad. i thought i told you to handcuff him to the radiator when you were away?”

“yeah, well, he wouldve chewed his hand off so here we are”

that was the last time you saw her :/

well, your dad was now a wanted man

“what happened to your arm?”

“no”

you actually didn’t expect this family reunion to go south like this

wait—yes you did

vanya has powers????

“i thought vanya was the one without powers?”

“yeah. so did we.”

diego straight up did not want you anywhere near that

but you, again, were his child and also fuck authority you do what you want

the vibe is almost getting shot several times

by hazel, cha cha, and “commission” guys?

going 2 ur auntie’s concert 😌✨

“y/n, hide in the bathroom and stay there until i come get you”

“dad, i love you, but no”

“y/n, i love you too, but yes”

“no”

“yes”

“NO”

“YES”

you won

but in the end (or not so much) you time traveled to...1961?

without any of your family

“this is...this is not good”

understatement of the year(s)

what was a kid like you gonna do in dallas, texas in 1961

no seriously, what

it was rough, but you managed to survive on your own

and open a paper in 1963 to find a mugshot of your dad

“son of a—”

visiting dad! (two years later)

“y/n? oh my god, y/n! shit, i missed you so much! why do you look different? you’re bigger, oh god. how long have you been here?”

“2 years, dad. you?”

his hair was so LONG

“2 months”

“christ, that’s it?!”

“i have to stop jfk from being assassinated”

“what makes you think that’s a good idea???”

“its the right thing to do, wanna help?”

“shit, i guess. as long as i dont end up here”

“no promises, people in the 60’s are crazy”

diego: 👁👄👁

you: 👀

running into five on the street soon after

“uncle five?”

“no time to talk”

“okay, asshole? i’ve been here for 2 years and you dont care?”

“two years, huh? i spent 45 years in a post apocalyptic world as a 13 year old and beyond”

“i didn’t say it was a competition, dude. you kinda dropped us all at different times. at least, me and dad. he—”

“is trying to kill lee harvey oswald, i know. come with me”

finally running into your other aunts and uncles, who were so excited to see you

you ran into their arms and they picked you off the ground and you felt closer than ever after only knowing them for 10 days

dad broke out

lila too

“im your new mom!”

“you’re what?”

diego dragged you along with him almost everywhere

he had missed you so much, but he keeps forgetting you kinda grew up without him for a while longer

meeting grandpa :)

“a grandchild, huh? how unfortunate”

“bitch”

“what did you just call me?”

“a bitch.”

your dad and basically the entire table trying to hold back laughter

reggie was stunned

cold hearted just like him <3 he didn’t know if he was offended or proud

this is so confusing

diego just disappeared off the face of the earth

and assassins were on your case

“the goddamn swedes are back oh shittt im gonna die”

“y/n, just curve their bullets”

“it’s not as easy as it sounds, klaus!”

you were doomed

theres too much to go over

apparently you died on a farm????

and then you didn’t??????

and your dad was almost apart of the commission

“hey, you okay, y/n?”

“i would like to take a nap please”

“yeah, me too”

“me three!” -klaus

yeah it was never that simple 😌💕 the end

taglist: @alwaysananglophile // @cullens-stuff // @lotsoffandomrecs // @takethebladeawayfromme // @that-nerd-tessa // @teenwaywardasgardian // @spidergirla5 // @sheridans-dynamos // @freya-xo // @johnmurphyisbisexual // @jay-is-groovy // @ravenmoore14 // @purpleskiesstorm // @abbiesthings // @thereagles // @ofthedewthesunlight //

[goatsandgangsters]

Much as I LOVE the boat chapters of Siege and Storm because I’m a sucker for bottle episodes and “people who don’t like each other grudgingly having to work together on a task and try not to murder each other” (seriously, I wish that section had been the entire book because I had so much fun), I reeeeeeeally don’t think it will actually WORK for the show and needs some fixing:

Reasons why I don’t think it’s narratively strong (despite being tropey as fuck in ways I enjoy)

Way too much of an immediate Uno reverse. Shadow and Bone ends with “oh yay, we escaped the Darkling” and then the FIRST CHAPTER of Siege and Storm is “surprise bitches, bet you thought you’d seen the last of me” aaaaaand they’re captive again

The narrative tension of Alina thinking he’s dead gets shot reaaaal fast, minimizing the payoff

Alina……. doesn’t do anything. At all. In this entire part of the book. The Darkling sets their little whaling field trip in motion, Mal tracks the sea whip, Nikolai arranges the rescue entirely unbeknownst to Alina, who doesn’t get anything meaningful to do during this little excursion. Considering how much more agency the show has been trying to give Alina at every turn (thank god), an entire boating expedition where Her Three Boys are the only active agents while she’s just a spectator isn’t gonna fly

Objectively it’s a really dumb ~villainous plot. “well, killing an amplifier and putting it on you to take your power didn’t work well LAST TIME, but let’s immediately try again. I’m sure it will work out better this time.” I’m in it for the plot (the Darkling standing at the bow, gazing out at the water with his cloak billowing around him), but for viewers who are in it for the PLOT Plot, it’s just… the same plot as last time, but shorter. Disappointing. Will be super obvious when you binge. 

In the book, the Darkling needs to show up again in order to Be In The Story since everything is limited to Alina’s point of view, but that’s obviously not true in the show and that opens up a lot more options for what he could be doing and ways he can be present in the story without Currently Talking to Alina 

Personally, my idea for the show's sea whip in order to a) make more sense plot wise, b) give Alina more agency, c) not IMMEDIATELY rehash the exact same ending of the previous book vis-a-vis “oh no we’re captured” and “oh no another unwanted amplifier”

Alina and Mal are already on the same boat as the Crows at the end of season 1, so they’re at least heading in the same direction for now

We open with Alina and Mal lying low in Ketterdam

Alina gets her wish to visit the library in Ketterdam (good opportunity to start incorporating some Jesper backstory too), where she’s doing her own research on how to make her power stronger and trying to piece together information on Morozova’s amplifiers (unfortunately, the Little Palace library has the BEST books on the subject, but she’ll make do in Ketterdam)

Alina makes the decision to go after the sea whip herself, because Alina Actually Getting To Make Choices And Drive Her Own Story is my kink (as well as Alina Actually Getting To Want and Seek Out Power)

But o! We need a ship! How ever will we go chasing this legendary sea monster?

Fortunately, Kaz-who-knows-everything knows of a certain sea captain juuuust crazy enough to take on the job. He’s due to dock in Ketterdam for trade within a fortnight. Kaz offers to make contact

I wrote this in literally two minutes: “Can we trust him?” Mal asks. “You can’t trust anyone,” Kaz says sharply, “but he’s a legendary smuggler and a patriot.” “A patriot?” Alina asks.��“What d’you mean, a patriot?”  Then, from behind them, “A patriot, lovely, means I care about the fate of Ravka, a fate which is currently quite precarious, wouldn’t you say? I’ve agreed to help your little expedition for the good of our country. And for a rather handsome sum of money.” Kaz rolls his eyes. “What is it, Mr. Brekker? No secret honorable intentions, no love of your homeland, lurking in that cold heart of yours?” “Kerch can sink for all I care.” “Well, in that case, best set sail before that happens. I’d hate to ruin these shoes.” 

I don’t know exactly what I want the Darkling to be doing during all of this, but fortunately this isn’t my job to figure out and hopefully they’ll come up with something clever that isn’t “hand him the idiot ball and make him try literally the same villainous scheme a second time.”

We can already establish the darklina mental link as forged through the stag—considering the change that they both had the same bone in them (lol)—or even have the bond start once she gets the sea whip. The stag makes sense because same bone, BUT the sea whip has the potential of “wait, why is this happening, why does this connect me to you, you had nothing to do with this” so that we can build on his own connections to Morozova

Pros: avoids literally rehashing the same thing that JUST happened at the end of Shadow and Bone; makes the sea whip Alina’s choice; lets Alina drive the story instead of Her Three Boys; incorporates the Crows into Alina’s story before they diverge again; lets Ivan live longer

Cons: we can’t dub “my heart will go on” over darklina boat argument scenes :(

[kitkatopinions]

Accidentally deleted my Tyrian and Watts asks while I was trying to fix a mistake so... Sorry about that, everyone! Here they are! Tyrian and Watts for the RWBY character asks!

Let’s do Tyrian first, because I have less to say about him, I feel like.

My top three ships for the character

Tyrian/Watts. Dysfunctional villainous romance of the century, no one knows how they’ve managed to make it to their tenth anniversary without killing each other, including them. Tyrian/Salem is my second top ship for him. Major Bellatrix/Voldy vibes with this one, but I could see it. Tyrian/Hazel is my third ship for lack of options. Does this one make sense? No. But I can at least see Tyrian being super flirty and Hazel being endlessly tired, but never really stopping it. (Also I hate Hazel so much lol.)

My three least favorite ships for the character

Tyrian/Qrow sucks for me. Like... I kinda feel like two people fighting each other just gets shippers, which is fine and totally understandable. But for me, Tyrian poisoning Qrow and almost killing him and calling his beloved niece a bitch and then killing Clover is a big no from me, dog. On that note! Tyrian/Clover is also one big no from me, since Clover murdered him. And Tyrian/Ozpin is another really big no from me. Tyrian and his crazy Salem worship can stay five hundred and fifty feet away from my son.

My biggest criticism for the character

They went a little too much on the crazy in the fourth and fifth season and it made him feel annoying. Like, I don’t mind the Bellatrix vibes, but I do mind the movie version Bellatrix vibes, sometimes. It just got kinda annoying. I wish his crazy was always more on the dangerous side and less on the kooky side, but that’s just personal opinions.

My favorite thing about the character

The way people are so uncomfortable around him. Whenever Tyrian talks to Emerald or Mercury, he’s honestly freaky. Like both me and the characters are waiting for him to snap. That’s a great quality in a villain that we’re meant to hate or love to hate. He has a real presence and it’s enjoyable.

A headcanon I have about them

Tyrian doesn’t often try to act normal, but he can, and he’s got a great ‘respectable, cool guy’ act that’s actually a little reminiscent of Qrow or Clover. He’s even passed himself as a Huntsman here and there.

What I would change about them if I was making a re-write

More involvement in volumes 4 and 5, and I’d treat him a bit more seriously and make him a bit more dangerous. Maybe I’d have him wound a member of Team RNJR in his attack as well as poison Qrow (maybe give Jaune a reason to unlock his semblance in season 4 and in response to the pain of a member of his team. Also, his ‘Tyrian purple’ color should be more than just the color of his eyes. Like, how come so many RWBY characters season 4 and onward have such boring colors? I’d give Tyrian some strong purple and pink.

What I I think of their character allusion and what (if anything) I would change about it

Tyrian alludes to the animal fable ‘the Scorpion and the Frog,’ and that’s... really in name only, I think. A part of me wants to give them some kind of points for having Qrow work with him against Clover, only for Tyrian to kill Clover, which lines up with his ‘its just my nature’ scorpion stinging the frog so that they’ll both drown and die. But they didn’t mean for Qrow to really be wrong! They didn’t mean for the lesson to be ‘Qrow shouldn’t have trusted the poisonous villain’ it was ‘wowza does Qrow’s semblance hurt him. :( Too bad Clover got himself killed.’ Which makes the whole allusion kind of suck.

Now for Watts, the single best villain in my opinion.

My top three ships for the character

Tyrian/Watts. See above. This ship would be a dysfunctional mess, but it’d be a wild ride. Watts/Villain!Ironwood. I kind of hate this ship when it’s ‘fallen hero turned villain’ Ironwood. But if he actually had been written as a secret villain or obviously headed that way from the start, I can see him and Watts also being a dysfunctional mess of a wild ride ship, only with way more ‘evil power couple’ vibes than Tyrian and Watts would have. Also my favorite version of this features Watts having been the one to build Penny (maybe by stealing the plans from Pietro) and him and Ironwood raising a still bright and cheerful, still innocent and trusting, villain Penny who will attack to kill with a smile on her face and a ‘it was nice meeting you!’ And this is very weird and niche but Watts/Evil Stepsister (specifically the one with the sharp bangs and highlights.) Someone sent me an ask saying the Evil Stepmother and stepsisters should’ve been connected to Salem and gotten Cinder involved and I totally agree with this. I then started envisioning a world where the step sisters competed with Cinder and all three of them were raised in Salem’s circle. In this version of things, I could totally picture one of the step sisters having a romantic tension driven connection with Watts and the two of them subtly flirting sometimes (and bonding over their mutual hatred of Cinder.) I picked the sister with bangs for no real reason except that I like her look more.

My three least favorite ships for the character

Watts/Cinder. Watts thinks of her like a bratty little girl, and Cinder kills him. Watts/Lionheart. Kinda really hate this one because of how clearly Lionheart was terrified of him. Just a bit uncomfortable for me to see that in a relationship. Watts/Hero!Ironwood or Watts/HeroTurnedVillain/Ironwood. Sorry, but Ironwood in canon got such a bad, bad portrayal in season 8 and the end of season 7, and I just can’t help but blame Watts for quite a bit of it. I only like them as a ship if Ironwood is an antagonist from the start.

My biggest criticism for the character

They shouldn’t have killed him! He was one of Salem’s best followers and one of the best villains and it was such a big mistake to kill literally one of the only actual loyal followers. It threw off any character development for Cinder and it was a big mistake. I really wanted the Cinder / Watts / Neo team up to keep going! I’m so disappointed it got thrown away.

My favorite thing about the character

Watts is an entitled, petty bastard, and I think that’s so good for a villain that isn’t meant to be social commentary (because tbh, RWBY never should’ve tried to be social commentary.) Watts isn’t sympathetic, he’s an Atlas born and raised guy in a three piece suit, he’s posh, he’s upset because he wasn’t given exactly what he wanted. Most of the villains in RWBY are either victims of abuse, systemic oppression, or poverty, and that’s... Not fun in a show that’s never handled social commentary well and is about magical girls destroying Voldemort/Satan with the power of friendship (Ruby literally never says anything about Faunus rights iirc.) Watts is refreshing because he’s exactly the type of villain that you can expect in a show like what RWBY should’ve been, and he flourishes as that. Why would we be sympathetic to Watts when he’s just doing this all because he wasn’t picked first for his tech? Why would we feel soured towards conflicts with Watts and Team RWBY? He’s just a petty bastard being evil because he was snubbed. Why would we be frustrated that incredibly significant problems are being shoved to the side with Watts? He’s a fun villain, he’s not meant to be more, he’s not meant to make you emotionally invested only to then be gutted for it. You can hate to love him without it feeling bad. Maybe that’s why he’s just my favorite non-kid villain (other than Roman.)

A headcanon I have about them

Watts has been trying to build his own AI robot like Penny, in his spare time. He wanted it to be done in time to become a Maiden, but it wasn’t, and Salem gave that slot to Cinder and got after Watts for not contributing enough. He of course thought this was deeply unfair (especially after being made to contribute a lot to Cinder’s Beacon success without getting any credit for it.) And this just fueled his hatred of Cinder, his hatred of Pietro and Ironwood, and by extension, his hatred of Penny.

What I would change about them if I was making a re-write

I would keep him freaking alive and keep up the pair up he had going on with Cinder and Neo! But also I’d increase his relationships with Emerald, Mercury, Tyrian, Hazel... Just some more Salem’s Inner Circle moments to flesh out their characters. Other than that, I wouldn’t change much. He’s a pretty good character.

What I I think of their character allusion and what (if anything) I would change about it

Okay, I’ve talked about his character allusion in a very long post awhile ago, but I’m not scrolling down that far to tag it. To sum it up... I hate his allusion. XD I loved the Sherlock Holmes books and read most of them, and I didn’t realize he was supposed to allude to John Watson until I read someone else’s post saying so, and I started freaking out about how awful it was. Watts has so little in common with Watson, he’s essentially the anti-Watson. Which basically means he’s Sherlock Holmes, the opposite of Watson in almost every way, up to and including freaking faking his death which is one of the most iconic Sherlock Holmes thing ever. Watts is everything Sherlock Holmes is on his worst days, arrogant, callous, consumed with his projects, petty, smug, over the top - as well as being hyper intelligent and a genius who often just gets passed over. He has rivalries with his colleagues like Holmes did. And like I said, he faked his death, only to reveal himself to an old friend later on the cusp of carrying out a scheme. He’s evil Holmes! He has nothing to do with John Watson - caring, humble, down to earth, not brilliant like his friend but content to be ordinary and special because of his emotional depth and devoted heart, medical former doctor who spends quite a lot of time chronicling the successes of someone else because he’s content to live in the background. Don’t get me wrong, a ‘Watson’ character who is evil could work - Watson himself indulged in crime for the sake of Holmes sometimes in the original works and if he worshipped Salem or one of her followers and did everything for her while still being a more humble, more friendly, not brilliant person he could be good - but Watts is not that person. Even the gimmicks Watts is given are stupid and don’t make it obvious he’s Watson. Boy’s got a moustache and a revolver and they thought that’d be enough. Idk why they thought 'we’ll make him Watson’ when he’s clearly a Holmes! Also, he’s supposed to be ‘Watson if he’d met Moriarty instead of Holmes,’ and to that I say boo! Watson wouldn’t turn into a super genius just because he meets a different mastermind!

...That’s summing up my feelings, yeah. Because I have so many feelings about his warped, weird character allusion. If I was changing it, I’d just make him Holmes like I think he was clearly supposed to be.

[the8thsphynx]

p,,, p l e a s e ? I mean, please don't feel pressured to tell us about Herc either though!!! but if you want to ramble about her I'll very happily listen,,,,, as a greek mythology buff with fate brain rot your Herc makes me,,,, very happy,,,,, 🥺

HECC YEAH!

Alright, so as a disclaimer, she looks Like That(tm) because I’ve had Heracles as an OC since I was like an 11yo, so LONG before I even knew Fate existed and I’m not planning on changing the way she looks to look more like FSF/FSN Herc.

I also think that the armor I already have designed on her looks closer to Achilles/Jason/Asclepius/Odysseus’s more mecha-centered looks for Fate Greek Servants.

Next, I’ve established that the reason she is female is two separate reasons, and this has to do with compatibility for Roleplay:

When I did roleplay with others, I just had it set that she was from Musashi’s timeline and she isn’t actually the Heracles/Alcides of our timeline.

For my personal writing, it’s like an Artoria situation where history chose to remember her as a man because misogynistic Ancient Greece being like, ‘well there’s no way a woman could be a child of Zeus and this powerful and skilled at being in charge, so you must actually be a man’.

Second Disclaimer: no one has permission to take my designs and recreate them or use them for RP or fanfics.

SO listed below are the major points about her history in this verse and also how she currently operates as a Servant!!

In her history:

Same song and dance as the beginning where her powers surfaced at a young age, so Chiron found her and took her in to train her to be a hero. However, the change-up here is that Zeus gifted Heracles a portion of his power when she was born because he had the intention of this child being the hero that would guide Greece into a new age as his tickcet for his bet with Hera (this was in the 12 Trials original writing). Basically she never had a choice on whether or not she would be a hero.

When she traveled to Thebes in order to attempt to enter the Thebian Army, a whole situation happened with a coup and an attack with a hydra from Lernaea that got lured to Thebes from a nest by the people doing the coup... It was an entire thing. Heracles defeated the hydra and helped identify the traitor guards, so she was able to prove herself to Queen Eurydice and King Creon, who immediately had her married to their son Megara (below).

(he may have been in line for the Thebian throne and an incredibly skilled warrior, but he was THE Malewife.)

A bit before she moved to Thebes, when she was staying in Athens, Eurystheus met her and fell in love with her, but when she rejected his feelings that was when Hera came to him and ‘chose him as her champion’ so she could start her dirty ass scheme.

Heracles had a happy and loving marriage with Megara and they had one daughter and two sons. She would frequently go out with the Argonauts, but always came home to them as soon as she got back on shore.

When the Hera Snake Shit(tm) happened, Heracles was... broken. After the fact, the shock and grief made her go mad all over again until she dragged herself to Thebes and tried to convince Eurystheus to execute her, but because he was in cahoots with Hera he forced Heracles to the 12 Trials instead to ‘redeem’ herself... and this shit lasted 12 years, btw. So that’s 12 years of retraumatizing herself by being forced to do these impossible feats to be forgiven for the murders she was forced by Hera to commit... on top of Hera also sabotaging the Trials wherever she could.

When Heracles completed the initial 10, Eurystheus tricked her into two more, and after completing those two she snapped and nearly killed him, screaming at him to free her. It was then that Eurystheus bitched out and confessed everything to Heracles; Hera’s hatred, her whole plan... all of it. Heracles then stormed her ass out of Mycenae and Thebes and never returned.

She spent the rest of her life until her death by Nessus being cruel, cold, and tyrannical. Heracles had 1 (one) last biological child that she left with a king who would eventually raise that child to found Sparta (Leonidas’s ancestor), but the rest of her very numerous children were all actually orphaned or less fortunate children that she adopted so they could claim the title of ‘child of Heracles’ to help themselves get ahead in life (this is where the Heracleidae came to be). Even so, she usually left them on their own and didn’t open herself to them as a mother-figure.

Her life as a Servant:

She may have manifested as an Avenger class, but this is because of Megara becoming a part of her soul and manifesting with her as the manifestation of her hatred for the gods; he’s made the active choice to turn himself into the arrow meant to kill Hera.

If it weren’t for Megara bonding with her Spirit Core, Heracles would qualify for Grand Berserker class. Because of this, Heracles still has a Madness Enhancement factor that will kick in when she encounters a god. Very similar to when Penthisilea goes buckwild at the mention of Achilles, except it only activates and makes her black out when she is face-to-face with and aware that someone is a god.

Despite being an Avenger, she has an incredibly sweet disposition, especially towards kids. A habit from her life that stuck with her as a Servant is that if she sees a child (Heroic Spirit or not) who has no parents or awful parents, she WILL adopt them and start calling them her child, and no, not in the creepy weird m*mmy k*nk way, foh. In some cases, she’ll just adopt someone because they look like they could be her child. One fucking hilarious instance of this is that she has adopted Archer Emiya even though he gripes all the time that they look the same age physically. Does she care?? NO, that’s her son, babey!

Her Noble Phantasms are the almost the same as FSF Archer Alcides, especially Reincarnation Pandora and King’s Order... and Reincarnation Pandora is actually the reason why she would up contracting with Goetia. But she also has the manifestation of all 12 Trials, albeit in a different form than what Archer Alcides can bring them forth as, and this is because by some handiwork by Daedalus, Heracles can alter the King’s Order to adapt to whatever situation she needs them for.

ex: Cerberus can become a motorcycle aside from also being a three headed hellhound and the famous Lernian Hydra can turn into a Mercedes Benz aside from also being the fuck-off giant Kinghidorah.

Daedalus messing with Heracles’s Noble Phantasms is the most shown in her (Daedalus is a woman in this verse bc fuk u) alteration of Nine Lives to be a multi-adaptable weapon with nine different functionalities that Heracles can flip them to at a moment’s notice. These alternate forms include: bow, twin swords, double-ended spear, polearm, long barreled rifle, twin short arms, bludgeon, battering ram, and can even conform to the braces on her arms and become gauntlets (yes, her and Ruler Martha would vibe).

(I realize that this isn’t the best design, I’m still working on drawing weapons)

Oh, I almost forgot about her other non-combatant quirk: she fucking LOVES blond men. If a grown dude is a blond and NOT a Greek-- regardless of anything else about their physical appearance-- it cranks their attractiveness scale up by at least 2 points for her. Goetia, Fionn, Arthur/Artoria, Gawain, Kintoki, Gilgamesh (he’s on thin fuckin ice), Jekyll, Goredolf... none of them are safe.

She also very much loves modern era fashion and dressing up. Heracles quickly befriends a lot of the female Servants/staff and goes on periodic ladies nights out with them.

[thetorchwoodnineroleplayerwriter]

Popular!Luz AU concept post

This au concept is something me, @crispyclown , and @molotov-does-stuff worked out together on @pastatiger ‘s TOH discord.

The basic concept is “what if Luz never did become friends with Willow and actually did become popular” based on an offhanded comment from boscha in ‘Understanding Willow’ that went to the effect of “that human could have been popular if she wasn’t hanging out with Willow”.

Here’s all the headcanons we’ve all put together:

Timeline:

1) 'teenage abomination' never happens. Luz just has a boring day and becomes vaguely aware of Hexside.

2) during ’Covention’, Amity and Luz meet for the first time. They don’t hit it off but they don’t not hit it off either. After the Lilith speech, Amity still steps on King’s cupcake, but it’s completely by accident. Amity tries to ‘keep up appearances as a Blight’ and ends up accidentally insulting Luz and King while attempting to apologize. Luz ultimately still has the “Bog of Immediate Regret” line, but Amity doesn’t really care one way or the other, so she nearly says ‘you read Azura too?!’ Before instead accepting. Amity and Luz’s bet is pretty low stakes — Amity apologizes to king if she loses, Luz apologizes to Amity if she loses, maybe? But Eda and Lillith get waaaay into the bet and both sides cheat as canon. Amity still breaks down when the construction glyph is revealed, but Luz formally concedes anyways (with low stakes she doesn’t have any serious need to win, and she still would rather be this girl’s friend than her enemy), citing their own relative skill levels, before going and talking to Amity. Amity is still DISTRAUGHT about the whole ordeal, but she and Luz have a much more in-depth heart-to-heart, where Luz explains what she did, tells Amity how cool Luz thinks she is, and manages to tell her the “I’m not a witch, but… I’m training to be one“ line. Amity leaves Luz with the line, ‘they say humans can't learn any magic. But... I don't think that's going to stop you.' And… they’re, maybe friends? Unclear friends? Probably just acquaintances but the point is its nonnegative relationship development.

3) ‘Hooty's Moving Hassle' is removed.

4) in ‘Lost in Language’, Luz is still a little over-friendly with Amity (Amity respects her for serious but also She Has A Reputation, Luz) when they meet in the library. Luz still gets sucked in to the twins’ chaotic energy, and Luz still thinks hanging out with them will somehow translate to brownie points with Amity. When Amity walks in on them in the secret room, she’s much more visibly and viscerally betrayed by (what she thinks) Luz did. However after saving themselves from evil Otabin, Luz does convince her the twins tricked her, they book trade as canon, Amity actually clearly thinks of Luz as a friend at the end of it all.

5) the moonlight conjuration incident happens after the library incident. Amity spins a BS story about Luz being a skilled witch to her parents and invites her to the conjuring. While initially their conjuring goes as canon (ie nowhere), Luz turns it to a regular party with Boscha, Skara, Amity, and herself. (and Cat, i think? Whoever their canon fourth was, she’s still here.) Eventually they try again, and since (in this au) the conjuring's power == your conjuring group's friendship's strength, and everyone here is at least somewhat friends with luz now, they do manage to animate a few things.

6) at some point here, Luz, Boscha, and Skara team up for a pickup game of grudgeby, and Luz learns the fireball glyph.

7) During ‘Once Upon a Swap', both Skara and Boscha notice how out of character King!Luz is acting. They can admit King!Luz is being cool, if a lil dorky, but they have an out-of-character moment where Boscha tries to ask 'Luz' if she's okay. King doesn't get it, but the others walk in on it so Boscha resumes acting like a challenged alpha bitch. (Luz eventually explains to Skara what was goin on that day. Luz ‘conveniently’ never got the chance to clue Boscha in.)

8) at some point around here, Luz manages to get Eda to enroll her in Hexside.

9) 'adventures in the elements' is changed bc Luz does know two glyphs. However, She and Amity want to hang out some more and Amity thought Luz's fire glyph could help her learn the fireball spell, so they still go to the knee together (with Eda, Emira, and Edric as terrible excuses for chaperones.) Luz learns the ice spell under Eda’s somewhat hands-off tutelage, possibly after accidentally angering the Slitherbeast as in canon.

10) In ‘First Day', Boscha is looking forward to finally getting a read on this girl who wormed her way straight into Amity's heart. (she's not jealous. nuhuh. not even a little. YOU’RE jealous!) Luz still immediately gets Detention'd, tho, but this time Amity and Boscha show up to bust her out unprompted, leading to a VERY awkward moment where Viney (and Jerbo and Barcus) refuse to trust Luz on the basis that Boscha and Amity are her friends, and both of them are notorious jerks who would ABSOLUTELY bully the DT kids. Amity has to duck out for her performance tho. the episode concludes as canon.

11) we get an extended time where we see how Luz easily makes friends with almost everyone at Hexside. She's friend-shaped and she gets a HUGE popularity boost for being honest friends with Skara and Amity. (she gets rancid vibes from Boscha when they’re at school together, but she can't put her finger on *why*. and besides, Boscha calls Luz her friend too, so that probably counts.) during this time Luz meets Gus, who is one of E&E's classmates. Gus can have an episode, as a treat.

12) Luz finally meets Willow, and gets slapped in the face HARD with confirmation that Amity and Boscha are kind of massive assholes. Luz tries to befriend Willow, but Willow refuses to trust her due to how often Boscha, Amity, and the rest of the popular girls who make up most of Luz’s closer friend group have bullied her.

13) Luz tries to get Boscha to take it down a notch. Boscha takes it up a notch. Luz tries to get Amity to help, Amity asks why it matters — it’s just ‘half a witch willow’, no one cares. Luz realizes, awkwardly (and probably with the assistance of Jerbo and/or Barcus), that while she currently has a lot a friends and is popular, if she defends Willow from Boscha’s bullying she’ll lose a lot of her popularity. Luz kind of has a small breakdown over this, because she doesn’t want to risk friends here when in the human world she has so few, but at the same time, she has Principles! She can’t just ignore this! As one of her schemes to help Willow without going against Boscha directly, Luz manages to get Willow transferred out of Abominations, although Willow is kinda annoyed by this since even though she’s in plant track she feels a stranger. (This alienation eventually goes away, but not before…)


14) Luz snaps and punches Boscha in the face one day for bullying Willow once too many times. Boscha gets PISSED and Luz is NOT BACKING DOWN, even though she’s scared. Boscha basically exiles Luz from the friend group, which has the added effect of making almost all of Luz’s friends stop talking to her, most painfully Skara and Amity. Willow starts to tolerate her, but only barely. (Gus is still Luz’s friend tho. In fact, Gus, the DT kids, and E&E Are the only Hexside students at this point who’ll be caught dead with Luz.)


15) ‘Understanding Willow’ Is changed; Luz catches Amity burning up Willow’s memories. However, since Amity, Luz, and Willow are distinctly *not* talking to each other, the quest to save Willow’s mind is *much* more tense. Luz keeps taking potshots at Amity for abandoning the both of them, Inner Willow hates both of them, and Amity is trying desperately not to have fun with people who hate her and also trying desperately to defend her actions. Amity still reveals the same secret of the day she stopped being Willow’s friend; Luz, meanwhile, reveals some bad memories of her own human school that make it very obvious how much the chance to be popular meant to her and how she genuinely empathizes with Willow’s whole situation. Ultimately ends with a bit of a tense moment between the three where they admit they’re not friends yet… but at the very least they’re all willing to be friends, now.

16) We get some time watching Luz slowly re-making her friends throughout the school, as people decide they really do like Willow and Luz as people and they’re kinda tired of Boscha been an alpha bitch. Maybe spliced with Willow & Luz & Amity hangin out, being friendly, or with Boscha been salty and Skara et al. being here by obligation even though they *clearly* wanna hang out with Luz some more.

17) ‘Wing It Like Witches’ happens largely beat for beat here. Boscha attempts to re-assert social dominance, Luz invokes the sacred rites of a game of grubby with a bet, Luz tries to get Willow and Gus in for it but Gus can’t and Willow won’t; Amity talks Willow into forming a 3 person team with her. Extra angst from the fact that Boscha and Luz did actually have some bonding over being on the same team on an earlier grubby game.

18) Grom happens now, largely as canon. When preparing Luz for the main fight, Amity theorizes (incorrectly) that Luz’s greatest fear is losing her friends on the boiling isles; Luz goes along with it, because ‘I already faced that fear once this year, it’ll be a cinch’. Grom tries it but it doesn’t work, but then from turns into her mom. (We see Amity nearly cry from Grom turning into her, but realizes what’s going on, and then has a massive blush from being called ‘her’ Amity. Skara rolls her eyes, bc she’s been clued in. Boscha is deliberately not caring.)

.

20) Boscha eventually gets to the point where she decides to apologize to Willow. She starts with a BS ‘lol sry’ approach, ends with a record-scratch-sudden rant where Boscha really does break it — and herself — down in honest apology. Some of the bad attempts are played for comedy, this one played completely straight.

Miscellanious other elements:

Unrequited Boschamity / exes Boschamity, boscha has cool banter with her friends (mildly platonic boschluz banter, snarky boschamity banter, member boschkara banter, etc), Boscha being really jealous of Luz, Everyone — EVERYONE — pines at Skara, Luz also pines at willow eventually, BOSCHA ACTUALLY GETS A REDEMPTION ARC AND ITS WELL WRITTEN AND NO ITS NOT IN SERVICE OF A SHIP, Boscha::Azula Amity::Zuko wrt redemption arcs, Boscha joins the inevitable rebellion as one of those ‘everyone in public thinks I’m an enemy of the rebellion so I can help them out real nice in the DL’ people, and yes we ARE overthrowing the government at some point in this au just not right now, right now we’re having ANGST and LUMITY, boscha is actually very nice to her friends when she wants to be she just usually doesn’t feel like she Should Be Vulnerable, any episode that’s just ‘Luz With Willow And/or Gus doing Hijinks’ (ex ‘Really Small Problems’, ‘Something Ventured, Someone Framed’) that hasn’t already been mapped to an event in this timeline is skipped completely, yes that means Mathholomule successfully becomes president of the human club, none of this aus cast is actually friends with him tho don’t worry, Edric has been quietly dating Jerbo for a while now but his sisters don’t know, Emira is a disaster lesbian for Viney and the teasing is relentless, Emira is a terminal prankster with a maladapted sense of boundaries as a result of her parents, this is a point of contention for her courtship of Viney who can and will go OFF on her for crossing the line and not feeling guilty, Edric is very aware of boundaries but he also finds looking to her for direction gets him in trouble the least at home so he just feels terrible afterwards and tries to get Emira to tone it down and/or apologize, basically the library incident was her idea in this au and he went along with it because of blight child optics stuff, Luz’s memory may out Luz to Willow and Amity, Willow and Amity absolutely say ‘gay rights’, in fact the entire isle says ‘gay rights’, this au tricks you into thinking ‘oh easy lumity’ but then Willow comes in like a wrecking ball, during that murky period when Luz’s friends all hate her bc she punched boscha all the people still willing to talk to her get friendly REAL fast, yes that includes willow and amity once they all stop hating each other, nobody lets Amity live down “Oh, wow,,, sports” except Luz who didn’t get it, Everyone has a song assigned to them at the sleepover, Luz’s is Bad Reputation, Skara’s is Caramelldansen, Boscha’s is Money Machine, Amity’s is Eminence Front because I say so

[drifting-mindspace]

Things we deserved to get from the Naruto manga and anime that we never got -

• JONIN NARUTO -

We followed him around as the lovable Genin knucklehead. Now it goes without saying that him being a Jonin is just a rank and honestly doesnt mean much. Rescuing Gaara, going after Kakuzo, Mount Miyaboku were all A & S-rank missions.

But I would liked to have seen him doing missions post war in a slightly more mature yet typically knuckleheaded manner instead of the passing phrase he made tonShikamaru about being too busy doing missions for the next 6 months.

We grew up with Naruto and now that he's older and stronger we dont get to see him in action.

• A Happily Married Kakashi & Shizune- 

Hatake Kakashi has led a deeply traumatic life. His mother died when he was very young, his father committed suicide when he was 6 causing him to distance himself from everyone around him. The first person he opened up to and formed a bond with died moments later protecting him, the girl he deeply cared for and probably harbored feelings for which he was too afraid to confront died at his hands as he desperately tried to protect her, a year later his sensei died protecting the village. When he became a sensei to Team 7 he felt he was on a path to finding inner peace by ensuring these children avoid his traumas but his prized pupil went rogue shattering that hope. After all this I’d hoped he would’ve finally found a happy ending.

Why Shizune? Well I considered him and Kurenai getting together and him helping raise Mirai but Shizune has always felt like the only Kunoichi in Konoha who has her shit together. She is perfectly at peace with where she is in life. She is incredibly mature and level headed as she helps run the village with Tsunade. Someone who is at peace with herself and her aspirations is the perfect anchor for a man with a whirpool of trauma brewing in him.

Alas it seems like the showrunners have no intention of a romantic arc for Kakashi and the Hatake name will die with Kakashi.

• The Uzumaki Clan

Within a span of 3 months Naruto meets 3 Uzumaki clan members. Nagato, Karin and his own mother. While speaking with Kushina he finds out about the dark fate of the Uzumaki clan. How they were blessed with unimaginably high chakra reserves and were gifted in Sealing Jutsus, longevity and how it led to them being targeted by those who feared them leading to their village being wiped out and scattered across the shinobi world.

Instead of turning the Naruto saga into the Uchiha Chronicles Id have preferred a deep dive into the Uzumaki clan. Maybe even have a Sasuke-like venegeful figure who wants Konoha to suffer because they failed to provide aid to the village they called their strong allies in their greatest hour of need.

Like Sasuke this villain would’ve witnessed his fellow clansmen cut down, unlike Sasuke however he wouldn’t have had the likes of Naruto, Itachi or Kakashi to anchor him in the light leaving room for redemption.

This could have been the one villain that was so far gone in his pain and hatred that no amount of 'talk no jutsu' could have changed his mind and would've pushed Naruto to the very brink until he finally had to choose between killing his clansman or protecting his village.

Naruto would make the ultimate sacrifice for Konoha and this would all the more set his resolve to pulling Sasuke back from the darkness or dying with him.

An Uzumaki villain gifted in Fuijutsu and the use of the Uzumaki Kekkei Genkai, the Adamantine Chains along with massive chakra reserves would be the perfect power scaled villain for Post Pain Arc Naruto.

Instead we got Uchiha chronicles where everyone did whatever the fuck they thought of doing and chakra limits were all but history. This one really disappointed me. Which brings me to my next disappointment.

• Naruto Killing a Villain

Now I know it seems like an odd hang up. Naruto? Kill? But he is so fixated on redemption. That is exactly why I wanted this to happen. The series has gone out of its way to make sure Naruto hasn’t killed a character. The worst of it was against Kakuzu. The kind of attack unleashed upon Kakuzu SHOULD by all means have killed him. Yet somehow he was left in a ‘dying state’ and Kakashi was the one who did the deed. 

Naruto being forced to kill a villain as a last resort and making a choice between saving someone dear to him or tainting his hands with blood was the ultimate moral conundrum for a shinobi whose biggest goal was rescuing his best friend from the dark. It would take him back to Itachi’s words where he asked Naruto what he would if Sasuke decided to destroy the village.

Instead we saw Rasen Shuriken and Rasengan getting scaled down to a point where they always injure and opponent but not kill him. For an S-rank jutsu, Rasen Shuriken happens to be quite lenient.

• Neji beoming the head of the Hyuuga Clan

This pisses me off the most. Neji was supposed to be to the Hyuuga was Naruto was to Konoha. I always expected Neji to overcome all the obstacles and get recognized by Hiashin who would then redeem himself and disband the branch system once and for all. Hiashin as a character was never redeemed. Here was a man who let his brother get executed to avoid punishment (albeit he was against it but it did happen), constantly abused his kind daughter and belittled her for being too soft and put her down to a point her personality was underdeveloped and she had deep seethed confidence issues.

Disbanding the branch system and making Neji the leader would redeem him in the eyes of the readers/ viewers and would clean up the Hyuuga clan.

Instead Neji was scrapped aside to give Naruto and Hinata a bonding moment. They had a bonding moment, it was when she almost died saving his life. Neji didn’t have to die for them to get together ffs. What a wasted potential.

• NaruSaku

Now I’m not a fanatic shipper. In fact when I read and watched the original series I absolutely HATED Sakura. My hatred for her reached it’s peak during the Zabuza arc when Naruto ran at the S-rank villain, got kicked away and got up to show he went in for his forehead protector. “What do you think you’re doing Naruto? Even Sasuke-kun wasn’t a match for him.” I just wanted Naruto to turn around and tell her to stfu in that moment. As the series approached the time skip I was well and truly content with NaruHina.

But Shippuden changed things. The hints towards Sakura’s changed feelings were sprinkled all over the series. One moment that stands out for me was the Clone Training arc where Sai tests her by abusing Naruto and she goes on a rage rant about how great he is. Let’s not forget that in her darkest hour, as she saw a ruined and destroyed village the only person she thought of and cried out to was Naruto. Not because she felt he could save the village (she was as shocked as Shikamaru as she found out he was facing pain alone) but because when things when bad for her the only person who she felt comfort around was indeed Naruto and that is indisputable.

She goes as far as ruining her friendship with Naruto, a bond she truly cherished as it was all she had left after Sasuke abandoned the village, and confessed her feelings to manipulate him. Yes manipulative, scheming and downright a bitch of a thing to do. But it was all she could think of to make Naruto stop chasing after Sasuke. She, more than anyone wanted to see Naruto become a Hokage and realize his dreams and dying while rescuing Sasuke was a risk she couldn’t take and she decided she’d have him hate her than die. Wrong yes. But oddly noble.

This combined with all the blatant attempts to establish her being like Kushina and Kushina saying she wants Naruto to find someone like her changed my mind from NaruHina. I still adore Hinata. She is a wonderful character. But organic plot progression is far more important to me than my ships being canon.

A Naruto-Sakura family would’ve been incredibly entertaining and the dynamics would be perfect. We’d see a Minato-Kushina couple on screen for the next series. Which brings me to my next disappointment.

•HinaShino

I don’t know if that’s the official name for the pairing but I always felt these 2 would make a great couple.They are both people of a few words and are both incredibly intuitive and understanding individuals. Shino would accept Hinata for who she was and vice versa. Being with someone who was happy with the person they were would go miles in helping them come out of their shells.

Altho this isn’t a massive disappointment for me. I’m happy that Hinata ended up with Naruto. But like I said organic plot progression matters to me and if Naruto ended up with Sakura I’d prefer Hinata to end up with Shino.

•Hiraishin No Jutsu

Sadly as the series progressed Naruto had become so OP that not letting him master his father’s improved version of Tobirama’s jutsu was a great decision. It would’ve just made him senselessly OP. 

However instead of giving him all those God Tier power ups which he just gains in single training sessions I’d have preferred him working hard to master the Hirashin. Instead of sending him off to an island and treating him like a fucking idiot and asking him to survey animals I’d have preferred if Tsunade gave him an impossible task.

“You can’t fight in the battle. But I will only allow it if you can master your father’s jutsu.”

It was a period of 6 months between Danzo’s death and the start of the shinobi war. Ample time to show him training hard to learn a jutsu that for once required him to study. Hiraishin deals not just in physical acts of speed but also mastering seals.  Seeing his friends go off to fight in the war as he was left behind would have only added to his frustration and motivated him more.

Showing Naruto training hard like they showed him training for Rasen Shuriken would’ve only made us cheer all the more harder when he’d make a badass entry on the battle field as Tobi came close to killing Kakashi and a three pronged Kunai swished between the two, an orange flash appeared and Naruto kicked Tobi away.

Sadly this was swapped for Pokemon evolutions where arc after arc Naruto levels up just like that. The show’s entire premise was based on hard work and guts.

Sasuke was the genius who gained his power through natural ability. Sure he trained hard but his strength came to him with ease. Naruto had to slog. He manged to make the Rasengan after nearly 15 episodes of training and even then he had to get stabbed to be able to use it. It wasn’t until another 10 episodes that he properly used it. His training for the Rasenshuriken took an entire season to yield results and even then he didn’t learn to throw it until he trained for another 3 seasons till the Pain arc.

Post pain all this is tossed aside. He sits at the waterfall twice and beats the darkness. He sits in the room once and tames Kurama. Later Kakashi and Guy are in trouble, he has an inner dialogue with Kurama and suddenly he mastered the two man team with no prior training. Rikkodu Sennin touches him once and suddenly he’s learnt how to grow eyes, stop death and fly just like that.

The series stopped being the Naruto series we grew up with post Danzo and it saddens me.

• Naruto Sensei - 

And finally my last and greatest disappointment of all. Not seeing Naruto as a sensei. We’ve seen glimpses of his nurturing side in his interactions with Konohamaru but I’d have loved to have seen 40-50 episodes of him leading his own squad of genins. A perfect combination of Kakashi and Guy as he’d wow them with his brilliance and equally embarrass them in day to day interactions with his goofy tomfoolery. His genins would be in awe of him. Naruto Sensei - the hero of the war. 

His students could have an arrogant son/daughter of a feudal lord who insisted he be trained by the war hero, Naruto and Kakashi had to cave in for diplomatic reasons. Naruto refuses to take anyone who doesn’t work hard to get where they are but after the bell test sees potential in the child. A child with no ninja background. His parents were farmers outside of Konoha who were very poor. His sole aim is to be a ninja so strong that he’s always assigned big missions that will help him ease his family’s financial burdens. A genin from the Inuzuka clan (or any other clan, maybe even Hanabi if the show wanted to push more Naruto-Hinata interactions) who thinks he’s better than the other 2 because of his family background but is taught humility by Naruto.

Sadly another development in Naruto’s life we were denied.

Well that’s my rant essay. I know a lot of people won’t agree with what I had to say but I wanted to get it off my best anyway. Why? 

Because I wanted to dattebayo!

[edgarallanhoetry]

Arati watches “The Princess Switch: Switched Again”

Okay this is high anticipation because we are obsessed with Netflix Christmas movies and we watched princess switch last year while I was flu ridden and I genuinely can’t wait for this next set of shenanigans

Omg this mans Kevin has only gotten hotter shoutout to his smiley eyes

........I don’t trust Antonio. I don’t trust his weird mouth and I don’t trust his intentions!!!!

I was RIGHT fuck Antonio get outta here buddy. Kevin is the only one 4 Margaret thx.

I genuinely cannot stand when “cute lil kids” are trying to get two adults together. Like hello infant you do not understand the complexities of adult relationships and breakups so perhaps your cute ideas about how we should be left alone to make hot chocolate together is not as clever and useful as you think it is.

Okay quite frankly I am so proud of Vanessa Hudgens, she has truly found her nice and it is cheesy Netflix Christmas romcoms and LOOK at her playing THREE roles in this!! Casual and kind Stacy, stately and fun Margaret, fabulous and trashy Fiona!!

Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmm this is embarrassing because........I’m really attracted to this weird trashy fabulous Fiona Pembroke character?? Like Vanessa-Hudgens-as-Stacy still reminds me of HSM, Vanessa-Hudgens-as-Margaret is hot, but Vanessa-Hudgens-as-Fiona is doing it ™ for me!! I’m feeling masc tonight and this bratty high femme is my type??

Yes bitch we love a montage, we love the gals doing each other’s make up and practicing each other’s walk!

Okay please explain why they decided to include a literal 10 year old child in their big switcharoo plans but not Prince Edward, the literal prince and also the literal husband of one of the people doing the switching??? This poor man already feels insecure in his marriage and now this literal child is callling him a helipcopter husband?? His upper lip can’t handle this!

Yesssss this bitch Fiona went straight for the chloroform and then straight for the gold! My girl was meant to be a queen!!

Awww I do really love Margaret and Kevin and their sweet lil love story.

But I truly suspect someone is about to expose them.

Oh fuck two vanessas in one room switched and the other is knocked out in a closet?? This is STRESSFUL! The anticipation!! YO FIONA IS VISCIOUS. She’s refusing to switch!!!!!!!!!!

I do love the trope of some useless henchppl and Reggie and Mindy are fulfilling it perfectly.

Oh thank GOD Margaret has come clean to Edward. Finally some transparency in this convolution! I’m actually secretly thrilled here becuase honest communication seems to be literally something a Netflix movie exec has never fucking heard of. I’m genuinely impressed that most people in the movie’s cast know what’s going on already at this point in the film.

“Off with their heads!!!!” Vanessa Hudgens is having the time of her life playing this insane triple role and I say good for her! Eat ur heart out Zac Efron.

I’m a little annoyed that Antonio is the one to figure her out; he’s like the human version of a swimming pool noodle. Oh of COURSE he wants to be part of the scheme. I never trusted this man! This why is we should never go after white boys ladies gaydies and theydies!

Okay this is the coolest Stacy has eeeeverrrr been and also somehow this movie turned into a James Bond thriller? Good 4 them. Minus this cheesy terrible fake punch that Edward just landed on Reggie? Please friends, this was scene was going so well.

Yesssss gooodddd please reassure Edward he has been having the worst night of his life.

“It’s a world tour of orphans”

Folks! This movie is about feminism! Margaret is confident and believes in herself and is ready to rule ˘◡˘ I’m honestly so proud. Even Fiona is proud! Oh it’s a movie about Christmas and family too.

Oh Frank, falling for this. “Poor poor girl” he says about Fiona. I get it, Frank! I too am swayed by hot ladies!

It’s feminism when the girl chases the guy to the airport and then is the one to propose.

Every couple is having good normal healthy convos! Wow. Someone on the writing staff went to relationship counseling between this and the last movie!

Oh! A lil cameo from The Royal Wedding!

Wow this movie really thought about Representation. I saw a lil gay couple dancing and a Black woman with literally four lines total and one (1) indian woman in a sari at the coronation. Honestly social justice is over folks, this movie ended oppression.

Omg fuck yah there’s gonna be a Princess Switch 3 coming out next year! Death to the monarchy and all that, see y’all next time xoxo.

[ivyandink]

How The Ivy’s End - Season 1

it’s long af, so below the cut. at the end is a brief tldr; too for u instant gratification fans

Levi & Penelope

Levi and Penelope, after raising 4 kids together (Luna, Dorian [Penny + Zach’s baby, passed off as Levi’s], Morgan and Charlotte [Penny+Levi’s twins]), have a struggling relationship.

Levi is constantly trying to make things work, to make Penny happy, and to find the ‘spark’ they once had, in an attempt to revive their dead bedroom (yup!!! rip). Penny gets put on a project at work that has her teaming up with a legal consultant... none other than ex-boyfriend Justin Brees!

While Levi is struggling to work on his relationship with Penelope, raise his children, and manage his relationship with Luna’s mom Megan, Penelope is starting to feel things she hasn’t felt in a while-- but for Justin. 

When Levi and Penny’s neighbor hits on Levi one afternoon, after he rejects her she tells him she knows his relationship is falling apart-- she sees it, because so is hers. Turns out... she maybe have been right!! Penelope starts toying with the idea of breaking things off with Levi, to pursue Justin; the way she feels around him is just incomparable.

She’s ready to pull the trigger, and put an end to their ~4 years together when... Zach shows up. The father of her first child (who everyone thinks is Levi’s!), the man who spun a wild tale about a mysterious man he worked for, and some sort of danger which meant he had to disappear for a while. It took time, but eventually Penelope realized she’d been played. Zach, an avid reader nonetheless, made up a wild story all to avoid responsibility. 

Or did he.....?

Feeling the pressure and a surge of emotions from Zach’s return, Penelope finds comfort in the familiar, and reels herself back in from breaking things off with Levi. Together, they try to determine what to do about Zach being back in the picture, and wanting to meet his son. Penelope is adamant that she doesn’t want to give him a chance, but Levi, despite how much he wants to agree with her, can’t, after having experienced what it was like to not be able to see your own child. He urges her to hear Zach out, at the very least.

And when she does, it turns out... Zach’s story wasn’t as farfetched of a lie as she thought. He was on the hook for partaking in a money laundering scheme, through his business, Scratch Publishing. He’d fallen into the scheme thanks to a man he met and befriend in his NA group-- Michael Windsor. By the time he’d realized what was happening, he was in too deep to safely get out. That was why he’d pushed Penelope away in the first place, broken up with her over something trivial, and run when she’d told him about the baby. He couldn’t risk bringing her down with him. Thankfully, the statute of limitations on money laundering was five years, and with a solid four under his belt and no red flags or contact from Mr. Windsor, he figured it’d be safe to come back.

In awe of his words, Penelope’s harsh demeanor starts to slowly dismantle. The thing she’d always held against Zach was his abandonment, his betrayal, and how much he’d broken her heart when she was certain they were truly, deeply in love. How did she feel about him now that it turned out all of that was to protect her?

Slowly, but surely, Penelope allows Zach back into her, and Dorian’s life. Zach and his son bond almost instantly, which is both heartwarming and troubling. Dorian had been raised thinking Levi was his dad... what were they to say now? For Levi especially, it was hard seeing a child he’s come to see as his own, be taken away... rightfully so, by his biological father... but nonetheless, it wasn’t easy. Especially not for a second time. Within himself, now Levi has to grapple with the dilemma of how to tell his entire family he’d lied to them for four years...

Eventually, he tells them all, and once the chaos and confusion of it all blows over, things start to settle into a nice (albeit, strange) routine with Levi, Penelope, Zach and Dorian. As Zach grows closer with his son, he grows closer with Penelope too-- the old inside jokes, the literary references, the intimate teasing they’d once had together, all slowly starts to come back. Meanwhile, Justin is still spending late nights working with Penelope, and talking to her far too much to be considered strictly professional. Oh, and she’s still with Levi, and raising four children with him....

Levi, focusing on his family and his career, is presented with the opportunity of a lifetime. An international trip, to photograph at some of the top fashion events in Paris. He knows it’d be a game changer for his career, but declines the offer, in favor of staying home, where he can keep an eye on his kids, and more importantly, his relationship, which seems to be falling apart at the seems, and slipping through his fingers like water. (Somewhere in there, Luna gets into child modeling lol.)

After months of battling her emotions, dealing with the revisiting of old feelings of abandonment with Zach (both romantic and parental... him leaving Dorian mirrors her own father leaving her much to much for comfort) and trying to make the best decision not only for herself, but for her family(s?), Penelope decides to end things with Levi. She realizes that if she is feeling so conflicted (and over three men, at that!), that Levi deserves better. She jumped head first into motherhood at such a young age, and lost herself in the tumult of it all. She needed time to be alone-- no Levi, no Justin, no Zach-- to be herself for once, and find out who that woman was. 

....to be continued...

Violet & Jordan

Vi and Jordan couldn’t have a more perfect life. A beautiful daughter, a brand new home, a fancy lifestyle, and a brand new baby boy on the way to complete it all. There had never been a couple more in love in the history of time than Violet and Jordan-- that’s what they like to think anyways.

Their biggest crises is Jordan’s desire to start his own business. After near a decade of working in restaurants, and five years managing one, and a lifetime interest as a hobbyist chef, Jordan realizes that his biggest dream is to open his own catering company. There’s only one problem-- it’s expensive. And truth be told, with an obstetrician for a wife, Jordan isn’t exactly the primary breadwinner in his family.

With a mountain of medical school debt still to be paid, two brand new cars, a brand new house, and two children that need college funds, Violet is gun shy over Jordan’s new proposal. Jordan takes this to mean that his wife doesn’t believe in him, which ensues a few nights of arguments, cold shoulders, and sleeping on the couch (J, not Vi, of course).

But suddenly, that all becomes trivial when Jordan gets a phone call..... his father has died. This news rocks his world. His father had never been much of a father to him, and in fact, had been his abuser growing up. As soon as he was old enough, he’d cut ties with both his parents and got the hell out of dodge. He is filled with a strange feeling-- not quite sadness, but not relief, but a weird mixture of the two. His grieving mother begs him to come home for the funeral. For the moment, Vi and J set their disagreements aside, and say goodbye as Jordan leaves his very pregnant wife to catch a flight to Willow Creek.

To put it simply, this is an intense experience for Jordan. Being back in a place he associates with his terrible childhood, in a place he hated and couldn’t wait to run from...He hardly knows how to process it all. He is happy to see his mother, and grateful now she can be free from her husband’s abuse, too. Except... she’s not happy he’s gone. She doesn’t see herself as freed-- she would’ve defended her husband until the grave, no matter how many bruises he left, and she did exactly that. Jordan decides to stay for the week, and help his mother get everything in order, despite it all.

As he spends time in Willow Creek, he is reminded of the crew he used to run with as a teen and young adult-- people he hardly recognizes now. Except maybe... Cami. Cami had been his ex girlfriend, on again off again sort of situation. They’d dated throughout high school, and after he’d broken up with Violet to give her a better shot at life (thinking, wrongfully, he’d hold her back), Cami was the woman he turned to in his time of heartbreak. Feeling stranded and alone in Willow Creek, with his mom blaming him for his father’s death, and generally feeling like he’s at a crossroads in his life, Jordan ends up humoring Cami’s insistence on hanging around.

Cami knew what it was like. She got it. In ways Violet never could. She'd been hurt by her parents too. She’d grown up in a rough part of town, got involved with the wrong people and the wrong things, just like he did. In a way, they were kindred spirits-- it why they always found their way back to each other, despite how toxic it always ended up being. And if there is one word to describe Cami, it is determined. She is determined to get her way.

She calls him JJ-- his old nickname, that he now despises and associates with his tumultuous youth. She tries to remind him of who he was, and still is, deep down. Who they were together. She tries to tell him that this new life he’s got? It’s not him. It’s that boujee bitch wife of yours, JJ. I bet she don’t even understand you-- bet she doesn’t even get how you can miss someone even when they’ve hurt so bad... bet she said ‘good riddance’ when you told her the news. She doesn’t get you JJ, not like how I do... how I always did.

She comes on to him, pushing herself against him. Jordan gets angry, tries to push her off of him. She goads him on. What’re you gonna do, baby? Hit me again? Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree I guess, JJ. That was one time Camille. One time. I am nothing like him. No baby, you’re not... mmm.. not at all. Shhh, it’s okay, don’t cry. I’m here. I’m here. I’m never leavin’ you JJ, not ever again. 

In a moment of incredible vulnerability and weakness, Jordan relents to her seductions. But... only momentarily. It doesn’t take long for him to realize what is happening-- he pushes her off of him and storms away, as she cries out his name. Disgusted with himself, he immediately goes to call his wife. He breaks down, sobs shaking his body, as he tells Violet everything. Except the other end of the line stays silent... Don’t bother coming home, Jordan. There’s nothing for you here anymore. Stay the fuck away from me.

Cheating was the one thing Violet would never, ever stomach. She hangs up the phone, stoic and stiff as a rock, and then collapses into tears, crying on her beautiful, marble kitchen floors. She she looks around her home, she sees Jordan everywhere. She sees the life they’ve built together over the years. And she knows she can’t stay there for the night. Violet packs a bag for herself and her daughter, drops Willow off with her mom, and heads to Wes and Nate’s place to get away for the night.

...to be continued...

Wes & Nate

Wes and Nate, after four years of marriage, are ready to grow their family. With both of them working good jobs, and a townhouse in a nice enough part of the city (that Nate’s parents may or may not have helped out with...), they figured it was time. Of course, the pleading mothers on both sides of the family didn’t help matters!

Turns out, however, it’s not the easiest thing in the world to adopt a child, especially as a gay couple. Agency after agency has turned them down-- either because they don’t work with gay parents, or because they say they’re just ‘not the right fit’ (code for: you’re gay but we’re scared to say that’s our reasoning). The few agencies that have been willing to work with them are still struggling to pair them with a birth mother. Possibly because despite both of them having good jobs, neither has a college education. Or possibly because on more than one occasion, Wes had dropped an f-bomb during the interview process. Or possibly.... Weston’s questionable family history, and his father being a convict-- which came up on several occasions. 

Feeling depressed and defeated, Weston’s connects with Nate’s sister, Thalia, who is also struggling to conceive with her husband Gianni. Neither of them thought they’d ever really want kids one day, and here they are, both in their feelings about not having them. They have their heart to heart, as it feels like the only person who truly gets it is each other. The feeling of letting their partner down, over one of the biggest things.

Despite Wes and Nate’s growing frustrations, they try and stay patient. And finally, it seems to be paying off! A birth mother has agreed to match with them! Finally, it seems they have conquered the beast.

Until..... she changes her mind, and rescinds the offer, after finding out about Weston’s absent dad. Failure, again. They both know there is nothing they can do to change the sort of childhood Wes had, and that it has no bearing on the types of dads they will be-- it’s just a matter of time until they match with someone who won’t hold that against them. But it inspires Nate to bed the question to his husband... should he try and reconnect with his dad again?

It had been years of avoidance since the last time Steven showed up in Weston’s life. He’d avoided him then, and ever sense. But now, with the topic coming up over and over again, he does feel compelled to reach out. It doesn’t take long to get his number from his mom; he finds out he lives just a few hours away, and they schedule to meet somewhere in the middle.

And for the first time ever, Wes willingly confronts his father. His whole life, he’d built him up to be some kind of monster, and he can’t tell if he’s disappointed or just plain sad to see the man his father has actually become-- a tired, old, cracked out looking man with shaky hands. 

As they talk, Steven apologizes for never being a dad to him, but also admits that he never wanted to be a dad-- not then and not now. The times he reached out years ago, he was just hoping to get to know his kid, as a fellow adult, not like some mentor or fatherly figure. That was a role Steven never did well in. Steven tells Wes how despite his actions, he really did care for him, and his mom, Daria, and he’d cleaned up his act ever since he got out of prison. He confesses that he might not be the best grandfather in the world, but says he is willing to try, if Wes is willing to bring his child around him, one day (despite the fact that Steven gets visibly uncomfortable referencing the fact that Wes is, indeed gay and married to a man). With mutual understanding and no more hard feelings, the men shake hands and part their separate ways.

And as if by some kind of strange magic... Wes and Nate get paired with a birth mom just a few weeks later. Although this time, they know better than to hold their breath, there is something different about this woman and this situation that feels... right.

...to be continued...

Wrap It All Up

Jordan has returned home, Violet is still refusing to forgive him, and only seeing him when they exchange their daughter. Inside, both of them are absolutely crushed, but neither of them knows how to begin to fix the wreckage. Jordan has been coping with all the old dirt his father’s death and trip back home stirred up in himself, and throws himself into developing his business idea. He’s added onto it-- not only will it be a catering company, but he will specifically try and work with at-risk youth. Kids from bad homes, and bad situations. Even with no financial backing, he decides to take the risk and go for it.

Penelope, discovering herself as a single woman and trying to cope with the tremendous emotions she’s been having, is finally starting to find her footing. She’s finally figured out a good childcare schedule with Levi, she’s thriving at work, and she’s starting to see herself-- and what she wants-- clearer. She ends things with Justin (or what little had ever been there) once and for all, and finds herself spending more and more time with Zach, out of desire and not just necessity. With all of her reasons to hate him melted away, the feelings of love she thought were gone start to come back. And-- surprise, surprise-- they’re returned.

Violet has been staying with Wes and Nate, and celebrating with them over the news of matching with another birth mom. She’s been helping them coordinate with her, send her the right sort of items, and prepare their future nursery. One night, her and Wes are up late, talking, as they usually do. And finally Wes tries to approach to touchy subject of her marriage. 

Wes looks at Vi, and point blank, asks her if she wants to divorce Jordan. Instantly, she says no. That tells Wes everything. He urges her to forgive Jordan-- he made a terrible, awful mistake, but he immediately tried to do the right thing. He stopped it before it went further, and his first thought was to lay it all on the line to Violet, not hide it. Wes gently reminds her of the time when she cheated on jordan... with himself. It had just been a kiss, but that was besides the point. When the little secret had finally come out, Jordan had laughed, and been more so annoyed that she was never honest, and less about the actual kiss. Violet insists that was soo different, which Weston concedes to. But still, he urges her to find it in her heart to forgive Jordan. He’s a good man, a great father, and they are truly in love-- they shouldn’t throw it away over one lapse in perfection.

Violet considers Wes’ advice... and heeds it. She goes home one day, when she knows Jordan will be off work, and finds him in the once-pristine kitchen, surrounded with food and bowls and tupperware and tomato sauce strewn just about everywhere. It catches her off guard. She laughs. And then she cries. Then she goes to her husband, wraps her arms around him, and tearfully whispers, What the hell are you doing to my kitchen, Jordan?

Jordan tells Violet about how even if he doesn’t know the financial details yet, he’s going to make his catering business happen; he tells her about the change in plans, spurred by his own troubled teenhood. As she listens to him talk about his life, his dreams, and his passion, she cries harder; she realizes that maybe she never did know this part of her husband. Maybe he never shared it, but maybe she never asked. Again, he apologizes for what happened in Willow Creek. She apologizes for her reaction, and for never taking the time to get to know the rough corners of her husband. As they kiss and makeup, Violet decides that they will tackle this catering business-- together.

Levi, more than anything, feels tired. He feels beaten down. The stress of raising four children. His relationship with Penelope falling apart despite how hard he tried to make it work. Watching Violet and Jordan’s strong marriage falter and almost crack, and Wes and Nate struggle to grow their family... It’s all too much for him-- a man notoriously always looking for love (in all the wrong places..). But, it’s even harder watching all those people around him re-find their love, and peace and happiness... while his still lies dormant. As summer draws near in the wake of the hardest year of his life to date, he decides to finally do something just for him... he calls up his boss, and last minute, takes up the offer to travel to Paris for the international project.

Violet goes into labor, and gives birth to her and Jordan’s second child, and first son. They also officially file for the name of his new catering business.

Nate and Wes fly across the country to be present for the birth of their son, grateful that things didn’t fall through this time.

Penelope and Zach finally make things official.

And in Paris, Levi scouts the streets, following the directions scrawled out on a sheet of torn paper, until he finds it. 

He knocks on the door. And Marie opens it.

////////////////////////////

tldr;

Penny has a lil love triangle with Levi/Justin/Zach. She breaks up with Levi to be single, but ends up with Zach.

Jordan cheats on Vi in a moment of weakness with his toxic ex after the death of his abusive father, but they eventually make up, and he starts a catering business and vows to hire at-risk youth.

Wes and Nate struggle to find a birth mom to adopt from, but finally, it all works out and they have a son.

Levi gets fkin WRECKED emotionally (karma fro, everything perhaps??? lool) , and ends up in Paris, knockin’ on Marie’s door. ;)

There was supposed to be a season 2, as well, which details what happens the next year, after all of this.. :) Primarily focusing on Levi + Marie, and what happens with them, and also Luna’s story! May or may not make a post for that one. Season 2 wasn’t as fleshed out. 

Most important detail I guess is that Levi and Marie end up together lol. 

~*~spoiler~*~

[alrighty-vigilante]

Felix Faust and his one braincelled offspring – an epitome of DC's lost potential; a himbo,a dumbass and a fucking rat

It's not like any of you asked but it's the thing that wakes me up at night. DC created a lot of great characters: good, evil and morally grey.

And just like that... They abandoned them. Not like "stopped using them in their stories" – stopped caring.

Let me show you what made me so obsessed with DC's Faustfamily: the good, the bad and the ugly.

The Good

Sebastian, the firstborn of Felix, Abraham to his Isaac, is constantly haunted by the sins of his father and bashed for them. Around him heroes are not heroes anymore, too distrustful to treat him with decency, always suspecting scheming.

The Bad

Since every magic user pays some price for their skills I feel like his price is not being able to experience love or not for long. In Outsiders (1993) it was stated, or so I believe, that he has a hard time experiencing feelings because of his lack of soul. Even if not: since Halo was reborn many times, she doesn't even remember Sebastian. June Moon was completely apathetic after Enchantress persona was ripped out of her. Zatanna is Zatanna, I think their relationship was only mentioned in Mystik U so it's thankfully not anywhere near canon. In totally awful Suicide Squad: Black Files it's told Sebastian's wife is dying (and pregnant) so he enchanted her until he finds a cure. Even motherly love he cannot experience – no matter the author's approach, his mother is not around him for long and he feels responsible for her death which may have be the reason why she tried to look after his sister for as long as it was possible. Sorry I need a moment...

I'd have to be naïve to even hope for anyone in DC being so competent to show Sebastian as aromantic/demiromantic without showing people on this spectrum as soulless.

Fauna lived to be "lesser than Sebastian". Suffered the same fate as her brother but was neglected by her father from the start, unlike Sebastian who was taught by him some time. I don't think she and her father nor she and her brother ever bonded in any way. For me Fauna is the embodiment of the anger only an abused abandoned teenager can feel. Raw blinding rage not directed at anything in particular but everything and everyone including herself because she is not sure what and who should she hate the most. And in the end, it is she who suffers the most. It drives her a path of evil. All her attempts at being better than everyone and most of all – better than her father, are in real just attempts to get his approval.

The only time she felt free was when she got with Syonide (yeah folks she's lesbian) but, well, it didn't last long.

One thing about her that especially wakes me up at night is how in Raven she mentions her ancestors but stops, saying she's better than them anyway. Well, there are no such characters in whole DC. No Majica the Magnificent or whoever. Let's pretend it's not just a hole in the universe because probably it is just that: it leads to conclusion that Fauna made it up herself to back up her narcissistic attitude and the right to do what she want and take what she want OR her father made that up, and that leads us to Felix Faust himself.

The Ugly

WHERE DO I EVEN START, if I start to lost what's wrong with him you'll be reading this to the end of your life.

The most prominent personality trait of his is that Dumb bitch hours are 24 hours. Second: he is full of opposites. Is he intelligent? As hell. Is he still a gullible idiot? Oh yeah. Is he doing bad things? Yes. Is he a villain? No, he had his time of being neutral/good. He is driven by the need for power. What would he do if he gets it? The most probable scenario: nothing. What would he need it for, then? I can bet all my money, which are around 5$ and a bagel, that what he really want is respect (and that ties neatly with making up his genealogy tree). Now, his background varies depending on the author, of course they couldn't develop consistency, but many things are common nonetheless. So, if we just generally look at him, we see a man who, before being possessed by 5000 years young ghost, was nothing more but street magician – guess how much respect he got. This old sorceress that eventually took over his body also was humiliated in a great defeat. In the 70s he was called the greatest foe of the Justice League. Nowadays, even some drunk warlock junkie rat (yeah, I mean Constantine lol) makes fun of him. What could he crave more than some basic "this is Felix Faust, the greatest sorcerer alive who hoards all the knowledge"?

I would say it doesn't matter whether he sacrificed his son to help his dying wife or to get more power (he later sacrificed his daughter just for the latter reason. He just never learns). Generally sacrificing your children is shitty thing to do so there's no justification for his actions. He doesn't know when to stop and even if he feels regret for things he has done, he just keeps going in an everlasting chase.

Damn, in a way he is quite relatable: despite the efforts, he fails every time. Despite the education in three majors, he is so gullible. Making him not talented enough to match his knowledge truly is tragic.

What DC never explored, and never will, is he was a single parent, who didn't know how to carry on without his wife, how to bring their children up. Too focused on his "career" he neglected his children. Having Sebastian to grow up to be a better person and better sorcerer than he ever will be visibly drives him up the wall. At the same time he struggles, trying to get close with his son a bit – these clumsy attempts to scold him are actually meant to be compliments. (No such scenes with him and Fauna because apparently writers forgot about her completely smh).

I don't enjoy New52 events but I think a lot about how Faust was trapped in the Tower of Fate with Neron, the ruler of hell and also his abuser. He kinda had it coming but it's traumatic nonetheless

Another thing that could be explored by DC more is that in a way, heroes are pretty much the guardians of the status quo. Not only Sebastian takes the blame for everything and is not trusted by them, but they also haven't done much to keep Felix on the good side, never thanked him for his service nor did they tried not to push him into villainy. But such behaviour also affect other characters so I won't be focusing on this.

To sum it up nicely: just because this is about fictional magicians doesn't mean their story is unrelatable. People out there are emotionally absent in their family's life sometimes because of tragedy they went through or because they were not ready, or because something else. People may hate their abusers, love their abusers, be children of abusers. Parents put their children through harmful situations. Family are not always bonded and happy. Family members may long for contact but don't know how to get it. Etc etc, you probably got it.

Not only these characters suffers from lost potential but many, many more. Instead of seeing same characters like Batman or Wonder Woman over and over again, I'd prefer creators to go back and develop what they already have.

[museswithinx]

“Well let me tell you something, people don’t change overnight.” { Kara for Kinsey bc bonding? }

Cruel Intentions (1999) | Sentence Prompts

Since the last bender she’d gone on, her dad had been keeping a more careful eye on the situation. The partying was at a minimum now. Kinsey hated it, she didn’t want to deal with any of it, but everyone kept telling her that she’d have to at some point. She just didn’t know how she was supposed to do that.

Coming home early tonight, Kinsey found Kara was staying over once again. She’d been spending most of her nights here, she thought Dad ought to start charging her rent. She was content to ignore her and slip upstairs but the other woman must have caught something in her face that had her inviting her to come sit down. She didn’t really want to, but she did. It was strange not being the only girl in dad’s life anymore but she promised him she’d give her a chance. So, she would try to humor him and bond with her.

It wasn’t too painful. The two women ended up watching about three hours of movies before the last one, hitting way too close to home right now, had her nearly in tears. “It’s nothing. Just a stupid ass movie,” she insists when Kara asks. Unfortunately though, this one paid attention and didn’t seem to buy it. She was also pretty sure her dad had shared with her that she’d been struggling lately. 

“It is nothing,” she tries to insist again, “I’m just. There’s a guy I was seeing, and it ended pretty much the same as the movie we just watched, okay? It’s not a big deal.” Except it clearly was. The look she gave said it was as well as the offer to talk that followed. Normally this was where Kinsey got snappy. She didn’t like to talk, especially not about Monty, but there was something she just... trusted. She couldn’t put her finger on it, she didn’t know Kara well, but maybe that’s what made it easier. Or maybe it was something else.

“This guy I was seeing...” she starts, “it wasn’t really an exclusive thing, but it was very long term for me and it wasn’t just sex. We talked a lot too. I liked talking to him, I never got tired of it. He even met my dad and had dinner with us, which has never happened with anyone else. I’m pretty sure I was and still am in love with him.”

It was the first time she’d really said it aloud, which surprised even her, but she kept going.  “Then I found out he was seeing my mom. Like, the whole entire time we were together. It was just some scheme the heartless bitch cooked up to get back at me and dad. I wanted to die when I found out. I’m still devastated and I can’t seem to find peace, even though my mom’s gone now. Because I still love him and I miss him so much it hurts. He’s apologized more times than I can count and he acts like he still cares about me but I don’t know. I’m struggling so much to forgive. My mother never changed, what if he can’t change either? What if he just does the same shit again?”

“Well let me tell you something, people don’t change overnight.”

Kinsey took a moment to think that over. Her mother had been the boogeyman in her closet for as long as she could remember and she never changed for the better. She died the same as she had lived her entire life. But her mother also didn’t want to change. She’d been set in her ways like that. What if Monty did though? Maybe Kara had a point. 

“Are you saying I should try to give him a chance to do that? Do you think he can?” She asks as she mulls it over in her head some more. It was so hard to forgive him when he’d betrayed her like that but maybe if she tried... Maybe. “Thanks.” She mutters after an extended silence had fallen between them. “For the talk. And the advice. That was cool of you.”

[stusbunker]

Weddings and Other Holy Deals

For Better or Worst: Chapter One

Featuring: Sam Winchester x Emery Simmons-Winchester (OFC)

Setting: Mid Season 14 AU

Word Count: 1675

Summary: Sam finds an unlikely solution to the Michael problem in Dean’s head. His soon-to-be wife has her own side of the deal with the powers that be.

^*^*^

Jan. 20, 2019

Somewhere beyond the neatly trimmed lawns and the perfectly timed sprinkler systems, over a wide porch with a loveseat swing and past a storm door with etched glass, slept a Winchester. It was not a normal place for this Winchester, Sam for clarity’s sake, to be upon waking. But this wasn’t a usual day, for the hunter or anyone honestly. Though he had lived another day like this one, the excitement and anticipation he felt as he rolled over and saw his clock face shining back at him was unmatched. Today, Sam Winchester was getting married, and if he knew anything it was the best decision he had ever made. That things would only get better after today. Rare is certainty in life, which was why Sam held fast to his and began the life-changing day.

Across town, Bandit woke his bride. Bandit is her dog, soon to be their dog, a Setter mix that loved to herd. Emery Simmons had always been an animal person, but Bandit was a surprise blessing from her former life.  She hadn’t asked to bring him along, though as there wasn’t much she had left, she supposed it was a perk to balance her expectations. She roamed through the short-term rental, contemplating the dress that had been left for her as she made herself a cup of tea. Bandit demanded a walk and a bout of catch in the park, which Emery accommodated, unhurried by the little preparations for the small ceremony. They weren’t going to start without her, after all.

Sam had exercised, showered and shaved by ten o’clock. He had another three hours before the service was scheduled, idle hands met a replaced contact list in his phone. He didn’t know any of these people yet, well he knew one. With little else to bide his time, Sam hit the old rotary phone icon below the smirking face.

“Whoa, when did they futz with our phones?” Emery asked, spinning around with Bandit’s leash before tucking her phone beneath her ear.

“Dunno, it’s weird right?” Sam stared at the tux bag hanging in the bedroom. Their bedroom.

“Creeptastic, actually. What’s up?” She sounded worried, maybe she was distracted. Sam was overthinking her tone and almost forgot to answer her.

“I didn’t have anyone else to call?” Sam offered, sitting at the end of the bed, huffing at himself with a sad smile. “Forget it, I’ll let you get back to your, stuff.”

“Hey, I’m just out for a walk, you’re not bothering me. Sam?” His name came out heavy, like she was reminding herself who she was marrying. He didn’t blame her. There was a scuffle on her end of the line before she groaned. “No, Bandit, no!”

Sam’s forehead shot to its full height. “Is that— are you walking a dog?”

“Uh, yesssssss? Is that going to be a problem?” Her sudden defensiveness made him grin, the image of her struggling with a leash warmed Sam from head to toe.

“Not at all, the opposite really. I love dogs.” He understood why she was anxious; they barely knew each other, it was a bit soon for a potential first fight.

“Well, good, shit, had me panicking there for a minute.” The conversation lulled as she reached the porch, each stumbling over small talk before she looked at the clock on the microwave. Sam was starting to pace, but the relief that there would be someone else in the house with them made it seem less scary somehow. They said their goodbyes and Sam decided he better eat before the nerves resurfaced. He quickly fried some bacon, out of habit, and tossed together a smoothie. Everything he could possibly want stocked in the fridge and cupboards; they had done their due diligence, apparently.

Two and a half hours later, Emery was hiking up the church steps, dress bent over her elbow and simple veil trailing behind her loose curls on a winter breeze. She had never had a lot of friends, but today was a day when a female entourage would have come in handy. She thought about her mother and how she would have worried over her hair until it needed to be reset. She sent up a silent prayer to her, telling her that she was finally making an honest woman of herself. Adding a few choice words that would have had them both pursing and posturing before breaking down into fits of giggles. God, did she miss her. She smiled quietly, opening her eyes and the heavy glass door.

The church was cavernous and quiet and after countless trips inside hallowed walls, Sam was able to appreciate the architecture and the scale of the ancient organ pipes. The minister seemed confused, but accommodating, given the last-minute organization. Sam stood at the end of the aisle, hands in his pockets, the ring box lightly brushing against his thigh. A blast of sound curled throughout the space, nimble fingers flying over aged keys as the timeless march stopped Sam’s heart. This was it, a pact fulfilled. He inhaled, swallowed, and turned to face his future.

Emery hated heels, but given the size of her husband, she may have to learn to live with them. The dress was forgiving at least, the gentle satin flowing as she glided down. Tried to glide. There was no one to give her away, no one at her elbow to keep time with, no onlookers to slow down for, no photographer to capture their faces as they saw each other for the first time. This moment was theirs alone, shy and appreciatively sacred. He smiled at her without teeth, dimples mesmerizing as she lost her rhythm, strolling to him out of the step-halt-step that was expected of her. None of that mattered anyway.

She shook her head and smiled back, licking her lips as she remembered the minister was waiting for her. Carefully she stood in front of Sam, toes of her white slippers lining up with his reflective black shoes. A small bouquet of orchids clutched in her right hand, her left petting her skirts as she tried to rub off the sweat.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here-,” the ceremony began. They echoed the scripted vows, eyes locked on each other in hopeful promise. Cautiously optimistic was too naïve for these two, humble veneration too romantic. They stood as strangers, forging a partnership to save those dearest to them. It was a contract that required both of their souls, willfully shared and bonded before Heaven and Earth. Samuel Winchester took this woman, Emery Simmons as his lawfully wedded wife. And she him. For better or worse.

Two days prior

Two days and a series of choices prior, stood the other Winchester in an underground fortress, three hundred fifty miles due East. Dean was in his bedroom, staring at Death, or Billie, if we’re being technical. Which we should, being the time jumps and all. Billie handed him the last remaining outcome of his life on Earth. The book, once one of countless possibilities, remained his sole option from world ending calamity. That was until Sam burst in, with a very stern angel on his heels.

               “Dean! Listen, so—Naomi thinks she can help us. Help you, with Michael.” Dean looked from Death to his brother to the psychotic bureaucrat, the exhaustion heavy in his eyes and on his heart. Puppy dog’s hopeful eyes barraging him with an innocence he hadn’t had to let down gently in ages. Dean felt, unabashedly, like the oldest soul in the room. The women regarded each other, silent conversation earning only an audible hum from the former Reaper.

               “Interesting. Dean? I think you need to hear them out. I’ll be in touch.” Billie nodded to Naomi and vanished before Sam could get a word in. No one mentioned how these beings, especially the angel, entered the Bunker. A place lauded as being the securest on the planet, had conveniently become a haven for all sorts of unmentionables.

               “Okay, let’s hear it,” Dean sighed, perching on his bed as he listened to the latest hair-brained scheme. That night, after hours of arguing, endless curt responses from Naomi and rebuttals from Castiel, Dean agreed to leave with her. Before Naomi whisked him away, she shared a pregnant glance with Sam.

               “We’ll be in touch,” the platinum blonde angel replied curtly. The air was suffocating with tension, Dean tried to get Sam’s attention and Cas glared at his former puppet master.

“Wait, what am I supposed to leave like there isn’t something else going on here?!” Dean bellowed at Naomi, who looked like the cat that got the cream, rolled her eyes.

               “Boys, one thing at a time, please?” She gestured to a corner of the library, where a glowing pattern had appeared on the old tiles.

               “How’d you—” Cas stared in awe as a portal to Heaven opened before their eyes.

               “This is a one-way, temporary portal, Castiel. Don’t try to stowaway or the deal, all of the deals are off. Do I make myself clear?” Naomi glared at each man like a field trip chaperone. The men nodded, but Dean’s jaw worked over all of his unanswered questions. The pounding in his head intensified the moment Naomi arrived, which almost, was a relief. It meant Mikey knew something was happening and his suspicion was enough to swing Dean’s vote.

               “Alright boys,” Dean sniffed. “See you on the other side?” He shook Cas’s hand before pulling him into a brief hug. Sam stood waiting, an arm up and one underneath, they embraced as equals. Another risk, another potential goodbye.

               “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, bitch.” Dean chided, giving Sam a knowing smirk.

               “Too short a list, jerk,” Sam tossed back, as Dean took Naomi’s hand like the kid forced to partner with the teacher in dance class. The portal swayed and flickered, the angel and the hunter pulled skyward, though Heaven was much farther away than the instant transport suggested.

               “Sam?”

               “Not now, Cas.” Sam stormed off, thumbing through his phone, needing to make some calls.

^*^*^

Read On: A New Normal

[crashdevlin]

Wishverse- Shiny

Author’s Note: Hard Ten Masterlist, Wishverse Masterlist

Summary: Dean has his doubts, Charlie dashes them. Y/n tells Dean some more about the other timeline.

Pairing(s): Dean X Plus size!Reader

Word Count: 3715

Warnings: mentions of assault, mentions of prostitution, mentions of past sexual assault, little bit of angst

Dean stood in the hallway outside y/n's room. He hadn't been back in since he left to retrieve the doctor. His mind was in overdrive. He couldn't really believe her, could he? Yes, she had a habit of knowing things she had no business knowing, like that time she insisted he take a long detour because it was going to be the quicker way home and lo and behold, there was a wreck on the interstate that would've caught them in traffic for hours. And she knew that Bobby's wife was Ellen and she ran the Sex Kittens. And how she acted about Sam, how she seemed to get along with him so well for short bursts until she remembered who she was talking to. He was toying with the idea that she had some low-grade ESP, which was fun, but time travel?

A flash of red hair flying at him down the corridor pulled him from his thoughts and he stepped in front of the door to block Charlie. “Tell me she’s not crazy.”

“What?”

“You’ve known her almost a decade. Tell me she’s not some delusional schizophrenic or somethin’.”

Charlie sighed, softly, and stepped away from the door. “She told you?”

“Yeah, wish fulfillment in the form of time travel. It’s fuckin’ nuts. She’s fuckin’ nuts.”

“Look, I had trouble with it, too, at first. But I think even if she hadn’t predicted every upset of the Midterms and the jump in Roman stock prices, I think I would’ve believed her eventually, because I have known her for nine years, Dean, and she came back from the future broken.” Dean bit his lip as Charlie looked around and lowered her voice. “When I handed my laptop to her, she was this… happy, mostly-confident chick whose only real Achilles’ Heel was her stupid fuckin’ family. When I walked out of my room, not ten minutes later, she had PTSS and a haunted look in her eye like the guy in the mailroom at the Holy Roman Empire. I don’t know how much she told you, dude, but when she described what he did to her… I still wanna turn him into Lord Varys, even though I know this Sam didn’t do it.”

“She just said he got high and hurt her… but I can read between.”

“What you’re imagining isn’t half the reality. It can’t be.”

“I know what Sam’s like when he’s high, sweetheart. I made the mistake of letting him forget he almost choked me to death, but I’ve never forgotten.”

“Fine, then you can see how amazing it is that she’s got a healthy sex life with you after that. She has nightmares, she’s twitchy and glitchy. She’s seeing a shrink, going to support group therapy, but she’s not crazy. It happened, okay?”

Dean took a deep breath. “She’s in love with my brother.”

“No. Not after all that-”

“She stayed for six fuckin’ months after he raped her. No way that kinda love just disappears because he cheated. Grand scheme, cheating’s much less of a big deal.” Dean ran his hand through his hair. “I bet… if she hadn’t wished herself away, if he’d apologized, she’d’ve taken him back.”

“She’s been all about you and saving Adam since she got back, Dean. He hasn’t even been a happy thought. She’s been focused on you.”

“Oh, I’m sure she was focused on me when they were bonding over Hogwarts Houses and he was ogling her across the table and-”

“Dude!” Charlie reached up and lightly slapped his cheek. “She has screaming nightmares about him. She was super offended when he suggested a three-way the night she got stabbed. She’s got it bad for you, Dean. She said something like… you make her feel safe and happy and that she was in love with you for a long time before Sam just completely fucked her over… she just couldn’t act on it because she thought Sam might go off the rails if she did, which… everything she told me about that relationship, he might’ve gone to some crack house just to spite her if-”

“That’s my brother you’re talkin’ ‘bout,” Dean practically growled.

“Yeah, your brother from another timeline who she doesn’t love, anymore. Seriously.” Charlie rolled her eyes, exaggeratedly. “She’s in love with you. You make her feel safe and happy. That’s all that should matter, especially with her in this frakkin’ hospital.”

Dean stepped back, nodding. His jealousy could take a backseat until she was okay. “Yeah. All right.”

Charlie pushed off from the wall and whipped into room. Y/n's eyes lit up as her two favorite people walked in and Dean couldn't help but wonder how she managed to look so radiant even in a hospital bed. “See? This is what happens when you mess with the timeline, bitch. You end up in a coma instead of the kid.”

“It was a medically-induced, two week long nap compared to the vegetative state Adam would've been in.”

Charlie kissed her temple and climbed into bed with her. “Doesn't matter. Promise me you're never gonna do this shit again. Seeing you all hooked up to machines, a tube down your throat… I knew they were gonna wake you up, but sometimes people don't wake up and… I already spend my Christmas in a hospice.”

Y/n leaned her head against the smaller woman’s shoulder as Dean sat in the chair next to the bed. “I'm sorry, Char. I really didn't intend to end up in a coma. Still can't believe that bitch stabbed me.”

“Six times. That bitch stabbed you six times,” Dean reminded. “Doctor said half of your liver looked like ground beef.”

“Lovely imagery.” Y/n chuckled and winced at the pain it caused her.

“Carol said the same thing, but she said it with a look on her face like she was smelling dog shit,” Charlie said.

Y/n grimaced. “Carol was here?”

“Briefly,” Dean answered. “Just long enough to berate me for my family drama causing you to get attacked by, and I'm quoting, ‘some tiny feral druggie whore’.”

“Your parents are still in town… staying at our apartment.”

“What?!” Y/n straightened, hissed in pain, bit her lip and took a deep breath.

Charlie patted y/n's knee. “Don't worry. I went through your room when they said they were gonna be crashing at our place. I hid your toys in my room, put a better password on your laptop and cleaned your dirty laundry. They shouldn't have anything to mess with you on.”

“You are the best best friend.”

“What kinda toys?” Dean asked, eyebrows raising suggestively.

“Exactly the kind you're thinking of, Winchester. You got a problem with it?”

Dean shook his head, smirking slightly. “No problem. ‘Cept now I got this video playin’ in my head of you… like a cam girl video.”

Y/n scoffed, her smirk lighting up her eyes. “No one records me, D. Once that shit’s on the internet, it’s forever.”

“Can confirm. There’s this terrible paparazzi pic of Carrie Fisher that I take down every time I see it, but I always find it again a few months later,” Charlie said.

“Hey, no one said it had to go on the internet. Maybe you can be a cam girl just for me,” Dean winked and y/n shook her head.

“Yeah, I’ve got too much damage to put on a show for anybody right now, but thanks.”

“Maybe when you get out of the hospital, huh?”

“Any ideas on when that's gonna be?” Charlie asked.

“Dr. Stephens said he wants to keep me a few days for observation.” Y/n rolled her eyes. “It’d be so shiny if I could just go home.”

“Shiny? Is that a nerdism or did the coma fuck up your head?” Dean asked.

“Firefly,” y/n and Charlie said at the same time.

“It means, like, ‘cool’ or ‘awesome’. It would be so awesome to just go home,” y/n said.

“I can’t wait for you to get back home, either. That way, I can kick your parents out of our gorram apartment,” Charlie said, wrapping her arm around y/n’s shoulder.

“Now you’re just makin’ shit up,” Dean said, leaning back in the chair and kicking his feet up on the end of the bed.

“Nope. Joss Whedon made that shit up,” y/n responded.

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

“No, man, she’s fine. I’m takin’ her home today.” Dean’s voice filtered through the heavy door into the hospital room. You were pretending to sleep since Sam showed up, eyes open just enough to see their shadows on the window.

“You guys don’t want any help? I mean, she can’t be very mobile,” Sam asked, looking through the window at you.

“I got it,” Dean snapped.

“What’s your problem, Dean? I’m just trying to help.”

“We don’t need your help.”

“Seriously, what did I do? Is this about the three way thing, because I’m not planning to-” Sam sighed heavily. “She made herself clear that she’s not interested. I just want to help. I mean, she pulled Adam out of Ruby’s house. Things could have been so bad and she-”

“Yeah, I know, Sam!” Dean exclaimed. “I know exactly how bad things coulda gone… and I understand that we, as a family, are very grateful to y/n for what she did, but I do not need your help with her right now. What I need is for you to give us some space. Okay?”

There was silence for several minutes and you opened your eyes. “Okay. Yeah, okay. Let me know when you wanna tell me what the hell I did to deserve this attitude.”

Dean’s face as Sam disappeared from your view said he knew Sam didn’t deserve the attitude. There was guilt in his eyes over it, but he just shook his head and walked into your room. “Hey, princess. You ready to get the hell outta here?”

“Can’t wait.” You bit your lip. “You should be nicer to him. He didn’t do anything.”

Dean shook his head. “He didn’t do anything because you picked me this time, but…” He sat on the edge of the bed and took your hand in his. “When you picked him… when you loved him… he-”

“Stop. Dean, just… please don’t overthink this. Let’s just focus on now. Now I am about to get out of the hospital and I’m gonna get to go home and everything’s gonna be okay.”

Dean kissed your knuckles. “I know. I know everything’s okay. I’m sorry. It’s just… I’ll deal with it eventually, princess.” He smirked, an idea crossing his mind. “Did I call you ‘princess’ in the other timeline?”

You nodded, smiling. “Yeah. That’s why I couldn’t keep myself from kissing you the first time you said it, here. Because I know you call your clients ‘sweetheart’, but ‘princess’ is special.”

“It’s so weird that you have all these memories of me that I'm never gonna share.” He shook his head. “Did you sign your discharge papers?”

“Yeah. The registrar said the nurse is gonna be around with my aftercare instructions in a few. Then, I can finally get out of here.”

“So, tell me some stories of the other timeline while we wait, huh? Like, I was your Chevy-head friend that taught you about cars, right? How’d that happen?”

You chuckled. “My clutch started slipping.” Dean’s eyebrows raised. “Yeah, really. I took it to the shop at the Ford dealership and they gave me a loaner, which was this huge F250 that I was so uncomfortable in that I was just gonna eat the cost of taxis or a rental of something smaller. You never liked the thought of me in an Uber. Oh, especially if I’m not sober, you never let me take an Uber.”

“Bad things happen to drunk chicks in Ubers.”

“That’s what you said at Bobby and Ellen’s Christmas party. It’s why you insisted on driving me home.”

“Why wasn't Sam driving you home?”

“I was escaping. That was the night I met Adam and got my first look at the Rubies, I was surrounded by gorgeous, sexual women and I just wanted to go home. Between Bobby’s eggnog and Meg’s whiskey, I was super drunk by the time my cab showed, so you took me home, instead.” You smiled at the memory of him helping you to your door. “I kissed you. I was drunk and lost in your eyes and I kissed you.”

“And felt guilty about it when you got sober, right?”

You nodded. “It was the only time I kissed you before the wish. I chalked it up to the alcohol, but once you and I started spending all our time together…”

“You realized you loved me?” He smiled softly as he asked it.

You nodded. “Around the end of March, I had this dream. I remember it because it was the first dream I’d had since New Years that didn’t end up a nightmare, and it was just you and me laid out on the hood of your car staring at the night sky. It wasn’t anything sexual, I wasn’t in a mental space for that, but… it made me feel like things were okay, like things could be okay again.” You smiled and scooted forward, wrapping your arms around him. “Didn’t take long for me to realize that the only time I didn’t feel like I was drowning was when I was with you.”

Dean chuckled, wrapping an arm lightly around your waist. “You’re supposed to be telling me about teaching you cars.”

“Oh, yeah.” You laughed, leaning your head on his shoulder. “You didn’t want me in Ubers, so you volunteered to drive me around until my car got fixed. One morning, you started in on a tangent about how your car was so much better than mine and I asked you to justify your argument. You listed a dozen reasons why the Impala was better and I… I didn’t understand most of what you said, so I asked you to teach me. Ended up covered in grease in your garage more times than I can count.”

“Sounds sexy.”

“Oh, you were very sexy. First overtly sexual thoughts I had in 2019 were because you were all sweaty and sexy bent over the engine telling me about the differences in the 327 and the 502 and all I could think about was how great your ass looked in those jeans. You had to explain it, like, three times because I kept fantasizing about you bending me over the hood.”

He shook you with a chuckle. “We haven’t done that one, yet. When you’re feeling up to it, we’ll have to get sweaty and greasy together.”

“Is it weird that I kinda want to say ‘fuck me’ anyway, even though I know it’ll mess me up?”

“If I were a little less worried about internal bleeding, I’d do it. Haven’t worked since you been in the hospital so I am full of pent-up energy.”

You turned your head to look up at him. “You haven’t seen a client in almost three weeks?”

He pursed his lips and shook his head. He leaned away slightly and looked down at you. “My girl was in the hospital. I couldn’t go fuck those other women knowing you were here.” You leaned up and captured his lips, twisting on the bed and getting up on your knees to better the angle. He moaned into your mouth, hands grasping at the blanket to keep from grabbing you. You pulled his bottom lip in between your teeth and nibbled, lightly. He pulled back, shaking his head. “Baby, you can’t do this. You know I can’t control myself when it comes to you and I don’t wanna hurt you.”

You flopped backward, pouting. “Fine.”

“Don’t pout.” He rolled his eyes and stood. He adjusted his jeans, pulling on the legs. “Grown woman pouting about not gettin’ dicked,” he muttered.

“I am not pouting about that. I just wanted to help you with your pent-up energy and you didn’t want me to, that’s all.”

“Oh, don’t flip this on me, woman. You’ve got six extra holes in your middle and half a functional liver. Just ‘cause you’re horny, that doesn’t mean I gotta give in and do something that might hurt you, okay?” Dean leaned over you, pressing his lips to your forehead.

“Maybe we could do something that wouldn’t-”

“Uh-huh, sure. Tell me something that wouldn’t make your muscles tense up, that wouldn’t hurt you… and it would hurt, y/n, because you don’t even have any meds in your system.” He sat back down on the bed and raised an eyebrow at you. “‘Cause they’re opiates?”

You shrugged. You didn’t think he’d noticed you requested to be taken off the morphine and wouldn’t let them put you on anything even slightly addictive. “Opioids got me into this mess… all of my mess.”

Dean sighed, heavily. “What Sam did, that wasn’t your mess.”

“I don’t agree. It sure made a mess of me.”

Dean opened his mouth to speak again, but the door opened and a short brunette nurse walked in. You tensed, fighting back a groan of pain as it sent a jolt through you, looking away from Eileen’s smiling face. “You are all set. Here’s how you take care of your wounds and here is your prescriptions.”

“Thank you,” you said, signing it, still not looking at her face as you took the papers from her hands.

Dean put a hand on your knee, squeezing gently. “Can she go now?”

Eileen nodded. “If you have any problems, call the doctor. The number is on the top sheet. Good luck.”

“Thank you,” Dean said, grabbing your elbow and helping you off of the bed. “Gotta question Sam’s judgment, fuckin’ around on you with her.”

You shrugged, pulling your jacket on as Eileen disappeared from the room. “You told me that Sam makes really bad decisions, sometimes. But she seems okay and she’s pretty.”

“She’s all right, but I dunno. Any chick that would sleep with a guy when she knows he’s got a woman at home… kinda low.”

“It’s not a big deal. It didn’t happen,” you said quietly.

“It happened for you.” He wrapped his arm around you and walked you out of the room.

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

“Welcome home!”

You gasped, adrenaline coursing through you as you walked into your living room and a half a dozen people shouted at you. Charlie stood in the corner, looking a bit exasperated. The surprise was obviously not her idea, since she knew that surprises were not the best idea for someone with your mental condition. Your mother and father, Carol and TJ, and your associates Sherry and Deedee were more enthusiastic. “Oh, my god! You guys! This is…” You tried to sound appreciative, but Dean could hear the falseness and placed a hand on your lower back to show his support.

“Well, we couldn’t let you come home to an empty apartment, could we?” your mom asked, walking forward to hug you.

“What am I, tauntaun druk?” Charlie groaned.

“No one knows what that means,” Carol spat at her.

“I know what it means,” you defended, pulling away from your mom.

“And anyone with basic common sense could figure it out based on context clues,” Dean backed Charlie up, wrapping his arms around you to keep everyone else from being able to embrace you. “But I forgot who was speaking.”

“Charming, Dean.” Carol sneered as she spoke. “Explain to me why you’re here when your trash family put her in the hospital.”

“Whoa.” You pulled away from Dean, glaring at your sister. “First off, I ended up in the hospital because I rushed into a bad situation without considering all of the possible consequences. No one put me in the hospital except me and Ruby Wilkes. And if you’re going to talk shit about Dean’s family, you can fuckin’ leave, because they’re good people. They’re smart, passionate, loving people and, of course you’d think that’s trashy because you don’t know what class is.”

“What Kool-aid did they force down your throat, huh?” Carol stepped closer. “What about these junkie assholes instills such loyalty from you? He can’t be that good in bed.”

Your instinct to cower from a confrontation was overridden by your need to deal with Carol. “First, you’re wrong about that. He’s amazing in bed. Better than I’ve ever had and better than you’ve ever had, either. Second, there is only one junkie in that family and he wasn’t in that house when I got stabbed. Third, the Kool-aid they served me was called ‘Love and fuckin’ respect’ which I haven’t gotten in a long fuckin’ time. And fourth, get the hell out of my apartment. All of you. I’m tired and in pain and I don’t wanna have a party tonight, so leave.”

Everyone looked taken aback by your outburst, but you ignored it as you grabbed Dean’s hand and pulled him toward your bedroom. “Deedee, Sherry, I’ll see you at 7am Monday. Don’t be late!”

“You’re going back to work, already?” Dean asked as you pulled him along the hallway and Charlie shoo’ed everyone away.

“Yeah. I can’t sit around just doing nothing. It’s not… it’s not in me,” you said, pushing open your door and lying down on your bed, carefully, slowly, making sure not to jostle yourself too much.

“Princess… you okay?”

“I couldn’t have them talking about you and your family like that… Carol is…”

“Yeah, I know, baby, but… you kinda exploded.” Dean knelt on the bed next to you and you looked over at him. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah. I just… can we just lie down and get some rest?”

“Yeah. Yeah, baby, let's get some rest.” Dean dropped to your bed, kicking off his boots and slipping under your blanket. You snuggled into his side and waited for sleep to claim you.

Your dreams pulled you back to the months that never happened, to the night of the party, to the night everything came to a head and your world crashed around you. “Don’t you wish- Don’t you wish- Don’t you wish-”

You gasped as your eyes snapped open. “It was Anya!”

KITCHEN SINK TAGS @heyitscam99 @wonderlandfandomkingdom @unlikelysamwinchesteronahunt @mrs-meghan-winchester @henrymorganme @lonely-skys @allykat2108 @mogaruke @flamencodiva @team-free-will-you-idjits-67 @pisces-cutie @paintballkid711 @natura1phenomenon

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[ntebook]

She’d been here before.

All around her was dark, a blackness so absolute it weighed her down, limbs heavy and heart feeling crushed beneath her own lungs. Kalysta knew this darkness, was familiar with it like her own skin, because it was her. This was a place of her own making.

But familiarity did not make it any less frightening. Instead, knowing made it worse. She knew what happened here, what she would have to face before it was over. Knew it wasn’t real.

Not true—the pain was real. The dagger this place would drive into her soul cut like any blade the waking would could conceive. Still, she would try to be brave. Maybe this time she could endure it. Maybe this time wouldn’t be so bad.

The faces began to appear before her, and Kalysta steeled herself with a deep breath. She wouldn’t let the win. Not this time.

The figures appeared slowly at first, fading into existence from the feet upwards. She didn’t have to guess, though; these people she knew like breathing. They were always the same: first, her mother, not thin and shriveled and broken as she’d been at the end but young, beautiful, raven-haired and fresh-faced and smiling. Next her father, whom Kalysta had never actually met. She’d always imagined him, what he must have been like, and that was the form his specter took now. Tall, strong, well-dressed but plain, a laborer with large hands, callused but gentle. His was the only figure without a face, a blurred shape where his head should be, the features shifting their form and color just before they came into focus.

The next figure had been a surprise the first time she had come here, but now she merely sighed as Victor faded in. The man had been her first and only love, back when Kalysta had been young enough to fall for such childish things. He was exactly how she remembered, considering it had been nearly seven years: slender and charming, the grin of a boy seventeen and self-assured permanently affixed to his face. Kalysta had long left him behind, yet here he was, ready to torment her all over again.

The next two, the final two, were the worst by far. The other ghosts were of the past, and when this was over they would stay in the past, locked deep and away. But these two, the final figures Kalysta always hoped would not be there yet always were, she saw every day.

Kennan Knightley and Lysander Everstar were as alike as oil and water and about as compatible, but they were also the closest thing Kalysta had to friends. They were her lovers, her partners, business and pleasure rolled into two perfectly imperfect human beings. Kennan was her protector, her strength, and as much as he claimed not to care one lick about either of them, Kalysta knew better. She trusted him; her mistake, but she could hardly take it back now. He was a man of simple needs, simple desires, but he wasn’t stupid. Wasn’t soft. Kalysta liked that about him. It made him easy to work with; reliable. As much as muscle-for-hire could be, anyway.

And then there was Sand. The mastermind behind all their schemes, the one who kept them moving up and on even when it felt like there was nowhere to go. Lysander was… complex. She knew him better than anyone, and yet some days (most days?) she hardly knew him at all. Oh, he had his habits, his vices—she was one of them—but for every facet of his she saw there were three more she never would. Yet, Kalysta knew she’d follow him into hell itself if he promised the right payout. What Lysander Everstar promised, he always delivered.

She loved them—both of them. It was safe to admit that here, in the quiet and the dark. The only ones who could use it against her were the ghosts. Kalysta studied their faces as if she didn’t see them every day; as if this was the last time. She followed the curve of Lysander’s lips as they curled around his cigarette; the frown lines etched into Kennan’s stubbled skin. Her eyes devoured every detail, committing them to memory before the figures could fade away.

“Worthless.”

The word rang through the silence like a gunshot, consonants echoing sharply off walls that were not there and rattling inside her skull. Kalysta flinched and looked up. It was her mother who had spoken, her once easy smile twisted into a sneer.

“Life ruiner,” she spat, and Kalysta pushed back at the sudden sting of tears.

Something cold and unyielding snaked its way around her ankle, and despite herself Kalysta jumped. A black chain, thick as her wrist and gleaming in the light that did not exist, had twisted itself around her. The other end led off into the dark. As many times as she had been here, Kalysta had no idea what lied at the end of the chain—only that she didn’t want to go.

Dread began to seep into her bones. She’d forgotten this part.

“Unwanted,” said her father, and another chain looped around her other foot.

“Second-rate,” Victor laughed—laughed, and Kalysta felt like screaming. More chains wrapped around her body, one for each word as the ghosts tore her apart.

“Common,” Victor added, and she wondered how she’d ever loved him.

Kennan stared at her in disgust. “Whore.”

“Pawn,” and Lysander smiled as he flicked his cigarette butt at her face. “Gullible. Plain.”

“Weak.”

“Easy.”

“Low-brow.”

“Bitch.”

“Mistake.”

Kalysta fell to her knees, the weight of their accusations heavier than even the chains strangling her. She trembled under the onslaught, tried not to listen, tried to cover her ears and block them out, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t move. The chains were everywhere, a tangle of constricting black metal that kept her immobile. They dragged her down until she was face down on the floor, but just because she couldn’t see the figures didn’t mean she couldn’t hear them. Kalysta stared into the black nothingness and wept.

“No.” The word was a sob strangled and raw. “No, I’m not—I’m not—”

“Disgusting.”

“Good-for-nothing.”

“Unlovable.”

“Unworthy.”

“Garbage.”

“Not worth our time.” That last was in unison, and Kalysta lifted her head in horror.

“No,” she cried, “don’t leave me here!” But the figures were already beginning to fade. Kalysta felt the loops tighten around her; panic set in, and she struggled wildly. All for naught. She still couldn’t move.

“Please!” She begged. Her parents were already half gone, and Victor had faded out below the knees. Kalysta turned her eyes on Kennan and Lysander instead. Surely, they wouldn’t leave her in this place.

“Kennan, darling— Lysander, Sand my love. Please. Please don’t do this. Don’t leave me here. I can’t be alone, don’t leave me alone like this, please—”

They had already begun to fade by the time she’d said their names, but the words wouldn’t stop. Kalysta begged as she cried, great heaving sobs stealing her breath away and making the words unintelligible. She’d have doubled over in pain if the chains had allowed it.

Something moved in the darkness. Panic gave way to paralyzing terror; the chains were pulling at her, dragging her back, away from the fading ghosts and into the darkness beyond. No—gods no—this wasn’t happening—

“Mom!” Her mother was little more than a Cheshire smile. “Sand, Kennan! Don’t let them do this!” It took all her strength, but she lifted a hand and reached out to them, stretched as far as her bonds would allow. They were still dragging her, still pulling her into the dark unknown. Desperation set every nerve on fire, and she reached farther.

“Please! Please, I’ll do anything! Don’t let them take me! Don’t—”

They were gone. With them went any light in this place—and her hope.

Don’t abandon me.

Kalysta collapsed. As if sensing her surrender, the chains pulled her with eagerness, yanking her off into the gloom. She screamed.

 And woke up screaming, sitting upright in a tangle of bedsheets. Beside her, Kennan jolted awake and reached for the knife he kept beside his bed.

“What, what is it?”

Kalysta took a deep trembling breath, passing her hands over her face. Gods, she’d been crying in her sleep. And she’d woken Kennan—how embarrassing.

At least it was dark. Maybe he wouldn’t notice the tears.

“Just a dream, darling,” she said, forcing her usual happy-flirty-dismissive tone and praying it was convincing. “Old nightmare. I’m fine. Sorry I woke you.”

Kennan didn’t answer. She could feel him staring at her in the darkness, but she ignored it; she was too busy trying to get her heartbeat under control.

“You’re shaking.”

Oh, damn it all.

“Really, it’s just nerves.” Which was technically true. “It’ll pass.”

Kennan hesitated for half a moment before he snorted and laid back down, rolling to face the wall. “Suit yourself.”

She could practically hear his eyes rolling, but for once she didn’t care. She was too relieved to be bothered with his usual antics. Of all the times for Kennan Knightley to grow a conscience… Kalysta laid down next to him with a sigh. She knew she’d never sleep now, but damn if she wasn’t going to try.

[sentinelkelly]

Destiny 2: Curse of the Butthurt Man-Children Review

Destiny 2 has been in trouble for awhile now and despite what the crying man-children on Reddit, Twitter, Facebook, the Bungie forums and the hack of journalists from Kotaku, Forbes (lol did I really include them?), IGN, and Polygon, I strongly believe Destiny 2 is getting better in some aspects and worse in others. I still believe this game have great potential in the future, but for Destiny 2 to be great, Bungie needs to be less reactive and beat the community to the punch, sort of speak. More on that a little later. Let’s get on to my blasphemous opinions.

The Story

The Curse of Osiris story reminds me of Call of Duty: Black Ops III’s story. Let me explain before you get triggered: The Call of Duty, in my opinion, always had a great story despite how you felt about the multiplayer and it’s community. When I played Black Ops III’s campaign, I couldn’t help but to be lost in the plot and be almost put to sleep. The plot was convoluted and had too much filler content that further added to my confusion. This is exactly how I felt playing Curse of Osiris’s story. Although people think the story was pretty fast, I beg to differ. It took me about 4 hours to complete, excluding getting distracted by Public Events and in real life stuff. Then again, I wasn’t speed-running. Maybe that’s why, but it was definitely longer than the Dark Below which a lot of people forget about. Bungie squandered a perfect opportunity to effectively use the Osiris lore.

At the same token, Bungie opened the door to expanding the Osiris lore  (besides a webcomic) and revealing some Saint-14 lore. I would also love some Dredgen Yor lore at some point too. Time well tell how much more lore we’ll get and of whom.

Eververse

Dear Lord... I hate the fact that the loot pool is so large and RNG is still what you expect from a Destiny game. If I had to pick which is worse between Treasures of Ages and Illuminated Engrams, I wouldn’t answer because there is no lesser of the two evils. Although, at least I get the armor in Destiny 2 while I still haven’t get a single piece of AoT armor for any character on Destiny 1... on Xbox and PS4.

At the end of the day, her wares are still optional, cosmetic to a certain extent, and not game breaking. That’s all I truly ask for in microtransacions. You can make the argument that the Ghost Shells increase xp gains, points out nearby chests and all that jazz. Then, I’ll rebuttal by calling you a retard and ask a simple question: “How does differ from other Ghost Shells and how does it give you an unfair advantage in the Crucible?” Basically, the only people who still hates Eververse are unlucky like me, poor/cheap people and conspiracy theorists that think Bungie is intentionally making her stuff look better than the non-microtransaction gear. Stop being poor. Taste is subjective.

Mercury

It’s a very small area that I would’ve forgiven if you could freely explore the Infinite Forest, Past Mercury, and Dark Future Mercury. However, you can’t. You can only replay the story missions and adventures to go to those places. Not to mention there’s only one Lost Sector. There’s enough space for at least three. Mercury was over-hyped. The Infinite Forest was filler. More could’ve been done.

Despite that, the visuals are beautiful as always. Past Mercury gives you a sense of peace and serenity while Dark Future Mercury makes the atmosphere more grim and dire. Also, doing Flashpoints on Mercury doesn’t require to actually do a single Public Event. You just have to kill majors that are running around the map.

The Leviathan Raid Lair

I have not played it yet, but I heard great things about it. It’s a shame that Bungie advertised it as just a shorter version of the current raid with different bosses and mechanics because I had low expectations and now I think I might be in for a great time.

I’ll update more when I can finally play it.

#TwoTokensAndABlue: Public Events were Nerfed

So much with being rewarding. Less xp gains, lower probability getting exotics, and quite frankly more of a reason not drop everything to go do one.

The Current State of Crucible

Crucible is still like listening to music on Spotify without premium: You gotta play until you get the gametype you want or keep backing out until you get the match you want. There are also no signs of old Destiny 1 game modes returning and the current ones being separated. 

At least, we get to tell future Kinderguardians that for a weekend, the Destiny Community was able to play a large game of laser tag and then there’s the return of Mayhem Clash. MC is the only thing making PvP worth play to me.

Armor Ornaments

I’mma just say it: Most of the ornaments makes the armor look ugly and/or are uninspired. Above all, I’m extremely disappointed with Future War Cult’s. All it does is change the color scheme to white and blue. That’s it.

I do like the fact that you can unlock ornaments account wide. For example, unlocking the Crucible Titan Mark ornament unlocks the Crucible Hunter Cloak and Warlock Bond even if you never played on the other characters.

“Heroic” Strikes

Oh boy... Where do I begin? I was very excited about this. A good percentage of my Destiny 1 playtime was shutting my brain off after a long day and running Heroic Strikes if I liked the modifiers. Destiny 2 said, “Why don’t I just take Vanguard Strikes, raise the power level and call it Heroic Strikes? That’s it!” Bungie did say that they will add modifiers, but two things: 1) Why didn’t you just wait? If it’s incomplete why release it now when you could do so later complete? 2) I hope the modifiers aren’t the Destiny 2 Nightfall modifiers. Please God no.

The Vault System is Still a Mess

Imagine every single file on your computer was on your desktop. No folders. Just right there in front of your face. On top of all that, you can only have 200 of those files on your computer before you have to start deleting stuff. That’s where we’re still at. Not to mention you can hold up to 50 different shaders on your person, yet Bungie decides to make more than 50 unique shaders. It gets better: Duplicate Dawning shaders will sort into separate stacks depending on where they were received from. Dawning shaders received through Eververse will fall into one stack, and shaders earned through activity rewards will be sorted into another. This is not a bug and was intentional. On top of all this: no increased vault space, shader kiosk, or mass deletion option.

Prestige Mode Locked by CoO-Paywall

It seems like the less you invest in Destiny 2 (monetary-wise and in playtime), the more your opinion matters somehow in comparison to actual dedicated fans of the game. The whole issue was that people who didn’t owe the DLC, can’t play the 330 version of the Nightfall & Leviathan Raid due to vanilla players not being able to reach the new level cap. Trials of the Nine was also blocked. Note: Normal Mode was bumped up for both the Nightfall and Raid so you can still reach 305 playing those. Trials ALWAYS required people to have the latest DLC and patches. Hell, Nightfalls got the same treatment in Destiny 1, and mind you, there was only one difficulty. The only people that were angry were the disgruntled Destiny 2 players who stopped playing a long time ago and/or already owns the DLC. Trust me, if you’re a hardcore fan of Destiny or remotely likes it, you would’ve made arrangements to get the DLC.  Don’t come at me with that “I love the game, but have no money” bullshit. This was all a case of “What if my friend buys Destiny 2 and I can’t play with him/her?!” Um... tell them to buy the game used/on sale and the DLC? Maybe you could buy it for them so you can play with them? Gee, this is a difficult situation I’ve never been in.

Trust me, no one who hasn’t bought Destiny 2 at this point won’t buy it because of all of the ruckus this community is making. Due to Bungie getting cuck’d by a bunch of poor people who don’t even play their game anymore that complained about a theoretical situation, the first Faction Rally of Season 2 was postponed to I assume (I hope) at the beginning of 2018. 

Quality of Life Updates Frequency

I remember a time Bungie was constantly adjusting things like the economy and user interface on top of tuning weapons and subclasses, squashing bugs and things of that nature. Destiny 2 received its first Quality of Life update in December on the day of this DLC’s release. Yeah, Bungie fixed stuff here and there between vanilla Destiny 2 and Curse of Osiris releases, but there was the over abundance of legendary shards some people had to deal with, shitty RNG not giving people what they want, etc. that was just improved. The difference between patches and QoL updates to me is one fix problems and the other improves on what was working fine but can be frustrating. There is less of the latter.

The State of the Destiny Community

Everything that I’ve stated thus far is forgivable. However, Destiny 2′s state of being the target of hit pieces of gaming media and butthurt “fan” backlash is 10% Bungie being reactive, 10% Bungie making dumbass decisions, 80% self-proclaimed fans having buyer’s remorse. Destiny 1 was considered an abomination of game around this time last year for whatever dumb reason people came up with. Destiny 1 was shitted on repeatedly. Now all of a sudden, people love and miss Destiny 1 so much. It was the community’s constant bitching that made Destiny 2 the way it is. Bungie had to find a way to not repeat Destiny 1, but guess what... people flipped flopped. Ask any Destiny fan how they felt about Destiny 1, I guarantee all will praise it, but half of them were singing a different tune last year. Destiny 2 and Curse of Osiris is the community’s fault. Bungie had some part in the blame, but: 1) Me and every other non-Bungie employee don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors at the studio in Redmond, WA. 2) If anything, blame the leadership at Bungie. Why are you getting mad some artist or sound engineer. They don’t program the game or have authority to do whatever they want to the final product if it’s outside of their department.

We are the point where people constantly complaining about bullshit like optional microtransactions and plays other games are considered “concerned fans.” Meanwhile, people like me who are objective, still actively plays the game despite it’s current state, and can compliment game when something is done right gets accused of being on Bungie’s payroll. The toxicity of this community reached heights I never thought possible and it makes me cringe to be an actual fan sometimes. Not to say I’m an angel, which I’m not, but at least I provide constructive criticism to Bungie and lash out at little Jimmy who claims to hate the game so much. I’m against people who insist upon passing on their misery onto other people who are actually enjoying the game. I’ve looked on GameStop’s app and Destiny 2 is worth between $12-18. I can recommend better games for that price. If you have Destiny 2 on disc and are that dissatisfied with it, I challenge you to sell it. If you have it digitally, I’m sure you can get a full refund somehow. I challenge you to get that refund. A reasonable adult, tries to get their money back and move on. If you don’t at least try, you’re full shit.

Bungie’s only unforgivable sin is giving birth to a community of entitled ingrates.

Final Verdict: 7.75/10

This could’ve been better and it could get better in 2018. However, out of the gate... it does not live up to the hype.

[yeah-sure-amanda]

Devil’s Advocate – The Two Main Theories

Like everyone else out there I have been racking my brain coming up with numerous theories (I have so many theories that are completely wrong too) on how the Robert/Robron story is going to end especially now, we have an end of Christmas Week. So, I decided to stick to the original theory (with a few add-ons) and the ‘Playing it Straight’ theory. Ok. Let’s make both theories work and not work.

‘Play it Straight’ Theory

Not a theory per say but if you get too theory happy these people come out of the woodwork. The people who think we are all wasting our times and this story will be played straight. Here is the theory as it stands.

Rebecca and Robert did have a one-night stand. It resulted in a baby that is Roberts. The two will have to learn how to co-parent. Meanwhile, Aaron will come around to loving the baby as will Robert. They get back together after Aaron decides he can handle dealing with a baby.  Rebecca decides to forgive Robert for all he has done. All three will end up co-parenting the kid. All is well in Robron land.

Variations on the Theory

Custody Fight 

The above stands but the Whites find out what Robert has done to Home Farm and its business and cuts Robert out of the baby’s life. Robert, Aaron will have to fight for the kid in court against Rebecca.

Or

Chrissie Custody Fight 

The above stands but Rebecca not being able to handle motherhood runs off leaving the baby with Chrissie who fights for full custody against Robert. Aaron is along for the ride.

For This to Work/Not Work

This only works if we know The White family will be staying and we know they are not staying for much longer. Also, the show would have to make Aaron suddenly be ok with the idea of a child being around. Having Aaron hurt himself over the thought of the baby ruins that idea. I mean, in a soap opera anything can be reversed but, in this case, this is a harder sell. Also, we would need Rebecca to become a rounded character, and that isn’t happening anytime soon. She is just a plot device in the story. A chess piece to be moved around. Which is why she would be ok with the revenge plot/breakdown that Robert is on. Move her wherever they need her.

That is where the variations come into play. No way would she be ok with that. So, fighting for the kid makes sense. However, once again, Aaron suddenly being ok with the kid after hurting himself…doesn’t calculate.

Personal Opinion

The show could go this way but they won’t. Everyone else is getting twists and so will the ‘cash cow’ aka Robron. That is one of their biggest couples out there. No way would they give them this straightforward of a story. Not when we know Robert is going to be at his lowest point which means a lot. This is Roberts journey, and that straightforward story doesn’t include that. It seems focused on Aaron which this story was never Aarons journey. It’s Roberts. Also, it’s just so freaking boring if it was played straight. It happens yes but Rebecca isn’t a character we want to see Robert have to co-parent with. She doesn’t have a life outside of him. To build that up and her presence in the village that will take time. Time, I don’t think the show has or wants to spend on her. Time is precious, and I think the show wants to spend it on Robert and Aaron. Not the crumbling White Family.

The Theorytm

The famous theory that either upsets people or makes the most sense to people. The one started on Tumblr by Taryn (@Itwasjustmisplaced).

Robert and Rebecca didn’t sleep together. For some reason Rebecca makes him think that they did and he is the father. Robert goes into a tailspin going after everything he thinks ruined his relationship with Aaron. Finds out he isn’t the dad and they didn’t sleep together. That brings Robert and Aaron back together. Rebecca and the baby become someone else’s problem. All is right in Robron land.

Variations on The Theory

Ross/Adam is the dad (They Slept Together/Didn’t Sleep Together)

All the above and if Robert isn’t the dad (didn’t sleep together/slept together) then who is? Ross has been sleeping with her since January and most notably slept with Rebecca the day after Robert. So, he is a big candidate. The Adam theory is a lot of fun and has the most drama and damage. Most hate it, but I refuse to let go, so I’m including him here. I need to write out a fleshed-out post about this and why it does work on its own. It might not happen, but it does work.

OR

Black Widow

All the above but Rebecca is a black widow.  To get back at Robert for all he has done to her she decides to ruin Roberts life. By making him think he is the dad it takes down all that Robert holds dear now. Forces him into a corner that would make her plans easier to set out.

OR

A Lie Gone Too Far 

All the above and Rebecca is lying because she has taken something way too far. Rebecca is angry at him but still, loves him like she has claimed before. She lied to screw with Robert only she has let it go too far and now she is stuck in a corner of her own making. If she comes out now, she will look like she was trying to trap him and ruin Aaron and Roberts marriage. So, she sticks with it even though it is setting Robert down a dangerous path.

For This to Work/Not Work

This theory works on so many levels. It is twisty and gives Rebecca something to do other than blink and prance around Home Farm while her stomach changes sizes (up down up down).  It fits the pattern of all the stories that got big press this year. Nell’s twist. The Coira twist and now The Robron twist. It is fun and will be more interesting to watch. It is just good television. Regardless what one thinks of Iain MacLeod, as we have seen, he knows how to tell a story. He just has pacing problems. Which is understandable because every soap showrunner has pacing problems (even the precious Kate Oates).  It is a lot of time to fill and a lot of story to pace out. Sometimes, stories get left behind or screwed up. Nothing a few strokes of the pen can’t fix.

Why these theories might not work? Robert isn’t attached to the child yet. He hasn’t been to the doctor’s appointments, he hasn’t put his hand on her stomach to feel the kicking, he even used the kid’s picture to hide a camera. There is no attachment there. One could argue he will get attached to the baby after its born but even then, it doesn’t seem likely. If Robert is to keep going after The White Family, he won’t be attached to the kid. Maybe. There is something off there that changes a lot of the theories listed above. Robert is a legacy character. This kid should be bigger news than the show is making it.

Personal Opinion

The TheoryTM is the one that I personally love. It makes the most sense, and even the variations help flesh out the theory even more. I’d be more into the black widow theory because as I have said MANY MANY times…Emily Head would be a great soap villain. A great soap bitch. She can’t pull off angel. I don’t buy it. So, I’d love to see black widow also it makes what I am about to talk about make more sense.

What I Personally Expect from The Final Act

What I expect is a twist. I don’t think Robert is the dad because it narratively (right now) doesn’t make sense to keep a kid with him.  Nor does it make sense he would bond with the kid after its born. It can happen, sure, but I don’t see it. What I expect to happen is the kid is born in November. Then for some reason or another, all is revealed quickly and dramatically. This leaves Robert with nothing. All the revenge he has been planning against The Whites adds up to nothing, he doesn’t have a child, he doesn’t have Aaron or Liv. He is left with nothing. That breakdown we have been seeing goes into overdrive.

Robert falls apart while Aaron is the one that tries to get to him. He wants to talk now that everything is out in the open. He wants to figure out where Robert stands except Robert pushes Aaron away. Why do I want this to happen? At the end of the day, this story has always been about Robert and his choices in life. The choices he makes and how it affects himself and others. He will have to make the choice to want to look inward and try to figure out what he does wrong and how to fix that. Aaron can help of course, but this has to be on Robert. No one else. That brings us to Christmas when everything comes to a head. Robert will want to get better, and Aaron will want to help them. All is going to be ok in Robron land.

As for The Whites? I think Roberts scheming doesn’t help, but it raises a lot of issues that have always been there. Rebecca will always be jealous of Chrissie for being Lawrence’s favorite. Chrissie resents being lied to by Lawrence. Rebecca thinks she should get full run of Home Farm because she is the true heir to everything. Lachlan…he is just a special little psycho, isn’t he? Roberts scheming might bring up a lot of those old wounds. Let the fireworks begin!

What do you think? What theories do you like? Where do you stand on things? Tell me below, and I just might write about the Adam theory. Until my next thought overload, see you around Emmerdale.