#With potential for comedic affect

[madsgotmadagain]

babe wake up tower of adventures gave me a new rairpair

[nickeverdeen]

Hi!! Can I request Arcane characters with a fem s/o who is basically a bimbo and is genuinely very dumb and always wears pink and skirts with her pink heels??

Tysm! <333 💗

Arcane characters having a girly bimbo girlfriend

Jinx

Jinx is attracted to your carefree and bubbly personality, finding it refreshing compared to her own intense and chaotic nature

Jinx admires your style, finding it amusingly contrasting to her own edgy and punk aesthetic

She secretly enjoys the bright colors and girly outfits you wear, finding them endearing

Despite your naivety and lack of street smarts, Jinx feels a strong urge to protect you from any potential harm

She becomes fiercely defensive whenever someone underestimates or mocks your intelligence

Jinx indulges in playful and mischievous antics with you, enjoying your carefree moments together

She appreciates the simplicity and laughter you bring into her life

Jinx takes on the role of a patient teacher, explaining concepts and ideas to you in simple terms

She finds joy in witnessing your genuine curiosity, even if it means starting with the basics

Despite your perceived lack of intelligence, Jinx is surprised by the occasional insightful comment or observation that you make

She learns to appreciate your unique perspective on things

You and Jinx make for an entertaining duo, often unintentionally getting into amusing situations due to your ditzy nature

Jinx finds herself laughing more often and embracing the lightheartedness of your relationship

Despite your differences, Jinx wholeheartedly accepts you for who you are and loves you deeply

She values the genuine affection and happiness you share, cherishing every moment you spend together

Over time, Jinx discovers hidden depths within you, realizing that beneath the surface-level bimbo persona lies a funny-chaotic and compassionate individual

She grows to admire your authenticity and sincerity

Jinx finds solace in the chaos of her own life, knowing that she can always return to the simplicity and warmth of her relationship with you

Your love brings a sense of balance and stability to her otherwise tumultuous world

Caitlyn

Caitlyn’s relationship with you is an unexpected contrast to her typically serious and no-nonsense demeanor

Despite your differences, Caitlyn is drawn to your carefree and bubbly personality

Caitlyn finds amusement in your fashion choices, often shaking her head at the abundance of pink and frilly skirts paired with heels

She admires your confidence in expressing yourself through fashion, even if it’s not her personal style

Due your naivety and lack of street smarts, Caitlyn takes on a protective role just like Jinx, ensuring your safety in unfamiliar situations

She’s always vigilant, ready to intervene if you find yourself in trouble due to your innocence

Caitlyn patiently explains things to you, breaking down complex concepts into simpler terms

You and Caitlyn make for an unlikely but good duo

While Caitlyn is focused on her duties as an enforcer, you add a touch of lightheartedness and joy to her life, balancing out the seriousness of her work

Caitlyn learns to embrace your quirks and differences, offering you unwavering support and encouragement

She appreciates the genuine affection and happiness you share, valuing the moments of laughter and joy in your relationship

Despite your perceived lack of intelligence, Caitlyn discovers hidden depths within you, appreciating your kindness and compassion towards others

She realizes that beneath the bimbo persona lies a genuinely caring and loving individual

Caitlyn finds herself in amusing situations with you, often caused by your… interesting nature

While Caitlyn may roll her eyes at times, she secretly enjoys the comedic relief you bring to her life

You and Caitlyn complement each other in unexpected ways, with Caitlyn providing stability and guidance while you add spontaneity and laughter to your relationship

You learn from each other and grow together, embracing your differences

Despite your disparities, Caitlyn loves you unconditionally, appreciating the unique bond you share

She values the authenticity and sincerity of your relationship, finding solace and happiness in your love for each other

Viktor

Despite your lack of intellectual depth, Viktor finds you refreshing and amusing

Your simplistic views on life provide a stark contrast to his complex thoughts and experiments, offering a break from his usual intense focus

Viktor is bemused by your fashion choices, often raising an eyebrow at your penchant for pink skirts and matching heels

He appreciates your confidence in expressing yourself, even if he doesn’t fully understand your fashion sense

Viktor exercises patience and understanding with you, knowing that your lack of intelligence isn’t intentional

He takes the time to explain things to you

Your relationship is an unconventional pairing, with Viktor’s intellectual pursuits contrasting sharply with your carefree and simple-minded nature

However, he finds solace in the genuine affection and happiness you share

Viktor takes it upon himself to educate you, introducing you to new ideas and concepts in a patient and understanding manner

He finds joy in witnessing your genuine interest and enthusiasm, even if it’s for subjects he considers trivial

Viktor finds himself in amusing situations with you, often caused by your obliviousness and lack of intelligence

While he may sigh or roll his eyes at times, he secretly appreciates the comedy you bring to his life

Despite your differences, you and Viktor balance each other out

While he provides intellectual stimulation and guidance, you add spontaneity and lightheartedness to your relationship, creating a harmonious dynamic

Viktor learns to accept and tolerate your quirks and limitations, embracing you for who you are

He values the authenticity of your relationship, finding joy in the simple moments you share together

Despite your unconventional pairing, Viktor loves you unconditionally, appreciating the unique bond you share

He finds comfort and happiness in your love for each other, accepting your flaws and imperfections with open arms

Vi

Vi finds herself unexpectedly drawn to your carefree and bubbly personality

Despite your differences, she’s captivated by your genuine innocence and infectious optimism

While Vi may not understand your fashion choices, she likes her confidence in rocking pink skirts and matching heels

She finds it endearing how you embrace your girly style without a hint of self-consciousness

Not that Vi would be self-conscious about her style of clothing as she’ll put on whatever she sees or wants

Despite her tough exterior, Vi is fiercely protective of you, ensuring your safety in any situation

She takes on the role of a guardian, keeping a watchful eye on you and stepping in whenever necessary

Vi learns to exercise patience and understanding with you, knowing that your lack of intelligence isn’t intentional to provoke her

She takes the time to explain things in simpler terms, but she might get kidna annoyed if it takes too much time, but she’s trying her best

Your relationship is an unlikely pairing, with Vi’s street-smart toughness contrasting sharply with your naive innocence

Vi often finds herself in humorous situations with you, amused by your antics and obliviousness

While she may tease you from time to time, she secretly enjoys the lightheartedness and laughter you share

Despite your simplicity, Vi values the emotional support and positivity you brings to your relationship

She appreciates how your unwavering optimism brightens even the darkest of days

Despite your unconventional pairing, Vi loves you deeply, cherishing the unique bond you share

She finds comfort and happiness in your love for each other, embracing the unpredictability and joy of your relationship

Jayce

Despite your contrasting personalities, Jayce is enamored by your vibrant energy and unabashed love for all things pink

He finds your enthusiasm contagious, often lightening his mood after a long day in the lab

While Jayce tends to stick to his signature style, he can’t help but smile when he sees you confidently rocking her pink skirts and heels

He admires your bold fashion choices and appreciates how you add a pop of color to his life

Despite your penchant for pink, you surprises him with your curiosity and eagerness to learn

He enjoys engaging in thought-provoking conversations with you, finding your unique perspective on life refreshing

Jayce values the differences between you two, recognizing that you complement each other in unexpected ways

While he may be the brains of the operation, you bring a sense of lightheartedness and spontaneity to the relationship

Jayce is constantly amazed by your unwavering support and encouragement

Whether he’s facing challenges in his work or personal life, you’re always there to cheer him on with your infectious positivity

Despite your affinity for all things pink, you also surprise him with your adventurous side

Together, you embark on exciting escapades, from impromptu road trips to exploring new places, creating cherished memories along the way

One of the things Jayce loves most about you is your ability to make him laugh, even during the most stressful of times

Your infectious giggles and playful antics never fail to brighten his day

Despite your differences, you and Jayce share a deep mutual respect for one another

He values your unique perspective and appreciates how you challenge him to see the world in new and colorful ways

In the end, Jayce realizes that love knows no bounds, and that sometimes, the most unexpected connections are the ones that endure

He cherishes every moment spent with his pink princess, grateful for the joy and love you brings into his life

Ekko

You’re is the epitome of “brains and beauty” while Ekko himself is known for his street smarts and tech prowess

Despite your differences, you are drawn to each other’s unique qualities

Ekko appreciates your unintentional humor and often finds himself chuckling at your quirky remarks and antics

Your playful personality brings a lighthearted energy to the relationship

Despite Ekko’s best efforts to teach you, you struggle with anything tech-related

From operating gadgets to understanding complex concepts, you often rely on Ekko for assistance

You have a penchant for all things pink and girly

Ekko admires your confidence to express yourself through your clothing choices, even if they’re not his personal style

Despite your differing personalities, you and Ekko share a deep bond built on laughter and lightheartedness

While Ekko may be the brains behind your operations, you surprise him with your occasional moments of insight

Though rare, Ekko values your unique perspective and appreciates your ability to see the world through a different lens

Ekko cherishes your unwavering love and acceptance

Despite your differences, you love him for who he is, flaws and all

Ekko finds comfort in your unconditional support, knowing that you’ll always be by his side no matter what

Despite your seemingly airheaded persona, Ekko respects your unique qualities and appreciates you for who you are

While Ekko may be the one teaching you street smarts, he also learns valuable lessons from you in return

Whether it’s embracing spontaneity or finding joy in the little things, Ekko discovers new perspectives through your relationship

[cervinae-canine]

Look with the other characters, I can mildly understand having to say "hear me out". Cartoony proportions and all that. But demoman, not a fucking chance bro.

"He's an alcoholic!" A person with an addiction does not equate to morality. A person with an addiction is still lovable. I have family members who had troubles with addictions to various things but it doesn't make them completely different people. Self-destructive, sure. Reckless, maybe. But people with addictions don't behave the same; they are still people.

Saying "hear me out" about Demo is CRAZYYYYY like... he's got one of the least cartoonish models in the entire game. He has realistic (for tf2) proportions. He is objectively very pretty. What? You need to "hear me out" about a character with an eyepatch? I know damn well it's not bc he's a cartoon character either this is the cartoon character fucker website

[majosullivan]

Annabel, Duke and Pluto: Similarities Between Conflicting Parties

We're now well into Nevermore Season Two, and having been in the mood to word vomit about this topic for far too long now, it’s finally time that I went into some thoughts I’ve been having about Annabel, Duke and Pluto.

As Lenore’s love interest and closest companions respectively, there was always going to be a lot of interest in the dynamic between Annabel and the boys, and with Annabel’s involvement with putting Duke behind the wall and especially Duke and Pluto’s murder attempt, the dynamic between these three is going to be fascinating to see develop onwards. Any further interactions between them are going to be tense and any further conflict between them is going to be personal, and with Duke currently being in possession of Chekhov’s gun in letter form, a possible need for them to cooperate with each other might be coming up sooner than any of them could ever expect.

I bring all of this up because, with the information we have presently, Annabel might be able to add two more people to what might as well a growing collection of ‘I fear only a few people have truly ever understood me and i fucking hate the guys’, with Annabel sharing noticeable similarities with Duke and Pluto, as well as both potential and actual key factors in their respective deaths.

Duke and Annabel

Oh Duke and Annabel...from a comedic shove out of the way during the maze, to both of them being involved with a plan to kill the other in their first week at Nevermore. These two are so much fun to delve into, and their building similarities is going to make the inevitable need for them to work together so much sweeter. Before we get into the big one, here’s a few that I wanted to give a quick mention to:

Association with blue

In classic Romeo and Juliet fashion, Lenore and Annabel have clear colours associated with them and their family, with Annabel being commonly associated with blue, with some additional cold colours mixed in. Keeping this detail in mind, it was very interesting to see that two of the main colours in Duke’s spectre design were purple, a colour we’ve mainly seen him in through his dressing gown, and blue. Particularly with Duke’s spectre being revealed during the Cellar arc, having Duke and Annabel be connected with a shared colour can both highlight their equal importance to Lenore, as well as emphasise the split that resulted from the reveal that Annabel was the one that suggested Duke be the one that the acolytes trapped behind the wall.

Performers

Performance holds particularly significance to both of them, although in very different manners.

Duke made a career out of performing while he was alive, appearing to be a successful one to boot. While his status as a performer was only confirmed in episode 72, Duke’s passion for the stage was easy to see early on, from his dramatics, his mannerisms and his attempt to encourage Pluto in episode 17 to name a few examples. Since we only have one flashback for Duke at this moment, it is difficult to speculate the possible extent his profession affected his personal life while he was alive, but considering how he died…might be something we want to put a pin in for a later time.

While Annabel doesn’t share the same attachment to the literal stage, performance is something that runs deep throughout her life and her time at Nevermore. To use her own wording ‘everything in life is an act’.

Annabel spent her whole life presenting herself as the perfect high society lady, having to consistently conceal any feelings that would be seen as improper in fear that she would be considered mad. This survival tactic continued to be a necessary tool to Annabel even after her death, with the academy being structured in such a manner to encourage conflict, deceit and violence among the students. Funny how Annabel has had to perform throughout her life and even needed to perform an encore after she’s six feet under, while the literal performer has had more opportunities to exist authentically.

Relationship with Lenore

Especially after the events of the Cellar arc, Lenore’s respective relationships with Annabel and Duke and what they have represented for Lenore’s desire to escape with the misfits and Annabel are ripe for picking when it comes to analysis. Keeping the focus on Annabel and Duke, they obviously both care deeply for Lenore, but it’s interesting to see their unknowingly shared sentiments when it comes to her:

-Both sharing the belief that Lenore is able to make anything possible (special note goes to my lovely friend likeastars for this point)

-Both encouraging Lenore not to place unnecessary guilt on herself

-Their reactions to Montresor's comment about Lenore's 'hysteria'

-Then of course, we have...

Betrayal

With those similarities sorted though, time to get into the big one: both Annabel’s and Duke’s deaths were the result of a betrayal.

In order for her manifest, Annabel was informed that she was murdered, being, as all Nevermore theorists know by heart at this point, ‘betrayed by the one who loved you above all else else’. Considering this description was given to her by the deans, and we as an audience are privy to the knowledge that the deans were making an active attempt to separate Lenore and Annabel by making Annabel manifest the way she did, it would be fair to take this wording for a hint of salt. For example, there's the possibility that the one who murdered Annabel and the one who betrayed her are two different people. However, considering that this description did make Annabel manifest, I believe the reliability of this description is acceptable for the time being.

In episode 83, we see that Duke died in a sabotaged water torture cell, with Duke desperately attempting to call for help when he discovered the top of the cell wouldn't move, only for his assistant to cover up Duke’s distress as a part of the act before turning around to smirk at Duke as the curtain went down.

This similarity between their deaths is intriguing by itself, but as BlacknedSoul pointed out in one of their wonderful posts, how they have reacted to these betrayals and how it has currently affected their relationships in Nevermore is really fascinating to compare.

Specific discussion around who shot Annabel is going to be saved for a later section in this post, but while the identity of Annabel’s murderer and what exactly happened are important for further understanding Annabel’s headspace while in the academy, the main factor at hand remains unchanged: Annabel was betrayed. A betrayal that led to her death. Annabel felt close enough to this person, trusted this person enough, that their actions were a betrayal to her, and with our current knowledge about Annabel while she was alive, the number of people that could possibly fit this description is already incredibly low as it is.

As we have clearly seen throughout season one, this betrayal has had a significant impact on Annabel’s willingness to trust anyone outside of Lenore, claiming that everyone would turn against them if they learnt about their scheme when Lenore questions why she couldn’t let Duke and Pluto in on their plans during episode 28. Though a level of caution is more than understandable given their current situation, Annabel’s mistrust appears to go beyond this. That betrayal is not a possibility but a certainty. While she has made some progress, with her desiring to have a genuine friendship with Prospero and everything that has currently happened in the Wild Hunt arc, Annabel’s fear of the possible consequences of letting anyone in on her and Lenore’s plan cannot be more clearly emphasised than it is in episode 98.

Lenore attempts to tell Duke the truth about her and Annabel as a final resort to prevent Duke and Pluto from killing Annabel, and Annabel looks on at her in absolute terror. Her life is currently being threatened, she is possibly moments away from falling to her death, and yet all her fear is focused on Lenore's attempt to confess.

She immediately does what she can to stop Lenore in her tracks, yelling out that ‘I won’t let you get away from this!’ before attempting to drag Duke over the railings with her. I don't think this can be emphasised enough, Annabel would literally prefer to fall to her death than have Lenore tell Duke to truth. She is so positive that there would be irrecoverable negative consequences to the misfits learning the truth that death would be a preferable option to her.

We don’t know the extent of Duke’s relationship with his assistant at the moment, nor his exact motivations for having Duke killed. Hell, we don’t even know their name. However, it appears Duke at the very least had a level of trust in him, considering that our unnamed man was in the position of Duke’s assistant in the first place. As per the role of an assistant, he would be entrusted with preparations for all of Duke's acts, acts that would put Duke's life at risk if something were to go wrong. Duke had entrusted his safety in his assistant’s hands, and what does his assistant do? He takes advantage of his position, and gets him killed.

Despite what happened to him, it doesn’t appear that his death has negatively impacted his ability to trust others in the same manner it has for Annabel. We can see through his relationships with Lenore, Pluto and the rest of the misfits that he’s still quite open to forming connections and trusting relationships with others, far more than Annabel originally showed. Even after what happened between him and Lenore in episodes 98 and 99, something that occurred after he remembered how he died and could cause him to have more caution going forward, he still has complete faith in Lenore's abilities and is the first person to take part in the blood oath after Lenore. While he is comparingly more open to others than Annabel, that doesn’t mean that Duke is completely free of caution or is immediately welcoming when it comes to others. There are some small examples that illustrate this, such as him underestimating and being willing to ditch Pluto in the maze before Pluto showed he was much more capable than Lenore and Duke originally gave him credit for, as well as him being hesitant about Berenice and Eulalie first joining them when they went to look for a hideout. The main example here though this how he cautions Lenore about how she interacts with certain people in the academy. We see this most when referring to Annabel and Ada.

Through Duke's cautioning, episode 38 provide us with this important scene:

Duke appeared to end up the victim of a manipulator. He put his trust in the wrong person and it ended up getting him killed. While he might not remember the details of his death at the time of this scene, one of the last things he would want is for someone important to him to go through such an experience.

When Lenore's and Annabel's connection is revealed to the misfits, there is no way these experiences of betrayal aren't at least touched on, and with the topics discussed in the next section of these post, deep experiences of broken trusts are not going to stop there.

Pluto and Annabel

When it comes to Annabel and Pluto, while we have some fun surface level similarities, such as them both being English while coming from very different backgrounds and regions of England, there are two main similarities I want to dig into: the complexities in their relationships with their fathers and the current absence of their mothers.

Relationship With Their Fathers

We haven’t seen too much from both their fathers, with Ira, Annabel’s father, appearing in three episodes and Pluto’s father only appearing in one. Nevertheless, they have left us a good amount to chew on in very different ways.

When it comes to Annabel and her father, I don’t doubt that the two dearly love each other, with one of Annabel’s first concerns after Lenore presents her plan to elope and run away to her being what would become of her father, and Ira being shown to take great pride in his daughter. However, we can quickly see problems in their relationship start to present themselves when Ira reacts to Annabel’s panic attack. We’ve seen that Ira is someone that places great importance in appearances and maintaining advantageous relationships. Some prime example of this can be seen with him arranging a suitable husband for Annabel in case no one can beat her by the end of her third social season and the reasoning behind Annabel meeting with Lenore in the first placing being that Ira wished to know Lenore’s father better. With this starting to be established even before Ira made his first appearance, it should be of little surprise that Ira is quick to dismiss Annabel's panic attack, something that mind you, was brought on when Annabel learnt that someone she seemingly spent time with on a daily basis for six months died in a terrible house fire.

No matter what love Ira does have for Annabel, this concern surrounding appearances and what he believes is best for Annabel ultimately dismisses and neglects Annabel’s emotional needs. There can be discussions around how much of his reaction here is motivated by his concerns about preserving his image, in comparison with possible concerns about the consequences Annabel could face if someone else caught her in such a state, but the way Ira switches to calling Annabel by her name back to calling her ‘dearest’ once Annabel has ‘calmed’ herself is very telling.

When it comes to Pluto and his father…honestly I think I can just gesture in the direction of episode 83 and any point I could make about how fucked that relationship is will be well enough illustrated.

To further discuss though, there is the popular idea that Pluto’s father could have been a decent/good parent before WWI, with the aftermath sending him into a downward spiral and alcoholism, lining up with details provided to us about the narrator in ‘The Black Cat’, the short story Pluto is inspired from. I think this is very likely, especially when considering all the problems soldiers faced after returning from WWI. While this undoubtedly adds more possible tragic to Pluto and his father’s relationship, until we get confirmation of this idea, any further discussion on their relationship will be limited.

The real thing that gets me about their relationships with their fathers isn’t just the complicated nature of them, it’s how they can be tied to their deaths. Although we don’t have the complete details on Pluto’s and Annabel’s death as of yet, we do have enough to make some informed guesses, and it just so happens that with these informed guesses, their fathers are either inescapably tied to their deaths in the best case scenario, or are the ones who murdered them in the worst.

We currently have three main suspects for the person who shot Annabel: Lenore, Annabel’s childhood friend and Ira. Discussion and analysis of each of these suspects really deserves a dedicated post of its own, so I am going to keep this as brief as I can.

Despite the evidence mounted against her, I have a lot of doubts about it being Lenore. There are a number of details that don’t appear to completely fit if that was the case, with the prime one being that we know the deans were actively trying to separate Annabel and Lenore when they told Annabel how she died, and those memories greatly suggest Lenore was the one who shot Annabel. While those scenes in episode 91 would otherwise be a slam dunk, knowing about the Deans' manipulation highly suggest that either Lenore wasn't the one that shot Annabel, or the events that occurred are much more complicated than those panels would lead us to believe.

Next, we have Annabel’s childhood friend. While the details episode 42 provided about him definitely stood out enough for me to put a pin in him for the time being, the fact that we haven’t to met him yet and there currently being no further reference of him since episode 42, it’s harder to make a solid case about him being the one that shot Annabel. There’s also important consideration needed to whether Annabel would be close enough with/have enough trust in him that his actions would be considered a betrayal. Given the way she described him, it doesn’t seem likely at the moment.

Finally, we have Ira. Given what we know about him, there is a strong case to be made against him. He could both believably fit the description of ‘the one that loved you above all else’, as well as have his actions be seen as a betrayal in Annabel’s eyes. Furthermore, with what we discussed about him before, it wouldn't be hard to put together a motivation for him. If/when White Raven’s plan was exposed, it isn't too hard to believe that he would shoot both of them in a desperate attempt to cover everything up and preserve his image. I could see him believing it as a kinder fate for Annabel than if she survived. Rather than being seen as a mad woman, institutionalised for trying to run off with a other woman, she could be seen as a poor victim, manipulated by a violent criminal and losing her life because of their wicked schemes (totally not covering up for the shame he would face if the public were to discover the truth, why would you even think that?). Even if Ira doesn’t end up as the one to pull the trigger, there is no way that he wasn’t at least involved in the events that led up to Annabel’s death. He can been seen chaperoning Annabel and 'Leo''s walk through the rose garden, he is friends with Lenore's father and him and Annabel were staying with the damn Vandernachts during the social season. There is no way that he wasn't involved with the discovery of White Raven's plan.

Pluto’s death is much easier to break down in comparison to Annabel. We know that Pluto felt relieved in his final moments and that, judging by how his spectre first manifested, he likely died by hanging.

Taking these factors in combination with the plot of ‘The Black Cat’ and what we currently know about Pluto’s home environment, there are two main theories on how Pluto died. Either Pluto committed suicide or his father murdered him. I don’t believe I have anything specific to further support one theory over the other, but I think I'm currently leaning towards his father killing him at the moment. Like with Ira though, given the…well everything about Pluto’s father, even if he didn’t murder him, there is no doubt in my mind that he was at least involved with what happened to Pluto.

Current Absence of Their Mothers

Currently, Annabel's and Pluto's mothers have yet to appear in the series. Now, you can fairly point this out as being a bit of a stretch. After all, the only characters so far to have both their parents shown to us are the Vandernacht siblings. Why should the absence of their mothers pose particular interest compared to the absence of Prospero's father for example? I have two reasons for this.

The first reason concerns how the absence of their mothers could have impacted the relationships Annabel and Pluto have with their fathers. While this hasn't been confirmed, the absence of their mothers clearly implies one thing: neither of them are in the picture anymore. If this is the case, that leaves us with the big question of 'why?'. I would place a bet on them both being dead, but we obviously don't have anything that could confirm or deny this at the moment. However, how and when their mothers left the picture would undoubtedly effect how the two's relationships with their fathers would have developed. For example, I would imagine there would be noticeable differences in Pluto and his father's relationship depending on if his mother died before, during or after WWI.

The second reason is that there are certain details about Annabel and Pluto, both in the webtoon and the work they were inspired from, that suggest that their mothers will have a decent amount of importance in their backstories.

Annabel's Mother

The current status of Annabel’s mother has to be one of the things I'm most intrigued about when it comes to the casts' backstories. While there isn’t a particular character from Annabel’s poem that we could draw from to speculate on her personality, the themes surrounding Annabel's story, and especially two key aspects of Annabel’s character, could both inform what Annabel’s mother was like and the impact she could have had on Annabel.

The first aspect I'm referring to is Annabel’s view on becoming a matriarch. As stated in episode 42, Annabel considered getting married and becoming a lady of the house death, that card games would be one of the only things that could stave off the building madness as she’s forced to go through the motions expected from such a role, with particular emphasis on needlepoint, needlepoint, the goddamned needlepoint. This stance naturally feels like something that could have been impacted by how Annabel saw her mother and how her mother acted, especially with Annabel having such a distinct distain for needlepoint. For example, it’s possible that Annabel’s mother was similar to what we've seen of Lucille, Lenore’s mother. Being lifeless around the house, constantly doing needlepoint to pass the time.

The second aspect I'm referring to is Annabel’s fear of going mad. We first delve into Annabel's fear during episode 66, where we received these important scenes:

We currently don’t know when this fear started to surface, however, in combination with her mother's absence and the knowledge that Annabel has been experiencing panic attacks since she was younger, there's the possibility that this fear is at least partially rooted in how her mother was treated, if she was seen as 'hysteric', and/or treatment and teaching from her mother when Annabel was experiencing a panic attack.

Until we learn anything about Annabel's mother, all we can really do is speculate, but with everything we current know about Annabel, there is the potential for some compelling and tragic reveals.

Pluto's Mother

With Pluto’s mother, she is particularly interesting since she actually has a character from Pluto’s story that she could be drawn from: the narrator’s wife.

In ‘The Black Cat’, the narrator states that he married early, expressing the following about his wife throughout the short story:

‘my wife, who at heart was not a little tinctured with superstition, made frequent allusion to the ancient popular notion, which regarded all black cats as witches in disguise. Not that she was ever serious upon this point’

‘my wife, who, as I have already said, possessed, in a high degree, that humanity of feeling which had once been my distinguishing trait, and the source of many of my simplest and purest pleasures’

‘[from the sudden, frequent, and ungovernable outbursts of a fury to which I now blindly abandoned myself], my uncomplaining wife, alas! was the most usual and the most patient of sufferers’

When the narrator attempts to kill the second black cat with an axe, his wife stops him, with the narrator killing her instead. The narrator then hides her body behind a brick wall in their cellar.

Now, do I think Pluto’s mother met the same fate as the narrator’s wife in the Black Cat? No. It currently seems very unlikely that she would have met the exact same fate for the following reasons:

1) The narrator’s wife dies after the first cat loses his eye and is killed, and from the limited amount we’ve seen, Pluto’s mother already appears to be out of the picture when Pluto loses his eye.

2) Aspects from this part of Pluto’s story have been used during the cellar arc. In ‘The Black Cat’, the narrator uses a crow bar to dislodge bricks from the wall in order to hide his wife’s body, and we see Pluto also use a crow bar while trying to dislodge the bricks that are keeping Duke trapped. Furthermore, when the police came to the house in search of the narrator’s missing wife, the second cat alerts both to the body’s location, with the police tearing down the wall to reveal that the second cat had been walled in with the body. This event can be linked to how Pluto was the one that helped Duke finally manifest, allowing him to escape the wall.

3) If Pluto’s mother was murdered by his father, who then hid her body behind a wall, I think this information would have been revealed to us during the Cellar arc. Unless Pluto never found out about it (which holy shit, I don’t think I would want him to find out if that ends up to be the case), you would think such a specific event like ‘a group of people trapping one of your closest friends behind a wall and leaving them to die’ would spark up some memories about what would hypothetically be one of the most traumatic experiences of your life.

Placing her current status to the side for now, the fact that Pluto's mother has a character she could be drawn definitely, at least in my eyes, increases the chances that she is going some make some appearance in the future. Furthermore, if we were to use descriptions of the narrator's wife to speculate what Pluto's mother was like, it lines up quite well with what we've seen from Pluto, with special mention being able to be given to his name.

During episode 103, when Eulalie asks Pluto about knowing the myths surrounding Charon, he replies with 'My name is "Pluto"'. It was interesting to see mentioned, since while we know on a meta level that Pluto gets his name from the short story he's inspired from, 'Pluto' is far from a name you would expect from an English man born to a working class family some time in the 1900s.

Both his name and knowledge on mythology could suggest that mythology was an interest of one or both of his parents, and with the narrator's wife being 'at heart was not a little tinctured with superstition', I could totally see Pluto getting his name from his mother.

What could this mean going forward?

So, with all of this covered, how could it potentially be used in the story going forward?

It's hard to say when Annabel will be interacting with either of the boys next, but with her swearing that they will regret trying to kill her, it isn't going to be pretty if Lenore isn't around. Most significantly though, we have the inevitable reveal to the misfits that Lenore and Annabel knew each other while they were alive and have been working together.

With a literal letter that details Lenore's and Annabel's relationship being in play, no matter if Lenore does or does not 'die' during this arc, there is no way that letter isn't getting read by someone, whether it is by Duke or by a completely different party.

Taking into account what we have discussed and current tension between Annabel's group and the misfits, there is no way this reveal is going to go smoothly for anyone, since just to quickly review, we have:

Annabel - has shown that she is willing to die if it means preventing her and Lenore's secret from being revealed.

Duke - died because his assistant betrayed him.

Pluto - got blinded in one of his eyes by someone he should have been able to trust.

Throw in the rest of the misfits and we have a time bomb of emotions waiting to explode, with many of them having experiences that could more than understandably make them react more poorly than they might have if they knew sooner.

If Lenore wishes to achieve the best possible outcome from this reveal, then I can only hope she realise that, especially after both Duke and Annabel nearly dying, keeping these secrets is only going to make things worse in the long run. The longer she hides her relationship with Annabel, the worse the misfits' reactions could potentially be, and if she doesn't explain to Annabel why she believes telling the misfits the truth is necessary, Annabel has shown she is willing to go to extreme lengths to protect their secret.

Even if the reveal goes as smooth as it could, actually working together is going to be a massive work in progress. We know that they have common ground that they could connect with, but when and how they would actually see that...only time will tell.

[thegoldencontracts]

How Can You Fluster Them?

Characters: Heartslabyul, Savannaclaw, Octavinelle

Ace Trappola:

- Pretty easily, actually.

- As smug and teasing as he can be, there are quite a few things that get him flustered.

- Bring up how sweet he's acting or how sentimental he seems to watch him sputter furiously in denial; show him direct affection and kindness to watch him blue screen for a second before embarrassedly scoffing about how lame you're being.

- You can fluster him even further by teasing him about how smug he was a second ago. That really gets him.

Deuce Spade:

- While you could tease him about being 'stupid', yes, that is a bit hurtful, and it isn't really the best way.

- Just the opposite. Genuinely complimenting his intelligence, his strengths? That's what catches him off-guard. He doesn't quite know how to acknowledge it when someone truly, genuinely tells him he's not dumb, and him not being an effortless scholar doesn't mean he is.

- There are other ways, of course, like sudden acts of affection, pranks, or even dodging his kisses.

- He gets all red, and a tad defensive. It's the funniest sight.

Riddle Rosehearts:

- Most affection flusters him.

- Seriously. He's never really received it, considering his upbringing, so even things like hugs or kisses on the cheek leave him red. You're not quite certain whether it's more cute or sad.

- He'll get rather huffy if you point it out. It's rather comedic, but you might want to refrain from laughing too much, lest he ends up chastising you.

Trey Clover:

- Pointing out his true brilliance.

- That's the main method. Although he's used to affection, to being told he's a good baker, a nice guy, and whatnot, he's not quite used to having his true potential acknowledged.

- He'll look away with a flush, denying his true intelligence, the true strength of his Unique Magic, or whatever it is you've opted to praise him for.

Cater Diamond:

- Allowing him to be genuine.

- It will take a while, frankly. With most people, Cater dons the personable mask of Cay-Cay the friendly senior, but with time... And patience, he may warm up to you enough to be himself. Be moody, the ultimate hater of sweets, and whatnot.

- He can't help but feel oddly flustered, caught off-guard, really, when you let him complain about the way Riddle was before his overblot, when you make him something salty for a dessert of sorts.

Leona Kingscholar:

- There are quite a few ways.

- If you two are together, he might tease you quite a bit. Reciprocating said teasing is certain to get him huffy and flustered. Teasing in general, really. Dodging his kisses? Headpats? Photoshopping him in cat ears? If you're close enough to him, they'll all work wonderfully.

- And... Genuine understanding flusters him as well. Prioritizing him in small ways, like taking a break from your gaming to talk to him, or allowing him to vent to you.

Ruggie Bucchi:

- Caring for him.

- Ruggie is used to having to act incredibly mature for his age, yes. He's cunning, clever, and responsible, important traits to make up for his disadvantages in life.

- So, when you (jokingly, I would hope) babytalk him, pat him on the head, or ask if he'd like to be the little spoon, it gets him terribly huffy. What's that supposed to mean, huh?

- It's even worse when you genuinely care for him, making him meals, or offering him a massage. It's hard for him to accept help. He's not a kid! He doesn't need the babying! It's worth nothing that he has a very broad interpretation of what counts as "babying". However, he will accept after a while, and be very, very flustered about it.

Jack Howl:

- Teasing him.

- He's always in denial about his softer side, no matter how apparent it becomes that he truly admires or cares for something or someone. He gets terribly flustered at his own sentiment.

- Teasing him about it just makes things worse. Dramatically exclaim how cruel he is because he said he "wasn't concerned for you or anything". Play dumb when he tries to ask for a kiss in a roundabout manner. The result is hilarious.

Azul Ashengrotto:

- There are so many ways to do this.

- Teasing him about his affections, for one. This is the same man who couldn't even admit to caring for his business, who claimed that love made one exploitable. He's already terribly mortified by his own so-called exploitability. Asking if he likes you gets him rather pouty before you're dating.

- Genuine, continued kindness is also rather flustering for him. You- care for him? Wish to see him succeed? You accept his flaws? You don't view him as pathetic for his tears? It's all territory he's terribly unused to.

Jade Leech:

- Standing up for him when he's insulted, for one. Telling the stranger that, no, his mushrooms aren't creepy, they're impressive, they just need to get a hobby. That leaves him shocked for a bit.

- There's also things like being the one to tease him, caring for him, listening to his rambles about mushrooms.

- Those leave him red-faced for a good few seconds. Calling out his flustered state garnets a pointed "Let us move on".

Floyd Leech:

- Initiating affection.

- Really, although he seems lackadaisical most of the time, impossible to fluster, it isn't quite that hard. He isn't used to being kissed, or hugged, or even praised without a certain business-oriented touch.

- So, when you suddenly kiss him, or offer to be the big spoon, or whatnot, he freezes up.

- If you point it out, he gets comedically defensive. Someone needs to tell him how terrible "I-I'm not blushing or whatever, that'd be laaame, so shut up!" Works as a method of denial.

[godzillabreath]

unfortunately I do have more to say about wwdits.

I think one of the most egregious things about the development of the show over the seasons is the tonal shift. I was watching it from the beginning to convince myself I wasn’t crazy for feeling the first three seasons were better, and I felt vindicated.

It was always a dark comedy, but it wasn’t always a zany dark comedy. It had been grounded in real, everyday life. The vampires prey on a LARP group, the vampires ride a late night bus to go to a city council meeting, Nandor tries for citizenship, etc. I think once they started introducing a slew of supernatural creatures like a monster-of-the-week a la carte, the show became increasingly less focused and outlandish. There are episode I don’t like even in seasons 2 and 3 that are emblematic of this shift. The siren, the gargoyles, the troll—they just feel out of place in a story that is supposed to focus on out-of-time vampires and how they engage with the modern world. They aren’t really adding anything to the characters or the plot when they appear either. They just make a flashy CGI appearance and give some quippy line, which ultimately eats up time where our main cast that we actually care about could otherwise be on screen, doing things. And then there was a point in time where this show just did not allow itself any more sentimental moments between characters. These moments, for me, made for refreshing moments between comedic situations. It balanced the humanity in all of the main cast. But the show opted out of those moments, and it just became a back-to-back comedic situation with less and less interesting character moments to look forward to. Anyway, I just find it kind of sad that the writers completely detonated all of the characters’ inner emotional lives by the series finale. I liked to see Nadja bored in her marriage and pursuing this lustful encounter with Gregor through reincarnated generations. I liked to see Colin challenged by another energy vampire undermining his territory. I liked to see Guillermo struggling with his fractured relationship with his family, his discomfort in his own sexual identity, and his need to cling on to this group of vampires that disrespect him if only to find family and personal liberation in their company. I liked Nandor being so disconnected from modernity that he became listless and depressed and lonely and clung on to the idea that he might make himself human again. I liked the romance that the writers were building literally textually and in all of their marketing material from season 3: that Guillermo (at least) had these unrequited and very frustrating feelings for Nandor and how that affected their relationship with each other. I liked the idea of Laszlo forming these personal connections with both Sean and Colin, even if I found their conclusive arcs to be lackluster, strange, or unpalatable (baby Colin to weird co-parent Colin was a bizarre arc.) I liked the idea of Nadja wanting power and community because of the impoverished, desolate conditions she grew up under (especially the class dynamic of marrying Laszlo and how that could be at times a schism in their relationship), even if the writers did not care to expand upon this. The potential just drives me crazy. I can’t believe they opted out of tying up any of these emotional hooks. I think it might drive me crazy forever.

[wisecura]

Sheets

megumi fushiguro x fem-reader

p.1

p.8  ( ��⸝꩜ ᯅ ꩜⸝⸝;) p.10??

p.9

AN: this took a minute, but I was finishing the outline for a few of the other chapters and a few other works I've been doing. I was off from work for a bit, went back, had a set of traumatic back to back days. and well, writers block is one hell of a thing, y'know? aaaand with the seasonal changes I'm just tired maybe a bit down. but thank you guys for your love and support!

warnings: this story may cover sensitive and uncomfortable topics. please read at your own risk, violence, lashings, blood, mental breakdowns, yandere, obsessive behavior, possessiveness, mommy kinks, mommy issues, arranged marriages, forced marriages, angst, eventual smut, clan politics, age gap (5 years from meg, and a little over 10 with toji), toji aint the best dad, mentions of child abuse, slowww build.

Short summary: Your arranged marriage to Toji Fushiguro had been sudden and unexpected, but now you found yourself living under his roof alongside your moody stepson. Your only directive from your clan head before moving in was clear: keep a close eye on Toji, the notorious Sorcerer Killer, and his son, a potential sorcerer prodigy.

threats and cwuddles

an: i said what i said

How utterly pointless.

There he was, standing before the pathetic excuse for a man—the one you called uncle, the so-called leader of your disgraceful clan. The ridiculous get up had him holding back a joke, as the man seemed to sneer down at him. His expression oozing disdain—as if he wasn't even worth the effort of a proper glance.

Toji nearly laughed at the sheer audacity.

This man, puffed up with self-importance and brimming with hollow authority, presumed to have the upper hand?

Absolutely comedic.

Toji let his eyes drift over the man slowly, deliberately, as if assessing a weak opponent in a fight he knew he’d already won. Everything about him screamed mediocrity wrapped in false power—his carefully pressed robes, the practiced tilt of his chin, the way he held his hands behind his back as if it really added weight to his presence.

But Toji saw through it all. He always did.

Authority like this was a farce. A staged act meant to instill fear in those who’d never known freedom. And Toji? He was already a foot out the door. And he didn’t play by their rules. Not now. Not ever.

He could kill him in seconds...if he really wanted to. 

"So," Toji said, his voice dripping with derision. "This is the man in charge, huh? Can’t say I’m impressed. You look more like an angry little chihuahua guarding a bone that isn’t even yours."

Your clan leader's sneer faltered for a second at his blatant disrespect. It wasn't often someone so ill-mannered showed their face in his estate, let alone had the audacity to open their mouth in front of him.

But they were all the same to Toji—weak, predictable, and utterly worthless.

Toji wasn’t the type to be a hero—never had been, never would be. Kindness just wasn’t in his nature, and every decision he made came with a price. He didn’t hand out favors for free, and he certainly didn’t involve himself in someone else’s mess out of the goodness of his heart.

So why was he here?

The answer was annoyingly simple.

you.

Maybe it was because, technically, he was your husband. Sure, it was only in name, but the fact remained. Or maybe it was because of Megumi—his dumb, lovesick son—whose actions, if not his words, made it painfully clear just how deeply his affections for you ran. 

From the surface, Toji could make excuses, just how he may have when he first picked you up from this clan. But deep down, way below—in the dark recesses of his mind, Toji understood the real reason.

It wasn’t about obligation or some half-hearted attempt to help Megumi.

It was the moment you'd broken down in his arms.

Sobbing, so uncharacteristically vulnerable, your back covered in those deep, fresh lashes—five if he counted correctly. Clinging onto him, in a way you hadn't ever done before, even when Megumi had been ignoring you. And he could see the scars from previous lashings. Some faint, a light pink indention, and others a solid light purple.

He wasn’t good at comforting people—really. And what good was an assassin in that situation?—but something in that moment had made his head snap. And a mix of different memories and bottled-up emotions compelled him forward. He'd never made impulsive decisions. And Toji Fushiguro was never one for kindness.

But now, here he was. Standing in front of your uncle, the so-called leader of your clan, ready to do something he knew was reckless. Something that could potentially mess things up for both you and his son. A defensive action like this could easily hint at a deeper relationship between the two of you, which was not something he really wanted. These geezers weren't brand new to mind games, but neither was he. And, sure, he could just kill the guy, but that seemed like way too much effort. A few choice words should handle it.

"So, tell me...why is the Toji Fushiguro bothering to grace me with his presence? I can’t imagine you're here to meet the in-laws?" He was fishing, hoping he would rise to the occasion, hint at any personal glimpse into the killer before him.

Toji didn’t take the bait. He just stood there, calm as ever, his face giving nothing away. God, did he hate these clan politics. His dark eyes casually swept the room, clearly bored—not impressed by the fancy decor, not intimidated by the guards at the doors, and definitely not by your uncle. Honestly, he'd rather be back home, digging into some of your homemade yakitori. This whole thing was turning out to be a real drag.

"What’s the matter? Are you just here to puff your chest and waste my time?" He's getting antsy now,

Toji’s lips twitched into an almost imperceptible smirk. His gaze razor-sharp, locking onto the older man. There was a pause as your uncle locked eyes on Toji's. Unmoving, unflinching, before Toji took a deliberate step forward, closing the distance just enough to make the clan leader stiffen. "You know," Toji said, his voice casual, almost conversational, "it’s funny. For a guy so full of himself, you’re awfully quiet about those welts you sent her home with."

Your uncle's eyes widened—but only for a moment, leaning back with mock nonchalance. "Welts? I have no idea what you're talking about. And what's it to you anyway? Don't tell me you've actually caught feelings for her?"

"Feelings? Don’t kid yourself. I’m not here to play hero, and I’m definitely not here for her." Toji shrugged casually, tossing his head to the side and leaning back to give him some room, his eyes flicking over the clan leader, as if taking his question seriously. "But let’s be honest—she doesn’t look as hot in bed when she’s got all those welts. Kinda ruins the mood, you know?"

Stunned, the clan leader chuckled uneasily, trying to regain some semblance of control. He shouldn't have been too surprised given the Sorcerer Killers stellar reputation for the debauched lifestyle. You were technically his wife afterall, "Ah, well—that makes more sense. Using the whore for what she's worth, I guess." Toji could practically hear your resale value dropping by the second, as the clan leader processed this thought before continuing in an almost thoughtful murmur. "Just here to make sure your toy stays intact."

"Call it whatever you want. I don’t care. But if you think I’ll let you mark her skin up again, then you’re even dumber than you look."

The clan leader’s sneer returned, though his eyes betrayed a flicker of uncertainty. Much like a petulant child, not getting his way. "And if I don’t? What then, Fushiguro? You’ll kill me?" Now lets not go putting ideas into his head...

Toji let out a low chuckle, shaking back in laughter at the fear creeping into his voice. "Kill you? Nah. You’re not worth the effort." He paused, feigning a change of heart as his voice dropped, leaning in again for the kill, his words a hefty weight. "Actually, maybe I’ll stick around. Tear this whole place apart just for fun. I hate this sorcerer bullshit anyway. Watching your precious clan crumble might actually make my day."

The clan leader’s face twitched, his bravado faltering again under Toji’s unrelenting gaze, his words hanging in the air-message loud and clear.

"Fine," he muttered, waving a hand dismissively. "If it means that much to you, no more marks. No need to make this a bigger deal than it is."

Toji smirked, satisfied. He stepped back as he turned toward the door. "Good. Glad we could see eye to eye," he said oh so smoothly.

With that, he strode out, leaving your uncle in an uncomfortable silence. Toji knew the man wouldn’t see him as anything but a threat, and that was exactly what he wanted. As long as they kept their grubby hands off you, he didn’t care what they thought—or what he had to say to make them believe it. And hopefully your home clan wouldn't go around making decisions on this calculated move alone.

Now, it was time for some well-deserved meat.

Thankfully, your clan visits were few and far between.

The trip home that day had been nothing short of brutal, and your clan head’s disdainful disregard for how you might explain the aftermath to your husband lingered in your mind like a bitter aftertaste.

The weeks dragged on, and before you knew it, the seasons had shifted. Fall gave way to winter, winter melted into spring, and eventually, summer arrived again. Yet, Megumi’s absence remained a constant despite the seasonal changes. 

Determined to stay connected despite the distance, you’d picked up a cell phone not long after Megumi left. Toji had handed over both his and Megumi's numbers with his usual air of indifference. “In case of emergencies,” he’d said, tossing the paper onto the table like it was no big deal. But to you, it was. Your focus had been on one number only: Megumi’s. He was the hardest to reach anyways. 

What would you even say? Hi, how are you? Too formal. I miss you already. Too much. The hesitation gnawed at you. After a few moments, you settled on something simple and sent it off, heart pounding in the silence that followed.

Megumi’s replies, however, had been scarce—short, distant, and frustratingly neutral. You tried not to let it sting, reasoning that he was busy adjusting to his new life at Jujutsu Tech. He had training, studies, and an entirely new world to navigate. But the lack of insight into his world left you feeling unmoored and oh so helpless.

Did he eat well? Was he overworking himself? Did he even want to hear from you? The unanswered questions piled up, an invisible weight pressing on your chest.

When his birthday came, you’d agonized over whether to call, but the fear of interrupting—or worse, being brushed off—kept your fingers from dialing. Instead, you texted him, wishing him a happy birthday in a message that felt far too impersonal. Hours later, his reply came: a simple thank you.

It was polite, but it wasn’t enough. It didn’t tell you if he was happy, if he’d smiled at your message, if he’d even thought of you beyond that brief acknowledgment. The distance between you felt larger than ever, and you couldn’t help but wonder if he was slipping further away—or if you were.

You hoped—prayed—that he’d found some happiness at school. That maybe the time away had helped him grow, helped him heal in ways you couldn’t. You wondered if his sharp tongue and stubborn attitude had softened enough to allow for real friendships. Did he smile more? Did he laugh? You pictured him in that new world, surrounded by people who might understand him better.

As summer approached, anticipation and unease twisted in your chest, a slow, suffocating knot that tightened with each passing day. The thought of seeing him again stirred a mix of emotions—excitement, yes, but also a quiet fear that plagued you. Would he still look at you with that same guarded expression? Would the distance he’d created remain? Would he persist with questions you couldn't answer?

His parting words haunted you, echoing in the quiet moments when your mind wandered too far. You replayed that last conversation over and over, dissecting every syllable, every pause, every look. The unspoken questions lingered like ghosts: Had you done enough? Said enough? You’d wished, countless times, that you’d found the right words to ease the tension before he left.

Now, with the summer sun creeping closer, you could only wonder if it was too late to mend what had been broken—or if it had been broken at all.

And then, one quiet afternoon, he came home.

The sound of the door creaking open sent a jolt through you. Without thinking, you found yourself halfway down the hallway, your heart pounding in your chest.

When you saw him, you froze—and so did he.

He stood in the doorway, his tall frame outlined by the golden glow of the late afternoon sun. A faint breeze followed him in, tousling his hair and leaving it slightly messy, adding to the disheveled charm he carried so effortlessly. His piercing eyes locked onto yours, and for a moment, the world seemed to fall away.

Neither of you spoke. The silence stretched, laden but charged, his gaze lingering on your face as if he were trying to memorize every detail. He looked different—older, his features sharper, his presence more commanding. You still found yourself struggling to recognize him each time you saw him—such a common occurrence now that it was almost expected. There was something in his eyes, something softer, more vulnerable. He looked like he wanted to say something.

“Megumi,” you whispered, full of hesitance. Your voice almost broke under the weight of the moment, a flood of emotions threatening to overwhelm you.

He didn’t move, his hands still gripping the straps of the bag slung over his shoulder. For a second, you thought he wouldn’t respond. Then he exhaled, his shoulders relaxing just a fraction as he stepped further inside.

“Hey,” he said softly, the warmth in his voice wrapping around you like a balm. It was a simple word, but it carried so much—a mixture of relief, uncertainty, and something deeper—something unfamiliar, that made your chest well up.

You’d missed him more than you dared to admit. More than you’d allowed yourself to feel during the long months of silence. And now, standing here, the space between you felt both impossibly vast and achingly small.

For a moment, neither of you moved. Then, without a second thought, you closed the space between you and wrapped your arms around him in a tight hug. He stiffened, caught off guard, before slowly, his arms came up to hold you, and to your surprise, he hugged you back. Not hesitantly or awkwardly, but fully, his arms wrapping securely around you and pulling you close, almost flush to him. His head dipped down, his nose brushing against your hair as he held you firmly against his chest.

“Welcome home,” you murmured, unable to keep the brittleness from your tone, your cheek pressed against him. The words felt fragile, as though the moment might shatter if you spoke too loudly.

He didn’t respond immediately, but you felt him exhale, a deep, contented sigh that seemed to come from somewhere buried deep inside. His nose pushed further into your hair, and his grip tightened just enough to knock the breath out of you.

“I missed you,” his voice so quiet it was almost lost in the stillness. You hadn't expected it, the sentiment not lost on you. It'd been too long, the texts too short, and the emptiness of the house too loud. But the way his arms enveloped you, strong and protective, took away all of those negative feelings.

Your arms tightened around him in return, head still laying on his chest. The words slipping from your lips, practically dripping with affection. “I missed you too.”

Finally, after what felt like both seconds and forever, he shifted slightly, loosening his hold just enough for you to pull back. When your eyes met his again, you couldn't help the small smile plastered on your face. He looked at you like you were the only thing in the world that mattered, and it sent a bittersweet ache through your chest, a feeling you didn’t quite know how to name.

The corner of his mouth twitched, “You text a lot, you know that?”

A soft laugh bubbled out of you. “And you’re terrible at replying.”

“Dinner’s already started,” remembering the pan still on the stove. “You’re probably starving.”

He didn’t let go immediately, his hands lingering on your arms as if reluctant to let the moment end. “Yeah,” his voice low, as a faint flush crept up his cheeks, he finally stepped back. “Starving.”

You gave him a warm smile, brushing your hand lightly against his arm before turning toward the kitchen. Even as you moved away, you could feel his gaze lingering on you from behind—heavy, unrelenting, and more present that he previously was. Whatever walls had been between you before—whatever distance he’d tried to create—seemed to crumble in that quiet, intimate moment. Just what happened while he was at school?

Dinner that night was warm and comforting, a feeling you hadn’t experienced in what felt like forever.

“So, how was school? Are you making any friends?” you chirp, pacing around the kitchen, so aware of his eyes tracing your every movement. The excitement in your tone was impossible to miss, a lightness that hadn’t been there in months. After so many quiet dinners with only Toji for company, the thought of someone else at the table made you relieved. Even if the two of you had been getting along better recently.

Megumi glanced up from his plate, pausing for a moment before answering. “It’s...fine,” he said, his tone clipped but not unkind. “I’m focused on my training. That’s what matters.”

You hummed, a small smile tugging at your lips. You don't miss the evasiveness of his answer. “Still, I hope you’re finding time to enjoy yourself, even just a little.”

He didn’t respond right away, fiddling with his food, his gaze briefly dropping to his plate.

“Make any friends?” you try again, gently.

“A few,” he admitted, his tone reluctant but not dismissive.

“Really?” you hum out again, glancing over your shoulder at him. You wanted him to open up to you, but with his nature it wasn't exaclty going to be easy to get him to talk. “Anyone special?”

He shrugged, eyes still downcast. “Not really,” he replied, his voice neutral but you saw the way he trailed off, lost in his own thoughts.

You paused, raising an eyebrow at him, deciding to press a little more. “C’mon, Megumi,” you teased lightly, turning back to the stove. Your tone intentionally unserious. “I know you’re not that antisocial. You’ve got to be opening up a little, right?”

His lips twitched, almost forming a smile, but the expression didn’t quite land. “It’s fine,” he groaned, though his tone softened slightly, as if the question hadn’t entirely annoyed him. “I’ve been busy.”

You hummed again in acknowledgment, not pushing him further, but your smile lingered. You were just glad to have him here, back where he belonged. Actually talking to you. Even if he wasn’t saying much, his presence spoke volumes.

Your questions continued easily—about school, his classes, his life outside of the house—and though his answers were typically grumpy and brief, you didn’t mind. It was the fact that he was answering at all, the fact that he wasn’t shutting you out, that made it all feel worthwhile. You didn’t dare bring up the tension from last summer, not wanting to risk spoiling the fragile good mood.

Toji was out for the night, leaving the house blissfully quiet, and Megumi made no comment on the food, though he cleaned his plate for the second time. It was a small victory, but it still left you smiling as you settled onto the couch afterward.

Megumi surprised you by sitting beside you. He didn’t say anything, just crossed his arms and leaned back, his expression neutral as you put on a movie. Sure, he'd sat near you before, but the long months that followed his absence made you tense a bit. He didn’t seem particularly interested in the movie you put on, but you heard no complaints.

At some point, exhaustion crept up on you. The day had been long, and the warmth of the room, combined with Megumi’s quiet, steady presence, lulled you into sleep. Without realizing it, you shifted slightly, leaning toward him, your head eventually coming to rest against his shoulder.

Megumi, of course, noticed immediately.

He stiffened at first, his entire body going rigid as he felt the soft weight of you curling against him. His breath hitched, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it would break out of his chest. His mind screamed at him to stay still, to not move or make a sound.

But then he glanced down.

You looked so peaceful, so utterly at ease with him, and it sent a surge of emotions through him that he could barely contain. Warmth, nervousness, longing—it all tangled together, leaving him frozen in place. The faint light from the television cast soft shadows across your face, and he couldn’t tear his eyes away.

You trusted him so much, leaned into him so easily, and it made him ache with something deep and primal. He didn’t know if he deserved this—if he deserved you—but he couldn’t stop himself from savoring the moment.

Tentatively, he allowed himself to relax, his shoulder shifting slightly to give you more room. His fingers twitched in his lap, aching to reach out and brush a stray strand of hair from your face, but he held himself back. He couldn’t ruin this.

He stayed like that, unmoving, as you curled closer, your breathing soft and even against him. Every part of him burned with the overwhelming need to keep you like this, to hold you, to never let you go. 

When the movie ended, and the room fell into quiet stillness, he carefully reached for the blanket draped over the back of the couch. Gently, he pulled it over you, his hand brushing your arm as he tucked it around you. The brief contact sent a shiver down his spine, but he forced himself to pull away.

He refused to leave, wanting to be with you like this as long as possible. 

p.1

p.10

come home

[ninja-confession-go]

They should've utilised Jay being raised in a desert more, ESPECIALLY for comedic potential

They could've had a scene of the others fighting for their life in the heat and then Jay's completely fine and silently judging them or Jay randomly pulling out extensive knowledge on how to avoid heatstroke or him being badly sunburned and simply not being affected by it at all.

(Although maybe they did tap into the comedic potential and I just forgot, I don't have great memory)

.

[beazlerat]

im so mad that illagers aren't the villains

just watched the new minecraft trailer, had some thoughts.

I don't like that piglins, (the species that is culturally different but if you follow their rules you can have a positive relationship with them) are the enemies instead of illagers (hunting parties that shoot on sight, terrifying powers and weapons, curse you so that villages are attacked when you get there).

they really missed an opportunity to show that different cultures can happily coexist, even when they have good and bad (pillagers vs villagers, piglins vs zombie piglins). they instead make the piglins CRUEL. like, killing a piglin child in the damn trailer cruel. the parallels would have been simple enough for kids to get, so it was a reasonable route that they just didn't take.

also PIGLINS CAN'T BE ON THE OVERWORLD!!! Illagers can!!! why did they do this?? ill admit the flying ghast air balloons are cool, but just have the illagers start harming the nether like they harm the overworld! Give the piglins and villagers a reason to team up! Movie wise, there can be cool shots of battles happening in the nether and overworld with the camera going through nether portals as the battle rages on. probably to some pop song.

and sticking with the movie shots, ILLAGERS HAD SOME FREEBIES!! they also have a lot more variety in their "species"

-"here's johnny!" reference with the vindicator -a death scene of one of the characters, before a totem of undying is found/revealed -the evoker would be a terrifying villain because of it's summoning skills -add the illusioner in!! it's an unused mob that can summon blindness AND duplicates. both of these can create a good fight scene -Allays and vexes!! my sibling said a romance between 2 of them would be cute, i agree! there is also potential for a character to see a vex, say "how cute!" and comedically get attacked -ravagers are a BEAST and would make any fight cool. could have a hoglin vs ravager fight in the nether, again looking at the good vs bad -a character gets bad omen and leads to the village being attacked! the battle happens, then we get to see the Hero of the Village affect happen after the victory

there was so much potential! i'm sure i'm missing more, but whatever. im mad about it, and ill probably have to die mad

[chalkrevelations]

So listen, I'm just going to be upfront about it and say that I was overall disappointed by 1.10 of The Pitt, and I'm going to talk about that some, and it isn't all going to be about Langdon's storyline, because I was making faces at my screen before that even happened ... but a lot of it is going to be about that storyline.

A caveat up front, of course: Langdon should not have been stealing fucking drugs and potentially coming to work high and endangering his patients, although we'll never know for sure if he did or didn't use at work, since he was booted out without a urine tox screen, thanks a lot, Robby. Also, Jesus Christ, Dr. Hypocrite, I don't actually have any personal experience in this type of situation, but I'm pretty sure 98.35% of your behavior toward Langdon did not comply with Just Culture in cases of medication diversion. All you needed was a match, and you'd'a been Angela Bassett in Waiting to Exhale.

Anyway. I've been pretty impressed with the show so far, barring a couple of spots where they fell down (including the mandatory reporter thing, wt-actual-f), including the way they've utilized the teaching framework to make their infodumps sound natural, but they did not manage that well a couple of times in this ep. Given that both instances are areas where I have some specialized knowledge and background, maybe that affected how the scenes came across to me, but there are two places in particular that just hit me wrong:

The back-and-forth between Mel and Samira about treatment on the stroke patient - not the initial assessment, which I almost had to laugh about simply because it was so familiar, but the treatment plan and how to proceed with the patient. It came across as extremely "as-you-know-Bob" infodump-y, and I don't know how much of that was the acting, how much the directing, how much the writing.

The blatant PSA on workplace violence against nurses. Which, fantastic! More people should know why my overwhelming response is a contemptuous "Uh-huh, yeah, you want to compare stats on actual injuries?" when I hear police officers whine about feeling unsafe as an excuse for whatever excessive use of force they've indulged in on any given day. The show hit the mark really well with Dana's response to the assault, which was uncomfortably familiar. The nurses listing their incidents of injury to the med students also came off OK. But the dialogue of the nurses when they're talking about it to Robby? Again, very infodump-y. This ep did a lot better when it was showing-not-telling.

Which leads me into the way Langdon's reactions to seeing Santos talking to Robby felt overdone in a way that was almost comedic, and which certainly led me to believe, oh, wow, they actually are setting this up as a red herring. Or maybe this is just bad writing or direction, or something - the way those previous scenes were. At any rate, ha-ha, we've watched these reactions that are kind of over-the-top, and I guess that was supposed to make us think he was diverting meds, only it's going to turn out that he wasn't ... and then no, all that happened.

So, I dislike the way they've chosen to play this storyline, and it makes me less trusting of what they're going to do with it going forward. I don't want to be mad at this show, but they have set things up in a way that it's going to be very easy for this show to make me mad at it.

Lemme be clear: I'm not surprised by this storyline. Med diversion is a big problem in healthcare - JCAHO estimates, what? up to 10% of healthcare staff? - so it was inevitable that we were going to get an addiction story in a show that prides itself on its verisimilitude, even if it's already well-trodden ground. And unless they waited until season 2 (which, imo, they should have at least) and then set season 2 during a shift three years in the future, of course it was going to be Langdon. I've seen multiple people talk about how clever this decision was, because of how it makes the audience question their own implicit biases about the clean-cut white guy (as if there wasn't a massively popular show that ran for eight seasons featuring a titular character who was a drug-addicted white guy doctor), but let's be real - Langdon was always their safest choice. You do this storyline with someone in 75 percent of the rest of their cast, and you risk pulling in other issues and stereotypes that accrete onto your message. Of the remaining (white) cast: McKay is already involved in the carceral system; Whitaker is too new to be believably able to figure out how to divert any meds at this point; if you use Dana, you're re-treading Nurse Jackie; if you use Robby you're re-treading House, not to mention Dr. Carter (although, god knows, Robby would be plausible, given his erratic behavior, short temper, and literal flashbacks). Am I forgetting someone? Who am I forgetting? (ETA: omg, it's Mel. I forgot Mel.) Anyway, when you line up your safe choices, Langdon is the one who makes the most sense out of all of them. And I'm not opposed to the storyline. Med diversion is an actual, real-life problem, and it opens up a lot of character possibilities that I hope they actually explore - including the completely inappropriate way Robby handled it.

(Speaking of which, was that Princess wheeling No-Egg-Salad guy past the confrontation, and who Robby screamed at as collateral damage? It was Princess, wasn't it? Because if I was writing the show, I'd sure make something out of the fact that apparently the same staff member who saw that confrontation was also the one making the "WTF are you lying about?" face at Santos when Santos lied to Langdon's face about the decision-making process for MDMA Seizure Girl's treatment.)

Anyway, I don't even mind that Frank "Safe Choice" Langdon was the one who TPTB decided to pin this on. What I do mind is that it's Santos - who's been in this ED and interacted with Langdon for all of nine hours, 8.75 hours of which have been acrimonious, who got to figure it all out and finger him for it. My concern about sterotypes and implicit biases, at this point, is that on both Watsonian and Doylist levels, Langdon - and his very, very correct assessment and concerns about Santos' behavior - will be written off, both within the narrative and metatextually, because now he's a thieving drug addict. Because nothing he told Robby about Santos was wrong - she's a bully who's been repeatedly unpleasant to the med students below her on the ladder; she does not follow safety protocols designed to protect her, her patients or her co-workers; and her cowboy attitude has literally almost killed at least one patient so far, not even a full shift in. We as the audience also know that she'll lie to her senior resident's face and threaten patients, which Langdon doesn't even know (yet). So I'm going to be mad if this show tries to tell me that I haven't seen things that I have actually seen with my own eyes, and it tries to retcon her behavior or flush it down the memory hole. My trust is tenuous at this point. It would be much stronger if almost anyone other than Santos had been the one to bring this forward.

tbh, if I was going to insist on doing a take on the drug diversion storyline in the first shift/season - which I still think was a bad idea this soon - I'd have made it Mel who figured it out. And who then had to work through what she was going to do about this mentor who she had such a great, supportive relationship with, but who was apparently stealing drugs and endangering patients. How would she figure it out? How would she work through it? Who would she go to about it? And what would her conversation with Langdon look like - because you know she would have had to talk to him about it, at some point.

[venusiinfurss]

“that’s my mommy.” (16x02)

mac’s complete and utter devotion to his parents, despite the years of emotional and physical abuse they have put him through, is one of the things that makes his character both mildly endearing and extremely tragic. his constant search for love in people who refuse to give it to him, BECAUSE they refuse to give it to him (best seen in his relationship with his mother, his father, and dennis) instead of people who may be willing to love him without effort (charlie, his uncle donald) is almost certainly a direct result of his upbringing. he invests the most emotional labor in these relationships where, more often than not, the people will never display the same affection back. this is also a potential reason for the fading of his friendship with charlie in recent seasons (I would say after s6 or 7) and a greater reliance on his relationship with dennis- as he grows further from childhood, he tries harder and harder to capture that same sense of familiarity as his life (and the world) grows more and more different. mac's refusal to stop fiercely loving his parents not only serves as a comedic device for the show, but deepens his character significantly, separating him further from charlie and dennis in his response to the relationships in his life. it is one of the things that makes him relatable to viewers, and one of the aspect of his personality that humanizes him among all the horrible things that he has done. i believe that until or if he unlearns this attachment style, he's never going to have a successful relationship, romantic or otherwise, which is kind of the point of the show.

these people are so horrible (regardless of which factors influenced that) that they will never have meaningful relationships that aren't with each other because no one else can stand them. despite the awful things they do, with the ability we have to see their whole stories as the viewer it still makes it kind of sad.

i really love how character-driven this show is in case you couldn't tell

[gouraminnow]

What are your thoughts on Law as a yan? I don’t see a lot on him and plus, he’s interesting to write about since he’s kinda hard to pin down. But I’d argue that he could be one of the worst off out there…falling on the extremely controlling kind…

Yeah, I agree he's hard to pin down tbh. That's a common issue with more stoic/straight-man (stock character trope, not sexuality lol) type characters. They're most fun when they have other characters to bounce off of imo. I enjoy watching him the most when he's responding to the antics of others.

Another factor is that... he isn't good with his emotions. This is not a guy who's going to confess his undying affection to you easily, if at all. He will be bottling things up, and it's going to take a lot for him to tell you he loves you.

I will posit two potential paths for a yandere Law. The first is a bit more light-hearted, and the second will be more angsty and focus on him being controlling like you said.

Going with the comedic-foil role he has going with the Strawhats and even his own crew, I can see a version of yan Law where he falls for some sort of ridiculous feral heathen of a darling. Just a cheerful agent of chaos constantly getting into trouble, frequently egged on by Penguin and Shachi. You aren't defenseless, but between giving him heart attacks and making him agonize late at night over how he could possibly be so utterly whipped for someone like you- you're gonna be the cause of his first grey hairs if the guy doesn't have any already.

Maybe he even wants to be controlling- intends on tightening the leash- but you're both slippery and oblivious that he never quite manages it, and you aren't actually trying to leave him, so it doesn't escalate. Ordering you to stay put, locking you in a room, even slipping sleeping meds into your food- you and plenty of other crew members attribute his concerning behavior to the fact that you're that much of a hellion. It becomes a game to you almost. Rush head long into a fight or just run off to explore as soon as he isn't paying attention. "How far can we get before the Captain Rooms us" becomes a competition.

You're a gremlin and he's the scary dog following behind you. He hopes to god you never meet Luffy.

As for the more angsty option...

Law is already shown to be extremely protective of his crew in canon. He's the face of the heart pirates, he literally made them all hide out on Zou during the Dressrosa arc so they wouldn't be at risk. Got a whole different crew to risk their lives taking down Doflamingo.

So yeah, controlling + protective yan Law feel very possible. He breathes down your neck. Maybe he even has a supervised diet/exercise plan Your world is your room on the yellow tang, sometimes the rest of the ship. Very, very rarely do you get to go outside. You are, essentially, a patient that he also cuddles with.

I don't think he'd deliberately make you sick or injure you for the sake of control, especially not with an ability that allows him to immobilize you without permanent damage. But unfortunately your inevitably plummeting mental health will be used as a reason he needs to take care of you. Part of him wants to find some place for you like Zou- safe and protected from all the bullshit his crew gets into. But being yandere means being selfish. He wants you safe and close. Besides, how could he truly ensure his health plan for you was being followed unless he's right there with you?

If it's any consolation, he's not having a good time either. He's a doctor. Of course he realizes what this is doing to you. But he can't let go, or won't let go- he doesn't want to figure out which, truly. He feels guilty but not enough to do the right thing.

[sillygoofyqueer]

I don’t know if you or any of your anons have said something like this before but what if Corvid King/Crow Deity thing Shen Yuan gets B-points whenever he’s prayed to, given offerings, etc?

First of all, it has been a W H I L E since I've seen a crowyuan ask in my inbox, you should have seen the WHIPLASH I got when reading this - I thought I'd gone back to Summer last year!!! And this isn't a bad thing, my brain immediately started ticking, thank you for sending this bad boy! I always love asks, especially ones like these. Now, *cracks knuckles then dies because I hate the sound* let's get back into my crowyuan mindset, ehhehehehehe!!! Honestly, this is such a good idea! Because it's like, Shen Yuan is getting these random offerings and prayers (and obviously he both accepts the offerings and helps out, he's going to be a good deity!!), and then he gets B-points for it?! I think this would almost throw him off, because the system's been pretty silent in the AU so far (from what I can remember), and then he's suddenly getting an influx in all these B-points, reminding him that he wasn't born in this world! You can have angst from that - y'know, imposter syndrome and all that - and/or you can also have Crowyuan going out of his way to gain more followers, for more B-points! This is great comedic potential because before he was just casually helping out whoever needed assistance while being a social devil who broke through literally all of the demons' different social rules because he didn't know them, and now he's actually going out of his way to help people? He's actively seeking out people to help out and gain as followers? That shit's hilarious. Imagine for a moment, that you're an NPC in a random village, a village that is kind of removed from the cultivation world as a whole, that has heard whispers of some sort of 'corvid deity' that helps out those in need. Now, you may believe it, you may think it's bullshit, but you know that it won't affect you because your village doesn't get involved with any of that!! You go about your normal day, right, helping out in the local village, and then out of nowhere, this demon with golden crow wings and golden eyes and feathers (or like feather scale type shit (think those feathered dragons as a reference of sorts)) dancing down his neck and cheeks and {insert other cool features here} is like "hi, friendly neighbourhood corvid deity, here! Y'all need any help around the village? Any beasts terrorising you, or curses befalling you, or....broken fences that need mending???" I think I'd devote myself right away, my bad for even doubting you Mr. Crow King sir!!!

[secriden]

I always love your posts about THK and your recently pinned post and another one about Style yearning for skinship are just *chef's kiss*. So thank you for your analysis!

I saw some comments on tumblr that Style was acting as if he's sad and playing Fadel and I just could NOT agree, so I was glad to see your post. My opinion on Style's crying scene is I don't think Style meant to cry at first, but his emotions sort of overwhelmed him while he was talking. I think he definitely uses his cheerful disassocation with reality to deal with fear and he was just going to tell his message to his dad just in case, perhaps in a more lighthearted way, but he remembered about his mom and the reality of potential death hit him fully because his mother's death must be the closest death he'd experienced in his life. And when Fadel asked him if he was crying he just said Duh and wasn't fully crying, but after Fadel told him to stop the sob story, he turned back and the tears really started flowing. When I saw that I could really relate to him because that's how I usually act too- act nonchalant to hide my real feelings. Style wasn't planning to get emotional and then got mocked for it - and he was also denied his s*xual advances/skinship earlier too- that must've felt really hurtful to him.

As much as the scene hurts, I'm glad to see this was not cut because even cheerful, positive people like Style really gets down sometimes and people don't really understand this, even in real life! I was kind of like this when younger and had some people tell me they can't imagine me feeling sad or nervous. So seeing Style's rare serious and emotional side in the story is really made me kind of acknowledged? When I started watching this show, I didn't think I would get this attached to this character. He's like a ray of sunshine, very pure in his beliefs and quite fiercely loyal too (might be weird to say when he was complicit but he is actually loyal to both Kant and Fadel to the best of his ablities IMO) and the actor/Dunk is absolutely killing this role! Not just the crying scene in this episode, but Dunk's comedic timing in delivering the one liners is SO GOOD he manages to make me laugh every single episode so far.

Lovely anon, oh thank you for sharing so vulnerably about how you related to Style in that scene. I really agree with you that Style wasn't putting on an act to fool Fadel. I'm very surprised to hear that anyone still thinks Style is playing Fadel at this point?? O_O I don't think anything he does this episode is an act anymore -- even when he propositions Fadel with a shirt tossed into his face, there's clear and genuine intent behind it:

There's so much going on in this look. The gentle fondness as he gazes back at Fadel, the way the look seeks to communicate affection even as Fadel is glaring back in anger and frustration. But there's acceptance too, like he understands why Fadel is keeping his walls up, he understands why Fadel feels he deserves some of this harshness and he will let Fadel take the time he needs to come to whatever conclusions he wants to as long as Fadel does so with the understanding that Style's love for him is genuine.

Because at the end of the day the only thing Style really doesn't want is for Fadel to make his choice (to forgive or to cut Style off) thinking that Style's feelings are still a lie. I think that's the crux of the problem between them now: Fadel is pushing Style away because he is certain Style’s feelings aren’t true, and have never been true, but Style knows his own heart and understands the fundamental shift inside him that occurred over the course of their relationship.

Which is why I think Style is genuine in everything he’s showing Fadel now. Even if he didn’t mean to cry, I think his worry for his dad is very real. And I think the reason why he brings it up with Fadel is that Style is done hiding anything from him now. It’s not about manipulation, nor is it an attempt to make Fadel feel guilty. But he's taking everything Fadel is giving to him incredibly seriously and part of that is facing the possibility that Fadel may decide to kill him at the end after all. And that's... scary; hell its terrifying and heartbreaking and Style has understandable guilt related to how losing him after losing his mother is going to affect his dad.

And actually what you're saying about "cheerful and positive people like Style" also sometimes feeling down is such an important aspect of understanding Style's character. Because we can only really understand the weight of Style’s love for Fadel if we see him in all his multifaceted complexity: Style has suffered, Style understands the pain of loss but has learned to find joy in his life in the process of dealing with his mother’s passing. Styles cheerfulness and positively is not a sign of his immaturity or lack of complexity but rather evidence of a inner strength and determination to find meaning in life beyond the sadness. After my dad passed, it took me nearly 4 years to even get to a point where I began to want to want to find pockets of happiness. There was so much about me at the time time bound up in my feelings of loss and sadness and the ache of missing my dad, the unfairness of it all. Style is-- Style is so very precious to me.

And something I found really poignant is how Fadel and Style have such opposing methods of dealing with grief and fear. Fadel hides from it, runs from it, builds up walls and remains ever vigilante so he'll never be vulnerable again, while Style faces his grief and his fear head on. Style takes his fear out and holds it in the palm of his hand and in the process - like you said - maybe found himself more overwhelmed then he expected, but he allows himself the space to cry because he also sees that its important in the moment. And he invites Fadel into that vulnerability with him. That's insane to me -- Style's love for Fadel means that even when Fadel has a gun to his head and is the source of his fear, Fadel is always orientated on the INSIDE to Style.

To extend the allegory, the difference between them is that Fadel's love made him invite Style inside his walls as an outsider, but Style's love makes Fadel already part of him. Fadel doesn't need an invitation because at no point in episode 8 did Style ever treat Fadel as anything but an extension of his own heart.

So yeah, I'm so with you about being grateful for the scene. I think it maybe could have been shot differently (for instance, I kind of wish they'd just let Dunk do his thing and sell the moment without having that background music 180 degree shift), but I adore it for what it shows us about Style and the way he thinks and feels, and most of all the way Fadel is oriented in his heart.

[harcidian]

Analysis on Alex Louis Armstrong? I feel that's a character in FMA/FMAB that has so much depth (i.e., past in the war, post-war life, including being seen as too soft for a promotion) as part of the main cast but doesn't get anything in the fandom due to his comedic relief aspect, which is as much of a front, as it is a genuine side of him.

Thank you for the ask!

Alex Louis V. Armstrong. The very definition of generational wealth (a nod to his comic relief quote: “passed down the Armstrong line for generations”).

I often wonder what his family did to pass down such talents through generations, especially in a world governed by the principle of equivalent exchange. Generational wealth might actually be an anomaly to the law of equivalent exchange. How do things get passed down through family lines for generations? The science/magic/alchemy behind it may involve some aspects of genetics and Charles Darwin's theories, but let's not delve too deeply into that.

As a character, he might be the greenest flag you’d find. A wealthy, physically-fit man hails from a noble family known for its alchemists and high-ranking military officers. He possesses a variety of random skills, including drawing portraits, running, and wood-chopping. The moment he’s born, you could truly say he’s already set for life.

But, why did he choose to serve the military? His duty as an Armstrong may be a factor, but considering that Catherine Armstrong isn’t part of the military makes me think the whole thing isn’t forced upon him like it were some family debt.

I believe Armstrong's awareness of his position at the top of the food chain is what drives his desire to help others. His gentle nature may come from the understanding that he is stronger than most people, and that a simple squeeze from him could potentially hurt someone. This is evident in the way he hugs everyone—his affection is often a bit too much.

Armstrong understands the way of the world, or at least he thinks he does. What we may have overlooked is that he likely grew up in a bubble, too privileged to see the fine line between two opposing extremes. Protection for one side can often feel like aggression toward the other, and vice versa. He has yet to realize that life is not always black and white; it isn't simply a matter of good and bad.

And so, during the Ishval War, he was informed that he would be defending the country from monsters. Instead, he found himself killing innocent people who were simply trying to defend themselves. His original purpose for joining the military was to be the “strong arm” that protected those who couldn't protect themselves. Yet, there he was, picking on individuals who were clearly not his equal in strength.

Armstrong is the only character depicted as standing up to his superior to stop the war in Ishval. In contrast, Roy, Hughes, and Riza seem to reluctantly comply with their orders without question. In the manga, Armstrong allows two Ishvalans to escape, only to witness them get killed by Kimblee shortly afterward.

Now, his softness and awareness of his strength becomes a sign of weakness.

He’s told that if he doesn’t fight, he’s letting his comrades die.

It must have been a great shame for him and his family’s name when everyone else called him a deserter. But if he truly did leave that cause, why did he still serve the military after leaving Ishval early?

He must have realized that his role is to protect the weak, even if the oppressors are the very people he is working with. He is wise enough to play along, understanding that the government has information that he cannot erase on his own, much like the ice alchemist from FMA Brotherhood.

If he didn't return, if he chose to abandon politics and the military, he would be fleeing once more from his role as the "strong arm" for the weak.

The horrors of war will always exist, and no one else can confront a powerful government like he can.

Because Alex knows he’s one of the strongest, and he knows he can’t just stand there and do nothing.

Additional:

In FMA Brotherhood, as Armstrong is fighting Sloth, the soldiers behind him were telling him to flee. But he did not, he said he won’t run away again (I like this version better than the one in the manga, which is just Olivier saying she trained his brother to endure worse).

Perhaps the Armstrong family line has plenty of good qualities because they might have suffered a lot in the past just so them (the future generation) could benefit from it. Both Alex and Olivier mentioned this in the manga.

It’s also a common theme throughout FMA, that even Riza mentioned it to Roy (of course we circle back to royai)

[jks1uv]

𝑀𝑒𝑛 𝐼 𝑇𝑟𝑢𝑠𝑡 ; tasm!peter parker | one-shot |

summary: benjamin pointdexter has chosen his object of affection obsession and it’s you, but not if peter parker can help it!

pairing: gf!fem!reader x bf!tasm!peter parker + platonic fem!reader x matthew murdock + platonic fem!reader x frank castle.

trope: established relationship.

genre: fluff + mild angst + hurt / comfort + some comedic relief.

warnings‼️: crude language + mentions of stalking + mentions of violence / killing.

word count: 1,516.

random disclaimerrr: i think garfield's peter parker / spider-man would be the perfect spidey to interact w daredevil & the punisher. like come on. his quips & no nonsense attitude would make him the annoying little brother to matt & frank but they'd develop a soft spot for the kid bc he's just like them. happy reading! ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ ♡ © 2025 @jks1uv

It was fast, the realization.

Your laptop’s camera light turned on randomly one day, the white light tiny yet glaringly obvious.

You squint your eyes and wondered ‘what the fuck?’.

The only times the light turns on is when you’re taking a test that requires a webcam or if you’re on the app, yet neither of those things were true at the time.

You weren’t too weary but the thought of someone hacking into the cameras of your devices has crossed your mind a few times.

So, you went to the hardware store to get some answers.

The guy hums in thought and checks some stuff on your laptop before scribbling something down on a sticky note.

“So, I can’t see much activity on my end. It’s probably just some manual stuff, minor details that need to be cranked out.”

He slides the paper to you.

“But, if you go to this address or call these numbers; they may be of more service and be able to tell you what’s really going on.”

You look down and see something totally different from his explanation. It makes your heart drop out of your ass.

Don’t panic! You’ve been hacked and there’s a chance of audio being picked up as well. Remain calm and go to your local police station. Stay at another address in case of potential threat.

You had an idea that would yield better results than what the police would have done.

Peter side-eyes your laptop with skepticism, his jaw clenched and lips puckered to the side in thought.

You’ve never seen him this mad before.

If he were animated, you’re sure he would’ve exploded 3 times now and would still have heat fumes above his head.

You nervously blink and fiddle with your rings, growing a bit anxious at his quietness.

“Who’ve you come into recent contact with?” His voice hoarsely drops like a needle on a vinyl.

You clear your throat. “You, MJ, my dad… I met with Harry for lunch earlier this week, and that’s it.”

He nods coolly, trying to keep a levelheaded look.

“You’re sure that’s it? No one from work seems suspect?”

You think about this calmly, intently. You focus on remembering anyone who’d said or did something that made you think twice about it, no matter how harmless the subject may have been at the time.

You do remember something, rather someone.

“Umm… There’s this guy at work, Benjamin. He works on a different floor than me but he asked me out to dinner once.”

Peter’s blood runs cold. “Go on.”

“It was a few months into our relationship and he asked if he could take me out to dinner. I said no and that I have a boyfriend but he told me that he never mentioned it being a date.”

“So?”

Peter had a feeling he knew where this was going but for your sake, he wanted it to be untrue so bad.

“I just awkwardly laughed it off and said that maybe another time as you were expecting me home.”

He sighs heavily and runs a hand through his hair.

“His expression changed for a split second, like he was annoyed or upset. Then he just politely smiled and let me be.”

Peter nods, already knowing.

“Do… Do you think it’s him?”

You want to dismiss that idea so bad because he seemed nice. But maybe that’s never enough.

“Yup.” He responds, not missing a beat.

“But we haven’t spoken since then.”

“Y/n, he’s the only one with a possible motive. He asked you out, you said no, so now he’s doing whatever he can to keep seeing you without you being in his way.”

Without you being in his way.

Benjamin resorts to stalking you because that’s the only way he gets what he wants and you won’t deny his advances.

It makes you feel small, so… small.

Why would he do that?

You were polite when you didn’t have to be. You saw him as a friend so why couldn’t he give you the same courtesy? He can’t just take no for an answer?

Peter can see you spiraling. He sees that distant look in your eyes when you’re thoughts run at a hundreds miles per minute.

He grips your hand on your thigh and interlocks his fingers with yours.

“Hey, hey, hey. Don’t do that.” He softly calls out to you.

You subconsciously hum but he holds you face in his soft yet calloused hands.

“Don't go somewhere I can’t follow.” He tilts your head up to meet his gaze. “Stay here with me.”

You deeply exhale and rub your thumbs up and down his wrists, your forehead coming down on to his.

It's when the tears fill your eyes that he kisses the closed eyelids and hugs you so tight, like you'll fall to pieces.

“I'll make it right." He whispers the quiet vow into your hairline. "I promise.”

You know he will and that's part of the reason you cry.

You've never seen Peter angry but it's personal this time, you don't know what'll happen and you don't know how to feel.

Should you be nervous? Happy? You're scared but the thought of knowing someone out there is willing to take advantage of people like you will be taken care of makes you less afraid.

Maybe Benjamin Pointdexter deserves what's coming to him.

“We've all gathered here tonight because Benjamin Pointdexter must die.”

“Okay, so that was not mentioned in the briefing, like, at all.” The lawyer in Matthew immediately objects.

“Kid's right, Red.”

And of course, it's overruled by Frank Castle.

The hardened man views the picture frame on top of the shelf above the chimney, casing the precious image inside: your gorgeous smile and Peter not-so-nonchalantly admiring it.

“You know he is.” His gruff voice softens a tad as he thinks about you.

You’re like a daughter to him. He believes his Lisa would love you and be just like you.

Frank clears his throat and thoughts away and forces himself to come back to reality.

“Don't encourage him.” The Catholic man sighs and asks, “Why are we really here, Peter?”.

“I just gave you my thesis statement.” Peter doubles down.

“I’m not going to be able to help if I don’t know the whole story.”

Matthew insists and Peter isn’t having it.

“Alright, you really wanna know? Benjamin Pointdexter was stalking Y/n through her computer monitor. So now, I’m gonna kill him.”

Frank isn’t shy about killing but even he has to admit that maybe the idea is a bit of an overkill.

“How about maybe paralyzing him from the neck down momentarily and then dump him in front of the police station?”

Matthew and Peter both look like they've just heard the Frank Castle suggest a non-graphic, non-murderous idea.

“Wow.” Matthew scoffs, a half-smile on his face.

Frank shakes his head and look off to the side. “Yeah, yeah alright.”

Peter calms down and takes his words into careful consideration, his word is kind of law around here.

Everyone loves Spider-Man and if he says that's a stalking criminal, then that guy's a stalking predator.

He nods. “Alright, yeah. I'm fine with that.”

Matt clears his throat and asks for the game-plan but Peter insists to leave that up to him.

“I got it all figured out, thanks guys.”

Matthew didn't think Peter had it in him to be level headed about this but he's impressed with the younger man's honesty.

The Devil of Hell's Kitchen has learned a thing or two about evil and it's that when necessary, must die. To kill or not to kill is simply the matter of principle and one he'll always evade if he can help it.

“I care about her, too. She's a dear friend but she needs you now more than ever.”

Matt knows when someone is lying but he needs to know. He needs to be sure.

Killing is a slippery slope not many get to see the bottom of.

“I know.”

It doesn't take a lie detector test to know Peter's telling the truth, even Frank knew from the organized look on his face.

“Be careful, Peter.”

Frank in dad-mode is always an endearing sight to see and Peter appreciates it.

“Will do, old man.”

Peter goes out that same night, leaving Frank and Matthew guarding you in your apartment.

If there's anyone you and your boyfriend can unanimously agree on trusting after Spider-Man, it's The Punisher and the Devil of Hell's Kitchen.

You're fast asleep in bed, the effects of taking a tylenol kicked your headaches ass hard.

Peter lingers by the doorway, adoring the sleeping beauty in her bed.

He wishes for it to always be like this; you, alive and well-taken care of by him, a strong man who knows his limits and understands what he has to do to be the protector everyone relies on.

It will be, he thinks before donning the mask and taking off into the night and being the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man he was born to be.