#also might edit this later if any opinions have changed since i did this very quickly

[herstoria]

Hey ! Huge historia fan as well I have some asks

1: if not Ymir who do you think fits with historia as a love interest ?

2: if Zeke and historia met and knew eachother how do you think their dynamic would be ?

Thanks !

1. Not a wide range of options sadly cause when (i think) she gained a greater capacity to develop meaningful relationships she ended up being sidelined shortly after.

I personally don't really like erehisu that much and i prefer lesbian historia, but I think that's the only other person we get to see historia form a deep bond with other than ymir, making him the best option narrative wise. while I prefer it platonic, he's like undeniably a very important person to her development and so in her life.

If we just focus on personality, then I think mikasa could be interesting? They share similar experiences, and both go on a journey of discovering their empathy/ to care equally about people outside of their little circle, except mikasa was unafraid to show that her she mainly focused on her loved ones, but they also have very different experiences with family. I think it would be cool to see an au that explores what they could've thought of each other if they were closer during their cadet years and beyond.

2. (This ended up being long im so sorry but thx for this question cause i used to love zeke too when i was into aot as a whole)

If they were just acquaintances post hisu character development, then i dont think historia would like zeke that much and zeke would be slightly curious about the only other person with royal blood, but would mainly feel the same type of pity he does for everyone else (who isn't eren) inside the walls. There's also the fact that historia would be pretty upset about the whole pregnancy plan.

If that never happened, then I think she might be interested in or even excited about someone else with royal blood, especially with her connections being heavily influenced by how much she relates to someone from what we see. If they interacted regularly then she might grow curious about him and his experiences with his royal blood outside of the walls, maybe catching on to his constant lying and him hiding his true goals considering she herself used to do that a lot, again, assuming zekes whole plan of historia continuing the royal bloodline never happened.

OK feel free to skip this next bit if u only wanted a dynamic based on a realistic scenario

If they knew a lot about eachother (like aot characters react to aot levels), then i think their views of each other would be a bit more complicated. Historia and friedas relationship is basically what zeke wanted with eren, shared pain and the older sibling being the youngest's 'savior' as he probably views it, especially since he would share similar views to friedas king fritz corrupted mind (but not friedas herself but he ended up ignoring that anyway so). This, combined with the moment of historia choosing to defy her father, which impacted erens own view of his father, may be quite appreciated by zeke, perhaps a bit of admiration too as she seemingly embodies a lot of the traits he wants in eren, but he might see it as more misguided since it also caused her to reject king fritzs ideals (which he agrees with) and her whole "let humanity get eaten by titans" thing. I think this would result in his interactions with her being curiosity on how she got to the conclusion she did, maybe a couple of little questions here and there and maybe trying to (unsuccessfully) shift her a little bit to a 'better' conclusion

With historia (assuming she understood his motives as a whole, which would be unlikely unless she accidentally gained access to his memories, which is possible ig), she'd probably have sympathy but would be very disturbed at the same time. Like she wants to help people and that one quote where she basically says "if someone is telling themselves they're not good enough, I want to tell them it's not true" and the similarity between zeke and her old self (hiding selfish, self hating intentions behind a selfless disguise and never being truly yourself and also daddy issues and feeling they should have never been born) would make a part of her want to help and feel a sort of kinship with him. But for the same reason of being too much like her old self, she'd be disturbed cause he's literally a reflection of her at her worst taken to the most extreme of straight up trying to euthanize his whole race, bringing down other for their selfish intentions that neither of them were fully awarw were selfish cause of crazy denial. "I'd like to have a connection, but you freak me tf out, and also I want you to shut up forever liek actually" is basically what I think her thoughts would be.

[from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras]

It’s time! I have unblocked the tags, seen the movie, and have thoughts about War of the Rohirrim!

There are some extremely generalized thoughts here, and then more specific and detailed thoughts are below the cut to shield them from those who want to avoid all discussion of plot. Also, I have literally *just* seen it, and it’s a lot to take in what with visuals, story, music, etc. So I reserve my right to change my mind later!

I liked it! I thought it was fun and engaging, and getting to revisit treasured sentimental things like the visuals of Meduseld or the Rohan theme from the original LOTR score are just like cheat codes to my heart.

It has canon deviations. In some cases, I can see why they wanted to make changes for purposes of effective movie storytelling (changing the location of certain events, for example). In others, I think it was probably just a desire to throw in something that folks will recognize from the movies/books even though the story didn’t need it. It doesn’t upset me, but your personal mileage might vary.

There’s been a lot of attention paid to Héra as the main character, but there are other cool women characters that have been added as well. That being said, I think the movie is still a little confused/confusing in what it thinks about the role of women in Rohirrim society and leadership. And, you know, Tolkien was confusing about it, too, which is why we are still having the “what really is a shield maiden?” discussion in 2024. But it’s notable to me nonetheless.

I went to an AMC but, alas, they did not have the war hammer popcorn buckets. ☹️

More specific opinions, kind of firehose style:

I liked Héra a lot and the old lady from the Hornburg, but I really liked Olwyn! I wish they would have made her Helm’s wife/Héra’s mom so that we could have avoided the Dead Mom trope. That would have also explained how/why Olwyn was wielding such significant authority/command over the defense of Edoras and the Hornburg even though she was positioned solely as someone in service to Héra.

They went WAY easy on Helm in the opening sequence with Freca. I can understand why — they don’t want to make Helm unlikeable right from the jump — but Helm of the books was more of an instigator of that mess than Freca (Helm swung first!!!) and he was a much bigger dick about it. I think it would have been interesting to see the other iteration, which would have been a more complex, nuanced take on Helm and given him even more chance for emotional growth.

That being said, I really liked how they handled the whole “Helm wanders off into the snow each night and scares the shit out of Wulf’s army” stuff. I thought it was really cool and very effective. Two thumbs up.

I was very appreciative that they made the Dunlending general who was aiding Wulf (Tragg? I think? Nope, Targg!) a real person — smart, strategic, not bloodthirsty, with real humanity — rather than the one dimensional “savage wild man” stereotype that has so often been the Dunlendings’ narrative fate.

OKAY Fréaláf!!! Loved that guy. Handsome, noble, loyal, progressive, showing up on the ridge with the ringing of horns just in time to turn the tide of a battle. Legend.

Miranda Otto says in the opening narration that you won’t hear about Héra in the histories and legends from that time (which you’ve gotta say, right, since she’s an invented character that is literally not in any of the histories and legends!). But I wish they had followed up on that directly at the end with a more concrete explanation for WHY she’s not remembered. Fréaláf loved her and respected her! He wouldn’t have erased her from the story even if she had ridden off to some uncertain adventure with Gandalf and never returned again! So I was left a little bit wondering still, “what happened???”

EDITING TO ADD: I cannot believe I forgot to say how glad I was that the movie seemed not to care about Héra’s romantic life at all. She says very clearly that she’s not interested in getting married, and of course Wulf doesn’t like that. But we don’t spend time delving into what she actually means or why she feels that way and we don’t have her reach some weird heteronormative realization along the way that she DOES want a man even if it’s not Wulf. It’s just stated and then we move on. Maybe she’s a lesbian, maybe she’s aro/ace, maybe she just has other priorities and concerns right now. Whatever her deal is, the movie is content to let it be without drama or judgment. And I liked that.

Stopping there because this could get quite long and I’m still thinking things over, but that’s my start!

[crepes-suzette-373]

Is this an error or on purpose?? It's driving me insane!!!

(I'm just parsing through my own theory and doubts, you don't have to read this)

Ichiji's eyebrow that's under the bangs is the subject of fans' theories, and I wrote about it too, but I really just... sometimes have very strong doubts about it. With the insane time crunch of Shounen Jump schedule, what if it's really just a mistake that nobody caught?

One of my line of thinking was "this panel is so big, surely sensei can't possibly screw it up?" But the answer is, yes, he can screw up a panel that's that big.

When Venus blocked Zoro's attack, not only is he holding the sword in the wrong hand, but the sword is also missing its iconic Kitetsu cross-shaped guard. That Venus vs Zoro panel takes up half a page. On the manuscript paper, that would've been massive, and yet there it is.

As far as I can tell, this was not edited, changed, or fixed in the final volume version. So, I dunno, maybe all the weird eyebrows is literally nothing and he just messed up.

If I may use myself as an example, I have drawn their eyebrows facing wrong directions multiple times, and sometimes I never noticed there was anything wrong until days or even weeks later.

I not only drew the lines, but also rendered the colours in detail. I didn't do it all in one sitting. I went over the image multiple times with fresh eyes, across many days, and not for a single moment did I notice the eyebrow was wrong. It's not impossible that sensei experienced the same thing.

The anime scene cannot be used as reference because I don't think the anime staff are privy to any future lore or backstories from sensei. I would assume that they often had to fill in the gaps with educated guesses on their parts.

Pre-timeskip the anime have once displayed Sanji's other eyebrow facing the wrong direction and/or simply missing its curl.

Also in Whole Cake's finale episodes, the anime included a short filler bit where all of Sanji's bros made it safely back to the Germa ships. This is proven to be wrong when the cover story revealed Niji and Yonji got caught while still on land by Big Mum and didn't manage to escape.

The only way you can reconcile these is if you imagine a scenario where Niji and Yonji initially made it out just fine, but had to jump off the ship to fight Big Mum. Otherwise there's just a flat out discrepancy between manga and anime.

I don't think the Pirate Warriors 3D model rips are also any solid confirmation that Ichiji and Reiju's eyebrows are different either, because I found what is purportedly a model from the first game, where Sanji also has the eyebrows facing wrong directions:

(left: all siblings from Pirate Warriors 4, right: Sanji from Pirates Warriors 1)

In my guess, what happened was that they just made half a face (and body), which is then mirrored to create the other half. See below for what I mean:

In my opinion what happened was that with Ichiji and Reiju they just left the brows in mirrored state because they didn't know for sure. Look at Reiju's irises. The highlights are also mirrored. It really looks like they just created one half of the face and copy + flipped it:

The eyebrows are modelled onto the polygons and not just textures, so they really could've just copy + flipped the half model and never bothered changing it afterwards.

Or, if not, maybe they saw the anime scenes, thought that Ichiji and Reiju's eyebrows are facing different directions, and then followed suit. The Pirate Warriors models are made based on the anime rather than the manga (as you can see with Reiju's eyes being blue and not purple).

Whereas with Niji, Sanji, and Yonji they might have went through the trouble to edit the eyebrows to be more accurate to the series since they know for a fact what their brows look like.

So yeah, I don't know, this thing has no answer at all until Germa shows up in the series again (or revealed in Vivre Cards).

[yunarim]

「 ₊ ❤️‍🩹 dorm leaders with natasha-like reader 」

── ⋯ where's a doctor when you need one? ✧ rus ver (original) : here! ✧ characters : dorm leaders ✧ tags : female reader (she/her pronouns), fluff, slight mentions of injuries, reader kinda works part-time at NRC as a nurse, reader wields a gun but no violence mentioned (she just uses it canonically but i left only the part that she only has it in her property) ✧ note : might edit this later since i'm not quite satisfied with my own translation from rus but that's it for now

「 Riddle Rosehearts 」 ⏤ ⊹ Probably encountering such a friendly person for the first ever time during his whole lifespan.

⏤ ⊹ Perplexed by your behavior enough to actually spend some time to try figuring out what is it that motivates you to act so selflessly. There is no way you ask him whether he feels okay everyday just out of your free will? Right?..

⏤ ⊹ It's amazing how patient you are being with Ace and Deuce, given they can be pretty much to handle. 

⏤ ⊹ Realizes you are a ray of light in a dark realm. Honestly, is it even legal for you to be in the NRC among them, such ... malicious creatures?

⏤ ⊹ Once you told him that there are many people in the NRC who need your support. He did not even believe you at first, dismissively suggesting that you are deliberately shielding yourself in front of others in order to earn public recognition.

⏤ ⊹ Being the only girl and not having magical abilities in the college dedicated for gifted magicians... He wondered how you felt the moment you got here.

⏤ ⊹ His opinion changed dramatically the moment Ace and Deuce casually mentioned that after going to the mines to restore that ridiculously expensive chandelier, the one who cured their injures was none other than you. 

⏤ ⊹ Actually was strictly against of you doing anything medicine-related due to the fact he doesn’t even know you have a diploma, so that making you certified specialist.

⏤ ⊹ You: I had my own clinic in my world.

⏤ ⊹ Riddle: I beg your pardon?

⏤ ⊹ Apparently, that one nurse NRC had is fired by now PLEASE–

⏤ ⊹ Riddle wants to look up to you in order to be just as collected and patient as you are.

⏤ ⊹ During all the time you spend at NRC he never ceases to be amazed at how unwaveringly confident you are when some unexpectedly difficult situations occur, but at the same time you never lose your humanity and concern for others.

⏤ ⊹ Ready to take care of you when you forget to do it yourself – you are also a living human being who needs rest and care.

⏤ ⊹ He is not very good at expressing his emotions, so you don’t expect obvious actions and words from him, but get ready for the fact that he will often drop by (apparently) your infirmary with a pinkish hue on his cheeks, saying "Good afternoon ... Y-You're not breaking any rules, are you? Fine then... I tried to make tea according to your recipe, can you check if it's okay...?"

⏤ ⊹ You are always present as a nurse during when unbirthday parties are being hold in case someone gets sunstroke or gets hurt on rose thorns.

⏤ ⊹ If suddenly you know how to use this huge gun... how do you even lift it, it looks like it weighs three times more than you yourself?!

⏤ ⊹ Is this what they call alternative medicine?..

⏤ ⊹ Overall he sees you as an extremely caring mother figure ahem ergh uh older sister.

「 Leona Kingscholar 」

⏤ ⊹ The fact that you are a woman automatically sets you apart from these uncouth students.

⏤ ⊹ Before you have time to say anything, let alone even do anything, he sees the accumulated life experience in your eyes. Those eyes can’t lie.

⏤ ⊹ Actually, no one expects it but he treats you with an enormous amount of respect from the very beginning. It took Ruggie a few days to get used to the fact that Leona doesn't behave as he pleases when he sees you.

⏤ ⊹ And when you stumbled upon him and said that deep sound sleep is good for his health he even thought that maybe you were some sort of an angel.

⏤ ⊹ Sadly, happiness didn’t last long.

⏤ ⊹ You noticed that he sleeps way too much, and that time you started lamenting that excessive sleep can harm his brain activity and blah-blah-blah...

⏤ ⊹ However, you still found yourself carrying an orthopedic pillow every time you go to the botanical garden in order to collect some herbs, so you leave the pillow near the bench Leona usually sleeps on.

⏤ ⊹ In case you stumble upon a sleeping Leona while walking through the garden, you try to adjust his sleeping position so that his neck won’t hurt when he wakes up, and during these moments he simply tries to hug you or pull you onto his lap. 

⏤ ⊹ You see him as a big capricious kitten mainly but you still have a lot of work to do, so you carefully put him back and whisper something gentle with your soothing voice.

⏤ ⊹ Mentally chuckles smugly every time you make a very subtle remark about the political system in Afterglow Savannah (the only fact he trusts you enough to explain something about throne succession in his family is quite amazing itself).

⏤ ⊹ You won't notice it outwardly, but he is extremely grateful to you for the way you spend time with Cheka and tell him interesting stories about your world.

⏤ ⊹ He is sincerely proud of you. You are a wise, caring and patient woman. He doesn't even want to joke around with you as he usually does with everyone around him. You are too amazing.

⏤ ⊹ In case you use a gun... Seriously, do you have an endless facts list to surprise him with?

⏤ ⊹ Doesn't show it, but is concerned if it's hard for you to hold this colossus gun in your hands.

「 Azul Ashengrotto 」

⏤ ⊹ Truthfully speaking, he asked Jade and Floyd a couple of times if they can distract you so that you wouldn't sneak into his office and start lamenting how hard he works and how he needs to take a break.

⏤ ⊹ He was surprised that you were extremely attentive when he tried to make a shady deal with you, according to which you could potentially become a nurse in Mostro Lounge.

⏤ ⊹ Your attentiveness actually comes from the need to measure dosages extremely accurately, that he could understand, but he wasn’t prepared for the fact you would read the shady part written in a tiny font at the bottom of the document with the same meticulousness.

⏤ ⊹ After your refusal to work for him, the part about how your conversation turned into a discussion of the cost of renting the premises and how much Crowley screwed everything up remains unsolved...

⏤ ⊹ Why Azul ended up being the one fixing all the mess Crowley caused in the first place? How insanely hard it was to start running a business with instant losses, and not to mention!–

⏤ ⊹ What do you mean you made sea buckthorn tea.

⏤ ⊹ Actually Azul can’t even realize what does he feel every time he accepts your care. He believes he is unworthy of your kindness, but as a result he clings to it like a lifeline.

⏤ ⊹ He doesn't remember when was the last time in his life he felt so... valid? Has he ever been appreciated the way he is now?

⏤ ⊹ At first he assumed that your kindness extends to everyone indiscriminately, but got incredibly surprised when he realized that perhaps you pay a little more attention to him than to the others?..

⏤ ⊹ And you are definitely not stupid to waste your nerves on just, uh, anyone.

⏤ ⊹ Jade and Floyd are constantly mess with him that upon NRC graduation Azul should definitely lure you to work with them.

⏤ ⊹ In case you know how to wield that giant cannon... Uhm so care to get married after graduation?

⏤ ⊹ You're so cool, it's just unbelievable, please make him a soothing tea before his heart breaks his ribs and jumps out of his chest, alright?

「 Kalim Al-Asim 」

⏤ ⊹ Finally someone who matches his energy!

⏤ ⊹Kalim is the embodiment of sunshine, while you behave more in a patient way.

⏤ ⊹ But overall you two are NRC’s brightest sun rays.

⏤ ⊹ Kalim is constantly dropping by the infirmary to bring you something to eat (Jamil actually played crucial role in cooking all those things Kalim brought but still consider Kalim wasn’t doing nothing!! He spent sleepless nights trying to master making your favorite dish, so he could get you something to eat anytime you would want to!).

⏤ ⊹ You!! You are so tender with kids around you!! You are so amazing!!

⏤ ⊹ A couple of times he saw you outside the NRC telling different stories about your world to the kids in the park.

⏤ ⊹ Next moment you were already creating your own fairytales, completely dissolved in that natural coziness. 

⏤ ⊹ He gets amazed every time he spots you sorting herbs in the infirmary. How could you remember so many different names and medicine properties?..

⏤ ⊹ Consider yourself famous in his family, given how often he tells little facts about you during phone calls. Be also prepared for the fact that if you happen to go visiting his family you’ll be accepted as an Al-Asim new family member.

⏤ ⊹ The result: you help Kalim's parents with chores in the kitchen and with cleaning, not afraid of doing extra work at all.

⏤ ⊹ Sometimes you forget that Kalim is actually not a child anymore, and Jamil reminds you that you shouldn't spoil him too much, but you can't help but running your fingers through his tousled hair during rare breaks you have a meal or just go for a walk to sort your thoughts.

⏤ ⊹ Once he saw how tired you seemed after having a long work day and ran up to you, asking if everything was okay.

⏤ ⊹ You just smiled softly, saying that you were fine, it’s just after another overblot happens the wounds are always much more serious than minor abrasions and cuts.

⏤ ⊹ Kalim gently hugged you, declaring that this hug would serve as an energy boost for today.

⏤ ⊹ From that day on, Kalim asks Jamil to wake him up much earlier than he usually does in order to run into your office and give you a reassuring hug (he returns to bed for another twenty minutes sleeping right after, but let’s omit this okay-)

⏤ ⊹ Surprisingly, you feel better indeed, but you always make sure to not leave such a nice gesture go unnoticed, giving Jamil your hand-made fruit marshmallow so he would give it to Kalim.

⏤ ⊹ Kalim: happy.

⏤ ⊹ Everyone: happy.

「 Vil Schoenheit 」

⏤ ⊹ If you work part-time at the NRC infirmary, then he’s ready to go to Crowley to figure it out so that you get an immediate salary increase.

⏤ ⊹ He knows how important medical knowledge is, and yours is on another level.

⏤ ⊹ Would you like to join his agency? Or maybe even start developing your own brand of cosmetics, given how well-read you are and how well-versed you are in herbs.

⏤ ⊹ He wasn’t insisting when you refused but surprisingly for himself got a little upset.

⏤ ⊹ However this illusory feeling quickly left him as soon as you suggested making a few adjustments to his own cosmetics, and advised a mixture of herbs that could strengthen the effect obtained from Vil's cosmetics.

⏤ ⊹ If you have joint potionology classes he always tries to cooperate with you.

⏤ ⊹Highly respects such an incredible woman like you. Please consider it requires A LOT to earn the praise from the Vil Schoenheit himself, so you’re quite privileged.

⏤ ⊹ Always ready to din common sense in your enviers’s heads. How can anyone possibly believe that you are working for some imaginary benefit?

⏤ ⊹ A woman with such caring touches and boundless attention to her patients simply can’t be a fake, aiming for ephemeral titles or unwanted recognition.

⏤ ⊹ There are no ulterior motives in the way you sincerely offer Vil a few remedies to increase stress resistance and stimulate concentration during work.

⏤ ⊹ To some extent, he doesn’t fully understand why are you being so nice and selfless, but he never argues with you. He's not an idiot to even say anything against you (why would he though? You’re stunning).

⏤ ⊹ Often comes to you for your advice since he genuinely values everything you say.

⏤ ⊹ His words won’t help or encourage your if you suddenly find yourself in a difficult situation or just get tired at the end of the working day. However, he is the person who will convince you that you just need a proper rest. Vil definitely makes you tea, helps you do all night skin routine and makes sure that you fall asleep peacefully.

⏤ ⊹ Your cannon looks absolutely intimidating, maybe it's even better that you haven't had a chance to use it anywhere except for crushing especially hard and large-sized reagents in the process of making potions.

「 Idia Shroud 」

⏤ ⊹ Girl, what anime did you isekai from?

⏤ ⊹ To be honest Idia was simply scared when he saw you.

⏤ ⊹ He has never come across such piercingly sincere and caring person alive. Idia doesn't understand why you care about him so much in the first place.

⏤ ⊹ It's not like he grew up surrounded by love and care to realize how to accept such a sudden kindness.

⏤ ⊹ How did you even manage to stumble upon him when he literally does not go beyond his room?

⏤ ⊹ Ah, that's right... As soon as he thoughtlessly tried to pat Lucius, you noticed him on your way to the infirmary.

⏤ ⊹ He thought you were taunting him when he found a pack of kitten stickers on his bag, along with a small note that said “If you have time, stop by the infirmary, I would like to give you tea leaves that I dried myself. I heard your brother makes great tea.”

⏤ ⊹ NO WAY HE WOULD EVER–

⏤ ⊹ That day Ortho accompanied Idia straight to the infirmary, where he left his brother, humming some catchy pop song, and call it a day. The tips of his hair blazed with a delicate pink, and only the mischievous sparks flying off smoldered with ardent scarlet.

⏤ ⊹ For the first time he saw someone so mesmerized by his hair. Sure thing he stood out noticeably among people with this amusing feature of his, but he observed such a childishly genuine interest without a bit of malicious intent perhaps for the first time in his life.

⏤ ⊹ After a few more ‘trips’ to your infirmary, he came to conclusion that you are incredibly enduring. People usually either ignore him or make fun of him.

⏤ ⊹ You though, you never rush him, never force reactions out of him.

⏤ ⊹ Fortunately for him, the fact that you never force him to do anything against his will helps him demonstrate his gratitude slowly, but quite effectively.

⏤ ⊹ If you have any problems with the equipment, consider that they are no more, because Idia is always ready to fix anything or improve your equipment out of his own curiosity he got while working with you.

⏤ ⊹ At first when you tried to fix his completely shattered sleep schedule he resisted capriciously as if being an annoyed child.

⏤ ⊹ But you are not a simple woman to just leave it like that.

⏤ ⊹ No kitten stickers until he sleeps at least seven hours.

⏤ ⊹ It doesn't matter at all that Idia is rich enough to buy at least a whole factory for the production of those stickers–

⏤ ⊹ Now your so-called quarrels have become a kind of a local joke between you two.

⏤ ⊹ At first he got scared when he saw your cannon, but now he just wants to upgrade it, even though you insist that you won't shoot it without a need (and believe me YOU won’t ever use it on people bc why would you even do that okay?).

「 Malleus Draconia 」

⏤ ⊹ First, the very fact that you are not afraid of him is truly amazing.

⏤ ⊹ Second, just how discerning you are, given you straight up went asking him whether his horns hurt when he sleeps?

⏤ ⊹ You are extremely interested in how his body works from a medical point of view, since its physiological characteristics are very different from your understanding of how the human body works. However, Malleus is not a human at all, so your curiosity is understandable.

⏤ ⊹ People are usually horrified by him, or prefer to dissolve in contempt radiating from them. Malleus just chuckles, but he gets puzzled when he's talking to you.

⏤ ⊹ He doesn't quite understand how to respond to such a delicate display of genuine concern, but you're not rushing him anywhere, just asking him to take care of himself a little more.

⏤ ⊹ Once you asked him what could save him if the wounds would be extremely severe.

⏤ ⊹ Maybe he was too serious for answering ‘Your voice would be the best remedy for me’.

⏤ ⊹ He had to consult with Lilia what to do when something aching unbearably right there in his chest, and yet you smile softly at his answer and say that his reply is quite reasonable due to the fact that he is not a human being.

⏤ ⊹ Excellent, now you think that ordinary medicines will not help him (which is also true, but still), because he does not belong to the human race.

⏤ ⊹ However, he is in no hurry. If you’re being patient, then he’s enormously enduring. Why hurry when you have all the time in the whole dimension?..

⏤ ⊹ Will you be happy if he helps you heal all the people in the universe?

⏤ ⊹ Yes, that's right, it's impossible... And yet you selflessly devote yourself to your work, endowing everyone with a gentle smile.

⏤ ⊹ You two often talk about the differences between your worlds while your patients are sleeping.

⏤ ⊹ He learns how you make tea just by looking at your elegant light movements. Malleus is generally very observant, so his eyes are always focused on you. If he continues glancing at you like that, maybe the other students you look after will start spreading rumors that there is something going on between you two.

⏤ ⊹ Malleus is actually absolutely mesmerized by your voice and during those rare days when you have the opportunity to have your time alone with him somewhere outside the infirmary, he asks you to sing anything you would like to.

⏤ ⊹ A lullaby from your world is perhaps the best thing he has ever heard in his entire lifespan.

⏤ ⊹ What an incredible woman you are.

⏤ ⊹ You even know how to wield a cannon. In fact, he wouldn't want to test your abilities and is even glad that you don't use it at all.

© yushiiae 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝. 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭, 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲, 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐲, 𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧.

[bosesmikas]

My current feelings on the T9S ships

I made a list like a year ago but I can’t find it haha. And my opinions have changed a lot so I'm going to be doing an update. If I missed any ships, please let me know!

Jay/Leia - My favorite canon ship out of the newbies. Granted I’m not AS emotionally invested in them as Gwen/Nikki, like to the point of constantly thinking about them and writing for them (which is weird since they might be the ship I make the most edits for haha). I've written so many fucking metas on them it’s not even funny haha (check my #jl meta tag & also my #jled tag). They’re just so pure and cute together and super overhated imo. Love seeing these two young teens in love.

Gwen/Nikki - Otp of otps. They’re my Jackie/Hyde in this show. So much chemistry, enemies (well frenemies) to lovers. Even though I don’t like that the scenes with them lessened post-Step By Step, I still see signs that they’re endgame. I just hope the writers don’t queerbait me and have them be endgame haha. Also check out my #jhgn tag for parallels :)

Gwen/Leia - Even though Gwikki is my heart and soul, I love Geia too and their parallels to Formciotti (check out my #gled tag). Gwen is legit the girl next door and not to mention, besties to lovers! There’s clearly something between them. Imo, I think they’re the most queer coded dynamic on T9S. The idea of them being platonic hurts my soul.

Nikki/Leia - Even though are only a few fans, I couldn’t help but put them. They’re just very cute and I love their scenes in Summer Storm. I think they could been a really cute college romance sort of thing. Also the love triangle trope where both girls ditch the guy for each other is A+.

Jay/Ozzie - I'm putting them here because of Ozzie's reaction to Jay's flirting in the pilot 😂. Same as Nikkeia, I see them as a cute college romance but also lowkey endgame in a universe with Neia & Gwikki/Geia & Niknate as the endgames. Their energy gives me Fez/Kelso (Hannah has a post talking about it and I see tbh). Plus they were GIVING old married couple energy in Summer Storm.

Ozzie/Etienne - Perfect bbs no notes. If someone can make Ozzie smile the way he did in LS, then they’re a keeper. I hope we get to see Etienne in s2.

Jay/Nate - Also my personal Fez/Kelso. To me, they’re just as gay as Gwen/Leia and I wish that was acknowledged more. They’re just so funny and cute. Even though I ship Nate/Leia now, I wish that the triangle was Leia/Jay/Nate instead since Nate is basically in love with Jay. I mean it’s canon that Nate always lets Jay ride shotgun. Plus Nate literally ditched his girlfriend to go with Jay to see a used hot tub. Now you can see that as Nate being a good friend, I see that Nate wanting to hang out with bf and do something fun.

Nate/Leia - Talked about it here. While I still have the same issues with them (giving off plot device, screwing over Nikki, very few scenes of them alone), I realized that that’s moreso on the writing and the way it was executed. But I really love them and want to see more of them in s2.

Nate/Nikki - Had potential early on and some cute moments later, but they ended up being a mini J*lso. 1 & 2

[utilitycaster]

What are your thoughts on the new ua's mechanics, especially the bard? It looks like almost all casters will be preparing spells now. I am not sure if its fits bards flavor-wise, but it makes them more flexible, so I'll take it.

For the most part I like it! I took notes so I can send in my thoughts when they have the survey later this month but my complaints aren't major.

Personally with the exception of sorcerers I think prepared spells makes sense for everyone. The only reason there's a divide between prepared and known-spell casters is because D&D was heavily influenced by Jack Vance's magic systems. And while in older editions there were benefits and drawbacks of each - prepped casters picked new spells each day but they pretty much had to pre-load their spell slots and couldn't use the same spell multiple times unless they prepped it multiple times; spontaneous casters knew fewer spells but they could cast them in whatever configuration they chose provided they had a slot for it - 5e did away with the prepared caster limitations, which means that they have a distinct advantage over known-spell casters. Bards, rangers, and warlocks are in my opinion particularly fucked over by this since they're not only known-spell casters but also high-utility classes that would benefit from a little bit of flexibility; bards also in standard 5e get tons of weird spells that they can't take unless their party has like, another healer AND another arcane caster because how often will you cast guards and wards*, so it's not worth taking up one of your precious known spells to learn.

Anyway getting into the actual details:

Bard: I like the new inspiration mechanics and LOVE that you can use it to heal as a reaction but I do think that even with the improved flexibility of use, it should be CHA modifier still rather than proficiency bonus, and if it's not at the very least Font of Inspiration should remain a L5 feature of the class rather than being pushed to L7. I already covered spell prep and I do like that you can swap cantrips because lbr, if you pick a shitty cantrip you often end up stuck with it unless you beg the DM for mercy. Songs of Restoration are FANTASTIC; I'm not mad at the loss of song of rest because I have played a primary healer bard and it's hard as fuck and this solves literally every problem I had. I also in general like the increased important of schools of magic, and think the options provided to bard are about the same as how the class already works anyway. Most of the rest is roughly comparable to standard 5e. My one question is why Jack of all Trades is so much later; I do wonder, and won't be able to say for sure until more classes come out, if they're trying to make multiclassing a bit more of a commitment.

Ranger: VERY good. Bard was always pretty decent with a few easily fixable flaws but ranger needed a boost and boy did it get it. Rangers should have expertise! They are a knowledge-based class! They should get cantrips! Also, rangers always suffered from having far too many concentration-only spells and making hunter's mark essentially a freebie was the correct call. Roving and Tireless also feel very true to the flavor of ranger as does the high-level blindsense. For what it's worth, I'm sure some people who are more experienced in rangers might not like this but I think nixing favored terrain is a good call because it's so frustrating when a ranger is useless simply because you are in the forest and not the mountains, when their entire thing is "good at tracking in general". Rangers always felt weirdly too specific and this has provided a focus in keeping favored enemy while allowing their wilderness skills to actually shine.

Rogue: fewest changes here, imo. Subtle strike makes far more sense than blindsense (blindsense was always weird for rogues to have and the buff to slippery mind to include charisma balances out any loss) and the thief subclass, always one of the better rogue subclasses, gets some really strong features.

*I am, in case you wondered, at all times, thinking about how much I want to cast guards and wards.

[margridarnauds]

So, You Wanna Study Irish Mythology?

One of the questions I get hit with a lot is “If I’m getting into Irish Mythology, what sources do you recommend?” It’s a sad, sad truth about the field that a lot of really valuable info is kept locked away in books and journals that the lay person wouldn’t know about (and then we wonder why information about the field is so bad.) So, I decided to compile a list of sources that I’ve personally used and found helpful in my time. It’s not a complete bibliography because, frankly, that would take up a TREMENDOUS amount of space and you’d be scrolling forever to find what you wanted, and I don’t AGREE with every single thing they say, and it’s by no means exhaustive (keep in mind: scholars from all over the field use mythological texts to study things as diverse as law, geography, tribal names, material culture, etc. and here I’m mainly focusing on sources that are JUST mythological-focused) but they’re a good starting point to forming your own opinions. The journal articles are, tragically, generally kept confined to academia, but....perhaps....if you were to ask around, someone might be able to provide you with a copy. As a whole, Celticists tend to be quite generous when it comes to sharing articles. 

List subject to change, check back as time goes on to see if I’ve added anything. Also, as always, feel free to either drop me an ask or a pm if you’re curious about digging further into a given text/figure. I can’t act as a consultant on a religious question; I’m a very firm atheist with all the spirituality of a dull spoon, except with the existence of ghosts. My interest in the Tuatha Dé is purely scholarly; all that I can say is what I know about these topics from the perspective of the medieval sources, but I can definitely do my best on that one front, and I won’t reject anyone who has a different interest in the Tuatha Dé from contacting me. 

This list only deals with the Mythological Cycle, not the other strands of the literary tradition that is generally if not uncontroversially referred to as “Irish Mythology”. For Fenian Cycle traditions, a similar bibliography has been compiled by Dr. Natasha Sumner of Harvard, here. 

Editions/Translations of Texts (many of these are available at UCC’s CELT archive or on Irish Sagas Online): 

Tochmarc Étaíne, Osborn Bergin and Richard Best 

Cath Maige Tuired, Elizabeth Gray (If you can and you’re serious about the field, I highly recommend getting the actual Irish Text Society Edition, which includes a wonderful index of every time a given figure shows up in other sources. An absolute must for a mythographer.) 

Lebor Gabála Érenn, J.R.S Macalister, 5 vols. (The entirety of this is available on archive.org. Personally...while the rest of it is obviously important and worthy of study, if you’re interested in just the mythological stuff, I recommend Volume IV, which includes both the Fir Bolg and the Tuatha Dé. Unless you really, really want to read five volumes of medieval Irish pseudohistory, the last volume of which was finished posthumously.) i ii iii iv v

The Metrical Dinshenchas, Edward Gwynn. (5 vols.) (These are difficult, with many scholars outright ignoring them except when absolutely necessary. These are in a later form of Irish, which means that, while some of the contents in them could very well be Pre-Christian in nature, they very much do reflect a later medieval world. Some of them are just as much about contemporary politics as they are about mythology, and many of them also bring in content from the Ulster Cycle and the Fenian Cycle. My personal favorites to look up are Tailtiu, Carn Hui Néit, Duirgen, and Carmun, though there are MANY others.) i ii iii iv v

“The First Battle of Moytura”, John Fraser (Note: It’s a VERY late text, with the question of the Fir Bolg/Tuatha Dé battle and how far the tradition really goes back being one that’s very important to keep in mind. It’s a personal favorite of mine. But it’s very late.)

Baile in Scáil, Kevin Murray (Thurneyson also did an older edition that’s more readily accessible, hence why I linked it here, but Murray is the most recent and up to date.) 

“How the Dagda got his magic staff”, Osborn Bergin 

Oidheadh Chloinne Tuireann, Richard Duffy (This is an Early Modern Irish text, so it was written down comparatively late. That doesn’t mean that there’s NO mythological content here, it’s a personal favorite of mine, but it means that it very much reflects the cultural context of around....the 15th-17th century or thereabouts. It’s very chaotic, very violent, and the heroic figures are....not....heroic.) 

Scél Tuáin Meic Chairill, John Carey

Echtra Nerai, it’s available in a fairly recent translation by John Carey in Celtic Heroic Age (pub. 2003) , listed below, though Kuno Meyer also did an edition/translation for it that I’ve linked to here. 

Books: 

Proinsias Mac Cana, Celtic Mythology (Personally, I’d recommend this one first - It’s designed for someone who isn’t a specialist and, while a lot of what he’s saying has been disputed back and forth, it’s still a handy primer and will get you into the myths.)

John Koch and John Carey, The Celtic Heroic Age (Once you have an idea of what you’re looking at, I recommend this one, since it’s a sourcebook. A TON of material from across the Celtic world, featuring classical sources, medieval Irish sources, and Welsh, all of it in one place.) 

Mark Williams, Ireland’s Immortals (I personally recommend you read this one after you read CHA, giving you a bit of context for what Williams is saying here.)

O’Rahilly, Early Irish History and Mythology (note: A lot of what he says here is no longer considered recent in the field, but his knowledge of his own sources is, frankly, without any other peer. Use with a grain of salt)

John Carey, The Mythological Cycle of Medieval Irish Literature

Kim McCone, Pagan Past, Christian Present

Koch, Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia

Articles: 

John Carey, “Myth and Mythography in ‘Cath Magh Tuired’”

John Carey, “Donn, Amairgen, Ith and the Prehistory of Irish Pseudohistory”

Proinsias Mac Cana, “Aspects of the theme of King and Goddess in Irish Literature” 

Máire Herbert, “Goddess and king: the sacred marriage in early Ireland.”

Gregory Toner, “Macha and the invention of myth” 

Elizabeth A. Gray, “Cath Maige Tuired: myth and structure“

Thomas Charles-Edwards, “Tochmarc Étaíne: a literal interpretation”

Tómas O’Cathasaigh, “Cath Maige Tuired as Exemplary Myth” 

Joseph Nagy, “Close encounters of the traditional kind in medieval Irish literature” 

Mark Scowcroft, “Leabhar Gabhála. Part I: the growth of the text” 

Mark Scowcroft, “Leabhar Gabhála. Part II: the growth of the tradition”  

Joseph Nagy, “‘Talking myth’ in medieval Irish literature.”

John Carey, “The Location of the Otherworld in Irish Tradition” 

Máire Bhreathnach, “The sovereignty goddess as goddess of death?“

John Carey, “Notes on the Irish war-goddess.” 

Veronica Philipps, “Exile and authority in Lebor gabála Érenn” 

Kevin Murray, “Sources of Irish mythology. The significance of the dinnṡenchas” 

[twdmusicboxmystery]

hey just wanted ur points in this. we know that daryl was (is) in love with beth in Still and Alone, but what about Beth? do u think she shared the same feelings? did she fall in love with him too? it'd be nice if u could give ur opinion with some evidences or dialogues from the scenes or stuff. no pressure though :)

I do believe she had feelings for him as well, but I also think she tried to suppress hers.

So, the only really canon evidence we have for her side of things comes from S3. Even though not many people were thinking about them as a couple in S3, if you go back and watch, you can see that they were already setting it up.

I've said this before, but just a quick recap: tptb knew about the Caryl ship even back then. The "wanna screw around" scene with Daryl on Carol on top of the overturned bus in 3x01 was the writers addressing the idea of romance between them and dismissing it. It was like both characters considered it for a minute, but then went, "nah." And ever since, they've just been platonic besties. It's something that ship refuses to acknowledge.

But right after that--RIGHT after; like 5 seconds later--Beth was singing by the fire and Daryl was staring at her. That's very telling for what the writers were going for.

So, in terms of Beth's feelings, all we really have is her conversation with Carol after Daryl left with Merle. I made an edit about it some time ago and how she's crushing on him.

So, this is my opinion about what's up with Beth's feelings about Daryl. It is mostly conjecture, but I've also extrapolated from what we have seen in the show, and what they've told us.

I think Beth did have a crush on Daryl. I even have a head canon where maybe she was slightly afraid of him at first. I mean, back when he first showed up at Hershel's farm in S2. Because he has the look of a scary biker dude, and Beth was raised to be a wholesome country girl.

But Beth also has a talent for seeing people's best traits. After being on the road with Rick's group for a year, she recognized that Daryl is actually kind and loyal and gentle and all the things we know and love about Daryl. One thing that's not in my edit above is that she tells Carol the group is weak without him. So, she also recognized that he was a major survival asset for them.

So, I think she did have a crush on him, but she never truly believed he would return those feelings. Like, she thought her own feelings were just a schoolgirl crush, and that Daryl would never see her that way. She saw herself as weak, younger than him, and not his equal.

And that was true to a certain extent (though not in a negative way) at first, back in S2. She really did need to be protected back then, and Daryl wouldn't have thought of her in any way other than another member of the group and Hershel's daughter.

But there's a natural progression to things in life, and by S4, that clearly began to change. Drastically. They had their hug in 4x01, which resulted in a moment of sexual tension. And boy, those moments sure can change the nature of a person's reality, can't they. (Sorry; was totally watching Westworld last night. ;D).

And then of course we had the beautiful Bethyl journey of 4b, where they connected and got to know another on a soul level.

The last thing I want to point to is something that was said in the Daryl Origins episode. We had that moment where he said that during the "oh" moment, Daryl believed he'd read her incorrectly. That was confirmation that Daryl had feelings for Beth, and that IS what he was attempting to convey in that moment (of course we already knew that, both from the episode itself and from the character bios that AMC posted saying as much back after S4, and then quickly deleted, but this was just another confirmation of it) but when Beth showed surprise, he thought she didn't feel the same way.

I believe they included that in the Origins episode, not ONLY to confirm Daryl's feelings for her, but to draw attention to what hers might have been.

Clearly she was surprised to learn how he felt about her, but I don't think she was at all opposed to it. I think she was just shocked because she truly never thought he could come to see her that way.

It's also clear to me that Beth did want to be close to him emotionally. I truly don't think she was ever pursuing him romantically. She just admired him, secretly crushed on him from afar, but had resigned herself that he'd never feel the same way. But she still wanted to be close to him, even if just platonically. That's why she hugged him in 4x01, and why she tried so hard to draw him out emotionally in 4b.

And she kind of achieved that much. We see her being happy in Alone because they had become close. They were comfortable together, and she was learning to survive, and that made her happy. (We also see Daryl looking happy in Alone, but for other reasons. ;D)

So then, when he reveal his feelings, it truly shocked her, because she didn't expect it. And of course then the shit hits the fan, and she doesn't really get a chance to say much, other than, "Oh," which is eternally ambiguous. (Damnit, Gimple! Give us more!)

But think of it this way:

Think about the way stories are always written. Something is hinted at ONLY if it's eventually going to be fulfilled. So, if Daryl and Rick tell Michonne not to go to Macon, because it might be too dangerous, eventually someone in the group is going to end up at Macon and face some danger. (That's where Terminus was.)

If Eugene and Rosita stumble across a bizarre group dressed as walkers who whisper to one another, and then return home, tell everyone, and just *hope* they won't run into that group again, clearly, they're going to run into that group again.

It's true in other stories too. If the Beast tells Belle to stay out of the West Wing, where is she eventually going to go? You get the picture.

So, if they went out of their way to tell us that Daryl had feelings for Beth, but HE didn't think she returned them...

I'll just let you finish that sentence.

So, there's my theory and what little evidence we have from AMC and the show for how Daryl felt about Beth. But I do think it's fairly compelling evidence.

This is why I still think what Gimple told Larry King before S5 remains true: that eventually Daryl will find true love in the apocalypse. He already found it. They set it up that way. Now, he's just waiting for her return.

Thanks Nonny! Xoxo! 🔥😎😘

[asexualone]

(pls take the time to read)

Signs I should have known I was aro: Disney edition

I think this topic has been stressed a lot already. But here is my take, anyway.

Of course, romantic love had been, is and will always be one of the main themes in kids' movies. Why, I can never fully understand. I'll explain below how I like other themes more.

Some time ago, I did a post on the kiss/hug scenes in Rapunzel which depicts how much more I value acts of showing love that don't include kissing.

Not only those two. I have a history of hating Disney on-screen smooches. As a kid, I thought, "Well, maybe, I don't like seeing these characters kiss because it's a grownup thing."

Could you blame me? When my parents were in the room and a kissing scene appeared on the screen, they changed the channel. So my toddler brain concluded that the reason I didn't like watching kisses was because I wasn't of age to like it. Or something.

At the time, I had no idea that I was hand-picking my favorite movies by the level of romance they had in. Or lack thereof. And I was a very judgemental kid. Let's go through my original thoughts on some Disney classics.

Snow White — No. Just no. She's a child, fourteen. Marrying an older guy she doesn't even know. After he kisses her corpse. NO.

Cinderella — The age difference is a little better, I guess. So is the age of consent. But they only talked one (1) night and he relied on that slipper to find her instead of asking to meet all women and see for himself. Fairytale logic I guess. I didn't like how she called it love immediately and kissed the prince at least once that same night. Or how they got married immediately.

The Sleeping Beauty — Must I even explain? Aurora didn't even know Philip that much, had only met him once (if you exclude the "dreams"). And yet, he's her true love, the only one who can revive her corpse. Ridiculous. And yes, kissing a comatose body, ew. Also, the arranged marriage trope pisses me off, royalty or not. Aurora was engaged as a newborn baby, come on.

Mulan — Cinematic gold. I didn't know it back then, but the fact that romantic love is such a pushed-aside aspect in this movie gives me life. The songs give me life. Especially when the trio dresses as concubines and "Be a Man" plays in the background. An absolute gem, lmao. The sequel however ruined the story somewhat for me, too much lovey-dovey stuff. I like Mulan more when she's fighting than when she's acting all sappy towards Shang, sorry not sorry.

Peter Pan — Loved it, still do. But I did dislike the mermaids, the image of fangirls who are petty towards other girls. And Pan's brief "relationship" with Tiger Lily was nauseating to me. I couldn't explain it but when Pan blushed at her nose-nuzzling thing, I always pulled a face.

The Princess and the Frog — In my opinion, (remember, always my opinion): Tiana, this hard-working girl who doesn't belong to anyone, was lost to love. Well, not lost. But falling for Naveen in the course of three days? Unrealistic and kinda unnecessary. Sweet, but still. I adored the "relationship" between Ray and Evangeline more. Either way, it's a movie that I enjoyed when love wasn't that prominent on screen.

Aladdin — I love this movie because of the Genie. The relationship between Jasmine and Aladdin is meh. She forgot his face and didn't recognize him until later. Their coming together is a lot like that trope "first guy who treats her right sets the expectations and wins her heart". Usually that's a thing, not only in Disney movies but media in general. The female lead settles for the first guy that treats her right because the bar is that low. A good movie, all in all. Love how Jasmine stands up for herself at least. Not a lot of princesses fight against the objectification of women.

Pocahontas — I used to hate this movie. I didn't sit right with me: the racism in it, the manipulation, the murders. And the romance, yes. Pocahontas fell for the strange man who tickled her curiosity in the span of two days. I also hated how her father just sold her to marry Kocoum like that. I know it's tradition. Heck, that's a tradition that still goes on in my country. Maybe that's why I didn't like seeing it on screen. And Pocahontas doesn't even end up with John Smith. The second movie definitely ruined the story. So yes, she's the first princess who fell for a man in three days, TWICE. Needless to say, only the songs kept me from blacklisting the movie entirely.

The Little Mermaid — I actually loved this movie for some reason. I can't explain why, maybe it was my obsession with mermaids. Yeah, that was probably it. But I was pissed when Ariel exchanged her tail for legs. Not to mention human periods and overall, all the bad in the world, for a man she'd only seen once. As I grew up I realized just how f*cked up that story was: Ariel giving her entire lifestyle, family and identity up for a guy she hadn't even spoken to. I don't know why I loved that movie, alright? Hell I still do a little. The sequel too. Say what you want.

Brave — (I know this is technically Pixar, shut up) Much like the paradox with Ariel, I didn't like this movie. I can't explain it. Maybe because Merida wasn't the typical Disney princess I had been used to seeing. Now though, I ADORE that story. No, it's not because Merida knows archery... Okay, yes maybe a little. I love the aro-arrow word play, alright? Anyway, the way Merida fights against being shipped to a husband like the "tradition" I aforementioned asks her to, has always had my heart, even when I didn't like the movie. The focus on the mother-daughter relationship is special, I love it. Stellar movie.

Tangled — One of my favorite Disney movies, my favorite princess. But her relationship with Eugene.... Well. Again, three days. That's all it takes to fall in love. Classic of Disney. Not only that, but Eugene is literally the first man person Raps has ever since, besides Gothel. The bar is nonexistent for her, she would have fallen for anyone. He lied to her and she still... Well, I won't stress that any longer. Their relationship in the end is sweet, one of the few cases where we are actually shown that they would risk their lives to save each other. Respect that. Mostly, I love her magical hair and Pascal. And the guys of Snuggly Duckling.

Moana — EPIC MOVIE. The story, the culture, the character growth, the plot twist, everything! Loved it at first sight, at second and forever. Even more when I became aware that there's no romance in it. I don't think I need to say more.

Frozen — My opinions on this movie have always been changing, accompanied by mixed feelings. So the relationship between sisters was cute, but Lilo and Stitch made that more realistic. Anna's relationship with Hans, ugh. I think that for a long time I used the fact that he was the antagonist to justify my absolute hate for the way Anna "fell" for him in one evening. Again, Anna sweetheart. This is the first man you've met. The bar is nonexistent for you too. God bless Elsa for forbidding her to marry Hans. And while it's cute to think Elsa as a lesbian, she has aromantic vibes. Sorry not sorry, but she's also a God by the end of Frozen 2. Gods are beyond attraction, I said what I said.

Raya and the Last Dragon — Loved it, still do. Say what you will about "dragon Elsa". Sisu is her own character, and I adore her. And yes, I love the lack of romance in the movie. Make no mistake, I shipped Raya and Namaari from the first moment they smiled at each other. I swear on my name that I paused the movie and screamed, GAYYYY, at the top of my lungs. Luckily, I was home alone. If only Disney directors would do the right fcking thing and give me a queer main couple!! I swear I wouldn't mind the lovey-dovey romance one bit.

Of course, I've left dozens of movies out. This post is already way longer than I wanted it to be. But I think that was enough to make a point.

While I'm not romance-repulsed, seeing animated kisses (and unnecessary relationships) on screen makes me uncomfortable. As a child and as a grownup. It just doesn't sit right with me. Not to mention all these princesses who identify with their princes and specifically their relationships with said princes when they're perfect on their. Wreck it Ralph 2 made them a favor, I think, by making them work together and showing their strengths. Another movie I love.

Friendship just makes an overall better theme to apply to kids shows, my opinion. Family, work, self-discovery, mental health, happiness. These are all better themes to portray in media dedicated for children. Which is, again, my opinion.

And yes, Disney has been getting better. They've fixed the age difference and the age of consent. The female characters no longer depend on the male ones, at least not as often. They understand the assignment, alright. There are still many questionable things about Disney's reputation though, things we all choose to overlook for the sake of the good movies. But who knows? They might change. Hopefully soon we'll also have an obviously queer couple in a movie. Hope dies last.

[miserablesme]

The Les Miserables Changelog Part 3: 1987 Broadway Production

Hello, everyone! This is the latest edition in my attempt to chronicle all of the musical and lyrical changes which the show Les Miserables has undergone over the years. This time, we're going through all the changes between the musical as it existed on the West End around 1985-1986 and the revised libretto for the 1987 Broadway production.

In some ways, this is a much easier changelog to compile than the last two simply because it is much easier to find audio evidence of the show from this era than from its pre-1987 self. We have a full soundboard of the original Broadway cast as well as a very good quality bootleg of the very first Broadway preview, as well as several audios from the next few years which use exactly the same script. We also have an officially released Symphonic Soundtrack which almost (but not quite) follows this version of the libretto exactly. So no more relying on unclear bootlegs and speculation to figure out what was changed when!

Having said that, the changes in this production were MASSIVE. It's almost certainly the most extensive edit the show's libretto has received to this day. As such, this will be a very long edition of this blog. So make sure you have a bit of time on your hands before reading it! With all that cleared up, let's begin.

The first change literally can be heard as soon as the musical begins. The pre-Broadway show opens up with the same recurring motif also heard, for instance, at the openings of "At the End of the Day" and "One Day More". This music then transitioned to the instrumentals to the opening "Work Song". The post-Broadway libretto cuts right to the chase, with the opening instrumentals to the "Work Song" starting right up without any preamble.

One interesting little non-scripted change occurs later in the "Work Song", but only in American productions. For whatever reason, every American Javert from the original Broadway cast until the first Broadway revival sang "And I am Javert" instead of "And I'm Javert", for reasons that honestly baffle me. Again, the libretto retained the original contraption as far as I'm aware, and the West End production as well as later UK and Australian tours still used it as well.

The next change happens while Valjean is on parole. After Valjean pleads against the farmer underpaying him, this was the farmer's original response:

Do you believe

A yellow ticket of leave

Allows a criminal like you to earn full screw?

Since Broadway, his response is instead as follows:

You broke the law

It's there for people to see

Why should you get the same as honest men like me?

I much prefer this revised version. Though the information is essentially the same, it feels more dramatic, as well as feeling less awkward now that it is in the form of separate sentences as opposed to a single sentence spoken in three lines with pauses in between. Moreover, the phrase "honest men like me" as used here provides interesting foreshadowing for its more well-known usage in "Master of the House". One could spend quite some time analysing the implications of this recurring description, but this blog is long enough as it is so now isn't the time!

In the same number, originally the innkeeper's wife had the following remark:

My rooms are full

And I've no supper to spare

I'd like to help you really, all I want is to be fair

Since Broadway, her line has been slightly modified:

My rooms are full

And I've no supper to spare

I'd like to help a stranger, all we want is to be fair

I suppose "I'd like to help a stranger" sounds less slang-y than "help you really". Presumably this is why it was changed. I find the change of subject from singular to plural far more interesting. My hypothesis is that the writers wanted to make it clear than this is a communal grudge, not a personal one. Everyone around sees it as perfectly fair to deny shelter to a former convict, not just this one individual. I definitely prefer the revised line, but evidently the producers of the West End production didn't; that production held on to the original lyrics for more than a decade after they were originally revised! More on that in a later edition of this blog...

A more minor change can be heard during "At the End of the Day". Originally, Valjean asks the factor workers "What is this shouting all about?" The Broadway script changes this to "What is this fighting all about?" Much less trivial implications now. I'm curious as to whether or not a staging change may have accompanied this. Usually the two workers get into quite a bit of physical scuffle by this point, far beyond the realm of shouting. Did the original pre-Broadway production use more subdued choreography?

"The Runaway Cart" has some noticeable differences. After Valjean asks the townspeople for help, the original response was sung by the entire ensemble, and went as follows:

(SOLO)

Don't go near him, Monsieur Mayor

There's nothing at all you can do

(ENSEMBLE)

The old man is a goner for sure

Leave him alone

The Broadway libretto revised this into a sequence sung by one individual at a time with the following lyrics:

Don't go near him, Monsieur Mayor

The load is as heavy as hell

The old man is a goner for sure

It will kill you as well

A female ensemble member sung "The old man is a goner for sure" while a male member sung the rest. I sort of like it better as an ensemble piece (something that would be largely brought back in later years, as I'll soon discuss) although I think it's cool that it rhymes now. Having said that, I'm fairly confident that no one in the real world has ever actually used the phrase "Heavy as hell"!

An official change in the libretto occurred in "Who Am I?" but listeners to the original Broadway cast would not have heard it. While the pre-Broadway show had Valjean refer to "This innocent who bears my face", the revised libretto instead refers to "This innocent who wears my face". Perhaps a means of avoiding repetition, given that the word "bear" is used again later in the number? Regardless, Colm Wilkinson didn't actually bother to adapt to this change! He still sings "This innocent who bears my face" in the Broadway production (as well as the tenth anniversary concert; not until his 1998 stint in Toronto did he ever start singing the revised lyrics). Since every future Valjean (except Ivan Rutherford for some reason) sings "wears", I still see it as appropriate to mention here.

At the end of the song, Valjean's "You know where to find me!", used on and off in the Barbican previews before becoming a settled part of the production by the final pre-Broadway libretto, is once again removed for the Broadway show. However, the West End production would keep it for a few years - more on that later...

Just listening to the original Broadway cast, one might think Javert's "Dare you talk to me of crime?" becomes "Dare you speak to me of crime?" However, this seems to be a Terrence Mann-exclusive change. Every Javert after him reverts to the original lyrics (as did Terrence himself when he returned to the musical fifteen years later). I'm still making note of the change here for the sake of clarification.

An instrumental change occurs between "Castle on a Cloud" and "Master of the House". Mme. Thenardier's "You heard me ask for something and I never ask twice" was original followed by three bars of notes, then by six more bars of notes that are identical to each other. After the Broadway production, however, those six bars of notes grow increasingly more dramatic as they go on.

A very slight change happens during the preamble to "Master of the House". Originally one of the guests proclaims "Hell, what a wine" while the revised libretto instead has him claim "God, what a wine". Definitely more natural in my opinion, though not a huge difference by any means.

A few subtle differences exist in the "Waltz of Treachery" number. First off, Thenardier originally asks "Have we done for your child what is best?" The Broadway libretto changes "your child" to "her child". I personally like the original lyric better, as it goes back to the idea established earlier that Valjean is metaphorically bargaining through the spirit of Fantine. It's definitely not a difference that makes or breaks the number, though.

Towards the end of the song comes another change that cannot actually be heard by listening to the original Broadway cast. In the pre-Broadway show, Valjean used the line "Let us seek out a friendlier sky", while the revised libretto has him say "Let us seek out some friendlier sky". However, Colm Wilkinson once again doesn't bother to adapt to the change, and unlike the "Who Am I?" change he wouldn't learn it over time either. He continues to sing "a friendlier sky" throughout his on-and-off performances as Valjean, right up to and including his 2002 run in Shanghai!

After the bulk of the number comes a more significant change. Prior to the Broadway production, as was discussed in the last entry, the "Waltz of Treachery" was followed by about forty-five seconds of vamping and then this exchange in the tune of "Castle on a Cloud":

(LITTLE COSETTE)

We're going home right now, monsieur

What is your name

(VALJEAN)

Now my dear

I've names enough, I've got names to spare

But where I go, you always will be there

Nor will you be afraid again

There is a sun that's shining yet

(LITTLE COSETTE)

I'm going to call you my Papa

(VALJEAN)

I'm going to call you my Cosette

The Broadway libretto replaced it with just under twenty seconds of vamping, followed by a sequence in the tune of the "Waltz of Treachery":

(VALJEAN)

Come Cosette

Come my dear

From now on I will always be here

Where I go

You will be

(LITTLE COSETTE)

Will there be children

And castles to see?

(VALJEAN)

Yes, Cosette

Yes it's true

There's a castle just waiting for you

This is followed by another fifteen or so seconds of vamping, and then the humming duet between Cosette and Valjean carries on as before.

Arguably the biggest change in the entire edited libretto happens now. Whereas the number was originally directly followed by "Stars", things have been moved around so that it instead transitions directly into "Look Down". "Look Down" itself receives a lot of adjustments. First off, the number began in the pre-Broadway musical with a bar of music that was then repeated. The Broadway version only plays the bar of music once, and the sung part happens immediately afterwards.

Gavroche's verse receives some lyrical updates. Originally it used the following lines:

This is my school, my high society

From St. Denis to St Michel

We live on crumbs of humble piety

Tough on the teeth, but what the hell?

If you're poor, if you're free

Follow me, follow me!

The Broadway production rewrote that sequence a little:

This is my school, my high society

Here in the slums of St Michel

We live on crumbs of humble piety

Tough on the teeth, but what the hell?

Think you're poor? Think you're free?

Follow me, follow me!

Better lines in my humble opinion; "slums" conveys the poverty of Gavroche's community much more effectively than the original line, and phrasing the "poor" and "free" lines as questions is more dramatic than their original statement form.

The old beggar woman's original "You give 'em all the pox" becomes the less grammatically accurate "Give 'em all the pox" for Broadway, though I have no idea if the original "You" was part of the libretto or simply an improvisation. Since seemingly all actresses used that line for the first few years of the West End production, it strikes me as warranting a mention.

Right after this comes another change. In the pre-Broadway show, the argument between the beggar woman and the prostitute was followed by an exchange by a few individual beggars. All of the following lines were said by one person at a time, the first three being said by female beggars and the last one by a male beggar:

When's it gonna end?

When're we gonna live?

Something's gotta happen, dearie

Something's gotta give

The Broadway libretto changes this to an ensemble piece performed by all the beggars simultaneously:

When's it gonna end?

When're we gonna live?

Something's gotta happen now or

Something's gotta give

I really like the switch to a group effort, as it really emphasizes that the beggars are a community sharing the burden of poverty. It really feels like an epidemic to an extent that it doesn't when it's just a small conversation. Evidently the producers of the West End show didn't agree with me though, as they held onto the original sequence for more than a decade after the official change, and by that point it had already been largely reverted worldwide! More on that in a later blog...

Originally, the exposition about General Lamarque was given by a few random students (supposedly not specified in the libretto, but in practice portrayed as Combeferre and Feuilly). Some ensemble dialogue between beggars was put in between. Feuilly sings over the end of the ensemble's lines - but many have speculated that this was not intended by the writers, as the background music sounds super out of sync with his singing! Here's how the scene went:

(COMBEFERRE)

As for the leaders of the land

As for the swells who run this show

Only one man and that's Lamarque

Speaks for the people here below

(BEGGARS)

Something for a meal

Something for a doss

Something in the name of Him who died upon the cross

On the cross, come across

On the cross, come across, come across

(FEUILLY)

Lamarque is ill and fading fast

Won't last the week out, so they say

With all the anger in the land

How long before the judgement day?

Before we cut the fat ones down to size?

Before the barricades arise?

Fortunately, the writers of the Broadway libretto had the sense to change the purveyors of the message into people actually relevant to the show's plot, namely Marius and Enjolras. Moreover, the beggars' dialog was rewritten into a sequence that feels far less clunky to me. The background music was fixed to account for the solo singing (now done by Marius) overlapping the beggars' lines, so it is now perfectly in sync. Here's the edited exchange:

(ENJOLRAS)

Where are the leaders of the land?

Where are the swells who run this show?

(MARIUS)

Only one man and that's Lamarque

Speaks for the people here below

(BEGGARS)

See our children fed

Help us in our shame

Something for a crust of bread in Holy Jesus' name

(SOLO BEGGAR)

In the Lord's holy name

(BEGGARS)

In His name, in His name, in His name

(MARIUS)

Lamarque is ill and fading fast

Won't last the week out, so they say

(ENJOLRAS)

With all the anger in the land

How long before the judgement day?

Before we cut the fat ones down to size?

Before the barricades arise?

Much better in my opinion! It should be noted that David Bryant instead sings "these people here below", but as far as I can tell every future Marius (or later Enjolras - more on that later) sings "the people, which is the actually phrasing in the libretto.

One final change in Look Down: Gavroche now says that all of Thenardier's family is "on the make", as opposed to the original "on the take". A rather pointless change in my book, though it certainly doesn't hurt anything.

"The Robbery" is another heavily edited number. Thenardier's line after acknowledging Brujon, Babet, and Claquesous was originally as follows:

You Montparnasse, watch for the p'lice

With Eponine, take care

You've got all the hash, I've got all the cash

The Broadway show rewrote those lines into their still-current form:

You Montparnasse, watch for the law

With Eponine, take care

You turn on the tears, no mistakes my dears!

This changed lyric more naturally transitions the scene into the gang's actual plan, though the original is an interesting continuation of Gavroche's recollection of Thenardier once running a hash house.

Mme. Thenardier's response is also altered from the original lyrics:

Here come a student from our street

One of 'Ponine's peculiar gents

Our Eponine would kiss his feet

She never showed a bit of sense

Into the current ones:

These bloody students on our street

Here they come slumming once again

Our Eponine would kiss their feet

She never showed a scrap of brain

It's interesting how the edit shifts the focus from Marius in particular to the students in general. It seems that Mme. Thenardier is less aware of the specifics of her daughter's personal life now, something that makes sense for her character.

After Mme. Thenardier's "You'll be in the clear", there was originally just eighteen seconds of a musical motif (the same one which opens "At the End of the Day" and "One Day More") followed by Thenardier's speech. Since Broadway, it's instead been followed by a few more lines of dialogue:

(MARIUS)

Who is that man

(EPONINE)

Leave me alone!

(MARIUS)

Why is here?

Hey Eponine!

Only now does the musical motif play. But instead of staying silent upon seeing Cosette, Marius now sings "I didn't see you there, forgive me..." Interestingly, in this video of a 1987 performance of the original West End production, Marius just stops without bumping into Cosette as he usually does. This makes me wonder whether or not the bumping was added into the Broadway version, and the lyric was added to accomodate for the blocking change. Of course, this is all speculation; I have no way to know for sure.

Thenardier's con job is also quite a bit different post-Broadway. Originally it used the following lyrics:

How you do? Spare a sou

God will see all the good that you do

Look monsieur, lost a leg

Hero of Waterloo now has to beg

Wait a bit, know that face...

The Broadway libretto edited it into its current form:

Please monsieur, come this way

Here's a child that ain't eaten today

Save a life, spare a sou

God rewards all the good that you do

Wait a bit, know that face...

It's interesting how Thenardier's facade shifts in focus from his own supposed hardship to that of an alleged child. I suppose the latter would be a good bit more effective in convincing passersby to donate!

During "Javert's Intervention", Thenardier now says "It was me that told you so, as opposed to the original "Wot told you so"; however, this seems to be a regional choice to account for a lack of Cockney accent, not an official libretto change. British productions retain the original "Wot".

“The Robbery” ends quite differently. Its pre-Broadway form had Gavroche’s remarks directly follow Javert’s “Clear this garbage off the street!” However, now Javert’s line is instead followed by some instrumentals to a slower version of the same tune as, for instance, “Honest work/Just reward/That’s the way to please the lord” and “He will bend/He will break/This time there is no mistake”.

After these instrumentals come the “Stars” number, now in a much more natural location given that Javert now has a logical reason to be thinking about Valjean!

The number itself is mostly the same, up until the final segment. After Javert’s “Those who falter and those who fall must pay the price”, he originally had the following lyrics:

Scarce to be counted

Changing the chaos

To order and light

You are the sentinels

Silent and sure

Keeping watch in the night

Keeping watch in the night

The post-Broadway show replaced this with a much more climactic remark:

Lord let me find him

That I may see him

Safe behind bars

I will never rest ‘til then

This I swear

This is swear by the stars

WOW, what an improvement! Now the stars are tied much better to Valjean himself, and Javert’s motivation is much clearer!

Now that “Stars” is over, we finally get Gavroche's remarks. The lyrics are the same; however, instead of the tempo progressively getting faster as it goes along, it now gets progressively slower. Interestingly the audio of the first preview has Gavroche saying "mother dear" instead of "auntie dear", but it's back to the original line by the second known original Broadway cast audio. Both audio feature Braden Danner; whether the "mother dear" was a choice on his part or a director's, a flub, or a libretto change that was later reverted is unknown.

"Eponine's Errand" has some significant changes. First off, the original libretto gave Marius and Eponine this exchange:

(MARIUS)

Did you see that lovely girl

(EPONINE)

A lovely two-a-penny thing

The Broadway libretto edited it a little:

(MARIUS)

Eponine, who was that girl?

(EPONINE)

Some bourgeois two-a-penny thing

Marius' request has also been changed from its original lyrics:

Eponine, do this for me

But careful how you go

Your father mustn't know

He'll strike another blow

'Ponine, I'm lost until she's found

Into some far clearer and more direct instructions:

Eponine, do this for me

Discover where she lives

But careful how you go

Don't let your father know

'Ponine, I'm lost until she's found

And yes, the line was "your father" right from day one. Michael Ball flubs it as "her father" on the complete symphonic recording, leading many to assume that was the original lyric which was changed later. But I'm not aware of a single live performance to use that lyric (which doesn't make a lot of sense anyway).

Another side note: Some Marius actors have very slightly changed the third line to "Be careful how you go" or "But careful as you go", though neither lyric is the standard.

Post-Broadway, as the instrumentals to "Red and Black" play, a student (I'm not sure which one) now shouts Enjolras' name before the singing begins.

During "Red and Black", Michael Maguire changes the original "It is easy to sit here and swat 'em like flies" to "Oh, it's easy to sit here and swat 'em like flies". However, this is an individual choice of the actor, not an official libretto change. Every future Enjolras I'm aware of (except Ramin Karimloo for some reason) uses the original line.

An actual libretto change occurs soon afterwards. After Marius' entrance, Grantaire originally asks, "Marius, what's wrong with you today?" The post-Broadway show changes this to "Marius, you're late. What's wrong today?" This makes it much clearer why Grantaire might suspect something is wrong.

Soon afterwards, Grantaire's original line "We talk of battles to be won, and here he comes like Don Juan" is slightly tweaked to "You talk of battles to be won". This is a little more appropriate, since Grantaire isn't actually doing a lot of talking!

After "Red and Black", Gavroche's part is very slightly changed. First off, American performances for a few years would have Gavroche whistle right before everyone quiets down, though I have no idea if this was in the libretto or not.

Secondly, Gavroche's original remark, "It's General Lamarque! He's dead!" is shortened to just "General Lamarque is dead!"

In another contender for the biggest change in the entire edit, the entire "I Saw Him Once" number is totally removed. I have mixed feelings about this. It does give Cosette, a frustratingly underwritten character, some additional content. However, stylistically it's not all that much like any other number in the musical, and it doesn't really add enough information to the show to warrant a whole song. So I say with regret that it was probably for the best to delete the number.

To compensate for the lost number, "In My Life" is lengthened to include the establishing character moments that "I Saw Him Once" originally did. Originally it opened as follows:

(COSETTE)

Dearest papa, can I tell him of this?

How can I tell him the things that I feel?

How could he understand?

(VALJEAN)

Dear Cosette, you're such a lonely child...

The post-Broadway opener is instead as follows:

(COSETTE)

How strange, this feeling that my life's begun at last

This change, can people really fall in love so fast?

What's the matter with you Cosette?

Have you been to much on your own?

So many things unclear

So many things unknown

In my life

There are so many questions and answers

That somehow seem wrong

In my life

There are times when I catch in the silence

The sigh of a faraway song

And it sings of a world that I long to see

Out of reach, just a whisper away, waiting for me

Does he know I'm alive? Do I know if he's real?

Does he see what I see? Does he feel what I feel?

In my life

I'm no longer alone

Now the love in my life is so near

Find me now, find me here

(VALJEAN)

Dear Cosette, you're such a lonely child...

After Valjean gives Cosette his cryptic defense of his secrecy, Cosette had a remark that is sadly incredibly hard to understand in the quality of the recordings we have. It apparently went something like this:

There are voices I hear

That come into my mind

Full of noise, full of fear

When the noise was unkind

In my life

I'm no longer afraid

And I yearn for the truth that you know

Of the years, years ago

Her post-Broadway response is much shorter:

In my life

I'm no longer a child

And I yearn for the truth that you know

Of the years, years ago

Shorter, but just as effective in my book. Plus, the use of the word "child" nicely ties into Valjean's initial remark that Cosette is "such a lonely child", as well as Cosette's frustration that he still sees her as "a child who is lost in the woods".

The next number, "A Heart Full of Love", also has a LOT of rewritten lyrics. First of all, after Marius' "I do not even know your name", these are his original lyrics:

Dear mademoiselle

I am lost in your spell

The Broadway production changed the lyrics into:

Dear mademoiselle

Won't you say? Will you tell?

I suppose this fits a little better with his remark about not knowing Cosette's name.

After Marius and Cosette finally learn each other's names (an important step in a relationship if you ask me!) this was their original way of showing their affection:

(MARIUS)

Cosette, your name is like a song

(COSETTE)

My song is you

(MARIUS)

Is it true?

(COSETTE)

Yes, it's true

The Broadway production rewrote it into the following:

(MARIUS)

Cosette, I don't know what to say

(COSETTE)

Then make no sound

(MARIUS)

I am lost

(COSETTE)

I am found

In my opinion, the rewrite captures the slight awkwardness of young love much better, as well as making a lot more sense!

Immediately afterwards, this is the original exchange:

(MARIUS and COSETTE)

A heart full of love

A heart full of you

(MARIUS)

The words are foolish but they're true

Cosette, Cosette

What were we dreaming when we met?

(COSETTE)

I can sing

(MARIUS)

Dear Cosette

(COSETTE)

A heart full of love...

The Broadway libretto redoes the scene as the following:

(MARIUS)

A heart full of love

(COSETTE)

A night bright as day

(MARIUS)

And you must never go away

Cosette, Cosette

(COSETTE)

This is a chain we'll never break

(MARIUS)

Do I dream?

(COSETTE)

I'm awake

(MARIUS)

A heart full of love...

Almost a totally different scene! The post-Broadway variant is better structured, but I do like the original too.

As the trio of Marius, Cosette, and Eponine exchanges inner monologues, Marius originally has the line "I saw her waiting and I knew". The Broadway libretto changed this to "A single look and then I knew". I kind of prefer the original, as it implies a little more than something as trivial as a cursory glance.

In the closing lyrical overlap of the song, Cosette originally sings "Waiting for you", but post-Broadway she sings "I knew it too". Then, she originally sings "At your call" but post-Broadway she sings "Every day".

During the opening to "The Attack on Rue Plumet", Montparnasse refers to Valjean as "the one that got away the other day" as opposed to his original "the bloke wot got away the other day". However, this is another regional change made for the sake of making sense outside of a cockney accent. The official libretto still had the original lyrics.

A tiny change occurs during Thenardier and Eponine's fight. Claquesous originally thinks it's a palaver and an absolute treat "to watch a cat and its father" picking a bone in the street. The Broadway libretto changed this to "see a cat and a father". Why exactly the writers felt the need to make such a miniscule edit is mystifying to me, but it certainly doesn't hurt anything.

Another change occurs later in the number, after Eponine's scream. Originally this was Thenardier's reaction:

Make for the sewers, don't wait around

Leave her to me, go underground

You wait my girl, you'll rue this night

I'll make you scream, you'll scream alright!

These lines were mixed up a bit for the Broadway libretto:

You wait my girl, you'll rue this night

I'll make you scream, you'll scream alright!

Leave her to me, don't wait around

Make for the sewers, go underground

The post-Broadway variation arguably is a bit less climactic due to it not ending on a threat. However, the original climax isn't all that appropriate since Eponine and Thenardier never actually interact at any later point in the musical. I like that the post-Broadway version ends on something that's actually relevant to the remainder of the show (namely, that Thenardier will be in the sewers). Evidently the West End producers didn't agree with me; this is another line in which the original was kept there for more than a decade (at which point a rewrite closer to the original was already being used worldwide)!

In "One Day More", Javert's "One day more to revolution" is slightly changed to "One more day to revolution". However, the number is otherwise unchanged.

And that's it for Act One! The opening barricade scene to act two has a small change. Grantaire's pre-Broadway "Some will bark, some will bite" was changed to "Dogs will bark, fleas will bite". Makes a lot more sense in my opinion!

The opening to "On My Own" is changed as well. Originally it was performed as follows:

And now I'm all alone again

Nowhere to go, no one to turn to

I did not want your money sir

I came out here 'cause I was told to

The Broadway version rewrote it into the following:

And now I'm alone again

Nowhere to turn, no one to go to

Without a home, without a friend

Without a face to say hello to

A huge improvement in my book. It actually rhymes now, and is far less likely to be misconstrued as ungrateful.

After receiving a massive overhaul not that long before, "Little People" was slightly tweaked for the Broadway show. The pre-Broadway version had this ending:

So never kick a dog

Because he’s just a pup

You’d better run for cover when the pup grows up!

Another line (taken from the original longer version of "Little People" as well as all versions of its reprise) was added for the post-Broadway show:

So never kick a dog

Because he’s just a pup

We'll fight like twenty armies and we won't give up

So you’d better run for cover when the pup grows up!

Grantaire's line afterwards is literally reversed in meaning from the original "Better far to die a schoolboy than a policeman and a spy!" into "What's the difference? Die a schoolboy, die a policeman, die a spy!" This post-Broadway lyric fits better into Grantaire's cynical personality.

A very subtle edit is made in "Little Fall of Rain" (to the point that I only just realized its existence by reading an old internet forum!) Pre-Broadway, Marius asks Eponine "Did you see my beloved?" The tense is changed from past to present perfect for the Broadway libretto, so that he now sings "Have you seen my beloved?"

"Drink with Me" receives quite a bit of editing. The opening few lines are originally all sung by Grantaire:

Drink with me to days gone by

Sing with me the songs we knew

Here's to pretty girls who went to our heads

Here's to witty girls who went to our beds

Here's to them and here's to you

Now, those lyrics are split between various students:

(FEUILLY)

Drink with me to days gone by

Sing with me the songs we knew

(PROUVAIRE)

Here's to pretty girls who went to our heads

(JOLY)

Here's to witty girls who went to our beds

(ALL STUDENTS)

Here's to them and here's to you

A far more touching scene now that it entails an entire group of friends reminiscing about their lives, as opposed to the thoughts of one heavily drunk individual.

Originally this was followed by a segment by the male ensemble:

Drink with me to days gone by

To the life that used to be

At the shrine of friendship never say die

Let the wine of friendship never run dry

Then, this was followed by the same lyrics, but sung by the male and female ensembles overlapping. The Broadway libretto removes that and replaces it with an all-new segment with Grantaire. It's much more cynical and philosophical than his original lines:

Drink with me to days gone by

Can it be you fear to die?

Will the world remember you when you fall?

Could it be your death means nothing at all?

Is you life just one more lie?

The lyrics from the pre-Broadway show, in their male-and-female overlapping form, are played afterwards.

The next change occurs during the Second Attack. Pre-Broadway, this was how the opening lyrics went:

(ENJOLRAS)

How do we stand, Feuilly make your report

(FEUILLY)

We've guns enough but bullets running short

(MARIUS)

Let me go into the street

There are bodies all around

Ammunition to be had

Lots of bullets to be found

Some very small edits were made for Broadway:

(ENJOLRAS)

How do we stand, Feuilly make your report

(FEUILLY)

We've guns enough but ammunition short

(MARIUS)

I will go into the street

There are bodies all around

Ammunition to be had

Lots of bullets to be found

The following exchange also is a bit edited. Here's how it went pre-Broadway:

(ENJOLRAS)

I can't let you go, it's too much of a chance

(MARIUS)

And the same can be said for any man here

(VALJEAN)

Let me go in his place, he's no more than a boy

I am old and alone and have nothing to fear

Post-Broadway, it instead goes as follows:

(ENJOLRAS)

I can't let you go, it's too much of a chance

(MARIUS)

And the same is true for any man here

(VALJEAN)

Let me go, he's no more than a boy

I am old, I have nothing to fear

Finally, Gavroche's final lines are as follows pre-Broadway:

So never kick a dog

Because he’s just a pup

You’d better run for cover when the pup grows up

And we’ll fight like twenty armies and we won’t give…

A small edit is made for the Broadway production, so that the latter two lines are reversed:

So never kick a dog

Because he’s just a pup

We’ll fight like twenty armies and we won’t give up

So you’d better run for cover when the pup grows...

I'd say this is an improvement, since Gavroche's death is all the more impactful when his literal last unfinished words are about growing up.

Not long afterwards comes the Final Battle. Leading up to Enjolras' climactic moment, the original lines went as follows:

(ENJOLRAS)

Come on my friends, though we stand here alone

Let us go to our deaths with our face to our foes

(COMBEFERRE)

Let 'em pay for each death with a death of their own

(COURFEYRAC)

If they get me, by God, they will pay through the nose

(ENJOLRAS)

Let others rise to take our place

Until the earth is free

The sequence was edited for Broadway, giving a bit more breathing space:

(ENJOLRAS)

Let us die facing our foes

Make them bleed while they can

(COMBEFERRE)

Make them pay through the nose

(COURFEYRAC)

Make them pay for every man

(ENJOLRAS)

Let others rise to take our place

Until the earth is free

"Dog Eats Dog" is a very heavily-edited number. First off, the vamping at the beginning originally lasts about 30 seconds. By Broadway, it has been reduced to about nineteen seconds.

After Thenardier's "As a service to the town" line, he originally sung the following lines:

It's a world where the dogs eat the dogs

And the worst is as good as the best

It's a stinking great sewer that's crawling with rats

And one rat is as good as the rest

I raise my eyes to see the heavens

And only the moon looks down

That entire sequence was cut for Broadway.

Soon afterwards, Thenardier originally proclaims "Here's a little toy". The Broadway edit changes it to "Here's another toy", perhaps to make it seem less repetitive after his "pretty little thing" line.

The exact same lines from after "As a service to the town" are repeated in the pre-Broadway number after Thenardier's "When the gutters run with blood" line, with one more line added afterwards:

It's a world where the dogs eat the dogs

And the worst is as good as the best

It's a stinking great sewer that's crawling with rats

And one rat is as good as the rest

I raise my eyes to see the heavens

And only the moon looks down

The harvest moon shines down

Unlike the first instance of those lines, they aren't completely excised for Broadway. They are, however, significantly rewritten:

It's a world where the dogs eat the dogs

And they kill for the bones in the street

And God in His heavens, He don't interfere

'Cause He's dead as the stiffs at my feet

I raise my eyes to see the heavens

And only the moon looks down

The harvest moon shines down

I really like how the edited version focuses more on godlessness than on how gross the sewer is. Not that a lack of a god is inherently sinister; I am quite agnostic myself and I think the unbreakable connection between religion and morality alleged by some is ridiculous. But it is blatantly obvious that Thenardier sees no reason to be moral provided no one will punish him.

As a side note, the 1985 London official soundtrack oddly uses this variant, yet the 1986 bootleg audio I have uses the original. Perhaps the original was experimented with, reverted, and later put in again? Who knows...

After the number, Thenardier now shouts Valjean's name.

The encounter in the sewers between Valjean and Javert originally ended as follows, with Javert's first two lines here in a tune not heard anywhere else in the musical to my recollection:

(VALJEAN)

Come, time is running short

(JAVERT)

Go take him, I'll be waiting at the door

I've never met a man like you before

A man such as you

The sequence was extended for the Broadway libretto, to the tune of "Look Down" and the "Work Song":

(VALJEAN)

Come, time is running short

Look down, Javert

He's standing in his grave

(VALJEAN - simultaneously with the next two lines)

Give way, Javert

There is a life to save

(JAVERT - simultaneously with the previous two lines)

Take him, Valjean

Before I change my mind

(JAVERT)

I will be waiting, 24601

A slight change can be heard in "Every Day". Originally Marius sings that he and Cosette will "remember that night and the song that we sang". The Broadway libretto edited this into the decidedly less medium-aware "remember that night and the vow that we made".

"Valjean's Confession" has been reworked to the point that it can scarcely even be considered the same song. After Valjean's "There's something now that must be done", this was how the song went:

(VALJEAN)

Monsieur, I cannot stay a night beneath your roof

I am a convict, sir, my body bears the proof

My name is Jean Valjean

I never told Cosette, I bear this guilt alone

And this I swear to you, her innocence is real

Her love is true

Our love, our life, are now her own

And I must face the years alone

(MARIUS)

I do not understand what's the sense of it all?

Is the world upside down?

Will the universe fall?

If it's true what you say, and Cosette doesn't know

Why confess it to me?

Why confess it at all?

What forces you to speak after all?

(VALJEAN)

You and Cosette must be free of reproach

It is not your affair

There is a darkness that's over my life

It's the cross I must bear

It's for Cosette this must be faced

If I am found, she is disgraced

(MARIUS)

What can I do that would turn you from this...

After the Broadway rewrite, Valjean's "There's something now that must be done" is followed by this:

(VALJEAN)

You've spoken from the heart, and I must do the same

There is a story, sir, of slavery and shame

That you alone must know

I never told Cosette, she had enough of tears

She's never known the truth, the story you must hear

Of years ago

There lived a man whose name was Jean Valjean

He stole some bread to save his sister's son

For nineteen winters served his time

In sweat he washed away his crime

Years ago

He broke parole and lived a life apart

How could he tell Cosette and break her heart?

It's for Cosette this must be faced

If he is caught she is disgraced

The time is come to journey on

And from this day he must be gone

Who am I?

Who am I?

(MARIUS)

You're Jean Valjean

What can I do that will turn you from this...

The few lines afterwards are the same, but as you can see not much else in the song is! Even the tune diverges a lot between the two variants. I'm very conflicted about which one I prefer. I gravitate towards the final one, though it's nice that the original actually tried to address to confusing notion that Valjean wants to tell his son-in-law of his past yet not his own daughter.

"Beggars at the Feast" originally ended with a solo for Thenardier:

(THENARDIER and MME. THENARDIER)

We know where the wind is blowing

Money is the stuff we smell

(THENARDIER)

And when I'm rich as Croesus

Jesus, won't I see you all in Hell!

The Broadway libretto switched this to a group line:

(THENARDIER and MME. THENARDIER)

We know where the wind is blowing

Money is the stuff we smell

And when we're rich as Croesus

Jesus, won't we see you all in Hell!

I much prefer the revised version, as the two Thenardiers clearly are in this act together. It seems more appropriate to let them both have the last laugh.

A small change occurs in the Epilogue. Pre-Broadway, Fantine sings "You raised my child with love". However, post-Broadway, she instead sings "You raised my child in love".

Another change occurs later in the epilogue. In the pre-Broadway show, Cosette tells Valjean that "It's too soon to ever say goodbye". The post-Broadway libretto instead has her sing "It's too soon, too soon to say goodbye". Repetitive as it may be, I prefer it over the original because the original awkwardly combines language clearly denoting the moment with language implying eternality.

Phew, we're finally at the end! Rest assured this is almost certainly the longest changelog you'll ever be forced to endure. I'm fairly sure it's complete, but this particular rewrite was so extensive it's not impossible that I missed something. Please feel free to let me know if that is the case.

As a side note, both for this project and my own enjoyment, I want as complete a collection of Les Miserables audios as possible. I already have most of what’s commonly circulated, but if you have any audios or videos you know are rare, or some audios that you haven't traded in a few years, I’d love it if you DMed me!

Until the turntable puts me at the forefront again, good-bye…

[writing-in-april]

Cinematic Coincidences

Spencer Reid x Gender Neutral Reader

(Spencer’s POV)- listen I just love his POV lol

Summary: Spencer can’t bring himself to go on another date that’s been set up for him- so he stands his date up. Spence seemingly can’t catch a break and runs into the date he stood up.

A/N: Hey heyyy- here’s my seventh fic for my 30 fics in 30 days for April!! This one was requested by @andiebeaword (I added a reference for your love of hallmark movies in this hehe)- this is the original request- I tweaked the characters involved just a small bit lol I accidentally end up defaulting to using the people on the dream team lol- im going to start working in later characters in the show into some stuff in upcoming works (I’m also rewatching the later seasons so that’ll help get me inspired) Im always looking for feedback on my fics or really to talk about anything with my followers so feel free to drop into my inbox- here!! Thanks for reading- y’all have been so sweet 🥰 and hope y’all enjoy!!

Warnings: Insecure Spencer, Getting stood up for on a date, Morgan and Garcia (just the team in general) not really understanding Spencer fully, one tiny sexual innuendo- I think that’s it nothing too bad this time around

Main Masterlist Word Count: 2.4K

This was not what I wanted to be doing today. Garcia had once again inquired about my love life- along with Morgan of course, wanting to find out about all the juicy details. I didn’t know why they continued to ask when it was obvious that my love life was about as exciting as watching paint dry.

I gave my normal response to these types of inquiries, brushing them off without sounding too hurtful. Unfortunately Garcia would not be satiated by my response, apparently she was now fed up with my dull love life and felt like she needed to be personally involved. Garcia was very near and dear to me, just like Morgan, but I couldn’t deny that this grated my nerves.

“We’ll make you a dating profile too! Maybe you’ll find someone cute to date- or maybe get some?!” Garcia was chipper as usual, with her eyebrows wiggling at her suggestion that I should have a one night stand. All that I felt from her words was dread.

The dangers of online dating swirled in my mind and I tried to protest, it came out more like a stammer though. Morgan then patted me on the back and piped up, giving his own opinion, “Yeah- I think it’ll be good for you, pretty boy.”

Again I wanted to protest, beginning to stammer out another reason why I didn’t think it was a good idea. I sighed heavily when I was cut off again, by Morgan and Garcia already planning on what pictures they were going to upload of me. At least I knew that they had my best interests at heart, they wanted me to be happy with someone- or get some like Garcia had mentioned earlier. Still, it didn’t change the fact that there was no way I’d ever want to go willingly on a date with someone I had met on the internet.

—-

My thoughts had not changed since Morgan and Garcia had set up the dating profile for me. There hadn’t been any person I had been on a date with that had successfully been able to keep me interested beyond a few conversations.

“No luck with the online dating?” Morgan had teased when I had walked in with my head held low. This endeavor was just making me realize how picky and undesirable I was. Why couldn’t I just find someone pretty and be happy with it?

Morgan’s face twisted from a smile into a frown when I didn’t answer him, making my way silently to my desk.

For the rest of the day the team tiptoed around me, sensing my sadness. There was part of me that was angry at them for thinking that I couldn’t handle a few bad dates. But, they were right. I couldn’t handle the sting of rejection or the disappointment of a date that didn’t live up to my expectations.

Emily always seemed to know how to cheer me up, so I did attempt some small conversation in the break room while we were both getting our coffee. She never gave me any pity like the others who just flashed me sad looks, unwilling to make any effort to help- or like Garcia and Morgan, they helped in the wrong way even if their intentions were pure.

Her solution to my problem did make my ears perk up a bit, “Hey- I saw that you’ve been down and that it’s been about the online dating Morgan and Garcia made you get into.” I nodded my head in confirmation then gesturing for her to continue while I poured copious amounts of sugar into my drink. Emily opted for mostly cream instead of sugar, stirring her coffee a little, then continuing her thought,”I wondered how you would feel about being set up on a blind date. It’s someone I know so maybe that would make you feel better about going on it? Instead of having to deal with technology that I know you despise.”

Emily had a way of seeing exactly how I was feeling and not just spitting out facts without solutions like the others. Her solution made me nervous of course, there would probably never be a date that I wouldn’t be nervous for. However, this option made me feel a little bit more hopeful about my prospects in the dating pool. It was someone that she knew and trusted enough to suggest them as a potential match for a coworker. Emily didn’t trust easy, I could trust her judgment on this despite my nerves.

I gulped down a large sip of my overly sweetened coffee, collecting my thoughts before then answering, “Alright- I’ll go.”

—

The date that I was supposed to go on was at a quaint cafe near work. Emily had even made the effort to make sure that I had been there before so I might be more comfortable.

At first I had been extremely excited for the date, even going so far as to pick out my outfit. I would have worn my purple button up, that was the one I got the most compliments in. Emily had told me some stuff that my date was interested in so I made sure to brush up on my knowledge by reading about the topics. I had even called back to the restaurant menu in my mind, preparing myself by picking out what I wanted beforehand. On one of my dates set up through the dating app I had stumbled on my choice for food, making the person unnecessarily snappy. I had to cover all my bases to minimize potential awkwardness on my part.

Self doubt began to creep in after I had gotten fully dressed. I had gotten ready way too early in anticipation for the date, now sitting on my couch tapping my foot impatiently. I looked at my watch that sat over my long sleeves watching the clock tick closer and closed to when I was supposed to leave.

Biting my lip in worry, my mind couldn’t help but wander over into my self doubts. I couldn’t help but ask myself why anyone would want to date someone as tall and lanky as me- or why would someone want to go on a date with someone that couldn’t keep their mouth shut about random topics that no one cared about.

My self doubt swallowed any confidence that I had begun to build up in preparation for the date. I knew Emily would be furious with me tomorrow when I went into work, I didn’t want her to find out through her friend though. Deciding to get it over with I pulled out the phone I never used and texted her, telling her that I wasn’t coming. I told her to give my regrets to my date, who at this point was probably waiting patiently for me at the cafe. Sighing in defeat I then retreated into my bedroom again, crawling under my covers.

——

Emily hadn’t been furious with me- well that was a lie, at first she had stomped up to me the next morning to chew me out. She became more disappointed than anything when she found out my reasonings. She hadn’t mentioned anything about how the person I was supposed to be going on the blind date with felt. Not that I really wanted to hear about it, it would only make me feel worse. All I got from her was a small remark mumbled under her breath, “Idiots- the both of you…”

For the next few weeks I tried in vain to push thoughts of my failed blind date out of my head. I had avoided going in the general direction of the cafe. Luckily I took the metro everyday to work otherwise I’d have to drive by it every day, and I already hated driving.

I was at the bookstore for used booksjust around the corner from the cafe that was supposed to hold my date a few weeks ago. This was the closest I dared to go near it in a while. Since then I hadn’t been able to go there anymore, even though I loved the coffee there. Immense guilt had wormed its way into my brain when I had tried to order something there a week ago. All I had done was stammer at the cashier before bolting out of there, just another addition on the list of embarrassing things that I’ve done in my life.

I was flipping through an old edition of pride and prejudice out of boredom, there hadn’t been anything interesting stocked on the shelves since I had last been here. Then a voice piped up through the air that had a bit of dust flying through it,

“Excuse me, sir- if you’re still looking at that book would you mind if I looked at the ones on the shelf behind you?”

It took me a second before I realized the person was talking to me. I then removed my eyes from the book to blink up at them a few times, then registering what they had said to me and moved out of the way.

Their eyes were still glued to mine, the bookshelf behind me that they had wanted to look at forgotten. An awkward chuckle was all we both could seem to manage as we looked each other up and down. Emily had shown me a picture on her phone of my date so I would have been able to spot them at the restaurant. My cheeks flushed hard once I realized who was standing before me. There was no doubt who this was, the date I had stood up the night before.

Silence then fell between us and not the pleasant kind, it was most definitely awkward. I couldn’t imagine how they must have been feeling after I hadn’t shown up last night. They probably had sat

“Um- hi…” They spoke hesitantly, wringing their fingers in trepidation. My jaw opened and closed a few times, trying to come up with anything to say.

“Hi!” Was all I could manage to squeak out, plus a small wave in their direction.

They wrung their fingers a few more times, seemingly trying to come up with a response. I was surprised they hadn’t hit me with one of the books near them out of anger. It would be a normal response to being stood up for a date, the trepidation and silence just served to unnerve me further. Eventually they spoke again, saving me from anymore awkward silence which in my opinion was worse than awkward conversation, “Um- sorry for um, standing you up uh- a few weeks ago.”

That made my eyes bug out of my head- they had done the exact same thing as I had? Insecurity soon swept in, trying to tell me exactly why they had not shown up without hearing their side of the story. I looked down at the book I was holding, reading a few words for a moment of reprieve. Taking a deep breath I asked quietly, not admitting to my own faults yet, “W-why did you um- not go? If you don’t mind me asking…”

A deep sigh was what I got at first, one that obviously had a lot of stress in it. They then did provide me with an explanation, despite their obvious embarrassment, Well- It had nothing to do with you- a simple explanation would be saying it was my insecurity’s fault.”

Not that I would ever want anyone to feel insecure, but I would admit that them saying that did make my own stress melt away. They had not gone for almost the exact same reasons that me. I decided to be upfront, giving them my own reasoning- though I wasn’t even sure they realized that I hadn’t gone as well. “I don’t know if Emily told you, but I um- stood you up as well. It wasn’t because of anything bad! It was really for the same reason as you.”

They then broke out into giggles after they had processed my words for a second, which were much more relaxed than the awkward ones from before. I didn’t blame them, it was a pretty funny coincidence that we’d both stand each other up only to run into each other not knowing what we had done.

“I feel like we’re in one of those cheesy Hallmark movies right now…” Their comparison only confused me, I had no clue what they were talking about.

“What’s a Hallmark movie?” More giggles came from them at my questioning, though for once I didn’t feel like I was being laughed at. I felt like they were laughing at the whole situation, not at me specifically like so many people had often done. Also, I couldn’t help but admit to myself that their giggle was very cute.

Once their giggles had subsided a little they asked me something that almost no one would ask the person that had stood them up, “Maybe I could tell you over a coffee? If you want to of course- Emily told me about how much sugar you like in it.”

My interest was peaked, making me further regret having stood them up in the first place. Though I tried to push that thought out of the way considering we had both done the same thing. It was time to let that go so I could go on a date with them finally. Seeing them in person and being able to glimpse part of their personality made me want to know more.

“Alright- sure.” I set down the book I had been passively reading, now completely disinterested in it. There was something far more interesting in front of me now compared to a classic book I had read over ten times.

We both walked around the corner, to the cafe that we had originally had our date scheduled at. Conversation flowed easily between us, showing me that Emily had been totally right to set us up initially. Her words now made sense to me, we were both a couple of idiots.

We then got our coffee, which had been much smoother of a transaction compared to the last time I had been here. I took note of how much sugar and cream they liked, just in case we were going to do this again. Sitting down at the closest booth I then asked, “So tell me about Hallmark movies?”

Ask Me Anything

—-

Tag lists (Message me if you want to be added):

All works: @shotarosleftpinky @oreogutz @90spumkin @kyra-morningstar @s1utformgg @takeyourleap-of-faith 😡😡😡

All MGG characters: @muffin-cup @willowrose99

Spencer Reid/CM: @calm-and-doctor @destiny-tsukino @safertokiss @slutforthegubes @onlyhereforthefanfics @jareauswifey

[renegadewangs]

Van Zieks - the Examination, part 12

Warnings: SPOILERS for The Great Ace Attorney: Chronicles. Additional warning for racist sentiments uttered by fictional characters (and screencaps to show these sentiments).

Disclaimer: (see Part 1 for the more detailed disclaimer.) - These posts are not meant to be taken as fact. Everything I’m outlining stems from my own views and experiences. If you believe that I’ve missed or misinterpreted something, please let me know so I can edit the post accordingly. -The purpose of these posts is an analysis, nothing more. Please do not come into these posts expecting me to either defend Barok van Zieks from haters, nor expecting me to encourage the hatred. - I’m using the Western release of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles for these posts, but may refer to the original Japanese dialogue of Dai Gyakuten Saiban if needed to compare what’s said. This also means I’m using the localized names and localized romanization of the names to stay consistent. -It doesn’t matter one bit to me whether you like Barok van Zieks or dislike him. However, I will ask that everyone who comments refrains from attacking real, actual people.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11

Let's bring this thing home! It's time for the conclusion of the essay series!

Conclusion With a stupidly long essay series behind us, it's time to look at what we've learned! Let's go back to Part 1 and review what we needed from Van Zieks's character development for a fully rounded redemption arc, shall we?

1) Present an antagonistic (possibly immoral) force who personifies Ryunosuke’s biggest personal obstacle/weakness, in this case racial prejudice. 2) Humanizing traits begin to show. OPTIONAL: A backstory to justify any immorality he has. 3) Over time, Barok has his realization and sees the error of his ways. 4) Barok atones for his immorality, not simply through apology but by taking decisive steps. 5) The cast around him acknowledges his efforts and forgives him.

And looking at the main game (plus additional dialogue), we have...

1) Antagonistic force:

Etc. etc. I have many of these. We can all agree that as an antagonistic force, he does his job quite well. CEO of Racism and White Privilege in the flesh. It works, since we as the audience get very frustrated and want to see him defeated.

2) Humanization:

Giving him an old friend to be a defendant was a brilliant move, really. Albert's reflection on the friendship and the person Van Zieks used to be really helped flesh him out and make him appear more like a human being with, y'know, emotions and weaknesses. The little snippets of dialogue in his office really help too. Presenting evidence can also lead to fun tidbits. All in all, considering how gruff and distant Van Zieks is, they really did their very best to humanize him. The writers were given very little to work with but they exploited every opportunity to come their way.

OPTIONAL backstory:

Again, I don't think we needed a tragic backstory to have a well-rounded, redeemable character. Still, it ties in very expertly to the game's plot and the motivations of quite a few other characters. The story of Klint van Zieks and his death isn't necessarily Barok van Zieks's backstory, it's the center of an intricate web which also holds Kazuma, Stronghart, Gregson, Jigoku, (S)Holmes, Mikotoba, Sithe, Drebber- I could go on. A LOT. So because of how very integrated it is into the main narrative's recurring themes and characters, I'll give it props for being relevant and well thought out. The bigger question is: Does it justify his immorality? Not entirely. I think the game could have gotten more out of this if they'd involved the other two exchange students in this tale just a bit more. They could have given more attention to how Jigoku's aggressive behavior in the trial impacted Van Zieks, and explained whether he might've suspected Mikotoba of sabotaging (S)Holmes's investigation. If the narrative had done that, all three Japanese people to come to London would have been ‘the bad guy’ in Van Zieks's eyes and it would have given more credence to his racial generalization. They could have also given more attention to how the people around him reacted to Genshin being the Professor, because I'm sure Stronghart and Gregson stoked the fire in terms of xenophobia. As it stands, there isn't really enough there to justify hatred of an entire race as opposed to just one person.

3) Realization/Redemption

We see him already start to realize the error of his ways around the end of 1-5, which is technically only about halfway into the full narrative. Unfortunately, thanks to 2-2 being played afterwards (but chronologically set before 1-5), any progress made in 1-5 can become invalidated in the player's eyes. Growth works best when it's done linear. Don't get me wrong, flashbacking to earlier times when a character is still more morally tainted can work well, but it needs to be executed properly. Barok's behavior in 2-2 is downright insulting towards the audience itself and therefore, it causes emotional friction when relaying the narrative endgoal of redemption. It also makes it extra jarring when we hit 2-3, and suddenly Van Zieks is meant to be relying on the protagonist's desire to expose the truth. How on earth can we as the audience trust that Van Zieks believes in Ryu's abilities when we just came fresh out of a case where this man actively sabotages Ryu's efforts?

Still, the line of redemption continues from 2-3 into 2-4 well enough. He admits that he was wrong- that his hatred was illogical and that he needs to change. This is the very definition of redemption. I need to stress once more this is not to be confused with atonement, which comes next.

4) Atonement

Here it is. It's not enough to simply acknowledge mistakes; one needs to work hard to fix them. Since Van Zieks is the defendant for two whole episodes, equaling roughly 20% of the full narrative and 67% of the time following his first true realization (chronologically), there isn't much that he can actively do to atone. Because remember, not only do these actions need to fit the situation he's currently in, they need to fit his personality. These two limitations ensure the atonement mostly takes the form of dialogue. Of apologies.

One might want to point out that he never apologizes specifically for his racism, but there's a reason for that. If you pay close attention, you'll notice that there isn't a single character who ever uses a word like “racism”, “xenophobia” or even “racial prejudice” in this game. It's for the same reason you'll never see an Ace Attorney character utter words like “alcoholism”, “drug abuse” or “depression”. These things may be implied very strongly, to the point where you'll know for certain a character is suffering from it, but it's never given these exact labels. It has to do with the tone of the game. In Great Ace Attorney's dialogue, Barok van Zieks is only ever described as holding “a deep hatred for Japanese”, which is then the only thing he could apologize for. And he does, so long as you aren't looking for a literal phrasing of “I apologize for my deep hatred of your people”.

Regardless, he can't take more active, decisive action until he's freed from prison and two scenes with Van Zieks later, the game has ended. He still manages to take two actions, though! The first is to publicize the truth of the Professor, taking the blame of the mass murders off Genshin's shoulders (and losing his own privilege in the process). The second is to take Kazuma under his wing as his disciple. I'm not certain there's anything else the narrative could have had him do. What is decisively missing, however, is the following:

5) Acknowledgment

The above aren't good examples of cast acknowledgment that Van Zieks is taking part in a redemption arc, rather, they're the best I could find. Characters are acknowledging that he's changing- that he's being kinder to them and they can get along with him now, but they're not acknowledging that he caused hurt in the first place. This, in my opinion, is the Great Ace Attorney's biggest narrative flaw. I've talked before about how Ryu's reaction to Van Zieks's racism is 'indirect communication', a typically Japanese manner of dealing with negativity. I've also talked about how Ryu is not in a position to speak up, as he's a literal minority who is there to represent his country in an official capacity and can’t afford to make enemies. However, characters like Susato and Kazuma are far more outspoken in their opinions, as is Soseki. The only one who ever calls Van Zieks out on his racism is the British judge, and even that is done very meekly. When an old crusty white guy is the one who condemns white privilege in a cast full of minorities, you've got a problem. The Japanese cast's refusal to acknowledge that Van Zieks's words were harmful is like Team Avatar telling Zuko that sure, he can join since he's a good guy now, but never once acknowledging that he burned down villages or betrayed everyone's trust in Ba Sing Se. There's something very vital missing, see? If indeed the cast had called Van Zieks out more actively on his harmful ways and how necessary it was for him to change, he in turn could have taken more atonement steps in response.

So, for the conclusion: Does Barok van Zieks tick all the necessary boxes for a complete redemption arc? Yes. In a very technical sense, all the requirements are there. But does that mean it's a successful arc? Not necessarily. The game has a few slip-ups, a few things not executed as well as they could have been. For that reason, whether the audience is satisfied with the arc is entirely up to them. Taking into consideration that they had to cram a whole lot of story into just two games- the second game in particular, I can acknowledge they did their very best with the limitations that were there.

And there we have it! That’s all I could think to say on the matter. I hope everyone who read this till the very end enjoyed it, maybe even learned a thing or two. I’m always open to questions, input and constructive criticism!

[lokiondisneyplus]

LOKI 4 PRESIDENT! For a narcissist trickster sorcerer with the personality of a praying mantis, there are few occupations in the world that would suit Loki better than president of the United States. A few years ago, in the summer of 2016, comic book writer Christopher Hastings imagined just that in a satirical limited series for Marvel titled Vote Loki.

Five years later, Vote Loki has found its way to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the fifth episode of the Disney+ series, “Journey Into Mystery,” a variant Loki (still played by Tom Hiddleston) appears in the desolate “Void” surrounded by a Mad Max-esque posse. On Loki’s tattered blazer is a red, white, and blue “Loki” button, indicating this Loki was, uh, elected to lead. Turn on the subtitles on Disney+ and you’ll find this Loki is credited as “President Loki.”

In an email to Inverse, Christopher Hastings says he had no idea this was going to happen.

“I found out [they were doing Vote Loki] when a trailer for the show featured the campaign outfit from Vote Loki,” Hastings tells Inverse.

When Inverse exchanged emails with Hastings, it was prior to the episode’s premiere, to which Hastings said he was “very curious to see exactly what from the comic gets into the show.”

“I love time travel and multiverse material,” the writer says in praise of Loki. “I am a big fan of the TVA as a setting. I'm eager to see how it goes, and what it might mean for the next phase of MCU movies, especially since multiverse wackiness seems to be a major part of those upcoming movies.”

In 2004, while a student at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, Hastings wrote and illustrated The Adventures of Dr. McNinja, a serial webcomic about a doctor who is also a ninja. The series was a cult hit, at one point attracting 110,000 unique visitors a day. By 2011, Hastings was doing work for Marvel, writing single issues of A+X and Howard the Duck. With Chris Bachalo, he co-created Gwenpool — a bizarre blend of Spider-Man ex-girlfriend Gwen Stacy and Deadpool — and penned the 2016-2018 solo series The Unbelievable Gwenpool, teaming up with Japanese studio Gurihiru to create the character’s deeply unique comedic tone.

But during Gwenpool, Hastings spent the summer of 2016 playing with a different Marvel trickster: Loki. In the four-issue miniseries Vote Loki, Hastings spoofed the chaos that was the 2016 race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. In Vote Loki, an ambitious Loki seeks the seat of the president with a very unique campaign strategy: being honest about lying.

With “President Loki” having a minor cameo in the MCU, Inverse caught up with Hastings to look back on his explicitly political riff that took place inside the Marvel Universe.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Take me back to the origins of Vote Loki. When did the seed for the story plant in your mind? What was going on in the world of culture/politics at that time?

Gosh, it's tough to come up with one thing specifically, because we were making the comic by the seat of our pants, and so many things got scrapped and rewritten along the way, often at the last second. But one of the core topics I wanted to cover had to do with narratives versus reality. It's kind of a given that in the world of politics, truth is this malleable thing, and now more than ever all you have to do to make people believe a lie is to repeat it enough times.

I liked the idea of Loki playing with narrative in a way that wasn't necessarily outright lying, more bending. (Except the bit about being born in Maryland. One outright lie there.) The other driving point I wanted to explore was how Americans can have a tendency to incorporate their national-level politics into part of their identity, and what that does to a person, particularly when a character like Loki is the one on the ticket.

What sort of conversations did you have with Marvel about a political satire starring Loki? What was the elevator pitch that got approval?

Like I said, things changed so many times, I'm not even entirely sure how many versions were kind of approved and then scrapped on the way to get to what was actually published. I think it was more that I assured editor Wil Moss that I could jump on the book (which Marvel was determined to make; they just hadn't decided who was writing it when I was pitching) after talking about the stuff about narrative and identity, and the basic idea that the viewpoint character shouldn't actually be Loki but a journalist covering Loki's campaign.

Vote Loki introduced the character of Nisa Contreras. What was the primary inspiration for her?

That would be my real-life friend, Nisa Contreras. She's not a journalist, but she’s someone I'm sure could take down Loki if he were a) real and b) got on her bad side. I wanted the story to be more about witnessing the tension and the comedy of Loki running for president, about not knowing what was up his sleeve. And so I came up with [a] journalist.

Vote Loki was published over the summer of 2016 when the election was ramping up in awkward ways. (“Pokémon Go to the polls!”) Did the real election influence the comic in any way, including any specific moments?

The comic was a direct response to things that were happening during the 2016 campaign, specifically that a “joke” candidate that was obviously terrible could get pretty far with enough media oxygen and a comfortable political system that ignored the disgust a lot of people had with it.

Vote Loki ran for four issues. Was there ever a possibility for more?

If it was a smash hit, I believe there would have been a President Loki to directly follow Vote Loki.

What do you think of Vote Loki's inclusion in the TV series?

Top five surreal moments of my life.

Do you think Vote Loki could be the focus of its own adapted series/movie?

Oh for sure. You wouldn't even have to take the material from our comic; there's so much more brand-new political madness that a new Vote Loki series or movie could tap into.

A lot has happened in the five years since Vote Loki was published. What are your feelings looking back now in 2021? Did your opinions on the book ever change?

There was a lot happening in American politics in 2016 I missed and wish I had been able to see to include. For example, how broken political polling has become. I had no idea, along with the rest of the country.

It was tricky to do a cohesive narrative amongst a shifting Marvel continuity we had to stay inside; a lot of feedback and demands from various sources within the company and an election that was changing every single day. It was truthfully (heh) a quite stressful book to write, but looking back on it I'm proud to see what we absolutely nailed about American culture. In particular, what we had to say about politics as entertainment and identity, and how a slippery enough politician can not only shake scandal [off] by speeding up an already fast news cycle but embrace and twist it to their advantage.

LOKI WILL AIR ITS FINAL EPISODE JULY 14 ON DISNEY+. VOTE LOKI IS AVAILABLE NOW.

[twisted-imagines]

May I request some relationship headcanons (sfw & nsfw) for our Heartslabyul boys?♠♥♣♦

*Slaps the roof of the fic* this bad boy can fit so many words! Almost 17k words. It took much longer to produce than any other of my works, even the savanaclaw hcs you guys loved so much. In my defense, this is almost three times as big and more detailed. I would be grateful if you told me whether it's harder to read or not, now that each point got longer (What a silly writer, asking the readers if they want less content).

Also, I'm not saying I have written a good chunk of confession hcs for each of them before I edited them out, but I kind of did. You might want to keep it in mind when my requests open 😏

Anyway, please enjoy and leave feedback💓 don't let it flop

Heartslabyul relationships headcanons(SFW/NSFW )

Riddle Rosehearts 🌹

SFW

• The Crimson Ruler of your heart. While Rosehearts household did as much harm as good to Riddle, it didn't fail to bring up a perfect gentleman. It's very soon that you find out just how charming he can be, while on the quest to court you.

• The thought doesn't visit his head right away, the possibility of him falling in love with you. Riddle knows he likes your company, happy that at least somebody can see things the way he does, while also providing him with valuable input from the other perspective. And he wants to listen to your thoughts, to know more about you. Perhaps that is the reason he invites you to have a tea with him progressively often, or requests you to lend him a hand at caring for his hedgehogs from time to time? And when your own friends, his fellow dorm members, start to see less of you than Riddle does, it's because he just provides for a better company, correct?

• But then, why is it so hard to take away his hand when it accidentally touches yours? Why does he want to hold it so bad? Why his chest won't stop hurting, when he thinks of you, how you would fit in his arms, how your lips would taste against his?...

• It takes quite a long time for him to confess to you, but when he does, it's the most romantic proclamation of love you've ever heard, he's like a prince straight out of fairytales you read in your childhood. Maybe no prince blushes or fidgets like him, but it's obvious Riddle is very sincere and is determined to convey how he really feels about you. It almost sounds like a marriage proposal, with the solemn vows to make you happy, he's very serious about the whole ordeal.

• His manners are always on spot, he treats you with respect his "subjects", Heartslabyul students, see only once in a lifetime. Except for you, only Trey can boast about having special treatment, but even he is not quite on your level; you dare to say you are being pampered by Riddle. Maybe, just maybe, with you he can be more lenient in implementing his rules, and not all mistakes you make have to lead to punishments, especially if "cutting your head off" doesn't really do anything to you.

• But sometimes even you are not safe from his outbursts, though he tries to avoid it as much as possible. He can't let any student, his dorm or not, tamper with rules or slack off for as long as he's the prefect and an honorable student at this college, but at times his temper still gets better of him resulting in Riddle resorting to his old habits.

He actually makes an effort to become a better person, improves himself daily, and wants you to see the results of his work and be proud of your significant other. Any ungraceful scene he causes makes him regret his behavior in the end, and if embarrassment doesn't eat away at him too much, Riddle will search for your encouragement and affirmation that you didn't change your opinion of him and don't think less of him.

If he thinks he overstepped the line he won't show up to face you for some time, as if he placed some rules on himself to not seek your warmth out. It would have been nice to hear an apology from him, alas Riddle is, unfortunately, the type of person who doesn't apologize, simply can't do it. But the punishment he inflicted on himself already seems like a proof of him admitting he was wrong, so maybe just let him off the hook? Dwelling on it won't really bring you two much happiness. You being able to let offenses go is very crucial in your relationships with Riddle.

• Especially, since he's the least likely to do it himself. If it's you who starts an argument, don't expect it to end peacefully. He can't be wrong, no chances of that, he's not going to accept it. You'll have to leave because of how frustrating it is, trying to prove something to him and seeing him already turning red and ignoring you. It's until later, in a quiet of his study, long after you left, that Riddle can think about what you've said. Even if you were wrong, just like he anticipated, Riddle will still come up with some idea or solution, so that you two won't argue further. He's waiting for you to come and apologize to him.

Wait, no, not quite. But rather for you to first find him, beg for an audience with him in his free time and then say your heartfelt apology, with a delicious strawberry tart you brought in hands. He's as petty as that. At least he shares the pastry with you, while he tries to discuss the reason for your quarrel and finally put it to an end.

• Riddle has a strong will to make your relationships work, he cares for you more than he can potentially show. He's subtle, always telling you to dress according to weather, take an umbrella with you, taking you out for lunch and dinner himself, just so you wouldn't forget to eat. It's also very often that Riddle asks you to avoid commotions and not meddle with dangerous business of other dorms. He appreciates your kindness, it rescued him too, but every time something happens in this college you always happen to be in the middle, and it makes him extremely worried. And it would have been better if you came to one of the most talented students in NRC when you needed help. If you told Riddle about your problems.

• Even if it's something little, he wants to know about it. Yes, he knows you are your own, independent person, but it wouldn't hurt to speak to him, especially if it's something he can help with, right? And still, he tries to shoulder more than he should, suddenly prying into your life more frequently, and you can't help but notice the change and eventually point it out. But how else is he supposed to play the role of a responsible, caring boyfriend?! He's confused, he's not used to those feelings. Family. Friends. He has never connected to somebody on such level or felt a romantic attraction to anybody. Do wipe his frustrated tears and tell him, that this kind of controlling behavior is not what you need and there are a lot of other ways to he can show his love for you. And since you're his partner, you should be correct too, especially when it comes to your own life, right?

• It's hard to catch and steal Riddle for yourself during working days, the man has a lot of responsibilities in the college, as a student, as a dorm leader, as a club manager, and so on. But if you remind him that he also has responsibilities as your boyfriends, Riddle will have a hard time declining. As soon as he takes care of all urgent business, you'll become his priority. Too many rules, too many restrictions for him to pay you the attention you deserve, Riddle thinks surprisingly often. How shocking it is to him, when some of them conveniently slip his mind, just when you're about to go on a date. How very generous of him to not hold anyone accountable for violating said rules, when he comes back to the dorm in high spirit and a small smile playing on his lips.

• Riddle's favorite ways to spend his past time with you is to, of course, invite you to have dinner with him, tarts and tea are a must as well as any of your own preferred snacks or drinks since the meaning of all of this is for you both to enjoy yourselves. The time when he mindgames himself is when he welcomes you to the practice of Horseback Riding Club under the pretense that you would be learning too. But see, he has come up with a special regimen for you when you have to sit directly in front or behind him, while either of you has a strong grip on other's waist. Or maybe you two can ride separately, while your horses stride in a peaceful manner. No broken rules in sight, you two just train together, how can somebody say that the infamous Heartslabyul dorm leader is having a date during his club meeting? So maybe listen to your senior, Sebek, stop talking, or rather screaming, back, because your actions violate rules more than Riddle's do.

• He's weak to any show of physical affection, every time you do something mildly romantic he becomes red all over. An amusing sight, truly. Riddle chastises you and tells you to behave yourself, but at first, he has to become less adorable when doing it for you to truly listen to him. If you still continue your onslaught, he surprisingly will not take any action to stop you. He can't bring himself to. He feels so warm and fuzzy, every kiss and hug grounds the reality of just how loved he is and Riddle can't get enough of it.

• Do mind, that he's very strict about PDA. Sorry, rabbit, but no stranger will see more then you two holding hands while in public. That's a rule and you already know how strict he is about them. He has to remain composed while going on with his day and there's also quite a reputation Heartslabyul dorm leader has to uphold. Riddle can't let anybody see him being all mushy and lovey-dovey with his s/o, you shouldn't even think about tempting him for he will get angry.

• Not much into spooning, but Riddle is not against hugging in general. He prefers to lay side by side after the working day, play with your fingers and chat about what kind of surprises Night Raven College has cooked up for you today, or some interests either you or he picked up recently. It doesn't matter, really, it can be some meaningless chat and he will still be satisfied, as long as it's you. If the atmosphere is more romantic, in that case, he might beckon you closer for you to rest on his chest, while he lovingly caresses your head.

• Kissing is a whole new level for Riddle and it takes some time before he's ready to transit to this stage of your relationship. Chances are, you will be the one patiently anticipating until he's ready, but the wait is worthwhile. He's both planned it and did not. You are having a great time in his dorm long after the classes and tasks of dorm leader end, enjoying each other's company while sharing your favorite desserts. Although Riddle knows he has to abide by the curfew just like any other student, it physically pains him to let you go out of his embrace. It's just the two of you, and you can see the longing in his eyes until his face is impossibly close, his lips on yours. It's sweet, with a note of sourness, just like the strawberry tart he's eaten prior. It feels like a dream to Riddle, but as soon as the magic of the moment is gone, he's blushing like crazy. The process of escorting you out of his dorm, unfortunately, has sped up quite a lot, as Riddle could no longer look straight into your eyes anymore, but at least you got to share that experience with him.

From now on kisses become more regular, but Riddle always tries to reserve them for special moments, interrupting Rosehearts while he tries to give you one may result in potential beheading.

• There's always some kind of challenge that life gives you, but hard work always pays off, Riddle knows it the best. He's willing to fight for you and for your relationships, you're already his most trusted confidant. You take up an important role in his life, he wasn't sure existed, but the one he definitely needed.

NSFW

• If the first kiss is an event on its own, then what can be said about the first sex? You're frustrated, Riddle is even more frustrated, and not only sexually. But it's his rules that you play by. Riddle sets up a romantic dinner and when he finally leads you to his bed late into the evening you can barely contain your excitement. He's painfully inexperienced, but he was diligent about doing his research so at least he has the basics in his mind. If only using it all in practice was as easy. His face is flaming hot and the sight of your naked, inviting body messes up his thoughts. The experience is sweet and intimate, Riddle pours out his heart to you, it's one of the most vulnerable experiences he's had with you. The physical part will get better over time.

• The more often you become intimate, the more interesting facts you uncover about your boyfriend. Soon enough you'll come to an understanding that your dear lover is of quite a special kind and there were instances you had to adapt to, or rather submit to him.

• Riddle naturally takes up a dominant role in bed, he loves to order you around and make you obey him. You're his lovely rabbit, pretty dove, docile lamb, and get showered with plenty of praise and rewards as long as you serve him obediently. He knows best how to take care of you, so your job is just to listen to his orders and abide by his rules. But you can do this, right, cutie? As long as you do, you'll have the sweetest, most caring and attentive version of Riddle tending to you. Sex and intimacy are not something he takes lightly so he'll try his hardest to make each time unforgettable, the best possible experience for you, especially when a chance to have you just for himself doesn't come often to Riddle.

• He's pretty fair, always repaying you for the pleasure your lovely mouth gives him. It's a treatment not even punishments can take away from you, although if it's the case, you will need to wait until you're forgiven before Riddle descends to give lots of loving to your lower part.

At first, he's not successful at making you orgasm with his mouth only, but he's anything but not determined. He listens to any advice you may give him about your own body and saves this information for later use, each oral better than the last. It will get to the point he won't need even a finger to have you unravel before him. As expected, he's the best, the most talented. He couldn't just let you get ahead of him, could he?

• Which was quite easy, to begin with, considering that at first, you were the one who made him cum just by using your mouth. The moment you take him, he's already panting heavily. One sweep of your tongue and he arches into you, unable to withstand such pleasure. One bob of your head and he's painting the insides of your mouth white. He can't build his resistance up, for the life of his, even when he's hell-bent on not letting you take him over the edge. It's the weakness worth exploiting though, for Riddle will always strive to make it even, of course, by reducing you to the same breathless, blushing state that he's in.

• Not the one whose cock will rearrange your insides or make you choke on it, no matter if he's gentle or not. There's a perfect balance even in his pants. Just perfect. Maybe it's one of the prettiest dicks that a man can possess. Average in size, with the ideal angle and brightest red tip when your boyfriend gets all eager. At times you're not sure if you want to keep marveling at him or appreciate him fully, gliding every ridge and vein with your tongue. Riddle always prefers the latter, guiding you straight to him by your head.

tw: sex toys, punishments • Riddle gives off the impression that he will "behead" you straight away if you dare to do something scandalous in public. And it's right. That breaches any and all rules, even his moral principles, completely unacceptable. He won't ever show that he's aroused if there are other people around. That one time you wore a skimpier outfit and flaunted all day in his dorm went especially bad. The seduction failed miserably, not even once did Riddle look at you. Well, you thought he didn't.

"What was it today? I deduced, a new way to earn yourself a punishment, was it not, my sweet? Well, since you crave it so much you shall receive your "special treatment"."

The collar he has for you is vastly different from the one he gives to other students, so prepare to have it chocking your throat while a very angry and frustrated Riddle has his way with you. He didn't yell or behead anybody once that day, he saved all his pent up anger just for you and he expects you take it all.

tw: bdsm-punishments • For all and any disobedience you show, expect to receive a proper punishment. The idea of punishment itself is very appealing to him. The dynamic, the scene, the choice of words, all of this has the blood rushing to his abdomen. While he loves to give and receive gentle touches, whisper praises into your ear and have you arch for his soft, caring touches, he also wants to hear you cry and moan out loud, see the way you shut your eyes tightly and brace yourself before each of his movement, have you beg for forgiveness, ready to do anything just so he would give you permission to cum. Sometimes, even mistakes that would usually go unnoticed by Riddle, since it is you, or at most required a lengthy lecture for you to endure, will lead to you being pushed onto his bed; a malicious, but oh so pleased expression on his face.

But when he says times and times again, that you can't tease him in public, finish yourself off when he explicitly tells you not to, or make him jealous by batting your eyes at other students and you still do it, that's when the real deal starts. He knows what you're doing that for. You're going to get it and you better be grateful, when you lay later on his bed crying from either overstimulation or broken orgasm, your exhausted body littered with marks from the riding crop he's bought especially for you, to discipline you like a naughty animal that you are. He expects you to learn your lesson and never break the rules he's set, for he has much worse in his stock.

• But if you want to reverse the roles, well... There's a surprise waiting for you - making a submissive Riddle come out is not that hard actually. For sure, he would want to retain the control he has over you, but you cupping his face, placing gentle kisses to his red cheeks while reassuring him that he deserved to just relax and accept your love, makes his knees week. But wait, stern look and a painful grip on his hair work well too, since bad boys need to be punished, and he's been a pretty annoying, arrogant one today.

Point him to his place, now he can address you only with the name you choose, speak only when he's asked to, and cum only when allowed to. And he tries to hold off so hard because he's a good boy, because rules need to be followed, but those cute mewls still spill from his mouth, his thighs tremble before the impending orgasm. Regardless of how well he did, when your session is over, cradle his head to your chest and let him know how much you love and cherish him, and how no matter what he'll always be the best in your eyes, that you're not disappointed with him in any way. He won't stop thanking and saying that he loves you until he's too exhausted to even keep his eyes open. Not burdened by heavy thoughts, expectations, and responsibilities everyone has for him Riddle looks so peaceful, you think to yourself, when he finally drifts off to the sleep, cuddled in your arms.

Deuce Spade ♠

SFW

• If he had just a few more brain cells at his disposal, Deuce would definitely join the "husband material" squad, but his last one died when he tried to confess to you, what a pity. He's adorable and loving boyfriend nonetheless, and treasures you like an apple of an eye. He may be clumsy sometimes, but you can always rely on him, the boy will try his hardest for you.

• Your love story is the embodiment of "friends-to-lovers slow burn" cliche, sponsored mostly by Deuce's own obliviousness. It may actually be looked upon as the story of you crawling your way out of this boy's friendzone, because, that's what you're to him at first. He's so happy he made some real friends, he's going to tell his mother as soon as possible! He doesn't even notice how special you, of all people, are to him. When Deuce tells his family stories about college, they mostly end with him praising or telling something funny about you. Mrs. Spade can only shake her head and snicker at how much information she already knows about her son's future significant other.

All the "inside" jokes in your circle of friends actually belong just to you two. You're the first who gets to see a funny meme he found, an interesting story he heard, know about some problems or hardships that he's going through. Yes, you're definitely his best friend! It's only natural that he feels possessive of you, no? And that he gets grossed out by the idea that you may date somebody else, and then those hugs and happy moments that you two share may stop suddenly, is called for, right?...

• Ace sees all those fleeting touches and puppy looks that Deuce sends your way when it seems like you don't notice. Actually, if he squinted hard enough he would be able to see a tail wagging behind Deuce every time you join them in the morning, or so Trappola thinks. He enjoys seeing you be so dejected by your "friend" status and frequently mocks you for it, but he wants you two to stop being stupid and "gross" and actually becomes the much-needed catalyst for your and Deuce's relationships. Just don't thank him, he won't let you live it down.

• Surprisingly, not much changes, after you start dating, at least not on the surface level. You still hang out with all your friends, go to classes together, get involved in some mess together just like always. But actually, Deuce feels happier, more at ease. He's got a significant other! And you're just perfect, the most loving and kindest. He finally gets to do all this romantic, "couple" stuff he's seen in films or read in books. He's excited to try it all with you, albeit when it's just the two of you. Things that can't include Ace and Grimm should be done without them.

• PDA doesn't go well for the boy, he gets all blushy and nervous, unable to even tell you to stop, because he's just blabbering and stuttering some nonsense. Could you have even predicted that a small kiss on the cheek would make him so flustered? It's a perfect opportunity to tease him if you're ready to treat him to a meal in the cafeteria as an apology later. Hand-holding is a must though, everybody should know that you're with him now, that he's your boyfriend, not any of them.

• He's going to puff out his chest so much, he's so proud to have a partner, someone as incredible as you. You're basically a deity in his eyes, no one can slander you, much less lay a hand on you. Anyone who's stupid enough will make acquaintances with ex-bully Deuce's fists. He can't bring himself to be apologetic after he snaps out, everything he does for you is automatically justified in his mind.

• Protective Deuce is always on duty, ready to defend you. Ask him to tone it down slightly however, if you get uncomfortable, he can get annoying pretty fast. You've somehow dealt with your problems before, he's not bringing much to the table, except for new reasons for a headache. When you tell him this he's going to be startled, he has only best for you in his mind! Reluctantly, he'll comply, but let him have at least some of his "boyfriend duties" - this boy craves validation that he's doing well, just like everybody else does. Deuce wants you to be proud of him, think that he's reliable and dependable. He's eager to help you more than ever.

• As much as he's shy to receive them, Deuce loves kisses! He's not a great kisser, you've bumped your teeth more times than you can count and practicing helps very little, so more often then not he resorts to close-mouthed ones. His cheek kisses are also so...wholesome? It's like a big dose of love is injected into you. When techniques don't do the job, Deuce's goal is to just make you feel loved. He hopes the sentiment is not lost on you, while he promises to get better at kissing.

• When he's especially stressed or tired he treats you like his recharge station. The first opportunity he gets to tackle you, be there some comfortable, flat surface under you, he's going to take it. Deuce doesn't mind to either curl up to your chest, while you softly pat his hair, or envelop you in his arms, just hide you away from the word so he can enjoy your presence. It does stroke his ego when you ask him to spoon you. Look, mama, your son is so reliable and caring! You notice that Deuce often tries to find a way for you not to see his face, "for what reason" is a reasonable question. Probably because this boy has the mushiest, happiest grin on his face and he's not about to show it to you so blatantly. He blushes so hard when you try to see his face, he's so easy to tease, huh.

"It's all your fault, [Y/n]! You're too cute!"

His poor heart can barely take it.

• Deuce is so shocked when you seem mildly irritated at him or bring up some issues you want to discuss. You see it on his face, that he genuinely doesn't know where it came up from, but sometimes you ask yourself whether he's that oblivious or unconsciously tries to dissuade the situation by acting dumb? But whatever it's about, Deuce wants to solve it as peacefully as possible. He avoids any confrontations with you, going as far as just straight-up agreeing to anything just so you would calm down. You doubt he fears you or your wrath, but you didn't think that he held you with such high regard as not to oppose you at all. At least any argument ends before it can possibly start, both of you finding the compromise and moving on.

• It all goes down when he's the one holding grunge though. You won't hear a peep from him, Deuce bottles everything up and gives you the worst cold-shoulder treatment possible, he's downright mean. The change couldn't be more prominent, a whole 180° from loving boyfriend to a snarky stranger you have never met before. You can't pry anything out of him, he refuses to tell and when you can't take it anymore, just wanting your boyfriend back, and either lash out or pressure him harder, he'll snap. It could have been something minor on your end, but because Deuce couldn't bring it up right away and started to overthink, the original reason for his distress blew up to unimaginable proportions. Angry Deuce is intimidating, he's conscious enough not to near you, but it still hurts.

When he eventually comes to his senses he's going to regret his behavior and apologize to you, he didn't have any excuse to treat you so horribly. Deuce didn't want to start an argument in the first place, that's why he kept silent, but soon enough his emotions got better of him. He promises to talk to you if something bothers him or if he feels that your relationships are not working perfectly. Maybe you'll agree for him to treat you to dinner? A nice evening to take your mind off of your quarrel. Those puppy eyes hope you won't say no, but Deuce will respect any way you wish for him to redeem himself.

• As soon as there's a free time in both of your schedules you're going for a date, no questions asked. Deuce is always happy to go out with you, even daydreaming about possible dates that you can have makes him giddy. He's going to research the best spots for a romantic getaway across the whole Twisted Wonderland and if the magic mirror can bring you there, you're definitely going. He hasn't been to most of those places himself, but he's more interested in looking at your reaction, since you didn't know they even existed, coming from an entirely different world.

• College is stressful, trying to be an honor student is even more stressful, especially when he's quite bad at being well-behaved and concentrated all the time too. But, well, those thugs were the ones who started the fight so he's not responsible for it! And he's just so tired right now, he can't cram another spell into his head or otherwise, it's going to explode. When he's at his limits, both physical and moral, he desperately needs your support. Hugs, kisses, praises, a cup of tea and cookies made by you, anything goes to show him that you care and he doesn't have to suffer alone. Your relationships give him strength and boost his confidence quite a lot. You're precious to him and he wants to treasure you for as long as possible. Who knows, maybe those wild dreams of him waiting for you at the altar will eventually come true?

NSFW

• Obviously a virgin, not to mention a clueless one too. Even if he's seen some porn or read articles, he's not prepared to become intimate whatsoever. He has been given "the talk" by his mother, he doesn't think anything of it can help him right now, but bits of it play in his mind. His brain is gone with your clothes, Deuce can only stare at your naked body, blushing profusely, which is kind of unnerving. With a little prompting or if you decide to just take the reigns in your hands, your first time can turn out nice, but there's always room for improvement. Do expect a nervous wreck Deuce once again when you finish, because he can't believe he has had sex with you, it's a really emotional moment for him.

• Deuce is pretty vanilla, there are not many kinks that he has, most of them are centered around you anyway, for example seeing you clad in stockings, cute lingerie, or maybe even a maid costume. You on top of him or Deuce being the one on the receiving side of whatever activity you may bring up also gets him going. He's always motivated to make you feel good, show how much he loves you, and is ready to serve you.

•♀️Maybe this boy does have some kinks after all because having you dominating him makes him feel some type of way. You're his dear girlfriend, his Lady, his Mistress, how can he ignore your wishes and commands, it's would be unacceptable, a disgrace to honor pet like Deuce. He'll do anything you want without a fault for just a few praises or your foot stepping on his manhood. He's ready to worship the ground you walk upon, but better bring this eager mouth to your mounds to suck on. He'll let out sweet moans, praising and complimenting you, he's grateful he can just be your baby boy, alone with you, partaking in any pleasure you share with him.

• That one guy who practically has a bright red announcement on his forehead that "he has had a nice fuck last night!". He's unusually pumped up and energized, while also tailing after you like a puppy. To some, more experienced students, it's obvious what you guys have been up to, Ace is especially mean, teasing the hell out of Deuce, but at least Deuce is getting some. Oh, no, guys you're not children, stop fighting~

• Deuce expected for a blowjob to be pleasurable, but in truth, he cannot compare anything to it, it's an entirely different experience altogether. The image of you on your knees, a lewd expression on your face, while you look straight into his eyes with your mouth around his dick, indeed it will stay with him for the longest time, haunting him in his wet dreams. Until you go and blow him once again. He will do anything for a blowjob, both to receive it and after you give it to him, to show how grateful he is.

• He has a slight bias to receiving oral, rather than giving, but purely because he's not very confident in his own skills. He always has a hard time navigating, forgetting your preferences and what usually brings you to your high. His own tempo is pretty slow, movements gentle but persistent, he likes to worship and pay you compliments along the way. Small moans sometimes penetrate his speech; it's his everything, seeing you be satisfied by him. He won't complain if you grab him by his hair and just do with him whatever you seem fit and for as long as you need. Just don't forget he has to breathe, for this dork will try to assure you that he doesn't have to, just so you wouldn't stop.

• Deuce has worked for his reputation, just so he wouldn't be seen as a delinquent anymore, worried about his grades every year to near the "honor student" title, and now you want to place it all on stakes by sneaking your hands down his trousers, saying that nobody will notice anyway? And he can't even tell you to stop, because he knows he will moan as soon as he opens his mouth. "[Y/n], you're a bully now!", Deuce thinks dejected when your hands bring him to one of his fastest orgasms. He doesn't speak with you for the rest of the day, silently hides his red face in your shoulder when somebody tries to ask him about his well-being. No, no, Deuce is perfectly fine, and if he gets sick his kind significant other will bring him to his dorm room at once! Of course, to just worsen his state with those hands and mouth~

Ace Trappola ♥

SFW

• A trickster, there's never a boring moment with Ace. He's not for a fragile heart, you encounter his teasing and not so pleasing remarks now even more often, since you two spend more time with each other as a couple. You're his partner in crime, always there for him when he needs your support, even if he often acts like you're the one who needs him the most.

• When did you even start dating? Was it when he invited you to Monstro Lounge to celebrate your success in the most recent test, and when all other guys "didn't quite make it" and didn't join you? Or maybe when you've spent the entire night in his room, playing card games or reading popular comics and suffering on the morning lessons again together, because you didn't get any sleep? For the longest time, neither of you even thinks of putting a label on your relationships. You hang out with all your friends just as fine as just you two do together. It's light-hearted and fun until it isn't and Ace notices. He has to restrain himself and not touch you in a way a friend wouldn't, not say pick-up lines and things that can be easily misunderstood since you're just friends and it's slowly getting on his nerves. He doesn't think of you as a friend anymore, he doesn't! What to do is unclear to Ace, he becomes snappier and meaner, ruining the day for everyone around him, because he can't figure out what to do with his emotions.

It can go a longer way, with his other friends confronting him, both because they are tired of dealing with his mood swings and worried about Ace. Or you can approach him yourself and solve this problem tête-à-tête, which of course would lead to faster results, much to Ace's surprise, with you ending up legitimately, undoubtedly dating him. He hoped, he hoped so much for such an outcome, but did he really think it would happen? He's talking your ears off with how predictable you are, that it was obvious you were in love with him, but deep down he's thanking whatever or whoever made it possible for him to date you.

• This boy doesn't handle jealousy well. When you're the one being jealous he just shrugs it off, teasing you for being such a worrywart or acting mockingly hurt, that you don't trust him since he's loyal to you only, but when he's not suddenly a center of your attention or somebody else allows themselves to touch and flirt with his significant other, he's livid, not a ghost of a smile on his lips. He's going to just barge in on your conversation with the other person, nearly creating a whole scene, before he whisks you away. Who could have thought that the Ace Trappola could be self-conscious and insecure? Tell him firmly that you've never given him a reason to doubt you, that it can't be more apparent that you love only him. He'll feel ashamed, uttering the quietest "sorry" and demanding affection from you in the same breath. Of course, he knows he's your only one, there are no chances it would be the opposite, just look at him! He just needs you to...hold him and remind him about it, it can sometimes slip his mind.

• Unfortunately, just like most couples you two are not strangers to quarrels or falling out with each other. And when Ace can't solve everything with his happy-go-lucky approach and you're done being forgiving and understanding there's a big storm coming for you. Arguing is impossible with him. Impossibly annoying and exasperating. No matter who starts first, Ace turns into the worst prick ever, he twists your words and ignores all and any attempts of you trying to reason with him. The best defense is an attack, that's clear in his attitude, he's going to turn everything on you and make it seem like you're the one to blame. He's prone to saying very hurtful things in the heat of argument, words he will regret heavily later. But it's going to be later, when he'll have to beg for your forgiveness and think of all possible ways to mend your relationships, at the moment he only wants to shift the blame away from himself, make it seem like he's the only "good guy" here.

No wonder if you get hurt in the aftermath, your boyfriend absolutely can't hold himself accountable for anything. But as soon as Ace notices your offended expression or a first tear he'll shut up immediately. He's suddenly well aware of all the lies he has told you and the realization of just what a jerk he is crushes him. He's going to escape faster then you can utter his name and not show up for at least a couple of days. He's sorry, he really is, and also very ashamed of what he did, but he can't find the words to express it, every time he tries your sad expression surfaces up in his mind.

You surely hate him, don't you? He can't have anything nice, and frankly, he thinks he deserves it. He can't even properly say how much he loves you, and that's after all what you've done for him, how much happier you made him just by reciprocating his feelings. Looking at his pathetic form, a flower bouquet in his hand, eyes not meeting yours, you can only sigh. If you do decide to get it past yourself and propose going out to some nice place, like Monstro Lounge, to sort things out, Ace will practically cry. He will treasure this second chance, hopefully, he won't need any third and fourth.

• Depending on your attitude towards PDA you're either going to absolutely suffer or relinquish in his attention because is this fellow affectionate. Nothing can stop him from kissing your cheek in the middle of the cafeteria or pull you into a hug during the lunch break. Bonus points if you turn red or become embarrassed. Getting irritated kind of checks off in his list as a nice reaction too. No reaction just means that you're cool with his PDA, c'mon, he knows you like it! He can get pretty bold too - impromptu make-out session until somebody screams at you to get a room. This got you a detention a few times, but is he going to stop? No, absolutely not. He reacts very positively if you reciprocate his advances, getting a bit blushy even. It means you're proud to display that you two are dating and that you love him so much that you can't help but kiss or hug him, even when there are other people watching, right? He's going to tease you about it, but actually, he couldn't be more delighted.

• A big spoon, he's going to pout if you try to "baby" him and will say that you look more like a backpack on him, even if you aren't. There are no instances of Ace fitting snugly into your arms because he won't calm down and will even throw a temper tantrum just so he would be the one holding you. Only once you're cuddled up into his chest, you can expect to get your hug and love dose. Well, not before you swat away his hands from your sides and any other ticklish or sensitive spot, Ace is not giving you a break. Chances are you'll have to also take his hands back from under your clothes and lower back. He's having a blast seeing you so irritated! Now if he were to blow in your ear what would you do-

No normal cuddle times with Ace, up until you try to leave him alone or hit him with a pillow into his head. Ace will then catch and restrict your movements, saying that you don't understand jokes at all, and wait for you to melt into his arms once again. Trappola thinks that laying peacefully, while occasionally sharing a kiss or two is nice too, he can stay like this for a long time, just don't abandon him, he doesn't think he will be able to handle losing these precious moments after getting used to them.

• Who knows if Ace had someone before to practice or just gave a hard time to tomatoes in the Botanical Garden, but it's a fact that Ace is very proficient at kissing, and the more you do it, the faster he's able to take your breath away. He's a very fast learner, soon picking up on everything you like, what type of kisses you prefer, where he should place his hands and so on. It's such an ego boost for him to see you flushed, your head dizzy after he separates from you, he can't resist going in for another kiss, successfully roping you into a full make-out session.

• If you think that by dating Ace you will be except from his tricks and pranks, think again. You're his favorite in the entire college, both person and target for teasing. The added bonus is that he actually teaches you some of his skills, tells secrets to some of his "magic tricks", he can't have you losing in card games or anything of that sort to anybody else but him. He will be so angry if you eventually start to beat him too, he complains that you cheat, but you both know that you're just better at cheating than him at this point. He'll have mixed feelings, he's both proud of you and annoyed. If somebody notes to Ace that you've picked up on some of his habits or vice versa he'll boast that, of course, you're a power couple, it's only natural!

• Dates with Ace are spontaneous, or at least he wants you to think so. Each one is actually planned beforehand by him, but he doesn't want to seem "lame" so he plays it cool as if he hasn't been gathering courage the whole day to ask you out. While date places inside the college are pretty limited, outside of it Ace chooses true rare gems, places that you wouldn't be able to find even with a guide or a tourist map. How does he know about them, where from, is a secret. He's so proud of himself when he sees you enjoying yourself. Ace will do anything to see that smile of yours more.

"Ahaha, I knew you would like it! You haven't seen Twisted Wonderland at all. Want to see other places? Well, you don't have a choice but go out with more!"

NSFW

• When it comes to sex Ace's head is full of unrealistic expectations and picked up skills that cannot be applied anywhere, especially on you. He starts all saucy and smooth, but when the realization that he's totally lost and doesn't know what to do settles in, Ace will kind of shut down. The next thing he knows it's you pinning him down and continuing where he left because hell no it would be ending now. And he rolls with it, tries to laugh it off, and even challenges you when he regains his confidence. To give him back the control or not is entirely up to, but that night is pleasurable and exciting nevertheless, with Ace's adaptability it's bound to work out somehow.

• And you can't comprehend the speed with which he improves as a lover. He was able to pick up on most complicated "magic" tricks, figuring out how to do magic with his hips and hands is a breather, you're basically an open book to him, he's been looking at and observing you for a long time, getting better at understanding your facial expressions, gestures, and how they corresponded to the emotions you felt; it's all in his head. Ace is pretty attentive to you and often links your habits to some kinks you may display when you're having fun together, delighted to see when he discovers a connection.

He's also very versatile, sex is all about enjoyment and exploring new things to him, he would lie though, if he said that he wasn't biased to seeing you under him at his mercy. Entirely possible to turn the tables around, but do expect he won't give up without a fight, it's simply not his style. He wants to test just how far you can go with him and vice versa.

•♂️ Just how feisty can he get? A whole lot is the answer, especially if you're not exactly the fan of submitting, much less to a red-haired punk like Ace. You genuinely think Ace would look much better on your own dick, but he's not giving you the pleasure, running his mouth, smirking the whole time, all bratty and naughty. He just begs to be roughed up a little, maybe even a lot, but you're the one calling the shots, since Ace's head is already pressed tightly into a pillow and that cute ass of his is perked up in the air, waiting for something, for anything, preferably to be filled by you. Only fair to make him wait for it too, no?

• Does he love to see you in-between his legs, you just nearing the area of his crotch makes him all excited. He's pretty dirty-minded, yes. You blowing him is one of the most frequent dreams in Ace's head, to the point your jaw would lock forever if you acted it out every time he thought of it. He's pretty open about how much he loves to receive oral from you so if you're comfortable doing it more often, Ace will enjoy every minute of it. Expect hands on your head, holding you down there, and, as long as you're consent, face-fucking you.

• Ace can be pretty egotistical, oftentimes not paying you back for your favor, jumping straight to the other part or blissfully falling asleep. But it's not like he hates going down on you, not at all. He likes to feel you up, turn you on, before slowly descend down on his knees, taking his time to tease you through your underwear until you can't take it anymore. It's a satisfaction, looking at his erotic expressions, half-lidded eyes that search your face for any kind of reaction to his ministrations. The longer he goes, the more painful the tent in his pants becomes, he can't be apathetic to having your sex in his line of sight, leaking and throbbing so arousingly. He can't help but bring one of his hands to his member to relieve at least some of the tension, obediently eating you out/blowing you, until you're satisfied.

w: sex toys • There are many ways to spice thighs up in the bedroom, and of course, using toys is one of them. When Ace suggests employing some of them next time you get frisky, he has likely already got his hands on such and can't wait to bring it out. He's not one of those guys who sees toys as a competition, he's pretty sure he's the main deal there anyway and uses any available vibrator, plug or beads both on you and himself without shame. Well, maybe he will get just a bit jealous if you use them without him when he's free and ready to bang with you, but what a joke, you know some lifeless toy is not the same as him. If you tell him otherwise he'll cry.

w: overstimulation • Those little funny things called sex toys are also very helpful when Ace wants to indulge himself a bit and devote a night to listening to your cries and moans as he overstimulates your poor, exhausted from countless orgasms body. It's a kink he's willing to explore only if you're the one asking him to as a reward for you or if he thinks you haven't been on your best behavior lately and need to be punished. His attitude towards the whole event is very different depending on what preceded it. Should he be gentle and condescending, petting your hair and chuckling at you after he coaxes just another orgasm out of you? Or relentlessly plunge into you, until your body is at your absolute limit? Don't worry though, safe words you pick with Ace are usually so ridiculous they will not slip your mind too easily, guaranteeing that you'll tell him when he's ought to stop.

• This man of many ambitions, Ace made his intentions clear right on the first year, that he wouldn't be against becoming a next dorm leader of Heartslabyul, and without Riddle around it may just become a truth. Now he's the rule here, and while he's definitely not the worst leader the dorm has ever had, he'll use the power his position gives him much more freely than his predecessor. It's not an easy task to scold or give a detention to prefect himself and Trappola is quite proficient at twisting anything that they have to say about him around, debunking any accusation, making a fool out of them. You can only sigh quietly, knowing perfectly well that this poor soul did indeed catch you with Ace's hand shower down your uniform bottoms in an alley not far away from the main building. Well, a blot is no blot till it be hit, it just doesn't seem like your boyfriend will stop embarrassing you in public in the near future. You hope no serious blow will be dealt with your reputation because of Ace's inability to keep his hands to himself. 

Trey Clover ♣

SFW

• The sole founder of "husband material" squad, Trey is unrivaled in being the best in this field and he's all yours. He's very serious about your relationships and works hard to maintain them, he grows and thrives with you by his side. There's not a day Trey doesn't tell or show you how much he treasures you, there's an inexhaustible pool of love for you inside of him and you relinquish in it fully.

• You are Night Raven College's token couple even before you two officially become one. It's obvious Trey cares about you more than just as a friend, there's an underlying gentleness and softness in all of his touches, all the words he says to you, gazes he casts in your direction. He knows what he feels for you is not a platonic feeling one bit and he isn't shy to give you some hints about it. As soon as Trey is sure you're comfortable with him being upfront about his feelings towards you and there's a high chance you will reciprocate them, he's preparing to confess to you and ask you to go out. It's nothing too pompous, but it still manages to impress you.

Trey will cook up some nice meal by himself and make sure your schedules are free, before welcoming you to Heartslabyul dorm or Rose Garden if the weather allows to. Of course, Riddle and Cater will wholeheartedly help their friend to get himself a significant other, Trey is free to stay past the curfew for as long as he needs to channel his feelings to you and Cater will shoot just enough photos to include later in your videos as a couple, the male can't help but swoon over you two!

• Trey is like a reward to you for enduring any hardships throughout your life, withstanding harsh blows and losses. Your heart is now in caring hands, and if he needs to, Trey will help you mend it back piece by piece. Until then he has enough love for both of you and even more. You don't have to struggle alone, he always reminds you that you can rely on and trust him. There are no unrealistic expectations Trey has about his life, he's a very down-to-earth guy, and one of his biggest dreams is to see you happy. He's got to know such an amazing person like you and learned to harbor a lot of adoration towards you, to him you deserve the whole world and all the love in it. As much as he has, he'll give it to you.

• Clover's love has many forms: you feel its warmth in homemade meals he makes for you, in sweet massages he sends you every time he gets the chance to text you during the day, in bear hugs Trey gives you after the long day in college, in hot kisses he presses to your face together with "I love you"s because he really does. You're never alone in times that you catch a cold, which is much rarer now, for a certain someone is all about reminding you to take your umbrella when he sees rain in the weather forecast, helping you choose effective vitamins, get enough nutrients and water, all in all, everything you see better when you observe your loved person from the side. And of course, your dental health is very much a priority. Sorry, it goes without a question, Trey frets over your teeth just as much as he does over his own, he starts a bonding activity to brush them together when you spend morning or evening at each other's dorms.

• Goes without saying how much Trey would treasure you taking care of him back. He has his moments of being dishonest about his own problems, that you should probably know as a loving partner, but ones he doesn't talk with you openly about. He can't resist your pouts or soft touches while you coax what's been bothering him, you have an unfair advantage on him, he thinks. Trey being forgetful is not unheard of too, thankfully you watch him pretty closely yourself. That handsome face and piercing golden eyes give you no choice, really, but it's a different topic. This man's head is always full of responsibilities and tasks he has to do, they can sometimes force something as simple as drinking water or taking a break out from Trey's mind. You can't have that, can you? He's going to smile gratefully if you give him little reminders, blushing slightly, not used to be on the receiving end.

• Arguments start from misunderstanding, undiscussed offenses, foul mood, and overwhelming emotions, and it would be impossible to avoid all of them while being in relationships, but you and Trey somehow manage to do it pretty often. Even though it can be sometimes hard for him, Clover tries to stay attuned to your emotions and notice when something is wrong. Thanks to his rather level-headed personality, Trey approaches every issue in a mature and respectful way, if there's anything you want to discuss with him it's always better to tell him about it straight on, otherwise by the time you do he will have already wind himself up with worry. If your tempers go out of control the worst you can expect from him is raising the tone of his voice and that's all. Trey is not someone who shows openly how angry he is, but it's pretty easy to notice he's feeling down after an especially bad fight or if he acknowledges that either of you hurt the other in the midst of it. He's always open to and waits for a chance to reconcile, he can claim he manages just fine, but going too long without you being near him or always there for him at least through a messenger is hard. He sees arguments as a challenge to overcome, to make your relationships stronger and is fine with them as long as you solve the problem afterward.

• And when it comes to hugging, oh, Trey is CEO of it! You feel like the most secure, protected, warmest cuddle bug in his arms, probably stuck there for a prolonged period of time, the man won't let you go on his own volition, never. Happy? Hug. Excited? Hug. Sad? A hug, a huge tub of ice cream or something he sure will make you happy, and a dozen of kisses to your forehead. Trey doesn't need meditation or yoga to relax, holding you close to his chest eliminates depressive thoughts and clears his skin. He has a preference to being a big spoon, but if you're big enough to hold him and not seem like a small animal clutching to his back then he's willing to be a "little" spoon, but just for a bit, such position makes him too mushy on the inside.

• A curious secret, disclosed only to you, but sometimes you wish you never had it that way. Only you know just what a tease your boyfriend is and how big is Trey's arsenal of underhanded methods to make a bright blush show on your cheeks! Gentleman, courteous and honorable, considerate, and kind to his other half, that's how everyone sees Trey Clover, and you too, albeit you also know how playful and unfair he can be at times. Did you really think he wouldn't notice how you react to certain words, especially praise, or tickling touches to your body on those particular spots, or any other gimmick that makes you shy and meek, all for him to enjoy the show? He doesn't abuse it often, but when in need of some serotonin Trey knows what exactly he has to do to brighten up his day, you're an integral part of his fun. And, well, if you're strongly against teasing, he can always think of a new way to mess with naive first-years or go and initiate cuddle times with you, that you won't refuse, will you?

• The kisses Trey gives to you often have a mature vibe to them. They're not over-the-top or too steamy when it's not called for, but he likes to involve some tongue action, stall you for some time before he finally releases you to go on with your day. Cheek kisses or kisses to the temple and forehead are common to, he can't have you go to classes without your daily dose of love and they're the best when he passes by you in hallways and has limited time to be affectionate with you.

• And being shy about affection in public is definitely not Trey's style. There is not a single soul that doesn't know you're dating, but affirming that fact is never a bad idea. Trey manages to stay classy and refined without neglecting you while going out somewhere and completely adjusts to your preferences, but he's calmer when he can at least hold your hand and doesn't have to fear losing you in a crowd. If you're not against, Trey can be often seen sneaking small kisses to your cheek, but don't expect him to shove his tongue down your throat, he has some manners after all. He can always do it behind the closed doors, he promises to you.

Preparing your own food and then dining together, in the company of each other sounds like an idea for a romantic date, but be assured Trey has a lot of other activities he would be keen on trying out with you. Finally, all those "relationships tips" posts Cater has been sending him since Trey gave the male his MagiCam will prove useful, he thanks himself for not deleting them. Clover is fine both with in- and outdoor dates, alternating between both variants. To his dismay, usually, he can allow himself only to welcome you in his dorm, his position as vice dorm leader takes up a considerable amount of his time, often leaving him too exhausted at the end of the day. However, you're always welcome to visit him for a sleepover and curl with Trey under the blanket, your boyfriend falling asleep almost instantly.

• Upbeat music, funny chatter, and happy laughter, all the while Trey prepares the dinner, handfeeding you some ingredients and letting you taste-test almost ready dishes. You're not obligated to help around, and in a case if you're not that familiar with cooking,Trey himself assures you that you can just sit there prettily and let him do his thing. He can give you lessons or teach you new skills or dishes, but it has to be separate from the normal cooking occasion. Although Clover will never refuse any help, particularly from his partner, so as long as you're confident you won't break something or set the kitchen on fire, he gives you a green light to participate in the process itself.

NSFW

• How deceptive of him to say that you're in caring hands and never mention how dexterous they also are, right until the moment he has you naked on his bed and under the guise of preparing you, unashamedly brings you to climax. Sooner than later you'll plead for him to go harder and finally give you the real deal that you've been eyeing for a while in his pants. Is he really that considerate or was just teasing you, you're not sure, but how his lips curl in a devious smirk upon hearing soft moans of his name from your lips doesn't help either.

• Regardless if he's being fair or not, your hole still requires some preparations before Trey can sink into you, this man packs some nice sized equipment in his pants, enough to rival several known non-humans. He's a bit apprehensive about going rougher on you at first, controlling the movements of his hips and not allowing himself go completely in fear of hurting you, but as you sleep with each other more often, you may convince him that you can handle more - a faster pace, deeper thrusts, his hands holding you closer. He asks you if are really sure, an unsaid warning in the gold of his irises. Rest assured, the possibility of you not being able to walk properly the next day is very high.

• Fret not, this man is absolutely the best at aftercare, and you're never seriously worn out or rouged up, to begin with, while your boyfriend pampers just the living daylight out of you. Trey wipes you clean, carries you to the bathroom if you need one, treats every little bruise, looking just a little too peeved about them, dresses you in comfy pajamas and definitely feeds you some snacks, while he pets your head and calls you darling and dear, compliments how great you are for him and how good he felt, you're just the best, he can't possibly get enough of you. He just laughs when it earns him a worried look in return, he's a good guy, don't you know, he's not going to strain you anymore that night, even though he's tempted. Oh no, sit tight, he can't let you go anywhere at such an hour, a responsible boyfriend wouldn't allow it. Sleep peacefully beside him, he's going to protect you from all harm.

tw: daddy kink • The reason why you would require nice aftercare after the deed stems not only from the necessity for Trey to care of your body but also of your mind. He's very into dominating you, leaving you vulnerable to both his words and touches. But don't worry little one, Daddy is there for you, he can see how badly you need to be loved, to be pleasured. While Trey does get a rush out of being the one in control, having you entirely at his mercy and sometimes disciplining you, he's also very gentle and kind and wants you to see him as somebody who will love you unconditionally will be always there for you, he wants to make sure you feel special and cherished. Trey is careful, he asks you prior about your limits and safe word is always there to ensure you only enjoy yourself, he wouldn't bear you getting hurt.

• But seeing you cry... It's his guilty pleasure. Tears running down your flushed cheeks, while he has you bent over his knee, spanking your ass, or beneath him, begging for him to let you cum, after he has edged you for countless times already. You look so sweet and adorable, gasping for air, your glassy eyes on him, but unable to see anything. He both wants to comfort you and make you wail even harder for him. Ah, you really bring all those twisted parts of him out, but you're his sweetheart, you can handle it, right? You will do it for Daddy?

• When it comes to turn-ons, there's one, in particular, Trey would like to explore with you. Who could have thought that responsible, reliable senior and relatively "normal" guy out of the whole Heartslabyul bunch would unashamedly surprise his dear significant other by sharing a dirty secret of his to see you bent over the counter in the kitchen? The proposition comes seemingly out of nowhere, one moment Trey is about to place the dough for just another tart in the fridge, and the other he has you trapped between himself and the table, a very prominent erection pressed into your rear. Trey creates a path up your throat, placing chaste kisses until he stops just by your mouth and questions whether you would want him to continue. If you do decide to humor him, prepare for the most exciting, and simultaneously the most frightening experience in your life, you're always at the danger of being walked on. It seemed however that unlike you, Trey genuinely hoped for somebody to come. He has to try another time, maybe it'll make every male in college know that you're off the limits, most likely permanently. He also swears to get it up with you more often, when you'll have your own kitchen.

• Trey adores positions where he can hold you against or cage you between some surface and his own body, it makes you look so beautiful and cute, as he's the only one able to command the tempo and you can just receive him into yourself and grace his ears with your pleasured cries and moans. Good old missionary is one of Clover's favorite too when he wants to go all out on you and pay you the attention you deserve.

• It's a heart-crushing sight, your boyfriend visits your dorm after the long and tiring day of helping Riddle to manage the dorm and also taking care of his own business. You want to help somehow, take care of the needs the man has, like getting a relaxing temple massage, a cup of hot tea, and a nice blowjob to top it off. Trey's eyes are full of adoration and gratitude, you can see them clearly as you allow more of his cock into your mouth, sucking and licking the shaft, releasing it when you can no longer breath properly, going without a break on a man such as Trey is difficult after all. But he's encouraging you, caressing your head and permitting hoarse moans to let you know how much he loves it. Blowjob as a stress reliever works exceptionally well for Trey, it obvious in the way his shoulders relax and deep frown goes away from his face when he spills into your mouth. Pray that your jaw doesn't lock, because this man may or may not have been withholding his release, just to keep watching you bob your pretty head on his dick. He's going to properly thank you, not at all repulsed to kiss you in the lips and assure that he won't forget this debt he has to you and will repay it soon enough.

• And you never have to wait long and never because you did it first. Trey does not think of himself as a remarkable gourmet, but he knows what's good and your taste even better than some of the best delicacies he's ever tasted. This tongue of his can work wonders on you, making you arch into his mouth chasing after the pleasure it offers, only for Trey to pin your hips to the surface you're on, he has a task and your trashing-around break his concentration. While on the one to blush easily, Trey can feel his cheeks become hotter, he has to take his glasses off pretty soon, he can't see a thing behind the misty lenses.

• In general everything that has to do with your or his mouth makes him hot and bothered. He's used to focusing his attention on that particular body part, just imagining how you can accommodate him into that small little cavern or having your private parts near his face, your taste on his tongue is enough to have Trey's pulse speed up and he makes a tactical retreat to his own room, to "take care of some business". Oral fixation is strong here. Even in a very pure setting, like brushing your teeth or feeding you something by hand, his mind starts to race with very erotic thoughts. Trey will never pass a chance for a make-out session, he definitely prefers kissing over any other form of affection display.

• What can be better than combining both your taste and the sweets he loves so much? This man's tarts actually have way more spice than vanilla in them. Indulging himself in eating out of you and biting both strawberries your trembling hand holds out for him and your soft flesh is not the weirdest thing you've probably done. Covering your body in whipped cream and "accidentally" licking your weak spots, your privates too, was novel and amusing at most. It's a "sticky" situation you would want to repeat again though. When experimenting with Trey you always know that however it goes, you will be in loving hands.

Cater Diamond ♦

SFW

• A playboy and a social butterfly, Cater is not somebody you would pin as a good boyfriend at a first sight, but don't be fooled by his acting: he's one of the most loyal individuals out there, while also extremely affectionate and supportive of you. Soon you will find yourself to be a center of his attention, a bright star that Cater's planet orbits. As carefree and lighthearted as your boyfriend is, there's more to him that an eye can see and than he's willing to show.

• Flirting is in Cater's nature and of course a few pick-up lines and flirty remarks fly your way, but the thing is, he doesn't usually attach much meaning to them, except for letting you know he thinks you're cute, and nobody bats an eye most of the time. So when you actually take him seriously or flirt back, Cater is lost. He's not really used to a two-way coquet conversation, he probably should answer to your advances? He must, after all, he did try to pin after you and to interact with you more. He's screaming on the inside, he doesn't want to screw this up by being too upfront or cringy, there's something about you that makes butterflies flutter in his stomach. You giving him the attention and compliments back really is the green light for him to pursue you further, something he probably wouldn't dare to do otherwise.

Your interactions are pretty lighthearted, albeit flirtatious and not-so-ambiguous, everyone can get that there's something going on between you two. People don't usually see Cater as a "boyfriend material", sadly, but it doesn't mean he is not longing for being loved and having a significant other, no, he craves it. He's ready to dive head-first into relationships to experience it all, he's in love with the idea of love. Still, he doesn't miss how comfortable he feels around you, that you've become his best friend almost instantly and when he wants to confide in somebody you're now the first person he thinks about. It's a long way ahead before Cater will start to appreciate you and not the "idea of you" that his mind created, but you'll eventually get to it, no one said it would be easy.

• Until then, it's mostly fun and giggles as you parade through college grounds together. The moment Cater is officially no longer single, everyone will know about it. His MagiCam is flooded by your couple photos, hashtags are long strings of compliments for you. You're basically everywhere: on his lock and home screen, his avatars in apps, posts in social media, he even creates memes or reaction pics with you and uses them in group chats. If you're not much of a public person all the incoming attention from everywhere will be overwhelming, but Cater is there to reassure you that you're just too cute to not be seen, all his subscribers already love you. Of course not as much as he does though~♡ Negative comments? No, don't exist, anybody stupid enough to say foul things about you is reported and banned swiftly.

He will recruit you to help him create an image collage on his wall in his room, or, really, a separate board because Riddle didn't give him the permission to touch the wall itself. There are so many pictures he wants to put up, he can't choose! When it's all ready, adorned in fairy lights in best traditions of MagiCam aesthetic posts, you can count photos that don't have you in them on the fingers of one hand: two with Trey, one for Riddle, one for Adeuce duo and another one with everyone in it. Everything else is just you and Cater.

"I can see everyone I love like this, isn't it cute?"

"That's mostly me though, Cay."

"Well, fair enough, I love you the most, my sunshine! I should post it, time for photoshoot~"

One unfortunate evening, the rare one when he feels horribly down and you're not there to cheer him up, Cater realizes that if you two had to walk separate paths he would have to rip a big piece of his heart away; little and enormous reminders of your presence in his life are everywhere. He takes his phone, the keychain on it is your gift, unlocks it and your picture is there, goes to his contacts and you're the first on the list, the melody for your call is different from others, but right now he's the one calling you, desperate to hear that whatever grim world his brain showed him it is not a reality.

• Cater is quite intelligent and knows how to read the room, you're never under the pressure with him. Of course, he tries to be affectionate as much as possible, but it's always within your boundaries. PDA is always present, whether it's swinging your hands, or giving kisses to your cheeks and forehead. You're adorable, soft and all his to relive all of his fantasies about snuggling his significant other and doing all the "couple" stuff.

You can notice, however, that in some instances Cater is not really "there", less tender and doting. Truth is, he's not always fired up and needs to be physical with you, but doesn't want to be left out or decline you some lovey-dovey times. When you notice it, even if it's so hard because when is this boy honest about his feelings, tell him to relax, you know he's not in the mood right now. You apparently hit close, because his demeanor changes right away.

"I can't hide anything from you, can I?"

Cater is all about quietly sitting beside each other, doing own thing but being comfortable with the silence, just enjoying the presence of the other. He didn't think you would find it an ideal way to spend your time, he's both surprised and glad he doesn't have to go out of his way and act all cheery and peppy. Each day he's more grateful that it's you who he's dating.

• Cater always thought he fared just fine, but with you coming into his life, he notices how many changes you've brought with you. "Cay-kun" doesn't always have to be positive when he's around you, and when he is happy it's because he genuinely feels this way, but it’s always the case when he’s around you. Less scrolling MagiCam feed and more chatting with you, he finds that stopping everywhere just to take photos while you're out for a date actually takes away a lot of time that could be spent on enjoying it with you. He doesn't have to rely on the camera to catch every moment with you if he can create even more exciting ones as long as you're with him.

First, second, several months anniversaries come unexpectedly. Cater can remember the date you started going our even if he was wakes up in the middle of the night, but to think that you're still dating by this time? He's both relieved and anxious, how much more time will it take for you to grow completely bored of him, it can't all be permanent, such things simply don't exist. And still, he hopes, he hopes, because he doesn't think he will be able to let you go.

When all is too much and he doesn't think he can take it anymore it's your touch that he doesn't shy away from, your eyes that can look at him in such state, you who he knows won't judge him for being unable to smile at the moment, who doesn't expect him to always be the Cay he shows to the world. Your love doesn't waver, gentle palm still cups his cheek, lips place loving kisses into the crown of his head. He wished it never came to this, but he needs you to be his support, at times his lifeline, when he feels like he can't speak to anybody else.

• While initially Cater placed a lot of trust into you simply because of your status as his "significant other" he learned to think of you both as his loved one and his best friend, he didn't have to play a role of "perfect boyfriend" for you to love and support him, a true revelation about how relationships actually work. Cater's threshold for weirdness it too high, you can discuss whatever you want with him and he will never judge, he'll even try to learn about it more or give you his own insight. Many strange inside jokes were born that way, no one, not even Riddle or Trey, have any understanding of what you two are howling with laughter about, and at this point they're too afraid to ask. With Cater you don't have to be afraid that nobody will support you or listen to what you have to say, even if he doesn't know what you're talking about at all he's always eager to listen since he knows you too will always be there for him.

• But when you are not willing to listen to each other, that's when your relationships are put to the test. It's pretty difficult to discuss unpleasant topics with Cater, like his flirting habits or social media obsession, because he doesn't even acknowledge you two have a problem, dismissing your concerns in a carefree manner which is frustrating at best. Infuriating at worst. If this conversation leads to addressing some other hang-ups that you have about him or will uncover more sensitive topics, he doesn't want to hold it at all. He twists and turns, tries to sway you to talk about something else, takes away your mind by flirting and being very affectionate with you. But he sees how his behavior hurts you and doesn't bring the results he counted on; Cater will then turn serious. You're afraid of the same thing, aren't you?...

I'd you didn't blow up and start a real fight before the realization hits Cater, you might as well gain something from this quarrel, otherwise, he will leave saying that he can't speak with you in this state. Because Cater doesn't share his "less positive" emotions freely it's hard to understand when you're having a problem or if he's angry and upset about something, but he also let's go offenses pretty quickly, so as long as you spend enough time with him, look out for him and help him through some difficulties, even indirectly, the man will feel secure in your relationships, he can overlook minor inconveniences.

• Kisses on the cheek, kisses on the forehead, hand kisses, flying kisses, embarrassing-you-in-the-middle-of-the-cafeteria kisses. They never end and always reach their target like Cupid's arrows, Cater makes sure of it. When you're not getting smooched by your dear boyfriend honestly? Even at night he spams you with heartfelt massages, including anything from beating hearts 💓 to kiss marks and kissy emoji 💋😘, all to send his love across to you in any form. Clingy much, but you will never suffer from the lack of attention with Cater. Everybody just tries to get a separate room themselves, no point in telling Diamond to stop, his lips will near you soon enough after he seemingly ended his onslaught. Queen of Hearts forbid you're in the same class as him, Crewel is so close whip the hell out of you two. "If you know what's good for you, prefect [Y/n], you better discipline that unruly, overly affectionate puppy of yours!" Looking at those sparkling green orbs, unmoving and fixated on you, awaiting what you will say, how can you refuse them? And even if you do, will you forgive yourself, when he lowers his head, heart-wrenching whine shudders from his lips. "You don't love me anymore?" reads in his eyes, trying to gaze at you sideways. You may lament for your fate as much as you like, this man will try everything, just you get your attention back to him.

• Aren't you tired? Don't you just feel like cuddling up to somebody, so he would wrap his hands around you, cradle you while he whispers sweet nothings into your ears? Cater does it, and frequently so. Skinship is something you never have a shortage of.

Cater is the ultimate cuddler; spoon, fork, whatever, as long as he has skin contact with you and you both feel comfortable. When you're having down-time during the day, or it's still early into the evening, Cater will choose a position that allows him to both hold his phone up and caress you with the other hand, so go ahead and cozy up into his chest while on top of him or in between his legs. Cater can stay in one position for a long time, shifting here and there, but he ain't leaving, that's for sure. It's important bonding moment between you, he needs his daily dose of hugs, what's better than to dedicate a few hours to doing just that. If he knows he won't be able to sneak away with you for some quality snuggle time, then he will sure as hell take every chance he gets during the day to hug you, when he runs into in the hallway, searches for you during the lunch break, finds you after the classes before either Riddle or Trey drags him away, but Cater can not spend a day without thinking whether he gave you enough love and if you didn't feel like he forgot about you.

• Are you prepared for a rowdy café tour? Because Cater wants you to visit each and every one of his favorite! You can go out with him, and make lots of cute selfies and taste all the different food Twisted Wonderland has to offer. Well after considering it carefully Diamond does come to the conclusion that you won't be able to appreciate and savor what those places have to offer you fully in only one day, so he plans for several dates ahead, each time something new! And they're just perfect! The weather is always pleasant, you have time to take in the beauty of this world, chat and have a nice time with Cater and he always knows when there's some event going on nearby. But because he can get distracted by shooting and uploading photos to MagiCam, try to stay near him and wander around too much, he's looking at you, or at least in the general direction where he saw you the last time as soon as he's finished with his business. One time when he lost you, whether it was intentional on your part or not, he got a huge scare, by the time he found you he was teary-eyed, pleading for you not to go without him. He feels responsible for keeping you safe and sound while you're on a date with him and he will sigh with relief only when he escorts you right to your doorstep that evening, no other way around it.

NSFW

• Your first time is very interesting, to say the least. It's not like Cater doesn't know what he's doing, but his heart just can't calm down. He has set up a romantic atmosphere beforehand, takes you out for a dinner, you find yourself being completely swooned by his suave act, how absolutely handsome he looks and how much you would like to dishevel those orange locks and place his lips on your neck to feel him place his mark on you while his hand takes off your underwear and... The romance of lit candles and rose petals thrown around is lost on you, when you have a chance to get your hands on Cater in the privacy of his room and finally see all your wet dreams come true. He doesn't resist any of your wishes or commands. Even though his hands shake and the brain is already a complete mush, Cater will make feel so good you will hook up on having sex with him, arranging for more evenings with him ere long.

• Sex is sex, but Cater feels like it becomes more interesting tenfold when someone is placed under the care of the other, simply put being submissive, and he performs well on both sides. Cater is open-minded and willing to experiment with many kinks and fetishes, into both giving and receiving them. You want to be absolutely demolished by him, tied up and overstimulated until your mind goes blank? Or maybe lavished in praise and pampered to infinity, called every cutesy name he can come up with, while he treats you a mouthful of his dick, only to take it away from you when you've wet it enough and listen to your begging for some time before he buries it deep inside of you, ultimately granting your most sacred wish and just spend the rest of the night with you bouncing on it until he pumps you full of his cum, enough to soil the covers irreparably? Okay, no problem, if he sets his mind to it, Cater can be the most excruciating, authoritative Master for you or gentle, fair Cay-kun, whose touch makes your heart arch and long for more.

• But say he's your slave tonight and the next thing he has to do is to kneel obediently and open that pretty mouth of his, and he's already there, looking up to you from his spot on the floor, tongue lolled out of his mouth, already panting, hungry for more. As soon as you set boundaries, Cater will submit to you dutifully, he's kind of bad at being a brat, he takes his role very seriously. Baby boy Cater loved to nuzzle into you, comment how much he adores you and everything you to him, laugh and giggle happily when you fondle and kiss him. Even if it's so painful, he won't cum until you grant him permission, tears stream down his face, movements uneven. Earns him a smack, because you told him not to break the pace, while he thrusts from his position on top. But all the control is in your hands, it's unimaginable for him to disobey you right now. He begs and begs for you to let him go faster, release his semen into you, voice breaking midsentence. Coo at him and either allow him to cum or ask to hold just a little longer, he's your prettiest, best baby boy, he can do it.

Or maybe restrict him, hands behind and legs open for you to see all of him, and place him on his stomach, blindfolded and gagged, able to only whine pathetically when you flog his perky ass or trace the rim and shove lubed fingers inside. By the time you're done with him, poor Cater is exhausted, tear marks obvious on the blindfold you take off. Once he can see you before him, he will reach out for you, shuddering when you embrace him, he can finally let out his breath and relax into you, having barely enough strength to follow simplest commands as you begin your aftercare.

w: selfcest(?) • Try and object that his unique magic doesn't see any use at the bedroom. There's no way he can't touch, lick, and kiss every part of you, you deserve to have only five-star service. One star for each Cater at most, but even with another pair of hands, hungry mouth and hard dick he can make it an experience you won't forget soon. He and his other self will suck on your nipples, their hands working on your core in tandem, preparing you, before they lift you up and fill you with their cocks.

• How about one of the Caters films you getting ganged up on by those handsome redheads, playful whispers mixed in with your moans and wet sounds of skin slapping. He will choose the best angle to catch your beauty, so when you or he watches the video way later, they could see how your body shivers from the pleasure pairs of hand give you, your muscles shifting and limbs twisting as you eagerly impale yourself on what one of Caters offers you. The camera would catch how he laps at the tears that escaped your eyes, and how another him has made himself comfortable in your hand, thrusting into it unrelentingly, just like the fourth Cater that's rocking your world, abusing your poor hole. His magic will eventually come to an end, but sure enough, he would be able to support it long enough to completely fuck your brain out, you won't even notice there's your one and only Diamond slowly wiping your body and kissing any marks that he had left.

If such footage makes you want to set both it and yourself on fire, mind to consider sexting with Cater? This guy had no shame sending you obscene messages even during the lessons, getting you all hot and bothered by the descriptions of what be would do to you if you two were together right now. During the break, you're bound to receive a picture of his hard dick, taken somewhere in the restroom. Cater will be ecstatic if you send one in return, so much that he might just as well need to relieve himself right in the same cabin, because he can't possibly go out in such state, his manhood making an obvious tent in his pants. And if you can sneak to the place where he's pleasuring himself at the moment, bonus points and either a possibility to bring sex in public places to a new level or extract your punishment on your horny brat of a boyfriend, choose your pick.

• Ah, the chaos and embarrassment that Cater goes through when after those rowdy 20 or so minutes in public bathroom, he goes out completely disheveled  with hickeys littering his neck. You two found out pretty soon, to Cater's mortification, that his skin is impossibly thin, any and every mark becomes a nasty bruise a few seconds after and doesn't heal for days on end. Nobody questions what he does at night, his neck probably tells the whole story. Not like he's going to hide them anyway, he couldn't be more proud and smug about the whole situation. Yes, he gets some, from no one other than you, and every time is just fantastic. Along his neck, he practically begs you to suck some marks into his inner thighs and chest. He gets so many kicks out of seeing purple and red hues fading away from his skin, but not fast enough so he could marvel at them for some time. Maybe if he traces them he could feel your teeth scrapping at him, you urging him to not withhold and cum in your hand that gets faster with every stroke. He really needs right now, are you going to answer your phone at such hour, only to be met with his breathy moans and groans resounding in your ear?

• When you can be beside him Cater prefers to have your hand fisting him dick instead, his own hand goes to your legs, you masturbating each other. Cater considers it's a nice to fool around like this once in a while, especially when you can't make much noise or don't have the energy for more physically tasking activities. It's still intimate and hot, and he will always choose you in favor of anything else, your sheer presence makes his nerves tinge, his own hand nowhere near as good, movements never bring him to edge as fast as yours do. He might spend all his day in bed with you, do you have any tasks more important than him?

• Choosing favorite position for penetrative sex would be awfully hard for Cater, each one has its own upsides. He loves seeing your face just as much as your backside, and while he feels very sexy on his four, being above you allows him a better angle and just another way to show off. Somehow he rocks any pose, always looking absolutely ravishing, his facial expressions are to die for. Man can even do an ahegao for you, but note that it should be requested beforehand~

But one pose has a special place in his heart. When you feel Cater grinding up at you from behind, but not doing any attempts to climb on top of you, on the contrary, holding you close to him as much as possible, he may be initiating some comfort cuddle sex. He doesn't want you to see him at the moment and he can't possibly let you go out of his embrace: he needs your warmth in his arms, surrounding him, tight wall squeezing down on him, milking every droplet of cum, all the while he leisurely thrusts up into you, but hard enough that you would have to concentrate on the grip of his arms around you, just so you wouldn't cum on spot. He wants you to, though, cooing and encouraging you to let go, sighing happily when he feels your clamp around him, but not stopping. He wants to prolong this moment as much as possible.

• Offer this guy a blowjob and you will see pants flying across the room faster then you can say "overblot". He's like a kid on the Christmas morning, excited to find his present, but Cater finds you in between his legs and he swears it's the best gift he's ever received. With bated breath he observes you unbuckling his belt, a surprisingly pronounced bulge there. His fully erect state is not be underestimated too, Cater can boast about having bigger than average length, alas he's not that big in girth. To fit it in your throat is quite a task however, you may need some time to adjust, maybe even a few tries to master it. Of course your boyfriend doesn't mind, he wholeheartedly supports it. Well, it would be less embarrassing for him if he didn't cum in the first few minutes, but he actually did well, considering that he definitely got a visual orgasm early on. But you looked so sinfully beautiful and erotic, how could he ignore it?! No living man would be able to stay apathetic when his loved one is working magic on him, while being an absolute sex deity! If you let him cum on your face he will vow to bent over himself just to grant you anything you can wish for. And if he can also snap a photo of your semen-stained face?! He's a goner, just a slave to your celestial self, you can play Cater however you wish.

Might as well remind him about your own needs, but chances are he's already down there, burring his face in your thighs, placing kisses everywhere, swiftly nearing the place you want to feel him the most on. In his determination to repay you back, he will temporarily forget that he even needs to breath, his mouth doesn't leave your core, he can only see, smell, and taste you. It's a messy ordeal, Cater's spit mixed in with your own fluids, dripping down his chin. Lot's of paper towels will be needed afterward, but right now he's almost high, like a man possessed, tongue swirling in ways unimaginable to you before, tiny supernovas keep exploding behind your eyes. It's a battle of stamina, who will collapse weakened and wasted faster, but at the end Cater's tongue is numb and your knees won't stop shaking, deeming it a win-win situation.

[nicanario]

this post is a product of its time

tw: discussion of racism, homophobia, misogyny and a short mention of sexual abuse.

ok, this is basically gonna be a very long rambling post about my not fully developed thoughts on the justification many people give to bigotry when talking about the past: "it was a product of its time"

it would be fair to say, with me being a raging SJW socialist scumbag, that I don't think this is a very good argument and is most of the time actually an excuse to not think about the problems inherent to our society, historical or not, and, by extension, the problems with ourselves. but I do think that sometimes, just sometimes, this can be a valid point, or at least one that raises some interesting questions.

I'm going to cite examples from several pieces of media, but fear not, I'll try to make this as accesible as I can.

so, let's take Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) as our first case study. this show has, correctly, been called progressive by everyone except for clueless people who don't know much about Star Trek's history, Star Trek's crew, Star Trek's cast, or, frankly, Star Trek. because if you ignore the clear, sometimes in-your-face political history and present of the franchise, I don't think you know much about it at all. I do think you can call yourself a fan if you like it, you may have watched every single episode for all I know. but lots of mental gymnastics are needed to ignore the political progressiveness Star Trek has had since its very beginning.

episodes like Let That Be Your Last Battlefield are obviously anti-racist, at least in their intention. but the episode in question really is "a product of its time," and at the very end fails to uphold its ideals. the episode ends with the two aliens (who are LITERALLY. BLACK ON ONE SIDE. AND WHITE ON THE OTHER. BUT IN THE OPPOSITE SIDES.) fighting each other on their devastated planet, and the crew is like, "oh yeah if they both would give up on their hatred that they both share both of them equally" when it has been firmly established that one is the oppressor and the other one is the oppressed.

and that's a lot of Star Trek, not just TOS. even Discovery, one of the most recent series, has done Bury Your Gays (and Trans) TWICE (though both times literally rectified it, which is cool). there are episodes of the franchise that are overtly racist, or misogynistic, etc. TOS is lauded, mostly justifiably, as very progressive, especially for the standards of the time. they put a woman of colour as one of the senior staff, for fuck's sake. of course, when you analyse that same character, as with most of their intentions at being progressive, you'll see that she was relegated and sometimes even outright mistreated when she had the potential to be much more. but, at that time, it was a lot.

I had a friend (emphasis on "had") who, after I told him about TOS's both progressiveness and constant misogyny, told me something like "imagine feminists trying to complain about a show from the 60s." so, with unearned spite, he was, in some way, trying to make the argument that it was a product of its time.

you could say Star Trek, all of Star Trek, is "a product of its time" in the sense that it's not always perfect. uh, yes, I would agree. but that doesn't mean people have to accept it. well, I mean, the show is kinda over, you have to accept it's that way. but you don't have to accept that it's not wrong just because it was a product of its time.

H. P. Lovecraft, as another example, was a greatly influential writer whose works still shape a lot of people's ideas to this day. I have only ever read like one of his stories, so don't expect me to have an opinion on his works. but I can have an opinion on what I know about him as a person (he did have a life outside his writing, after all). and, yeah, he was a huge asshole. if you want to know more in depth about the subject, please watch Hbomberguy's video on him: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8u8wZ0WvxI

but basically, he was incredibly racist & homophobic. some people might even say, "he was a product of his time." well, there are two possible rebuttals to that. the surface level one, and the one that examines why that argument is wrong to the core.

The Surface Level Response to "it was a product of its time": um, no it wasn't. Lovecraft was more racist than a lot of people even in his time. he wasn't just a guy who carried the racist beliefs of his society like everyone else, he was a reactionary who actively thought and discussed how racist he was, and how right he was for being that way. but that's only applicable to Lovecraft. one can't argue the same for Star Trek: TOS, because TOS did try to be more progressive and more anti-racist than the rest of its society. that leads us to the next response.

The Response that Actually Deals with the Fact that No Matter How Progressive You're Trying to Be, Your Failings Can Still be Criticized: the thing is, trying to excuse Lovecraft's or Star Trek's bigotry because they were "products of their times" misses the fact that racism is still wrong, and some people knew that in those times as well. people from these times weren't all naive or stupid or whatever. they had the capacity for rational thinking. they could stop and think, "hey, maybe what we're doing is wrong." and the fact is, some people did. not perfectly, not to our standars, but they did. everyone could have stopped and think. but most of them didn't, and we can criticize them for it. racism, homophobia, sexism, etc. HURT PEOPLE. horribly. massively.

also, even if you agree with the "it's a product of its time" argument, some people aren't criticising people's or work's bigotry: they're explaining why they don't want to experience it.

The Talons of Weng-Chiang is a 1977 Doctor Who serial, and it's one of the show's more racist stories. almost all the villains are Chinese, every single Chinese person is a villain. there's yellowface, slurs, stereotypes, the Doctor speaking nonsense words instead of actual Chinese, and a general belittling of Chinese culture.

note that I'm neither Chinese nor of Chinese descent. I have been searching for hours for a few posts I've read a while ago (some by people who are of Asian descent) about this episode and I can't find them. sorry.

suffice it to say, even though I love Jago & Litefoot (the audio series and the characters), it's not an acceptable episode at all. but it's also important to remark that, because of it, some people aren't going to want to watch it. sometimes, people aren't saying "the episode shouldn't be this way," which causes others to answer that it was "a product of its time." sometimes, people are just saying, "this is an episode that attacks real people. I don't want to see it. I don't care if it was common in that era to be racist, i don't want to experience it."

however, there is an interesting point to the "it's a product of its time" argument. after all, everything is influenced by its society, for better or worse. and we can't change it anymore. TOS sometimes didn't quite understand the political themes it wanted to explore. Lovecraft was a horrible bigot. Talons was racist towards Chinese folks. and that's that. I don't think we should change the episodes/stories or anything. edit them in any way. that would be, in a sense, changing history. and we wouldn't learn anything from it, about how we can do better.

I think there are two solutions to this:

1. warnings before starting the text: this was done with The Talons of Weng-Chiang. on Britbox, where you can watch Classic Who, this serial has a content warning before the start. that's good.

2. the removal as a whole of the text from some places: I think before applying this one, there should be a lot of thought put into each case. I don't think removing a whole serial of Doctor Who or Lovecraft's stories from anything would be, well, fair. especially on tv episodes a lot more people worked on those, not just the writers and the directors. Lovecraft's writing influenced thousands. we shouldn't erase them or anything. but sometimes, for some cases, we should.

those in the US might seen a Confederate statue being taken down. that is, in a way, a form of removal of a piece of history.

but that is a good removal. statues glorify. one sees a statue and probably thinks "this was a person worthy of admiration." they should be taken down, maybe even with a permanent mark of why this was done (a plaque that reads "a statue of X was here, but he didn't deserve it because of Y" could be put in place of the statues, for example).

another example is the removal from DVDs of the short episode A Fix with Sontarans, a Sixth Doctor minisode that featured Jimmy Savile, a presenter who was later found out to be sexually abusing children.

the removal of that minisode is good, actually. it's not a full episode (it's not even Doctor Who). some might say that's "erasing history" but, like, you can still find it online or information about it if you want. this minisode deserves removal from DVDs and Blu-Rays and whatever more than content warnings. it's not an important part of the show and it prominently features a horrible person who did horrible things during that time.

so, after all that, I have explained why I don't like the "it's a product of its time" argument. it is an interesting point that deserves to be examined, but it's not very good.

I have had this in Drafts for so long I've probably forgot some of the points I was going to make, but eh, what can you do? hope you enjoyed reading this.

bye

[pandoras-princess]

Next Best Thing (Tommy Shelby x fem!reader, John Shelby x fem!reader)

*gif not mine//credit to owner

A/N: Hello my lovelies! 🌸 Welcome to my first ever Peaky Blinders fic, I wrote it ages ago and have just edited it slightly so my apologies if the quality isn’t greaaat but the other parts will be better I promise! 😅 This is an AU fanfic where John never married Martha or had kids before he married Esme and there is no Grace for Tommy andddd the timeline is absolutely wack, I know it’s a lot so if you’re in the market for a traditional by the book Peaky Blinders fic this one is not for you I’m afraid 🤗 also if you’re finding it a bit slow I advise you to hang in there until after the time skip because that’s the better half of this part in my opinion, nevertheless I seriously enjoyed writing this so Happy Reading Peoples! 🥳🥳 as ever I appreciate every like, reblog and follow, feedback is forever welcome 😌

Summary:  Being the bestfriend of Jonathan Shelby meant that you’d grown up attached at the hip. And considering you were hopelessly in love with him, life was eventful to say the least. With John marrying Esme you decide it’s high time you got over him. And as they say the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else...

Pairing: (OOC) Thomas Shelby x fem!reader, John Shelby x fem!reader

Warnings: Swearing, violence, smoking and drinking, mentions of addiction, mentions of sex but no smut I’m afraid

PART TWO PART THREE PART FOUR

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Being John Shelby's best friend was definitely not an easy job.

You and John were the exact same age, born on the same day of the same month of the same year, precisely one hour and eleven minutes apart, and since your family only lived one house away from the Shelby's it was a given that you and John would grow up to be best friends.

You were as good as family to them, so when your father was killed in the war and your mother unable to cope turned to the drink and drugs, you were left officially orphaned at age 10 and Polly arranged for you to live with them, raising you as her own.

Growing up with the Shelby's came with it's challenges. They were all fiercely protective of you but no one more so than John. When you were kids he'd beat up anyone that dare made you cry, or sad or angry or anything other than happy really, and as you grew older and began to date he'd scare away anyone deemed not up to scratch, which seemed to be pretty much all of them, threatening violence known around Small Heath as common behaviour for the Peaky Blinders. This meant that you never really had a boyfriend, or many boys interested in you at all for that matter, and any who were rarely had the balls to act on it for fear of the Peaky Blinders wrath. However this didn't bother you much as there was only ever one boy you truly wanted interested in you, the one boy who never would be interested in you.

Of course being a teenage girl you'd had your silly crushes, Tommy being one of them. But they all paled in comparison to what you felt for John.

Being best friends meant that the two of you spent practically all of your time together, did everything together, went through and dealt with everything together. He had always been your shoulder to cry on, your ear to bend, your hugs and smiles and laughs, your safe place. It was inevitable that you'd fall for him. And fall for him you did, painfully obvious to everyone except John himself.

Shortly after your 16th birthday, you were reading a book by the fire, a woven blanket strewn across your legs and a steaming mug of hot chocolate warming your hands when John bursts into the house loud, drunk and jolly. He often snuck out to join his brothers in their shenanigans - whether it be business or pleasure - and you were all too happy to listen to his stories when he came home.

You watched John intently as he regaled to you his latest night out. You watched the corners of his mouth twitch ever so slightly as he spoke, a smug smile tracing his lips every so often. His eyes glistened from the whiskey and his lips were wet. A cigarette clasped lazily between his fingers, his eyes closed for a split second whenever he took a drag. Deep in admiration of the boy sitting in front of you, you didn't quite notice the change of events in the story.

"-and then she walked right up to me and kissed me!"

It was at that point that your attention snapped back, ears pricking up and heart racing as you go over what he'd just said. But too excited to wait, John didn't give you the chance to work out if you had misheard him.

"Well before I know it she's got me in the back alley dress hiked up going at me like a feral she was. Can ya believe it after all this time I'm finally a man aha!" John exclaims, a goofy, ear-splitting grin plastered on his face.

He spares any explicit details, knowing it was no way to talk with a lady no matter how close they are to you or how drunk you may happen to be. Nevertheless, upon hearing those final words coupled with the look of pure elation on his face, your heart shatters into millions of ice cold shards right before your eyes. The pain that was rapidly building in your chest and the image of John with some tart, skirt bunched around her waist fucking like dogs in the alley was too much for you to bear. A wave of nausea washes over you and you stand abruptly, dashing to the loo before the contents of your stomach emptied onto the carpet.

A few minutes later you hear faint knocks on the door.

“Ye alright in there love?” John asks, concern lacing his words.

“All good” you reply quickly, willing your voice to steady itself.

Wiping the sheen of sweat from your forehead you collapse into a heap against the wall, and a sigh escapes your lips as you wrack your brain for the exact moment you had lost him. While John had never shown any signs of liking you, you were always able to draw hope from the relationship you two had, no matter how blind it may have been. Now though, he had dashed that hope, blind or otherwise, as he had given himself to someone else. He had openly chosen not to be with you.

Not to be yours.

Fobbing John off with some excuse about a dodgy dinner you quickly retreat to bed, going without giving him a hug, unable to bring yourself to touch him. And from that day onwards you lived with the knowledge that your love was unrequited. You lived with loving him, and him not loving you.

For the most part it was rather easy. John wasn't the kind for serious relationships - preferring causal sex to the committed kind - so you never really had to deal with any girlfriends or the lark, just the occasional tart interested in him on the rare nights out you tagged along. Even then, you soon learned not to go on any nights out without Ava or Polly present and so the issue of John and his women quickly became dormant. That was, however, until John agreed to marry Esme Lee.

Tommy came to you before asking John, asking for your help in convincing him. He knew John would come to you with it asking for advice before deciding. Tommy explained his plan, marry John off to the Lee girl forcing them to squash the war and join forces to overthrow Billy Kimber. It was simple enough and since you'd already accepted there was never to be a you and John, you agreed.

The time came and sure enough John came to you, confused and somewhat annoyed at Tommy's rough handed approach, and sure enough you stayed true to your word, telling him it was nothing new, people had arranged marriages all the time.

So on he went to marry her, your true feelings unknown to the man.

[2 years later]

"You shouldn't be working here you know. John certainly wouldn't like it" Tommy said, a smile tugging at his lips as he watched you carefully wipe down the bar surface. He was referring to your new job as barmaid in the Garrison and having just finished your first shift you were cleaning up. Last orders had been and gone and every punter had now left the pub, drunk and merry on their ways.

After John married Esme you spent the next two years much to yourself. You embraced the spinster lifestyle and faded away into the passing days. However it was the turn of a new year and to everyone's joy you'd come to your senses, deciding it was high time you stopped wasting your life moping after John. He didn't love you - that much was clear - but somebody out there must and so it was time for you to move on, you thought. Reinvent yourself. This 'new you' started with marching into Tommy's office and demanding the new barmaid job. Surprisingly he offered no resistance, merely a quizzical look at your sudden determination before giving you the job. So here you were, your first shift done and nobody left in the place but you and your new boss.

"Well it might surprise you to know, Mr Shelby, but I don't abide my decisions by what John would or would not like me doing" you reply. Finishing up you leave the cloth on the bar and make your way over to the table, taking the chair adjacent to his.

"Is that so?" He asks, his piercing blue eyes meeting yours as he offers you a cigarette. You accept, bending down slightly to the offered flame and without breaking eye contact, you light the cigarette and take a drag, exhaling as you sit back up.

"Yes, Thomas, that is so" you reply, the use of his name making clear your exasperation with the questioning.

"Very well then, a toast-" he picks up the bottle of whiskey and pours some into each glass, placing one in front of you and taking one himself "-to your new job, and to your new found freedom" he says, locking eyes with you on his last words and clinking your glass before you both down it. If growing up with the Shelby's had taught you one thing it was how to hold your liquor.

Soon you and Tommy were halfway through the bottle and quite drunk, too caught up in the fun to notice. It was now something past 3 in the morning; you and Tommy had been talking, drinking and laughing for nigh on 3 hours now, going through old stories of your childhoods, stories from before you were born and from afterwards, stories of your parents and stories of his.

"So tell me, what is the meaning behind this sudden change in you then?" Tommy inquired, only too happy to see your old self back again.

Before you knew it the whiskey had gotten the better of you and you found yourself telling him the reason. You told him about John, about your love for him, about that night and about how you'd come to terms with it and decided to move on.

"Besides, it's not like he was the first boy I ever liked, so I'm quite sure he won't be the last" you state matter of factly, unaware of the storm you had just brewed.

See, unbeknown to you, Tommy was fully aware of everything you had just poured out to him. He knew about your love for John. He knew the deepest parts of your heart, your mind, your soul. Every crush and fling you'd ever experienced Tommy knew all about it, thanks to a little book you liked to keep hidden under your mattress. You had been detailing all matters of yourself in that little black journal for as long as you could write. Polly happily replacing it when you found your current one full, it was much easier than finding a shoulder to cry on every time you needed one. When Tommy came across it he had no idea what it was, merely out of curiosity did he open it and start reading.

"Oh, who was?" Tommy asked, lighting another cigarette. Following suit you decide to take a minute to weigh up your options, drinking in the smoke as you did.

"You” your voice remains deceptively steady, not wanting the man watching you so closely, so attentively, to become aware of the raging swarm of butterflies occupying your stomach.

"Is that so?" Tommy pulls on his own cigarette, the smoke rising from his lips as his eyes lock onto yours. "So what changed then?" His eyebrow arches perfectly, a smirk gracing his lips.

"You're 4 years older than me! There was no way you'd ever look at me as anything other than an annoying little sister!” You say in a chuckle, the fiery whiskey encompassing all of your thoughts in a humorous glow.

"And if I told you I do look at you as something other than an annoying little sister?" His eyes flick to your lips for a millisecond before returning to your own (E/C) orbs. If you’d have blinked you would’ve missed it, but your full attention being fixed on the man before you meant that you hadn’t.

"Well... that would certainly change things." The possibility of one of your fantasy's coming true ignited you to your very core.

Silently, Tom rises from his seat and offers his hand to you. You take it, and he leads you to his office with the worst of intentions in mind.