#and be like these guys must think I look so stupid
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It's a Love Story - Chapter 4
Summary:
Azriel's shadows find their master a wife.
Azriel would just really like his heart not to get broken again.
And Sky...well, she's just really surprised that that far too handsome male is interested in her at all.
Warning:
Rhys Bashing (as usual), I classified this as Azriel x OC, even when it't technically Azriel x Sellyn Drake (but we kinda know nothing about Sellyn Drake other than that she writes books so Sky is kinda an OC), Cassian is kinda a good guy for once, Azriel has a horrible time, as usual... Stuttering, toxic families (For once I do not mean the IC), Self-Esteem Issues, Secret Identity, Body Image Issues, Fat Shaming, People being utterly horrible.
If any of this triggers you or makes you uncomfortable, please take care of your own mental health and don't read it.
In that moment, Sky’s brain didn't function.
She just sat there, staring at the gorgeous, gorgeous male across from her. She couldn’t think. Not when he looked like that. Not when he looked better than any figment her imagination had ever come up with…
He was…the most beautiful male Skylar Alden had ever seen.
Everything about him was perfection. From his inky black hair, to his high, chiseled cheekbones, to his...his strong broad body that looked like it was just made to be pressed right up against hers. Gods...he looked like he was made from her deepest fantasies. He was...he was…
And then he gave her a slow, soft smile and her breath caught in her throat.
Cauldron, he was beautiful. Like every perfect fantasy she had ever had come to life.
And he smelled even better than he looked, the scent of cedar and mist so mouthwateringly delicious she wanted to lick it straight off his damn skin. How a male could look this sinfully gorgeous and smell just as delicious, she didn't know. And he...he was smiling at her. Smiling at...her.
And she could feel the bond.
She could feel it.
Something…just clicked into place. Something in her chest shifted and it felt right and perfect and she just knew.
Sky just knew that nobody else would ever come close to compare to him…
This was the male for her. He...he was hers.
Hers.
Her mate.
Sky was a hopeless romantic. Maybe she needed to be that, so that she was able to write love stories for a living.
She loved love. She loved the whole fairytale, happily ever after fantasy. And looking at the male in front of her, it was like he came straight from the pages of her books.
But things like this didn’t happen to girls like her. She knew that. She knew that so well. She… he wasn’t going to want to…
Sky wasn't attractive enough, not interesting enough. Why would he choose her? Why would this gorgeous, gorgeous thing of beauty want to be with...someone like her?
It wouldn’t make sense. She wasn't...she wasn't anything special. He could do so much better than...than her.
She was so awkward, so plain. He was just...way out of her league.
“What’s wrong?” He asked her. Even his voice was perfect. One hand reached out for her, and she weakly registered the violent scars that covered it. They looked like they must have hurt. And then he seemingly thought better about it. “You…were happy.Now…”
That was the problem. She couldn't stop her stupid thoughts. They just kept on running through her brain, making her feel...feel self-conscious. Insecure. She was...she was just a mess. Always had been.
And she opened her mouth to respond but no word left her lips, her throat closing as she tried to say even a single sounds.
Tears shot in her eyes. Why? Just for one…just for one fucking time Sky didn’t want every word that left her mouth to be a fight.
But it was. And she tried to say a single thing but her body didn’t allow her, and her heart reatcheted up because she knew that she looked like an idiot but…She couldn't move. Couldn't...couldn't do anything but just sit there and cry like the pathetic, stupid mess she was. She didn't deserve him. He was...he was perfect. And Sky was just...useless.
He was just staring at her, looking...worried, probably so confused about why she was being like this.
Stupid. So stupid. Like she always was. The tears kept falling, and she felt pathetic. So, so pathetic.
Her eyes closed as she fought back a sob, biting her lip so hard she tasted blood. It was...it was too humiliating, being like this in front of him. She probably looked like a total freak. She...she just wished he didn't have to see her like this.
He shouldn't have to see her like this, see her being an absolute mess because she didn't know how to act like a normal person. She could feel him move, and her breath hitched. He...he was probably about to leave. She...she didn't blame him, really. She was an embarrassment.
But then a warm, broad hand was on top of her own trembling fingers, covering her with his own. Her eyes flew open from the shock, her lips parting in surpris, his gorgeous eyes fixed on hers as he gently stroked the back of her hands with his thumb.
“Take a deep breath, love. It’s alright,” he soothed her softly. “It’s alright.”
She could feel her heart flutter as his voice washed over her, warm like a balm over a burn. It just made her want to cry even more, because he...he was being so nice. So gentle with her, even though he probably thought that she was being utterly ridiculous.
“I…I….I am so….so…sorry.” Her stutter was so bad. Clearly at its worst. Worse than it even was when she didn’t have enough sleep.
She felt tears sliding down her cheeks even harder, her vision getting blurry as she tried to avoid his eyes. Her stupid, stupid stutter always got worse when she was upset. Like her brain shut down and she just...lost the ability to form basic sentences.
She tried to calm down, tried to stop crying, but it just kept going. The tears didn't stop, and god, she must've looked completely pathetic.
"I'm s-sorry." she sobbed, her voice a wretched, strangled sound as she tried to stop the shaking that wracked her entire body. She just wanted...she just wanted to be calm. To be normal.
And he had probably even heard Claire. Had probably heard every barbed word her sister had thrown in her direction.
The thought made her want to wail as the tears fell harder, her breathing growing laboured and uneven. He would never want her now. Not after she had embarrassed herself like this. Not after she just...sat here and cried and stuttered like an idiot.
She tried to pull away from his grasp, but he didn't let her, gently taking her hands in his. His fingers felt so warm on hers, and his touch was so, so gentle. It just made the tears fall even harder, an ugly, broken sound wrenching from her throat.
Sky wanted to stop, she wanted to stop crying and being so hysterical, but her stupid, worthless brain wouldn't co-operate.
And then suddenly he enveloped her against a broad chest, strong arms settling sround her. He was hugging her
It was like every fiber of her being froze, her heart nearly stopping as she felt his arms encircle her. It was like...like some kind of dream. He was hugging her, hugging her like she was precious to him, like he...he truly cared about her. After all of Sky’s awkwardness, and stupid, pathetic crying...he still was holding her like this.
“Breath,” he told her softly. “It’s alright. Whatever is wrong, we’ll fix it.”
She took a deep, trembling breath, his scent washing over her. It was like he was everywhere, his arms tight and yet gentle around her, his broad chest pressed against hers, his cedar and mist scent in her nose. It just...it just made the tears fall all the more harder, a small, broken sob wringing itself from her throat.
Of course, his scent was just as amazing as he was. And it made her feel...feel safe. Like nothing could hurt her as long as he was there, like he would protect her from everything and anything.
She buried her head in his chest, trying to block out the rest of the world as she held onto him so tightly she was sure she was probably hurting him. But still he didn't move, still he let her cling to him as she cried so hard it made her shake.
For once in her life Sky felt delicate in his grasp. She wasn’t thin at all, but against him…she felt small. She felt so safe pressed against him.Secure. Like she could let him hold her forever as she sobbed so hard she was practically convulsing. She knew he probably thought she was being pathetic, but still...but still, he was hugging her.
It was like she couldn't breathe. Her heart was hammering so hard against her ribcage that it hurt to even draw in oxygen, her emotions completely overwhelming her.
She could feel his fingers running through her brown curls, and the touch just made her cry even harder. She must have looked so awful, so miserable, but he just...he just held her like this. Like she mattered to him, like she wasn't a total, pathetic mess.
And finally…finally Sky managed to calm down.
It took a long while, but eventually, the sobs eased into small, shallow breaths as she curled up against his strong chest. Sky still felt...awful. Like a total idiot. But at least the tears had stopped.
“I….i am sor…sorry.” She managed to bring out.
“There is nothing you need to apologise for,” he told her gently, one hand still delicately rubbing her spine.
“I…I cri…cried all o…over you.”Her voice sounded scratchy and broken from all the crying, and she was so deeply ashamed of it. He probably thought she sounded ridiculous. But she took another deep breath and pressed on, trying to speak through her tears, her stupid stutter still making it hard for her to even form a single word.
He held out a handkerchief for her and she whiled away the tears.
She blinked a few times, staring at the piece of fabric. He...he was giving her something to dry her tears, because she was such a pathetic mess that she had completely soaked the front of his shirt. Shame made heat rise in her cheeks, but she took the handkerchief from him.
She dabbed away at her wet lashes, her voice weak and raspy as she spoke. "T-thank you," she said quietly, still not being able to meet his eyes. She still felt so humiliated, but also so, so grateful that he was still here, that he hadn't left yet.
Sy knew she probably looked completely dreadful, all red-eyed and blotchy from all the crying, her hair mess and tangled from where he had run his fingers through it.
She wanted to curl up and die from the shame of it all. Of being such a stupid, messy, emotional wreck. She must have looked like such an idiot, but somehow, somehow he was still here.
"Will you tell me your name?" he asked her softly.
Sky felt her heartbeat quicken as he spoke, as his voice washed over her. Of course. Of course he didn't even know her name. She had been so caught up in her little pity party that she hadn't even introduced herself yet. A fresh wave of tears filled her eyes, but she blinked them away as best as she was able.
"S---Sky," she managed to bring out. She grimaced at her stutter. "S...Sorry." She didn't dare to try and say anything else. Didn't dare to try an ask him for his name, because otherwise she was going to stutter even more.
"There is absolutely nothing you need to apologise for," he repeated fiercely. "I am Azriel."
His words made something in her heart quicken, her stomach fluttering in a way that it shouldn't. A small, shaky breath left her lips at the sound of his name, and she couldn't help but repeat it to herself quietly in her head. Azriel. His name suited him perfectly.
She looked up at him, finally looking at him properly, only to find that he was looking right back at her, those deep, hazel eyes fixed on her in a way that made her heart stutter in her chest. She probably looked awful, a total wreck, and yet he was still looking at her like that.
She opened her mouth to try and speak, but only a tiny, broken squeak left her lips. So she tried again, forcing the words out from between her lips. "Azriel." His name felt so good on her lips, even if her voice broke on the second syllable, but still, she had managed to say it.
He smiled that beautiful smile of his once more, and the sight of it made her want to cry all over again. How was it that this perfect male was still here, was still looking at her like...like she was something precious? Like she was anything other than a total wreck?! She just...she just wanted to die from the humiliation of it all.
"Tell me what's wrong." It wasn't as much a statement as much as it was an order. "You were happy. And then you just..."
She sniffled, trying to stop herself from crying even more than she already had. It was hard, her eyes blinking as tears continued to well up and fall. "It's..." She took in a raspy, stuttering breath, her lips trembling. "It's ju…ju…st...just me being...being stu…stupid."
"Somehow I find that hard to believe," Azriel responded, his voice flat. "Take a deep breath. And then tell me what's wrong so I can fix this."
She blinked a few times, looking at him. He was so...straightforward. Direct. So commanding, but also so gentle. Like he actually cared. She felt...she felt so, so unworthy of that. She didn't deserve his kindness, not after acting like a complete lunatic. Still, she obeyed, taking a deep, shaky breath before trying to speak.
"You...You de…de…deserve bet…better than…than me," she whispered. Her voice was quiet, little more than a whisper, and she felt her throat thicken as she spoke. It was true, and she...she couldn't believe he was being so gentle with her. Not with how ridiculous she was being.
He stared at. "What."
She looked down, focusing her eyes on her hands that were clutched in her lap. His own hand was still resting gently on the nape of her neck. "I...I am..." She took a deep breath, forcing herself to try to explain. "You...You…you are…you. And I…I am…me.” He was so handsome. And she wasn’t beautiful in the slightest.
Sky blinked a few times, trying not to start crying even more than she had already done. It was just so...hard. So hard to admit how...how unworthy she was of him. He was amazing, and she was a total mess.
A complete emotional disaster.
And he was going to realise that one day and leave or cheat on her with her sister and that was going to crush her heart and...
She tried so hard to blink away the tears that welled up in her eyes. She knew...she knew that this was just a temporary thing. That he was only being this kind to her out of pity. He would see how awful she truly was, and he would leave, just like everyone else did.
"Cauldron, Love, they really did a number on you," he breathed.
She sniffled, wiping the tears that fell from her cheeks. She knew that. She knew that she was unloveable. That there was something fundamentally wrong with her. And she hated it.
"You…you'll cho…ch…choose s…s…somebody el…else and…and I get it b…but it's go…going to h…hurt and..." she croaked out.
"I am not going to choose somebody else," he cut her off. "You are my mate."
She blinked, her heart stuttering in her chest at his words. It felt...it felt like a dream. It didn't feel real. There was no way, just no way in Hell that someone like him was her mate. She was...there was absolutely no universe where she deserved him.
"That means that until you tell me to disappear off the face of this earth, you are stuck with me," he told her softly. "That means, that I will always choose you. I will always be on your side. I will protect you and I will shelter you."
She just stared at him as her heart hammered so hard against her ribcage that she wanted to pass out. Was he....was...was he being serious? Even as broken and awful as she was...how she had just completely fallen apart in front of him....he was still...he was still saying that she was...was his mate? That he would...that he would always choose her? Protect her...shelter her?
Her side...nobody had ever seemingly been on her side.
"I..." She was at a total loss for words. Him...him wanting to...to protect her? To shelter her? It was everything she had ever wanted. But she was so, so terrified that it was all...temporary. That the moment he saw her for all the broken, damaged things that she really was...that he would leave. Everyone always left.
He lifted his hand and she leaned against it as he cupped her cheek, wiping away even more tears. "You are my mate," Azriel repeated softly. "And if I had dared to approach while your sister was still there, I probably would have wrung your sister’s neck for what she said to you."
Sky felt a small, trembling smile begin to curl at her lips. He...he was her mate. She still couldn't believe it, but there it was. He was her mate, and he actually wanted her. Not only did he want her, but he was willing to...to defend her. To protect her. To stand up for her, even against her own sister. It was more than she could ever have asked for, more than she had ever hoped for herself. And the thought...the thought of that nearly made her cry all over again.
"It's…It’s bet…better to just…to just let Cla…Claire get it out of her sys…system and not inter…in…interrupt her," she said weakly. "She runs out of steam eventual…eventually."
"You shouldn't let her speak to you like that," Azriel said softly, his hand still resting gently against her cheek. "You shouldn't have to endure her venom."
She swallowed thickly, her throat tight. She knew that, she knew that she shouldn't let Claire speak to her in such a horrible way, that she should defend herself. But...but it had just never happened. She had always been too caught up in her own head, too afraid of...of doing something wrong. Of making everything worse instead of better. Because it always seemed to end up worse whenever she tried to stand up for herself.
But...but hearing him say it....hearing him tell her that she didn't have to put up with Claire's horrible words...it made something flutter in her chest. Something akin to hope. The thought that maybe....maybe she didn't need to listen to Claire's vicious words, that maybe...maybe she could stand up for herself after all.
"She's the fa…fa…favourite," she said weakly. "Always…s wa..was. The pret…prettier one."
She sniffled, her stomach twisting at the thought of it. Claire had always been the preferred one, the one that everyone adored. And Skye had always been...well, the other one. The one that nobody wanted to be around, the one that everyone was constantly criticizing.
"She's bone deep ugly," Azriel snapped right back. "There is nothing attractive about her at all." She could just stare at him.
She blinked at him, almost in shock at his words. No one ever said things like that about Claire. Everyone was always so busy praising her beauty and her grace and her charm, but never a single one of them would ever say a single negative thing about her. But here was Azriel, outright saying that Claire wasn't attractive at all. It was...it was hard to even wrap her head around.
"You say tha…that now," Sky said weakly.She swallowed thickly, her heart clenching at the very thought of him ever changing his mind. She knew....she knew that it was a very real possibility. He might think her worthy of him now, but as soon as he got to know her....how pathetic and broken and damaged she was. The thought of losing this....losing him...it made her stomach twist painfully.
She sniffled again, wiping tears away from her cheeks, her voice weak and broken. "You won…won't think tha..that..." she whispered. "When you...when you know me more. You'll think I'm path…pathetic, too. Just like Claire does. Just like every…everyone does."
The words felt like acid in her throat, like a knife twisting through her heart. She knew that it was true, that he would think her pathetic, too. He was only being so kind to her now because he didn't really know her yet. Once he got to know her....once he saw all the broken pieces that made her up....he would realize just how unworthy she was of him.
"I think that you spent your whole life being talked to like that, and that no fucking accolade you ever got was something you take seriously." Azriel's words were harsh, and they made her come up short.
Sky had always thought that maybe...maybe the next time she achieved something her parents would be proud of her. That they would finally tell her that she had done well. But it had never happened. They were never proud of her accomplishments, no matter how good they were. She was never good enough for them, never anything enough for them. They always just...just told her that she needed to do better. That she had the capacity to do better. That it was her fault she hadn't.
And when she had published her first book...she hadn't wanted them to ruin that for her. So she had kept it a secret from them. Then the 2nd. And the 3rd. Book after book after book. People liked what she wrote. People bought her books. And still it felt like...it wasn't real.
No matter how many books she sold, it never felt like it counted. It never felt like she had actually achieved something. And no matter how much money she had in the bank, no matter how well she fed herself or kept a roof over her head, it just...it all felt like it was built on a fragile foundation. Like it could all come falling down around her at any moment, leaving her alone, cold, and broken.
Just like how this mating bond could seemingly break just at a snap of his fingers.
That feeling only got worse when she thought about the bond between her and Azriel. It was so new, so fragile, and she knew that he could break it if he wanted to. He didn't have to keep it, didn't have to stay by her side. He could just...just walk away and leave her in the dust. The thought made her stomach clench painfully, her eyes stinging with more tears.
"I don't want your sister. I want you," he told her softly. "You are my mate, Sky. Turn me down if you don't want me, but don't do it because you think that I don't want you. Because I do. I have never wanted anything in my life more."
His words made her heart sing, the warmth of them filling her chest to bursting. She...she didn't think she had ever been wanted in her entire life. Her parents had always been so quick to shove her aside, to tell her that she was worthless and a failure. But Azriel....he actually wanted her. He actually saw something worth keeping in her. It was more than she had ever dreamed of, the thought so impossibly perfect that it made her feel like she was going to burst into tears all over again.
Sky just stared at him, unsure of what to say, how to respond to such an open expression of adoration from him. She had never been good at accepting compliments or affection, her automatic response was always to push it away. But here was Azriel, telling her that he wanted her, that she was his mate. And how could she even think about pushing that away? How could she even consider rejecting the best thing that had ever happened to her? It was an impossible thought, one that left her feeling awed and speechless.
So instead of saying anything, Sky simply reached for him, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly, burying her face in his neck. She felt safe here, in his arms, like nothing could hurt her as long as he was holding her close. And in that moment, she felt more than anything that this, this was where she belonged.
In his arms, with Azriel as her mate. It was everything she had ever wanted, and she was determined to hold onto it as tightly as she possibly could.
"I won't ev..ever turn you down," she whispered. "I was waiting for you for de…decades."
"Decades? Try half a millennia," Azriel responded.
Azriel's words made her heart stutter in her chest, her stomach twisting with butterflies. He...he had waited for her for so long?
All that time, he had been waiting patiently for his mate, and that mate had been her? It was more than she could even wrap her head around. She had always thought that no one would ever want her, that she was destined to be alone, and yet here he was, telling her that he had been waiting for her for centuries.
So Sky just clung to him, her eyes stinging with a fresh wave of tears. She couldn't believe it, couldn't believe that she was actually so important to someone. That she had actually been....been wanted by someone.She felt so unbelievably lucky, and all she wanted to do was hold on to this feeling for as long as possible. This feeling of being loved and wanted and...and worthy.
She sat back, even when she wanted nothing else but to keep being held by him, managing a weak smile. Sky couldn’t help but stare at him, couldn’t help but take in the black hair and dark hazel eyes that glinted green…and then her gaze snagged at the pair of massive, ferocious wings that sprouted from his back.
“You are Il…Illyrian?” she asked, surprise colouring her voice.
She didn't know why she was so surprised. Maybe because because there weren’t a lot of illyrians that lived in Velaris…maybe because he really didn’t seem to match the picture that most books she had read about them and their culture painted about them.
His wings were… magnificent. Azriel’s wings were so massive, so huge and powerful, and they seemed to span an impossible distance even when he had them folded carefulyl against his back.
“What gave it away?” He quipped, though the ere was a grimace on his face. “I am not…whatever you may have heard…”
She flinched slightly, feeling a small pang of guilt at her reaction to his wings. She knew that Illyrians had a reputation for being brutal and ruthless, but she hadn't meant to make Azriel feel uncomfortable or ashamed of his heritage.
"I am sor…sorry," she said sheepishly. “I was…just su…surprised. There aren’t a lot of Il…Illyrians around Velaris. I've never seen wings like yours before, j…just read about them. They're beautiful."
She looked up at him, hoping that he could see the sincerity in her gaze. She didn't want him to feel like she was judging him based on his species, or that she was scared of him just because he was Illyrian or a lesser Fae.
“I…I got some River Nymph blood some…somewhere down the line,” she told him.”It’s the family s…scandal.”
He chuckled at that, even as he mustered her.“Your eyes,” he realised aloud, and she nodded
She blushed slightly, her heart leaping at the thought of him noticing such a small detail about her. To know that he had taken the time to observe her eyes, to notice the faint turquoise hue that came from the bit of River Nymph blood flowing through her veins, regardless of how diluted it was…It made her feel like he truly saw her, not just the broken, damaged parts of her, but everything that made her who she was.
“Gre…Great grandma from my dads s..side,” she explained. “I was the only one who got the eyes…and the bendy bones.” She had always been seen as the odd one in her family. The outcast. Growing up, it had been hard to know where she fit in. Her parents had always been so focused on her brother and her sister, on their achievements and successes, and she had always felt like she was just...there. Just existing in the background, never quite good enough to be noticed or noticed for all the wrong reasons.
“Tell me more,” Azriel requested softly, reaching out to hold her hand again.
“More of what?” she wondered, blushing slightly.
“More about you. I want to know everything.”
Her heart skipped a beat at his request. He...he wanted to know more about her? He actually wanted to listen to her, to hear what she had to say? The thought was almost enough to make her cry all over again. No one had ever asked her about herself before, no one had ever expressed an interest in her life or her thoughts. She had always been the one listening to others, never the one being listened to…especially not with her stutter.
”I am not that interes…interesting,” Sky said weakly.She had always been self-conscious about what she liked and didn't like, always been afraid that others would judge her for her preferences. Even the thought of telling Azriel what she enjoyed doing for fun made her feel nervous and unsure. She didn't want him to think she was boring or uninteresting, and yet...and yet she also wanted to be honest with him. She wanted him to know who she really was, even if that meant showing all her quirks and flaws.
“I write boo…books for a..for a living,” Sky told him “R…Romance novels. And I have a cat named Hector that’s …that’s ador…adorable.”
Azriel grinned at her. “I can’t wait to meet him.” She blushed at that thought.
She had always been nervous about talking to people, about opening up and letting them know who she was, but with Azriel...it felt different. It felt right.
“What…What do you do?” Sky wondered quietly.
“I work for the High Lord,” Azriel answered. “I…gather intelligence, I guess you could say.”
"Intelligence?" she asked curiously. She had never heard of anyone who did something like that before. It sounded like a dangerous job, one that required a lot of skill and training. Azriel nodded, his expression serious.
"Yes. I gather information about...about threats to our court. About the dangers that lurk in the world around us."
She shivered slightly at the thought of some of the dangers that Azriel had to face on a regular basis. On the things that he was confronted with every single way…He was doing what was necessary to protect their people from harm. SHe knew that it must took a lot of courage and determination to do a job like that, and she couldn’t help but feel a wave of respect for him.
Sky took a deep breath, "Is it....is it danger…dangerous? Gathering all that…all that information?" She asked nervously. "I…I mean, do…do you ev…ever...get hurt?"
Azriel's expression darkened, and he hesitated for a moment before answering. "Sometimes," he admitted. "There are always risks involved in what I do. I have been injured before, but I have also been very lucky. I have survived so far."
She shivered at the thought of him being hurt, of him being in danger. Sky couldn't bear the thought of him being harmed, of him being in pain. She wanted to protect him, to keep him safe from all the horrors of the world. It was a feeling she had never experienced before, this overwhelming need to protect someone else. But with Azriel, she felt it with every fiber of her being. She would do anything to keep him safe, to make sure he never got hurt again.
Sky took his hand in hers, gripping it tightly. "Please…Please be careful," she whispered, her eyes full of fear and worry. "I…I don't want an…anything to happen to you." I don't want to lose you. The words were unspoken, but she knew that he could hear them in her voice, in the way her fingers trembled against his.
“I am careful,” he promised her seriously. “Besides, I am not exactly on my own,” he told her seriously.
She raised an eyebrow, curiosity getting the better of her. "You…You're not on…on your own?" she asked, surprised. "Who…Who do you work with then?"
A moment later…she got her answer in the form of wreathing shadows, that welled up behind him.
For a moment Sky could just blink.
Then: “You are a shadowsinger?!” She breathed in wonder.
She had read about it, of course…when she had a whole phase of thinking how cool it would be if she had some kind of special powers. Sadly, there never had any manifested. No shadows for her…or mind reading either.
Azriel chuckled softly at her reaction. "Yes," he said simply. "It's a useful skill in my line of work."
She stared at him in awe. She had read stories of the fabled shadowsingers, of their ability to control shadows and use them to do their bidding. But she had never actually met one before. They were…stupidly rare.” But clearly Azriel was one.
“Do…Do they…talk to you?” She asked him curiously.
Azriel nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. "Yes, they do," he said. "They have their own personality and quirks, and I can communicate with them in a way that no one else can. It's a unique connection, one that I…I have grown to cherish."
They were important to him.
So Sky did the only polite thing. “It’s…nice to meet you.” She greeted them, holding out a hand.
Azriel's shadows seemed to pause for a moment, as if taken aback by her greeting. Then they swirled around her, brushing against her skin in a gesture of introduction.
She couldn't help but smile at the sensation of the shadows brushing against her skin, their touch neither hot nor cold. They seemed almost sentient, like they had a mind of their own. It was both strange and fascinating at the same time. "Do you have…a name?" she asked curiously.
Azriel chuckled. "No, they don’t have a name. It's just...the shadows."
She nodded in understanding. They did seem…weirdly alive. And they were so responsive to Azriel's commands, so attuned to his needs and desires, that it was hard not to think of them as a separate entity in their own right.
But still…as she wiggled her fingers and the shadows wove between them, she couldn’t help but wonder…
"What...what d…do you wan..want from me?" Sky asked him softly. What did he want? What did he expect?
Azriel's expression softened, and he reached out to cup her cheek gently in his hand. "I want...I want whatever you are willing to give me," he said quietly. "I want to be there for you, to support you and protect you. I want to make you happy, to make you feel loved and cherished. And I want...I want to be your mate, if you'll have me."
Sky bit her lip, leaning into his touch. "I…I want that t…too," she admitted quietly. "And I really want a family one day. I want kids," she told him.
"I want that too," he said softly, his voice full of warmth and love. "I want everything with you, Sky. All of it."
She couldn't help but smile at that admission. Hearing him say that He wanted the same thing, hearing him say that He wanted to build a future with her...it was like a dream come true. And then Skylar Alden who had always overthought everything in her life, made this one decision: "Then take me home."
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Alan didn't let William get out of this hug for a while - he just held him tight and rubbed his back soothingly. If Sebastian was going through something so serious, than it was more than telling when William looked like he looked today. Exhausted, big dark circles under his eyes, Alan just knew he worried so much, he couldn't imagine what these two were going through. On top of that, Sebastian was still so young. Getting such diagnosis at such point in time - it must be soul crushing.
Visiting him though seemed like an excellent idea, William agreed and so did the others. Sebastian seemed fine enough already for that. Eric smiled: "Great, then we could visit him all together. What about tomorrow, right after school? In which hospital does he stay, how far is it? We could get him some flowers and sweets, some chocolate, to cheer him up".
"Ohh yes, that sounds great. I can buy the flowers", Ronald volunteered with a grin, "I have experience in buying flowers, I've been getting Sonia a lot of them lately. I bet if I tell Seb that, he will feel better right away", he snickered - Sebastian would be always so grumpy whenever Ronald did something stupid regarding Sonia after all.
"That's great, then we can get the sweets. Will, you know best what he likes", Alan smiled, "But we'll manage. So then tomorrow after school? We can take our car, there's enough room for us", he patted William's back and only now pulled away from the hug, so he could look at him.
If Sebastian only knew what great friends he had - not only worried for him but caring for William too. He needed the support, more than anyone - he kept neglecting his needs for Sebastian, to be strong for him, but that could only work for so long either.
Around noon, Sebastian was alone in his room again - his neighbour was now in surgery and he got to chat with him only a little bit before. He was friendly, a former military guy but now retired. An interesting fellow to chat with for sure.
His body kept him busy either way - the pain was a handful today and the nurses didn't want to give him too high of a dose of pain meds all the time. Soreness was a part of recovery he supposed but he could barely move and he also couldn't sleep like that. So he was just in a constant state of exhaustion, feeling like a bus ran him over. He was counting seconds at this point - visiting hours just started and he couldn't wait for his boyfriend to come already.
Before that, though, someone else showed up.
"Sebastian...oh dear, I finally found your room, this place is a whole big maze, gosh..."
It was the most pleasant surprise. Sebastian's eyes lit up, he recognized her by the voice alone and his lips curved up into a smile. "Grandma-...grandma, you're here?"
"How could I not visit my favourite grandson", she grinned and she came to a halt right next to his bed as she gently took his hand, squeezed it. "When you're not able to visit me, I have to visit you", she smiled, big round glasses on her nose - Grandma Lillian, Sebastian's mother's mother. That was a big surprise, to say the least - they didn't see each other for well over a year, maybe called each other a handful of times. Usually they celebrated Christmas together with the whole family. But that didn't happen last Christmas - and now it was already mid of September.
"How are you? Are you better already, I thought you had such problems with your lungs?", Sebastian asked right away, his eyes big as he looked at her in awe - she merely chuckled at that question. She didn't look the youngest on her own anymore, her grey hair put up in a simple updo - she had a cane with her too, just in case.
"I should be asking you, my darling. Your mother told me just the other day, well-...she told me all about your illness. And that you had surgery. I didn't think I would get to see you in such hospital bed before me", she sighed, the look on her face sad and worried - it pained Sebastian, to say the least. "I thought about calling you but I needed to see you in person. It's been such a long time. How are you?"
For I have sinned...
The principal cleared his throat, eyes scanning the notes that he had wrote down before this meeting. It already lasted an hour, and the teachers gathered in the faculty room were becoming restless and bored. But indeed there were some things to discuss, with the concert that the senior class was supposed to perform at the end of the semester, and with recent staff changes.
William glanced down at his watch, sighing softly. His class was starting in 15 minutes, so at least, whether the meeting will be done soon or not, he will get to excuse himself. He looked out of the window, his mind wandering. Principal’s voice turned into white noise in the background. It was a pleasant day, late summer. But William was looking forward to a slightly cooler weather. Wearing all black could really be bothersome at times.
“And lastly, I am pleased to announce that we have finally found replacement for the violin teacher. Dear Mr Tanaka, may he rest in peace, was with us for so many years that I’ve been concerned we won’t be able to find someone as good as to fill this position.” the principal spoke. “But Mr… Michaelis, was highly recommended to me, and he indeed has impressive references. He will be starting this week, so please welcome him warmly once he will arrive. Ah yes… about that. He will arrive today at noon, I need someone to pick him up from the train station and bring over for the tour around the school. Any volunteers?”
William was barely listening, and definitely not paying much attention. He glanced at his watch again, and saw that it was time to leave, as his class was about to start. He raised his hand to excuse himself, and little did he know, he just volunteered.
“Father William! Excellent!” the principal exclaimed. “Just don’t be late, the train arrives at noon.”
“Train…?” William questioned, raising his brow. He had a feeling he was missing something…
***
Right after the meeting, William had to run for the class, so he had little time to clarify what exactly he had volunteered for. He was a piano teacher in this Music Academy, but also he served as a priest in local church. Well respected, and rather liked. So when he later found out it was about the new violin teacher, he didn’t refuse. Who, other than himself, would be a better choice to introduce a newcome to their community?
So even though he raised his hand by accident, he accepted this fate.
After classes, at noon, William took a taxi and drove to the train station, to pick up their new teacher. Wearing black trousers, and a black shirt with a thin tie, was absolutely dreadful in this weather, so William quickly found shelter under the roof of the station platform, that provided some shade.
The train had just arrived. William had no idea how Mr Michaelis looked like, but he figured he will just look for someone carrying a violin case with them.
He was in for a bit surprise.
@crazyvik97
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"Even Will Graham has a better sex life than I do." Jimmy said, as if he had been holding that sentence inside for too long.
Beverly and Brian abandoned the blood samples they were working on and looked at him in disbelief as if they were trying to make sure they got it right.
"One question would be how do you know that?" Brian asked. "I doubt Will is the type to talk about stuff like that."
"That's easy, haven't you seen Hannibal?" Beverly asked rolling her eyes.
"I am not particularly into men."
"You don't have to be in order to tell that someone must excel in bed. It's the attitude."
"Stop that." Jimmy interrupted their banter. "I overheard a discussion between the two of them."
"Do we really need to know?" Brian said as he looked at Beverly for support. However, her opinion was different.
"Share."
"Alright but this doesn't leave the lab. It stays between us." Jimmy said. After all, Will was his friend and he didn't have anything against Hannibal. He was usually not the one to gossip but this felt like something that needed to be debated. "They are having a threesome."
"No way." Beverly said as she elbowed Brian who remained dumb.
"Who's the lucky lady?" Brian asked.
"Why did you immediately assume it's a lady?"
"For more diversity? I don't know how these things work?"
"Can you shut up and listen?" Jimmy cut them off. "I overheard Will asking Hannibal whether their plans for the night have changed. Hannibal had said that they did not and then pulled out this business card and handed it to Will. Will was like- a sport trainer? He will be a handful."
"I told you it's a man!" Beverly told Brian then turned back to Jimmy. "That doesn't prove anything though."
"Maybe if you two listened I could get to the point. So, Will said that and Hannibal was amused and said "I am confident we can handle him. Cannot be worse than the one last week. I was not proud of the way we left his bedroom"."
"Shut up..." Brian whispered. Beverly didn't say anything, her lips parted in disbelief. "And then?"
"Then Will said...damn, I hate that I have to repeat his words but he said..."He was bigger than either of us expected. I mean, for a finance guy, he was quite a challenge. My back still hurts."" Jimmy went on. "And Hannibal was like "the one we are having tonight will definitely be in good shape. I will be there, I am not letting him touch you.""
"Christ." Beverly said. "And?"
"And Will said "As if I need you to take care of me. Remember how the one from two weeks ago surprised you from behind? You were lucky I was there." Then they noticed me because of the stupid coffee machine who started beeping. And I swear to God, their surprised expressions indicated exactly the fact that I was not supposed to hear that."
"Wow." Brian said thoughtfully. "Every week. Good for them. That's how you keep things interesting in a relationship."
"I wouldn't have believed Hannibal would share Will with anyone." Beverly commented.
"Will might have a say in that?" Jimmy suggested. "Anyway, I couldn't believe it. I was afraid I took things out of context maybe?"
"Definitely not." Beverly said. "What else could they have been talking about?"
***
"Do you think Jimmy overhead us earlier?" Will said as he looked for their knives in the trunk of the car.
"I doubt it. It doesn't prove anything. We were quite subtle." Hannibal replied as he put his scalpel in his left pocket. "Ready? He must be home by now."
"Let's go. I don't want to spend the whole night butchering this guy. By the way, what did he do?"
"Insinuated I do not take my physical health seriously."
"He just hasn't seen what's underneath that suit." Will replied, making Hannibal smile.
#hannibal#hannigram#hannibal lecter#will graham#hannibal nbc#hannibal series#hannibal fanfiction#blue writes
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Landoscar College Fic (2.4k words)
Inspired by this post. It was supposed to be a little drabble but it spiraled
@complementaryhalves Hope I did it justice. It’s not really a meet-cute since they both know of each other (or maybe that counts, idk how meet-cutes work) but I tried my best lol
Oscar really needs to set a second alarm.
He’s several months into college, so you’d think he’d have figured out a good sleep schedule by then. Unfortunately, that has not happened, and Oscar wakes up to sun on his face.
“Ughhh,” he groans, rolling over and pulling his sheets up over his head. It takes him a few seconds to realize there’s no annoying beeping that usually greets him in the morning.
“Shit.” He grabs his phone from the bedside table and jolts up when he reads 8:25 on his lockscreen. “Shitshitshit.”
He tosses his sheets to the side, the old mattress creaking loudly as he stands, rushing because his bus is literally about to leave. Why did he sign up for early classes? Why, why, why? Even his professor Mr. Webber told him it was a bad idea once he’d heard about it, but he’d insisted that it would be fine.
Right now, it’s definitely not fine though. He brushes his teeth at lightning-speed in the communal bathroom, and throws on a navy blue sweatshirt and pants, nearly forgetting his watch. He’ll get a bagel or something for breakfast at school.
Thankfully, he likes to pack his backpack the day before, so all he has to do is put it over his shoulders, rushing down the stairs and out the door into the parking lot to see… His bus rolling away down the road without him.
Oscar drops his hands down from his backpack straps to his side in defeat. He curses the ground and his stupid clock under his breath, kicking at a loose rock. What is he gonna do now?
Well, he could call Logan, ask if he can give him a ride. Or maybe Charles drove today? He glances across the parking lot, but there are around three other cars that look just like Charles’, so that won’t be very helpful.
He’s about to pull his phone out when he hears a car pull out of the lot, wheels making a grainy sound against the asphalt. Oscar quickly backs away from the middle of the road and goes back to his quiet crisis.
“Hey, you need a ride?”
Oscar looks up to see the car that had been leaving stopped in front of him. The person behind the voice is a handsome guy with dark curly hair and tan skin, sitting behind the wheel with one hand dangling out the window. There’s a small flicker of recognition in Oscar’s brain, he must have seen the boy around campus before.
The driver seems to have taken Oscar’s silence as hesitancy, starting to talk again. “I-um, I saw your bus fuck off into the distance, and I figured you could use some help. I live right over there.” He points vaguely to another one of the student campus buildings behind them.
Oscar opens his mouth to politely decline immediately, but stops himself. Does he really for certain have another way to get to school? He remembers how he knows this guy now, he’s friends with Charles. Anyone who’s friends with Charles gets an automatic thumbs up from him, but being in a car with them…
“Yeah, I could use a ride,” he finds himself saying, not totally sure the words are coming from his mouth. The curly haired guy seems equally surprised, but masks it quickly. “O-okay. Just come over to the passenger seat.”
Oscar walks out in front of the car, and opens the door. Any move to sit down is paused by the fact that there’s a football in the seat. The boy turns when Oscar opens the door, looking through his eyelashes at him, and his eyes are really blue from up close. A bit of green too- okay, stop analyzing his eyes, he tells himself.
The driver- Oscar decides to coin him Car Guy- notices Oscar’s predicament and grabs the football, promptly chucking it into the backseat and patting the now empty seat for Oscar, who sits.
He twists his body to face the back of the car. “Do you think you damaged anything with that throw?” he asks, trying to find the football amongst the clutter of the car. There’s a few random clothes, a cardboard box on the right.
“Eh, it’s fine,” Car Guy says with a wave of his hand. Oscar turns back to the front, buckling up. Car Guy notices what he’s doing and buckles up himself with a guilty smile. Oh God, Oscar’s totally going to die.
“Just college campus, I assume?” Car Guy asks, adjusting his rear-view mirror that has a car freshener and a necklace hanging from it. The necklace has a big 4 hanging by the end.
“Yeah,” Oscar sets his backpack down between his legs, and braces when Car Guy starts to drive away. However, he actually seems like an okay driver, despite that seatbelt incident that may haunt Oscar’s nightmares.
After a few streets, he chills out enough to get a proper look at who’s driving him. He has a Texas Bulls shirt on, a hoodie under it, and to top it all off, a green letterman jacket with the number 4 on it. Huh. 4 again. Maybe the number 4 has some kind of significance to him.
He’s really pretty as well, especially up close. His long lashes, his freckles, his hair that looks like it's attempting to be a mullet.
Don’t you dare fall for a jock Oscar, he tells himself. Because that’s what he has to be, right? He has a Bulls shirt, a sporty jacket, and a freaking football in the passenger seat. There’s nothing else he could be.
And he’s still terrified about a stranger driving him somewhere, pretty or not. He takes out his phone and pulls up his messages, finding his last conversation with Dad 2.0 (an inside joke the two of them have.) He frantically texts Charles, asking, ‘Is curly haired boy a serial killer??’
A moment later, he gets a response back, a lot of question marks. Oscar sighs, running his hand through his hair and trying not to let his thoughts spiral into how he may or may not be getting kidnapped.
# # #
Lando’s trying to be cool. He really is. But Oscar’s in his car. He wants to squeal and kick his feet and giggle.
He’s had a crush on the Australian-born boy for a while now, ever since he’d seen him actually. They’d just been passing by each other while walking across campus, but it felt like a world-changing event for Lando (okay, he may be overreacting just a little, but have you seen the man?!)
Once he learned that Oscar was friends with Charles, he came out to his friend as bi and proceeded to spend his entire time with Charles ranting about how pretty Oscar was, or what Oscar was wearing today, or could he get some pictures of Oscar pretty-please?
Needless to say, the Monegasque was tired of his pining fairly quickly. “I don’t understand why you do not just talk to him,” he’d said one day during their lunch break.
“I can’t just talk to him, Charles.”
“Why not?”
“Because that’s weird!”
“How? It’s just talking,” Charles had retorted, biting into his protein bar. “You can say it’s because you are both friends with me or something. There are ways.”
“Well, it- it’s complicated.” Charles raised an eyebrow. “I don’t have a good argument for that Charles, but just know that you’re wrong.”
So Lando had just watched Oscar from a distance (not in a creepy way or anything, just in an adoration way.) Until this morning, when he saw Oscar miss the bus, which was admittedly a little funny, he’d gotten the courage to ask if he wanted a ride. He hadn’t been expecting him to say yes, but he was ecstatic that he had.
Now they’re in the car together, and Lando’s tongue feels like lead whenever he attempts to make small talk. Oscar’s aggressively texting someone, and Lando has had to stop himself multiple times from looking at Oscar instead of the road.
Oscar sighs, running his hand through his swoopy hair. Now’s his chance. “Everything okay?” he asks, drumming a finger against the steering wheel as he waits behind a stop sign.
“Hmm?” Oscar looks up, raising his eyebrows, and Lando might die on the spot. “Oh, yeah, everything’s fine. I was just texting a friend. You know Charles, right?”
“Leclerc?”
“Yeah,” Oscar says, letting out a breathy laugh. “I was gonna ask him to drive back and pick me up but… Well I don’t know if you know this, but Charles likes to jog to school sometimes. I wasn’t sure if he had today or not.”
Lando barely processes what he’s said, which feels extremely rude even in his head. But Oscar’s smiling and it looks so cute, and the way his voice changes as he’s trying to stifle a laugh is addicting. “Oh, I think I’ve heard him talk about jogging to class sometimes. One time he texted me at like 6 am, I was so confused when he told me he was at school already.”
Oscar laughs again, and Lando tries to stop the butterflies growing in his stomach. “Ha, yeah, he’s like that. I think he just likes to be early.”
“I know, but 6 am??”
“I’m not defending him!” Oscar says, throwing his hands in the air, the two of them laughing together. Lando feels joy spread through his chest, because Oscar seems more comfortable, he’s smiling and laughing and blushing and he looks so cute.
“Oh my gosh, I have this selfie of Charles he sent to me when he was on a run,” Oscar turns on his phone and started to scroll through his photos, eyebrows furrowed in determination. His hair droops down on his face, and Lando fights the urge to reach out and push it back.
After a minute or so, Oscar bursts out laughing. “Did you find it?” Lando asks. Oscar nods, shoulders shaking, and holds his phone out for Lando to see. It's perfect timing, they're stopped at a red light, so Lando turns his head to inspect the picture.
Charles has a headband and glasses on with no shirt. He must have been running when he took the picture, everything’s blurry and the background is just a mass of green and gray. The most noticeable thing is his face. He’s trying to wink, but it’s more like a squint, and his eyebrows are high up on his forehead. He looks partially like he ate something sour, and like he’s getting chased by a wild animal.
Lando snorts, and Oscar pulls the phone back. “I know right? Apparently, he took the photo and sent it to me without checking what it looked like, so now I have this treasure saved in my phone forever.”
# # #
They spend the rest of the car ride in silence, and Oscar regrets thinking Car Guy was someone scary or a jerk. He seems really sweet and funny. And he’s attractive. But that’s besides the point.
Charles had been blowing up Oscar’s phone ever since his vague text about Car Guy, most of it consisting of ‘who the hell are you with’ and ‘answer your phone, you’re freaking me out.’ Oscar replies to his flurry of messages with nvm. It's fine. I’ll explain later
“Is this a good place to drop you off?” Car Guy asks him, and Oscar’s head jolts up. He parked just a few minutes away from his first class.
“Oh yeah, this is perfect,” Oscar grabs his backpack and opens the car door. “Thanks for this,” he says, turning back.
“No problem,” Car Guy says with a smile. He’s got a little gap between his front teeth. “See you around?”
Oscar gives him a thumbs-up and steps out, walking down the winding sidewalk to Mr. Webber’s class in room 222.
Epilogue
Oscar still needed another alarm. He just kept forgetting. And now he was running late again, this time far too late to even try to catch the bus.
He sits on the parking lot curb, about to call Charles (he’d taken his car today,) when a familiar voice calls out to him.
“Dude, you really need to wake up earlier.”
Oscar gives Car Guy a withering glare. He leans back in his car in response, a look of barely concealed fear in his eyes. “Well, do you want a ride or not?”
Oscar sighs and stands, getting in the passenger seat. “No football this time,” Car Guy says with a grin. Oscar can’t help but smile back.
This car ride is a lot less talkative than the last one, a playlist of Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus from Car Guy’s phone playing loudly. Oscar puts on an excellent act of pretending his ears aren’t bleeding from the music.
“Thanks again,” he says once they arrive at his stop. He gets his backpack and is about to leave when Car Guy speaks up.
“Hey um, I was wondering if maybe you could repay me by going on a date? With me?”
Oscar blinks once, twice. Car Guy obviously takes this the wrong way, his face reddening. “Never mind. Just… forget I said anything.”
“No,” Oscar says. “I don’t want to forget that. I’d love to go on a date with you.”
“Really?” Car Guy says, his eyes lighting up. “Okay, here’s my number.” He reaches into his jeans pocket and pulls out a folded Sticky-Note, pressing it into Oscar’s hand. Oscar wonders if he feels the electricity when their fingers touch too.
“Uh, this is gonna sound weird,” Oscar says, rubbing the back of his neck. “But can I get your name?”
“Oh. OH. My name’s Lando.”
“Lando,” Oscar says, testing the word on his tongue. “I’m Oscar.”
“I kinda already knew that,” Lando giggles, and now it’s Oscar turn to blush. “You look cute when you blush.” His face gets a thousand times more red.
“OkIgottagoI’lltextyoubye,” he says, almost stumbling out of the car. Once Lando’s car drives away though, he allows himself a bit of a victory dance, before walking to class with a skip in his step and only one word in his mind. Lando, Lando, Lando.
Okay I kinda hate it 😭 But I don’t really wanna work on it more, so *tosses fanfic at the Tumblr gods and runs*
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As someone who's been in multiple fandom circles and calls themselves a Splatoon fan, I've seen a lot of focus and discussion on "THE LORE!!" and "CANON!!!" and to be honest with you... it's getting really tiring and I think people are just WAY TOO obsessed with what a wiki or an intern at Nintendo says rather than forming their own perspective on events and coming to their own unique conclusions.
Now, I wanna say, if talking about lore and discussing which elements are canon or not makes you happy and you love talking about that, then that's perfectly okay. It's fine. It's not for ME personally because my focus on Splatoon is the gameplay, music and the storytelling chops of each Hero Mode.
Story >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Canon for me any day of the week i do not care.
Because, to get away from Splatoon for a second, for my Sonic fans out there, you remember when Sega and the people behind the show Sonic Prime said that it was canon to the mainline Sonic timeline? And if you said otherwise you were technically wrong because "oh Sega said this, so it MUST be true!"
........But then everyone said that Sonic Prime cannot be canon to the mainline Sonic timeline because it has a fuck ton of inconsistencies? Yeah.... funny. Basically, don't put a lot of focus into "what actually happened" and "oh this is what the multi billion dollar corporation said!" because there's always gonna be one guy out there that goes "um this information kinda fucking damages the story in a severe way." (And sometimes that one guy is me.... hehehehe....)
I could obviously talk about.... you know.... Hypno Callie again for the 50th trillion time.... (and i will)..... This bitch.... I wanna love you girlie i really fucking do but Nintendo and millions of people make it hard to....
Nintendo set up Callie's villain arc decently in Splatoon 1 with the Splatfest dialogue, the Squid Sister stories and the Sunken Scrolls, yet they ultimately damaged the progression of the arc by saying "nah fuck u she got kidnapped and brainwashed, removing all of her memories and free will because fuck telling a good story with satisfying set up and pay off that allows for character growth. Fundamentals of storytelling? What are those?" And it also destroyed Callie as a character by reducing her to an object that the player "must save from da evil Octavioooo" and "oh look at her! She put the stupid brainwashing shades onnn againnn!! such a dumb fucking moron dumbass piece of shit right guys?!? lmaoooooooooo!! explore the dangers of addiction and how you need to seriously change your life and be surrounded by those you love in order to change bad habits?? Themes?? PFFTTT! NAWWW! THAT'S LAMEEEE!! It's Callie! No one cares about Callie!! She's stupiddd!!!"
(I talked about Callie in a tumblr comment section one time and I got made fun of for by a guy way older than me. I love humanity.)
It also ruined DJ Octavio's character too because, if what Nintendo said is true about what he did then he cannot be redeemed in Splatoon 3. He cannot go back on the shit he's done. But they try to redeem him out of nowhere and now he's all chill with the New Squidbeak Splatoon and appeared in the Grand Fest.... Yet what he did to Callie which Nintendo loves to push is truly TRULY unredeemable and if that's the case then welp.... I call that bad writing, straight up. It's bad writing.
I really hate it when something happens in a story and you perceive it in a certain way where you feel like it elevates the events, but then the company behind the story chooses to pick the worst outcomes possible just because? And everyone rolls with it just cause? Ugh...
Lesson of today is, don't fucking listen obsessively to what a company says and suck it up. Consume media and come to your own conclusions on what happened. As long as you have tangible evidence to back up your claims you can make any interpretation you want to, whatever makes you feel happy bestie!
#splatoon#splatoon 3#callie cuttlefish#callie splatoon#marie cuttlefish#marie splatoon#splatoon 2#sonic the hedgehog#sonic prime#discussion#rambles#ramblings#splatoon lore#lore#canon#writing
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Isolated
(Part 3 of Adventures of the Batfamily)
(POV Dick)
“It’s been three weeks, I think it’s fair to give him a shot. He’s kept his promise. He’s given you guys the space you wanted and he hasn’t gone out and done anything illegal,” Tim says.
“That we know about,” Dick replies.
“While I don’t agree with trusting people readily, he hasn’t left the house in three weeks, Grayson. He literally can’t have done anything.”
Dick sighs. “That’s a fair point, but how are you dealing with this so well, Tim? He’s tried to kill you like a dozen times.”
“Considering how I came into this family and the things I dealt with when first coming here, I don’t know why you’re surprised. Lots of people have tried killing me for stupider reasons,” Tim answers. “He’s really trying, and that has to mean something.”
Dick slings an arm around Tim’s shoulder. “I’m glad you two came.”
“Well, how else are we supposed to talk sense into you?” Tim asks.
“I just wanted to see you. I don’t actually care about this argument, I just want it to be over,” Damian says.
“Aww, thanks,” Dick says, ruffling Damian’s hair.
The three have dinner, then head back to Dick’s apartment. They go out on patrol a little later, but they don’t find any crime happening at all.
“This is so odd. There’s always something,” Dick says.
“Maybe they knew that the Murder Baby was coming and decided to stay home,” Tim replies.
Damian kneecaps Tim and he falls.
“Behave, you two. Batman will hear about it if you don’t.”
Deathstroke drops down and before Dick has time to react, Deathstroke kicks Dick into the side of a building. Dick gets up and realizes that there have to be at least two dozen goons with him. Dick grabs a knife out of his boot and Deathstroke laughs.
“Go to sleep, Nightwing.”
Dick and Deathstroke get into a fight and Deathstroke stabs Dick in the arm with a dart. Dick takes a slash at him as his vision blurs. His vision blacks out and he falls unconscious.
(Villain's POV)
“What are we doing here?” Riddler asks. “We shouldn’t be meeting like this.”
“Batman’s out dealing with Croc’s brilliant idea to eat people in a bank,” Scarecrow says. “While I also want to know, we shouldn’t be stressing about Batman right now.”
“I hired some help, but I got them,” Two-Face says.
“Got whom?” Riddler asks.
Two-Face opens the door he’s standing next to, so the others walk in. Red Robin and Robin are tied to chairs.
“Would you look at that,” Scarecrow says. “You really did it.”
“Was there ever any doubt?” Two-Face replies. “It’s not like we’re talking about Batman here. We’re talking about his stupid little Bat-Brats.”
“Yes, there was doubt,” Scarecrow answers.
“There’s only two here. The two younger ones. Where’s the older one?” Riddler asks.
“I’m so glad you asked. The third one is already in the isolation chamber,” Two-Face answers, walking over to the computer in the corner of the room and turning cameras on. “Nightwing is my favorite to put in there because it’s almost like he needs company to function.”
Deathstroke walks into the room.
“What took you so long?” Two-Face asks.
“Nightwing nearly killed me, so I had to get patched up,” Deathstroke answers.
“Almost killed you?” Riddler asks. “The nice one did?”
“I don’t think you know Nightwing well enough. And anyway, he probably couldn’t see clearly. He took a wild slash at me and got my neck. If I wasn’t wearing the armor, I would have bled out.”
“Huh, little guy’s all grown up,” Scarecrow says.
(POV Dick)
Dick doesn’t know how long he’s been awake. He lost track a while ago.
Scarecrow walks in. “Look at you, the mighty son of Batman.”
Dick glares at Scarecrow even though Scarecrow can’t tell. The rest of his facial expressions must have given it away because Scarecrow walks over and crouches in front of him.
“What? Pissed with me? Whatcha gonna do about it?”
Dick doesn’t even think about it before his aggression kicks in and he headbutts Scarecrow as hard as he can. Scarecrow backs up, holding his bleeding nose.
“Get the hell outta my face, Crane,” Dick growls.
Scarecrow quickly leaves the room.
This feeling is suffocating. The white noise constantly playing, the chair constantly shaking, the fact that Two-Face keeps coming in and flipping his damn coin. Damning his siblings to various types of torture. Dick’s anxiety’s been high since coming up, but this last period of time has cranked it up to an eleven. Subconsciously, Dick knows that it’s a symptom of him not sleeping, but he can’t consciously come to that conclusion. Thus, he’s been on constant high alert.
Two-Face walks in. “Hello, Nightwing.”
Dick waits for Two-Face to mention that he headbutted Scarecrow, but he doesn’t.
“Ready for the coin toss?”
“Please, just torture me instead.”
“I am torturing you, and you’re much easier to break than the other two. Heads, they face the torture of my choice. Tails, they get a break.” Two-Face flips the coin and it lands on heads. “Alright, the coin has decided.”
Two-Face walks out as Dick starts yelling at him to stop.
Dick is forced to watch his siblings being repeatedly electrocuted. Once Two-Face has had his fill of Dick pleading for him to stop and the other two barely responding, he leaves the room and the glass darkens again. He looks away and he sees Jason. A bloody and battered Jason, lying there in a torn Robin costume.
He can’t be here too. Why would he be put in here with me?
Dick looks away. He can’t look at his dead brother, not again. When he turns back, Jason’s gone.
Where did he go?
(POV Jason)
Jason has a quiet dinner with Alfred since everyone else is in Blüdhaven or Bruce has been on a mission for the Justice League since the others left. Alfred heads upstairs after dinner, so Jason heads down to the Batcave. It’s the first time Jason’s been down here since coming home a month ago. He glances at the case where Bruce had thrown his Red Hood uniform, then sits down at the computer. The last time he sat here, he was so much smaller. He looks at everything and realizes it doesn’t look larger than life like it used to. He sighs and leans his head back.
It’s been so long.
Something starts beeping so Jason looks up. The computer’s flashing with a blue symbol.
Grayson’s distress signal.
The computer lights up and Barbara’s picture pops up. “Bruce… You are not Bruce.”
“Very perceptive of you,” Jason replies sarcastically, then bites his tongue. “Where’s Grayson’s distress signal coming from? I’m gonna get in contact with Bruce.”
“It’s coming from a warehouse downtown. I think it’s Riddler.”
“Riddler?” Jason asks as he tries to remember the sequence to contact the Watchtower. “Has he gotten better since I left? I only ran into him one time and he said something that made me very uncomfortable, but not threatened.”
“What did he say?”
“Not repeating it.” The signal says no connection. “The damn Watchtower isn’t responding.”
“I’ll try getting in touch with him.”
Jason turns towards the display case. “No need. I’m going.”
“Is that wise?” Barbara asks.
“Who the hell knows?” Jason answers. “I’m gonna do it anyway.”
He goes over and grabs his suit and helmet. “Maybe leave this one for now. That will surely scare them if they’ve been drugged.”
He puts the helmet down and grabs a domino mask. “Barbara, I’m gonna get a comm, so I’m gonna need you to direct me.”
“I can do that.”
Jason goes to change.
(POV Dick)
Two-Face has done everything in his power to keep Dick awake and thus far has been successful. Dick almost passed out earlier, but Two-Face managed to give him enough adrenaline to keep him awake.
Two-Face walks back in. “You ready?”
“Ready for what?”
“Ready to try your luck again?” Two-Face asks. “You know the rules. Heads, they’re subjected to torture. Tails, they get their first break of the week.”
He flips the coin and everything within Dick begs for it to land on tails. It lands on tails. Dick sighs, so relieved.
“Aww, that’s no fun. Well, I’ll be back in two hours to try this again.”
“What?” Dick asks.
“In. Two. Hours. We’ll. Try. This. Again.”
“You sick son of a bitch.”
Two-Face backhands Dick hard enough for Dick’s teeth to cut the inside of his cheek. “Don’t talk about my mother like that, you Batman wannabe.”
Dick spits blood on Two-Face’s suit, to which he promptly freaks. He rushes out of the room to change his suit. The sounds start back up and the chair starts shaking again.
“Damn,” Dick mutters.
Dick loses track of time again as he starts crashing from the adrenaline. The door bursts open and he sees…
Red Hood?
“Hey, you dead yet?” That voice definitely belongs to Jason.
“No.”
It takes almost two minutes, but Jason gets the handcuffs off of Dick’s hands. Dick types in the password on the second handcuffs and pulls them off his feet.
“You need help walking?” Jason asks.
“No. We need to get the other two.”
“Do you know where they are?”
“They’re behind the glass,” Dick answers, pointing.
Jason smashes the glass and luckily Tim and Damian aren’t close enough to get any glass on them. Jason through and cuts the ropes that are tying both of them to their respective chairs. Dick pulls himself together and forces himself over to his brothers.
“Can you take Da… Robin?”
Dick nods, so Jason grabs Tim. Dick gently picks up his baby brother, then the two head out of the warehouse. Jason clicks a button as they’re walking out.
“What was that?” Dick asks.
“You’ll see.”
They make it a safe distance from the warehouse before it bursts into flames. Jason’s smiling and Dick turns so less of the heat will affect Damian.
(POV Bruce)
Bruce comes back into the Watchtower and his comm starts beeping immediately.
He answers. “What’s up, Oracle?”
“Where have you been?” Barbara shouts.
Bruce forces his expression to stay neutral because more of the League members are coming through the Zeta Tube.
“I’ve been on a mission. We didn’t have a proper signal. Is something happening?”
“Yeah, Nightwing sent a distress signal last night and I lost contact with Jason after he went after them.”
Bruce feels his blood run cold. He turns and heads back toward the Zeta Tube.
“Where are you going, Batman?” Superman asks. “We have a meeting and debrief.”
“Something’s come up and I need to return home. I’ll write a report when I have time.”
Batman heads back to the Batcave.
“Where did the signal come from?”
“One of Riddler’s old warehouses. I sent the coordinates to the Batmobile.”
“Thanks, Oracle. I’ll keep you updated. Let me know if something changes.”
“I will. Be safe.”
Bruce drives to the warehouse, his anxiety keeping his muscles tight the entire way. When he gets there, the warehouse bursts into flames.
“No!” Bruce jumps out and runs towards the warehouse.
“Hey, old man! Cut that out!”
Bruce turns and sees all of his kids, safe. Relief floods through him and he runs over. Dick’s holding Damian like a baby, who’s unconscious but breathing. Jason’s holding Tim bridal style, and Tim seems to be somewhat awake. He keeps occasionally lightly hitting Jason’s face and mumbling something that’s probably demanding to be put down. It doesn’t seem to phase Jason at all. Dick’s clearly tense and he seems to be slightly leaning on Jason.
“What happened? Are you all alright?” Bruce asks.
“There was some kind of jammer in the building,” Jason says. “The only reason the distress signal got through was because someone was taking Gray…Nightwing’s gear outside to dump it in the water.”
“How long have you guys not been in Blüdhaven?”
Dick shrugs one shoulder. “God only knows. I don’t even know what day it is.”
Bruce helps his kids into the Batmobile and heads back to the Batcave.
“Oracle?”
“Yes?”
“I found them. They’re mostly alright,” Bruce says.
“Oh thank God,” Barbara replies. “All of them? You’re sure?”
“Mmhmm.”
“Okay, keep me updated.”
“I will.”
Bruce calls Leslie and she promises to meet them there as soon as she can. When they get home, Bruce takes Damian and Jason grabs Tim. They set them up, then hear something thud on the ground.
Jason runs over. “Grayson, are you okay?”
Bruce walks over as Jason helps Dick to his feet.
“I’m fine,” Dick says. “I just tripped.”
“Getting out of a car. You’re not fine,” Jason says.
Jason helps Dick onto one of the beds and Bruce walks over.
“When was the last time you slept?”
“I don’t know, that depends on how long we were there. I haven’t slept since getting there.”
“Can you remember, even a rough estimate, of how long you were there?” Bruce asks.
“I lost track after about thirty-eight hours,” Dick answers. “They kept me awake and then… I had to watch him torture them.”
Dick starts crying, so Bruce hugs him. Dick puts his head on Bruce’s shoulder.
“Hey, Tim. Probably not wise to roll off the bed, buddy,” Jason says.
Bruce turns his attention to his other children and Tim looks asleep. Jason’s probably not actually talking to Tim.
“Thanks, Jay,” Dick says.
“You’re welcome,” Jason replies, awkwardly avoiding looking in Dick and Bruce’s direction.
Leslie shows up with Alfred and the two care for Tim and Damian, who have minimal serious injuries. Leslie says that Dick’s just suffering from lack of sleep. Jason reads quietly to Dick until he falls asleep, which makes Bruce smile. Leslie gave medication to the other two before she left, so all of his kids besides Jason are sleeping soundly.
Bruce turns to Jason. “Thank you.”
Jason looks down at the uniform, then makes eye contact with Bruce. “I want to help. It doesn’t mean that I agree with everything that you’re saying, but I can’t just sit by while things are still so bad. While you guys risk your lives.”
Bruce thinks about it. “You’ll have a trial period and we’ll go from there.”
“That’s fine. I’ll make some changes to the uniform, it needs it.”
Bruce nods. “You should go get some rest.”
“Yeah, I will. ‘Night, Dad.”
“Goodnight, Jason,” Bruce says, smiling.
Jason heads upstairs and Bruce settles down to watch over his kids for the night.
#whumptober2024#whumptober#no.8#sleep deprivation#forced to stay awake#isolation chamber#batman#dick grayson#tim drake#damian wayne#bruce wayne#jason todd#alfred pennyworth#dc riddler#two face#scarecrow dc#deathstroke#barbara gordon#angst#whump#hurt/comfort#emotional angst#emotional hurt/comfort#whump writing#writing challenge
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((I forgot to say, I think Michael would be Chris Redfield lol))
Adam stands awkwardly: So... What do you think?
Lucifer blinked. He did t realize that he had been staring: Y-You look great.
Adam blushed and walked into the lounge and sat on the couch.
Adam: So. Who's Michael?
Lucifer sat next to him: He's the leader of the BSAA.
Adam: ...that doesn't tell me as much as you think it does. What's the BSAA?
Lucifer: Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance. BSAA.
Adam: Hm. Big words. Sounds like a whole lot of BS... ayyyyee.
Lucifer stares at him, Adam can't read his expression, but he doesn't seem amused.
Lucifer: ...you didn't happen to get your humor fron the parasite, by any chance?
Adam: Nope. That's all 100% me, baby.
Lucifer: Hm... excuse me while I vomit.
Lucifer stands and starts to he'd upstairs. It was taking a lot of willpower not to laugh at Adam's stupid joke. That BS line was exactly what Lucifer said to Michael when he first asked him to join.
Adam: Man, tough crowd.
Lucifer chuckled as he walked up the stairs. It was time to wake Charlie up. She's been sleeping a solid two or so hours since they got home. The ordeal with Lilith must have completely drained her. Lucifer wasn't surprised. He was drained to.
Lucifer: Hey, sweetheart. Good to see you're awake.
Lucifer leaned down and picked Charlie up. He dressed her in the last outfit Eve brought for her; a pink dress. And took her downstairs.
He laughed when he saw Adam just standing in the kitchen with a cup, looking completely lost.
Lucifer: What are you doing?
Adam: Uh... water?
Lucifer: ...what about it?
Adam: ...can I get some? I don't remember how you got it last night.
Lucifer rolled his eyes: All right, one minute. I'll show you again.
After putting Charlie in her high chair, he walked over to Adam and showed him how to get the water out. Eying his cup, Lucifer grabbed him something bigger.
Lucifer: You won't get much in that thing.
Adam grumbled and thanked Lucifer for the water. Lucifer was about to go back to Charlie, but he quickly ran after Adam as he started to head outside.
Lucifer: Where are you going!?
Adam: Uh- outside? Am I allowed, or am I prisoner? A sexy prisoner but still a prisoner.
Lucifer: Y-you're not a prisoner- I just... need to know where you're going. You're my responsibility!
Adam smiled down at Lucifer: Are you worried about me!? That's actually adorable- but I'll be fine! I'm tough!
Lucifer watched Adam walk out. Surely a guy that's 7' couldn't go far.
Have you seen Resident Evil: Village? All I'm saying is Adam and Emily as two of the three sisters and Sera as Lady Dimitrescu.
Lucifer is Ethan trying to find Charlie.
At first, Adam was on his mother and sisters side- but because they have a weird thing against dudes, he eventually helps Lucifer.
Trust me, it feels illegal not to make Adam the stunning Lady Dimitrescu, but for story reasons, he'll be one of her kids.
I mean, their hot. What can I say? Adam would look great like this 🤷
Adam: Mmm- man flesh~.
Lucifer: ...Kinda gay, man.
Adam: It's not gay.
Lucifer: It is- man flesh? Really?
Adam: ...
Lucifer: ...
Adam: *stabs sickle into his leg and drags him away* Mother!
I have seen it! Ha I love this. ((Yes he'd rock being the Lady of the house 😩))
Lucifer: Ow!! What the fuck!?
Adam: It's not gay! Mother was right.
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Okay I’ve been thinking about Adolin fashion and something that is so funny to me is that nobody (that I can remember (probably Shallan is at some point)) is like “wow, Adolins outfit looks so good.” They’re like “you look stupid” and he’s like “it’s fashionable.” I know he’s not exactly surrounded by fashion appreciators, but I think it is so much more awesome that he is dressing fashionably and receiving little to none of the positive feedback. Like he’s really doing it just for him and that’s how fashion should be <3
#i recently moved from a place where I lived in employee housing with two 65+ year old men#and i would occasionally put together a gay little outfit#and be like these guys must think I look so stupid#but you have to do it for adolin#stormlight archive#adolin kholin
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Whenever people who are entrenched in diet culture talk about how terrible chemicals are, I just want to whip out this:
#diet culture#diet culture tw#described images#image description in alt#'it's got CHEMICALS in it' and so do you! and me too! IT'S ALL CHEMICALS ALL THE WAY DOWN#instead of running from this world we must learn to embrace it#i'm not particularly angry at people who say this because it makes me think that they're incredibly invested in diet culture...#...i just don't want the whole 'food = bad' or 'bodies = bad' to go unchallenged...#...part of the reason why diet culture seems just as prevalent now (if not moreso) is partially because it isn't really...#...challenged or questioned without provocation. it's just assumed to be correct because it makes you 'feel in control'#when chemicals are bad you can control what chemicals you consume. it's individualistic and places the blame onto you for 'being good'#it places responsibility onto the person in such a way that it becomes impossible to fulfill#it isn't that i'm upset that people want to treat their bodies in a way they think is responsible...#...moreso that the *way* they go about it ensures that they're stuck in a cycle of self-blame and even self-hatred#because the METHOD is ineffective. not the desire to treat your body well#also the state of ohio looks stupid and i do Not respect it#it looks like a ball that is simultaneously deflated and over-inflated#also their state flag looks silly to me#it looks like the person who was making it fell asleep making it#i'm just clowning on ohio at this point. have never been to ohio but. are you guys okay
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HES HERE HES HERE AAAA
#AAAAAAAA#art#fanart#drawing#digital art#shadow#sth#shadow the hedgehog#sonic 3#sonic movie 3#sonic the hedgehog 3#GUYS LOOK ITS SHADOW SHADOWS HERE#my art#sonic fanart#Sth fanart#shadow fanart#it released like 1am in AUS and I finished this like ?? at 9am w breaks because I have adhd lol#wowzer I shared recent art here bonkers#I have so much older art I need to share here still AAAA#I’m genuinely proud of this rn I just need to stop thinking about how well it’s going on insta because it’s going poorly pff#brain is stupid ‘well it’s not performing well it must of sucked’ NOOO :(((#the proportions aren’t amazing tbh BUT I RARELY DRAW HIM SO IM HAPPY IDKFJFJDJD#sonic the hedgehog 3 spoilers#sonic spoilers#sonic 3 spoilers#just in case idk#sonic 3 trailer
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All I can offer is this little drabble I've been working on:
Stage Two wasn't the type to get insecure, that's what they told themselves. Stage One had enough of that for all of them. So, it goes without saying that, when they whispered: "You prefer spending time with the others, don't you?" in a voice so soft, uncertain, and quiet that Color almost missed it, they hadn't meant it as an admission of their weakness, but as a statement of fact.
Stage Two knew that, among all of them, they were the most unpredictable, the least trustworthy, and the emotionally flat one. They were exactly what Chara and Nightmare had wanted them to be. A weapon ready to be wielded.
But Color wasn't either of them.
He was soft and kind. He didn't need a weapon, he needed a friend. And, no matter how much Two studied him, they could never hope to replicate the genuine bond all the others had managed to establish with him.
Being empty truly was a double-edged sword...
Color let out a confused sound. "What?". He was undoubtedly stalling. He wasn't the type to soften the blow usually, but maybe that time around he decided to be nice.
Killer could never just decide to be nice.
They knew how to be polite. How to behave respectfully toward all of their superiors. How to bow, and how to use the correct kind of overly fancy cutlery at a high-end dining establishment (they'd been teaching that last skill to Color as well because that guy ate like an actual animal. Face-first into every plate. It was kinda gross).
But actual niceties just didn't come naturally to them. Neither did kindness. They still couldn't understand how Color managed to make those things look so easy.
"I can see it, you'd rather go out and have fun with One, or cuddle with Three. Or whatever freaky shit you and Four have been getting up to" this time, it was no longer a question. However, they did make sure to throw some humor in there just so Color wouldn't think that they were trying to be vulnerable. They weren't.
And they truly didn't know what Color and Four got up to when they were together. That asshole still refused to share any of its memories with the rest of the class. So rude of it!
"But I don't" Color shot back sounding almost offended. "I like spending time with you all equally. All of you are my friend, and I love all of you".
Killer's hands were twisted together into a painfully tight knot. Had Color not been there, watching them attentively, they would have pulled out one of their knives and played with it. Unfortunately, Color never liked how rough all of them aside from Three were with the body. Especially Two.
It was one of the reasons why they figured they must have been his least favorite. They could never listen. They always ended up messing up and not taking care of themselves properly. They barely knew how to be a person and it showed.
"Why?" they were back to whispering. This time they couldn't even try to gaslight themselves into believing that there was no doubt there. They were desperate for whatever sweet lie Color could come up with, and even more so if it ended up being convincing enough to fool them into believing it.
"I know that there is no reason I can give you that you'll believe. So, think about it, if I didn't love you, wouldn't I have found a way to trigger a switch into one of the other stages by now? Or do you really believe me so stupid?". That was a low blow.
Stage Two glared at him, ready to fight that last claim when it clicked for them.
Ah.
Maybe they were wanted after all...
i need more colorkiller and/or color spectrum duo to cleanse my palate
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i love and agree with 40yo sanjis effective twenty step skincare routine vs raisin old man zoro but i also think east asian zoro not wearing age on his skin + leathery european retiree sanji is even funnier bc of how mad sanji would be over it and how zoro wouldnt even notice
#like idk do you guys get what i mean#sanji wouldnt Actually care it just pisses him off when people make offhand comments about how#no way zoro is that old! he must take great care of himself!#bc NO HE DOESNT. I TAKE CARE OF HIS STUPID ASS.#meanwhile zoros like baby you look just as beautiful as-#<- cant even finish the compliment bc sanji is calling him a blind old man who doesn't know anything#anyway sorry i might be the only person on earth who thinks so much about sanjis SUIT TAN 😭#maybe white people dont get that but as a guy who gets really tan really fast its a nightmare scenario to me#his face neck hands are 10 shades darker than the rest of him#the reason sanji doesnt get laid is his partners cant help a laugh when he takes his shirt off and he gets cranky about it
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How do you feel about the fact that Bellatrix was Voldemort’s concubine/lover?
This ask prompted a real coleslaw of emotions.
Top level, I can't take the Cursed Child seriously as canon. I'm a purist about text to begin with — no word of God or adaptation can change what you put in the original books, and if the author wanted the text to be different, they had their shot — but, even if not, the Cursed Child is bad. Like, it's My Immortal type bad. It's the kind of bad that makes you glad it didn't come out closer to the original books + movies, or it could have had a Game of Thrones-type cratering effect on discussion and fandom. The Albus/Scorpius dynamic is cute — everything else about it sucks. It is a no-fly zone for good ideas. The Golden Trio are all twisted into funhouse mirrors, Voldemort has a daughter, and most perversely, the absolutely horrific mutilation of Cedric Diggory's character (in no world did that boy become a Death Eater! he was KIND AND DECENT! and he DIED ANYWAY! that was THE FUCKING POINT!!!!!!!).
Second layer: let's say that Bellatrix/Voldemort is canon and explored beyond the writers going "whoops gotta find a working womb for Voldemort's kid." That's a really interesting dynamic. It's a horrible dynamic! It's a motherfucker of an age gap to begin with, and it would have started when she was in her late teens to early twenties! Plus, she was married. To another man. So that would have to be explained? Because she obviously wasn't always so mindlessly devoted to Voldemort that she couldn't entertain connections with others? But that's not to say that I'm against it as a narrative decision. Tom Riddle is (captain obvious moment incoming) a Bad, Bad Man, and the idea of him seducing a younger woman is actually an understandable extension of his connection with his followers that's not explored in the books. Because, like: the Death Eaters are a cult! Riddle runs a death cult. Cults use sex to manipulate members. One of the oldest tricks in the book.
Third layer: this could be a kind of interesting move for Riddle, who as a villain is never developed all that much, and doesn't have much in the way of humanizing qualities. Because Riddle is anti-love as such. He doesn't believe in it, and if you believe Dumbledore, he's not capable of it. (I don't really love this take on the character, but I think that Riddle thinks this is the case, and Dumbledore is so grizzled and jaded by the years that he believes him. Dumbledore's great failure with Tom was never seeing past the person Tom wanted him to see — or, rather, looking at Tom and seeing Grindlewald when he should have seen Harry.) So for him to harbor enough affection for Bellatrix to take her as his (only?) lover, when he doesn't seem to need it to convince her to join him (and he doesn't really need her support, anyway) creates a wrinkle in the Story of Voldemort as we're told. It suggests that either Tom or Dumbledore (or both) is lying about his capacity for love— or at least his capacity for human attachment. And that Tom isn't so unique as either of them would like to believe.
Also, it adds a wrinkle to Bellatrix's character, too: even if they met when she was an adult, there's manipulation happening there that's clearly one-sided and unequal. or at least, there probably is. and if it's consensual, or if she aggressively pursued him— that's interesting, too. my point being: this isn't a bad idea, necessarily. it's a bad idea because i don't think the writers of the Cursed Child thought about any of that when they were trying to find a womb for the Voldebaby.
#greenteacup asks#i was going to ship tag but i realized this probably counts as yucking the yum#so i'll just leave it here on my blog#sidebar i think the good-faith read of dumbledore's “voldemort cannot love” thing is about love as a form of selflessness#i.e. that love is a fundamentally selfless act that people as narcissistic and cruel as tom cannot do#without first undergoing great change and becoming a substantially different version of themselves#i think that's fair. but i also think for dumbledore to show harry all those memories of tom being a weird little kid#as if to say “yeah look at this guy. he was always broken and now he must die. :(” is like. dude you're a shit fucking teacher#if you think that your involvement in this child's life had nothing to do with the direction it took.#tom would have BARELY made it out of london before the blitz started and you think that had nothing to do#with him being interested in immortality and the power to save himself from death? are you fucking stupid?#anyway!
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venting / advice seeking (dw its not depressing this time lmao)
#ok so my best friend started talking to this guy#n its all she talks abt#WHICH SHE HAS EVERY RIGHT TO#like im not blaming her at all#i would do the same thing#but every time she brings it up i feel so unloved#like this girl got on hinge IMMEDIATELY met a guy shes gonna go on a date with#like what must it be like to have guys look at you and see something pretty#and like my envy is starting to make me not wanna be around her#which sucks bc shes my best friend n i LOVE HER#n i value her friendship sm she means sm to be i dont wanna cause a rift between us over something stupid#but every time im around her i feel unloved and ugly and sad and pathetic and belittled and less than#and i think she can tell??? (not sure tho)#so yeah#sigh#idk what to do#some advice would be so appreciated#ok thats it i love you guys 🫂🫂
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#cascoon#it's like silcoon‚ but purple and pointy! desperately trying to remember how this one comes about. i'm gonna seem like a fake pokémon fan#i know silcoon and cascoon are both evolutions of wurmple. but i don't remember what the criteria are. is it a gender thing? hold on google#oh. it's just. some hidden personality value. so it's effectively random#y'know what. i think that's better than it being a gender thing. shoutout. but it could be considerably more interesting#maybe i'm just conditioned by the hitmonline to think that every evolution criteria has to be stupid and obscure and insane#or finizen At All#or all the stupid-ass trade evos. do not like trade evos. i do Not like trade evos! i have said this before but i will keep saying it#i just realized i called cascoon purple and pointy as though silcoon was not pointy. i'm not with it at all this morning#i just woke up‚ y'all. can you tell. can you tell i'm not sentient yet. i have to go to work in like an hour and a half and i am Not ready#anyway. i'm gonna get this guy up in the queue and dustox and then take my meds. see you guys in the dustox post#this must look so weird to y'all. since dustox is gonna be either multiple hours or a whole Day after cascoon#but i queue up two to three pokémon at once every morning to keep a good backlog in the queue in case one morning i miss it#which has happened before. it's saved my ass before. and i'm gonna need to use it at the beginning of july#sneak peek for you guys. i'll be heading out of town on june 30th to go to the other side of the country for work. so i won't be around#any posts you see from june 30th to july 4th are gonna be like super duper queued in advance. and i probably won't be able to answer asks#or anything like that. i dunno if i'll do a formal announcement bc no one will even notice but for you dear reader#who read this deep into my mile-long cascoon tags. you now know that i will be out of town from june 30th to july 4th#use this power wisely….
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MURDER TIME.
the bartender calling his buddy in skinny jeans:
#''how is he a twink'' he's small as hell and smooth like a seal what more do you need#'''the bartender' he has a name!!!!'' i know but i must censor it lest people find my account!#my friend from twitter already did! she said ''no one but you would be this obsessed with x'' AURGH you got me! you got me good!#'''his buddy in skinny jeans'.....? seriously?'' i've already said too much!!!#who else other than him would ever wear jeans that skinny#anway the bartender w the ears he isnt just some guy its his song hes the producer the other two are just two dolls hes making rap for him#credits at the end of the video sooo#music recs#.txt#....#did you seriously think we'd go a day without me force feeding you my music recommendations#no fucking way you silly goose#also in case u follow my main the long haired guy is the guy who wrote the cocaine album and loves his wife so bad it makes him look stupid
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