#and he does treat her well when he's actually at home don't get it twisted

[hetagrammy]

"Your brother treats me well, and I'm fond of him. What more could I want?"

Emma's brother wants her to marry Arthur so they can lay claim to some noble connections, while Arthur needs to have legitimate children to be heirs to the estate. The only trouble is Arthur is in love with someone else and Emma's not exactly head over heels for him either. Molly's a good confidante, but a little too romantic to understand.

[lorelune]

six drinks, first time

|| jing yuan x f! reader || E/18+ || drunk reader + adoring jin yuan + kink reveal || wc: 2.5k  || ao3 ||

Jing Yuan covets the fact he knows you better than anyone else. It’s unfortunate for him that plum wine makes you sweeter and more honest, revealing a piece of yourself he hasn’t considered. 

minors & ageless blogs dni

a/n: jing yuan has rotted my brain i need him so badly fr fr :salute: enjoy!!

CWs: drunk reader, engaged jing yuan and reader, possessive jing yuan, corruption kink, virginity kink, reader visibly blushes, light exhibitionism/threat of exhibitionism

It's rare for Jing Yuan to see you this way. So carefree, so weightless, so unabashed, despite the many bodies around you and looks that your display is inevitably drawing. Jing Yuan is too old to care for decorum in this setting, it's a party after all. Though he'll only nurse a drink or two during the evening, lest lose himself, he appreciates seeing his compatriots enjoy themselves.

He wasn't expecting you to partake as much as you have, though.

Jing Yuan has been counting your drinks— five, sipping on a sixth (some plum wine that he’s sure has a taste that will linger on your lips. He wants nothing more than to find out himself). You'll undoubtedly have a headache in the morning. He's less concerned about that (he'll treat you well, he always does, the lovesick fool he is). You rarely drink so much, usually just stealing sips from his glass and remaining sober by his side, so it's quite the treat for him to see you lose yourself in this way.

You cling to his arm, cheek pressed into his shoulder as you listen to Fu Xuan drone about a trivial bit of gossip. Jing Yuan entertains her, and you watch them both, entranced. Lips parted and a bit chapped, cheeks flushed, with a thigh thrown over his own. You're rarely so affectionate with him in public, or anywhere other than your home. You insist upon decorum, but after your third drink, it's been thrown out the window. You're practically in his lap.

At the thought, Jing Yuan tests his luck. It takes no effort for him to wrangle you over his thighs, and you throw an arm around his neck, pressing the other over his chest. You bear your weight into him. It's horribly precious of you.

Though your relationship isn't a secret, it's something you don't answer common questions about. Even if Tingyun tries to twist your arm for information on the general, you always skillfully decline (or, tell her off with equally flowery words. It's impressive to watch considering he's well aware of the other contexts you use such vocabulary and tone in— in war rooms at the side of long tables, or while sitting over his hips, smearing spit across his lips.)

You gasp at something Fu Xuan says. Jing Yuan squeezes around your hip. When your flesh gives way under his grip, Jing Yuan sees stars. It's so rare he gets to indulge in this way. He'll milk it for all its worth.

You're unaware of it— the gazes that you draw, from colleagues, foes, strangers. Jing Yuan is terribly attuned to it. You'd probably be alarmed if you knew the extent to which Jing Yuan is acutely aware of each wayward glance or longing look you receive. You have admirers. Your lack of public acknowledgment of your relationship (besides the engagement rings you both wear. Identical, cast in the same metal, sharing halves of the same stone) allows room for it.

Jing Yuan never lets them get far. For how little you both say of it, he isn't shy about standing closer to you than anyone else. Inviting you to the seat of divine foresight, whenever he bothers to actually be there. He asks for you on daily walks and you're the only other person his finches will eat from the hand of.

If an admirer of yours doesn't get the message after such clear signals, Jing Yuan takes a more direct approach. A hand on the small of your back, leveling you a gaze that screams 'I will be splitting you open on my cock the first moment you allow me' in an open market for all to see, or making eye contact with said suitor and provide them a particular hardened, venomous look that Jing Yuan's only been able to forge through time and his feelings for you.

He'd never considered himself a possessive man before you.

Look at what you've done to him, made him selfish and desperate at your hand.

Jing Yuan has little to lose. You've finished your sixth drink. He kisses your jaw— just a drag of the lips over the curve of it. He feels you give a full-bodied shudder, balling up his robe in your fist.

He’d never considered himself needy either, but with you, he is. He hides it well. He doesn't even think you know, though you could see it if you looked hard enough.

"Dearest," he speaks against your ear, only for you to hear. "May I take you home?"

You turn to pout at him. He's patient, horribly, perhaps to a detriment at times— but you're testing him.

"Noooo, not yet!" You whine. "The party's so nice and Fu Xuan's fun when she's tipsy."

You hide a giggle behind your palm, and you don't see the way Fu Xuan bristles behind you.

"Can I convince you?" Jing Yuan asks you. He squeezes your inner thigh. He'd put his hand to your skin directly if he could, if he didn't value your modesty—

(Though, perhaps he's been entertaining the thought of having you in a courtyard for the past half hour. Who is to say.)

You hum, thoughtful, "You will have to be very persuasive. I'm enjoying myself thoroughly."

"Noted. You know I can be."

"Hmmm... I'm listening."

Jing Yuan hums, "Such things would be better discussed in private. Take a walk with me?"

You frown, "I don't want to get up."

"I'll carry you."

"You wouldn't—" you flush at that. Jing Yuan cups your face so he can feel your cheeks heat.

"I would. Happily, in fact."

You shouldn't be surprised when he rises with you in his arms, only depositing you back to the ground when you squeal and squirm. You still grab his hand as you depart from the crowded party room. Jing Yuan feels each gaze that follows them. He rubs over the ring on your left hand.

Jing Yuan takes you to an overlook. The city is deserted so late. There's no need for his knights to be stationed so close to the celebration, considering the amount of soldiers teeming just inside.

He crowds you against the railing, slowly, leveraging you with a hand on your side. He'd never let you fall, especially when you sway with the drinks you've had.

"You've been so sweet this evening." Jing Yuan noses down the line of your throat.

"Am I not sweet every evening?"

"You are, of course." Jing Yuan could spend days, months— years even, telling you in all the ways. He's long since become accustomed to the unique heartache you give him— like a wound that never heals or a bruise that will never yellow. The only way to soothe it is with your words, your touch, your presence in his bed and by his side— and wrapped around his arm when you so cutely drink yourself into a stupor. "It's rare that I get to see you partaking in the way you have. It's lovely to see you enjoy yourself. I simply wish to enjoy you myself. If you don't wish to return all the way home, I happened to see a few spare rooms—"

"Jing Yuan!" You tug at his hair. He suppresses a moan. "That would be— indecent. And unbecoming of someone of your rank."

"My rank is unmoving and unchanging, regardless of any sweet sounds I could draw from you. But, I suppose, you are quite the shy thing, aren't you—?"

"You're awful." You say with no bite. You kiss him stupid and Jing Yuan feels stupid. He never feels undone or outwitted, but you silence him so easily. A few touches and he's nothing. "Scoundrel."

"And, you love me for it."

"Well, yes, of course." You assure him and nip at his bottom lip. "Enough to want to marry you, in fact."

"So, you'll allow me to walk you home and keep you from work tomorrow?"

"Why would you keep me from work?"

"I don't expect you to be walking with any ease when I’m finished with you." Jing Yuan, perhaps, desires to mark your neck as well. It's a rare thing, and when he does, he revels in the way you futz with your collar all day to try and hide them. He thinks he'll give you one that you can't hide, right over your pulse point.

"How do I know you're not just trying to get out of those meetings that are on the books for tomorrow morning?" You bat at his chest, a smile burgeoning on your lips. He's got you.

"I only wish to spend the rest of the evening pleasuring you." He lilts his voice and squeezes lower on your hips. "Does my lover not trust me?"

You bury your face in his chest and shudder. He chuckles, running a palm over your hair, cupping the back of your neck. So easily undone, choice words and you unravel.

"You make me think all these weird things."

"Weird how?" He asks, already cajoling you into linking arms, matching your stride.

"I— I've been having this thought and I can't get it out of my head." You avoid looking at him and Jing Yuan’s interest is piqued. 

"Will you share with me?"

"It's... embarrassing. And lewd."

"Dear," he presses your ring into your finger. "I have promised myself to you in all ways. If it's a desire you have, I want nothing more than to hear and indulge it."

"You're spoiling me."

"You're avoiding telling me what has plagued you so." Jing Yuan reminds you.

You pause and chew on your words.

Jing Yuan is... curious. Your desires are not a mystery to him. You've been forthright with your wants, and he has in turn, and very little has been vetoed. If anything, you've given him much to think about. You occupy his thoughts in a way that is probably distracting, but so close to retirement— he can let himself daydream about a future where keeping you in bed and flush to him is his only job.

"It's just that—" You shift from foot to foot. You're not far from home now, and you drag your feet. "That, you know? We'll have forever, and it makes me think about all the stuff from before that."

He hums. You've revealed fragments to him, unpleasant bits of the past you've moved beyond. 

"And like... What if— Just. Maybe. I think about it sometimes." You kick the metal and stone at your feet. "I think about you being my first. I'm gonna be with you forever, you know? I wish you could just unmake me, and take me for the first time."

Jing Yuan stalls. Almost stumbles. He catches himself by the barest fringes of his finesse because Aeons and stars, what the fuck did you just say—?

(He considers himself an expert in you. He knows your mood, the way your skin changes with the artificial weather and your favorite fruits, and how you best like them cut. He knows the ways to curl his fingers inside you to bring you climax within just moments or hours, if he so deigns.)

(Yet, he never knew this desire. Never considered it. Foresight means nothing when you obscure his vision in the same way a comet's tail bursts as it hits solid atmosphere— blinding and forged with wishes.)

"Jing Yuan? Are you okay?" You ask him, voice gone soft and timid. "Was that... bad?"

"No." Jing Yuan steels himself. He has much to consider. He must act. He scoops you into his arms and throws you over his shoulder.

"Hey!" You let out a little ‘oof’ and pound on his back. "What's this for? If you're upset with me, just say it."

"You didn't upset me at all." He runs a hand over the back of your thighs, his palm coming to rest over your ass. "The opposite, actually overjoyed. You've been so gracious, I couldn't possibly let you tire yourself out with a walk home, could I?"

He squeezes a cheek and feels his cock twitch at the squeak you let out.

He's going to ruin you, he decides. Perhaps not now, but another night. If you wish him to rewrite a poor memory, your first, he will. He wants you dead sober for it.

"... Why do I feel like you're thinking really hard?" you slap his ass and he snorts. "You're scheming. I can tell."

"Only planning, dear. I promise it's in your best interest."

It's all he thinks about as he sets you on the threshold of your shared home. He feeds you rice with egg and tuskpir belly and it’s all he fucking thinks about. He fucks you stupid and drooly and full into the sheets, and it consumes him.

He intertwines his fingers with yours as he fucks into you from behind. His cock hasn't even been this hard, he thinks, it almost hurts. You make the sweetest sounds below him, sticky tears clumping your lashes as you squeeze his hand back. Every thrust pushes you into the mattress. He's blowing out your back, surely. He knows the ache you'll have in the morning and he'll chase it away.

He presses his chest to your back, licking up your neck and stilling the cant of his hips. You breathe in time.

"I'll take you like it's your first time— I'd love nothing more." He licks over a high patch of skin on your neck. "We can even play pretend, if you'd like. Would you like to be a blushing virgin who's never taken cock before?"

You laugh, tilting your head back to bonk into his, "Sounds like you'd just like to corrupt my hypothetical innocence."

"And if I did?" Jing Yuan speaks so seriously that it stills you. He thinks of every set of eyes that looked at you that evening, every ogling glance that traced a figure that is only his. He bites down into the flesh of your neck, sucking a bruise so dark it'll last for days. "If I want to undo you and be the only one who's ever fucked you, seen you like this, would I be wrong to? I think that you may even enjoy that."

You let out a shaking breath. Your cunt squeezes like a vice around his cock and he groans into the mark he's branded on you.

"You're going to ruin me." You smother your voice into the sheets as he picks up his pace. The slap of skin is wet, you're drenched, it's filthy and Jing Yuan never wants it to end. Perhaps he should rethink his views on immortality.

"I am." He will. It's a promise, a vow that's sealed with the faltering rhythm of his hips and the way he spills inside of you. He eats himself out of your cunt, until you're cumming on his tongue and thrashing against the hold he keeps on your hips.

Jing Yuan feels so pleased when he finally lays down at your side after wiping you down. You doze, rolling into his warmth the moment he's under the covers.

He will ruin you. He will reshape you for him, if that's your desire.

He keeps a hand between your sticky thighs and pushes his spent that dribbles from your cunt back inside you.

[fookinstevienicks]

actually I take back what I said about Eddie deserving better than Marisol. the one who deserves better is *Marisol*

cutting bc long post lmao

like. I took a shower and I thought about it and I think I've figured out what has been setting my teeth on edge about Eddie and Marisol this whole season is that she's basically being treated, narratively, as an object. basically as a hole for him to fuck. which is NOT in character for Eddie btw don't get it twisted as me calling Eddie a misogynist

but the choices in the writers room about this don't make sense. Marisol has no character development. none. she doesn't even have a last name. we've never seen them have a real conversation except when Eddie kicked her back out of his house. and she took that with a smile!

WHO DOES THAT? WHOMST AMONG US? like he's pretty and apparently has the best dick game on the planet but who would not have told him to yeet himself out of the solar system for that? bitch I packed my bathroom up and you're telling me to hit the streets? it would be ON

and she just. smiled about it.

the nun thing. that had the potential to be a conversation about, you know, her and her past, maybe family, the reasons she left, the reasons she joined the convent, all kinds of juicy shit

it ended up being solely about how it makes men feel. Eddie's Catholic guilt was all about feeling weird about fucking a former novitiate

and then in bucks loft. I mean. that was weirdly sitcom tropey. all "haha how weird and irritating that the little woman dare to keep texting me after I disappeared for hours and hours and I can't go home and have a grown up conversation with her that would be ludicrous" type of thing. you know what I'm talking about

and that ALSO is not really Eddie's character? yeah he's bad at communicating but he's not disdainful of his partners about it! he knows it's a him problem not a them problem! and reducing it to "what if she wants to YoU kNoW?" like what? you've been avoiding her and ignoring her texts all day she's not gonna want to fuck you

idk none of it is sitting right and I want to think it's deliberate for a reason because they've been doing other things so well but also they compared a traumatized Black child to a reactive dog soooo

[little-annie]

Something More | Little_Annie

The smuty start to something more

TW homophobic language & threats

He's not gay. He's not.

But he'd be lying if he said his eyes didn't linger in the change rooms or on the court every once in a while.

But he'd be lying if he said there wasn't anything he found intriguing about other men. But it's just appreciation, that's all it is. He can appreciate Billy Hargrove's toned exterior, his tanned skin and piercing blue eyes. He can appreciate 'The Freak's,' slender frame, bouncy curls and deep chocolate gaze. Or Jake's biceps or Ethan's smile or Andrew's laugh. He can appreciate all of it, doesn't mean he's attracted to them. Doesn't mean he's gay. He can't be. He likes women.

He likes women so much he has a new one under his tongue weekly, sometimes even daily. He likes their soft skin, their gentle curves, their buttery moans. The way they wither and whine beneath him. The way they scream his name and claw his back.

But if he's being honest, it hasn't been enough lately. 

Who would've thought 'The King' would have issues getting off, let alone getting it up. He's found himself in that unfortunate scenario more often than he'd like to admit lately. Choosing to eat a girl out not only because he wants to but because he can't get hard enough to fuck her or lord forbid fake an orgasm because he can't get off and his mind is trying to wander to places he really doesn't want it to.

But those times when he does let his mind wander, well, then there's no problem at all. Smooth sailing. It's just that he's maybe imagining corded muscle and strong hands versus the delicate body and dainty touch he's experiencing.

He's not gay. He just needs more.

And well, maybe he has an idea on how to get more.

You see, he's heard rumours, saw the scribings on the bathroom stalls. He knows or at least he thinks he knows who he can go to for… more. Though his past assholery might make that a little difficult.

He wouldn't say he's proud of how he treats people; the geeks, the freaks, the band nerds. But it's not like he's the one doing it, he just doesn't say anything when it's Tommy or another jock being the asshole. As much as people make him out to be the bad guy, he just doesn't like conflict, doesn't want to get in the way, doesn't want to be the nuisance, doesn't want to step in front of it for the chance of a crushing blow to the side of his skull. Lord knows he gets enough of that at home.

So yeah, maybe when Tommy is sneering down at 'The Freak,' snarling slurs and ramming his head into the cold steel of the lockers, he doesn't say anything, only stands off to the side and avoids eye contact because he can't quite bring himself to intervene and can't quite bring himself to contribute to the abuse.

It's an unfortunate thing because he's pretty damn sure 'The Freak' is the only guy he can go to for 'more.' The guy the scribings in the bathroom stalls speak of, the guy the whispers in the halls talk about. The guy said to give the best head of your life if you go to the bleachers after school.

He's not gay. He just needs more.

And that desire for more leads him to the belly of the bleachers, waiting impatiently after the last bell rings to see a leather clad man with appreciable brown eyes and flowing hair. It's only a few minutes that Steve has to wait before he sees him, leather and black, thick silver rings and an air of attitude. The definition of more.

"The fuck are you doing here Rich Boy?"

He can't quite bring himself to respond to the man's teasing tone, doesn't think he's ever actually talked to 'The Freak.' His voice, syrupy and thick, forces a knot to twist behind Steve's navel. He winces at the sensation, watching the other man approach with a daunting stride of confidence. 

Why's his mouth so dry? 

"Hey Pretty Boy, I'm talking to you."

He's closer now and still, Steve can't bring himself to speak.

"Listen, I don't know what the fuck you think this is, but I really don't feel like getting my face beaten in today by some dumb jock. So if you're not here to buy drugs or participate in other nefarious activities that I shall not name in your company, you can kindly fuck off."

Steve swallows around the nerves bubbling in his throat, can't quite pinpoint why he's so nervous. It's just 'The Freak', 'The Drug Dealer' the supposed 'Best Blowjob Giver in All of Hawkins.' Well maybe it's the latter, maybe that point is a little daunting. Or maybe it's that fact that his skin crawls with something akin to need, something that flares hot and heavy in his core when said 'Freak' steps into his space to snarl, "What the fuck do you want?"

"More?" He whispers, it's a quiet shaky thing, nearing on a question he sounds so unsure of his single muttered word.

'The Freak's' brows pinch together, his mask of confidence and aggression slipping for a second before he moves, devilish smirk across his lips, a single ringed finger catching under Steve's chin to turn his gaze up as he whispers, "Don't tell me 'The King of Hawkins High' is a queer, coming to lil' ole me for something his pretty little women can't give him."

Well, that problem he seems to have in the bedroom, yeah, um, it's currently a problem for another reason right now. His jeans are painfully tight. It's damn embarrassing the way this fucking guy is affecting him. The smell of leather, weed and cheap cologne. The cold sting of metal pressed under his chin, holding his head high to meet hauntingly dark eyes. His attitude, the snarl and the grit in his voice.

He can't manage words, only gulps, Adam's Apple bobbing around a non existent sentence. But his face must give something away, if the way 'The Freak' draws an eyebrow up and darkly chuckles is anything to do by.

"No shit, hey? I'd say I'm surprised, but I'm not really. I see the way your eyes wander in the change room or linger just a little too long over Hargrove's ass. I'm not fucking blind Pretty Boy, just didn't think you'd have it in you is all."

"I do," Steve says out of absolutely nowhere. Where did that come from? That whiny, needy, nearly begging tone. 

He's not gay but 'The Freak' is kinda making him weak in the knees. 

God if the man's expression doesn't shift to something predatory at Steve's tone. It makes him needy, anxious, fucking desperate like he's never been before. 

The finger that was once resting under his chin, moves to the back of his head, a large hand skating through his hair until it grips tight and gives a sharp pull forcing a rather embarrassing gasp to slip past his lips.

Dark eyes sear into his own as the other man speaks, "You listen and you listen fucking good. If this is all a ploy for your jock buddies to catch me in the act and beat me half to death for being a 'fucking fag,' know that I won't hesitate to shove a knife into your pretty little side." Punctuating his words with another sharp tug, he continues, "Got it?"

Steve nods, because what else can he do, he's speechless, hot, desperate and painfully horny. This is the definition of more and he's fucking weak for it. The grip in his hair is the only thing keeping him grounded as much as it's the same thing threatening to send him into orbit.

Another sharp tug, "Words."

"Got it," Steve chokes out, words mostly all air and heat.

'The Freak's' eyes search Steve's for a moment, probably looking for sincerity or the hint of a lie, but he must find what he's looking for because no less than a few short seconds later, Steve feels the grip in his hair tighten and a hand tightly clasp his hip,"Good. Now how about you get on your knees Sweetheart."

It's not a question, it's a command and Steve's gut twists with nerves. He wasn't expecting this. Not for him to be on his knees. He opens his mouth to protest but he's cut off with another sharp tug to his hair, encouraging him towards the ground, "Oh Honey, you weren't thinking you'd get off today were you? You've been a right prick to me for the last three years. Gotta make up for that if you want anything from me."

He's not Gay but he's a weak man and he drops to his knees with crushing force, face turned up, waiting for his next command.

"Look at you, being such a Good Boy for me already. Who woulda thought. 'The King' on his knees for 'The Freak." The man combs ringed fingers gently through Steve's hair, "I hate to say it, but you're quite pretty on your knees for me Rich Boy."

Never in his life had Steve Harrington been on his knees for a man. But god dammit if it doesn't get him going. His normally too soft cock is straining against the denim of his jeans, rubbing painfully along the seam. He attempts to swallow the whimper that the sensation shakes out of him.

Needless to say, he's unsuccessful.

'The Freak' smirks, sharp teeth and a dangerous smile, "You've never sucked a dick before have you Pretty Boy?"

Steve shakes his head, fighting the need to bury his nose in the prominent bulge in front of his face. Nerves and need swarm in his core but all he can manage is a desperate stare, no words, just hazel eyes looking up to the man above him. Waiting for instruction.

He looks contemplative for a moment, brown eyes searching Steve's face once again before he says, "Keep your hands to yourself. Behind your back. And do as you're told or we're done. Understand?"

Steve obliges, nodding wordlessly, moving his hands to clasp behind his back. 

The other man leans down, a near terrifying glint in his eye while his grip in Steve's hair tightens, a sharp tug pulling him back to make eye contact while he growls, "I said: Understand?"

He doesn't know what comes over him, a needy whimper leaving his lips as absolutely mortifying words follow, "Yes Sir."

'The Freak' darkly chuckles against Steve's cheek, lightly biting the now rosy flesh before he whispers, "Good Boy."

Oh. 

Oh wow.

Yep. That does something to him.

He's not gay…But having 'The Freak' call him a Good Boy and in that fucking tone…Well…

Steve stifles another groan watching as the man stands upright, moving to unfasten his stupid handcuff belt buckle with practised ease. 

He speaks with a seriousness as he continues his motions, "As much as I fucking hate you, I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to, because frankly that's just disgusting." He stops his motions, belt undone, button unclasped and zipper down, his cock's nearly on display and Steve's mouth waters with the need to feel its weight on his tongue, "You know the Stoplight System?"

Steve whispers a quiet "No."

"Figured," 'The Freak' says with no malice to his tone, "There's Green, Yellow and Red. Just like a Stoplight you follow the same rules. Green means go, yellow means yield or slow down and red means stop. You can communicate colours anytime you need to. But when I ask you questions or for your colour, you respond accordingly. Got it?"

Steve nods

The other man asks, "Colour?"

"Green," Steve answers with a heat rising to his cheeks, his knees already beginning to burn from where they're resting in the rough soil.

And god dammit if that doesn't make 'The Freak' smile, "Good," he says, carding his fingers gently through Steve's hair, "and if your mouth's full Sweetheart. You tap out your colours. One for green, two for yellow and three for red. Okay?"

Steve nods again while the other man wordlessly moves the hand that was in Steve's hair down his cheek so it's resting on his jaw. Fingers holding light, his thumb brushes over Steve's bottom lip gently pressing it into the wet heat of his mouth. Steve hums around the intrusion, instinctively running his tongue over the tip and hollowing his cheeks. 

'The Freak' hums in approval, pressing down with the lightest pressure against Steve's tongue, "Colour?"

Slowly Steve moves his hand to the man's wrist, porcelain skin cool under his warm touch, he taps gently, once, 'Green.'

"Good, now you're ready." 

From there it's pretty straightforward, Steve knows how a blowjob goes, he's gotten many in his lifetime, but still, on the other end of this, it feels kinda foreign. At least with the instruction to keep his hands out of the mix he doesn't have to worry about what to do with those.

He watches as the other man pulls his hearty length from his boxers, thick and leaking and he can't help but feel a swell of pride in his chest knowing he did that. His mouth waters at the sight and wordlessly he drops his jaw and lays his tongue out flat.

"Eager are we?"

Steve hums an affirmative, inching closer on his knees.

He'd be lying if he said the sight before him wasn't doing anything to him. Christ, he hasn't been this hard in months, almost painfully throbbing in his jeans with need. He isn't gay but well… he's something.

The other man takes his own length in hand, ringed fingers wrapping around a thick base, tight curls pressed against the curl of his palm. It's warm and salty when the head of it slaps against Steve's tongue, a taste he'll savour like it's the nectar of the gods.

He's being impatient and he knows it, a needy whine escaping his throat he inches even closer. He doesn't know what's gotten into him but before he knows it he's choking, struggling to breathe as he pushes his head all the way forward, trying to bury his nose in dark curls. 

The man above him chuckles around a gasp, voice almost shakey. Hand clasped tight in Steve's hair he pulls him back, "Don't hurt yourself there Princess. Breathe through your nose and swallow when you feel like you're going to choke."

Steve nods, his motions pulling on the grip on his scalp and he tries again, a hot coil of need blooming in his core as the man above him lets out a sharp gasp. With the little instruction he's managed to take all of the man in, swallowing around the length, thick head pressing down his throat. His nose is buried in the thick thatch of hair and he can't help but nuzzle into it with a greedy inhale. Sweat and musk and something that makes his toes curl wafts through his senses.

Steve hums around 'The Freak's' length in his own appreciation, the vibration travelling through the other man's body in a wave of pleasure. The grip in his hair tightens and Steve can't help but whimper at the sensation and good god he nearly combusts when he opens his eyes to take in the man above him. 

Hair wild, dark and rolling in waves over his shoulders, gathering in the streams of sweat along his neck. Cheeks flushed in a rosy hue of need, a rather beautiful contrast to his pale porcelain skin. His brows are creased, lip bitten and eyes squeezed shut. 

It's obvious he's trying to stay quiet, though he's failing miserably. Steve continues to watch him from below, eyes open and watering as he chokes down every inch. He pulls back and off with a dramatic 'pop', diving right back in to nose his way under the man's cock and take what he can of his testicles in mouth.

It's a weird feeling being on this end of things, generally he has no idea what he's doing but he can't hold in the carnal need to make the man above him crumble. Steve feels nearly desperate, his cock painfully straining against the seam of his jeans for what feels like eternity. Fuck, if this goes on for much longer he might just come in his pants.

And wouldn't that be fucking embarrassing.

Steve continues his ministrations while trying to focus on anything other than the balls in his mouth or the cock hanging heavy above his face. He focuses on the grip in his hair, the bite of gravel against his knees, the throbbing pain between his legs. Nothing works, it's just too fucking good.

He takes the man back in his mouth after licking a thick stripe from root to tip and begins bobbing his head. A sinful wash of sounds pollutes the air, gasps and moans and shaky breaths. Wet squelches and muffled gags. Steve's sure he contributes his own noises as he rocks his hips against the seam in his jeans.

The taste of precome continues to flood over Steve's taste buds, salty and sweet and god dammit if he doesn't become addicted to it. Addicted to the taste of this man's essence on his tongue, the sounds that escape his lips, the way he looks as he approaches the edge.

Above Steve, 'The Freak's' babbling, gasping around moans and hardly formed words, "mmm fuck, ho- how are you so good at this?" He chuckles an unbelieving laugh that's drowned out by a choked back moan as Steve takes him down to the hilt. "Jesus H Christ." He gasps, grip tightening in Steve's hair. 

Every syllable sends Steve careening towards the edge along with the man. He's close, every roll of his own hips, every sharp tug against his scalp, every moan from the man above. 

But god dammit he still needs more.

Steve pulls off, a quick gasp of air and spit and precome hanging between them. 'The Freak' looks down at him with a brow raised and he's beautiful, looks absolutely wrecked, onyx eyes blown wide, face flushed red with his pending release and before he can say anything, Steve asks or more or less begs, "Fuck my face, please."

"Fuck," the man huffs before he checks, "You sure?"

Steve nods, "Please."

"Jesus Christ." He huffs once again before laying his cock over Steve's tongue once again, then he's snaking his other hand into Steve's hair, giving him an experimental pull forward.

Steve's eyes flutter in response, the man's thick length sliding slowly over his tongue and down his throat. He can't help the whine that rattles up his throat.

"You like that or something Sweetheart?"

Steve hums again, moving his hand to the man's wrist to tap once, 'Green' and he chances to leave it there. He'd be lying if he said he didn't want to feel more of this man under his touch.

They continue from there, 'The Freak' pressing his length over Steve's tongue until they're both leaking and shaking with the need of release. 

Gravels digs into his knees and his scalp burns in such a beautiful way, Steve's hanging off the edge by his fingertips and he's only pushed that much further as the man above him gasps, "Wh-Where - fuck - mm- can I come in your mouth Baby?" 

Baby

Baby. Baby. Baby.

Steve fails to hold back a groan at not only the question but also the nickname, it vibrates down the other man's length while he tightens his grip on a pale wrist and taps once, 'Green.' 

For some reason in that moment Steve feels compelled to slide his hand into his own hair, lacing his fingers between thick rings and hard earned calluses, holding his hair tight, together. He's not shrugged off like he thought he would be and for some reason, that's the moment they both topple over the edge.

Salt and heat floods Steve's taste buds at the same time it does his underwear. Warm and slick, exiting his body with force. He groans something needy and desperate, bucking his hips forward as his mouth is pulled closer, nose pressed to pubes. The man above him gasps and bucks his hips forward with force, shuddering while squeezing Steve's fingers between his own.

Steve swallows, or at least tries to -god, now he kinda gets why girls hate that so much- he pulls off with a sharp inhale and presses his head the a denim clad thigh, spitting on the ground between them.

It's oddly tender for what it is, 'The Freak's' hands don't leave his hair, his grip only loosens and gently cards through mousy strands as they catch their breath together. 

Steve's exhausted but satisfied; probably for the first time in months and all he had to do was blow a guy. Nothing even happened to him other than some nicknames that made his stomach flutter and some not so awkward hand holding. 

They stay silent for a long while, Steve feels like he might fall asleep leaning against this man and it's an odd thing that he feels comfortable here, safe even. And that's a fucking wild thought, especially with a dick dripping come not more than a few inches from his face.

Steve can't help but chuckle at the thought.

"What?" The other man laughs quietly, tucking himself back in his jeans, standing upright, trying to help Steve do the same.

Steve shakes his head, burying it in the other man's shoulder. He can feel him tense beneath him and then seconds later slowly there's cautious arms wrapping around his shoulders, slow and soft while he continues to shake in silent laughter.

They stand there in what should be an awkward moment, but it's not and maybe that's the craziest part about this whole moment.

Steve Harrington knows this man from brash gestures and yelled opinions from atop lunch room tables. From the smell of leather and the clatter of chains. He's supposed to be weird and scary, he's supposed to be 'The Freak,' but for some reason Steve sees him as something else. 

He sees him as more.

They're quiet for a moment and in those few short seconds a wild thought passes through Steve's mind. He pulls back, ever so slightly, only enough to meet the other man's eyes. He takes in the man's gaze, dark and speckled with amber, the freckles that dust over his nose and cheeks, the faint scar across his bridge and then he allows his eyes to wander lower.

Pink and perfect and beautiful, lips he wants to kiss with every fibre in his being. Steve sucks in a subtle breath letting his eyes float back up to meet those of the man before and like a silent gesture, he glances at his lips again as he whispers, "Colour?"

He watches sharp teeth bite into a pink bottom lip as he feels the grip around him tighten and then there's a subtle, hardly audible whisper, "Green."

[snailsrneat]

"Oh, You came to tell me happy birthday?..Heh, thank you for your consideration."

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

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

HII EVERYONE! So since it's Twyla's Birthday today I thought I'd give everyone a little treat and show off what I've been working on behind the scenes the last couple weeks.

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

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

The prefect of Ramshackle, popular amongst her peers for her laid back demeanor. She loves the arts and expressing herself through multiple mediums. Specifically through fashion, often choosing to dress in alternative clothing styles. Despite the visual difference, she blends in quite well among the other students. Even with her temperamental companions.

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

This is Twyla's new (and final) design! Let's talk about her little bit.

She's technically twisted from two different characters. Them being Bruno, from Encanto, and the three Fates from Hercules.

The three Fates are actually where I got the idea to give her the hobby of sewing, because I wanted her to have an association with string. Also they inspired the name of her unique magic magic.

Bruno mostly inspired her unique magic (like how it works and what it does) as well as parts of her personality and design.

Specifically he inspired her hoodie.

Aside from that though, design wise I also was inspire by other popular cartoon characters like The Hex Girls from Scooby-Doo, and Gwen from Total Drama.

I specifically wanted to go with a more grunge or goth aesthetic, mostly because we don't really see said aesthetics explored much through the canon cast, so it would give a good visual difference. Also she just matched ramshackle more.

But let's get to some actual character facts shall we?

Twyla is left-handed, but is slightly ambidextrous when it comes to using her hands for anything other than writing.

Her favorite food is pancakes, when asked why she just blinked and shrugged. "I dunno' know. Just make me feel like a little kid again."

Her least favorite food is Brussel-Sprouts, which she also allergic to.

She's been known to have several hobbies including sewing, drawing, designing, reading, writing, scrapbooking, photography, gaming, and baking.

It is also good to note that she has ADHD and it's hard to keep her attention one thing for long periods of time.

Atleast when it comes to things like school work. Her hobbies take up most of her free time.

She has lilapsiphobia, or the intense fear of tornadoes and hurricanes. She developed it due to a traumatic event during her childhood.

She is an orphan with a deceased mother and a "missing" father.

She use to work many different jobs when in the foster care system, ranging from an unground boxer to maid at a maid cafe.

She was in the fostercare system for a long time, until she turned sixteen. Which is when her inheritance kicked in and allowed her to move back in to her childhood home.

Until 6 months later when she was transported into Twst.

Her favorite flowers are Holly-Hocks.

She has been given many different nicknames by the rest of the cast bit to her the strangest happens to be what Vil calls her "French Fry#1"

Speaking of nicknames, Floyd often refers to her as "Manatee" or "Manny-Chan".

Let's hear some of her homescreen voicelines.

"Oh, hey, you look tired. Do you need take a break in the guest room?"

"OH! Shit. Forgot that I had homework for Trein today. *Sigh* I guess I'll just have to do it during Alchemy today."

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm just drawing while waiting for class to start. You can join me if you'd like!"

"*Huff* *Huff*, huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine. Just, uhm, got distracted watching the squirrels and I had to run to make sure I wasn't late is all. Don't worry."

"Where's Grim? I don't know, probably off committing crimes against humanity...AGAIN."

"Uuuuugh, Crowley keeps bugging me about some stupid fight between a Pomefiore and Savannaclaw student. Why can't people at this school just learn to make up on their own?"

"Ramshackle dorm actually has some pretty neat history if you can find some of the old N.R.C. school books. Did you know that Ramshackle has never had a housewarden? Only ever Prefects."

"Man, if I have to hear Ace and Deuce bicker about something dumb one more time I think I might actually commit murder."

"Heh, Azuls flustered face is so funny. He's makes it so easy to want to bully him I almost can't stop myself."

"Leona I swear to fu- Oh! You're not Leona...don't worry about what I was just about to say, okay?"

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

*flops down face down on mattress*

Ahdhskahsshskajsjakshdbxhsusa..

Idk man my brain is tired and overworked. Also say happy birthday to me, it's my birthday I've been working hard.

[casasupernovas]

so you know when it leaked that a possible plot twist for series 1 was that the doctor grew rose in a lab or some sh*t to create the perfect companion? in series 3, the doctor does something similiar, in that he tries to curate the perfect companion in martha. one that is smart, quick thinking, and importantly - thinks the world of him but simultaneously - does not love him. because the last time that happened and he dared to love her back it went horrendously. but whoops - martha is leaning towards that inclinatiom. but let's ignore that. we can curb it soon.

in smith and jones he constantly tests her - "we might die...we might not...good." she does exceptionally well, even gives her life. so he's smitten, she's the ideal companion, so he follows her to her brother's birthday party, waits until she notices him. woos her with the appeal of him, the unknown, the impossible turned to possible. and look, she's still quick witted "not pompous at all," oh he could have a laugh with her. but oh - she doesn't believe in time travel? oh perfect, a time to flex, it was just a cheap trick but it worked a treat. and -

oh it was going so well. too observant for her own good, it's bigger on the inside, so big that it can't just be the doctor in here. and now he is snapping, closing off, screw what donna said he doesn't want to move on just yet, or acknowledge he needs anyone actually. in fact, he's only doing this to repay a debt - she saved him, he gives her a trip, now they're even. see. but she needs to still be the right companion, so best do away with those pesky emotions - where did she ever get an idea like that anyway? it was just a genetic transfer. and yes i do look quite good in this suit and i did just follow her here to ask her to travel with me but no no. we aren't doing that. if she can curb this, we'll be all set.

oh and look at that, she just said she's not interested. "good." great, she can switch off her emotions, focus on what is at hand, which is being a good companion, and looking in awe and being excited about what he can show her. but no, too many questions, not that question - this question. oh maybe it doesn't matter, he'll take her home soon and - wait no, witchcraft? how could you possibly think that? i didn't say it because it was true, duh. and why won't you come to bed, surely humans still need to sleep don't they? i can't help feeling like i'm missing something staring me directly in the face, lying across from me in fact and why aren't you getting my pop culture references quick enough.

i can keep going but you get the picture.

[greatqueenanna]

Have you heard about the new short in front of Wish and how they're using Hans as a punching bag again? I'm just so tired of Disney doing the same thing over and over again. It feels like they're personally attacking his fans. Like, we get it. Can you stop now?

I've read rumors and spoiler posts about it, yes.

First off, I want to see the short for myself first before I pass any real judgment. I'm sure the short is fun and harmless, and one thing I'm excited about is seeing Hans again in (what I presume) updated animation since Frozen. He showed up in Frozen Fever, but it was from a distance so you couldn't really see him too well.

More thoughts on this below the cut. It's a bit long and I didn't want to crowd everyone's feeds.

Second, on the subject of Hans being treated as a joke, I agree to an extent.

I do think that Hans isn't being treated the same way as other villains. Disney Villains, even when they have done pretty gruesome things, are given fun merchandise, songs, or promotional opportunities for their films or the 'Disney Villain' brand - at the very least they get some toys or t-shirts. Hans, on the other hand, barely gets any merchandise and is usually not featured in villain-related promotions. I think the last time Hans was present in anything was his Villain/Hero doll set he had with Elsa and the A Frozen Heart novel that was retconned by Forest of Shadows.

I would really love it if they brought him back in a meaningful way, instead of just random cameos that joke about his douche-ness. We get it. He's a douche. Can we expand on this character a bit more now? Maybe give him an opportunity to prove himself as a villain?

However, even with all this being said, I think the reason for this treatment is because of the uniqueness of Hans' overall character. Not only was he a twist villain, but he was a romantic interest for Anna - making him a little too realistic for many people.

Yes, characters like Frollo and Gaston also share the qualities of men trying to take advantage of women, and Mother Gothel does indeed show signs of a realistic abusive parent. But they're shown since the beginning that they are villainous, which helps the audience know to emotionally disconnect from them. This is the same for most villains.

Hans was shown to be desirable and then changed, which is what realistically happens when people are trapped in abusive relationships. We form attachments to these types of people and it's hard to just disconnect. It's difficult to just place him as a 'deliciously fun' Disney villain with the others when he hits too close to home.

This is why we see less of a fun side to him, and why we are often just shown him being a punching bag. Hans didn't just betray Anna, he betrayed the audience as well.

"But there have been other twist villains, like Callaghan, Mayor Bellwether, and Turbo."

Yes, but did these characters really have the same emotional attachment as Hans did? Not really. Callaghan came close, but we barely saw him interact or have an emotional connection to Hiro. Bellwether and Turbo (as King Candy) were nice to their protagonists, but again, didn't have that emotional attachment to them. Hans was Anna's light of hope after we saw her suffer during her childhood, and then he turned on her when she needed him the most. Remember the plethora of reaction videos to his betrayal when Frozen first came out? Hans is a pretty big deal.

I don't agree with the conclusion that this is meant to be an attack on Hans' fans. Sorry, but the Hans fandom is, and was never, big enough to warrant such a response from Disney and we barely agree with each other on everything. If there were hundreds of fans bombarding Frozen and Disney posts, then maybe I would believe it. However, if you actually look at Twitter, it's literally the same three or four people just insulting Jennifer Lee and spreading the #FireJenLee and #RedeemHans tags. That's the only Hans Fandom presence on Twitter, unfortunately.

[thekatebridgerton]

Okay but imagine a Bridgerton AU, taking place in a fantasy world where dragons, knights, mermaids, and fairies live. The Bridgertons are a royal family and have a tradition where the princes find their true love by rescuing them. Cue ABC going on their journey and hearing rumors of a beautiful maiden who lives trapped in a tower/works for an evil step family/being held prisoner in a castle surrounded by thorns by a beast. Except when the brothers come to "rescue" said maidens, the girls claim they don't need to be rescued and they have the wrong maiden.

Kate: Is an enchantress who uses the tower in the woods to test our her latest spells and tends to stay so late that she just sleeps there overnight a lot. Her latest spell caused her to have extremely long hair and that wasn't a witch coming to see her, but her step-mother bringing her food because Kate forgets to eat when she gets into it. If only that arrogant prince would listen to her and stop trying to get her to leave!

Sophie: Ran away from her evil step family and works for Kate's family who are amazing employers and treat her like family. She has a comfy bed, good clothes, and gets paid to just help around the house! Please leave her alone Prince Benedict. She's pretty sure Cinderella from the next town over would suit his hero complex and she even has an evil step-family!

Penelope: Her grandmother was apparently a fairy and Penelope seems to have inherited her powers. Marina's children also inherited these powers and consequently turned their wizard father into a beast and now she's figuring out how to reverse the spell while training them (wizard magic can't undo fairy magic apparently). The thorns? Oh Phillip put those up because people kept stealing his flowers which is very rude! Plus why would she want to leave when her best friends home has the most amazing library? The green eyed prince is handsome but she's pretty sure he's got the wrong house.

Cue various misunderstanding, bickering, and magic as these couples somehow fall in love.

Aka the: YOUR HIGHNESS, THE PRINCESS IS IN ANOTHER CASTLE! AU

You have no idea how much I love all twisted fairytales au stories

I wish someone would write this. Because I love the idea of Penelope being the fairy who is hanging out in Phillip's castle encouraging adventurer princess Eloise to "break the curse" while also trying to convice Prince Colin that no she is not a princess herself and she doesn't need rescuing, the beast is her FRIEND can't he see that she's trying to help him!!. Does he think someone of her height is completely human? why won't he leave her and her library alone.

I would love for Sophie to just lay her frustrations up on Benedict like "You want to rescue me?? EXCUSE ME where were you four years ago when I was actually being abused by an evil step mother? here's the law dude, I had to rescue myself, no prince did it for me! now I got a nice job, a nice cottage in the back of these nice witches castle and manage a lot of money, because they have a Dragon and I'm in charge of all their accounting! So kindly buzz off Prince Benedict, I have a couple hundred of rubies to put in the bank"

And I love how you guys agree with me that in every fairytale au Kate has magic powers. this woman was not born to be a princess. Kate is a good witch! the whole hexing a whole country to sleep for a thousand years is just a rumor! she just wants to be left alone in her castle in the woods with her friends and her dragon. Yes she adopted a kid that's young enough to be her baby sister, but Lucy is there voluntarily because her parents traded her for some magic lettuce that Kate grows in her garden. And Kate figured that if her parents were okay with selling Lucy off to a witch in exchange for fertility lettuce then the little girl was better off with her. Who knows in the future those weirdos might find someone worse to sell Lucy to, who wouldn't treat the child well. Kate is NOT evil. And also, she likes her hair long okay. She's burned herself bald too many times playing with her dragon. She's a fan of hair growth spells and that's not a crime.

So what if Kate played a prank on a knight or two and made them believe the tower in the woods didn't have stairs and the only way up was climbing her hair. She didn't expect the actual guy sitting on to the throne, to be the one stupid enough to TRY. What is wrong with King Anthony?? is he seriously that bored ruling his kingdom?? why won't he leave her alone?? You know this is why arrogant guys like him end up as frogs. They go around bothering witches in their towers and one day she loses her patience and he loses his human body. Kate can relate to whoever did that to King Edmund in his youth. If the man was half as annoying as his son, then the spell was well deserved.

(One day Kate is going to end up as THAT queen that everyone thinks is out to offer poisoned apples to her own kids if they don't behave and the rumor will be Anthony's fault and she will turn him into a donkey as payback)

[uzumakichcined]

"He really did all that?" It's surprise, not doubt. He's not calling her a liar.

"From where I stand he's tried to destroy my village, my home. He's body snatched people. Killed innocents. He killed our Hokage, and a lot of the people died in his attack. He created the chaos for us that he saved you from.... well. Some of it. I can't even imagine...." He swallowed hard thinking about her words. Her story.

"No one.... likes to think their hero is capable of bad things you know? And I'm not... I don't know a lot about history in the village. I kind of failed a lot of my tests. It's hard to be interested in the history of a village that makes you an outcast..." Besides that they never really taught the realities of war. It's hard to get kids to grow up wanting to be shinobi if you tell them the truth of it all.

"I guess for you it's hard to care about a village that didn't care about you." He's starting to understand.

"I'm sorry..." Naruto stated. Eyes starting to water. Then came the tears. "I'm sorry that I didn't know. I'm sorry that I couldn't help you or your mom." How could you have you didn't know they existed??

"I'm sorry the world is so evil sometimes and I'm sorry that people let it happen to you! When I'm Hokage I'll never turn my back on people who need me! NEVER. NEVER. HOW COULD I?"

Naruto has always struggled with investing too much too quickly into strangers. Every kid who's alone. Every person looking for a home. He's wanted so badly to help them. It's not in him to walk away from someone who needs someone. He puts his trust in anyone hoping that they'll be someone who deserves it, and it's gotten him burned so many times, trusting the wrong people. But how can he ever stop? If he does then there's the chance he doesn't help the people who really need it. He'd rather be betrayed a thousand times than EVER let someone in need suffer when he could have helped.

" Yes. Lord Orochimaru treated me well, fed me, praised me, rewarded me when I had done well and helped when I made mistakes. Kabuto was my mentor as well and while we didn't have as close of a relation, they never made me feel like I was nothing. I was important to them, they always made sure I knew that. " Karin couldn't even look at him now, instead she kept her gaze away from him as the tone of his voice wavered with tears. Tears she'd seen a lot growing up from families she'd torn apart and experimented on, something she'd grown numb to for the most part.

" I know people can be good and bad, no one can be entirely good and no one can be entirely evil. People, animals, and things in general are too complex for that. The only reason I even know I'm an Uzumaki is because no one would shut up about it. My red hair brands me as one, as many Uzumakis have it. It's how they were able to find us, and kill us. They'd pull on it, drag me around by it, constantly remind me how it makes me a monster just for being born and that I'm worth less than a dead body. "

" How many genocides has Lord Orochimaru conducted? Is it wrong to fight against a village that is blatantly causing people to die from their inaction? Force them into acting by bringing the fight to them? Do you think that's wrong? " Karin huffs, crossing her arms.

" Maybe killing your Hokage was the only way to get Konoha to actually do something for a change, rather than sit on a high throne and act better than everyone else. Really open their eyes to how everyone else is suffering like I am right now. Since you never would have known otherwise, would you? Until someone else makes you listen. You already did it once, and you haven't changed since then so why would I ever believe you? "

Karin wanted to twist the knife in deeper, make him feel worse. Finally she wasn't the only one who had to suffer like this, and she took satisfaction in kicking someone else for a change.

[dyrewrites]

Writer Q&A Tag Game

@rmgrey-author tagged me, because she is the best. See her answers here.

My answers under the cut.

1)What motivates you to write?

The voices in my head, they only stop when I'm writing. Honestly though, I owe all my current inspiration to the wonderful lady what tagged me for this thing. My sister has been my biggest cheerleader my entire life and even when our mother discouraged me from writing ("you can't make a living doing that, who do you think you are, Stephen King?") it was my sister who kept me going. Not her words so much as how she started writing too, and a lot of the stories she showed me looked an awful lot like mine with some things moved around. It's surprisingly motivational to have someone write fanfiction of your silly angst-driven vampire stories (to save her the embarrassment, it was just the one time she did that with my stories).

Watching he continue to write, and grow and the passion she threw into it and the sheer disregard for anything anyone said against it...that got me. I didn't have the confidence to keep going until I saw hers. And then she shared some of it with me, cheering me on again as I tried to fit the twenty year old ideas of a preteen into a cohesive plot. I wouldn't be writing at all right now if not for her.

2) A line/short snippet of your writing that you are most proud/happy of. If not maybe share a line of someone else's work you love (just please credit them)

It's one of my own, from Weald and Wen and I can't explain why it makes me happy...but it does.

Now rising through that same gloom, Infae trills as the pungent stench of decay splinters and falls with the gorebarks of his rotten nest. That spoiled breeze lost as he rises higher, replaced by ripe fruits that tempt his tongue and hungry blossoms that lure his nose. Crawling treats beg for his grasping fingers as they click and tap against pulsing, living trees and he breathes them all in. Whispsong floods his hoary ears and the tinkling toll of fluttering leaves add to their refrain. A creaking undersong of tapping branches follows, chased by a bassline of crunch, crunch, smack as latelight scavengers emerge from their fair light homes and Infae whistles. He trills and clicks, lending his voice to the ancient hymn.  These are his woods—his Weald—and with another click Infae splits the chorus and bright blue frames bounce and flash in his dark vision. Rolling from the playful snap of a thick branch, he coos at the tug from his new riders and, flapping in concert with the song of his woods...Infae remembers what it means to fly.

3) Which OC makes you smile every time you think/talk about them and what are they like?

Oh no, I have to be honest here. I do and I'm ashamed of it because it's the worst of all my characters. Parnamyr, from my Weald and Wen novel and the novella set in that world. He flows so easy, like a living thing speaking through me. He's fun to write, he's fun to put into situations. He's a deplorable creature that runs on gluttony, lust and narcissism...and yet, if his sister is in danger, he drops everything to aid her. He'll tear her legs off just to watch her hobble without them though, so don't go thinking it's love. She's simply his favorite toy.

4) What process of writing do you enjoy the most?

Would it be odd to say the revision stage? I adore world-building and can spend hours lost in discovery and creation. I also have fun with the actual writing, letting the words flow and the characters lead. But it's when I go back to it, to the beginning, and even though I wrote it, it feels new. So I get to read it, but I also know how it ends, I know all the twists and turns it's meant to take and have all the world-building done and then it's like a fun puzzle. A puzzle I'm designing, making sure all the pieces fit together so that the next person to hold it will be able to put it all together and see the finished picture. And the best part is, no matter how well I plan it all, no matter how perfectly I cut those pieces, the finished picture will look different to everyone who sees it.

5) What part of writing do you think you are the best at? (Yes stroke your own ego it's okay)

I would say descriptions of areas, of setting. I try not to go overboard with it, but they are my favorite thing to write and it's usually description that people compliment. So I think that's what I'm best at?

6) What is something in the writeblr community is most enjoyable?

The community as a whole really. I'm not usually a fan of communities, or socializing, at all. I'm not good at it. But here it feels comfortable, I feel like I already know everyone and the little games are just a blast.

7) A writing tool/device you use that helps you with writing? (It could be speech to text, a writing program etc)

I want to say Google Docs, as it's what I was using but I've stopped. There was the AI scare, but it was more that it slows down with large documents and I can't have that when I'm editing 150k words. Microsoft Word is what I use now (though I do need to get a real copy, mine is a trial) and its grammar checker is actually useful and knows the words I'm using (seriously, Google, wrest is a word and I hate you).

8) A piece of worldbuilding that you like in your own story? (It could be the magic system, a particular place in the story, a law etc)

I love all of Mar and all of Morne and my worlds are like little babies more than the characters who inhabit them are. So this is a difficult question because there is so much.

We'll go with magic system, and try to be brief. Mar's magic system comes in a few flavors in regards to practice of it, but the base is centered around the manipulation of the Lady's Breath. This is the life energy that flows through the whole of Mar and it relies less on the energy itself and more on the emotions of the one wielding it. The primary wielders in the story, that are explored anyhow, are Fyrni and they have a deeper connection to the Lady's Breath than any other. They sing to wield the magic, using a practice known as Weaving to add their own energy to that of the Lady's and their own voice to Her Song - which only they can hear through it, making them the most powerful users of this magic.

My favorite bit of Mar's magic though is that it is visible and colorful and the colors reflect the intention and emotion of the wielder. So, not only is it different for every caster, it is different every time they use it and can change mid-cast if they can't keep their emotions or intentions stable.

9) What piece of advice would you say to encourage others to write if they are having a rough patch?

I can only offer what has worked for me. When I can't write, when the characters aren't speaking clear enough or I'm not sure where to take the plot...I take notes. I look at what I've written, consider what's happened, think of what could happen (or what should) and I take notes. It doesn't matter if those notes are used, or if I throw them all out later, it's the act of writing them and thinking about things that helps work out the kinks.

It's also important to remember that first drafts are bad. Everyone's first draft is bad. They all suck. So if it's first draft, it's first draft. Don't worry about it. You're getting the story out now, you can make it make sense later. Right now, you just need to get it out.

10) Tag some people whose works you love/have been your biggest supporters:

Well one of them tagged me, so =P

Those in the community here who've been amazing are getting tagged! You don't have to answer these questions, this is more because I think you're awesome.

@your-absent-father @ruinmegently @scifimagpie @scribe-cas @stesierra @palebdot @axl-ul @starbuds-and-rosedust @jgmartin @patrickrennie @ryns-ramblings @scribe-of-stories @wmlittlemore-is-writing

[pandasmagorica]

First watch: 10 Years Ticket episodes 13-16 (finale)

Episode 1-4 notes

Whew! That was a wild ride. Great twists, great flashback reveals, great performances all around. I highly recommend this show. Content warning for violence - it is a crime drama after all, one that focuses more on the criminal's families, with the criminals more as side characters who wreak havoc.

The only complaint I have about the writing is that a significant character does something very stupid which does not end well.

We do get more about the QL subplot between two middle-aged women, neither of whom dies.

Lots of other people die.

I learn more about Thai Buddhist funeral customs than I ever learned before.

I haven't mentioned that a lot of the story revolves around characters' love of film. I used to be very much into film, not so much in my later years, but I can tell it means a lot to them and adds to the texture of the story.

One more thing I thought about is that this is Ohm Pawat's at least second series as a son of a family that is warring with another family that used to be friends. Of course, Bad Buddy was a comedy with some drama, and 10 Years Ticket is hard drama with sparse comic moments, but the parallels are interesting.

Spoilers follow

No, the two women don't end up together again, but they end up on good terms. I have mixed feelings about this. I think it's justified dramatically, but my lesbian bestie tells me lesbian stories rarely end well. It's too much to ask one series to carry that weight, but I hope among the lesbian series we'll be getting this coming year and - if we support them - beyond that happy endings will be abundant.

We've known since episode 4 that Luk didn't do it. We learn why she confessed, and that she didn't know who actually killed her lover/Phukao's (Ohm's) step-brother Mai. We see the killing in a flashback, that, as we saw in 9-12 with the police lieutenant, the big boss took Piak's gun and shot Mai, then returned the gun to Piak.

We learn that, despite treating Kongkwan and her family as enemies, Phukao loves Kongkwan (and vice versa) and we watch their relationship soften and develop further. We didn't get the Bad Buddy parents to openly accept their children's relationship. We do get the 10 Years Ticket parents, at least the surviving ones - Phukao's parents Santi and Sai and Kongkwan's father Somkiat - to accept the relationship.

Yes, I said surviving ones. Kongkwan's mother Veena makes the mistake of filming the aftermath of a killing at the big boss's home, then showing it to the police inspector - who was there at the time - after he arrests her husband when they plant drugs in his truck. The inspector frees the husband, but later ransacks their home when Veena returns home alone. The next thing we know, the police are showing up at Somkiat, Veena, and KongKwan's home to let them know about Veena's death. I know this was needed plot-wise, but I wish they had written it some other way.

Phukao wrongly blames himself for Veena's death, and says that if he hadn't brought Kongkwan home late, Veena would still be alive. Actually, it's more likely that Somkiat and Kongkwan would also be dead and, depending on the timing, possibly Phukao. But because they didn't know what happened when Veena came home or why, they had no way to know that.

In a confrontation in the theater, Piak kills the police inspector and his assistant, then Piak and the big boss kill each other. I'm not an expert on gun violence but it strained my credulity that Sor and Plu weren't injured or killed during the standoff. It's bizarre to watch Pin (Sai's old flame) and Sor walk through the bloody theater aisle - aren't they afraid of leaving shoeprints?

At this point, everyone who was a witness to who actually shot Mai is now dead. Fortunately, Chalee, one of the drug dealers, turns himself in and talks, resulting in Luk's release from prison five months later. I guess he didn't mention Sor (Gunsmile's character) and Plu (Off's character) as they are still free to attend the film screening the characters stage as a memorial to Veena.

The end

[imperatorium]

Please rant to us about how you hate how the narrative and everyone in Anna’s life treats her. Personally I’ve grown to hate frozen and I love hearing other people’s rants about the movie. The only reason I ever watch 1 and 2 now is because the animation is stunning in both movies but hot damn if both of them could’ve handled Anna and Elsa’s relationship better (Christopher is still based though and so is Hanz before Disney decided to make the most stupid plot twist ever for no reason and ruin a perfectly character because we can’t show kids that you can be attracted to two people romantically but still only truly love one so I just ignore that silly little development)

H A P P I L Y.

So, I love Frozen. But I also hate Frozen. I was just reminiscing with my partner about the day my ex-bestie (the at the time Elsa to my Anna) and I went to see it and were like thisisamazing.gif but then came home and started trying to explain it to my mom and realized, while we were talking about it, that actually...it...wasn't really that good. We thought we loved the music, but then we realized what we liked was the opening song that stylistically did not carry through to the rest of the movie and that...while "Let It Go" was, removed from context, an amazing entry into Idina Menzel's repertoire of powerful protest/don't-hold-me-back songs, within the story it's a completely unearned moment. But that's fine, this doesn't bother me anymore. I still cry when I hear it because that's just what Idina singing songs like that does to me.

And the second movie is banger as hell, honestly, even if there are some aspects of it that I'd change. The entire soundtrack is good, even though it's not good as a musical, considering that it suffers from the same problem that the first one does, in regards to all the songs stopping while there's still like 1/4 of the movie left. And in this case, the last song is the most devastating thing I've ever heard in my life, but anyway that's ok because "Show Yourself" makes me ugly cry every time and I don't know how to explain to anyone else how funny it was when as soon as the soundtrack came out, we jokingly predicted the "Quit Playing Games With My Heart" style music video that the scene would be in the movie. People were furious with us when we saw it the first time in theatres because we were laughing so hard we were sobbing. (It's a dumb song, though, content-wise and actually diminishes Kristoff as a character but that's besides the point.)

ANYWAY.

I don't even know where to start with this. Anna is such a brave and loving and loyal character to what I see as an extreme fault and the story uses that but never rewards it.

Hans was the first good thing that ever happened to her and I don't care what anyone says, that twist is so poorly written because at every single fucking turn that they could have subtly hinted towards it, they actively did not. It's not good writing to just suddenly take the sharpest left turn and then be like, "Ha ha, audience, we tricked you!" Like, yeah, I guess you did, because you did something out of nowhere that made sense with nothing else you chose to tell or animate before this, cool.

Kristoff, meanwhile...okay, full disclosure, I did see the first movie like two days after I broke up with a long-term (abusive) boyfriend and saw a lot of similarities between the two of them, so I may have been harsher on him than he deserved for a while. But overall, I do actually like him. He is a very funny character and I think there's something terrifying that we're not being allowed to explore about how he was kidnapped by trolls, but that doesn't change the fact that he was a jerk to Anna for the first half of the movie. Just unpleasant and negative to the point that he even was like, "Well, I would be ok with her dying save for the fact that she's getting me a new sled." Like he says that. And like ok, he does chill out as things go on and has the decency to tell his creepy troll family to fuck off with the wedding stuff when he brings her to them for the purpose of trying to prevent her from dying and all they want to do is sing their dumb song about how sometimes people should just change for you and you should like them even if there's stuff wrong with them that doesn't work for you, idk.

It came to me at a time when I was not interested in hearing people preach about how someone who hated you upon meeting you could suddenly become your true love and all you had to do was put work into changing them and also ignoring stuff about them that were negative qualities.

The only passage in that song I really feel has any meaning is when they point out that people do bad things when they're sad or scared or stressed. To that point, Kristoff hadn't really been any of those things and was still kind of a jerk. Maybe stressed. I don't know. This isn't about him. My point is like clearly they wanted to extend that to Kristoff and Elsa, but not Hans? Who is maybe the most validly sad, scared, and stressed person present besides Elsa??

I'm also not as mad about Elsa as I used to be, either, considering all her trauma is also super valid and she clearly suffers from severe anxiety and agoraphobia, forced on her by the way their parents treated her. So, like. That's fine, I guess. But she definitely spends 90% of both movies dismissing Anna and her capabilities, despite Anna constantly proving both her unconditional love and adventure prowess until the end of the movie where Anna does some big heroic sacrifice and then Elsa goes, "Oh, you saved me!" like it should be any kind of surprise at that point!!!

Also, literally all Anna ever wanted was for them to have a relationship again and they do, kind of, for a few years, but then Elsa makes the decision to go be queen of the forest with the new half of their family they just discovered?? Like, okay, girl, I guess. Priorities and choices.

Also also, the directors/writers themselves have said before that they kind of hate Anna and just want to...push her aside in favour of doing more cool shit with Elsa. Which you can see in Elsa getting the hero treatment in the first movie, despite Anna literally saving the day. Again in Frozen Fever which is like...cute, but also supposed to be about celebrating Anna's birthday when really it just becomes about ~poor Elsa getting so sick~. Like, geezus christ, girl, sorry that performing even a fraction of the effort that Anna does on the daily gave you a fucking cold.

I see it in Dreamlight Valley, too - which is really fun, but. All of Anna's personal quests are about the other two people in her life - desperately trying to get Kristoff to remember her (he gives up his memory of his love for her for a spell to help save the Valley) and then being like "Elsa seems sad, how can I cheer her up??" while Elsa's quests are all about herself and like most of Kristoff's are helping new friends or taking a fucking bath.

And that's just like insult to injury, too, because for a property that wanted to spend so much time pushing the "true love can also be familial" agenda - which I do believe in - all they really ever want to do is talk about Anna & Kristoff together in like any other version of the franchise after the first movie. It neuters Kristoff as a character, making his whole personality/goal in life about being Anna's Love Interest AND it makes all the work they put into being like "Anna being so into the idea of romantic true love is dangerous and silly" just seem MEAN, since they ultimately decided she should forever be bound to a man she ALSO KNEW FOR LIKE A DAY. (AT LEAST HANS WAS NICE TO HER ON THE WHOLE DAY THEY KNEW EACH OTHER.)

It does help that Anna is queen now, I'll be honest. It's the least she deserves, but I'm sure if there's another movie, they're just going to be like, "Well, sorry, she's barely in this one because she's queen now and has to you know, just stay here and rule Arendelle, like everyone else who ruled before her did." OH WAIT.

Anyway, this is super incoherent because I feel all over the place when I start yelling about what I don't like about Frozen but the moral of the story is that I love Anna and I love Hans and at least once a year, I have to watch both of these stupid movies and be like, "BABIES I'M SO SORRY ALL THESE UGLY ASS BITCHES WOULD SAY THIS ABOUT YOU."

[allthemusic]

Week ending: 27 August 1953

Two songs this week, both from completely new artists, although one would turn out to be less new than the title would suggest, in a twist that I'm not sure I appreciated when I realised. Oh, well.

Eternally - Jimmy Young (peaked at No. 8)

I was so excited; we had a new artist, with a song title that I didn't recognise! Yay! Imagine my surprise, then, when a very familiar piano riff kicks us off - it's another version of Terry's Theme from Limelight. You know, the not-particularly-funny-sounding Charlie Chaplin film that the record-buying public were apparently obsessed with in 1953?

To be honest, I'd never heard of this film before I started on this project, and I'm now imagining that it must have been the hit of the summer in 1953! Although, a spot of research does tell me, weirdly, that while it was popular in Japan and much of Europe, it barely got shown in the US due to Charlie Chaplin's alleged Communist sympathies, and when Chaplin came to the UK to promote the film, he was actually denied a visa back into the US, which is also how I learnt that Charlie Chaplin was British? I think I thought he was American!

That rabbit-hole aside, there's not much more to say about this tune than what I've already said. It's still very classical, though this version has more in common with Frank Chackfield's slightly lame version than Ron Goodwin's actually very good orchestral version. It's got classical instruments, but they aren't as crisp or as differentiated as Ron's are, more mushy strings and echoey piano.

The key difference? There are suddenly words! This, I gather, is why it wasn't billed as Terry's Theme again, not that the words are much to write home about. We start rhyming "eternally" with... uh, "eternally", before Jimmy keeps on singing about how "Though the sky should fall / Remember I shall always be / Forever true and loving you / Eternally" and how he always knew his love and him were meant to be. Yawn. There's literally nothing striking about these lyrics, they're very dull.

Jimmy Young, sings in a very trained, very British way, hanging back slightly like he's ashamed of the mush that he's singing. Which is fair enough, I don't think I could muster up much oomph for his. Whcih is a shame, as I think this is one song that would actually be improved by the Al Martino-style "belt it" approach. I can imagine a version with a much bigger, louder "Eteeeeeeernally" at the end, for sure!

But instead, we go out with a whimper, and a harp glissando. Oh well. Next song!

Seven Lonely Day - Gisele MacKenzie (6)

I'd never heard of Gisele MacKenzie, but her voice here is a nice discovery. It's a country-ish voice, though I can't quite call this a country song. Something in the way she leans into words works nicely.

It's a jaunty sort of song, despite the title, and though it starts as an angsty break-up song about how "Seven lonely days make one lonely week / Seven lonely nights make one lonely me / Ever since the time you told me were through", it slowly morphs into something else.

The first clue that something is amiss is the men's chorus that comes in, with a very hearty "Oh, my darlin', I'm cryin', boo-hoo-hoo, There's no use in denyin' I cried for you". It's still about how sad she is, but they just go at with so much gusto that it's impossible to feel particularly sad. They're rousing, you want to join in, and the "boo-hoo-hoo" bits are particularly fun!

And then Gisele gets to the heart of it, suggesting that her love didn't treat her particularly well while they were together ("It was your favourite pastime, makin' me blue") and then telling them: "Last week was the last time I cried for you" and "Guess it never pays to make your lover blue". Gisele didn't initiate the break-up, but she's over it now, and I love the attitude in this section. It's a very modern pop-diva move, turning a sad break-up song into a defiant, "I don't care" kind of song, and I am a sucker for it!

There's a little bit of clunky writing in the middle when she sings about how "Seven hankies blue I filled with my tears" and how "Seven letters true I filled with my fears". It doesn't help that her pronunciation makes it sound like "seven leathers", which confused me even further...

Still, all is forgiven when the clapping comes in near the end, when the men's chorus comes back. I love some clapping in a song! It's catchy as anything, and really ramps things up as the song draws to a close, changing up the vibe just enough to keep it fresh. Lovely stuff!

Two very different songs, then, and I think my favourite is a no-brainer. Gisele MacKenzie, unlikely as it seems, is the prototypical pop diva here, pioneering a whole genre of defiant post-breakup song that's a guilty (or not so guilty) pleasure of mine. So, without further ado...

Favourite song of the bunch: Seven Lonely Days

[charms-cat]

Iroh is definitely a flawed character, but it's unfair to put the burden of Azula's redemption on him.

The thing is Zuko and Azula were not on the same starting point. While it's doubtless that Ozai abused Azula, there's nothing concrete about how far that abuse extends (at least not within the show, I don't read the comics). Was it only the manipulation and twisting Azula into his perfect weapon and Heir? Or was he willing to scar her the same way he did Zuko? Truth is, show-only audience doesn't know. And from how Azula asserts "You can't treat me like Zuko!", imo it implies that however manipulative he was, there was still a line he didn't cross, something that would make her think that she really was still above Zuko.

But back to Iroh -

I'd say it's a stretch to think that Iroh understood "what exactly was happening to the royal family". He was a decorated and well-respected war general, so it's not too much to assume that he'd spend a lot of time on the battlefield. If nothing else, the siege of Ba Sing Se lasted for 600 days, so we know that the last time he saw her, Azula was only about 6 years old.

So we know he's been gone for at least/almost two years. Up until the final three years between Lu Ten's death and Zuko's banishment, of which we don't actually know at what point he arrived home after his spiritual journey. How long was he at court? One year, two, or almost three? How much information could he gather from Ozai during that time?

And while Iroh does have the patience and compassion to care for someone who'd been abused, it's also undeniable that, while Iroh supported and hoped that Zuko would choose the right path, the final choice to do good was still Zuko's. Iroh pushed Zuko towards redemption, but did not drag him there.

As for making the Gaang aware of Azula's abuse, I think he did try to steer Zuko towards being compassionate. When Iroh wakes up after being struck by Azula's Lightning, Zuko immediately says, "I know. She's my sister, and I should be getting along with her." That implies that Iroh did try to get Zuko to be, at least, open to reconciliation with Azula.

Admittedly, it sounds a little callous how Iroh responds, "No, she's crazy and she needs to go down." But at that point, Azula had already tried to maim, if not kill, Zuko (on the ship) and Iroh (in the town). Not to mention, she only initially "visited" them because she wanted to bring them back as prisoners for the Fire Lord. Azula had established herself as a dangerous opponent, and Iroh chose to prioritise the safety of Zuko and himself. And, considering that Azula was very much under the influence of Ozai, it was the safer bet; that is, compared to trying to redeem someone who doesn't even realise that what she's doing is wrong.

As for informing the Gaang, where would be the time, place, or use? As said before, Azula is a dangerous opponent and Iroh knows that. It'd be better for the Gaang to keep their guard up against her rather than risking them being severely injured because they faltered due to their compassion. Plus, I don't think Iroh actually spent a lot of time with the Gaang. Off the top of my head, I can only remember his meeting with Toph (who he didn't know was part of the Gaang), their showdown in that abandoned town against Azula (where he collapsed due to her lightning strike), and searching for Zuko in the catacombs with Aang (of which both he and Aang had more immediate priorities).

Last, I don't think the final Agni Kai could've been Azula's turning point. Too much happened in too short of a time for Azula to have ever accepted that she "lost" - Zuko ran away, it was revealed that she lied about who took down the Avatar, Mai and Ty Lee's betrayal, Ozai's abandonment (leaving her to take up the now "meaningless" title of Fire Lord while he ascends as Phoenix King and leads the charge for the razing of the Earth Kingdom, which was initially Azula's idea). Add on her paranoia, hallucinations, and clinging desperately to the fact that she was still "better" than Zuko, I doubt she'd be open to reconciliation at that point in time.

Perhaps we could've seen Iroh help bridge the gap between Zuko and Azula if we had a Book 4. But at the show's current scope, Azula's ending is a fitting one for her character arc as a tragic villain.

I know people love iroh, but he needs to be critiqued.

Like, I really do love that character but his biggest failing was letting azula down. Like, this is literally the no one is irredeemable show and like that finale should have been way more compassionate. I think that Iroh is the only person that could have given her the compassion, because he is on of like 3 people who understand what exactly was happening to the royal family at the time and demonstrated that he has the temperament to care for people going through that.

Furthermore he could have played the vital role of informing team avatar or at least making zuko aware and compassionate about what was happening to azula . While I think zuko understood what happened to him the show makes it very clear that he was unaware of or willing to look away from what ever evil bullshit the firelord was doing to azula.

This could have been Azulas turning point the way that Zuko had earlier in the season. It still could have been a fight, but one that was more about reconciliation and less about the crown. I know the crown means something for the future of the fire nation, but that fight is built on the emotions between siblings not the fight for the future of the fire nation.

[julieverne]

Angela had thought that getting divorced would be the worst thing in the world.

It hadn't been. There'd been moments that were the worst, the screaming matches, the throwing things, the not having anywhere to live.

But Maura posed it as a favour to herself. To have someone keep an eye on Bass and her house, since she worked such awkward hours. Angela wasn't a fool, and she knew charity when she saw it, but Maura couldn't lie so she accepted. And from there on it just got better and better. A job, with people, Jane coming around almost every night. No more yelling, and someone who actually thanked her for making dinner. Maura was a little angel, in comparison to her three hellions.

Angela never saw Jane on her own any more, though. Not at work, not at home, not whenever they arranged something somewhere else. Maura was always beside her, always taking the seat next to her, Jane was always opening doors for her and sliding in next to her on the couch. They might as well have been attached.

So when Angela heard Jane being sarcastic to Maura one night, she hauled her into the guest house.

"I know you never wanted to take after me, but I know you don't want to take after Frank either."

"I was just saying that Bass doesn't need a new holiday outfit since he didn't wear his Halloween costume last year," Jane said, baffled.

"Don't talk to her like that. In that tone. She deserves better. I deserved better."

"You did, Ma. But I'm not Pop, and Maura's not you."

"But you treat her like..." Angela trailed off. She'd wondered for a while if Jane had noticed how close she and Maura were. That Constance had assumed Jane was her daughter's girlfriend. She'd always wanted Jane to get married, be happy with a family, because that was what she thought women were supposed to want. But now, being divorced, being finally free - no yelling, no brick wall of emotional distance to bang against, she was finally happy. She loved her kids, wouldn't change that for the world. And at some point she had loved Frank, before he'd become all twisted and bitter. Angela liked that her happiness no longer relied on one person - it was still reliant on her kids, and Maura now too, but it was such a lot less of a burden when it was spread out like that. She wasn't in a hurry to date again, enjoying being by herself for the first time in her life, even if her family was barely six feet away at any time.

But Jane - Jane would never compromise for a man, that's why her relationships never worked out. And now that Angela had clarity, she wondered why she ever thought that assuming a woman would make all the compromises in a marriage was normal. But Jane made compromises for Maura every day. And she never complained about it, never complained about Maura. Sometimes she grizzled, but she never had a hard stone of resentment within her when it came to Maura, not like Angela and Frank had for each other. But they weren't married.

But they could be. And if they were, Angela didn't want the sins of Jane's father to follow her. She didn't want Maura flinching at the sound of a raised voice. Angela had hoped she'd raised Jane better than that, but she was her father's daughter.

Jane was waiting. Angela had been lost in thought too long.

"You treat her like she's the exception to every boundary you've ever had," Angela said finally. "And she trusts you."

"I earned that trust," Jane said, her eyes narrowing.

"I know you did, baby, but sometimes I think you forget she has feelings."

"I know she has feelings. Ma, what are you getting at?"

"Just... treat her better, please."

"Better than what? How I already do? How Pop treated you?" Jane was annoyed now.

"Jane..." Angela sighed. "We're both adults. I know how you feel about her." Jane's eyes widened and she stammered, ready to deny anything Angela said. "Does she know?" Angela asked. Jane hung her head, then shook it.

"You're right. She deserves better," Jane said lowly.

"Not better than you, but she deserves the best of you." Angela chucked Jane's chin. "You're such a scrappy little fighter, always getting your digs in. You don't need to be like that with her."

Jane relaxed, as though she'd been fearing this moment for years and now that it had finally come it wasn't too bad.

"If that woman wants a hundred turtle costumes, you get her a hundred turtle costumes. The way she'll look at you when you do..."

"Tortoise," Jane said automatically, giving Angela a kiss on the cheek and heading back to the main house. "Do they have a zombie costume? You can't get him a zombie costume. I hate zombies. Can he be a vampire with a cape?" Angela heard as she closed the door, chuckling to herself.

[hoe4rairai]

Raian Kure headcanon

What Would Make Him Cry & His Breaking Point

‐------------------------------------------‐---------------------------

Responding to @himbo-in-limbo 🥰

- The short answer is predictable to all Raian lovers out there: ( He doesn't cry nor he has any breaking point ) ..

- But let's read between the lines and dive little deeper into Raian's disoriented personality. For me Raian isn't as bad as some others, like that man the Father of Baki ( I don't know his name because I truly despise him ). Raian does have a broken link and it might be fixed if someone understands how he developed his well known sick & twisted behavior but no one was ever successful enough to be this close to him, nor anyone bothered or believed that Raian has an actual beating heart ( except his partner ) and Fusui his younger sister ( my bestie ❤️ 💙) who can midly understand and even if she knows and can quietly tap onto some of his hidden misery she'd rather act ignorant because her brother's wrath can be unfixed and she truly loves Raian.

- I believe it all started when he was a child around 4 years old when his parents noticed his level of power and perplex behaviour. He wasn't the extremely violent kid but he was always unsettled and his hyperactivity was just too much to take. His mother was able to handle him for a while but lost control over him so she sent him to the disciplinary boot camp after school everyday. So that for him to get out all his energy and come back home to fall into bed warned out and almost dead and for her to focuse on her house hold, her husband and his younger sister.

- His mom never intended to neglect Raian but it all fell apart when his nature started to show more aggression towards the other kids at the boot camp, he was expelled a lot of times and was punished even more times. As a kid he never knew what he was doing wrong to get this treatment and he wasn't in any position to attack his own mom or anyone else except kids his age and sometimes older kids whom he easily nailed down. ( RAIAN WILL NEVER HURT HIS FAMILY THAT'S JUST SIMPLY AGAINST HIS OWN STANDARDS AS A KURE ) .

- I believe This is were his breaking point started to grow.

- I believe every unstable person has a sad story to tell 😔 and Raian is no exception.

- Had he ever cried secretly and silently No.

- Raian isn't the one to shed a tear on anything or anyone, heck I truly believe that his tear glands are blocked .

- however, though; would he still feel that he had a tough childhood, ummm no not necessarily but he somehow thinks he could had been treated better.

- fast forward to the 25 Years old Raian. Raian didn't cry on his gramps death but you can tell with his body posture that he was sad and disappointed.

- I believe Raian has his own way to express sadness, it could be extreem to some but for those who know him well like Fusui, late gramps Erioh ( 😭😭 I am still sad btw ) and Hollis who btw is the number 1 to go to when Raian's S/O has questions about Raian ( they talk about him secretly though ) .

- Some Nights when Raian is alone while in his bedroom, listening to his music and mindlessly tossing a ball against the roof wall , he gets memories of how they punished him ( at times they used to force him to stand on both his hands on a hot ground for long time until his arms give out and can't take it any more, other times they forced him to run a 10 KMs running track 15 times none stop, and as a kid who was exceptionally stronger and active more than almost everyone his age and even 10 years older than him, he started to fight with others, not for dominance but to blow off heat. He think of those memories and shrug but with a rather sad smirk and then he whispers to himself with his deep hoares voice : ( They made a monster now they got to deal with the monster )

- I believe Raian can resonate with human feelings ( He sounds and acts like a lunatic while killing ppl ) but that's because his adrenaline rush is like 50x stronger than normal or even kures .

- Raian's partner / part time lover, can see just a glimps of sadness in his eyes specially on his birthdays. Btw, the kures appreciate Raian but from afar. His parents are just used to his feral side and lost hope in the human in him but his partner can prove them wrong.

- His S/O can see deep buried feelings but there are no regrets nor disappoitments reside in this Man's heart.

- Raian can be sad , happy, angry, longing for his parnter touche, seeking attention, missing someone and he can develop feelings of love and appreciation too but the way he express each feeling is different from most normal humans.

I am not lunatic but I can deeply relate to the childhood I pictured for Raian ( he's a fiction but when I write about him , I see a human a scary MF one that I love )

I hope you liked it ... and I welcome more ideas, I hope I won't disappoint 😶‍🌫️😶‍🌫️

That's how he looked and it says volum to me , the way he felt seeing his gramps giving his last breath 😭😭😭