#and i hate stalls with my whole entire being

[okordinaryish]

i have so much anxiety using public restrooms

[justwinginglife]

hi!!!!^^ uhm may I request soshiro hoshina x reader where they are forced to get married but hoshina is unhappy and tried to get the reader to hate which lead to a massive argument between you two you can decide the ending^^ or maybe just he found you heavily injured after the battle because you can't focus?(angst with happy ending)

it's ok if you don't want to make it^^. please don't mind my english it's not my first language

I totally don't mind your English, thank you so much for the request, I'll do my best with it! I appreciate you reaching out.

Done Deal

You were supposed to marry Soichiro Hoshina. Everyone knew it. You were his. You'd been his since birth. Your family and his family had planned this your whole lives, and then he went and ruined it by joining the Defense Force. It pushed plans back farther and eventually it seemed like you might never marry him if he kept stalling like this.

You didn't mind. It gave you time to do what you actually wanted. You even got to know his younger brother. You were actually closer in age to Soshiro but being the first born of your clan, you had to marry the first born of his clan which put you in your current predicament. Just waiting to be trapped in a loveless marriage.

Of course you and Soichiro had learned to be pleasant with each other over the years, but there was no chemistry. And it didn't help that you always stood up for Soshiro when Soichiro would pick on him. He'd complain that you were supposed to take his side because you were his fiancee. You hated him calling you that. He only liked this arrangement when it was convenient for him and you knew it. You'd roll your eyes and tell him to stop being a jerk and then you'd split a popsicle with Soshiro while Soichiro sulked off somewhere.

You liked Soshiro but never thought about being more with him due to the hopelessness of your situation. Then after years of nothing changing, the situation finally progressed. His parents called you over to their estate to discuss your current engagement.

"At present- it seems Soichiro is unwilling to marry, saying he's busy running a division. And of course, stubborn Soshiro has gone off and joined the Defense Force against our advice as well, but he's only a Vice Captain and he has more time to carry out our wishes. We'd like you to carry on the clan name with him instead and make heirs."

You were shocked. Was this really happening?

"Does... does Soshiro know?" You ask slowly.

They shook their heads. "He's on his way in now, we'll discuss more when he gets here."

You wait in silence, your heart thumping in your chest. Soshiro was to be your husband. Soshiro- the boy who hid with you high in the branches of a looming tree while his parents searched the entire estate for you, trying to force you to spend time with his brother. Soshiro- the boy who snuck you food through your bedroom window when you got in trouble with your parents and they sent you to bed with no dinner. Soshiro- the boy who once whispered when you were sick and he thought you couldn't hear him that he might have loved you better than anyone if he had been given the chance. You swallow at the memory. You had both been teenagers then. You wonder if he still felt the same. It had been a long time since you'd seen him, he went off protecting his country and you had taken up managing your family company like the good heir that you were.

The only time you'd ever broken rules or didn't follow instructions was when you were off having fun with Soshiro. But those days were over now. You were grown and you'd have to act like it. You couldn't keep avoiding your fate, your job was to take over as the family head and so you did.

You wonder if you disappointed Soshiro. He used to always ask you to run away to the Defense Force with him when you were younger, sparring together for practice. The look on his face when you told him you couldn't see him anymore because your parents had caught wind of your reckless activities with him... he must've hated you then. You wondered if he hated you now.

You watch as he enters the room, removing his shoes and kneeling before his parents, not looking at you.

"Ah, Soshiro. Welcome home. We have much to talk about."

He listens in silence as they explain the situation. You peek over at him and his face looks strained. You almost wince. He looks like he's nearly in pain at the thought of being stuck with you. It stings more than you thought it would.

He finally speaks. "No. I refuse. Tell Soichiro to get his ass back home and take her."

Your eyes widen. "B-but why?" You say suddenly and then clap a hand over your mouth.

He huffs, his eyes trained on the wooden floor at his knees. "Why? Because you're his. I don't want someone else's woman."

You want to say, "But I'm not though." You don't say anything.

"That's what I thought." He gets up and leaves, slamming the door behind him.

You flinch.

His parents apologize to you and invite you to stay over at their estate for the week while they make wedding preparations. They completely ignore Soshiro's blatant refusal to marry you and continue on like it'll happen anyway.

You eat dinner with them in silence, your thoughts swirling in your head. You try to hold back tears that you weren't even aware you had for him. How could he not want you? You know it's been awhile since the two of you were on friendly terms but you thought he might brush that aside because of how much history you had together.

After dinner, you go to the room the Hoshina's have prepared for you. You stare out the window at the familiar tree you used to climb with Soshiro and as your eyes trace the trunk upwards, you see a figure sitting on one of the higher branches. You almost laugh. Just like old times huh? You slip out of your kimono and put some pants on.

You reach the base of the tree and run your hands over it, smiling softly as the memories come running back to you. Then you start to climb. He sees you coming and calls down to you to go away and leave him in peace. You ignore him and keep climbing, pulling yourself up higher and higher. You sit on a branch across from him. He looks away from you.

"Don't remember your hearing being so shit." He grumbles, picking at the leaves on the branch.

"Don't remember you being such an ass." You shoot back with a laugh. It's just good to talk to him again alone, even if he is being a jerk.

He rolls his eyes and then just watches you for a moment, appreciating the outfit you've changed into. "You looked stiff in that kimono anyway."

"Shut up Soshiro. I looked good."

He snorts but his cheeks flush a little.

You lean in to get a better view of him and he waves you away.

"What is it with you anyway? I don't see you or hear from you in years and now all of a sudden you're trying to marry me. I see you're still doing whatever the fuck your parents want." He snaps.

You inhale sharply at that. Yeah. He was still bitter. "I... I know." You say slowly.

He rolls his eyes. "That's all you've got to say? You're pathetic. I would never marry you." He bites his lip as he says this, almost like he wants to take it back.

You don't notice his regret as the tears have started to well up in your eyes. You reach for him but he flinches and you pull away. "I'm sorry. You're right. But I just thought... maybe I could love you better than anyone if I was given the chance," You say, quoting him from when you were teenagers.

He stops breathing.

You wait for him to respond but he doesn't.

You sigh and nod, defeated. "Goodnight Soshiro."

You start to climb back down the tree, you're almost all the way down when your foot slips and you fall.

You hear him gasp right before you hit the ground.

Everything goes black.

You dream of Soshiro. He's smiling at you and he offers you half of his popsicle. "I want you to... to try to love me." He says.

You reach out and touch his cheek and he nuzzles against your hand.

"I do want it..." He repeats again. I know you do, you try to say but your mouth doesn't seem to want to move.

"So please, please just wake up. Just come back to me and I'll marry the shit out of you." He pleads, his voice strangled now.

You blink.

"What do you mean Soshiro? I'm right here."

He disappears from your dreams and searing hot pain fills your head.

You try to stand but your legs don't work. The pain from your head starts to seep down your neck and into your back. Everything hurts. Everything aches. You can't move.

You blink. Blink again.

Soshiro is leaning over you, eyes wide, fingers trembling as he grips your hand. "Oh thank god. You're awake."

"I think I may retire from my tree-climbing days," You groan as you remember what just happened.

He scoffs at you, irked you're making jokes about being injured, but a small smile tugs at the edges of his lips. "Idiot. Just rest for now okay?"

"Thought you said to wake up, now you want me to go back to bed?" You poke his cheek.

He grabs your hand before you can pull back and he holds it there, against his cheek. "You're such a handful. Most troublesome wife ever."

Your eyes widen. "W-wife?"

He nods slowly, watching your reaction. "Let's... let's get married yeah?"

You smile, ignoring the pain searing through you at the effort it takes just to do it. "Just takes me falling out of a tree to seduce you huh?"

He scoffs again and rolls his eyes. But then he looks down at his fidgeting fingers. "You meant what you said... up there, right? I want... I want you to try to love me."

OH. So it wasn't a dream. He actually said it.

You smile even wider and snuggle closer to him.

"It's a done deal."

[mcfuckity]

You know what? Im breaking my silence. Im TIRED of people missing Jess’ character on purpose. Like, everyone can use context clues and fill in the blanks for every other character but somehow Jess is the only one taken at face value? Jess is being seen as a cold, detached, mean bitch by fans but I cannot determine whether we even watched the same movie.

Let’s address the elephant in the room, because she is a black woman who is NOT a mammy character, people criticize her harsher. Jess was MORE than Miguel’s “lackey”. She had her own thoughts and opinions. She definitely had her own personality and feelings about the entire situation. She lowkey stalled time to give Gwen chances to fix her mistakes.

If Jess was as cold as Miguel and such a “bitch”, she would’ve left Gwen the first time. Let’s not forget that Miguel was fully about to leave Gwen with her own father holding her at gunpoint, JESS vouched to bring Gwen under her name. Jess put her OWN position at risk to help Gwen and it required that she do her job accordingly. Jess made the boundary VERY clear, she is NOT Gwen’s mother. She is NOT her friend. I seen people argue that “Jess’ maternal instincts” should’ve kicked in to protect Gwen” but fully ignoring that Jess HAS A FAMILY! Jess is PREGNANT with her OWN child. Her instincts DID kick in and she chose her dimension with her family in it!

Jess was stuck in a rock and a hard place. She obviously wanted to help Gwen (considering she brought her in at the cost of her own position) but UNFORTUNATELY, GWEN messed up. Gwen saw Miles and that ultimately led to Spot escaping. You can love these characters and acknowledge that every character had their OWN thoughts and motivations that led to fuck ups. It’s not right to try to make Jess sound worse than the man who fuckin replaced his dead self out of grief, was about to leave a teen at gunpoint, and had an entire society of people chase a teenager who wanted to save his dad.

Don’t get me started on the “she’s fighting crime while pregnant argument” because we can accept superpowered people but NOT the possibility that their bodies are more resilient. NOT TO MENTION THAT PETER B HAS A WHOLE BABY ON MISSIONS???? Like, no one is calling him a bad father so what’s different with Jess? Miguel was mean as fuck to Miles upon meeting but Jess doing her JOB is considered being “mean”.

Then the “I didn’t see her enough to connect with her” is fair until everyone can somehow create entire {TERRIBLE} mischaracterizations of Hobie, Pav, and Peni who (arguably) had just about the same amount of screentime. She also shares traits with every other spider person with being snarky and quick-witted while being completely grounded. She’s literally one of the spider people that Miguel fully trusts but somehow the fandom erases her and goes “He loves Peter B and Lego Spidey🤪🤪”

Like, it’s crazy how people find it so easy to erase Jess and Margo (Spiderbyte) in fanworks for things they easily dismiss from other characters and it’s feelin like misogynoir. Like, Margo and Hobie served the same purpose with deciding to go against Miguel for Miles, yet only Hobie and Gwen gets that credit.

AND THEN THE MANY EXCUSES WHEN IT COMES TO SHIPPING! People keep hating on Jess/Miguel because she’s “obviously pregnant and married” but go right around and ship Miguel with Peter B. Same with Margo/Miles because it’s a bunch of “Miles and Gwen are obviously endgame” ANDDDD???? Since when did every ship HAVE TO be canon in order to be a ship? It’s especially crazy because I BARELY EVER see those comments on Miles/(Peni, Pav, or Hobie) or have no problem with having all the boys huddled around Gwen. The double standard is glaringly obvious.

In conclusion, some of you mfs dont deserve ATSV.

[mehkers]

First Day of School! …in the human realm!?

Ndfnjfjd- Sitting in my first period while writing this

Basically it’s just how the boy’s first impressions would be from another student perspective (not Mc).

Warnings: Cursing, none rlly

It takes place in a high school environment

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

Lucifer

Edgy mf

People would look at him and just know that he probably listens to MCR

Rbf the entire time

I think he’s already gained some frown lines

Def gives off ‘I’m better than you puny creatures’

Always reached his classroom on time (or earlier)

All the girls love him, and their boyfriends hate him

Is quite polite when you talk with him, but his annoyed expression says otherwise

Mammon

IM TOO YOUNG AND HOT TO BE STUCK IN PRISON

Shuts up when he gets punched by Lucifer

He gets along with everyone easily

The loudest in the class… possibly the entire school

Wearing designer clothes, so he attracts a lot of attention

Is always lost

Man doesn’t know how to read a map

He’s already made a bunch of friends

Loves school but hates the studying part (Me too Mamms 😔)

Leviathan

Save him please

His gloomy vibes is spreading to everyone

The amount of Ruri-Chan keychains he has on his bag is making too much noise

THIS IS NOT A SUITABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR A SHUT-IN OTAKU

He had to have his ass dragged by Beel who was also carrying Belphie

He is extremely shy and jumpy

Will stick to himself to entire time

Buuuut, as soon as he sees any anime merch- He’s surprisingly louder than Mammon

He wouldn’t have much friends, but he’s at least made an effort to talk to some people

Satan

Sighs

He gives Dr. Ratio vibes (hsr ref)

Look at all these peasants- WAIT IS THAT A DETECTIVE NOVEL YOU’RE READING!?

You all know it, I don’t even have to say it.. He’s in the library

I can only imagine his devastation when he sees the ‘library’ at my school

If it’s a good library, like an actual library, bro is gonna have the biggest and brightest smile the entire day that it actually becomes a bit creepy

If it’s a lame-ass library, like barely any books, you’d look at him from across the hallway and think he killed a person

Would throw a fit (I would know, cuz I did too)

He’s very charming, so all the ladies would def keep their eyes on him

He’s befriended the students, the teachers, the staff, the janitor, the PRINCIPAL-

Asmodues

Oh hun, he’s already the queen bee and center of all the drama in school

Everyone’s insecure when they see his pretty ass strutting down the halls

Not even the school air can get him

Dude already has all the scoop (he may or may not have been the reason for most it)

People would probably look at him and think ‘Oh.. he’s that popular type..”

But when they talk to him, he’s actually super sweet!

Just uh.. ignore how many students he’s already kissed ._.

Beelzebub

Tallest mofo there

Is constantly being stopped and complimented cause of his height

He’s not reserved or shy, he just doesn’t talk much

He’s the one guy who has a whole snack stall in his backpack

His locker is just filled with snacks

He is rocking gym class and/or weight training class

He’s made friends with all the jocks

Everyone’s scared of him after seeing him go on a hunger rampage when the cafeteria didn’t give him enough food-

Belphegor

If you think he’d make an effort to talk to anyone

You’re dead wrong

He’s every teacher’s worst nightmare

Sleeping in every class

Even while he’s walking down the halls

Kept getting in trouble cause of it? but since he’s a little shit, he didn’t care

Everyone mostly stayed clear of him since he gave off the ‘wake me up and your dead’ vibes

He answers every question right tho

Would totally tempt the other students to give into laziness and despair just to mess with them

And to add on to Lucifer’s growing collection of white hair

Hasn’t made any friends by the end of the day

+Bonus~!

Mc

Biggest badass

Literally survived RAD, a human school should be fine

Everyone’s confused and jealous how some random person has the attention of all the 7 new students

Literally untouchable

Talk of the town since they entered the school with the brothers

Don’t even try, you don’t have a chance to get with them

[ganondoodle]

some destiny (zelda comic) lore

i really have absolutely no problem with AUs, but in the case of my zelda comic i kinda dont like it being called that bc i made it specifically around the idea of offering an origin story to .. everything really that could be true and put the entire series in an entirely different light

like most things in the series around the creation of the world and the godesses etc are told to us, and i always ask questions when sth is just told to you especially in this black and white kind of way

idk if i ever talked about it, probably not bc its somewhat of a big reveal in the comic (though its at the very end) and given how slow i am thats years away so:

the three gods (gods as a neutral term here) exists outside the physical realm in a sort of void like darkness with an endless completely calm ocean they created the world we know as hyrules world, in fact they created two more, each of them filled with life, at some point choosing a mortal to kill and make into a deity as their right hand since the gods cant go into these worlds themselves

they want to enact the plan we see in skyward sword, they want a monster to invade the land, their chosen deity to seal it, die and be reincarnated and start the whole zelda cycle as we know it; why?maybe purely as entertainment, which is why each cycle is so widely different, they are gods and treating life and worlds like their little toys feels kinda right- and they really dont like when their toys act against them, thats not what toys are supposed to do after all

so, courage as i like to call them, was a deity they created using a mortal, but they failed to even make their mortals believe in them, instead they were seen as the monster, the gods lost their patience and drowned their world leaving only courage to survive, while they failed their orders and were hated, they still cared about their world, seeing it slowly drown and abandoned by the gods made them filled with despair, in an outburst they destroy the spring of the gods (an ancient spring that is the first to exist in a world when its created) and it opens up a gate into the realm of the gods, that dark calm ocean of nothing- they go into it and wander into the closest source of light and it brings them into demise's world

demise is the deity of his world, and when courage arrives there they start to attack it, filled with desperation and rage that their world was drowned while this one thrived- demise hasnt failed the gods yet, and he fights and seals away courage with easy, but it lets him doubt the gods words, courage was supposed to be some evil monster, yet they were similar to him and he defeated them so easily, why would he chose to die and be reincarnated as a mortal? he wanted to stay a deity and protect his world forever- he started to stall for time, halting the building of the temples for the hero in the future, and at some point courage broke out of its seal, nothing of it was like before it was a strange and now truly, a monster, and demise killed it to protect his lands, thus making the gods prophecy unable to be furfilled and so the gods abandon his world too, they let mortals turn against him as his world slowly dries out, until there is nothing left alive but him and ghirahim, trying to drive him to madness so he becomes the monster for the the next world in the row, but fail just barely- he too destroys the ancient spring and discovers the gate it creates

so demise travels to hylias world, and hylia, hesitates to seal him right away bc she notices he is not a mindless monster like she was told, despite the gods effort to raise her in isolation and make her into the perfect vassal, hylias curiousity is too much, so she lets demise live, over and over as they battle- which is the story of the comic, at the end they fall in love and uncover the gods plans, that demise was in the same position as hylia is, and he killed a deity jsut like them, that the reincarnation thing might be a lie to get rid of the biggest threat to the gods (the deities needed to be gotten rid of before they realized anything) and replace it with a more controllable mortal once the set up for the play was done, this too has been a cycle in the end the gods make sure this time it ends up how they want, more or less (im leaving out the details for now) and demise gets sealed and hylia dies, both of them taken by the gods but as both resisted them it is not perfect, demise still did not turn into the monster they needed so what you fight in skyward sword is an apparition of him, not him truly, and ghirahim knew he would never be himself again but his desperation and devotion made him try anyway only to end up playing right into the gods hands

and that is how the series started, a scheme of the gods to create their little play, inventing new little adversaries and eviil beings but short lived so easily to reinvent over and over, but its all based on lies, zelda isnt special, she was jsut a mortal that happened to be chosen by the gods to take the role she has now, shes no reincarnation of hylia, none of the things they tell you about hylia are true, its the gods lying to you, and the trio is stuck in this cycle not realizing they are merely being played with

(being sealed or dying as a deity send you to the realms of the gods, where they pin them down on a pillar like bugs (unconcious) and occasional borrow their magic for some tricks and schemes to play with in the world of hyrule, the deities are still there, and will be until the gods decide to kill them fully- and at the end of destiny as demise is take by them, in the last few moments before he is hung up like a trophy he not only sees that courage, who he thought he had fully killed, was already there, but in the darkness were countless remains of abandoned deities hanging dead on pillars, how many times have the gods done this before?)

(possibly not as interesting as i hope it is, but this is what im going for, and it only really works if the rest of the series exists just the same, otherwise the whole point of putting everything in this context would become kinda meaningless? at least thats how i feel about it so i dont like calling it an AU, but im not mad about it bc i guess if you take all the lore at face value it is completely different and doesnt work with canon at all? idk )

[myheartisbro-ken]

Can't believe I'm gonna have to spell this out here but there seems to be some confusion about the outcome of literally kissing death.

So, a kiss of death/a kiss from death/death's kiss/to give death a kiss/to kiss death/etc are expressions or idioms that mean dying or sealing your fate towards death (not in a romantic way, again, this is about dying), so I'm gonna hold y'all's hands when I say this:

There was no other possible outcome of kissing Rio. Kissing death means dying! Once more with feeling: KISSING DEATH MEANS DYING! It was always gonna be like this, it's okay that it went over your head because you were excited about their chemistry, it went over my head too, until it happened. But it was right in our faces the entire time.

"oh but what about previous episodes?" You ask me "her behavior towards Rio changed." It did and it didn't. First of all, have we missed their first interaction once Agatha is free from the curse? That was Agatha in her purest form, bearing no fondness over Rio and hating her fucking guts, and literally bargaining with death. Another expression of sorts yeah? Y'know, from the five stages of grief, with the final being acceptance of death, a previous one is bargaining, which means making deals with yourself or a higher power, as a defense mechanism, with the intent of changing your fate/stalling death. (Which she managed to). And what about their interactions on the road? She was vulnerable and sought comfort in her ex who was the only person who truly understood her, yes, but also SHE WAS SEEKING COMFORT IN THE IDEA OF DYING! The whole situation made her vulnerable and it made her miss her son, so she wondered if dying wasn't so bad after all, if it meant she would get to see him (and before you ask, that doesn't change the fact that she's not ready to face him, both things can be true at once).

But she was flirting with Rio, was she not? Yes, she was literally flirting with death, an expression that means being reckless regarding your own safety and doing things that could lead to you dying.

And what about the time she tried to kiss Rio? SHE WAS TRYING TO DIE, PEOPLE! She was hurt, she was sad, she had her grief thrown in her face from the very first trial, and she was coming from nearly losing another boy that she came to care about that reminded her so much of her son, and then Rio talked about Nicky and she wanted to die!

This whole relationship has been a metaphor to grief and dying! She's loved by death, she's resented death for years for taking her son away from her, she's been bargaining with, flirting with, and evading death for centuries, and in her lowest points, when the pain take over her, death offers her comfort. But she's too fucking stubborn to go with her. In the end she still resents her, and she accepts her angrily, so she can stop her from taking another boy she cares about. Once more, bargaining with death to give a boy a bit more time before she takes him.

[writing-for-life]

Nuance in (The Sandman) Fandom

Send me asks about everything Sandman-related!

I thought a lot over the past few days, partly prompted by discourse on here, partly due to a couple of “interesting” asks and messages I received (the type you don’t answer). I *think* they might have been prompted by engaging in discourse on topics like anti-blackness/racism, misogyny/sexism, TERF characters etc in The Sandman.

Fandoms are always getting super sensitive if someone shines a critical lens on their favourite works, authors and characters. So to make this clear (in case it isn’t already obvious from my brain-rot blog):

I love The Sandman. I love Neil Gaiman. I have an extremely soft spot for Dream (and Desire btw, who deserves a lot more character analysis than just being summed up as “villainous, sexy bitch”. One day, perhaps ;)).

I can read The Sandman and just get lost in the story, even after decades and many rereads. 

But I can also view it through a critical lens—these things aren’t mutually exclusive.

Not critical enough or too critical?

As fans, we can get trapped in certain thinking patterns, like:

“My blorbo can do no wrong”-syndrome 

“Characters with flaws are inherently problematic and imply authorial endorsement of those actions” 

“Characterisation and problematic subtext are one and the same” (aka overanalysing and looking for problems where there are none is the death of every story, but failing to see problematic patterns where they are clearly visible is a problem, too).

Don't say anything bad about my favourite character

I think this doesn’t need much further exploration. It’s not my personal way of looking at stories through permanently rose-tinted glasses (I always feel it stalls my experience, but my experience is not everyone else's). Some people prefer that type of escapism, and I’m good with that (although the downside is of course that by not willing to engage with issues, we can unwillingly perpetuate them). Live and let live, ship and let sail. But please, for the love of god: Don’t insult people via their inboxes or messages just because their opinions and preferences don’t align with yours. I’m not going to sugarcoat it or phrase it “nicely”: It’s infantile (and a form of bullying btw), end of.

How can you even like a character who's so horrible? And that author must be equally horrible, too

We have to separate flawed characters, even those who are written to be really problematic, from real-life endorsement of these actions. 

Author, narrator and character are three fundamentally different things, and don’t overlap as much as some people seem to think. 

We can write vile, despicable characters to make a point (for me, Thessaly was always a prime example for this, and I explained why here). We probably hate them as we write them. I don’t know what else to say, but this facet of writing seems to get more and more lost on people, and it’s a worry. Crying for sanitised characterisation is one step away from censorship. We explore what is problematic about people and humanity through story. That’s how we process and learn. It’s nothing new, but it becomes impossible if we can’t write flawed and even disgusting characters. 

Face value…

Since I’m mostly in The Sandman fandom, I often read that its ending is hopeless, and that’s supposedly the entire message. 

It is agonisingly sad, yes. But is it truly hopeless? I personally see it as quite the opposite, but of course that’s my opinion, coloured by my life experiences.

I also get that show-only fans often haven’t read the comics, or at least not the whole arc. And as such, their outlook from what they’ve seen so far (and choose to focus on) has to be different by default. I also understand that many people are quite new to the comics, even if they have read them in their entirety. I’ve sat with them for 30 years, and I still find new things on every reread (and I read it more times than anyone should 🙈), and I still don’t feel like I’ve understood it all. Perhaps because I still haven’t fully understood myself (and it’s unlikely I ever will). If there’s one thing The Sandman isn’t, it’s one-dimensional and easy to grasp in its whole depth.

I just wrote a ginormous meta on it, if you’re interested, it’s here:

Subtext, (not so) glorious subtext

This is where it gets complicated:

We shouldn’t mix up characterisation and story subtext. Overanalysing every line to death will always make us find something that’s “problematic”, when it really isn’t in the wider context of the story.

Zooming in is NOT always a good thing. Sometimes, we actually need to zoom out. 

But subtext *can be* (accidentally) problematic. Even in stories we love. And none of this negates what I previously wrote.

Stories have real-life implications of sorts, and we need to be able to talk about it. That’s where those slightly flabbergasting, hostile inbox messages come in, and I want to expand on that "topic of contention" a bit:

Neil himself confirmed that the Endless basically warp reality, and that this is why, after Dream’s failed relationship with Nada, many black women in his vicinity suffer terrible fates (Ruby and Carla in particular). And that this spell is only broken when he dies, and that it is the reason why Gwen doesn’t suffer the same fate. And said Gwen then gets used as a plot device to basically absolve Hob (who canonically really is a problematic character, whether show-only fans like it or not) from his slaver past. Once again, very clearly: No one is making this up. Neil confirmed it (for the comics, and that was over 20 years ago. It remains to be seen if his stance has changed as we move into that arc in the TV show).

I don't think it is correct to imply that Dream as a character is racist (I've read that, too) because he logically can’t be. He holds *all* the collective unconscious. He is also, strictly speaking, not white. He is everything and nothing, and he shows up in many different ethnicities throughout the whole arc, depending on who looks at him. But Neil played with a subtext here (reality warping due to a bad relationship which then affects everyone with similar physical traits) that will read very differently to a black person than it reads to a white person, and we have to understand why that is an *extremely* slippery slope.

Plus, we are supposed to see Hob, who *was* a racist at some point (you can’t not be if you’re a slave-trader—it’s impossible by default) as redeemed. And yes, he *does* regret deeply, good for him (and if I were saying this aloud, you would hear the sarcasm in my voice, because it is indeed all about him. We are to sympathise/empathise with him and his character growth while there isn’t much mention of the people he maltreated). But also: it was a black woman who basically forgave him (with dialogue that personally makes me cringe). And that black woman who offers forgiveness is not truly a black woman—she is a character written by a white man. And as much as author and character are not the same (see above), there is an inherent sensitivity in that power imbalance that we can't brush under the carpet.

I don’t think Neil is racist. Probably quite the opposite, and I can even see that his intentions were good from a storytelling point of view. BUT intention and impact are two fundamentally different things, and telling the story this way (comic version) betrays blindspots only white people have. Just like women have blindspots when they tell stories about men, and men have blindspots when they tell stories about women (and there are a few of those in The Sandman, too). And and and���

As storytellers, we can’t always speak from lived experience. It’s impossible. And that also means we occasionally make mistakes that look bad in hindsight, even if our intentions were good.

I guess the proof is in the pudding: What do we do when people who *have* that lived experience tell us it looks bad? If they inform us why it is hurtful, plays into old stereotypes etc?

Are we willing to listen and yield (both are the foundations of allyship btw), or are we insisting that our viewpoint as someone *without* lived experience is right? That lived experience extends to all lived experiences (sex/gender, sexual orientation, age...), and from all we’ve heard from Neil so far, it seems important to him to rewrite what he sees differently today. Whether they’ll always get it right for the show—we’ll see. At the moment, it looks a lot better than in the comics, and certain issues are already being handled with a lot more sensitivity, but a few problems remain.

Pushing back on criticism that comes from people with lived experience is problematic—I’d encourage us to think about what it looks like if a white majority in the fandom is basically saying that the opinions of POC are essentially “overreactions” (and yes, that happened).

It’s complicated. The Sandman was written in a different time, and I think we have to distinguish between things that weren’t really problematic at the time but have aged poorly (again, Thessaly springs to mind, and I have lived experience as a queer person during that time, so I can see it in context while at the same time acknowledging that I would make changes to bring it to the present day), and things that were always a problem due to blindspots. They were a problem in 1990, and if they don’t get changed, they are still a problem today.

This fandom is generally so much more open and nicer than others I know. But that doesn’t mean it’s infallible, because it’s full of humans. 

Nuance is sorely needed, in both story interpretation and interaction between said humans.

[fatteningmenstories2]

Coached

Chapter 1 

‘Davidson a word please !”

What was it this time, Axel was already raking his brain to see what mistake he had made this time, not being the sharpest tool in the shed always led him to situations like this. And as the bustle of the  changing rooms slowly died out, Axel knew he couldn’t leave Coach waiting

“Come on Davidson - finished putting on your makeup yet’ Howled Coach from his office 

‘No Coach.. I mean .. ’ ah Axel was always a mess when it came to speaking to Coach, sure he certainly fit the All American stereotype which his killer 6 pac and biceps for days  but Coach was on whole another level, towering over anyone who dared to stand up to him, the man stood at an imposing 6ft 5 and was  jammed tight with muscle earned from his old wrestling years Axel was basically putty in his hands and it  especially wasn’t helped  by the fact that he was harbouring a schoolboy’s crush on him, but not wanting to keep the man across campus for his bite being worse than his bark so Axel knew that he couldn’t run from this mountain of a man 

“Coming Coach’

“Right lets get started’

Sitting in Coach’s office Axel felt like he was straight back in high school, designed to the last detail to make its guest feel uneasy -  Coach’s office was no easy place to be. Shelves filled high with trophies and medals, and walls littered with pictures from Coach’s own wrestling days and the  varies teams he was in charge of over the college, one knew that Coach Creed was not one to mess around with

Axel could trace Coach’s entire life through those walls, from a young wrestler no bigger than he was, to his old college team and finally to a buff muscular man winning accolades easily late into his 40s. All resulting in the 50 year old man sporting silver hairs and bulging veiny muscles sat before him. 

“Now I hate to the bearer of bad news, but Axel those no other way to put this … you  simply are just not fast enough for track’

What !!!!,  the heavy weight of all the gym equipment couldn’t to compare to weight that was being onto dropped Axel’s shoulders, he was speechless 

“I’ve been looking over your times on the track, and its just not good enough’

“Butt..Bu…’ His defence couldn’t even leave his mouth before Coach’s hand signalled for his silence. And with the ferocity of a bull with its eyes set on its target Coach plowed straight through,  dismantling Axels dreams on the side 

“To be honest this colleges track team isn’t going anyway fast  enough .. ha ha’ he paused laughing at his own joke “ And the team we’ve got is just outside your body potential’ 

He gestured, pulling the noose tighter and tighter around’s Axels neck leaving Axel frozen in his seat

“But I hate to see such wasted potential So…’ he stalled,  eyeing up Axel sternly ‘ Axel isn’t ? consider this your lucky day cus theres an opening on my Wrestling team, sure its a bit different from running around in the same circle all day every day, but this is a sport for Men!!’

He let that last sentence ruminate, his powerful voice echoing around the room 

’Now Davidson ask yourself, when you tell your kids about you wild college days do you think they gonna to care about how daddy ran around chasing his tail all day or more likely how Dad wrestled with men and triumphed’

All Axel could do was feebly nod his head to scared to even make a peep 

‘Exactly Davidson you get  it, now to be honest you ate on the small side .. ain’t you ’ ( It was like the noose reappeared only tighter), “But I am happy to take you under my wing and make a worthwhile man out you”

What could he say, he certainly couldn’t see himself standing up to Coach but this was his live he had to put up a fight

“I..”

“And before you say anything just know that, that spot you might see yourself clinging onto on the track team is long gone , its Zero!  Nada!  we’ve got a faster kid already lined up for it’

Throwing a whimpering dog a bone Coach buckled down again 

'So its either wrestling or nothing, you can kiss the scholarship of yours goodbye and especially your social ‘credit’ on campus - what you say’

And with his cards already played for him  Axel knew he couldn’t run from this,  all he had left to do was nod his head as Coach happily showed him where to sign on the papers and then  showed him out, patting him on his firm buttocks as he slammed  the door behind him 

The walk back to his dorm seemed like it could go on forever, Axel felt like he had just finally settled in, his classes were going okay, his dorm mate was great and not to mention that the gay culture had easily let another good looking lad like himself into their ranks. This was the first real opposition he could even remember,  all his life he could coast by on track and his looks and now Coach Creed was ripping it away from him with the ease of a man stepping on a bug.

Sure he should have put up a fight but when he got back to his dorm and his RA informed him of his notice, telling him he had a day to pack and move he knew that there was probably very little he could have even done.

The weekend ahead was jammed back to front, first after moving out and saying his departure to Jake his now old new roommate, he had the task of moving into the wrestling dorm. Being the last to move in and by far the lowest member in the wrestling hierarchy he wasn’t given much say about his roommate - who had been given the non-imposing name of ‘The  Boulder’ Stepping into his new room it was easy to see why the rest of the team had  landed on this nickname, Tony ‘ aka the Boulder’ was easily the largest wrestler or even man properly on campus. Compared to Axel’s trim muscular frame Tony was a behemoth, standing at must have only been 5ft 9 what Tony lacked in height he made up for in size, he barely fit unto his double bed let alone their doorway. Wrestling had given Tony a strong muscular body with arms the size of tree trunks and thighs that could break bricks but his apparent gluttonous diet paved the way for his fat boy gut and rolls upon rolls of fat. Despite his impressive size and importance on the team even Axel could see why this was the least desirable roommate, from  the floor littered with candy packages, the smell of old takeout and Tony’s easily explained laziness leaving the room looking more like a pig sty, Axel’s  new roommate was definitely going to take some adjusting to

It wasn’t just to the ‘The boulder’ that Axel easily stood out too, it was the entire team, sure Axel certainly wasn’t a stick with his firm pecs and his muscles for days but the rest of the team was just in a  whole different arena. Most of them were Axels ages some a little older but they all looked like proper men, each one beefier than the next,  packed high with body hair and muscle. And they behaved just like proper men too, when they weren’t training they were sparring with other, playing the latest video games cracking beers and even watching pornos out in the open. Not to mention their limitless appetites fuelled by their wrestling led them to be constantly be grazing on takeout and various meats. Finishing  them all off with round stomachs and fuller frames all over.  But too Axels surpise it seemed that the boys had gladly  taken him in - even going as far to nickname him ‘Pretty boy’ already, it wasn’t till later as Tony plowed straight through a large dominoes pizzas he learnt their real intention. And as he struggled to fall asleep in his new room that was filled with  Tony’s  loud snoring or the greasy smell of the empty takeout boxes, Axel couldn’t help himself but be a bit giddy thinking about what the next year under Coach’s ‘wings’ would grow into

                                            ***********

“Now Davidson to put this simply there just isn’t enough of you is there’

Standing in his briefs as Coach took his necessary measurements, Axel couldn’t help but feel a tad  bit vulnerable sure he had a great muscular boy that people would line up to get with  but as Coach noted his findings 

'28 inch waist’

'160 lbs’

“90inch torso”

The sound of disappointment that followed each taking was enough to silence him 

‘If I played you in your current state, I’m pretty sure a middle scholar could snap you in halve you twig, now you wouldn’t want that would you’ he paused as if waiting for an answer, all Axel could do was nod sheepishly as Coach continued with his tangent 

“Exactly Davidson - not to mention the embarrassment you would probably face compared to the rest of my team they would spit you out for starters’ Coach went on “No we can’t have that now can we, So don’t your worry a pretty little hair on you head’

Coach  said  grabbing Axel’s chin and pushing his head side to side leaving a definite pause in the air 

“Coach won’t have that’  he said to himself breaking the silence in a hush tone 

“We’ll get some meat on those bones of yours in on time”

As the meeting continued and Axel found that Coach’s style of conversation was more like a series of instructions belted out to him, which he was expected to follow with no hesitation, this was something he was happy to do. He loved not having to use his own brain for anything and following Coach’s instructions left little room for error 

“Now dress up and sit down we’ve got some serious work to start Davidson’  

“Look this isn’t going to be easy - but its a good thing you’ve got the best coach this side of the Mississippi on you side’ Coach’s southern thang always found a way to jump out 

“First things first before I get you out there on the ring - I’m gonna to have to get you into fighting state - and from the looks of things I’ve got a lot of work to do - haven’t’

Axel thought it was best to just keep nodding his head in ever pause,  too clueless to really contribute anything 

“Right you get it Davidson, I’m going to have to put you on a little bulk - well not so little I guess’ laughed Coach 

“You’re gonna get Coach’s special Bulk up plan, the very same one that got me from looking like a pipsqueak like yourself into the man you see before yourself’ making a note to draw attention to his own impressive frame by flexing his giant arms 

Axel hated how turned on all this Man spreading was turning him on 

“I own you now, everything you do, say and eat MUST be exactly to  my orders even to  the last crumb - have made myself clear DAVIDSON  !!’ raising his voice to pin the point down 

All Axel could do was simply nod his square head up and down to scared and even more so turned on by Coach rage

“Exactly, now first thing out you gonna do is  throw out those little girls running shoes - ain’t going to be doing much of that anymore’ Pausing to let Axel quickly take off his shoes , and chucking  them in the bin behind his desk

‘I making a man not a feeble little mouse - ain’t I Davidson”

 Allowing time for Axel to nod as his wriggled his unhoused feet Coach went on 

 “No more training, no more cardio you can’t forgot all of that instead..” He said getting up and retrieving something 

“You’re going to be drinking these’

Handing Axel the largest shake he had ever seen

‘What you doing staring at it - I SAID DRINK UP - didn’t I’

Seeing Coach’s veins in his head, Axel quickly grabbed the shake and started gulping it down, and it wasn’t hard too -  it was delicious. Creamy and Chocolatey he gulped it down the fastest he could, even more turned than before. 

“Ah I see you like it - its Coach’s top secret recipe, Don’t go spreading it around will you now Davidson ?’

Too sacred to even nod Axel just kept drinking it the faster and faster only pausing to let out burps of the delicious concoction

“Attaboy you’re even sounding like a man already, there’s going to be a lot more of that now, 3 of those a day or everywhere you feel like putting those gay little running shoes on  - you hear  and  I BETTER not  see you wasting any of that ’

 Gulp, Axel made sure to finish the very last remnants, licking his lips free of the delicious substance in order to show Coach’s an empty cup

“That’s more like it, now here’s your amended timetable’

Handing it over, Axel was surprised to really see how much Coach power  really had at this college, apart from his main Business’s classes nothing remained all instead replaced with gym session and hours tabled sport, even his lunch had been  upgraded to 3 hours and he was happy to see even more free time 

“Like the changes huh Davidson’ Coach said spying Axels prying smile 

“Don’t get any ideas, each one of those gym sessions are mandatory , DON’T EVEN DARE  go skipping out on me now and in those free times you going to be under close eye - you hear !!” 

“Yes Coach” Axel let out, not knowing where it came from 

“Now with that all worked out’ Coach said putting on a smile himself ‘you’ll be pleased to know  you’ve joined us just in time for photos - now scram’

And with that Axel grabbed his bag, quickly fixed his boner and left, happy to know Coach’s orders for him. 

Returning to the changing team the rest of the team were eagerly  waiting to pounce  - “Look who it is ,Pretty boy’s back form his private session’ followed by the subsequent wooing and towel slaps as a blushing Axel made his way to Tony who was waiting with his  new wrestling singlet 

“Forgot them” Pausing to take chunks out of a giant chocolate bar “They grow out of’   Bite .. ‘your just fresh meat’ Tony said in-between bites, handing over his singlet

Trying it on, it was loose all over, Axel was practically swimming in it, asking Tony to read the label on the back in disbelief 

“XS, hey no pressure we just run a bit big here in wrestling’ Tony responded slapping his overflowing gut which wobbled and jiggled under his fat hand

But this didn't help Axel, when the words XS left his lips Axel couldn’t help but be shocked, Coach was right he was just a pipsqueak. Looking around all the other men filled their singlets nicely, showing off their round glutes  and filled pecs, he looked like a stick  in his, compared to them . His pecs barely  touched the straps not to mention the excess fabric around his thighs that piled up. Looking over at Tony he seemed  to be  having the opposite problem, all though his muscular arms and imposing gait  was clearly on display, the real star of the show was his fat gut that easily pushed the fabric to its limited, refusing to be contained and flowing over the singlet  hiding it from vision. Surrounded by all the other wrestlers Axel looked  borderline anorexic, nobody had ever made him feel so small all the guys he had go out always compliment his body but that was in the past, even Axel knew that if he was to survive on the team some change were going to have to made 

‘Ah don’t worry about them Axel, when Coach has his way with you will be filling out that singlet of yours in no time, not lets get moving’ Tony finished gobbling up the rest of the chocolate bar

When the photograph came out, it don’t take Axel long to see  he stood out like a sour thumb not being helped by being next to Tony’s giant self. Where he had abs the rest of them had thick muscle guts, his toned trim legs were their muscular beefy thighs, he looked like a boy next to men, even with his American good-looks and chiselled  jaw standing out to their double chin and rounded cheeks, Axel felt pathetic  but looking on the bright side as he guzzled down his shake, Coach had stepped in and he was happy to follow all of Coach’s orders to grow into a proper man.

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Ok, ok... I have one request with ror! I have been waiting for this. Also, really loves your writings, it made my day

This is basically my most recent experience. Child reader have severe allergic to peanuts and her family (the entire ror team) know this and warned her school prior, to avoid her getting allergic reaction during school times. One day, there was an event at school, where all the ror attend it since reader is performing with her class and want them to come and parents/family members were invited.

After child reader performance, she immediately went to enjoy lunch with her family and she suddenly got the urge to eat something sweet. This led her to go by the food stall, which was run by a few parents and teachers, who sells baked goods, drinks, etc to the students and parent. Child reader bought some cookies after the mother that sells it confirmed there was not peanuts, only for the reader to get instant allergic reaction!

Thankfully, her family reacted fast and inject her with her epipen. When the mother was confront, she responded with "Allergic doesn't exist. Children uses it as an excuse to be picky!"

How will the ror react to this, especially when reader is crying because she is terrified since it has been long since she got a horrible allergic reaction?

When I first read this request, I got so pissed off! I hate people who have this mentality, those who are willing to put the lives of others at stake to prove an asinine point that usually ends up with someone getting hurt, sick, even killed, which ends with them getting arrested. As someone who has a food sensitivity myself (not really a food allergy, but I have to watch how much gluten I eat in one sitting or risk messing up my stomach for a few days) I hate it when others think that we’re just being picky, or we use that as an excuse for who knows what!

-Your family learned young that you were severely allergic to peanuts, hives and throat swelling with a risk of death if you were even come into contact with peanuts.

-You learned a lot about this too, learning what questions to ask so you wouldn’t risk the chance of having a reaction, as you had a few times in your life where you had been rushed to the hospital, and hospitals scared you as it scared your family seeing you in one.

-For the most part, it was pretty easy to avoid peanuts or things with peanuts, as you all got to know what things have and don’t have them, it was just outside of home where you had to be careful, like at sleepovers or at school.

-It was Parent’s Day at school, and you were so excited to be performing with your second-grade class, as you would all be singing, and your class had been practicing so hard!

-There were so many things happening at your school, pony rides, a huge bake sale, a bounce house, and you got the chance to show your massive family around your school.

-Your class preformed, and you couldn’t help but grin, seeing your whole cheering section cheering loudly for your class, but mainly for you, as your family was a staple around school, everyone knew about them because nobody else had such a huge family.

-After a few more performances, there was a break, and a large snack table was set up, filled with baked treats, extra stuff not a part of the bake sale, and all students were allowed to go up and get a treat.

-You saw one of your friend’s mom manning the treats and she beamed at you as you ran up, “You all did so well Y/N! Tammy said you were all working so hard and I can see that it was hard work paid off! What can I get for you?”

-You looked at the treats, eyeing the different things available before you paused, remembering the rule, “What doesn’t have peanuts in it? I have an allergy.”

-She just smiled, directing you to some cookies, giving you a napkin and you headed back towards your family who was watching you come over.

-You bit into the cookie and as soon as you swallowed the first bite you knew it had peanuts in it, your throat swelling as you instantly paled.

-Loki screamed out your name as attention quickly went to you, seeing your having an allergic reaction, a severe one as Brunnhilde grabbed your Epi-Pen from Eve, jamming it into your thigh.

-A teacher was on the phone, calling for an ambulance and instantly several of your family members stomped over to Tammy’s mom, demanding to know what she was thinking giving you peanuts.

-Hades spoke, his rage barely contained, “Why did you give her something with peanuts? She told you she has an allergy!”

-Her mom didn’t look bothered in the slightest, rolling her eyes, “Allergies are just something kids use now to be picky!” Hades leaned in close, seeing the school nursing guiding in the paramedics, who had been nearby, waiting for an injury on the bounce house, “She could die because of you- you deliberately poisoned her!”

-A couple of police officers, seeing the group, were quick to approach, hearing this, “Is this true? Did that child tell you about an allergy and you knowingly gave that to her?”

-She was in hysterics, “She’s lying- you’re all lying! There’s no such thing as allergies!!” she was quickly placed in cuffs and taken away as you were being taken away, Tammy and her father watching nearby, Tammy in tears to see you being taken away while her dad was furious, seeing what his wife had done.

-You had to spend three days in the hospital, in a coma after you nearly died, as you weren’t getting oxygen into your body. Tammy and her parents visited you, with her mom being watched, seeing the state you were in.

-Tammy couldn’t help but tear up, “Mommy- why did you hurt my friend?” Seeing all the judging and angry eyes on her quickly had her mother embarrassed, wanting to run and hide, but her husband made sure she knew the severity of what she had done, keeping her there, making her look at your little body in the hospital bed.

-Her mother had to attend classes, to show her that allergies were a real thing, showing the signs and symptoms, including death, to educate her, and she had to pay your hospital bill, something she wasn’t pleased with, and she was banned from baking at any school function again. Her reputation also took a hard hit, losing most of her friends and Tammy was upset because none of her friends wanted to play at her house anymore.

-You were well cared for, healing and soon you were back on your feet, playing with Tammy who came to visit with you.

-It became a thing at school to regularly educate not only the kids but parents and families as well about allergies, especially food related allergies, because so many had been scared for you, seeing how badly you reacted.

-Good education and knowledge is what kept not only you but others safe and it was up to everyone to make sure everyone was safe.

[actuallymoon]

Ficlet 1: Good boy

So, from my previous polls, y’all wanted me to write my first drabble with drarry 8th year + praise kink. I kind of went out of control and wrote a short fic instead of just 100 words. I couldn’t hold myself back 😔

I’ll be posting polls for the second one soon! Enjoy 💋🌙

TW: nsfw

Draco struggled to remain composed during History of Magic. The classroom was silent, save for the droning lecture, amplifying every rustle and stifled sound.

He shifted uncomfortably, the vibrating plug nestled against his prostate, a constant, insistent pressure that made it nearly impossible to focus. Agreeing to this had been a reckless decision, one that seemed increasingly foolish as he fought to keep his composure with fifteen more minutes of Harry's teasing ahead.

Across the room, Harry sat casually beside Weasley, a faint, knowing smirk playing on his lips. Draco's eyes caught the subtle flick of Harry’s wand from his pocket, and he felt a sudden increase in the intensity of the vibrations. The plug’s hum surged, making him clamp his hand over his mouth to muffle a whimper. His legs tightened reflexively, his whole body trembling as he struggled to maintain his stoic facade.  He didn't know why he even bothered dating the bastard when he was this cruel to him.

The minutes dragged on, each second feeling like an eternity as Draco battled the rising tide of sensation. He glanced at Harry again, who met his gaze with a look of smug satisfaction, clearly reveling in the power he wielded over Draco.

Finally, the class ended, and students began to shuffle out. Draco stayed in his seat, struggling to regain his composure. Harry sauntered over, his smirk widening as he leaned in close. "How was that, love?" he whispered, his breath hot against Draco's ear.

"You're a right bastard, you know that?" Draco hissed, though his voice lacked any real venom. The truth was, as much as he hated to admit it, he loved every second of it.

Harry chuckled softly, his eyes darkening with desire. "Meet me in the bathroom," he murmured, his hand brushing lightly over Draco's thigh. "I think you deserve a reward for being such a good boy."

⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆ ⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁

“More, Harry!” Draco was pressed against the bathroom stall door, his hands held above his head by Harry’s firm grip. He arched his back, seeking more pleasure as Harry teased his red, swollen rim with his fingers. After enduring the vibrator throughout the entire class, he was desperate for more.

"Beg for it, Draco," Harry murmured into his ear, his lips brushing the nape of Draco’s neck.

"Please, please, Harry, make me cum! I want your cock in me!" Draco pleaded, pressing his ass back onto the pads of Harry’s fingers, hoping they’d finally penetrate his waiting hole.

"Good boy, baby, you’re such a good boy. Let me give you what you need," Harry praised, finally pressing two of his fingers in, drawing a pleasured gasp from Draco.

"Y-yes! Faster!"

Harry languidly pressed in, trying to find Draco's prostate. When he heard Draco draw a sharp breath, he knew he had found it. He hammered his fingers against it, making Draco unable to hold in his loud moans. Harry was certain that if it weren’t for everyone being in the Great Hall having lunch, people would’ve heard him from the halls.

“I’m close.”

"Not yet," Harry said, pulling his fingers away. Draco groaned in frustration, but it quickly turned into a moan as Harry finally breached him, sinking his cock into Draco’s waiting hole, letting its warmth engulf him.

Harry's thrusts were quick and brutal, slamming into Draco with relentless force. His large hand gripped Draco's small waist, holding him up as his pale, long legs threatened to give out from the power of his thrusts.

"Hng… Please, ah-Harry, let me cum," Draco cried between his moans. Harry complied, his hand snaking down to Draco's leaking cock, its precum dripping onto the floor from the abuse his prostate had endured. He jerked Draco’s pink cock, his thumb pressing against the slit, knowing it was where Draco was most sensitive.

"Cum, Draco. Cum for me," Harry muttered as he felt Draco's ass tighten around him. It was driving him to the edge. It wasn’t long before Draco came, painting the door with long stripes of his cum.

Harry's thrusts quickened as he chased his own climax, overstimulating Draco in the process as he screamed in overwhelming pained pleasure. His pace stuttered, and finally, he came, filling Draco to the brim.

They both slumped against the door, breathing heavily.

“You were so good, Draco. My good boy,” Harry whispered, kissing Draco’s neck and down to his shoulder. Draco keened under the praise, a satisfied smile curling his lips. Yes, he was a good boy.

[mrs-luigi-vargas]

Hello! A few days ago I read @stripetkattelalala54-gf's headcanon about Mario in Bowser's lap and then some dialogue popped into my head. So here's my attempt to give context to that dialogue! I think I ended up straying away from the original headcanon in the end but this was still fun to write! ^o^

~~~ [AO3 Link] ~~~

“He was hardly sleeping the last I saw him, you know.”

Peach’s words stayed Bowser’s hand. “Is that supposed to mean something to me?” he asked, eyebrow raised.

Peach didn't answer, only waving her arm in a ‘go on, then’ motion. Bowser narrowed his eyes at the sarcasm in the gesture. Still, he didn't move to jostle Mario’s shoulder just yet. Even though he didn't see a reason why he shouldn't wake Mario up; he’d been a pain in Bowser’s neck ever since he’d spotted him a few days ago. At the market in the town nearest his castle, no less, the Princess still safe at home. With a damn backpack on his shoulders.

Bowser had watched him closely from afar, sure he was going to cause trouble, but all he’d been doing was looking at wares and buying trinkets and being disgustingly nice to the vendors he’d talked to. He hadn’t even been haggling; how he hadn't been snubbed for that rudeness was beyond him.

Regardless, Bowser had meant to walk away and let Mario burn under the late summer sun, but the tank top Mario had been wearing and the freckles on his shoulders it had exposed had stalled him long enough for Mario to notice him. Which was a mistake, because from the second Mario had seen Bowser he’d stuck to him like gum on his sole and it had been distracting. Distracting for his troops, when Mario’d swept himself up in their training exercises — which Bowser had meant to watch for insight into Mario’s fighting moveset but ended up watching for the way his sweat-soaked muscles tensed before he threw a punch — distracting for his kitchen staff, when Mario’d decided to visit their workspace — managing to wrangle a recipe for Hot Drumsticks out of them that he then made and had the idea to deliver to him in his office personally, which considering how poorly the dish came out should have been terrible, but it somehow wasn't — distracting even when Bowser tried to bore him with paperwork to get him to leave — parking himself on the couch and doodling who-knew what on a spare page, humming a tune that should have been annoying and looking up whenever Bowser moved something to the ‘done’ pile and shooting him that damn cheery grin that lit up his whole face —

“I hate having feelings.”

“You didn't seem to mind the ones you’d had for me.”

Bowser glared at Peach. Peach smiled placidly. Bowser glared harder, because the entire reason he’d sent his lieutenants to kidnap her in the first place was because after that first day of Mario making a nuisance of himself, it had become glaringly obvious that he was running himself into the ground for some stupid reason or another. And with Greenie apparently out of town, somebody had to knock some sense into the idiot, and it wasn't like Mario had listened to him so far.

But instead of doing that, Peach had sat herself in his chair behind his desk and watched Mario fiddle with literally everything in the room until he finally ran out of energy, at which point he'd draped himself over Bower’s lap and passed out. Half an hour ago.

Bowser lowered his hand onto Mario’s shoulder. Mario sighed in his sleep, expression relaxing. Bowser scowled against the blood rushing to his cheeks. “I hate it,” he repeated.

“You’ll deal.”

“I wouldn't have to if you’d just take him home.”

Peach shrugged. “Give him a break; he’s lonely.”

“What, and you weren't good enough company?”

“Not when I’m in so many meetings.”

Bowser scoffed. “As if I don't have work to do, either.”

“You foist it all onto your advisors, though!”

“So? That’s what they’re there for! I have better things to do than reading.”

Peach rolled her eyes. In doing so, she caught sight of Bowser’s ‘done’ pile by his desk. “I don't suppose all those papers magically signed themselves, then,” she teased.

“I —! It was him!” Bowser sputtered, pointing at Mario. Peach stifled laughter.

Mario stirred, the volume of Bowser’s outburst interrupting his nap. Bowser clacked his jaw shut. “Don't you dare,” he hissed.

For once, Mario listened to him and didn't dare, sinking back into sleep. The relieved slump of Bowser’s shoulders was minute, but Peach giggled at it anyway. Bowser ignored her, because she sucked and he hated her, actually, until that giggling moved and Bowser looked up from staring at Mario’s face to find her partway out the door.

Peach waved at him. “I’ll bring back snacks,” she stage-whispered with a grin, and then disappeared. With the weight of Mario on Bowser’s legs preventing him from stopping her from wandering around his castle unsupervised.

“I should wake you up,” Bowser muttered to Mario, who only snored in response. Bowser sighed, and reached his other hand to carefully move him, because the way Mario’s neck was bent was shooting phantom aches into his own. Not because he actually cared about the state of Mario’s neck, or anything. But regardless of the true reason, almost as soon as Bowser settled Mario into a better position Mario stretched and rolled over to smush his face into Bowser’s stomach. Bowser’s scowl did nothing to stem the blush forming on his cheeks, this time, despite how hard he tried. Feelings. Hated them.

Bowser sighed, leaning back against the couch. No, he thought, with the weight of Mario curled around his waist, who was he kidding? He couldn't say he hated this. And wasn't that the problem he’d been trying to ignore for a while now?

Mario shifted, a sleepy smile growing at something playing out beneath his eyelids. Bowser wondered what he was dreaming about. Something stupid, probably, like a mountain of pasta. Or maybe someone. Like his brother. Or Peach. Or —

...or.

Bowser frowned, shaking his head to dispel that train of thought before it could travel any further, a train of thought that’d had Bowser’s hand finding its way back to Mario’s shoulder without him even realizing. He huffed. What a ridiculous mess, this was. Maybe he did hate his feelings, after all.

Well, whatever. He’ll deal.

[thefabulousfab-3]

Rant about what you didn't like this season, and and rant about what you loved the most this season!

What I didn’t like:

• All the Ben and Devi miscommunication after the boink. It was all pointless and stupid. The whole Dwight Howard thing was so so fucking dumb and unnecessary.

• Ben dating Margot

• The entire ridiculous parking lot scene of Ben telling Devi a bunch of bullshit reasons why they couldn’t be together and the show literally never addressing it. They had all this unnecessary conflict that was contrived strictly for drama so they could stall Ben and Devi getting together. It was super forced and so so freaking stupid. I more than dislike this I hate it with my whole heart. I could go on but this post would be insanely long.

• Ben being very out of character for the first 4 episodes and being the biggest dick in the world.

• Trent and Eleanor breaking up

• lack of Aneesa (I know Megan was filming a movie but if Aneesa was around she would have knocked the sense into Ben. Literally she would have hit him and yelled at him.)

• Ben and Devi never ever actually having a conversation about the whole first part of the season and why Ben was such a dick. I would have taken brief speech about how he was the one who was scared and insecure, that it truly had nothing to do with Devi. Really any conversation would have been better than NO CONVERSATION!!!!

The things I loved!:

• Nirmala finding love and getting marrieds plus everyone being so supportive and sweet about it. Letting her know it’s okay to be happy and move on!!!!

• Kamala taking a page out of Devi’s book and being a little meddling detective. It was cute and I loved it.

• Trent and Ben becoming friends!!!!!!! When Trent was telling Ben to go to Devi and tell her how he feels. I was screaming YES!!!! Tent was me in that moment.

• The UN’s conflicts and how they handled their friend fights. They have all grown so much and I adore them.

• Ben’s dream. That scene was iconic and I apologize for ever saying otherwise.

• Ben showing up to Devi’s house high with flowers. Like he was truly prepared to confess his love to her in front of her family.

• Ben and Devi’s talk outside the sort at Princeton, “You know who you are” 🥹.

• Paxton’s whole storyline. I loved it a lot and felt it was very realistic especially for someone who despite being hot and popular is actually pretty insecure. I loved how he went back to be a teacher!!! I’m so proud of him.

• NALINI DATING AND DEVI HELPING HER!!!!!!!!!!! Literally the cutest thing.

• Nalini and Devi’s whole relationship this season. I love them so much and they have come so far. The packing the suitcase scene 😭😭

• Devi’s college essay. I was ugly crying during the whole thing.

• The entire finale. It was so good.

• All the little cute benvi moments that showed how well they know each other.

• Devi telling Kamala that she was like her big sister (I cried).

• every single Dr. Ryan scene. They were all perfect.

[chaifootsteps]

Media Illiteracy anon here.

Onto the dreaded episode 4... Warning for SA and all that, of course.

I would like to start by saying that by Definition I am a CSA survivor (I was sexually exploited from age 10 to 16, made to produce CP). But I don't really consider myself to be one since I am not... traumatized by it? I just don't care that it happened. So I don't think I can say much in the way the episode handles SA or even how it might trigger someone who was also exploited for the making of pornography.

That being said. Yikes. I think this episode is the best one so far, as much as it pains me to say that. It's the best paced and it sticks to one plot and the plot... has Some good moments. I really liked the scene where Valentino yells at Angel that he should get rid of Charlie and how he physically abuses him. I think that scene is The best scene in the entire show because of how terrifying it is and how well it shows the damage he causes to Angel as well as his relationships with other people.

I think that scene should've literally been it. It shows physical abuse, it shows Angel's fear, how Valentino owns him (literally) and even implies the SA to come when he says he's going to make him work all day. Overworking is already a horrible thing to put someone through, but as a sex worker there'd be a point where it's no longer enjoyable and you want to stop, which is where it then also becomes rape. That line was Terrifying and made you feel dread with just the Implications of what was gonna happen to Angel, as if This wasn't already bad enough.

Then they ruined it with that stupid song.

Now Poison is not a bad song, in my opinion. I think it sounds nice, and even looking at the lyrics (which is not something I usually focus on, due to the Illiteracy I mentioned), I don't think it's awful. But putting That over a scene where Angel Dust is getting raped On Screen is a bit Very tasteless. That whole scene was Awful, you could easily tell that whoever made it clearly had a thing for it. I'd seen the leaked clip before and that was enough for me to realize how fetishized it was, but seeing there was more was just. Augh. Do they have no shame? It's so blatantly obvious I felt like I was looking at a NSFW Twitter animation.

I kind of hated the aftermath, too. Angel going back to the hotel and drinking was good, but I hated him coming onto Husk like that and then pulling a "a nice guy like me is too good for you anyway". I feel like I had never fully realized before that the Angel and Husk thing was sexual harassment, cause you grow up with movies and shows where like. A female character coming onto a male one is just. Normal, and the result would be them getting into a relationship Anyway, so it was harder for me to recognize that it qualified as Harassment. I think Angel saying that shit made me realize it was and then it was just. Weird. Also the way the line is worded and delivered, it sounds less like that's something Angel is parroting back from what Valentino usually tells him, and more like he wholeheartedly believes it, which certainly didn't help.

Following scene I also kind of like. The bar scene. I liked that even if Husk was reluctant in going, since he doesn't like Angel, and was stalling for time so he wouldn't have to talk to him, he Still stepped in when he saw someone putting something in his drink. I think if this show was written better that could've been a way to show that even those who think they've hit rock bottom are still humans with morals at the core of their beings, and that they still have the ability to care and do good even with years worth of bad decisions and an environment that encourages depravity.

I also liked him getting him out of there and trying to care for him, in his own grumpy old man way. I liked the dark revelation that Angel knows when he's being drugged, and that he just let's it happen because he thinks it gives him some control and that if he's broken enough by this random men, Valentino will finally let him go. That was really messed up.

Then Loser Baby comes on and fucking.

Okay so, I Really like Loser Baby. It's the best show in the show so far. The instrumentals are nice, it's catchy, the lyrics are a little silly and fun, and Keith David carries it, though Blake Roman is not half bad. It's the context in which is used that makes this song just flop HARD.

I think everyone understands what the song was meant to be, and I think it doesn't do Too horribly at connecting both of their situations and how they're not alone because they have each other. It fails at everything else though, because beyond "both are owned by Overlords", Angel's and Husk's situations have Nothing to do with each other, they are Not comparable.

Also calling Angel, a rape victim, a loser is not. Good, even as lighthearted as it is. The song is "suck it up, slut", and while kind of in character for someone in Hell or as grumpy/harsh as Husk, it's still. Yikes? It minimizes the situation way too much, this is not an "Oopsie, made the wrong choices in life" moment. He's getting actually abused and that's not his fault.

Also Alastor fucked off for 7 years and all he makes Husk do now is man a bar where he does nothing all day except drink alcohol. Angel is going through the worst Alastor could've done to Husk, on a Daily Basis, and even if Alastor could be cruel, it would be extremely out of character for him to straight up Rape Husk too. Or torture him without killing him, even torture doesn't seem like something he would do, at least not to Husk specifically.

Husk's lines are tone deaf and kind of offensive, but I think they're passable since it's at least Trying to say something positive, even if they're doing it poorly. Angel's though... Again, you can just Tell someone with a fetish is writing him. I hate how he says "I've got an appetite for samplin'" and "I've got no holes left to deflower". That's super insensitive, it doesn't even feel as an Hypersexuality thing, especially that second line. It doesn't feel like it's "i love being a slut because it's reclaiming my stolen sexuality", it feels like. Shock? Value? like "i'm a big whore", and that's it. It's hard to put into words, because the message comes across in every bad possible way, I have Nothing positive to say about it.

The only good thing about Loser Baby that I like, aside from the sound of the song itself, is the little dancing bits between Husk and Angel. They're kind of cute, I like how he's trying to cheer him up by pulling him up and making him dance with him a little bit.

Augh. After that there's this bit where Husk says Angel needs to learn to respect his boundaries. I Like this scene but the context diminishes the impact it could've had by a lot. It's trying to acknowledge that Angel's sexual harassment is Bad, whether it's a trauma response or not, and that he needs to Stop. And Husk is willing to start from zero with him and become friends if they start like that.

I kind of Like that they're acknowledging that it's bad, and i Would've liked Husk telling him they can be friends if he learns to respect his boundaries but like. Do we Really want to be like that about someone who sexually harassed someone else? That they can be friends? I feel like that is a bit insensitive and offensive to victims. I myself would Not like to be friends with my abuser even if he begged on his knees to be my friend.

It's also implied that Husk and Angel end up romantically involved. If you could excuse the befriending thing, saying that maybe it's not the same since Angel never Touched Husk sexually, i still think that going and making them Lovers is harmful. A "he yanks on your ponytails because he likes you" kind of situation. I like them as friends, hate them as lovers.

Another big problem I have is Charlie. She's a cardboard cut out in her own show. She's a background character in the episode where she causes the main conflict.

She's a bit of a pushover, cause she's nice. Even with pilot Charlie I don't think she's too OOC since calling the news reporter a bitch and defending yourself against her is not really comparable to being face to face with a rapist who is actively harming your friend. She can't just kill him, sinners reform eventually, and then be would be even angrier. Not at her but at Angel, because it's his fault Charlie even got to lay a hand on him in the first place. I think it's a more complex situation than "why didn't she just kill him".

But for as complex as the situation could be, Charlie is extremely. Simple. She barely appears and it's just "I'm sorry" and it's all fixed. I feel like there could've been a bigger emphasis on Charlie's and Angel's relationship (even while still keeping Husk's involvement in it all). I also kind of hate the treatment of her? Like how when Angel says he forgives her, she Cries and is carried away by Vaggie. Idk, that scene made me a bit uncomfortable. They treated her as if she was a child and it was Weird.

I think this episode had a lot of potential to be good and fumbled the bag catastrophically. Husk and Charlie are Worse characters because of it.

That's all. I can only hope the plot twist leaks aren't true, because this story is barely salvageable and that "Rosie is actually Lilith" bullshit will just ruin my experience from how stupid it is. You can be as painfully oblivious as me and this show will still find a way to make itself as dreadful as possible. I really don't understand why so many fans are so aggressive about criticism, I think they also see the disappointing bits but are far too committed to back down and admit they were wrong, so they just double down. I liked Most of the show, even though it's mostly because i already had Some attachment, curiosity and knowledge from before. But it's not as good as it had the potential to be, nor is it the single best show to have ever existed. It's honestly sad that many people, such as myself, have to go on anon on a poor person's blog to lightly criticize the show, because they're too afraid to be harassed or sent their literal house address on a direct message.

Thank you and goodnight, Chai!

You see, this is what I get out of running this blog. You guys write up these fabulous essays taking all the words out of my mouth, and it's deeply cathartic.

Try to hang in there. Vivzie's fandom will probably never go away completely, but I really do think their reign of terror is coming to an end.

[radioinactivity]

lol @dapperpea my reply to ur reply is way too long for tumblr so I've got to put it here Oscella was married to Caeles for completely bog standard "wealthy family arranged marriage" reasons. They've never been terribly in love and she was never that interested in being a mother anyways. They had the two sons, Caeles the Younger and August, and it was the typical loveless noble marriage. Caeles the Elder was a tyrant - extremely cold and rigid, in the military, and a social climber so he was angling to become a legatus by any means necessary. Caeles the Younger takes after his father, joining the Imperial Army, while August enters government - acting as an assistant to a Senator eventually. So it's a very quiet, repressed kind of home. And then Gaius enters the picture and he's so taken with another officer's wife because she's a stone cold baddy lol. It's not really LOVE, it's mostly just fucking around behind closed doors because you have to let off steam somehow in a society like Garlemald. I think he was probably a little more smitten than Oscella tho. But eventually she ends up pregnant. whoops! The sort of thing that would be a massive scandal for literally everyone involved. Oscella would be shamed, Caeles would be humiliated, Gaius would be in Extremely Big Trouble for fucking another officer's wife. So the decision is made to just. Not talk about it. The new baby would just be a Valentius, Gaius wouldn't interact with her more than as a "family friend" and everyone would get to keep their social standings intact. Gaius becomes a legatus. Caeles' career stalls out as a Tribunus because it turns out he's not half as clever as he thinks he is. He blames the affair anyways; assumes Gaius is shutting him out of advancement. So Retica's born into this family that ... really did not want her and her actual father chooses his career over her. She grows up calling him "Uncle Gaius," someone who just comes around occasionally and who dotes on her. Eventually does what any good directionless Garlean child does and joins the military like her father and brother and extremely excels. As in eventually outranks her much older brother and is only a few ranks away from doing the same to her "father." (A rem to his tol.) Somewhere in there, when Retica's like 16, Oscella finally bails on the whole family. Just decides she's done with living this life that she hates. Literally flees Garlemald in the middle of the night, runs off to Thavnair. Doesn't take any of her children with her and is never seen or heard from again. Retica kills Caeles the Elder in Dalmasca after his orders get her entire unit killed and her legs blown off and then flees to Eorzea when she's like 23. And then uh whoops turns out you're one of Hydaelyn's Chosen? Her and Gaius have an extremely awkward conversation after the WEAPON Trials/Sorrows of Werlyt. They're... not on great terms but they're both susceptible to Allie making sad faces at them until they speak so it's something. Caeles the Younger dies during the Final Days in Garlemald. August survives that and assisting what's left of the Senate, has an extremely awkward reunion with his little sister in the 6.x patches. No one is pleased that she's fucking Zenos viator Galvus lmao.

[dinotoro]

signing off...

okay this post was long due but i kept stalling it because i was hoping my feelings regarding this matter would change but it didn't. first of all, i would like to thank each and everyone of you who supported me in this journey. all the likes, reblogs and comments made me so so so happy. but at the back of the mind something else kept on working too...

if you are familiar with booktok, you must be aware of the whole hockey romance drama. it was a really famous one. incase you didn't know, here are some videos - link link. all of this made me question about if i should be writing fanfics in the first place.

let me make it clear though, i am not attacking my fellow fanfic writers. you all are some of the best people I have met, even better than some irl people. fanfic writing is therapeutic, it helps in practicing our writing skills - there are so many pros to it. however, i am losing my interest in it. the whole ethical pov of fanfiction is a bit of grey, but a little bit of daydream scenarios never hurt anybody. what i want to say is basically it's a me thing and why i am deciding to leave.

high school is almost ending and i will become busy with my academics. my craze about k-pop is slowly dying too. dw, i am not being entirely detached from the genre. it's just, studies are taking a toll and time and i don't contain the energy to write and fangirl properly.

i hope you don't hate me for what i said, and i am sorry if this offends anyone - I promise you I didn't mean it. your writings still bring me joy and some fanfics are better written than most of the published books out there. however, I just wanted to depart from this part. I guess my phase is slowly leaving as I am taking baby steps towards adulthood. I wish all of you a very happy future and thank you for loving this little blog and giving it so much love and support. I love you more than anything <3

tagging : @euncsace, @mochamvgz, @mangocustard16, @in2fly, @bluriki, @rsmura, @rizzkisworld, @cyberiwoo, @slytherinshua, @bunreis, @flickqr, @k-films, @kflixnet, @nyxvrse

[hazel-of-sodor]

Day 29-Rise Above

Traintober 2023

Other Stories

Day 29-Out of Service

Rise Above

Henry had almost missed her. He was tired, and more than ready to begin the long trip back to Sodor. The news he was being diverted south and would have to make the climb up the infamous incline had only further exhausted him. She sat on the out-of-use siding, her black paint faded to a dull worn gray. It had been decades since he last saw her, long before his rebuild, but he recognized her nonetheless.

He stopped beside the LBSCR B4, wondering idly if she was the last of her class, and what to say to her.

"Hello Linda." He settled for.

The 4-4-0 looked up in confusion at the Black 5 before her, before her mouth twisted into a smirk, "I know they said I'd go crazy in the sidings but I didn't think it would happen this fast.

Henry scowled at her, "You weren't exactly sane to start with."

She barked out a genuine laugh, "Fair enough Jumbo. Nobody on the North Western was sane."

He went to snap back, but then he thought about it.

 "Fair enough," He grumbled

She smirked at him, "What's wrong Jumbo? Don't tell me you're not happy to see me after all this time?"

He glared at her continued use of the nickname. "You don't exactly bring up happy memories."

She paused, a hurt look on her face, "I never treated you any differently from anyone else."

Henry snorted, "Does that matter when you insult everyone?...well everyone but Thomas."

The 4-4-0 hesitated "How is..."

Henry sighed, 'of course.'

"You're favorite little gremlin has a branchline of his own. If you asked him it's the most important part of the railway."

"Of course it is, they gave it to him after all." She said fondly.

Henry tried not to feel bitter, Linda and Thomas had just clicked, and he knew the tank engine considered the 4-4-0 his big sister.

"And how have you been Jumbo?"

Henry blinked, as he was interrupted in his musings. 

"What?"

Linda rolled her eyes, "How are you?" We were hardly close back then, but we were shedmates?" She looked over his new form slowly, "you look far better than when I last saw you."

"My firebox was too small like you said," he admitted, "they tried me on Welsh coal, but then I had an accident in 34..."

"Hatt had you rebuilt," she said, unable to hide her envy.

"At Crewe... Gordon as well a few years later."

Linda laughed, "Oh I bet the great tosser hated that."

Henry chuffed a small laugh, "he was less than thrilled."

She smiled sharply, "He's gonna hate that you told me."

"That alone makes it worth it."

"He's still that bad?" She chuckled disbelievingly.

"No," Henry admitted. "He's much better now... but he's still Gordon."

"I can imagine," she said, amusement still coloring her tone.

She considered Henry seriously, "It was good seeing you big green." She said genuinely. "I'd thought I'd never see any of you again "

"I enjoyed seeing you again more than I expected."

"It probably helps you're finally whole and strong and I'm in an out-of-use siding." She said dryly.

Henry didn't reply.

She sighed, "Will you do me a favor, Henry?"

Henry raised an eyebrow at her use of his actual name, "go ahead."

"Will you tell Thomas I'm proud of him?"

"Of...of course." 

"Thanks, big green... It looks like your train is ready."

Sure enough, the final cars were being shunted into his goods train back to Sodor.

"See you, Big Green."

"Goodbye, Linda."

He rolled forward, his thoughts whirling. He finally stopped with a sigh, 'Blast it all, I can't leave her.'

The yard manager walked up, "Is everything alright No.3? Your train is ready."

Before his crew could respond Henry spoke, "I'm looking for my banker."

"Your banker?"

Henry raised an eyebrow, channeling as much of Gordon into the expression as he could, "Surely you weren't thinking of sending me up the incline with over 50 trucks without a banker."

"Oh well, you see..."

"You do realize if my train was to stall on the incline, it would delay the traffic for the entire region."

"Yes, but we don't have any engines to spare!" The yard manager blurted out.

Henry's driver thankfully understood and leaned out of the cab, "What about the B4 in the siding?"

The manager blinked, "the 4-4-0? Her fires not even lit!"

"But she could have steam by the time we hit the hill?"

The manager nodded, "Aye...she could. If you can find someone to crew her you can use her, you can send her back with the next train back this way."

Henry's relief crew soon had her fire lit as Henry backed down to couple up to her.

"Big Green?" She said in bewilderment.

"You're helping me up the incline."

"I see you've finally lost what little sense you had?"

Younger Henry would have grit his teeth, thirty years on Sodor meant he just rolled his eyes, "Just hush and come along, I'm not putting up with the little pest moping because you're gone again."

Linda smiled, "Oh big green, you do care." She teased.

"To my great regret," both knew he didn't mean it as he set off with his train and his former shedmate in tow.

A/N: Linda is @mean-scarlet-deceiver's OC, who I have been given permission to use in my AU. This is not their canon ending for her in their 'Quiet Little Island Railway' Au, merely what happens to her in my AU.