#and that totally give us more glimpses about her personality

[sturniolohouse]

Camera Shy - M.S.

reader and matt go to a 3D ultrasound appointment to get a glimpse of their future daughter, who is seemingly camera shy.

“This is freaking me out,” Matt mutters, his face pale as he stares at the 3D image on the screen. His fingers drum nervously on his thigh that is bouncing up and down. 

"I know. It’s a little alien-like, huh," I say, watching the screen like a hawk, but all I can see are what look like limbs in the swirly mix of brown and tan on the screen. 

“Is that an arm or a leg?” He gawks at the screen, his blue eyes wide with a mix of awe and unease.

“That was an arm, although she does have very long legs,” the tech speaks up, her tone amused but light as she presses more buttons on the panel. 

I chortle, shaking my head. “Explains why she kicks me in the ribs constantly.”

“I’m just going to apply a little more pressure here to get a better angle of baby’s face. She’s sort of nestled into your side here,” the tech says, shifting the wand and pressing it deeper into my skin. 

“She really doesn’t want to cooperate today, does she?” I say, half-joking, though a part of me feels a pang of disappointment.

“Stubborn already,” Matt remarks, glancing at me with a small smirk. “Definitely takes after you.”

“Excuse me?” I shoot him a playful glare. “If anyone’s stubborn, it’s you. You do the same thing when I try to wake you up, grump,” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says, playing dumb, the corner of his mouth twitching.

The tech chuckles, clearly amused by our banter, “Why don’t you try moving her a bit? Press your hand onto this side and gently nudge her. See if that does the trick,” 

I place my hand where she instructed, pressing in a few times, keeping my eyes fixed on the screen. I watch for any sign of movement, but she stays put, stubbornly nestled against my side. I sigh deeply, but do it again, a bit harder this time when the tech encourages me that I can't hurt her. I feel her stir before I see it on the screen.

“Oh, oh, alright. Are you gonna show us your face, little one?” I ask softly and Matt moves in closer to get a better look. 

For a brief second she shifts position, giving us a teasing glimpse of her tiny profile. But just as quickly as she moved, her little hands shoot up to cover her face again, curling tightly into fists.

Matt groans playfully, throwing his hands in the air. “It’s like she knows,” 

“Oh wow, she’s definitely got a personality. Got her hands balled up in front of her face and everything.” She chuckles softly, and I sigh, glancing at Matt.

“Well, now we can say she definitely gets that from you,” I tease, tilting my head toward him. “Guess she won’t be a morning person either.”

Matt shoots me a side-eyed glare, his cheeks already tinged pink from the nerves that always seem to take over during these appointments. 

“I’m kidding,” I go to poke his cheek but he grabs my hand, gently pushing it away from his face and instead encases it in his warm hand. 

“Do you want to turn on your side, hun? Might make her change positions,” The tech offers another solution and I wave a hand at her and shrug. 

“That’s okay, she clearly doesn’t want to be bothered. We’ll try again next week.” I sigh, trying not to think about how she might be too big by then to get a good imaging. I'll be 32 weeks.

“I…might have an idea,” Matt speaks up hesitantly and I turn to him with a raised eyebrow. 

“What’s your idea?” I ask, narrowing my eyes at him though the corner of my mouth quirks up.

“Alright, don’t yell at me. It’s all I can think of,” he begins, grabbing his phone from his pocket. 

“If you do something stupid–”

“I’m not!” he insists, but his giggles give him away.

I watch him with a mix of skepticism and amusement. “You’re totally about to do something stupid.”

Matt grins mischievously, typing away at his phone, “Trust me,” he says, giggling as he pulls up a music app. “This is guaranteed to work.”

Before I can protest further, the room fills with the unmistakable bass drop of Sicko Mode. The tech freezes for a second, glancing between the two of us–clearly entertained, while I stare at Matt in disbelief.

“You’re kidding,” I say in absolute shock. “You’re seriously playing Travis Scott for her right now?”

“You’ve told me she does somersaults when music is on, Sicko Mode is the only way,” He reasons with nervous laughter.

I turn to the tech and ask her if I’m having a stroke, to which she shakes her head as she watches this scene unfold, trying her best to stifle her laughter.

“Will you at least turn it down,” I snap but can’t help but laugh as he shushes me and brings the speaker closer to my stomach.

And I’ll be damned... She moves. The screen flickers as her tiny fists shift, moving to rest beneath her dimpled chin, her face perfectly in frame.

“You’re actually kidding me—”

“I told you!” Matt exclaims, practically bouncing in his chair, his grin so wide it’s infectious.

I press my hand over my mouth, a mix of laughter and disbelief bubbling up. “I can’t believe she actually moved for Sicko Mode.”

Her tiny features are clear now, her face peaceful and perfect. My heart tightens.

The tech is laughing now, shaking her head as she looks at the screen. “I have to say, this is a first for me. But hey, whatever works,” She says as she starts snapping pictures.

We all tune out the music for a moment and watch the screen, finally soaking in the face we've been dying to see for months. I feel a lump rise in my throat and I almost tear up as I take in the faint resemblance of Matt in her little features–the curve of her nose, the shape of her lips–but my thoughts are interrupted.

“She looks exactly like you, kid.” Matt says suddenly, his voice soft and full of awe.

I blink, turning to him. “What?”

“Look at her,” he insists, pointing at the screen. “That round little face, that's your nose…look, at that little pout. C’mon that’s you,” He's smiling ear to ear.

I laugh quietly, brushing at my eyes. “I don’t know about that. I see you in her. You make that same face,” I sniffle.

Matt squeezes my hand, his grin and his eyes softening into something more tender. “Nah. She’s all you,” he says, his voice barely above a whisper as his eyes stay locked on the screen.

I turn back to the image on the monitor, my throat tight as I take in every detail of our perfect girl.

“Maybe she’s a little bit of both of us,” I whisper.

I glance back at Matt, who’s still playing Travis Scott aloud, “Unbelievable,” I mutter, shaking my head, though I can’t stop smiling. “Can't believe the only way she came out of hiding was because of Sicko Mode. You must be so proud.”

“Are you kidding me? Proudest moment of my life,” he replies, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief.

I snort, shaking my head, pressing my lips together and trying to keep a straight face. “You’re so annoying,” I say, though my laughter gives me away.

“And yet,” Matt starts, leaning closer to me, his voice dropping into that familiar teasing tone, “you love me for it.”

I roll my eyes, “Yeah, yeah,”

[melanchoire]

Request: Your parents set up your brother and Yujin together and they’ve been dating for a little while. (But, she ended taking a liking to you instead)…So, he decided to invite you all over to his house to have dinner together so he could introduce her to them. During dinner she teases you under the table but before she could take it too far you excuse yourself to the bathroom and she comes up with an excuse to excuse herself too…

cw: age gap (legal), bathroom + mirror sex, fingering, mommy kink.

sooo yujin is your older brother’s soon to be girlfriend. they met through their parents since they knew each other through work stuff but they had a good bond, and well, during a friendly dinner but also to discuss business matters, both brought up the subject that they had children and it just so happened that they were both the same age. after each parent told their respective child about this, yujin and your brother decided to give it a try and they clicked instantly!!

your brother used to talk about you a lot and yujin was fascinated by the things he said. she didn’t know you personally, only through the things your brother told her or what your parents told theirs during their get–togethers

once your brother and yujin started dating but not yet with a totally official title, he proposed that yujin properly meet his parents. she thought it was a little hasty because they didn’t even have an official title yet, but she let it go because it wasn’t something that really bothered her.

yujin leaving the office early so she can go to the toy store and buy a nice present for her boyfriend’s little sister 🥰 she’s so sweet... yujin doesn’t care about the price and doesn’t even have a problem spending a high amount of money on a doll because she’s doing it from the heart

upon arriving at her boyfriend’s parents’ house, yujin waits at the door, being greeted by her soon to be mother–in–law and her soon to be father–in–law and boyfriend on the couch

your mother tells her that dinner is almost ready, then when she calls your name because you were in your room, and yujin is more than smiling as she holds the gift bag in her hands 🥹 but the smile slowly fades from her face when she sees a girl who is clearly not a kid coming down the stairs wearing a tight tank top and the sluttiest short shorts…

yujin is thankful that she was taller than you because from another person’s perspective she was just looking down on you because of her height, but in reality she wasn’t so sneakily catching a glimpse of your tits through the collar of your pajama top ☺️ she’s so charismatic and charming, smiling at you as you two exchange words for the first time, using a friendly facade when the dirtiest and most depraved thoughts are running through her mind…

and of course she feels frustrated after meeting you! she can’t believe that your parents and hers introduced her to your brother, and not you, someone so much better than him in every field! yujin heard you talk for the first time at dinner, and even though it was the first time you two had met, she felt much more attracted to you at first sight than she did to your brother after so many cheesy dates

so when your brother invited his parents to dinner at his apartment to tell them that they finally made their relationship official, she thought it would be a good idea to be able to connect with you too 😉

yujin being the one to open the door when you finally arrive at the apartment and being greeted with the image of you having your hair styled in the prettiest way and wearing the shortest and tightest dress possible 🫠 she doesn’t even try to hide it, devouring you with her gaze and giving you a grin followed by a low whistle

“looking good, hun. you’re getting prettier every day.” and you think it’s just a compliment because it comes from your brother’s lovely girlfriend, not knowing that every day that passes she hopes it’s one day less so she can fuck you

during dinner yujin talks about her studies after your parents asked her, she comments that she finished her degree recently and finally works in what she always dreamed of ❤️ but noticing that you’re very quiet she turns to look at you and asks if you’re studying or something, and when you tell her that you’re only in your first year of college, the little sanity that was left inside her completely breaks

“awww, you’re still a baby…” and her hand slides up your thigh and gives it a squeeze while smiling sweetly at you

yujin teasing you under the table, sneaking her hand under your dress and touching you through your panties, slowly and torturously massaging your clit through the soaked fabric of your ruined underwear

and you wonder how she’s doing this and absolutely no one at the table seems to notice 💀 she’s having a conversation with your parents and brother while shamelessly playing with you…

until you can’t stand it anymore and you practically run away to the bathroom after apologizing to your parents, who, well, sent yujin after you to check if you were okay because they were worried when they saw that you looked agitated and nervous

when you look up from the sink because you were wetting your face to try to calm down, you meet her gaze through the mirror 😳 you don’t remember hearing the door open or anything that would let you know she was there with you

you would have tried to turn to look at her if it weren't for the fact that she’s faster than you and rushes to get behind you, pressing her chest against your back while her hands rest on the sink on either side of your sides

“you look so gorgeous tonight… did you get this pretty just for me?”

and she doesn’t let you answer either because suddenly her hands grab your tits from behind and she pushes you against her body while she whispers in your ear

“just be a good girl for me, will you? make mommy proud.”

yujin fingering you in front of the mirror and making you look 🥴 three long fingers pumping intensely in and out of you, your legs weren’t able to keep you standing and you would have fallen to the floor if it weren’t for her body pressing you against the sink, one arm around your waist and her hand working between your legs while the other is holding your face so you can see your own reflection

i also see her as the type who will let go of your face for a moment and gently pat your face when your head is falling or you just can't keep your eyes on the mirror in front of you “c’mon darling. don’t act bad now, you’re doing great. eyes on me, okay?”

but the moment she notices that you’re trying too hard she decides to close her hand over her mouth, saying “go ahead baby, make all the noise you want. mommy will take care of this.” as if it weren’t that she’s fucking you so roughly with her fingers that there’s an obscene splash that fills the silent bathroom and you’re pretty sure it’t audible through the door

and she enjoys it more than anything when you finally cum on her fingers, juices running down your thighs and wetting yujin’s entire hand up to her wrist ☺️ she’ll even make you watch through the mirror as she sucks on her fingers, cleaning your juices off her digits while humming softly and staring at you

and your parents and brother look happy when the loving girlfriend and her boyfriend’s younger sister start having girls’ nights ❤️ they think that it is a healthy relationship between the girlfriend and her sister–in–law where there’s no rivalry or falsehood

but of course, they don’t know that after those expensive outings and luxurious dinners where yujin takes you, she drags you to her apartment to fuck you all night long: eating you out until she’s satisfied, fingering you until she feels like you’ve come too much on her fingers and the sheets are soaked beneath your hips, and fucking you silly with her strap on until you cream on it and your body falls limp on her bed, although yujin will surely make you clean her cock with your mouth and shower you with praise because because she knows you’re having a hard time trying to get the whole thick strap into your mouth

[maxlarens]

hi lilli!! i heard angst and i came running, how about searching for each other in crowded rooms, finding each other everywhere with logan or oscar, whoever sparks the most inspo, but plot twist—not being able to be together for some reason (the why is totally up to you, feel free to ignore if this isn't your cup of tea). thank u thank u <3

kait!!! hello!!! thank u for sending this in!!! im gonna do oscar 😁 it genuinely hurt my feelings SO BADLY to not have them make up at the end of this. so i sympathise with everyone that im about to make sad it was a bad time for me too❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

It's familiar, this feeling.

The squeeze of your chest, the grieving, panicking thing climbing up your throat. You've been feeling it a lot lately, every time you catch a glimpse of someone with hair the same colour as Oscar's; wearing clothes you swear that he has; a person with the same shoulders, the same gait.

You've been seeing him everywhere. You just think you have. Monaco is small… not that small apparently.

When it had first happened, at the beginning of summer break, you’d half expected to be back together within a week. For Oscar to message you and half-beg to talk to you again. In your dreams, you’d both come grovelling back to each other, apologising for cruel words, making amends for various mistakes. Then you would kiss him and you’d tell him how much you love him and things would get better.

Instead, you’ve spent weeks of your summer break totally and utterly miserable. Missing Oscar like a phantom limb. You reach for him, he’s not there. You go to text him, find a thread of messages discussing the logistics of returning the other’s belongings.

You sit in your flat and you watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy twice in a row twenty two hours and forty-four minutes because it doesn’t remind you of Oscar and it occupies your time in a way nothing else can right now. You cry until your eyes are puffy and you write in a diary you’ve never touched before, because it needs to go somewhere. The feeling stuck in your throat needs to be written down said out loud and you can’t say it to Oscar, who you would usually tell everything, because he needs “distance from you right now”.

Briefly, you convince yourself that “right now”, indicates that there still might be a later for the two of you. That this thing between you that’s fallen to pieces might one day be salvaged. In the quiet moments of Lord of the Rings you spiral down a rabbit hole of ways to get Oscar back, pathetic fantasies of how you might convince him to talk to you again. Then Arwen says, “I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone” and you cry for two hours straight.

You sob, your face in your pillow and you think that was supposed to me! That was supposed to be us! And maybe it wasn’t, maybe you’re not an elven maiden giving up her immortality for a mere man, but you love Oscar. You wanted to spend the rest of your life with Oscar. And now… now…

Well—

It is the waiting that’s the worst.

No texts, no calls. Lando sends you a few, but you can’t bear to hold a conversation with him, knowing he’s playing both sides. And anyway, you’re just thinking about Oscar. Is he there? Is he reading your texts? Seeing the pathetic selfies of you on your couch in days-old PJs? Is he staring at your stagnant text thread just like you are? Has he blocked you?

Your every waking thought is consumed by him. You drag yourself out of the apartment for coffee down the street and you wonder what he’s doing. Has he been rotting at home like you? More than likely he’s been doing things. Playing padel with Lando, going out for lunch, training at the gym, FaceTiming his family.

You feel sick to you stomach. You can list on one hand the activities that you’ve done since Oscar broke up with you at the beginning of the month:

Sleeping, crying, watching Lord of the Rings, ordering takeout, training because you have to. Going for coffee had been a big step out of your current comfort zone. You’re wearing pants that aren’t sweatpants… you’d even showered properly for fuckssake.

You got your most noise-cancelling headphones on, blasting sad Taylor Swift (who you don’t even like. It’s just something to fill the void) and staring down the barista so you can lip-read if they’re saying your name or the words Large Oat Latte. And then—

Then. The barista is mouthing Oscar and your stomach lurches as the exact object of your ire temporary depression walks to the counter. You try to convince yourself it’s not him, you keep seeing him places but it’s never really him. But it is, that’s his burgundy shirt, his swoop of hair, his knobbly little ankles.

You release a ragged breath that you hope isn’t too loud. You duck your head, try to avoid his gaze as he turns, pretending that you haven’t seen him. Try to look occupied by your phone though you’ve only had time to open to your home screen. Tears prick at the corners of your eyes, you blink furiously, trying your best not to fall apart in this coffee shop.

At least he’s not with someone else, you think as a tightness crawls up your throat to settle at the base of your tongue. But he looks happy, he looks fine, he looks better than you feel right now. God, what if he’s better off without you? What does it mean that you don’t seem to better off without him?

There’s something wet sliding down your left cheek and then you see Nike trainers entering your vision, still directed firmly downward. Someone puts a hand on your shoulder— you don’t jump but it’s a near thing. You reach up to slip your headphones off, wiping the tear discreetly as you go. Then you look up and it’s him, it’s Oscar.

He’s holding out a paper cup labeled, Oat Latte and smiling at you tightly.

“They were calling your name,” he says by way of explanation.

“Right,” your voice is shaky, weak, “Thanks.”

He nods, you take the coffee, careful not to touch his hand. You’re trying to swallow down the lump in your throat that’s rising rising trying to claw its way out of your mouth. You blink away the tears filling the corners of your eyes. You can’t look at him.

You’re looking up at the ceiling instead, biting the inside of your mouth. Breathing in and out, in and out.

He says your name, and then, “Do you want to talk?”

You feel like a tonne of bricks has just hit your chest. Knocking the wind out of you. Tears, hot and wet, are slipping down your cheeks. You can’t speak, you turn around and leave the coffee shop without saying anything because surely you’ll just start crying if you open your mouth. Oscar finds you again across the road, in a dark cobbled alleyway. The heel of your hand is pressed to the middle of your chest, you’re hiccuping, trying to stifle heavy sobs that you’d much prefer to let out in the privacy of your own apartment.

“Hey,” he says, gathering you into his arms before you can push him away, “It’s okay.”

You whine, collapsing into his chest, face pressing into his shoulder, “No, it’s not.”

You cry loudly, trying fruitlessly to keep the sobs in. Oscar’s hand rubs comforting circles into your back, which makes it better until you realise it’s Oscar, which makes it immediately worse. You stay there a while. Until your eyes are puffy and your throat sore.

“Better?”, Oscar asks, the crease between his eyebrows prominent.

You sigh tiredly, shrug, “Sure.”

Your coffee is cold now, your chest feels void, hollow.

You shake your head before Oscar can say anything further, before you’re set off on another fucking pathetic crying fit in the arms of your ex-boyfriend, “I can’t talk, Oscar. I really can’t.”

“Okay,” he says, nodding and swallowing some lump in his own throat.

You bite down hard on your tongue. Turn to leave the dark alley to go home, your back prickling with Oscar’s wet brown-eyed stare on you. He lets you leave. You spend the ten minute walk wiping tears before they fall and itching to run back, to kiss him, to pour all the emotion in your chest into some physical action.

There’s an awful grieving ache in your chest that’s carving out your insides and when you check your phone after walking in the door there’s a text from Oscar that reads:

I miss you. I’d really like to talk to you soon.

not sure if it was weird but the lord of the rings Mentions were kinda about how you’re in such a fragile state during a breakup that something as irrelevant to your break up at lord of the rings will make you cry for hours for no real reason. (and not to expose myself but after a break up i did watch the lotr trilogy two times in a row. told my friends and got a text from one of them asking if i was depressed 😭 like yes… temporarily alright)

send me a prompt/req + driver and i'll write something. pls check if my requests are open first 💖

[kozycub]

My history!!

Hey everyone! I know I’ve been promising this post for a while, and I’m sorry for the delay—I’ve been very busy on these days. But here it is!

I’m Ethan, and I want to share my journey with incontinence to build confidence and give you a glimpse into my daily life. Over the past two weeks, adult diapers have been a total lifesaver for me, protecting my clothes and my furniture!

I’ve been dealing with incontinence for almost my whole life. From what I can remember, I’ve always worn diapers at night, and as I outgrew regular ones, my parents refused to keep gettin them and I often woke up to a wet bed. It hasn’t always been this challenging, but it’s definitely had its struggles.

When I was a kid, around six or seven, i used to wear baby diapers, so I wouldn´t wake up in a wet bed. My parents, believing I was doing it on purpose, stopped putting me in diapers. At that time, I didn’t have the money for products like Goodnights or pull-ups, and my parents weren’t very understanding. They thought punishing me would make the problem go away, but that just made things worse.

I spent my preteen years using towels under my sheets. Whenever I got some pocket money, I’d sneak off to the drugstore for overnight mats, terrified of my parents finding out. After all those years, I don’t blame them; they just didn’t know how to handle the situation.

Having friends over or even thinking about sleepovers felt impossible. I wasn’t very social, but I did have a few good friends in elementary school, always keeping my reality as a top secret. Eventually, my parents just let me deal with it alone.

As I entered high school, I focused more on my studies and slowly had fewer accidents—maybe just one or two nights wet per week at most. This continued into college, where I was finally able to work and gain some financial independence. I got my own place and could manage my incontinence on my terms, but it never completely went away.

During that time, I was in a relationship with someone who initially promised to support me. Unfortunately, after a few weeks sleeping together, the reality of my nightly routine was too much for her, and we parted ways.

Each time I dated someone new, I had to come clean about my situation. Some were kind and simply left, while others laughed and ghost me after. I never managed to maintain a relationship for a longer time.

Over time, I met many people, but when it came to our first night together, revealing my situation often led to them ending things. That was until I met my current spouse, who has been my rock throughout this journey.

For a while, accidents were rare, and I thought I could finally ditch the protective mats. But recently, my incontinence worsened, and I found myself back in diapers and now for full-time. It all changed after a particularly embarrassing moment stuck in traffic—I just couldn’t hold it anymore.

This has been a period of new experiences, learning about my body, and working on my self-esteem. I’ve come to accept that I can lead a happy life while wearing diapers to avoid accidents.

Now, I can enjoy family gatherings without anxiety about wetting my pants. Going out to restaurants and public places is no longer a big deal. I can even invite friends over without worrying about embarrassing odors or accidents. After so long, I finally feel like myself again, knowing I’m not any less of a person for managing my incontinence.

I think that’s enough for today! I know I’ve left out some details, but I’m here to answer any respectful questions you might have, please feel free to ask.

Take care, Ethan 💫.

[seijorhi]

Just wanted to let you know that that oikawa soulmate drabble you just posted is such a banger. I can just imagine the look on oikawa’s face as he’s reading the caption on his soulmate’s socials . . . Does he decide then and say, f waiting gotta go find her and remind her of their agreement? Does he blast her name out after winning his next game, saying it’s because of her that he’s been able to accomplish so much and then conveniently shares a reel of that victory speech to one of your friends who likes volleyball and happens to be friends with his fake profile?

There are so many ways this scenario could go and it’s always so interesting and thrilling the way you leave your drabbles open-ended✨✨

Thank you for sharing!

well first of all there's the epic tantrum he throws. tears, snot, a shattered phone. basically wrecks his bedroom, tears at his hair and screams into his pillows. a very measured, healthy response.

ONCE he calms down (which he will, eventually) that's when he gets plotting. oikawa's not a man who takes losing well, he's also not the type of guy to hit back with only one

up until that point, he'd managed to talk himself out of physical stalking. the online stuff was fine, because you'd made it public, you'd posted it and put it out into the world, but actually following you home, finding out your day-to-day routine – when he can afford to, those rare, precious days off – that would've been creepy. or... crossing a line, at least. a step too far. but now he knows there's some asshole trying to weasel into his girl's life, take his place–

six months, six months, six months, six months, six months, six months

–he doesn't feel all that torn up about it. and while he spends his time between volleyball and you, he's sure he can spare some cash to throw at a pi to look into your boyfriend too. surely the asshole's got a few secrets he can use against him. no one's perfect, and everyone's exploitable. he could probably pay one of the girls at that asshole's office to get him in a compromising position, take a few photos and send them your way. he could probably pay someone to drag him into an alley on his way home and beat the fuck out of him too, but that one's a little dicier. more of a 'plan b' situation, he thinks.

he's always been pretty tight lipped about his soulmate status. his teammates have undoubtedly caught a glimpse or two, but they know he doesn't talk about it, and it's too personal a thing to just casually drop into conversation. publicly, he's never said a word.

until now.

he'll make it sound like a cinderella moment. one of those missed connections stories people go nuts over. he'll say that he saw you through the crowds after one of his games, just a glimpse before you were swallowed up. never got your name, never even had a chance to speak to you, but your eyes met for a split second, a heartbeat, and he knew you were his soulmate. now he's desperately trying to find you again, enlisting his fans and followers' help to do so.

he'll sprinkle in enough vague-ish details for the people in your life to pick up on and recognise. maybe start nudging you towards him.

he'll admit, with a soft, self-deprecating chuckle that you were there with another guy – a date, probably. it's why he held off trying to find you at first, but he... he just can't anymore. he doesn't care if you're with someone else.

he's totally swept up in you, it's all he can think about. he's already completely in love with you, and he doesn't even know your name.

it sounds crazy, he knows that, but he can't help it. he just needs to see you again. to learn your name. for you to give him a chance.

you're soulmates, and this is just the beginning of your love story.

[velvet4510]

A Rant about the Wasted Potential of Nina Gurzsky and Why The Fridging Trope Needs To Die

Most days I hate and deny everything about X-Men: Apocalypse, especially Magneto’s storyline - but on the rare day where I let myself notice it, I find myself all the more horrified at the injustice of how Nina Gurzsky is written. The writers had something there, and then totally dropped the ball with it. If Erik absolutely had to settle down and have a family in Poland, despite how unbelievably out of character that is for him, then Nina should’ve been an actual character. She should’ve survived the movie and had her own role as one of the most unique and memorable mutants in the series.

Because she really is. Erik’s young daughter has one of the most amazing and unique mutations ever depicted on film: animal communication. And the film does next to nothing with it because of the outdated tropes she is forced into.

Think of the potential of her superpower. It’s actually really insane.

Any place in the world that has animals in it is a safe space for Nina, and a dangerous place for anyone who dares to try to give her a hard time. She can communicate with the animals, understand them, and soothe them enough to befriend them, thus protecting herself from the inevitable attacks by certain animals that anyone else would be faced with. She can also prompt the animals to ambush anyone she doesn’t like. That is a simultaneously beautiful and terrifying superpower.

And we’re only given the tiniest glimpse of that power onscreen. There are so many other angles and dimensions to her mutation that could’ve been explored, questions that could’ve been answered.

In what form is this communication? Is Nina controlling/coercing them against their will to come closer to her or to attack her enemies? Is she merely an empath who can share feelings and sensations with animals? Does this extend to telepathy? Can she hear animals’ thoughts? Can she see through the eyes of animals, from short or long distances? How are animals’ thoughts and emotions different from those of people? Can she tell the difference? Does her power extend to people in any way? Is she an unlimited empath who can sense the feelings of people and animals equally?

When the deer approaches her, is it doing so because it just feels like it? Because it’s drawn to her like a trance? Because she asked him to come?

When those ravens attack the Polish police, is she brainwashing them into doing it? Or are they freely choosing to do it because she is reaching out and asking them for help?

What about that chilling moment when her eyes turn white/pale blue as the ravens approach? Was this a permanent color change and part of the full manifestation of her mutation? Would the color change only happen when she forcibly controls an animal? Or when she’s reaching out to a huge number of animals at once?

Remember this mutation was invented for the film. Magneto’s daughter in the comics is a human with a different name. The writers of Apocalypse chose to invent this mutation for her.

But also think past her mutation.

What about Nina’s personality? Her lifestyle? How does her animal connection affect the way she lives? Does she follow a vegetarian, or completely vegan, diet? How does she feel about other people who eat meat and fish? Would she use her mutation for advocacy and activism? Would she take a level of action that only she could take to prevent poaching and save as many animals as possible from being turned into human clothes and food? How does she feel about violence, especially as compared to her father’s feelings about violence? Does her connection to animal nature give her a perspective of violence that ordinary humans do not have? How does that translate to the human-filled world around her in which she lives? Would it prompt her to side with her father’s philosophy? Or would it drive her to move away from violence and toward Professor X’s philosophy?

What about Nina’s relationships? How would she feel knowing the truth about her father’s past? If she were to survive the police scene but her mother did not, how would that loss affect her? How would she feel learning that she has a super-fast older half-brother? How would Peter Maximoff feel upon meeting a little sister who has been raised by their dad, whereas he grew up without their dad? What would those relationships look like, and how would they grow? How would she feel about Charles Xavier, who has a very similar psychic/emotional connection to his own powers? Would she prefer communicating with him telepathically? Is this comfortably similar to how she communicates with animals? Do they have more in common than they realize? What about Hank McCoy, a man with an animal inside of him, as an extension of himself? How would Nina feel about that? What might she reach in Hank that nobody else could reach?

What about her life in Poland that she’d have to abandon at such a young age due to her father’s past? How would she feel about emigrating to America, to Charles’ school, learning new languages, adapting to a new culture? How would she respond to Charles’ training? Who would she make friends with?

What about her adulthood? How would her mutation and personality develop as she grew, living as a Polish immigrant in the U.S. as the daughter of a convicted felon? How would she forge an identity for herself?

The writers already deviated from the comics in creating Nina the way she is in the first place. But did they go all the way? Did they follow through on what they started? Did they let her be a character with a personality and relationships and goals and 3 dimensions?

Nope. They fridged her.

They created a powerful mutant female character with enormous potential and then they fridged her 2 seconds later.

They chose to give her the most outdated and misogynistic trope treatment possible rather than allow her to be a character, allow the films to move further away from the comics and build their own identities.

They chose to write yet another generic “grieving for the loss of a female loved one” motivation for Magneto rather than develop the contrast between him parenting and raising a young girl and discovering his fatherhood of a teenage boy he’s only met a few times.

They chose to make Hollywood’s 4,765th “save the world from absolute destruction” CGI action fest rather than follow up on First Class and Days of Future Past’s remarkable uses of character development.

Rather than allow Nina to be the developed character that she deserved to be.

Fortunately there are many great fanfics that save Nina and give her real characterization (especially this one). But the thing is - this should NOT be the sort of thing left for fanfiction writers to work on. Professional screenwriters working in Hollywood in the 21st century should be the ones doing this stuff. Fridging is a trope that should’ve been DOA. It is absolutely appalling that it is still happening in blockbuster films today for the whole world to see, that writers would still rather kill a female character than build a well-developed and iconic female character, which I know Nina could’ve been, in the right hands.

You deserved better, Nina Gurzsky.

[canadaxed]

Lucy is an Ancient!.... theory.

you might like this if you: really like the idea of eldritch beings falling in love with some normal ass dude who is totally unaware.

I also posted this all on the Klei forums, which might be easier to read for some people. Click here for that version.

A while ago I posted: "someone remind me to make a post on my theory about Lucy being an Ancient" and I finally got around to it! Feel free to read. It's a long one, but the main timeline for the idea is in the last paragraphs if you want to skip ahead.

Here's the theory now:

Hey gang, I figured I'd post this theory I have. I dunno if anyone else has picked up on it, I didn't find anything myself. I'm gonna try my best to explain why I believe Lucy the Axe could be..... an Ancient!! Like the spirit of the Shadow Maul or Reaper. 

First things first, lets start with Woodie, the scraps of lore we have for him, and what Lucy means to him.

We know that the survivors entering the Constant (at least in the DS era) have a pattern of wanting something, or being emotionally vulnerable- and this is typically what Maxwell preyed on to get them into the Constant. 

In Walter's short, we get a glimpse of Woodie's cabin. He has references to his family being from Scotland in it, various stereotypical Canadian British Columbian Guy decor, two very conspicuous chairs in the main room.... and "Lucy's" outside.

That's right... Woodie never took the physical "Lucy" with him. I put Lucy in quotation marks because we don't know if Lucy was always his axe... or if she was the person that second chair in his home belonged to.

The guy went deep into an uninhabited forest to get away from people, why would he have two chairs in his home right next to each other? Pair this with with how he leaves his red "Lucy" axe outside, rather than having left her on the chair or something like one might if they were romantically invested in something.

Keep this in mind too when considering whether Lucy could’ve been a real person or was always an axe.

Now, putting the pieces we have so far together, one could follow this story pretty easily:  Woodie lost his wife and was reminiscing on memories of her while listening to the radio, which was the prime moment for Maxwell to swoop in with the promise of reuniting them.

Don't Starve fans might be skeptical for a few reasons: DS fans are split pretty evenly between wanting Woodie to be "just some funny guy" and also desperately wanting more information on this mysterious Lumberjack. When you put this theory into perspective, it all feels too easy; or it just feels wrong to completely blow open a huge point in Woodie's lore that is otherwise kept close to Klei's chest. 

Secondly, somewhat related to the first point: Klei's got plans in motion for their lore. The idea of even the gameplay of the world is that you start out knowing nothing, and slowly, SLOWLY, you gain more information. Even then, though, the game becomes more complex and deep. Essentially the team's been doing the same thing with their lore. Whether they only had a loose idea at the beginning and are now really hitting the road running with the direction they want to go in terms of lore, or if they always had an idea for it: they've been giving us glimpses of it over the past... 12 years? We've never gotten the full picture even after all this time, all these shorts and expansions. And each new bit of lore that gets revealed, there's another complexity added to it. Again, people might be thinking "this is just too easy a conclusion to come to, I could've thought of that." 

They might just really be banking on Woodie's general obscurity in relation to the main story as a way to give him a lot of interesting tidbits that people won't immediately dissect.

Thirdly: I'm just one person posting something on the internet. I could just be way too much of a fan of Woodie and reading too much into all this. And I could totally be wrong or be wrong about some things and right about others. Either way, I don't anticipate getting any answers from Klei for a long time if at all, which only adds to skepticism. 

(If you ask me, Don't Starve and its short animations/puzzles/lore drops are begging to be nitpicked.)

So lets back-track a little and talk about why Klei might've decided to drop so much potential, very vital Woodie lore in this one short. (AKA: the Woodie Tangent part of this theory thread, cus I love him)

If you've seen the short animations on Youtube, you might go to the comment sections here and there to get a general community consensus on them or the character. The comments are overwhelmingly positive and a lot praise how the lore is being handled. 

Then you get to Woodie's very own animated short.... 

If you've seen it, you know it's a silly animation where Woodie , in the Constant (unlike other shorts til then), is chopping trees and gets attacked by a tree guard. He uses his three wereforms to fight it, and overall its a pretty fun time. The comments are mostly positive, but a lot expressed disappointment in not getting any more lore about Woodie. He's a very mysterious character, even despite having one of the longer character bios in the game. 

So, eventually Walter comes along. A young boy from Canada, part of a boy scouts troop, really into monsters. If the developers didn't have Woodie in mind when making Walter, they ended up becoming very intertwined character and story-wise anyway. Klei being the cheeky devils they are, decided that if people wanted Woodie lore so bad, they'd get it.... via Walter's short. We only get a few glimpses at background things (we might've even got a hint that Woodie lives on vancouver island) but to Klei, that's enough. Clearly we've gotta do something with what we got. 

But even Walter's short didn't give us enough for full answers to anything.

Let's move on and get to the real stuff: Lucy, Maxwell, and the Ancients.

The Ancients in Don't Starve lore refers to a powerful society of bug people that existed in the Constant long, long ago. They went extinct because of their over-reliance on nightmare fuel, which brought them from famine and gave them great magic and technology that allowed them to live in a bustling utopia, for a while.

We see an ancient in the metaphysical "flesh" in Hamlet as the Ancient Herald. We also know that the spirits that embody such weapons as the Shadow Maul or Shadow Reaper were once ancients, and their souls were probably in the pure horror/dark tatters used to create those items. 

Anyway, the reason why they matter in this instance is because the only other living, talking tools we know about in the game are the Shadow Maul and Shadow Reaper, who both happen to have special dialogue for Woodie. They’re possessive over him, and jealous of and particularly spiteful towards Lucy. They’re also made with dark magic, unsurprisingly, and that’ll come into play later in terms of my theory for Lucy’s existence. I’m noting now that the Shadow Reaper/Maul and Lucy all have a nonchalance about them and are eager to be used. Also, that they all feature red prominently in their designs.

As fun as I find all these personality similarities though, we won’t talk about them much. Here are these comparisons for the hell of it:

Shadow Reaper quote:   "We make a good team, no matter how you ssssslice it." Lucy quote:   “We make a good team!"

Shadow Maul quote:   "Ch- cho- chop. CHOP!"   "Ch- chop tree... CHOP TREE!"   "CHOP! CHOP! CHOP!" Lucy quote:   "Chop chop chop. Heh."   "Chop, c-c-chop!"

Also on this point of Lucy being a magical item, remember how she will always disappear in the world if Woodie’s gone too long and be replaced by a normal axe. If Woodie tries to use any normal axe that isn’t her, she immediately disappears from where she was last dropped and poofs right into Woodie’s hands in place of that axe.

Alongside this, typically you can only carry/have one Lucy at a time, and she does have special dialogue if you can somehow hold another one.

So, we’ve established the similarity between the talking items. Keep in mind that its established now that inhabitants of the Constant can summon the souls of the Ancients to be used as objects with dark magic.

Moving on…

Its safe to say Maxwell couldn’t manipulate too much beyond the confines of the Constant and his portals and the radios, like we see with him needing Willow and Wilson’s help.

He also can’t seem to drag anyone into the Constant whose name doesnt start with W. Also, whenever Maxwell “fulfills a wish” in order to get a survivor into the Constant, it always comes with a twist. (If Woodie didnt want anything new or different from his current life, he wouldn’t have been lured in. If Woodie just wanted his axe to actually talk to him, he wouldn’t just be given that no strings attached. If Woodie wanted someone back and was promised they’d be in the Constant, why not turn them into his axe, which as a lumberjack he’s metaphorically married to?)

The possibility of Maxwell dragging Lucy’s spirit into the world alongside Woodie is feasible, considering Wendy and Abigail’s situation. But if that were the case, then why not let her stay as a spirit attached to Woodie, rather than having to construct an entirely new form of axe? Because remember, Woodie didn’t bring his real axe into the Constant with him.

You could argue: “because he’s bored. Lol.” and to that i say….. Yeah true lol. Work with me here! 

Here’s another potential point towards Lucy’s spirit being brought in with Woodie: Wendy’s quotes for Woodie often refer to Lucy, and how Abigail favours her. 

But keep in mind that this (Wendy/Abigail recognising a spirit in Lucy) only tells us that there IS a presence in Lucy. Also, considering Winona’s short, I think it’s safe to assume that Abigail might only be able to exist in the Constant because of her flower somehow being tethered to its magic. Lucy wouldn’t have had that.

Alongside that, Maxwell’s quote for examining Lucy:   "Ah. How have you been, Lucy?"

EDIT FEB 2025: And his quote for the wooden waking stick: "Lucy does fine work"

He knows there IS something in the axe and appears familiar with her

So…

Let’s rule out a few other ideas for Lucy’s existence real quick (just in terms of this theory… because i still love these interpretations): 

Lucy being purely in woodie’s mind: then other characters wouldn’t think much about her, Maxwell wouldn’t speak to her so familiarly or as a real person. Even if the magic going into the DST world made her able to speak, Maxwell would be more likely to show surprise at her sentience (its something new that happened after his reign) 

Lucy only existing because Woodie willed her into existence on arrival into the Constant: See above, Maxwell wouldn’t be so familiar with her. Plus, putting together the pieces of woodie having left his real-world fire axe outside his house while he was spending his down time inside, we can assume that woodie in the real world didnt have the same deep connection to his axe. If he could will something into existence, why not have it be the real person he was missing that he wouldve shared that chair with?

Lets start wrapping this up.. Cus I’m no good at writing coherently in long-form.

Here’s what I think could be the potential timeline of events for this theory, putting all the pieces together: 

Maxwell needs to lure a depressed, possibly mourning Woodie into the Constant and promises him he’ll reunite him with his partner, Lucy. Her spirit’s not tethered to the real world anymore (because unlike Abigail, she didn’t have that odd flower) and Maxwell can’t manipulate the world outside of the Constant to that degree- but he has a lot of power inside of the Constant. He calls upon the spirit of an Ancient, seemingly the only spirits that can be returned to a level of sapience, with dark magic of which he’s especially adept, and forges its spirit into that of a special axe.

Then, either he imbues the axe with Woodie’s memories or the axe/eldritch powers-that-be gain them in their own way (think Maria from Silent Hill,) and upon Woodie’s passage to The Constant, he receives her. 

As far as Woodie’s concerned, he’s gotten everything he needs, and takes his existence in The Constant without much disdain. As for Lucy, her old Ancient spirit is happy to be alive again and feeding off living beings (trees). It takes getting used-to to be an entirely new “person”, but she gets the hang of it. She’s clingy and codependent because he’s her source of fuel, but quickly forms a bond with him and ends up caring about his wellbeing, to the point of helping his survival in the DST era. Woodie is blissfully unaware and thriving.

....

Alright, thanks for reading! I know it was a lot. Feel free to discuss. I love Woodie and Lucy. I'm sure I missed a few things, like maybe how Lucy knows about Woodie's wereform cycle with the moons and when his beaverness gets low (the moon thing could be a reference to how the Ancients worshipped "Alter"/Them, and the beaverness thing could just be her dark magic picking up on his curse) ... or how Lucy is very picky with other survivors and very sure of herself/forward/brash like the other sentient items, but those are more of a stretch.

[jjsmaybank20]

Finally Got the Girl

Maddy Perez x Fem!Bennett!reader

Summary: Maddy had feelings for you before you graduated, there is no denying it. What happens when you come home for summer break, a little different than you were when you left?

Warnings: language, mentions of smut, mentions of Nate (🤮)

Word Count: 2.2k

A/N: Requested by someone over on my wattpad. Hope y'all enjoy this!

navigation euphoria masterlist

---

You had always intrigued Maddy. She knew of you because she knew everyone, but she really only paid attention to you at first because you were her best friend's little sister's best friend's older sister. Distant connection, but enough of a connection that she decided that you were worth watching.

You were a quiet girl, the calm to your younger sister's storm. You were the type of person that adults would talk about, whispering things like, "Don't doubt that one, they're going to be gorgeous someday." When Maddy knew you in high school, you were awkward, lanky, and constantly nervous, but nonetheless attractive in your own way.

The two of you were close, some would say closer than friends should be. The only real fights the two of you would have would be about Nate Jacobs, Maddy's then-boyfriend. You hated him with a burning passion after what he did to your sister, and any chance you got you would pick him apart. You didn't understand what she saw in him.

She couldn't help but be saddened when you went off to college, but she was happy that you had made it out of East Highland. You had managed to stay in a hidden back corner of her mind, making her believe that the feelings she had had for you had been practically forgotten, but as soon as you came back for summer break, they came rushing back instantly and even more intensely than they used to be.

Because while you were away at college, those adults's predictions about you had come true. You had fully grown into yourself, flaunting a new air of confidence that you never used to have. One contributing factor of this was that you had gotten absolutely jacked.

Maddy's first encounter of your practically new self was at the Howard residence. She was hanging out with the girls, Rue mostly being there for Jules and Lexi, when they all heard a car pulling into the driveway. Confused, Cassie moved towards the window of her room to try and catch a glimpse of who might have just arrived at her house. To her surprise, a familiar tall, muscular woman pulled herself out of a stylish sports car and folded her sunglasses before hooking them on the neck of her muscle shirt.

"Holy shit, is that Y/N? Goddamn!" The rest of the girls crowd around the window, trying to spot you as you walk towards the front door. As soon as Kat sees you, she gasps before exclaiming, "She got hot! I'm sorry Rue, I know she's your sister, but I would totally let her rail me and I'm not even gay."

Maddy rolls her eyes, muttering to her friend, "That's a pretty gay thing to say," even though she was thinking the exact same thing. The group hears the doorbell ring, making them all rush towards the stairs but trying to stay out of sight. They watch Suze open the door before hearing your distinctly deeper voice.

"Hey, Ms. Howard. My mom said that Rue was here? Just wanted to say hi to my little sister, and maybe a few old friends if they're around." Suze stares at you in shock for a few seconds, surprised by your new stature, before pulling you down into a hug. "Holy crap, sweetie! I almost didn't recognize you! Have you been working out?" The older blonde woman playfully squeezes your arm to accentuate her question.

They hear you laugh uncomfortably before Rue pushes her way through the pack and runs down the stairs towards you. She practically jumps into your arms, and you let out a groan and a laugh before squeezing her tightly. "Hey, RueRue. How are you doing?" You then pull back and give her a serious look, stating dangerously, "You better be staying off those drugs. I am not dealing with you going to rehab again. If that happens, the drugs won't kill you, I will."

Rue laughs, saying, "Yeah, yeah. I haven't been doing any of that shit. My girlfriend's really helped me out." You smile at her, and Rue waves towards the stairs, gesturing for the rest of the group to come down. They slowly make their way towards the two of you, and the people you already know you pull into a hug.

When you get to Maddy, you hold her tightly in your arms. "Mads. I missed you." Maddy buries her head in your neck, breathing in your scent. You hold her for a while longer before Rue uncomfortably clears her throat. You pull back awkwardly, turning to Jules and missing the silent conversation that Maddy and Kat have with their eyes.

"You must be the girlfriend. I'm Y/N. Now, at some point I'll probably give the protective older sister speech, but for now I just wanted to say thank you. You helped Rue get better, and that automatically puts you in my very good graces." Jules smiles at you and introduces herself. She holds out her hand for you to shake, but you shake your head and pull her into a hug.

Once everyone has been greeted, you clap your hands and exclaim, "Okay. I just stopped by to say hi, and also to tell Rue to be home for dinner. Invite your girlfriend. I am going to head out then-" Maddy can't seem to stop herself as she blurts out, "Stay."

All heads turn to look at her, each showing a different expression. Kat's and Lexi's displaying shock and realization, Cassie's and Rue's lean more towards confusion, and yours surprisingly holding nervousness and an expression that Maddy can't quite place. She looks down at her feet, feeling embarrassment quickly taking over her, but thank goodness Lexi notices and covers for her as fast as she can.

"Yeah! We haven't seen you in months, Y/N/N. Hang around for a bit. Please?" You sigh and nod, and the girls cheer before dragging you upstairs. You hear Suze laughing behind you as you get pulled towards the inevitable interrogation about college, love, and probably sex.

---

Almost as soon as you sit down, the questions come at you, rapid fire. You gesture for them to slow down before pointing at Kat and saying, "Go." She nods before shooting a mischievous look towards Maddy.

"Any special someone? I bet the girls are all vying for your attention. You're fucking hot." You laugh at her boldness and shake your head. "Nah. Haven't met the right person yet. Went on a couple dates, most of them turned into one night stands or they just didn't work out."

Maddy can't help but be happy with your answer, even if she was jealous of the women who were able to sleep with you before she could. You catch sight of her elated expression, which makes you smile. If you were being honest with yourself, ever since you had met her, you had hosted a healthy crush on the feisty latina woman.

You thought it would fade when you left home, and when it didn't, you tried to distract yourself with other women. That didn't work either. Every time you slept with someone else, you couldn't help but imagine that it was Maddy underneath you, moaning your name.

You are snapped out of your fantasy when Rue calls your name. "Huh? What's up?" She shakes her head, smiling. "You're still so fucking spacey. Pay attention. Cassie asked about hot dudes or some shit." You laugh, pulling out your phone, which causes multiple confused looks to form on their faces.

You pull up a couple of pictures of your friends from college, passing your phone to Cassie. You point to two brunette boys, a blonde, and a raven haired boy. "Okay, so. The tall brunette is Jack, the short one is Liam. The blonde is Turner. That last one is Ben. All of them are single and honestly, quite annoyingly desperate. You're hot, you basically have your pick."

Cassie 'ooos', and the rest of the girls crowd around to look at the boys besides Maddy. You glance over at her before moving to sit next to her. "Your not still dating that fucker, Nate, are you? Not looking at the boys cause you're being loyal to the asswhipe?" She lets out a small laugh, shaking her head.

"Nah. I've been into someone else for a while now." You smile at her, rolling your head to the side. "Who? Give me a hint." Maddy pretends to think about it for a second. "It's... your mom. She's just too hot." You shove her shoulder good-naturedly, muttering, "Oh, fuck you. But seriously, who is it? I wanna know who I have to beat up to get into your heart."

Maddy practically chokes on her spit at your bold statement before trying to recover some shred of her dignity. "Well, you can't really physically beat yourself up, can you?" She watches as the smile on your face grows before you grab her phone from the floor in front of her and hold it in front of her face to unlock it. She watches you, confused, but all you say is, "Putting my number in. Got important shit to text you about."

---

Mads 💖

You

if u work on a farm, and ur job is to take care of chickens, u are a chicken tender

Mads 💖

this is the important shit that u needed to text me about?

You

just a thought, dont be a hater. also, nope. im taking you out tomorrow night. be ready at 7ish, i'll stop by ur place.

Mads 💖

do i even have a choice?

You

yes ofc, but im assuming you want to go out with me.

Mads 💖

true

aight i'll be ready and waiting

You

can't wait 😉

---

Maddy stood anxiously by her front door, waiting for the doorbell to ring. She had spent at least 3 hours on the phone with Kat trying to get ready. She finally settled on a revealing but not 'too slutty' dress, in the words of Kat.

When the ring of the bell finally sounds throughout the house, Maddy practically throws the door open. There you are, standing slightly in shock, prepared to ring the bell again. You are wearing a white dress shirt with the top buttons undone and nice black pants.

You stare at Maddy for a few seconds, in awe of her. You finally shake yourself out of your stupor, holding your arm out so that she can hook hers around it. "Your chariot awaits, M'Lady." Maddy pushes you playfully, and you grin back at her.

"We have a great night planned. First, a restaurant. Then, a moonlight stroll on this super dope path I found. Then we can do whatever you want." Maddy nods excitedly, and the two of you hop in the car and head towards the restaurant that you had chosen.

---

The restaurant had been delicious, and Maddy couldn't help but swoon at your chivalry and adorable charm. You seemed to have put up a confident front for the rest of your friends, but deep down you were still that same shy, insanely intelligent kid that she used to watch.

As you walk through the park, you chat with her about the most random things. Suddenly you stop, forcing Maddy to back pedal so that she is even with you again. She is about to ask you why you had stopped, but then she catches sight of what you are looking at.

A beautiful pond that is sparkling with moonlight is directly in front of you and you can barely stop yourself from moving forwards and closer towards it. Maddy comes up beside you and slowly weaves her fingers through yours. You turn to say something to her, but your breath gets caught in your throat. The moonlight is reflecting perfectly on her, making her hair shimmer and her eyes glitter.

Instead of speaking, you quickly move your hands to cup her cheeks and kiss her quickly. When you realize what you had just done, you pull back quickly and try to turn away, apologizing profusely. Maddy just shakes her head and cuts off your apologetic rambling with another more intense kiss.

You freeze for a second before melting into the feeling of her soft lips on yours. She tastes like strawberries, and you feel her grab your face to try to pull you closer. Your hands find her waist, and you pull her flush against you, causing her to let out a soft sigh. She nips your lip, which makes you groan, and soon your tongues are intertwined and dancing together.

When you finally have to pull away for a breath of air, you rest your forehead on hers. "That was..." Maddy nods, finishing, "Really good. Really, really good." You let out an elated laugh, pulling her in for one more short but still intense kiss. When you look into her eyes, you ask, "Will you finally be mine? I really like you Mads. So... be mine?"

Maddy grins at you, replying, "I'm already yours." You reconnect your hands, and walk the rest back to your car, enjoying each other's company. Since you had met her, your goal had been to be Maddy's person. In high school, you had never had the confidence. But now, you finally got the girl.

---

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[orkbutch]

Okay! time to add my accompanying essays with each image from this set of work about why I assigned which types of play to each set of characters, and how Baldur's Gate III supports these in the text of the game. Because I thought about all of this way too much im not joking

First, Context: All of these are drawings of consentual play happening between these characters after they have put aside any active conflicts between each other. Nontheless, they utilise the dynamics and emotional conflicts of these characters. Each of these characters are in some way violent people, deeply stressed out by their circumstances, and craving pleasure and connection. Sometimes you need a little pinch and squeal before the end of the world just to get through the night, you know?

Rough D/s sex/Breath play, Karlach (D) / Shadowheart (S)

A little clarification of what exactly is happening in this image: Karlach is strapping SH roughly, whispering very dirty things in hear ear, and using her hand and the weight of her body to gently restrict SH's breathing. Now you know. :) If you want to know what Karlach is whispering, I will be taking questions thank you.

The first thing Shadowheart says upon seeing Karlach is that she likes that Karlach looks strong and reliable enough to protect her in a pinch. This is because Shadowheart is horny and gay but ALSO. I wanted to explore this little glimpse of something unexpected about SH, especially that early in the game, but really revealing and true about her personality: Shadowheart understands and appreciates that relying on others is very important and shouldn't be avoided.

I think this part of SH is almost her saving grace from otherwise being totally absorbed by her Sharran faith; knowing she wants and needs other people. Because community has always been comforting to her, and because other people help you cope with life. It makes her loneliness far more profoud as well. She has not buried a need for other people (like Astarion for example), but lost people she knows she needs. She lost her Sharran peers on their mission, lost her memories, lost her family, lost the experience of being cared for in childhood. What does that have to do with SH getting pounded into the ground by a big hot woman, I hear you asking. Well, it's related to how I see Shadowheart's possible relationship to submission. I instinctively see SH as a dom because she just... Absolutely gives dominatrix energy. She basically got trained to be a particularly mean dominatrix, and I think she'd enjoy doing it a whole lot. But being a dom is a role of responsibility, reliability and authority; it requires you to plan and think and make decisions not just for yourself but for a whole additional person. Shadowheart clearly enjoys not having to do that sometimes. She knows the reliability, guidance and support of another person/people being there for her, and she craves it.

I think she'd like being taken away from the responsibility of their situation; to not have to think about the artifact, the tadpole, the fate of the world, what Shar wants, who she is, what her memories are, will she die tomorrow - a terribly stressful existence for someone as prone to anxiety as SH seems to be. What a luxury, to let someone force all the worries out of your head. To leave no space for those anxieties to find purchase through the weight and force of their presence. A big, hot, reliable warrior, squeezing you close, filling your head with what to think about, flooding you with pleasure and a little pain, enough to ground you to the moment. It's a rare treat. SH would love it.

On the other hand, I think Karlach would absolutely love this kind of role. Not because Karlach likes pure power - she seems kinda repelled by it actually - but because Karlach loves being capable, needed, and providing for people. To sweep SH off her feet and give her a moment of hot, rough, rejuvinating bliss through her strength and sexual prowess would be extremely up Karlach's ally.

Karlach is also just... such a rough houser. She's an excited dog at the park that plays too rough and feels bad until she finds a friend who actually loves it, and she's thrilled with the chance to use all that energy to its full potential. She likes a little grit and texture. Anything too slow or methodical and I think she'd get bored. To get to use her boundless energy and have that be deeply appreciated would be so fun for her.

For her to get to use her body and the traits that ended up landing her in slavery - her toughness, strength, skill at violence and knack for intimidation - to indulge, to provide pleasure, to make something good and deeply desired... I think that'd be very touching for Karlach. Intimacy is something she hasn't gotten to explore for a long time. She wants as much contact as possible, to feel others viscerally, to feel that she can be something that other people can not just handle/accept but enthusiastically want. Even after whats been done to her and what she was for ten years, she is the right thing for people, because of and not despite who she is after Avernus.

In conclusion: I think Shadowheart would love to be no thoughts head empty fucked brainless now and then, and I think Karlach would be thrilled to provide. And oh man, Karlach would be SO good at aftercare. So sweet, so warm to cuddle up against, super attentive. She'd ask for reassurance that she wasn't too rough or didn't say anything weird, and Shadowheart would reassure her that they could get far more depraved than that; it was exactly what she needed, and she wanted to go deeper next time. A little challenge to let Karlach embrace her role more completely. Oof. I am so excited to write this shit into the fic im working on LMAO

[synodic-lupine]

Nine and Ten's arcs go hand in hand as a collectively great PTSD narrative imo. I think Ten's wishy-washiness about relationships and inability to fully open up to Rose is often characterized as plain old fear of commitment yet I see that as a progression to another presentation of PTSD. When we first meet Nine, he seems like he's halfway to planning on how to get himself killed. He meets Rose, he heals, he changes, he grows. Then he regenerates into someone with a desire to live and the seeming capacity to just be happy. At the same time, he regenerated for and because of Rose. Recovery that hinges on one person is a tricky thing. When you're with that person it can feel like there's no more work to be done, like you're totally 'fixed'. Every moment with that person feels like the best thing in the world... which makes it significantly harder to open up about anything trauma related. When you're feeling high on a person's presence why would you ever want to think about the bad things? THEN because he finally properly wants to live, The Doctor gets hit with the realization that living a full life means losing Rose in the end and it's downright intolerable to him. It makes him push and pull and act like a bastard sometimes. We get glimpses of who he is without her in the moments when she's threatened. He loses his damn mind any time she's threatened- he gets that crazed look akin to Nine in Dalek more than anything. This is also in contrast to how Nine used to react to Rose being threatened, where he used to still be able to keep it reined in. THEN... he loses her for real and he backslides majorly. We see the effects in Turn Left, that if Donna hadn't been there he would have died right after saying goodbye to Rose. He's more or less back where he started as Nine in the beginning of series one, looking for a way to die. He lives though, and has to accept that no, he's not perfectly recovered and keep on working on it. He opens up about things in ways we saw him struggle to in series 2. Though he's more callous in series 3 and 4, he seems to struggle more with relating to humans, his bastardous tendencies pop up more. He's also a freaking disaster man in series 4 with the number of times he offers or tries to give up his life for others. He DOES make recovery progress through series 3 and 4, just is slow like in real life. All of that makes JE make sense to me in that this is a man who is experiencing turbo PTSD triggering. He pushes everyone away all at once, because maybe being alone will hurt less than losing people after all. Even after all that in the end when he is dying he says he doesn't want to go. He was born into wanting to live and be happy so of course he doesn't want to go.

[tarotwithart]

ⴕ ( details of your future spouse⠀ )⠀⠀⠀ 𓆩♡𓆪

❝ in every whatnot,

I'll tie a knot with you... ❞

⋆ .... ♡ how to pick a pile ୨ ɞ !

-` ✧ ࿐ from left to right — intuitively choose the pile through your mind or what your soul desire for. take what does it resonates considering this is a general reading...

𝐒ource & 𝐃isclaimer: pictures I've used for pick a pile was from pinterest, the divider was from @.v6que while the banner was made by me. expect plenty of grammatical errors, please kindly enlightened me in a nice way when you couldn't understand what is the message behind of the reading, thanks!

PILE ONE

6 of wands, king of pentacles, 9 of pentacles

Everyone eyes are all to them, whether it may glimpse naturally or seldom-a kind of individual who can turn heads by its appearance and good body. The definition of success and achiever this makes them quite popular or well known in others, although prideful doesn't mean they're narcissistic. In what scale in it, would likely people rate them as 9-10 not only for looks but for other traits and people will fall for them instantly. S/he could beat someone by using his/her skills no doubt needed- a great player indeed. An individual that denotes someone who is highly passionate about certain things into his/her own life yet will always be remain humble even though s/he's aiming top and to forthcoming.

S/he displaying a strong leadership which people adore and people can depend on these said traits also have major impact for people who surround them. For what I seen, s/he can make own money and wealth through being famous and it could give them a long lasting success in life. If being famous does make them to have more money and having money will make them more even famous. Into people's opinions and view s/he is perfect as they seen, who wouldn't right? money, success and fame are all at once to them- what a lucky man. Proud for what they achieve but not in negative way. Expensive looking- s/he would love those kind of things specially in clothing and jewelries, it makes them looks like having high status which can be true. Either s/he working as business owner or a wealthy land owner, it could also define working in real state as well.

Sometimes can be totally stubborn but they very mature and grounded most of the time, it's normal for everyone to be stubborn (it means that they aren't perfect as they seems) a totally hard working individual and who also aware how they can rule through designated society (work/place). It also signifies someone who will be generous into their finance, energy and time, s/he will knew what are their commitments and responsibilities and tends to do what they say. They tends not have any anger issues as long as s/he could understand the situation and the person however they tends to be like a volcano- will be very explosive when they do get mad. You will be lucky for having this person, quite indulgent when it comes giving gifts to their lovers- mostly will bring the best and expensive gift you'll be receiving.

However the lover will tends to be lonely as the spouse is often busy for something like work (workaholic/ self-driven/ career focus) on negative note s/he will view their lover as part of their possessions. As my advice don't make them feel jealous or dark moods that may occur in surface as it will turn to be very chaotic. S/he may possibly own some pets especially dogs and horses, they will be independent whether it is financially and emotionally. You would never found this person chasing others cause they can easily attract people into their lives. Rerely takes anything personally and reason is s/he knows it better and likely to appreciate the finest things in life.

hugs and kisses, Vella

PILE TWO

queen of cups, 10 of cups, the lovers, 10 of pentacles

A typical type of person who is sensitive and is attached to their feelings, s/he concerned with the matter of heart, emotions, family and relationships. S/he possess a strong empathy for the others, if their love ones is happy and so they are too. Strong intuition- they will be aware if someone needs them or isn't right, they are not judgemental and will try their best to understand the situation. In past, s/he experience a painful situationship and will do the best to avoid it again.

Typically shy in nature but a great listener when you someone needs them and mostly without knowing people will come to them naturally without hesitation- the only problem in here is that when problems occur into their own life, they rarely receive help from others. S/he is family oriented individual, they got some friends but family, partner and kids are most highlight and important for them. Even though you prefer men- he will have feminine features and if women she is gorgeous, may look like a goddess. In any occasion regarding to family, they will be extremely happy to gather their family especially his/her siblings with or cousins.

Generally a happy individual and rarely take negative insights as well will be feelin' grateful for what the above give to them. S/he might love to put smile on his/her face or to others, love to laughs even though in lame jokes- sometimes people do wonder if they faking their happiness but it actually isn't. They are contented to what God give to them and they probably cherish it with all of their heart, also they tends to be very spiritual individual too.

S/he will be come an excellent parent and partner and will do their best to serve and nurture their own family. This individual will possibly teach you a lot- that happiness doesn't come from material things and it comes from within, that happiness is a choice, that family and kids should be put first, that how you love your self is should be how you love the others and more great good lessons.

They want or having desire to have at least two kids perhaps a twin will be perfect for them. It also refers to someone who is playful but can be childish sometimes and very very talkative when you get to know them or when they are comfortable in someone. The type of love language they want is physical touch so be ready for lots of kisses, hugging and touching, technically they enjoy the attachment of skins. Also they proud for what body or skin do they have, confident is the key here. S/he will make you feel how deep the love is, they will understand what you have been through. You both have different lives and what have been through however they will put to understand you that life is like that and happiness is just around. You will experience unconditional love from this person.

And yes they do have some money to flaunt too but they value more the family, health and gratitude for the others. S/he do appear very lavish into how they clothes themselves even though they don't try to be like that. The only person who will make you feel that you are safe and secure into their loving arms. They do love dating (even at this moment) but do searching for someone who can have long term committed relationship with them and don't want to rush things when they do date, they want to get more someone into deeper level.

hugs and kisses, Vella

PILE THREE

4 of wands, the fool, 3 of wands reversed

A kind of individual who is the real representation of being naive and happy person, they do love their family and is willing to go whenever there's occasion regarding into family circle. It would represents someone who do brings joy and happiness towards other life by making silly jokes or for simply uplifting them in their hardest situationship. Whenever someone ( proclaiming it is a love one ) is weak, they bring something to feel this certain individual comfort like “ Hey! make it chill, I'm here for you ”. It also the type of person who is making an effort to attend or be able to be present in family gathering even though they are quite busy they wouldn't hesitate to be right there with the fam.

Negative aspects of them which I can tell for only few of you who's happen to pick this pile, that this person will be more focus into their family rather than you. It might be one of the reasons why you both will have disagreements. Anyway, let's just move on and see what the future holds for you.

To continue, it could also symbolize someone who do love to play a lot probably a playboy or girl vibes, if not I see that they really to loves to play which can be games physical or online. I see that they do love pranking people who do close to them such as friends and cousins, can be siblings as well if happen they have one. This person represents someone who do care more to their appearance rather than for who they are. Sometimes people end up envying or feel jealous about them especially their peers.

As we're getting near at the end I feel that they are younger than you or it might be physically as well. It could also be mean that they are young at heart or someone who have young faces or can be an innocent. They do love their love freedom and do loves to wonder around or exploring the places that they never been. It might also symbolize someone who can be childish and likes being at the outdoor rather than indoor.

hugs and kisses, Vella

[demonslayedher]

Did my rewatch with a friend, some observations either from me or both of us:

--Gotouge was deep in the "bean" period at this point in the manga, drawing especially Tanjiro's face in lumpy simple shapes on a regular basis. We suspect that in this season so far, Tanjiro's face has spent most of its screen time in silly mode as opposed to normal mode.

--Before we watched, I had her guess what she thought the vibe might be for the ending theme. "I don't know, foreshadowing all their deaths or something?" GIRL, HOW DARE YOU GUESS THAT RIGHT. Also, I'm so glad the full version of "Tokoshie" is already out because it's going to be super difficult but I can't wait to give it a shot at karaoke.

--We chatted afterward about Ufotable's choices. I feel like they've upped their show-offy game in this season (thicker lines, extended scenes, varied BGM and careful sound design, slow and deliberate filler, and lighting, lighting, lighting, lighting!), which might be somewhat to compensate for the slower story pace. It's simply reality that a lot of the hype for KnY has slowed (the Mugen Ressha era levels were unsustainable, of course, that was a phenomenon), and I know many people have gotten tired of it. But frankly, those people are not Ufotable's audience now; we the captives who love spending time with these characters are the target audience, and when things pick up again, those who took a break will come back and binge these seasons. I'm sad to see some hype die away, but I have no worries about the hype train totally dying down.

--And the love and care thrown into this production shows that they have every intention of giving the final arcs the care they'll require <3

--but also AOI!!! I loved the subtle restraint of that filler. It wasn't overdone, and it's so rare to see Tanjiro and Aoi have a moment together, and to see both how Aoi has relaxed in his presence and how she remains formal. That irony and layered way of Tanjiro having no idea how he's helped her, and Aoi talking about herself in wanting to be left alone, but still finding a way to show that she cares about this person Tanjiro is talking about even though she has no idea who it is? Wonderfuuuullllll

--How softly Shinobu speaks to Kanao!!!!! The way Shinobu sits in shadow but Kanao is within reach of the sunlight!!!! (They put Kanao's hair on the same side as usual instead of matching the way the manga did this scene!)

--The glimpse in Tamayo's memories of Yoriichi encountering Muzan, the sound of his earrings tied with the sound of Tanjiro's earrings!!

--The same sort of layering in the ending theme!!

--YUSHIRO SCREAMING DESCENT

--Giyuu's face being cut out of view when he says he's not the Water Pillar

--EVERY BIT OF GIYUU AND TANJIRO INTERACTION, I'm sure Hanae Natsuki had so much fun being thoroughly obnoxious

--EVERY BIT OF GIYUU AND SABITO INTERACTION

--There is no mistaking Murata and I love that

--LITTLE GIYUU'S EEEEEEYYYYYYYYEEEEESSSS

--The height difference between Tanjiro and Giyuu in the Taisho Secrets

--Tanjiro was the one being overbearing and clingy in the episode and now in the Taisho Secrets we've got Giyuu thoroughly in "Kamado Tanjiro is my friend" mode, like "...Come eat more soba with me. Oh. Then. Come eat shake daikon with me. Are you coming? You're coming! Are you done yet? I'm staring at you from the side of the screen. I'm waiting. Come on. Hang out with me."

--I was gonna say the Taisho Secrets were obvious this time, but my friend (who has read the manga and just watched this episode with me) said, "oh, I didn't know that side was from his sister!" So... alright, good call, then, Ufotable.

--Ok but as Tanjiro is first showering Giyuu with kindness (and indeed, sitting so much in Giyuu's personal space), I was thinking about Giyuu's smile in the Taisho Secrets (shake daikon, yay~), and my friend said, "You know what this is making me think of? That panel at the end of the manga when..." --when he's smiling, I thought-- "...he thinks Tanjiro is dead." NO STOP WHY DID YOU DO THAT ME

--Love that little addition of Tanjiro cheerfully pointing out how quiet it's been, and "no! No demons here!" TANJIRO, YOU SHOULD BE VERY, VERY WORRIED ABOUT WHAT THIS MEANS

--"Now want about Tomioka-san" "What's Kocho doing?" UFOTABLE STOP THE DOOMED GIYUSHINO HURTS

--WHAT A CLIP TO END ON AND PLUNGE US INTO THAT ENDING THEME

--rude

[alevolpe]

Hello! I plan on doing a Sailor Moon rewrite later on next year (bc i have a lot of shit to do in the entirety of my 3rd year of university) and I'd like to know what issues you have with each season of sailor moon. You don't have to name all of them, just name the biggest problem(s) you have with each season!! I hope I am not troubling you :3

Hi! You're no trouble at all! Thank you for asking, I'm humbled you're interested in hearing my opinion.

Ok, let's see. Before I start I wanna say, these are MY opinions based on also how I'm doing my own rewrite AU thingy, so don't take it personally if I don't want to include elements or characters you love. (Most fo the time it doesn't even mean I don't like those characters in canon, I just don't think they'd fit with the specific narrative I have in my mind)

I'll say for Season 1, my biggest issue is the amount of time it takes to get everyone in the cast. By the time we get Mina it's like what, over 3/4ths of the season in? I like that the show takes its time introducing everyone and giving the girls some organic bonding time in the filler, but there's better ways to do it imo. That's why I have Usagi be the last to awaken and meet an already tranformed Ami and Rei, so we don't totally break from Usagi being the center at first. We can use her as a vessel to get to know these new people and this crazy new identity at the same time she does, letting us know more about her too in the process, while not slowing the pace of the story to a crawl. As we get to know more, you can introduce the rest of the girls and break from the main group to catch glimpses of Mako and Mina, to later unite them. But that's my fix, there's other ways to fix the slow introductions, just.. don't maybe go manga style and spend only one ep per girl and immediately move on to the next, give them time to breathe.

My main issue with Season 2 is the time travel. The show does NOT know its own rules and that is a recipe for disaster, once you introduce an ally that is able to time travel, you got a LOT in your hands. Everything in the show could be solved with one travel through time, but they never do. Why? Cause otherwise the show wouldn’t exist. It leaves too many possibilities and questions that is not ready to answer. Idk how one could fix it, I'm sure there's many ways you could, I just have 0 interest in incorporating time travel in sm.

With Season 3 I'd say it's the introduction of the whole Pharaoh 90 or Mistress 9 thing. I don’t know, I know they are the main baddies, but like.. just make Saturn the main threat, she already basically is. That's my problem with it, I'm sure a ton of people disagree, but I'd rather the season just focus more on Saturn, Haruka, Michiru and Pluto, I don't need another "queen Nehellenia" type villain that gets introduced 2 seconds before the end. And I lovee Eudial and Mimete, but we don't need 5 of them. I'd just make those 2 Tomoe's assistants and that's that. Too many villains, especially if you're not going to do a motw format.

With Season 4.. uff where do I even begin. Tbh I scratch the whole season and do a ground up rebuilding project, but if I HAVE to stick with the canon structure I'll say make Nehellenia more present. She's THE BEST part of SuperS, make her more present and more threatening. Give her that mirror power from the get go, make her appear in mirrors, reflections, show her subtly , in the background, give the season a subtle but palpable atmosphere of unease, make her scary. I WANT TO BE SCARED of her! Also unrelated, but get RID of the S*A metaphor with the 3 eyes.

With Stars the whole pacing the season is a mess. The start is way too slow and the end is rushed as fuck. Introduce Galaxia as a present threat earlier, again idk how you'd do that exactly while keeping the episodic tempo of the show, but my solution is. Don't! Lol

[ilikekidsshows]

I know you’re more of an “Adrien centered” criticism/defense blog but I am curious about your opinion on this.

What is your opinion on the “Chloe deserves/doesn’t deserve redemption” situation or the “Chloe wasn’t meant to be redeemed and there for what happened to her is fair game” stance?

---

My thoughts on the Chloé situation are kinda complex. Back when the show only had three seasons, I did think Chloé’s character trajectory made sense. Sure, she’d saved people when she was acting as Queen Bee, but she still treated her classmates the same. In fact, she started treating Sabrina worse than before because she considered being anything other than Queen Bee hanging out with Ladybug was slumming it. For me, it really was a 50/50 on whether or not Chloé would be redeemed or fall into actual villainy.

Because, here’s how I saw it: I didn’t think Chloé was an actual villain-villain in seasons 1-3. She was Marinette’s school nemesis and a decidedly defanged one. Marinette was scared of her exactly once, in Origins, a flashback episode meant to showcase how much more confident being Ladybug has made Marinette that she views Chloé as small potatoes. The season 3 finale could have been the culmination of an arc where Marinette accidentally causes Chloé to become a villain and ally herself with Hawk Moth in the future.

And it would have been caused by Marinette, even if unintentionally. It would have shown how good intentions can have unforeseen consequences, especially when you don’t know what you’re helping someone with or what they want before you do so. Marinette doesn’t really understand what she’s trying to help people with whenever she does try to be helpful, because she assumes what they want and need instead of asking and listening (like in Reflekdoll, the latter part of Ikari Gozen and Quilt Trip). Many heroes create their own villains this way, and Marinette could have done so as well since she was the one to strengthen Chloé’s bond with the person who taught her to be an entitled bully and then she dragged her feet on whether or not she could use the Bee Miraculous.

The season 3 finale shows Chloé brought to a new low. The following New York Special gives us a glimpse of a Chloé who is withdrawn, like she’s reconsidering her life. This could have led to Chloé deciding that she would have revenge on Ladybug for leading her on and then dumping her (as a teammate). But, it could have also have led to Chloé realizing that, while Ladybug wasn’t her friend, Sabrina was, and she pushed the latter away in pursuit of being the Bee Miraculous holder. Chloé could have gained new insight that would have led her to start working on how she treats those closest to her, finally starting to treat her schoolmates with decency and, maybe, with time, kindness.

Then season 4 came along and all that foreshadowed introspection was dumped out the window in favor of having Chloé do cartoonishly stupid school antagonist character things. In season 4, where this kind of hijinks are so incredibly low-stakes that it’s both laughable to see, and laughable to realize the writers think this is good television.

I think the writers realized this too, because then comes season 5 with the retcon that, actually, Chloé is an evil mastermind who is so heinous that she orchestrated a traumatic event that led to Marintette’s character flaws and therefore Marinette should be forgiven for her flaws and Chloé blamed for them. Never mind the damage this episode does to Kim’s character, turning him from an oblivious to jock to a total creep, it also tries to convince us that Chloé is this big threat despite that it happened at least a year ago in-universe and that she had never done anything even close to this bad since. It just makes no sense when contrasting with the early seasons, where Marinette treats Kim as just one classmate among many and Chloé as a low-threat nuisance.

The problem was that they decided that they didn’t want Marinette to hold any responsibility for anything she does anymore. This is why they wrote the episode ‘Derision’, to absolve Marinette of all responsibility in her stalking of Adrien, even though them making it a serious trauma response instead of a cartoon-logic joke means that now she absolutely should take responsibility for her behavior and get therapy. Because they wanted to give Marinette a retroactive justification, the episode just doesn’t mesh with the rest of the show. But, like, the writing in Miraculous seasons 4-5 is so bad it’s of course never just about a single episode, it’s all about how the Miraculous writers don’t know how to build up arcs that then come to a logical conclusion, which is why all their story arcs’ endings fall flat and leave viewers thinking “where’s the rest of it?” when they’re not considered one of the worst finales for a show.

Basically, making Chloé a villain could have worked, but it would have required her getting built up into such a status. The Chloé of seasons 1-3 isn’t a monster, she’s a brat. But the writers didn’t want to do that work despite wanting that story, thinking some repetitive episodes of Chloé being a brat some more will accomplish the same thing. So, Chloé just keeps performing petty bullying until the writers think the viewers forgot that she’s like this because of her mother, who Marinette reunited her with, all the while pretending the woman who calls her by the wrong name to her face on purpose has done nothing wrong as a parent other than “leave”, before she randomly turns on Miss Bustier and starts working with Hawk Moth for supposedly no reason in Collusion.

And, like, the thing that really grinds my gears is that it worked. So many people forgot that Chloé’s bullying was modeled to her by her mother, who Marinette reunited her with. Marinette repeatedly tries to fix abused kids’ relationships to their parents with no regard for how that could harm them in the long run (Adrien, Chloé and Kagami). It’s a pattern, but the show thinks Marinette’s missteps shouldn’t be pointed out because she “had good intentions” when her intentions in the instances of The Bubbler, Style Queen and Ikari Gozen were nothing more than: “Well, my parents are great, so these kids are obviously safe with the parents I just saw make them miserable!” The accusing finger for Chloé’s behavior should be pointed at Audrey. Marinette being “triumphant” over Chloé because Chloé is now stuck with the abuser who made her is already iffy without the added grossness of Marinette being the one who reunited them in the first place.

[felixcloud6288]

Dungeon Meshi Chapter 61

It's back to those two guys.

Before this, the only hint to what Kabru's life under his foster mother was a single panel in chapter 55 showing him being a bit annoyed at her hugging him. He commented that things will get tiresome if he has to ask for her help.

Honestly, it's always difficult for a parent to realize their children are growing up. It's probably even harder for elves since their children grow much slower. So an elf raising a non-elf would probably struggle to realize how quickly their kid is growing. It's probably a similar vibe to having a dog all their life and still thinking of them as a baby even when they're old.

This shot made sure you noticed all the scars on her arms.

Over the entire page this panel is in, her arms became more visible as Kabru kept talking about wanting to go into the dungeons and asking her to train him to fight.

Even if she is strong, she didn't walk out of dungeons unharmed. No matter how strong you are, death is always a possibility when it comes to the dungeons.

I almost feel like she trained Kabru wrong on purpose. As I've pointed out before, Kabru's fighting style is better suited to assassination than monster hunting. And the only glimpse we see of his training was him fighting her and her dolls. She wanted to make him give up on swordsmanship. But if that failed, not giving him the skills needed to actually explore a dungeon might discourage him as well.

Mithrun is pragmatic. Even if he might have any negative feelings about what Kabru pulled, it's not like he can get through the dungeon alone, especially since they ended up all the way down the sixth floor.

I do have to question how they ended up in the sixth floor specifically. I can understand ending up all the way down to the fifth floor since the subterranean graveyard stretches wider than the second through fourth floors, but the sixth floor is entirely underground.

The fall was entirely due to Thistle's magic, so he probably just erased everything directly below the area that collapsed, leaving an opening to the sixth floor.

Kabru confirmed a few things about the Canaries. The ear notches indicate the criminals in the group. Meanwhile Pattadol and Mithrun are nobles in charge of them. Do only guards have those fairy companions?

Kabru's notes on Mithrun mention black eyes are rare for an elf. Since his eyes seem to change color when he strongly emotes, there's probably something to that.

And of course Kabru doesn't find Mithrun interesting. Mithrun has no personality to speak of.

Got excited to see another shapeshifter. I really wish we got more recurring monsters throughout this series. Most of them just appear for one chapter, get eaten, and then never appear again.

And shapeshifter is its actual name since Mithrun called it that. When Laios's team encountered it, "shapeshifter" seemed to be a generic term for monsters like certain types of slime, succubi, or magic mirrors that use mimicry or illusions to infiltrate a group.

Mithrun has totally used his teammates as projectiles in the past.

While the fake Mithrun might look and behave exactly like the real one, there's no way it has the same information the real one has. When Laios's party encountered the shapeshifter, only the real Laios could explain what was happening. And the party identified his fakes because they couldn't chime in at all.

Since Kabru didn't know what a shapeshifter was, I'm inclined to believe the Mithrun on the right is the real one. He led the discussion on shapeshifters, and Kabru could have filled in the blanks allowing the left Mithrun to say what he said.

The Mithrun who suggested they leave to dispel the illusion, the one who contacted the canaries, and the one who was generally in the forefront of each group shot is also likely the real one.

Meanwhile, I can't tell for the life of me which one is the real Kabru.

This will be fun to see animated. I think the fairy switched between Fleki, Otta, and the guy who turns into a wolf. Fleki's name got dropped in the conversation.

Mithrun couldn't tell which Kabru was the real one.

Despite being a guard and (presumably) being second-in-command, Pattadol does not get much respect in the group. Cithis seems to be the real second-in-command.

Cithis said it will take about a week before they can come for the captain. On Laios's side, seven or eight days have passed since he parted ways with Kabru. So the Canaries likely are already deep in the dungeon when the Winged Lion warned Laios about them last chapter.

Love seeing how much psychic damage Laios has caused Kabru. This looks like the poster of a cheap B horror movie from the 1950s.

Haven't seen anything this poor in nutrition since Falin's skeleton.

Kabru is trying so hard to cozy up to someone who doesn't care at all.

He's treating Mithrun the same way his foster mother treated him at the start of the chapter.

Kabru is manipulative and always tries to see through people to figure out who they really are underneath. Ironically, Laios has given him an entirely wrong impression by just acting like himself and willingly sharing his bizarre interests.

From a physics perspective, this works and makes sense and I kind of hate that it does.

Since things like momentum and velocity are kept when teleporting, a falling object that is teleported in place but flipped upside-down would still keep its relative velocity. This would probably make for an interesting physics problem. "An object falling at terminal velocity is suddenly teleported upside-down causing its velocity to now go upward. How many seconds will the object move upward and how long does it take for it to return to falling at the same speed before it was teleported?"

Kabru and Mithrun have apparently found the Touden party's lost gear before they did. So they're only several hours ahead of the party at this point. I bet the shapeshifter from earlier is the same one Laios's party encounters.

The dungeon will provide various necessities when anyone in it wishes for them. Mithrun said to not wish often though. The dungeon is feeding off desires so it probably becomes stronger every time someone looks for a place to rest.

Big bombshell reveal.

So Mithrun probably was trying to be sympathetic to Thistle during their fight. Mithrun was also a dungeon lord and he may have been trying to convince Thistle to give up his title before whatever happened to Mithrun and his unit happens to Thistle.

Mithrun is stoic and unemotive, so him making these faces and these dramatic gestures while talking about being a dungeon lord means whatever happened was serious.

back

[squigglebug]

Wyrdwood thought: I really hope that we see Robin and Morven establish a line of communication with one another at some point. the rest of the party giving a quick recap of what happened over the last day or so has worked so far, but it's not a long term solution. I think Robin and Morven are at a point currently where they feel very negatively about one another, which is entirely understandable but ultimately detrimental. And besides, they're sharing a body, at least for the time being. It's good for them to build a relationship with one another. Personally, I see this being something that develops in stages over time:

Stage one: Written communication. This could start as them writing short notes to one another about what happened while they were out, but I think my favorite variation on this would be a shared journal. This gives them a way to stay up to date on what the party has been up to, but also gives them a way to get to know one another. I'm not actually sure if Robin canonically knows how to read but he could definitely learn, and someone else could act as his scribe while he's learning. I really like the idea of them really using the journal to get their thoughts out, not just to keep the other informed.

( @ctrl-alt-em wrote a really good exploration of Robin and Morven communicating via notes last month! you should go check that out)

Stage two: Telepathic communication. Telepathic speech is one of Morven's class features, and my headcanon is that her psionic abilities are what allow her to sometimes catch glimpses of what Robin is doing even though he's completely unaware of what she does. I don't think it would be especially difficult for her to establish a telepathic link between the two of them that allows them to consciously relay messages back and forth. The main reason I see this as something they have to work up to is that it requires them to trust one another enough to let the other person into their head. Currently, Robin sees Morven as a violent invader who's trying to steal his body away from him (not entirely inaccurate) and Morven sees Robin as a doddering fool who's just in her way (also not entirely inaccurate). They'll need to have some baseline shared respect to make this work.

Stage three: Shared consciousness. I see this as their relationship's final form, and again, it requires a lot of mutual trust and respect. I really hope that Robin and Morven get to a point where they are an equal partnership, fully aware of what the other is doing and willing to hand over control if they think their headmate is better suited to the task at hand. Andy said in the character creation video that he plans to let the dynamic play out, and while I think it's possible that either Morven or Robin could end up in total control, I think it's far more likely that they'll be sharing things. Also I love the idea of one of them frantically trying to pop in to save the other from danger. Basically I just want Morven and Robin to be friends :(