#and this will be one of the few times i'll be watching seasons for the first time alongside him instead of rewatching.

[yelenabelovasbxtch]

Hoop Dreams

a/n: Took a hiatus but @yelenaslyubov inspired me to come back and write a story !! I hope you enjoy. Submit something good in my requests and maybe I'll do it...👀

Jock Kate Bishop X f!reader

Word Count: 3158

Warnings: Smut ! kinda homoerotic friendship vibes to start. 18+

Summary: Everyone except you and Kate can see you are both very clearly in love with one another.

If anybody knew what it was like to be in love with your best friend and everyone but you knew it, it was you. On the outside, to basically anyone who looked at the two of you, you were unequivocally in love. To you, she was your best friend, someone you’d do anything for, anytime, anywhere and did she make you feel like you were on the top of the world every time you saw her? Yeah maybe. But she’s your best friend. 

You and Kate met a little over 2 years ago and while you were often crossing paths before that, you never seemed to directly make contact. Until one day you had a conversation with her and from there on it was like you were making up any excuse imaginable to bump into her again. That probably should’ve been your first sign that you had a crush but at the time you just thought you finally found someone you clicked so well with. After a few more convos here and there you finally decided to find her on Instagram and one DM later the rest was history. You guys have talked every day since then. Kate played on the basketball team at your college, you worked on the game day operations team as floor director for that team. It’s honestly surprising that it took 2 years at the school for your paths to cross. It was usually your favourite part of your week getting to watch Kate hoop. She was by far the best player on your team averaging 28 points per game. As floor director you get to be in charge of how things happen and making sure they all run smoothly such as player intros, halftime contests and post game interviews. So you tried your best to watch her play as much as you could but sometimes you get caught up doing bigger responsibilities that get poured on your plate. 

Today, you were up in the broadcast booth where the cameras and commentators were running up a last minute message request to read out at the end of the fourth quarter. One of your other close friends Yelena worked one of the broadcast cameras. Yelena has been a long time friend, and one of those people that are outside of yours and Kate’s friendship who clearly see what you two can’t. 

“Hey Lena, how’s the game going from up here.” You say after climbing 3 flights of stairs to get to her. 

“Pretty good, your girl is just crossed someone to hit a bank 3” she says with a wink. 

You roll your eyes at her comment but couldn’t help but smile after watching the replay on the video board. 

“Looks like she’s going for a new season high” she says as the number next to Kate’s name goes up to 36. 

“Whole lotta game left, maybe career high.” You replied as you saw the minutes wind down in the 3rd. 

“Do you have anywhere else to run to?” Yelena asked. 

“Not right now”

“Sit and stay for a minute with me then I’m lonely sometimes up here.” She says with her goofy ass grin. 

You smile and shake your head as you pull up a chair next to her. Kate hits a buzzer beater middy to finish the 3rd and you’re smiling ear to ear. 

“Look at you y/n”

“What?”

“Your stupid grin.”

You just stare at her pissed off as she laughs. 

“Come on- when are you going to admit that the air is thick and the tension is there every single time you guys hang out.” 

“Lena it’s just not like that, we’re just friends. Besides, I don’t even know if she likes girls, we’re close but she’s only ever really mentioned men since I met her.”

“Y/n c'mon you can’t be that nice at basketball and not be gay.” She said with a laugh. “We all know Paige Bueckers and Azzi aren’t foolin’ anyone.”

“Uh huh”

“Either way y/n/n, I see the way she scans the arena for you when she’s on the bench.”

“Well if that’s true, then I better get down there so she can see me can’t I.” You say in a snarky tone. 

“Leaving me for your girlfriend, typical.” She says jokingly. 

“She’s not my girlfriend Belova.”

“Yeah whatever, I just know that in 2 minutes when that clock winds down to zero you’re the first person she’s looking for.”

“Guess we’ll see” you say and shrug. 

You made it back down the floor level with 30 seconds left on the clock. As time winds down, her teammate inbounds the ball to her as she slowly takes it up the court and lets the time fall off. They were already up by 18 at this point and Kate had a career game with 48 points. 

You’re walking down past the courtside seats as the buzzer goes off and she sees you from the other end of the court. The two of your bodies relax as your pupils dilate at the sight of one another. You both walk together with haste and you give her the biggest, sweatiest hug. 

“Congrats on your new career high Kate” you say to her as she holds you tighter in her arms. 

“Thanks y/l/n. Hit that bow & arrow celly just for you tonight.” She says jokingly with a wink. 

Kate’s teammates come rushing over and empty their Gatorade bottles over her head as they all jump celebrating her new record. The media quickly rushes in and you lose sight of her as they pull her aside for the post game interview. 

You see her motion one second to the media as they’re putting the headset on her.

“Y/n! Y/n!” She says calling over to you, “don’t leave, imma come find you after this.”

You softly smile and nod your head at her and go start listening to how your crew is doing on the walkies. Post game can get a little hectic so it’s not the end of the world if you need to lock in for a second and finish your game day duties. 

The two of you were taking sneaky glances at one another while you were both working. You loved watching her bask in all her success with her team and the fans. She loved watching you just do what you're great at too. Her hitting a career high was nothing compared to the dopamine she knew she was going to feel celebrating it with you tonight. 

Kate finished up her interviews and you watched as she tossed her towel over her shoulder and walked over to you collecting papers at the scoring table. 

“Here” Kate says, opening her hand to you. 

“What?”

“Let me carry those for you.”

“Kate you just played a whole game, I think I can manage a few papers on my own.”

Kate rolled her eyes and extended her hand again, putting emphasis on it this time. 

You gave her an “are you serious” look and knew she wasn’t going to give up so you smacked them down in her hand. 

“Ow papercut!” She says “haha kidding”

You’re shaking your head with a smile on your face. She’s the goofiest person you know but it is one of her most adorable traits. 

Kate walks with you back to the main office to put the papers away and like a golden retriever, she is immediately intrigued by everything surrounding her. 

“Wowwww what’s this!!” She said pointing at about 50 different things. Most people would get annoyed with someone asking 101 questions but with her you could do it forever. It's part of what makes you guys such good…friends. 

You went to put away your walkies and ear pieces but the basket the extra cases go in was on a High shelf. You kept jumping trying to grab it but your finger tips could just barely graze the bottom of the box. Kate saw you struggling and came over to help. You were on your tippy toes when all of a sudden she was right next to you, towering over you grabbing the basket. You were looking right up at her, nearly a couple inches from her face as she looked down at you. 

clears throat “thanks” you say. 

“What are tall friends for!” Kate says in a super excited voice. For a second there, Yelena got in your head. But Kate clearly not seeing the same thing to you just said that there is nothing there between you two and you were clearly right. 

“Don’t you need to go shower”

“What do I smell or something y/l/n?” She said with this stupid cocky smirk on her face. 

“Yes. Like ass - go shower” 

Kate’s smile just drops off her face as she lunges towards you and wraps her arms around you. 

“Ew Kate stop!!” You were saying as she was laughing wrapping her sweaty arms around you. “You didn’t seem to mind earlier, what’s the problem now?”

“Earlier I was impressed with your new career high. Now it’s old news”

“Wowwwwww” she says with her mouth wide open “guess I’ll just have to drop 50 for you next week to love me again” 

“Make it 55” you said with a wink. 

“Done.”

“You did look good out there today though seriously.”

“Is that all I am to you y/n? A piece of meat?” She says sarcastically with a fake gasp. 

“Yeah basically”

“Wow okay well then how does this make you feel?” She asks and flex’s her arms. 

“Oh- so very aroused” you say overly sarcastic

“Thought so.” Kate replied as you both giggled at each other. 

“Sooo since I helped you carry all those super heavy papers are you going to help me grab my stuff from the bench and bring it back to the locker room?”

You stare at her and roll your eyes as you reluctantly say “I guess so”

At this point the two of you have been doing crap in the office for so long that almost everyone has cleared out from the stadium. You head back out there to grab her warm up shirt and other items as you walk back through the tunnel to the change room. She opens the door as you stand outside. 

“Come on, what are you doing?”

“I��m allowed back there?”

“Yes y/n, besides nobody’s even here they all showered and left already.”

“Okay if you say so…”

You walked back with her as she threw her stuff in her stall. 

“I’m going to shower, you gonna wait for me?”

“Sure yeah”

“Okay cool, feel free to hang out in my stall I’ll be back in a bit.”

You sat there looking at all of the stuff people had in their stalls. Kate didn’t have too much, it was honestly fairly organized, you were surprised. She had a couple of pairs of shoes, water bottles, extra shorts and shirts and at the very back of it, a polaroid of you taped for her to see before every gameday. The thought of her looking at you before she steps on the court every time made you blush a little. 

“Y/n can you come here!” You hear yelling from the showers. 

You walk over and ask her what’s up. 

“Can you grab me some extra soap? This one ran out. It should be in the closet to the right of you”

“Sure” you reply and go grab some. You walked over to her shower stall and pushed the curtain aside just enough for your arm to squeeze through without seeing anything. “Here you go”

“Thanks babe” she says as she grabs it. Her hand grazes yours and you can’t help but all of a sudden feel a little nervous, chills running down your spine. Fuck Yelena. She majorly got in your head. Did you have feelings for Kate? You don’t want to ruin your friendship and she clearly doesn’t like you like that so stop thinking like that!

“I’ll um be back in the locker area” you say with a slight voice crack

“Ok!”

You’re scrolling TikTok to try to take your mind off of whatever the hell that was that just happened when Kate walks out into the changeroom, wrapped in a towel with wet hair. You cross your legs and clear your throat before saying anything.

“You’ve been acting weird today, is everything alright?” She asks.

“Yeahhh, I just have a lot on my mind.”

“Women problems?” She says looking over at you with a smirk and a laugh as she reaches to grab her clothing. Her silver chain dangling down as she bends back up.

“What? Pffft. No. Why would you say that?”

“I’m kidding…I know you can’t have woman problems when you’re too busy being in love with me.”

You feel a lump in your throat develop and Kate lets out a laugh insinuating she was kidding but then gives you a weird face when it wasn’t immediately reciprocated. 

Kate leaves for a second and comes back around the corner wearing only a sports bra and a clean pair of basketball shorts.

“You need to relax y/l/n. You are seriously tense, let me help.” she says as she comes behind you and starts rubbing your shoulders.

The slight touch had a pool developing in your pants. Not good, so not good. 

She is working your shoulders and neck and starts rubbing down your chest a little, you let out a little whimper hoping to god she didn’t notice. “That feel good?” She whispered in your ear, you could feel her warm breath making all the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.

“Mhmm” was all you could get out. You could feel her smirk from behind. 

All of a sudden you felt her lips ever so slightly graze your neck. And then again, and again as she left a trail of kisses down to your shoulder. You let out another moan at the feeling that you have been craving since the day you two met and you just didn’t know it. 

“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to do this.” she whispers. 

Kate spins you around so you’re facing her. Her soft lips connect with yours as her hand comes up to your neck and runs through your hair pulling your face in tight to hers. 

“Me too” you gasp out in between kisses.

She pulls you up not breaking your make out session and gently slams you against the lockers. You could feel her tugging at the hem of your shirt wanting it off. You pull it over your head so quickly as Kate immediately starts kissing down your chest. You feel her left hand go around your back and in one quick motion unhook your bra perfectly as it falls to the floor. 

“Wow, you are gorgeous.” she says as she takes you all in. “I have been dreaming about this forever.”

“Oh yeah?” You reply in a flirtatious tone. “What happens in your dreams?”

“Well pretty much exactly this…and then maybe something else…” She says as her finger tips graze the inside of your waistband. Seeking your approval with a simple look, you quickly nod your head yes. 

Kate’s hand quickly sinks into your pants, as she slowly starts to rub between your lips. She manages to find the perfect spot to make you squirm from her touch. 

“That feel good, baby?”

“Y-yes, s-so good.”

You feel Kate push a finger in and your knees nearly buckled from under you. You try to hold yourself up as soft moans escape your lips. Kate kissing you as her fingers make you feel unspeakable things. It felt like Kate knew your body like it was her 100th time doing this. She just knew all the right places to rub and the speed that you needed her at. 

She puts another finger in you and you moan her name loud enough that anyone outside of the changeroom could hear. “Shhhh baby” she says. 

Her hand thrusting into you as she leaves small hickies on your neck for anyone to see. 

“Kate- I’m getting so close.” You mumble out.

“All I want. Is to feel you cum all over my fingers.” she says in the most insanely seductive tone.

You were pushed to your edge the way she was speaking in your ear and released all over her. Her thrusts slowing down as your body starts to give out; she catches you and brings you over to her stall to sit down. 

You catch your breath for a second as you look over to see her throwing on her shirt. Fuck she looked hot in the sports bra. The way her arms looked and how toned she was. 

“Leaving already?” You ask her.

“No baby, just getting my things together so we can go back to my apartment and I can treat you properly.”

“That wasn’t proper?” You say with a laugh.

“y/n, you have no idea the things I’m going to make you feel tonight.”

Fuck that confidence was hot. She was hot. How are you just now discovering this after being friends with her for this long. 

You just stare at her in awe of that performance and what she just said.

“Here’s the plan baby, we are going to go back to my place and hop in the shower together. I'm going to make you cum in the shower this time, so hard that when I take you for a nice dinner afterwards, walking is going to be a challenge. Then we are going to come back to my apartment and I am going to kiss every inch of you, tell you how beautiful you are and hold you until you fall asleep in my arms.”

You just look at her and nod your head in approval. 

“Let’s go love.” she says, extending her hand to help you up. She hands you your clothing as the two of you gather all your stuff to head out.

Kate grabs your hand and holds it tight as you walk out of the changeroom to go back to her place. As soon as you turn the corner to leave, there stands Yelena looking at the two of you walk out of the changeroom disheveled and holding hands. 

“I KNEW IT” she screamed. 

You were practically hiding in your shirt from her as Kate just smirked and looked at you and looked back at Yelena. 

“It’s always been her, what can I say?” Kate says to Lena.

“Be safe you two, I don’t want to be an aunt just yet.” She says as she walks away.

You both laugh and head out. Looking over at Kate still catching glimpses of one another when the other isn’t looking. Fuck she really is the one. 

Taglist: @yelenaslyubov @youreatotalposer @jeyramarie @flosbelova @bridgecitybrad @justthis-stuff @chloe7076 @ailenepuff @ravenclawbitch426 @mellowladyangel @amcg0605-blog @kassies-take @yelenaswife1996 @wandanatchick @lilroachsworld @inluvwithfictionalwomen @x666hours @natashaswife4125 @onetruwhore @karmasgxrl @hopelesslyfallenninlove @setsuna1415 @swiftdazer @imobsessedwithmilfss @madamevirgo @louisprettybab @splatalia-jumpanova @jediluka @t00manyfand0ms @oohlala666 @kates-abs-slay@scmg11@uselessgaez @katebishops-simp @d0ingitwithpassi0n @wuwu96 @ar23northlondon-forever

[multiversefanfics]

Unexpected Love

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Fem!Demon!Reader Warnings: Demons, cussing, violence, rude? little spoiler from season 4 A/N: While on a job Dean gets sideswiped by your beauty but there's one fatal flaw. You're a demon. Word Count: 1.3K

Just like any other job, they investigate, lie, research, argue a bit, and finally go in for the kill. This time, it was a bit different, but we're getting a little ahead of ourselves, let's go back to the beginning. It was a normal day for Sam and Dean they were on their way to another city and state to investigate the weird things that were going on there.

"Oh, c'mon Sammy live a little, we're going to Vegas, we'll do the job then we hit the slots." Dean didn't have to look over at him to know that Sam rolled his eyes "Dean, we're here for a job and that's it." It was Dean's turn to roll his eyes "You can't go to Vegas and not play at least one game." Sam pulled out his ringing phone, Dean glanced over and saw Bobby's name flash on the screen, he turned his eyes back to the road.

Now everyone knows Dean is a huge flirt but also a sarcastic asshole. Love wasn't really in his sights, not because he couldn't fall in love but with his job, he couldn't risk losing someone he cared deeply about, he's lost too many people already he couldn't stand another. Dean pulled into yet another motel parking lot as Sam's call came to an end.

Dean sighed and shut off baby, looking up at the motel. The two of them grabbed their bags and headed inside to book a room, Dean felt off he felt as though someone was watching him, I mean honestly who wasn't he was gorgeous, and he knew it, but this felt different. Dean shook the feeling and continued to the room. Sam started on the research while Dean placed the salt in front of the door, all the windows, and a couple of hex bags around the room.

Dean plopped down on the edge of the bed and looked over at Sam, who was typing away on his computer. "Alright, so we're dealing with a classic demon. We go in, exorcise it, and we're back on the road." Sam looked up at Dean who was shooting him a glare "Why are you in such a rush to leave?" Sam rolled his eyes ignoring Dean's question.

Sam and Dean crept around, knives in hand, looking for said demon. "C'mon Sam, one slot game and then we can leave, and I'll never ask for anything else the rest of the trip." Sam rolled his eyes "Fine, we finish the job, you don't get your ass kicked by the demon and I'll let you play one game." Dean smirked and nodded "Deal." They turned the corner and came face to face with you.

"Hello, boys." You smirked waving your fingers sarcastically. They both stood straight "You let us creep around, while you just stood here waiting for us?" You shrugged your shoulders "I played a few board games while I waited" With one swipe of your hand you slammed Sam into the distant wall, you smiled and looked back at Dean "That was fun." Dean stood there shocked, no matter how many times he sees that happen it will always shock him.

You put your hand up pressing Dean into the door behind him "Little Dean Winchester, I must say you look really good." You stepped closer taking in his beauty, you breathed in his scent smiling to yourself "You smell even better." You looked back at Sam who was still knocked out on the floor, and you turned your attention back to Dean. "Oh, that's right you can't speak, my bad." You released your grip a bit but not fully.

"I'm going to kill you, you son of a bitch." Your eyes fluttered and you nodded at him "Is that so?" You took a step back letting Dean off the door "Then do it." You opened your arms for him to come get you, but he stood still. You tilted your head at him and slowly licked your lips, Dean was frozen he didn't know what he was feeling but he was feeling something.

You placed your hands on your hips "What's the matter, Dean? Scared?" Dean gulped and took a wobbly step toward you; this wasn't like Dean he was usually as solid as a rock, but he couldn't move. You giggled and walked around Dean eyeing him up and down "So this is the strong Dean Winchester, hmm. He's a pussy, just like his daddy."

Just then in one swift motion Dean had you pinned against the wall knife to your neck, his eyebrows scrunched together in anger "There he is, there's the Dean I was warned about. Did the daddy comment hit a nerve?" Dean pressed the knife deeper into your neck and gritted through his teeth "Shut up, you bitch." You giggled and looked him in the eyes.

"Dean.." Sam groggily stood behind him rubbing the back of his head "Oh good, Sammy is awake maybe he will get the job done." You felt Dean's hand twitch as much as you wanted to flip him around but with Sam's powers getting stronger you didn't want to risk it. "Dean, what are you waiting for?" Dean blinked a few times and backed away "I don't know." He looked at you then back at his hands.

Sam took it upon himself to try and exorcise you, it hurt like hell "I have something to say!" You screamed through the pain Sam didn't let up he pushed harder and harder "Ruby is playing you!" Sam looked at you, dropping you to the ground "What did you say?!" Your hand went to your throat as you tried to steady your breathing "What did you say!" Sam stepped toward you clenching his fist.

You looked up at him "Ruby is using you; Lilith isn't going to break the last seal; she is the last seal." Sam and Dean exchanged a look "How do I know you're telling the truth?" You looked up at Sam with a 'Are you kidding me' look "Everyone knows about what she's doing but since everyone is out to get you guys as well no one is going to say anything."

Dean groaned and helped you off the ground. "Alright, let's get back to the motel and talk about this." The three of you made it back to the motel. You and Sam sat down on the loveseat together while Dean paced back and forth. "Dean, you're creating a draft." You whined sarcastically. He stopped and looked at you. "Oh, I am so sorry, princess. Do you want a blanket?" You rolled your eyes and crossed your arms

"Okay, I'm gonna go get us some coffee." Sam got up from the loveseat and walked out the door, Dean sat down beside you and sighed "You better not be messing with us, Sam has his heart set on killing Lilith." You leaned your arms on your legs, looking over at Dean "I'm not messing with you, Ruby is using Sam to kill Lilith so Lucifer can take over his body." Dean looked over at you, the two of you looked each other in the eyes. Dean didn't know what he was feeling, but he was feeling something. What he did next shocked both of you.

Dean cupped your cheeks and pressed his lips hungrily to yours, his hands traveled down your body stopping at your hips and pulling you into his lap, your hands found their way to the back of his head. His fingertips pressed into your hips pulling you closer to him the kiss lasted for what seemed like forever, and the two of you slowly pulled back resting your forehead against his breathing heavily. Dean looked up at you and smiled "I think I finally know what love at first sight means."

A/N: This is my first Dean Winchester fic please be nice to me😂 but I hope you like it I tried my very best. I don't know if I should do a part 2 or not, if you'd like a part 2 let me know.

Main Masterlist - Dean Winchester Masterlist

[lostapple]

ohh thanks for the tag! i haven't ever really done a tag game so i'll try my best here

last song: villain by stella jang, but various covers

last book: gideon the ninth (in the middle of reading it)

last movie: i have genuinely no idea here, i rarely ever watch movies and i cannot remember the last time i watched a full one (that wasnt just looking at a few minutes of whatever was playing on tv) so i'll just tak the opportunity to list my favorite movie which is either into the spiderverse or across the spiderverse. i like them both equally

last TV show: link click!! finale for the newest season JUST came out and ohhh boy. oh man

last thing I searched: fangamer europe

favourite colour: lavender and mint and some types of yellow that i dont know the name of (looknig it up, either lemon of sunflower)

sweet/savoury/spicy: secret fucked up option (sweet-salty, think salted caramel or chocolate, or sweet-sour, like an orange eaten with a banana)

relationship status: married to the grind (single)

looking forward to: masquerade party i'll attend in a bit. also deltarune release. mostly the deltarune release

current obsession: nothing very strongly right now, if i had to choose maybe link click (comeback) + project sekai(new)? also utdr as always. and hollow knight making a comeback right now. also malevolent and slay the princess but thats another all time given

tagging: my awesome roommates (@time-to-leave-machine @onethousandmoths @anglerfish-illusionist), mutuals i never talked to but are cool (@paradoxgavel @glitch10 @lilybug-02) and mutual i havent talked to in a long while but youre also cool (@bandanabiel) and also anyone else who wants to

'Ten people I'd like to get to know better!' game tagged by @vanilla-phantoms

last song - I/ Me/ Myself by Will Wood but. Kasane Teto cover

last book - Howl's moving castle by  Diana Wynne Jones

last movie - My best friend had us watch one of the one piece movies, I'd not know which one though

last tv show - I just rewatched Bee and Puppycat again

last thing I searched - Google translate lol 🧍‍♂️

favorite color - Purple

sweet/savory/spicy - Sweet but not too sweet, just the right amount

relationship status - single

looking forward to - Spring! Please!

current obsession - Wolf359 has been taking up the majority of my brain but also Para Pente since I started rewatching it

Tagging: @dinatela, @historyofmemes, @houstondoyoucopy, @transkepler, @st-peculiar

[theflyingfeeling]

the love of my entire life

[icewindandboringhorror]

Various images of things

[mariocki]

Shadows of Fear: Did You Lock Up? (1.1, Thames, 1970)

"And they didn't make much mess?"

"No, not really. They forced that door. Smashed the cabinet, slashed a sofa. And kicked a hole in the bedroom door."

"Ah. Big mistake."

"What is?"

"Never lock inside doors. Anything you can to keep them out - but when they're in, let 'em get on with it."

"I'll remember."

[running-in-the-dark]

okay so I was already going to watch house md again at some point... but since john larroquette is in an episode, maybe I'll do it sooner rather than later. I could just watch that episode. but. no 🤔

[tinaminadika]

I have just finished watching Good Omens S1 and I can't stop thinking about this one thing:

You're my best friend by Queen is sooo Aziraphale and Crowley

"You're making me live now, honey" ... can you deny it?? Crowley to Aziraphale, I've seen it with my own fucking eyes.

"I've been with you for such a long time" 6000 years, hellooooo???

"You're my sunshine" ??? Hell yes!!

"I've been wandering around, still come back to you" you sure fucking do!!!

"The world is cruel, you're making me forgive" ???

Embodiment of how Crowley looks at Aziraphale

My God I'm going to die ....

[violentlydefending]

i love getting into things when they're about to end it's perfect. least amount of waiting for new stuff until completion but also getting to join in on the excitement of finales as they come it's great

[wheucto]

[welcometogrouchland]

Was contemplating whether or not to rewatch the specials before watching and dreaming comes out and then I remembered that the last time I watched thanks to them and for the future was...(checks notes) 20 days ago (KEEP IN MIND I'VE ALREADY SEEN THE SPECIALS AT LEAST 4 OTHER TIMES) I think it's safe to say that. I Do Not Need To Do That

[thekinkymadscientist]

I'd like to give you an orgasm button.

It's quite the challenge to learn to orgasm on command, but you're a very good subject. I'll get some little plastic button, something that makes a distinctive click when you press it. I'll get you nice and worked up, and then press the button as you cum.

A few more times around, and some intense hypnotic sessions -- perhaps conditioning you while you're hypnotized as well -- and now we have the trigger implanted nice and firmly. When the button is pressed, you cum.

And since I'm a nice tist, and since it is the season of giving and all, I'll let you keep the button for yourself. Whenever you're feeling horny, whenever you want to feel good, you can just press it, and you cum.

Every so often I'll reinforce the trigger, just to make sure it stays nice and strong. The orgasms the button gives you will be deliciously powerful. I imagine you'll stop masturbating before too long. Oh, you might edge yourself if you want to really enjoy the build-up and anticipation, maybe touch idly while watching or reading some smut... but if you want an orgasm, the button's right there, and it feels much better than your own hands or toys. You'll have the button in front of you, and when you've ridden the edge for long enough, you press the button and you cum.

And over time, you'll end up pressing that button more and more often. Whenever you're a little stressed, or horny, or bored... the button's right there. There are no restrictions. Press it and you cum.

After you've been using the button for a few weeks, after it's become routine... I'll wait for one of those reinforcement sessions. I'll reinforce the trigger again, of course. But when you wake up, this time you'll see I'm holding the button. I'll press the button, and watch you cum.

What I won't do is give the button back. And you'll find that you've done two very important things over the past few weeks. First, you've gotten yourself so used to having frequent, amazing orgasms. Your body and mind expect to cum very hard, several times a day. You crave it. And second, your body has forgotten how to cum without that button. Every time you masturbated, it was the button that got you over the edge. You need the button, now. And if I don't press it

you don't cum. And even now you feel that desperate need building. You'll do anything for me to press that button. You'll do anything for me to let you cum.

You managed to addict yourself to the orgasms from that button, and even made it so that you couldn't cum any other way. All just by pressing the button yourself, and a few extra suggestions in the reinforcement sessions that you didn't remember. Not everyone would be able to do that to themselves, but like I said, you're a very good subject.

[worthyking]

finallt watched anne with an e and I really should not have put it off for as long as I did (years) it was so good my heart is crying now

[writersblockiskillingme]

Russian Roulette | The Salesman

Pairing: The Salesman x fem!reader

Summary: After doing everything in your power to find the salesman who got you and Gi-hun into all this mess, he unexpectedly shows up in your motel room.

Warning/s: SPOILERS FOR SEASON 2!!, angst, unspoken feelings (until now), guns, playing Russian Roulette, threatening, mocking, blood, character death, cursing (maybe, idk), tears, talk about the games, tension, reader gives off femme fatale energy, also reader has longer hair to fit into a braid but if you don't just ignore it please, possible grammar and spelling mistakes

Author's note: I just watched the first few episodes, and for a little while, I got out of the writers block. NO SPOILERS, PLEASE!

Prequel to this fic here!

Rain was pouring down like crazy, wind blowing around as I drove my black car with full speed as I tried to get to the Pink Motel that Gi-hun and I co-owned as fast as I possibly could after today's events. Gun that was placed on the seat next to me was jumping slightly as I drow down the road every time I hit a bump or such. My left hand gripped the steering wheel til my knuckles turned pure white as my right hand gripped the phone to the same extent.

"I found bloodstains there!" I practically shouted into my phone as I came to a stop, the images of blood seeping down the trash bags and the knife thrown on the ground never really leaving my mind. "Gi-hun is still looking, I'm sure they didn't get far from that alley."

"What do we do, miss?"

"Check all the CCTV and dashcam footage you can collect from the area and keep asking around." I continued to practically shout for him to hear me over the rain on the street, my braid swinging over on my left shoulder as I got out of the car, running towards the entrance to the Pink Motel.

"I'll join you soon." And with that, I ended the call, quickly putting my phone in the left pocket of my jacket.

I roughly pulled loose threads of hair that fell on my eyes as I quickly took out the key. However, I came to a sudden stop. Something wasn't right. I found myself freezing as I slowly moved my head to look around. That's when I noticed. The sign of the Pink Motel was lit up.

Someone is here, and they want me to know that.

I stood there in the rain for a little while before I decided to take a deep breath before entering. I walked up all the way to the fourth floor before entering, the light going on as I did. I walked into my bedroom as quietly as I could. But even before I could prepare myself for what I was about to see, just as I walked to the end of the first corner, I saw him.

After three years of endlessly, tirelessly trying to find him, he was here. Right in front of me. He was standing in front of my wall, a shining black gun in his hand, looking at the calendar on which I crossed the dates with red marker every single day for three years. Next to in was a map of the underground, every single route mapped out, drawn on, and my handwriting shone on it to.

"It's been a long time, Miss."

For a while, I said nothing. I was just standing there, soaking wet, the rain that I took with me inside dripping on the floor. I was staking in his appearance for a moment. He was just as tall as I remember, standing there in his suit. For a moment, it seemed like he didn't change one bit, like nothing changed from the moment that I fist saw him on the train station three years ago.

But it did.

His hair was longer, I won the games alongside Gi-hun, we weren't on the train station, but in my Motel room, he wasn't holding a briefcase, he was holding a gun and I didn't.

But his voice was the same, he was still as tall as I remember, I suppose his smile was the same, too. And maybe, just maybe, he was feeling the same feelings he did three years ago before I gained and lost it all.

I just sighed and moved towards the table I ate. There was a towel that I threw last night. I started to pat my hair, trying to dry it off as I looked around for some dry clothes.

"You should've gotten on that plane that day." He said, looking over at me as I paused.

"I changed my mind when I saw you there." I said before continuing to dry myself.

The moment of quiet continued as I put the towel away. He tapped the map with his gun before he started to speak again. I truly didn't know how to feel. After I wasted three years trying to find him, he just shows up at my motel room. Funny.

"It looks like you've been trying hard to find me, darling." I could just hear that ignorant smirk in his voice. Motherfucker.

"Don't let it get to your head." I told him slowly, my voice completely calm. "I just wanted to thank you." I said as I took off my wet jacket, throwing it in the corner.

"Thank me?" He asked as he sat down on one of the sofas by the table next to my bed. I turned to look at him slowly, a dry jacket in my hand. That's when I noticed blood on the collar of his suit and his face. Motherfucker.

"For inviting me to the game." I said as I approached him, his eyes on me as I sat down, opposite him. "I won and took a bloody fortune with me."

He kept quiet, listening to me, his dark eyes flickering all over my face as I spoke.

"So the decent thing of me to do would be to thank you for it."

"I'm just a messenger who delivers invitations." He smirked, but before he could say more, I continued, all off my anger resurfacing.

"And just who had you deliver those invitations, handsome?" I spoke, venom infecting my every word. "Let me meet him. I have something to say to him."

"Give me the message, and I'll pass it along." He continued, giving me a smile at the end. It appears that I was right. His smile is the same.

"Oh, dear." I mockingly pouted as I crossed my legs. "I'm afraid that it's not something I can discuss with an underling like you."

His smile quivered as he raised his eyebrow. Waiting on me to continue.

"You prey on people who are hanging by a thread and corner them at subway stations." I could feel myself slowly starting to shake from anger and despair. "Someone like you wouldn't be able to understand what I'm trying to say, of course."

For a while, there was silence yet again. We were just looking at each other. Our eyes never leaving each other's.

"You know what the funniest thing was?"

"What, miss?"

"For a moment, when I was hunting you down, I was just delusional enough to think that we could actually team up. You know? Take down the games and whoever was behind them. I liked you. And I liked to think that. But now I realize just how wrong I was." I whispered, turning away from him as I spoke. Yet I still felt his eyes on me. "And boy was I wrong. You will never change. You like the monstrous things that you are doing."

"How do you think I got to where I am now?"

"I don't fucking care." I spat at him as I turned to look at him again, his expression unreadable. "I don't care how you became their dog. I just want you to bring me your master."

He looked down, sighing as he cracked his neck, gun still in his hold. After a while he spoke again.

"I used to work in the games when I was younger. I removed and burned the bodies of countless people like you."

He was the pink guard once.

"'These things aren't human. They're just trash utterly useless in this world.' I kept telling myself that and worked hard for a few years." He spoke, suddenly smiling again. "Then they gave me a gun."

The triangle guard.

"It felt pretty good." He said as he lifted up his gun, examining it. "Like my existence was acknowledged for the first time in my life. I don't know which year it was, but one day, I was about to shoot a man who had lost a game. The guy seemed familiar. Guess who it was."

I kept quiet.

"My dad." He finally said. "My dad was suddenly standing in front of me. He was in tears, desperately begging me to spare his life."

He suddenly moved his hand, placing the gun in front of my forehead, but his suddenly, quick movement did not startle me one bit. I was used to it.

"I shot him right in the middle of his forehead, and realized, 'Ah. I'm cut out for this job.'"

He was looking straight at me, his dark eyes mad. I narrowed mine at him. Was I supposed to feel sorry for him? Maybe, but I didn't. Not only did he enjoy it, but he also has no idea how it was like for me. All the things Gi-hun and I went through. All of people we lost along the way... Ali... Sae-byeok... Sang-woo...

"Whether you shoot people in there or con them outside, it doesn't change anything." I said, slowly leaning over towards him. "You have always been nothing more than their dog."

He clicked his gun, putting his finger on the trigger, his expression darkening.

"Miss." He started, his hand shaking slightly as I kept completely still. "Do you think you're special because you won the game?"

I said nothing. My expectation still as I leaned forward just a bit more, pressing my forehead directly on his gun. His dark expression broke into one of shock.

"Someone like you could never know or understand how I made it out of there alive. And how it feels to play the games."

Suddenly, he pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. My expression barely changed, yet I could he on his face that my eyes old him every. Shock, disappointment and sadness.

He sighed before leaning over to me on the table that until now kept us at a distance. He was quiet for a while. I suppose he has always been that way.

"Let's play a game." He smiled at me.

I didn't say anything. He pulled out his phone and placed it on the table, letting a song play.

Time to say goodbye.

He leaned back against the seat as he lifted up his gun.

"I'm sure you've seen this in the movies." He started to explain, never breaking eye contact with me. "It's called Russian Roulette."

Motherfucker.

"Usually, you place one bullet in the gun, spin the cylinder, and pull the trigger." He said, clicking the gun in its place before pulling the trigger, explaining the game as he showed me what to do. "And before the next round, you spin the cylinder again. It rests the odds back to 1 in 6."

"I know." I mumbled and he smiled.

"But I'd like to make this game a little more serious." He smirked. "Because you're truly special, love."

"Cut to the chase." I glared at him and his stupid antics. He blinked at me and continued.

"We'll take turns pulling the trigger without spinning the cylinder again. The bullet will be fired within six attempts, and the game will be over." He paused. "What do you say?"

"Spin the gun." I frowned.

He smirked before gently placing the gun on the table. This could end badly on both sides, but for a moment, I found myself being selfish. Maybe, just maybe, if I lost this game after everything I went through, I could die and find peace with the people I lost. I could join them and leave with the feelings I have for him, that he possibly realized, unsaid. I could finally end it all. The night terrors, the time I spent searching for him, my cigarette addiction, mourning what I lost and what I couldn't have, yet at the same time not enjoying the money I got form the games. Who could enjoy that? Who could possibly enjoy living the life that I live.

He spinned the gun, and its tip pointed at me. Without a second thought, I took the gun and placed it by the side of my head. A few seconds later, not looking away from him, I pulled the trigger. Noting happened. That chamber was empty.

I put the gun on the table. I barely had time to move my hand before he took the gun, placed it by his head just like I did and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. He sighed in content as he placed the gun back on the table, smiling at me almost lovingly. I knew.

I took the gun and placed it by my head again, but before I could just pull the trigger he spoke up.

"I've always wondered how you made it out of there alive." He smiled before he laughed a little. "For, one thing, you were even terrible at ddakji."

I said nothing, glaring at him. I pulled the trigger. Nothing happened once again.

He looked at me, impressed by my luck so far. I looked him straight in the eyes as I threw the gun on the table. It slid over on the other side, right in front of me.

He took the gun after he took a moment to just look at me. Not breaking eye contact, he took the gun. Leaned over to me until he was basically touching me, pointing the gun at me. Then he did something that I did not expect at all. He put the gun in his mouth.

Motherfucker.

He pulled the trigger. I winced a little. Nothing again. He laughed at my expression as I tried my hardest to keep myself composed. He slowly took the gun out of his mouth before sitting back, putting the gun back on the table.

I took the gun and as I was about to place it by my head he spoke up again.

"What's the matter?" He asked me, raising his eyebrows. "Is your mind starting to race?"

I scoffed slightly.

Motherfucker.

"Now your odds of death are 1 in 2." He nodded. "That's pretty high indeed. I'm sure you're afraid, darling. Lots going through your mind."

I said nothing.

"Let me guess what you're thinking right now." Motherfucker. "'The gun is in my hand. Screw the rules. Pull the trigger once or twice, and I can blow his face off.' Isn't that right?"

I kept looking at him, glaring as I did. All while he spoke. "If you and Gi-hun want to meet the person you mentioned earlier, the key is in my pocket." At that I allowed my eyes to travel all over him. "You can simply shoot me with that gun and take it. But I'll have you admit one thing."

He took a moment to pause, my hand still holding the gun by my head. He leaned over once again.

"That you're a piece of trash, just like Gi-hun, just like everyone else that was in the games." He leaned over more closely, our lips practically touching as he spoke. "A piece of trash who got lucky and made it out of the dumpster."

He laughed as I pressed the gun against my head, our lips barely an inch away from each other's. This was it, I thought to myself. This round will determine if I live or die. I tightened the grip on the gun, my knuckles turning white again. I pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened.

He looked at me, then at the gun and then back at me. I started to chuckle lowly, like a maniac. Perhaps I was one. I watched his face closely as I pulled the gun away from my head. The grip on the gun still tight as I pointed it at his chin before slowly opening up my palm, waiting on him to take the final, real shot.

His hand touched mine. I felt him and myself freeze at the contact as he took the gun from my hand. I pulled my hand away as he looked at the gun.

"What's the matter?" I taunted him, my face mirroring the smirk that he always wears. "Is your mind starting to race?"

He said nothing as I spoke to him.

"That's right. Screw the rules. Now, with a single pull of the trigger, you could kill me." He looked pale at my words. "But... before you leave me forever this time. I'll have you admit two things."

He looked at me as I brought my hand at his cheek, wiping a little bit of blood on his face.

"You put a mask on your face and do whatever your master says. You run, bark, and wave your tail for them. You're nothing more than their dog." I told him before my voice became gentle.

He waited on me, his eyes soft.

"And regarding this." I said as I waved my hand slightly between the two of us. "You really are a dog. A dog that loves me. And... perhaps I am a fool, too. Because I love a dog that could've made it all work out for us but was too much of a coward to do so."

I leaned over to him, my hand landing under his chin, holding him.

"Admit it." I whispered as we looked each other in the eyes. "Admit that you love me, that you did ever since you gave me that fucking card."

For a moment, there was silence. His tortured eyes, looking at me. I knew. I always did. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, for a moment. This would be the last time that I spoke to him, that I could look into his eyes.

"I love you." He whispered.

All of a sudden, there was a loud sound followed by blood spraying my face as his body fell backward.

I stood up and walked over to him. I don't know how long I stood there, but after a while, I felt a tear sliding down my cheek. My hand touched my cheek as I whipped it away.

Motherfucker.

[falsecardigan]

No bc I agree with everything about this. I truly want to believe that everything wrong with the season five finale will be somewhat rectified in season six. Especially because we have almost a year until it airs. It won't be able to rectify the fact that Adrien wasn't there or the fact that he will never get the closure his character so desperately needs. However it can have Marinette actually think about what she's doing and have her change her mind and have her tell him (obviously as Ladybug). I'd rather it not narratively cause problems because it does upset me that this was one thing that genuinely had nothing to do with relationship conflict and it never should have been but all I want at this point is for Adrien to stop being left in the dark. It's been an ongoing theme in the show since season two and there are so many episodes showing why that shouldn't happen (especially in season four) and yet it keeps happening. The truth might hurt for him to hear but he deserves to know and I really do hope Maribug tells him because the absolute worst thing that could happen is someone else tells him.

ok since i’ve really only whined but not actually explained my reasoning lol, here is my take on the s5 finale. (this is long, sorry)

I think we’re all on the same page about the idea that gabriel being seen as a hero, by all of paris but especially adrien, is icky. and on top of that it does not feel good that marinette is supporting that lie, even if it’s out of love for adrien. most people are assuming this issue will be resolved somehow in 6, probably by lila exposing the truth. cool. that’s my hope as well. but even if that’s the case, i still dislike the framing of his wish and what the surrounding context seems to imply about it.

it is not my assumption that gabriel’s wish included green initiatives and a reformation of the parisian school system lol. I assume that his wish was to exchange his own life for nathalie’s. but as we know, wishes literally rewrite reality. the fact is that paris improved after his wish, so it is still related. he remade the world, and the new world ended up better. It all supports the idea that his wish was a good thing—a noble sacrifice that redeemed him in some sense. my impression is that even if (hopefully) he is exposed as hawkmoth, the actual wish he made will still be framed as admirable. obviously marinette found it noble enough to agree to lie to everyone about gabriel’s identity as hawkmoth.

which brings me to another pain point: the fact that gabriel essentially won the long battle against ladybug and chat noir. i’ve heard arguments that he didn’t win because he died and how is that winning? he got what he deserved in the end. but imo, he just put himself out of his own misery, because he was on the brink of death anyway because of his cataclysm wound, and he basically escaped having to face any emotional consequences from his literal terrorism and child abuse. and even if you don’t consider that a win, you also can’t consider marinette’s end of the deal a win either. her goal was to prevent hawkmoth from unifying the miraculous and making a reality-altering wish. which is exactly what happened. so she failed her mission. ladybug lost. and to me it’s sort of bizarre that the narrative seems to be framing that as a good thing? ladybug lost, but the new reality that resulted from it is so much better than the old one, and she is actively choosing to lie in order to protect the seeming goodness of that reality.

marinette is lying, of course, to protect adrien, which does not feel out of character. we’ve seen her do this before. but it is frustrating to me for precisely that reason. the final battle was meant to highlight how much marinette has grown over the past five seasons, but her choice here highlights the ways she has not grown. starting with syren in season 2, she has witnessed how much it hurts chat noir to be left in the dark and how it weakens their partnership. in that case, she convinced master fu to let him be in the know, and trust was restored. but then she continued a habit of keeping things from him, putting more and more distance between them, till it culminated with kuro neko in s4—a total breakdown of the ladynoir partnership, where chat noir renounced his miraculous. i would have thought that marinette would learn from that experience and realize that keeping people in the dark is harmful and that even if the truth hurts, adrien has a right to know it. but she once again made the decision for him, and when he finally finds out, it will be all the more painful to know that the person he loves and trusts most in the world lied to him. i actually really appreciate that marinette as a protagonist has such a good heart but is still such an imperfect character, so i want to respect this choice as a manifestation of her flawed but good intentions. i just can’t help but be really disappointed that after 5 seasons of making the same mistakes again and again, she has apparently not learned from them, which makes me feel she has not grown the way the writers say she has.

her facing hawkmoth alone for the final battle is supposed to be a sign of that growth—and yes, I can see how she has grown a lot in confidence and capability since her shaky debut as ladybug. but i also feel that her flying solo defies one of the central themes of miraculous: that in the fight against evil, good people need to stand together. just think of the difference between the s4 and the s5 finale. in strike back, ladybug is broken and sobbing because she has lost the miraculous and feels like a failure who is all alone. but then she is buoyed up by her faithful partner and all of paris, who express unbreakable faith in her and vow to stand by her side. that was so powerful! showing that she doesn’t have to be alone, and she’s not supposed to be alone, and that part of being a hero means accepting help and working with others to achieve good goals. this message was a major part of marinette’s character arc in s4 and it’s something that was introduced from the very beginning and has been supported over and over in the show. but then in “re-creation,” she has no team, and she doesn’t need one. which … good for her, I guess? But then why did we have 5 seasons of “you and me against the world” if in the end it was always going to culminate with “I'm sure we can figure out a solution if we work together. You … and me”—referring to Marinette and Gabriel, while Adrien is literally locked in a blank white prison hundreds of miles away?

it just really kills me that in kuro neko, adrien gave up his ring under the assumption that chat noir was not needed—that he was entirely useless to ladybug. and then the narrative proved him right. ladybug did not need chat noir to defeat monarch. she just needed his ring. the writers confirmed in their recent commentary that they had planned a bug noire fusion from the beginning, and they intentionally sidelined adrien so that could happen—they even had to figure out an excuse for why he wouldn’t be there. so they traumatized him with nightmares of destruction and fear of akumatization to ensure that he would once again give up his ring and conveniently remained locked away while bug noire faced down monarch alone.

you could argue that it’s better for adrien to have missed the final battle anyway, since facing his own father would just be even more traumatizing for him. i understand that. (that’s the reason i liked that in the owl house, it ended up being just luz vs belos, and hunter did not have to face him again.) but at the same time it feels so narratively unjust that chat noir—who has been fighting against hawkmoth by ladybug’s side since day 1—has zero part in seeing his mission through to the end. even though it’s all about him. because while marinette is the protagonist, adrien is the connecting piece of the whole story. it’s always been ladybug vs hawkmoth, and adrien is in the middle of them, because he’s both ladybug’s partner and gabriel’s son.

you’d think, logically, that as the connecting piece, Adrien’s decisions would be vital to the plot. That he’d have the power to tip it either way. but instead he is completely stripped of his autonomy—literally, because he’s a senti, and also symbolically in the narrative, because he’s simply removed from the equation. Like, he’s still central to the equation but he has no say in it. It’s all about him but he’s not even present. Everyone is fighting for him but he can’t fight for himself. Everyone is speaking for him but he doesn’t even have a voice.

the finale kind of sets up marinette and gabriel as narrative foils of each other, showing how they have the same motivation—to make adrien happy. and they make the same decision to protect that goal. which is interesting, sure, but also kind of effed up to me? i’m not sure what to take from the idea of the protagonist mirroring the antagonist in this way. that’s been done loads of times, but in this context, for a child audience, i don’t know what to make of it. what kind of message that is supposed to send to the children who are the primary audience of this show? ladybug is a good guy, and in the end, she’s just like the villain because they both love adrien and want to protect him. so that’s why she agrees to tell everyone the bad guy was a hero. ????

that gabriel/marinette parallel leaves adrien to parallel emilie, which makes sense and is fitting but also just sort of … depressing and again, lowkey effed up. that adrien ends up with the same narrative role as a corpse in a coffin. almost, like, macguffin-esque—a thing that motivates the agents of the story but has no agency itself. despite him being so central to both sides of the main conflict, his decisions don’t affect the outcome. because he doesn’t have the option to make any. because he’s not even present. both gabriel and marinette made a life-altering decision for adrien, thinking it was best for him, without considering that what’s best for him is to know his own story and make his own choices. him getting the rings was somewhat relieving, but it also felt like kind of a slap in the face. because it’s like, “look, adrien’s free! he has his amok and no one can control him anymore!” but, like, how free is a person who is living a lie? will he ever experience true autonomy, or will his life continue to be dictated by the decisions others make for him? will the narrative give him decision-making power or will his role continue to be symbolic?

one thing that makes this all extra dissatisfying is that Adrien literally does not have the option of getting closure with his father, because he’s dead. maybe a dramatic reveal in the middle of the final battle would not be the best way to go about it, but now he can’t have any sort of closure. in the owl house, it didn’t feel necessary for hunter to be present in the belos takedown because he already had his confrontation with belos in graveyard possession scene. belos tried to physically control him, and hunter broke free, and spoke his mind, and as traumatizing at is all was, it was good for him to be able to do that. it would’ve been so nice if adrien also had that opportunity. if he did break free from his father’s control, either by overcoming akumatization or the control of his amok somehow. or if not that, if he were just able to have one honest conversation with his father about emilie. like he did with his alt self in the paris special. it was so significant for the writers that bug noire detransformed and spoke to gabriel as marinette. why couldn’t adrien have done that? Marinette is the one to tell Gabriel that Adrien wouldn’t want him to make the wish and hurt someone else, that Adrien has made peace with his grief, that he has learned to cherish his mother’s memory without living in the past. wouldn’t that be even more powerful coming from adrien himself? if adrien was part of that final confrontation just as himself, we could even still have bug noire play a primary role.

i get that adrien being part of the battle is a risk, since we saw in chat blanc one option of how it could play out. but we also saw in the collector another potential way adrien might respond to learning that his father is hawkmoth—charging into battle by ladybug’s side. especially if he was given time to process the idea beforehand. it’s not impossible. you’d just have to compose the scene and its buildup a different way. so honestly it feels sort of lazy to just remove him for the sake of ease? and also sort of a waste of narrative potential? the villain being the father of one of the main characters is such an interesting plot element. imagine if luke skywalker did not ever face darth vader. if he never even learned that vader was his father. or if he learned that fact after vader’s death, which was the result of a confrontation he was not present for.

of course, i know adrien is not the protagonist. marinette is. and of course i want her to be empowered by the story. but i’m getting a little tired of what i see as kind of cheap feminism in ML. like, girl power for the sake of visibility so the writers can pat themselves on the back about it, if that makes sense? this show does have so much good feminist power with a strong female lead who has realistic flawless and a big heart, who overcomes self-doubt and other struggles, and who has proven time and again to be a smart, capable leader who has earned the trust of everyone on her team. but all of that sometimes feels undercut by the narrative treatment of adrien—like he has to be put down somehow to elevate marinette. ML has subverted gender roles in a lot of ways by having ladybug lead with her brain while chat noir follows with his heart. and adrien has a lot of other strong feminine associations—the focus on his physical appearance, the expectation of perfection and obedience, his soft and gentle nature, his romanticism, etc. And one of the biggest ones is all the ways he is trapped, all the ways he is pushed down and made to be submissive. they even depict him as a princess locked in a tower, with marinette as the knight in shining armor to save him from the evil dragon (his father). with adrien in that traditionally feminine role, it would have been empowering to see him to take a leading part in his own liberation. instead, he was locked away both literally and symbolically in favor of a solo bug noire confrontation, so marinette could look like a girlboss in her cool new outfit, taking on the bad guy all by herself, even when it would (imo) fit better with the themes of the show and her own character arc for her to fight alongside her partner. but as Thomas Astruc said, “She's Barbie, he's Ken. You don't like it. I get it. It won't change. Anything else?” (X) it just makes me feel that the writers cared more about the cinematic value and feminist brownie points of that battle than its narrative significance—which i feel could only be increased by adrien’s participation. “all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing” … and that is all adrien was allowed to do.

i think a lot of fans at this point are just assuming that whatever feels dissatisfying/off will be fixed in s6. they’re trusting that the writers have a brilliant master plan that we just have to be patient and wait to see come together. idk, maybe i’m just tired. or a little jaded. i think there will be a lot to enjoy in s6, but i’m also prepared for disappointment. i honestly did not love many elements of s4 as well as s5, and i had expectations that weren’t fulfilled there either. i’ve felt let down by the writers many times now, so i expect that many of their future choices will  resonate with me. but i still love ML, and I am eager to see how everything will unfold. i’ve also read a lot of other analyses of the s5 finale, and there are great points being made on many sides. this is just my personal interpretation and opinion. i did not like the finale when i first watched it, and after sitting on it for months and trying to evaluate my feelings and look at it logically, i still do not like it lol. if you do, great! this isn’t intended as a personal attack on anyone—just me expressing my two cents, which ended up being more like $20. thanks for bearing with me if you read all this ✌️

[melminli]

Pink Pony Club

summary - you weren't expecting much from your evening in a shitty bar, but then you saw a pretty woman sitting next to you.

pairing: cho hyun-ju x fem. reader

word count: 1.2k

contains: wlw, angst w/ comfort, fluff, a bit transphobia, pre squid game au

a/n: hyun-ju was my fav this season and i literally love her so much - she deserves the world and more😔💕

the request.

You looked bored at your drink while you caressed its round surface with your index finger. Your friends had finally managed to drag you to one of their favorite bars and, you didn't really enjoy being here, as you had expected since it was pretty, well - straight.

You were fine with it at first, when you all sat down at a table and just talked and laughed together. However, after a while a group of men sat down at your table - with everyone's permission, of course, but you still weren't the biggest fan of that decision. The only reason you didn't mind was that your friends seemed to be having a genuinely good time with the guys and that they weren't too bad. You still excused yourself from the table after a while, because one of them wouldn't stop subtly flirting with you even when did not hide your lack of interest. Sitting lonely at the bar counter wasn't too bad, you guessed.

I'll just finish my drink and then leave. You thought to yourself, still bored, and glanced subtly at the woman next to you after noticing how she seemed to be moving around quite nervously for a while. “Hey, are you alright?” you whispered to her in a soft voice after you moved closer to her side.

She returned your gaze slightly surprised and seemed to try to make herself even smaller after your attention was focused on her. “Ah, yes everything is fine. there is nothing to worry about…”

A few guys a little further away from you suddenly started to cackle ugly after she finished talking and you didn't miss how the woman next to you turned her eyes back to the counter - obviously feeling uncomfortable by what they were saying.

“Did you hear that voice? It's even deeper than yours!” he said to his friend, who only agreed with a shocked look on his face as he pointed his hand in your direction. “Come on man, that's not fair! Have you even seen how rugged that dude is? I mean you do realize that's not a real - you know…”

You took an annoyed breath as you looked across the room and bit your tongue to keep you from spitting in their hideous faces. Though, it was pretty hard to restrain yourself since you really wanted to. "Assholes.” you just uttered while staring at their heads with a hateful look, imagining them exploding.

“Just ignore them…” said the woman next to you with a gentle voice after noticing your reaction. “What they say doesn't bother me anyway.”

And even though she said that you knew it did because it always did. You returned your attention back to her and introduced yourself to her after taking the last sip of your drink. “And what's your name, pretty?”

She seemed to be caught off guard a little when she heard you say that. “Oh, ehm…” she stumbled a little over her words. “It's ehm Hyun-ju. My name is Hyun-ju.”

You smiled. “Pretty like you. It suits you.” you complimented her and noticed how the weird guys from the corner were still watching you. “Hey, do you want to get out of here?” you asked and were glad when she nodded. “Well, come with me, I know a good spot,” you told her and took her hand in yours.

You gently pulled her off the chair with you and led her out of the stuffy bar, feeling like you could breathe again when your nose met the fresh air. “I was really close to beating those guys up,” you told her as you walked hand in hand with her. Hyun-ju giggled lightly, as if it was hard for her to imagine you doing something like that. You looked at her in disbelief. “What, you don't believe me? I'm totally serious, really!”

She tried to hide her smile, but barely managed it. “No, I believe you.” she replied, but you weren't really convinced by her answer. You just hummed when you finally noticed the store. “Look there! I hope you're hungry, because this place makes the best japchea.” you told her happily while holding the door open for her because a long time had passed since you last went to this little restaurant.

Luckily, there weren't many people here at this time of day, so you managed to get a good seat for two. “Sorry, I didn't even ask if you wanted to eat japchea. They also have lots of other things if you want, my treat.” you winked at her and Hyun-ju noticed how you cuddled your hands against your cheeks, as if they were still warm from the alcohol.

“Thank you, but japchea is fine. I will trust your recommendation,” she replied shyly and watched as you shouted your order with two fingers in the air to the chef, who gave you an all-clear with his thumb. “They don't have a waiter here, so…” you explained, automatically putting your hand back on hers without really noticing.

Well, you didn't until Hyun-ju's eyes turned to it and it was only then that you realized you were probably being a little too handsy. “Oh, I'm sorry about that.” you quickly apologized when you quickly pulled your hand back. “I really didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable or anything, you're probably not even into other women?” you let the question hang in the air, while you simultaneously cursed yourself for even asking that.

Hyun-ju blinked slightly in surprise while she played nervously with her hair. You knew at that moment that you had fucked up and prevented yourself from showing your disappointment. Unknown to you, she was thinking about something entirely else right now. So she was flirting with me the whole time? I didn't even realize, how embarrassing. “Are…are you?” she asked tensely, almost slapping her hand over her face at her stupid question. Of course she is, she just said it.

You laughed lightly with one eyebrow raised. “Do I like women? Hell yeah.” you just said, finding it a little funny how she acted right now. cute.

Hyun-ju was used to attracting the attention of girls before starting her transition. She even had a few relationships with them and liked it, but dating was one of the many things that became more than just difficult for her after she officially came out. “I'm a trans woman,” she finally said, even though she knew that you knew.

You just leaned forward with a grin. She hadn't turned you down, that's all you cared about. “I know,” you said, watching how she shyly avoided your gaze while crossing her arms in front of her. “You don't have to hide. I meant it when i said that you're very pretty.”

Hyun-ju slowly met your gaze and this time it was her who initiated physical contact with you. She held your hand softly. “I think you're really pretty too,” she said, and at that moment, you were both pretty glad that you went to that shitty bar today, even if you'd never go there again.