#and. like Dream. what made the difference? people Actively Showing that they loved me and cared

[bunbun-mochi]

Jealousy - Queen of Onychinus

Sylus x MC

Warning: fluff, Sylus threatened someone. Just pure fluff.

Word Count: 1601, no proofreading

Preview: Sylus and you went on a vacation, far away from N109 Zone to get some new views. It was great until some girls started to hit on your husband. But Sylus only has his eyes on you.

"Sylus," I called out to my husband while flipping through the magazine. We are on a cruise for our vacation. Sylus said that we could get our very own cruise ship but I thought it was more fun with other people around.

"Yes, sweetie?" Sylus said without looking up from his documents.

"What's the difference between 'I like you' and 'I love you'?"

Sylus paused and looked up from his document. "I thought it's pretty self explanatory. The first one is more of an enjoyment and appreciation of someone while the second one is more intament with more intense affection to someone." Then he smirked, "Are you asking me to say 'I love you' to you?"

"No." I said plainly.

Sylus raised an eyebrow. "Enlighten me, why did you ask this question."

"Because I wanted to know if you like or love me."

Sylus stood up, walked toward me, and gently took my ring finger while raising his left hand showing the ring on his finger. "What do you think?"

"I think you like me. Because if you do love me, you wouldn't be working on our vacation." I huffed.

"Oh, so this is what it's about." Sylus chuckled. "I wasn't working, I was looking at the designs for your dress."

"Doesn't matter. It's still working. I need you next to me, holding me, and spend your time with me."

Sylus kneeled down on one knee and kissed the back of my hand, "yes, my queen."

I giggled, "Now, that's better. Let's go do some activities!"

Sylus stood up, "Yes, yes, whatever you say, my lady."

It was hard to decide what to do on a cruise. I tend to avoid outside because Sylus eyes are sensitive to the sunlight. I don't want to crazy activities like rock climbing because I know Sylus is disinterested in it and I'm not a huge fan of those activities. So we decided to take a cooking class. Sylus and I enjoy cooking together and I thought it was fun.

The cooking class was... not as great as I thought. There was a huge problem. My husband is the center of attention. Especially to the ladies. I can understand why. He is tall, muscular, handsome, and has a deep and sexy voice. He's like nearly all women's dream man.

I couldn't help but to feel a bit jealous. I know Sylus only have his attention on me. But I absolutely do not like other ladies batting their eyes at him, trying to get his attention.

"Hello there. Are you with someone?" One girl asked.

"Yes, my wife," Sylus answered nonchalantly.

"Do you want to hang out with us after this class?" a group of girls asked.

"No, I'm with my wife." Sylus answered without even looking at them.

I sighed, "This isn't fun anymore. I need a drink."

Sylus chucked, "This early in the day?"

"Shush you, you drink your whiskey as soon as you wake up."

"Such accusations. Have you seen me drink whiskey as soon as I wake up?"

I clicked my tongue. "No, but you do drink early."

"No, I drink during the evening."

"Which is your morning."

"So does that mean right now is my bedtime?"

I gasped. This man! I had fallen into his trap! "No!"

"Oh, dear. I am now confused." Sylus smirked, clearly enjoyed my reactions.

I huffed and change the subject, "It's lunchtime. I'm hungry."

Sylus chuckled and kissed the top of my head, "Whatever my wife says."

Lunchtime was a lot better. No eyes eyeing my husband, no ladies asking my husband out.

"Do you want to watch a theatre next?" I asked.

"I want to do whatever you want to do," Sylus answered, sipping on his red wine.

"But what if I picked out something you won't enjoy?"

"As long as I'm with you, I'm enjoying every moment."

His answer made my heart skip a beat and heat creeping up my face. None of this goes unnoticed when Sylus is here. He smirked, "Did you fall in love with me all over again? Sorry, I already have a wife."

I playfully slapped his arm and couldn't help but smile. "You're unbelievable."

"Too bad. You should've thought that before marrying me."

"Whatever. I'm going to use the restroom first."

Sylus nodded, "Can I watch?"

I rolled my eyes, "No, pervert."

When I got back from the restroom, my mood immediately turned sour. Sylus is now, once again, surrounded by women.

"Are you here by yourself?"

"I'm free, would you like to hang with me?"

"Want someone warm your bed?"

Sylus looked very uncomfortable and disinterrested.

My dear husband, you owe me one.

I walked toward Sylus and asked, "I'm going to watch a theatre. Would you like to watch it with me?"

Sylus' face lit up by the sound of my voice. He chuckled, "Would love to."

The ladies looked bewildered on how I can get Sylus to agree so quickly. I felt pride swell up in my chest. I grabbed Sylus' hand and quickly left the restaurant.

"You're right, we should've gotten our own cruise ship." I frowned.

"Really? I'm starting to enjoy this."

I stopped and crossed my arms. "Why? Because ladies flock to your side?"

"No, but there is one woman-"

My head snapped toward him, "I dare you to finish it."

Sylus smirked, "There is one woman who tends to get jealous very easily. But she also acts like a knight in shining armor, saving me from those people. She looks very sexy when she's angry. Like right now."

"You're lucky you're a sweet talker."

"I'm just stating the truth." Sylus took my hand and interlocked his fingers with mine. "The theatre is going to start soon if we don't hurry, wife."

I felt a smile creeping up my face and I tried very hard not to smile. Sylus chuckled at my facial expressions.

When the show ended, it was already early evening. It was a bit early for dinner so I proposed that we drink until dinner. We were standing by the rails that are exclusive for the VIPs, watching the sunset while we took sips of our drinks. I leaned onto Sylus and he got his arm around my waist. I know very well that Sylus loves moments like this. Where we just enjoy each other's presence.

"I want ice cream." I whispered, breaking the silence.

Sylus chuckled, "Why are you whispering?"

"I didn't want to ruin our moment."

"There's ice cream at the floor below ours."

"Ok, ok, I'll be right back!" I pecked his cheeks and I quickly rushed downstairs.

Sylus smiled as he watched his wife scrambling downstairs.

"Is she your sister?" A voice said, completely ruining the moment. Sylus' smile immediately faded.

"My wife."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you're married." Sylus glanced over to the woman standing next to him. He move slightly further away from her. She did not get the message and scooted closer toward him.

"Your sister, oh sorry, I meant your wife. Your wife doesn't seem anything special."

Sylus' eyebrow twitched. "You got some nerves to speak of that about my wife."

She giggled, "I'm just stating the truth. She... doesn't have that, you know, hourglass body. Her face looks very mundane. Her-"

Sylus looked down at her threatening, "My wife has the body and the face of an angel. If you want to talk about mundane, there is one standing in front of me right now that is very mundane."

The woman frowned, "That's not very nice."

"Neither were you when you went criticizing my wife. My wife is my everything, I don't care what her body is like or how her face looks. I love every single part of her. So do me a favor and leave my wife and me alone. Or else."

The woman trembled a bit from Sylus' aura but decided to keep a brave face. "Or else what?"

Sylus smirked and lowered his voice, "I had killed men who dared to touch my wife. I had tortured people. If I kill you, you're just another body that is holding up the throne that I had for my wife. Do you understand me?"

She shakily nodded and quickly walked away. Sylus brought his glass to his lips, very annoyed with this situation. Anyone who dared to hurt his wife should die. That includes himself.

Over the railing, Sylus saw a familiar body, trying to swiftly move along the deck, with an ice cream bowl in her hands. He smiled at her clumsy movement.

Whatever she does or says, it's always beautiful in his eyes. Sylus became enchanted by this woman that he was lucky to have as his wife.

"Sylus!" His wife stepped up the stairs and ran toward him, out of breath. "I got you a piece too!"

Sylus raised an eyebrow, "There's only one bowl and one spoon."

She beamed, "Yes, you're sharing it with me." She took a scoop into her mouth. "Mmm, it's so good. Try one!"

Sylus leaned down and deeply kissed her. Tasting her mouth, the ice cream that lingered in her mouth. He slowly break off the kiss and licked his lips. "Yes, its very delicious."

His wife looked at him with wide eyes and a shocked expression. Then she pouted, "I meant the ice cream!"

Sylus smiled, "Sure, I'll taste some from your lips. It's more delicious this way."

His wife's entire face went red, "SYLUS!"

Sylus chuckled. He doesn't care about what his wife looks like. As long as she gets to enjoy life with him.

dividers, templates, headers, and banners are from @uzmacchiato

[thesensteawitch]

The High Priestess Wants You To Know This

(Pile 1→ Pile 2→ Pile 3)

Hello beautiful souls!

This is a collective reading so take what resonates and leave what doesn't.

If you wish to book a reading with me then checkout my:

Rate Card • Booking Form

Ps: You can also DM me in case of any queries. 🌈💛

Sending you love and light ✨🕯️

*******

Here is your reading!

Pile 1

Tarot Cards- Temperance, Two of Cups, Six of Wands, King of Swords, Nine of Swords, The Emperor.

The High Priestess wants you to know that people around you see your efforts and are grateful for your generosity. But what you skip to notice is that you do so much mental and physical work that you forget to relax. You are very patient with the results of your work, but your feminine side needs to be activated now. You can activate it by resting and eating well. Try slow dancing or yoga. Sagittarius, Libra, Cancer, and Leo can be significant. If you're a feminine reading this, then the high priestess wants you to know that you've been very patient when it comes to finding the one. You've never had a masculine support, due to which you sometimes overexert yourself by tapping too much into your masculinity. But I do hear that God is your masculine. While shuffling the deck, I saw in my third eye, “Luck is on your side”—New Moon in Sagittarius, and guess what? The exact card flipped out of the deck! What are the odds? You're divinely protected. Balance will be restored in any situation where masculines have hurt you or you couldn't rely on them. You'll receive the love of your life; just avoid falling into the trap of past people/manipulators. Remember your lessons because the high priestess is warning you that someone from the past may show up again or old wounds of masculinity may come up again. It's going to be a test, so make sure you act according to the lessons you've been made to learn. If you doubt yourself or are afraid that maybe you're the one who is wrong, then that's not true. I see stubborn, too-logical, and aggressive masculine energy around you. I do feel that you have even adopted these qualities or have absorbed these energies unknowingly as you were only focused on surviving. You can let that go now. You've come a long way. Please remember your strength. You're stronger and wiser than you give yourself credit for. This is the last battle with your survival self. Thank it for how it has supported you till now, but don't let it win. You don't need to worry about a thing, so just stay calm. You'll win in LOVE. You'll have that one person who gets you like no one. You've been wronged, so stop giving people the benefit of the doubt. You deserve someone who sees your soul, not someone who falls for superficiality. You've been around people who were full of themselves, and that is why their energies kept lingering around you, forcing you to think about THEM! You may have felt guilty or pressured or doubt your own actions. You may even have ended up gaslighting yourself. I really don't like this energy around you. The High Priestess wants you to consciously focus on yourself and bring your energy back to yourself. Your focus should only be on you. That's all. That's it.

Pile 2

Tarot Cards- Death, Two of Wands, Two of Pentacles, King of Cups, Four of Swords

The High Priestess wants you to know that you cannot avoid the change that is meant to happen. You can delay it but cannot deny it. You still think you've another option or another way while you're on the boat to a different reality. You cannot keep asking the questions regarding a closed door. It won't open. Accept where you are. Just let go of the past. You cannot go back for one last look. Wake up and deal with your emotions. For a while you do not need to do so much. Just take care of your inner world. You may be having weird dreams lately. Your dreams are pointing towards the new reality you're meant to enter. It's a way of your brain to help you release the past. You may even be having dreams about someone who has a lot to say to you, but they cannot decide or make a move. This person may also be confused. Someone here needs to step out of their comfort zone, and the comfort zone is avoiding making the necessary decision. You may be moving back and forth wondering what to do and what not to do. Just don't do what you've been doing all along. Maybe you need to take action toward someone or something, but you're so afraid to take it that now that thing/person is appearing in your dream. Some of you may be afraid to follow your purpose, as it may be the first time you're being given a chance to do what you want to do or what you feel called to do. But the wounds are stopping you or making you guess. The cards ask you to focus on healing yourself and prepare yourself for your purpose/calling. What you've left behind may have been good for a while, but for your further journey, it couldn't assist you. Accept the truth; accept the reality. Don't keep reopening the closed doors; don't make the same choices every day wishing your reality to change.

Pile 3

Tarot Cards- 6 of Cups, 10 of Cups, 7 of Swords, 4 of Cups, The High Priestess

Someone's waiting for you and your message. There's an age gap here, and they are manifesting you consciously or unconsciously. The High Priestess is being very clear about what's happening behind the scenes. Someone's sabotaged their friendship/connection with you. Someone may even drunk text you. What? Someone thinks about you a lot and the way they lied to you or behaved as if they didn't care. The truth is you overwhelm someone. They don't know how to behave in front of you. This can be a past life connection. This can be a secret admirer. They have a lot to say to you. This person can have strong earth sign placements. If there's anything missing in their life, then it's you. I also see that money matters to them a lot, and they are also very stubborn. You have multiple admirers! I feel divine is protecting you from someone so that you can meet the person you're meant to be with. Communication will come your way while you're working or doing your own thing. You and your future person are going to be on the same frequency. You'll be a perfect match. Okay, this stubborn person may even think that you're not receiving enough compared to the efforts you put into your work. This person is very materialistic, and they think they are the king, but in reality they are a page (naive). There's something very mysterious about this person. This stubborn person has never shown you their true side and their goals or about their financial situation. I confirmed with the cards who you're meant to be with, so you're not supposed to give this stubborn person a chance because there's manipulation or sabotage here. What you offer isn't enough for them, and they are always going to see you from their distorted lens. It's another person that the universe wants you to meet and be with. You'll meet them soon. If you were drawn to pile 1, then do check it out (I feel a connection). The stubborn person has made you cry oceans! You're about to receive whatever you expected this stubborn person to be for you or give you. You'll be receiving more than you have asked for because of how kind you've been to the old person. I also heard that the stubborn person's kindness was also calculated. I don't know; this person needs to do some healing. They may even be taking tarot readings on your connection. You, on the other hand, can look forward to a new journey in love and life. The cards are sooo clear in the end! They say it's time to release negativity, and nothing will come of this situation (no matter how much you try to make it work with the stubborn one). At the bottom it says, “A new romantic cycle begins!” Yayyy!

[saintslewis]

𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐔𝐏 𝐈𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃

𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄: 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 | 𝐋𝐇𝟒𝟒

pairing: sir lewis hamilton x fem!oc; Nadia

summary: how about a vacation? :D

warnings: outfit descriptions/links, cussing, name brands, a lot of dialogue, maybe typos? idk

saint’s team radio 🪩: sorry for making you guys mad last chapter LMAOOO. made this one a bit longer so hopefully i get forgiven. where’s your dream vacay spot?

amanzoe link!

pls like, reblog and comment! <3

fc: @/unclewaffles_ on ig!

renaissance masterlist • general masterlist

-

Nadia felt different.

Of course she looked different in the week she asked for a week’s extension of her leave. Her hair now long and blonde, more tattoos specifically on her hands and a piece on her back. Everything re-pierced to feel more comfort within the pain and much baggier clothes as well.

She was physically glowing. Smelling like vanilla layered with an expensive Arabic perfume, knowing it would turn heads as soon as she walked anywhere. Going for lighter eyelashes, her eyes didn’t feel as heavy as they did as when she cried for hours days before.

Driving in ever-cloudy London felt good. The engine of her McLaren roared as she drove through traffic to make it in time for work, earning stares from people in their cars. She liked it, Nadia liked the attention she was receiving but she knew it would be difficult to not want more.

Lewis’ hoodie was warm and smelled like him no matter how many times it’s been washed and that brought immense comfort to Nadia. A smile spread across her face as she thought back to her husband.

He loved her and she loved him.

He never failed to show his love to her, small touches throughout the day no matter the activity, his gaze was on her most of the time like a lovestruck teenager who had just gotten with his crush. Anything she wanted, Lewis would get to it in a blink of an eye. Nadia got loved on so much that she could still feel his slow kisses all over her body making her thoughts drift away.

She had put her phone on DND except for Lewis, him being the exception for whenever he was out and missed his wife. She knew it wasn’t healthy to push everyone away but she felt the most safe in her little circle. None of them being her actual family members.

Snapping her out of her thoughts, her ringtone rang through the car and she saw that Lewis was calling.

“Morning my love.” He greeted first as soon as the phone was answered.

Smiling at the sound of his voice, she replied. “Morning, pookie. What you up to?”

“Still at the house, might go to my dad’s for a bit. Just wanted to check on you.”

“You’re gonna go this morning?” Nads asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

A beat passed.

“Lewis?” “Yes, my love?”

“Whatever you’re planning, make sure you get home safe.” She spoke and he chuckled at her stern voice, imagining her roll her eyes.

“I promise.”

Lewis dropped the call, putting his phone in his back pocket as he leaned on his car.

Thankfully, Buckinghamshire wasn’t cold but he felt a bit of a breeze as he chewed on his gum. Fixing his cap, he walked to the front door of the home and knocked ever so gently. Hearing footsteps and inaudible voices, the door opened to a very surprised Rea while she was fixing her school tie.

The look in her eye moved from surprise to realisation as she registered who was standing in front of her. “O-oh. Morning Lewis.” The young girl stuttered. With his face stoic, he placed his hands behind his back.

“Where’s your aunt? Just wanna have a little chat.” He spoke.

Before she could speak, Thembi came to the door shouting for Rea to close the door if it was a neighbour. As shocked as her niece was, Thembi’s expression changed to that of smugness. “What a surprise! Can’t believe my son in law is so early!” She smiled widely as she clapped her hands.

“Please don’t call me that.” He returned the smile and watched as hers fell at the tone of his voice. “I came here to honour my wife. What the two of you have done to Nadia was absolutely disgusting,” He started.

Thembi’s eyes changed to what appeared as darker and brought slight chills down his spine. Nadia had described this look as one of a narcissist, a look that scared her as she grew up and explained her reasons for never being at home. Lewis has had his share of people like Thembi in his life so he was not phased as much.

“Call me unfair or any types of names but I don’t want either of you near my wife. I won’t speak for her but she’ll sort you out herself if she chooses to speak with.” Lewis concluded, his voice stern.

Nadia’s mother laughed. She laughed out loud at Lewis’ words. “Do you think we’re scared of you? Just because you’ve got more money and fame, you think you can take my daughter away from me?” The older woman pushed Rea behind her as she came face to face with Lewis.

“She never told you why she can’t have kids? Always out of the house because she couldn’t keep-” “Auntie, no. Don’t.” Rea spoke up but got given a look that shut her up.

“Listen here, Mr rich man. That girl was a harlot and never listened to me. Never showed me her grades and she expected me to love her? Who cares if she got in Oxford or whatever? This will teach her a lesson!” Thembi angrily expressed, using her hands to make gestures.

The fact that Lewis was unmoving was getting on her nerves. Why wasn’t he scared? He should be.

“Go back to her! Tell her she’s getting bigger and she needs to cover up and she needs to cover up. We don’t need her or her money. God, I wish I never had her. Such a pain in the ass.” She continued and at this point, Rea was tearing up behind her.

He raised his eyebrows and stopped himself from saying something damaging. “Gladly.”

With that, Lewis left them standing in their doorway. Thembi snickering as if she got the last laugh between this exchange and Rea who looked distraught, as if she lost everything in that very moment. He swiftly got in his car and took off to actually visit his father, as calm as he could be.

His phone buzzed as he drank his tea. Lewis loved receiving text from Nadia because she could go from being goofy to suddenly being serious, discussing anything and everything.

MESSAGES!

sthandwa sami: pookie!!! my students got me flowers and wrote me so many letters! 🥹🥹

that’s amazing, my love. you deserve them and the world. you’re so strong, my beautiful girl

sthandwa sami: great, now you’ve got me crying all over again. i love you, i’ll see you later 😚

i love you most. got a surprise for you when you get home.

sthandwa sami: 🤨🤨🤨

go back to work, you’ll find out soon 🤣

sthandwa sami: mmmkay. please also get croissants for me, love you bye!!! <3

“What’s got you smiling over there, son?” Anthony spoke up with a knowing smile on his face.

With his own grin gracing his face, Lewis put his phone down. “The one and only. She’s doing a whole lot better than last week.” He said to his father.

“That’s good. You should bring her ‘round more. She’s definitely a character, the whole family can’t stop gushing over her.” A laugh was shared between the two before a hush fell over their conversation.

Taking a sip of his tea, Lewis spoke up. “I did the thing we discussed. I thought you lot were joking about the narcissism.” He leaned his head on his hand.

Anthony let out a scoff. “Good. Didn’t want them to tear her down, that was disgraceful. You wired the money for her….what’s it called?”

“Lobola. It’s her dowry.” Lewis said, his accent prevalent as he tried to pronounce the word.

“Ah, yes. It’s not that we want to take her away from her immediate family but I don’t want them near her. They can’t ruin the plan knowing how far we’ve come.” His dad sighed as he spoke.

All Lewis could do was nod. He just hoped everything will work itself out because he truly loves Nadia.

-

There she was.

Blasting music in the driveway as she carried her new flower bouquets out of her car. A big smile on her face, bigger than what Lewis had seen during the past few weeks.

Eventually switching off the ignition and the music all together, Nadia fixed her purse strap and walked towards the front door of the home with Lewis standing right there. Leaning on the wall with his arms crossed and just admiring her as she came closer.

Making eye contact with him just lit up her whole face even more, eyebrows lifted slightly with her eyes rapidly blinking. She looked so happy. He never wanted her smile to leave her face, he planned to keep it there forever.

“Hi baby!” Nadia elongated the pet name as she stopped right in front of him. “Where’s all this energy from, love?” Lewis chuckled as he asked the question. Leaning forward to give her a peck, she returned a few more before looking into his eyes once again.

“Just a lot of good things happened today, it feels unreal.” She smiled, surely her cheeks were painful by now. “From the flowers from my kids to the email from Pharrell. Oh! And they let me take part time.” Nadia casually said, walking around to enter the house.

With his body moving along with hers as she walked past, he fully digested her words. “What? Love, what do you mean?” He asked, closing the front door behind him.

“Yeah! I managed to have a civilised conversation with the principal and we agreed that I’d take part time. It hurt to make the decision but I think it’ll work out for me.” She spoke. With her shoes off, she waltzed into the kitchen and placed the bouquet she was holding, down. Not even noticing the semi-large box on the kitchen island.

A moment of silence passed before he spoke. “As long as you’re sure and happy, then I am as well.”

“Thank you, pookie bear.” Nadia blew a kiss to him when her eyes finally landed on the box with a pretty pink bow. Giving him a look, Lewis moved next to her, holding her waist ever so gently. “Remember the surprise I told you about earlier on?” She nodded and he unconsciously squeezed her waist.

“Well…i know it’s summer break in about 3 weeks and I wanted you to have fun with some of your friends so I organised a little something.” He responded with a soft smile on his face as hers moved to look back and forth between him and the box.

Unwrapping the bow, she was stunned to see a few pairs of sunglasses, flower-themed claw clips, what looked like a new makeup bag and an envelope tucked at the very side with the words ‘For when the sun shines at Amanzoe’.

Her eyebrows furrowed. “What’s Amanzoe?”

“You’ll see.” He smiled with a smirk on his face.

Leaning towards him, Nadia kissed him passionately, their lips meeting with a soft touch with Lewis’ hands already roaming all over.

“What was that for, baby?” Lewis asked, a little breathless after separating from her.

“Just in case I get super surprised.” She shrugged.

-

PORTO HELI, GREECE

“Holy fucking shit.”

Nadia’s eyes were widened from the moment they were picked up from the airport via the private entrance. She knew that she would be surprised but not as inadequate as this.

That conversation was had three weeks before the friend group landed in Athens for the first time, impressed that there was transportation waiting for them with their luggage carefully packed.

Is this what luxury felt like? Did it always look so good? Nadia even thought to her appearance. Her hair in her usual blonde, a beautiful figure hugging dress from Loewe paired with tan Hermes Ocras. She felt like luxury. She finally felt comfortable in it.

Driving into Amanzoe felt like a whole new world. The calmness and ultimate luxury of the resort was absolutely stunning, the architecture paying homage to that of historic Greek monuments and mythology. It was so peaceful, Nadia took a deep breath and immediately felt relieved.

Feeling an arm link with hers, she lifted her head to see Justine with the biggest grin on her face. “I can’t believe that we’re here! It was so hard keeping this secret for so long.” Justine chuckled as the two of them followed Lori and Hailey in the main lobby building.

No words could leave her mouth as she continued to admire everything that was in sight. Nadia felt like it was a dream, from the villa to the damn plates they used in the resort restaurant. The girls spent their time over the next few days just soaking up the sun and enjoying the amenities that the resort offered, talking about anything and everything under the stars.

Talking about her infertility was tough but she felt safe enough to be vulnerable with them and it was then she realised how much support she had been getting from her friends. She would often look at the girls and internally thank them for making sure she was happy and healthy.

“Let’s go to the beach club!”

That’ll do it. Once it was decided that they would go and have fun, the group got ready and took several pictures before leaving the villa. The beach club was very cute, a very chill vibe knowing that Lewis was in Spa and it was race time. The aesthetics of the place were too beautiful however, that’s what change their minds.

Leaving for a hunt for a good night club in Athens, the girls had the time of their lives and Nadia felt free. Free from everything waiting for her back home, free from her job, free from her mom. She was on cloud nine.

The next few days felt like heaven. Nadia knew that history intrigued more than she could ever imagine but to see herself fully grasp into Greek culture was something she was purely interested in. And so was Lewis. Lori, Justine and Hailey had left earlier to give the two their well deserved time alone. He had arrived and immediately went into vacation mode.

The Hamiltons were in Greece, a summer break that one could dream about for days on end. They would eat, sleep, explore, make love, read, chill in the pool all in the comfort of Amanzoe.

-

MESSAGES

rea: hey nadia. just wanted to check in on you. i miss you

nadia: girl fuck you

*this contact has been blocked!*

Instagram!

nadiahamilton

liked by sza, ryandestiny and 4,747,976 others

nadiahamilton it’s so damn hot, my fault y’all! 😣 (look how gorgeous my girls look 🥹)

view all comments.

user i’m biting my phone rn

user and you just wake up and LOOK LIKE THIS??

user MOTHER IS BACK

user MOTHER IS BACK OH MY GOODNESS

loriharvey hi (louder than everyone else)

nadiahamilton hi my love 🤭

latto that man is so lucky, i’m so jealous of him

nadiahamilton back home in a few days 😝

user NADIA

lewishamilton you’re joking

lewishamilton i just fell to my knees

lewishamilton god, you’re beautiful

user get you a man like lewis y’all!!

user is she not going to address anything??

user she’s not obligated to tell you shit 🫶🏽

mercedesamgf1 the princess of the team 💐

alexandrasaintmleaux i’m barking at my phone, JUST ONE CHANCE PLS

charlesleclerc alex 😧

alexandrasaintmleaux i don’t think you understand

lilymhe TINKERBELL!!

nadiahamilton LILS!!

theestallion allat for US?!

nadiahamilton it’s all for you actually meg

user 2 million likes in an hour, no one is doing it like her i fear 😭

lewishamilton you’re so beautiful

nadiahamilton thank you sthandwa sami 🤍

user DOES HE KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS

user clearly he does omg

user it’s so cute that he’s learning for her

sza this is what i pay my wifi for

nadiahamilton BITCH 😭

haileybieber take all my money

justineskye i think it’s time for another vacation with you, i need it NEOWWW

user she’s your favourite celebrity’s favourite celebrity 😭🫶🏽

tayrussell hey and stuff

nadiahamilton hey bae

amanhotels thank you for the visit! 🤍

user AMAN??? AMANZOE???? THEIR MONEY LONGGGGGGG

user idc nicole is still far better than her

user the same one who couldn’t get a ring after 7 years? c’mon now, let be serious

fencer sister in law serving looks!!!

nadiahamilton don’t think i’m not watching you, kilometre….

fencer what did i do?????

lewishamilton i love you. got you more halloumi

nadiahamilton COMING, I LOVE YOU 🥹🥹

lewishamilton

liked by louisvuitton, fencer and 3,574,168 others

lewishamilton the wife pt.2 in greece

comments are turned off

saint’s notes: hope y’all enjoyed this! 🥹

tags: @non-stop-imagines @motheroffae @perfecttrashface @thisismeracing @myescapefromthislife @slytherinjimin3nthusiast @jamie2305 @cocobutterqwueen @like-fire-love-blog @sugardontbesweet @simpfortoomanymen @mauvecherie-writes @queenshikongo3 @eugene-emt-roe @deepgothfiremuffin @18754389 @cherry2stems @anubisnoir @littlelizzies-world @httpsserene @apenasumlug4r @eddiesbitch83 @arshiyuh @alika-4466 @peyiswriting @sunfairyy @vsfavs @louvrepool @mistruscity @tian-monique @hopefulromantic1 @exotic-iris13 @yeea-nah @nichmeddar @gg-trini @lifeless-firefly @vellicora @takeoffz-tookoff9876 @serpenttines-library @emjayewrites @royallyprincesslilly @lewisroscoelove @purplelewlew @xoscar03 @kidsol-ar @nothaqks @tremendousstarlighttragedy @ggaslyp1 @henneseyhoe @saturnville

If your account is blank, that means tumblr can’t find you!

[warblogs17282]

Obviously we're all aware of this tweet by now, and tbh, considering that we've now seen Mastermind, the only possible 'significant arc' I can think of that they might be referring to has to be something along the lines of getting Stolitz on the same page as each other.

Before any of you mention the divorce at all, it is definitely not that, Andrealphus literally says that Stolas is Stella's ex-husband at the start of the episode.

To save time I'm just gonna skip over to Ghostfuckers and Mastermind, but to summarize things a little simply, do remember that even the start of season 2 had a focus on getting Stolitz on the same page as each other, by showing us the start of Stolas getting the Asmodean Crystal for Blitz, aka, getting rid of the grimoire arrangement that was preventing them from ever being able to be on same exact page as each other. With the grimoire arrangement coming to a true end on s2 e8.

With that out of the way, let's discuss this scene.

I hate to break it to you if you're not already aware, but Stolas and Blitz did not hear each other during this part of the song at all, what we actually witnessed was a soliloquy.

Which is defined as by the Cambridge dictionary: 'a speech in a play that the character speaks to himself or herself or to the people watching rather than to the other characters'.

Which as a result, while it definitely moves Stolitz much closer to being on the same page as each other, they still aren't fully on the same page as each yet, Stolitz is not fully canon at this point in time, but will be very soon.

Let's break down where this scene leaves us, for Blitz, we're definitely at the point where he has realized and accepted his own love for Stolas, with the best lines I can think of to showcase this point being "The bird got to you that bad, huh?" and "Only death can rend our love apart!".

Blitz has also recognized and accepted the fact that Stolas loves Blitz back as well, with the episode making this extremely clear. The most obvious point of the episode that shows this is the moment when Blitz makes the conclusion that Stolas is going to sacrifice himself in order to save him. Because well, what says 'This person truly loves me' to someone more than 'This person is literally about to sacrifice himself in order to save me.', especially with the heart pupils as well, which overall, puts Blitz into a position where he thinks it's possible to have a relationship with Stolas, and wants one with him as well.

As for Stolas, it's made extremely clear that he recognizes and accepts his own love for Blitz, as the entire soliloquy section of the song shows.

But the key difference between them is the fact that I'm pretty sure that Stolas hasn't realized Blitz's own love towards Stolas at this point in time, which in all honesty, makes this scene pictured below hurt even more.

What I'm trying to say here is that Stolitz is still not on the exact same page as each other yet in regards to their relationship with each other, they're close, but not quite there yet.

Which is where Sinsmas comes into play. You all have seen this scene a million times by now in posts, but I really do feel like this is going to be the scene where Stolas starts to realize Blitz's own love for Stolas.

Because well, what says 'This person truly loves me' to someone more than 'This person is actively putting themselves into mortal danger by fighting against a royal demon in order to protect and save me.' (I could've sworn I used a very similar phrase earlier in this post, surely you can figure out why?)

And I'm pretty confident in saying that this scene definitely is not a dream, as I'll let @lost-romantique's post explain for me.

Basically, we're at the last page of the book, the last section of the arc I mentioned at the start, we're so close to Stolitz actually being on the same page of each other in regards to their relationship, we're so close to witnessing the whole miscommunication trope thing between them end, we're so close before we get to see the renewed and bettered start of Stolitz again.

Because let's be real, for all of the reasons I have mentioned here, there's absolutely nothing else I can think of that's being going on for the whole season that would count as a 'significant arc' over than the one I mentioned at the start of this post.

[kazooiey]

My versions of Relativity Scalene & Euclid :] (edits/additions are bolded)

(Second drawing is the more recent one)

For my version of Relativity Falls, I really liked the ideas that people put out about scalene and Euclid, so I sort of took that concept and ran with it. Here are some Thoughts I had, if u wanna use em for ur own rf versions then go wild!!! Just tell me that you’re using them because I love to see other people’s interpretations of this au :)

I really liked the idea that someone else had of them sort of being physically “together” in a sense (this, where they are back-to-back(made by @fungalscrungle)). the idea of them being so codependent they actually sort of became “one” was really interesting, but I messed with it a bit more and ended up with them both shaped in a way that they can “snap” together like magnets. They are actually two separate entities, but they are joined at the hip in the most literal sense to the point that they are constantly at each other’s side

they are all that remains of their dimension. They're all the other has. Over the billions and billions of years their shapes began to shift to fit together

They are usually called “The Ciphers” by everybody else

They both have little pieces of one another, which I decided were the Euclidean version of wedding rings. Idk it seemed fitting for Bill’s parents to “carry a piece of the other wherever they go” but literal. He’d probably think it’s romantic to have a piece of your partner’s body at all times, and… these are his parents.

Scalene is the one on the left, she’s the “mother”, and Euclid is the one on the right, he’s the “father”. Considering their dimension has 14 billion different genders, I like to think that they decided to emulate the "perfect parents" to seem “friendlier” to humans

Actually their whole vibe really revolves around that.

They REALLY give off 1950’s nuclear family suburban white couple vibes in the way they talk, like “hey honey! How about we mentally torture this human today?” “I thought you’d never ask, pumpkin!” Because those always seem threatening to me. It’s the sanitization, the perfection, the blank smiles that show just a bit too much teeth. The “perfection” to the point of inhumanity, you know?

And that sort is is the opposite of what gravity falls embodies, isn’t it? Like being ur authentic weird self vs. being a perfect version of you that hides anything different

Euclid is more methodic and calm, meanwhile Scalene is sweet, but it’s a cover for a lot of the same manic instability that bill had, LIKE THE 50’S HOUSEWIFE STEREOTYPE.

these vibes are a product of how they were raised. Repression personified, sort of idealized "American Dream" type nuclear family or whatever. Loved the 50's for this exact reason, and it was their most active decade. Their influence is probably the reason the "nuclear family" subculture even exists

Their dynamic can essentially be summed up as “She kills ppl, he hides the bodies.” True love💖

When they possess someone, maybe since there’s two of them doing it at the same time, the person’s brain starts to overheat or get damaged, since there’s not enough space for them.

In relation to Dipper, I absolutely ADORE the idea that @amissamidstthemist had (here). LIKE YES!!!! They WOULD have a sort of “parental bond” with Dipper! That is SO PEAK!

They would like baby him and praise him and Euclid would ruffle his hair and Scalene would call him affectionate names.

Not only do they tap into his loneliness when it comes to that, but they also tap into his paranoia, make him believe everybody else is out to get him. He can only rely on them. “TRUST NO ONE!” (This actually is them just making a trait dipper already has worse, but one day I think i’ll touch on that)

For their backstory, I don’t know if anyone else has thought of this(someone probably has tbh) but for me they probably tried to see the stars for their son and because of that destroyed their dimension and their son with it(ow.)

BECAUSE OF THIS, they actually begin to get attached to Dipper, because he reminds them of their son, and constantly compare him to their son.

They treat Dipper a bit like the Other Mother treated Coraline.

OKAY I THINK THAT’S ALL. UH. ENJOY I GUESS LMAO

[mangionebabymama]

On some real shit though, I want to put this out there:

Thank you so, so much for all of your love and support that you’ve given me and all that I’ve been able to give back to so many of you in return these last few days. I should have known once that I started seeing more Luigi memes and reels of all sorts of my social media a few weeks ago, it was a sign of something. I’m wholly invested in this case, for a multitude of reasons, across different approaches and, though I’ve said this so many times, it’s something about his story that reels me in like no other. I don’t know what the unforeseeable future will exactly hold this year, but my only wish that it brings Luigi closer to freedom and vindication, and the confirmation that he is loved and supported by many.

I’m kind of even surprised that I’d ever go out this far and make a dedicated blog on Tumblr, as I’ve had the app for many years but never actually attempted to create a functional space. I know it’s not about the numbers, but to reach a 100+ followers on both blogs and have active camaraderie on here? It’s crazy. Who knew that it wouldn’t be in honor of one of my fav artists, but some nice-looking, tall, curly-haired Italian frat boy that I wish I had a chance with. The odds, right?

On italianbabydaddy, I stated, word for word, that the purpose of the blog was a safe space for me to let the imagination run wild through posting my simp-fueled dreams and horny thoughts, and I guess now I’ve made that my trademark on here—and a lot of people are rallying behind me on that one. Thank you for engaging with me, interacting with me, talking to me about lore, fawning over the most precious visions/dreams/wishes you have about Luigi, and enjoying my little imagines and ideas that go on in my mind. But also, thank you for being vulnerable and comfortable enough to join me, along with many others, on a platform like this to stand in solidarity and show your support for him, too.

I am honored that some of you have reached out to me and said how my blog makes your day, teaches you something entirely new, or that my writing is entertaining—because that last part, along with everything, means a lot. I’m hoping maybe by joining this community, I’ll learn to develop a better relationship with self-reflecting on my skills of writing and stop putting myself so far down that I lose my love for it. I’m nowhere near a defense attorney or Luigi Mangione historian, but one of my main goals of this blog (beside all the simping) is to spread awareness, provide evidence, and bring knowledge about his story in all honesty. There’s a lot of stories about him going around that are lacking in truthfulness and sincerity right now, and it’s so important that we find spaces and talk about things in the correct way. We have to continue to say his name and keep talking.

I really planned for this post to just be a paragraph or two, but if you made it this far, then I really love you and appreciate you, beyond words that I possibly could ever come up with. Thank you thank you thank you 🥺

[da-janela-lateral]

MP100 S2E01 under a writer's perspective

The Emi Fukami episode in Mob Psycho 100 was a beautiful display of Mob's character development in relation to his individuality and a earnest vision of emotional vulnerability, but I want to call attention to a single detail: Emi being a writer.

Out of all the secret truths that the cast masks during the narrative, Emi's must be one of the most mundane. She is writing a book. She doesn't want people to know about it, much less read it, as Emi was led to believe this hobby of hers was embarassing.

I find it very interesting that Emi, character whose focus episode revolves around vulnerability, has writing has her main passion. In a way, writing is one of the most revealing art forms that there is. Literary choices are a reflection of the author's context, beliefs, likes and dislikes, fears and dreams, even though many of these choices cannot be perceived in a sensible level. Even if I suddenly decided to write a tale about a random theme - you say, a blue-footed booby who becomes an architect while wearing ballet shoes - it would say something about me. It could be a preferred text type, my sense of humor or even my idea of what is "random". Word choices, rhythm, figures of speech, themes, narrative structures, spins on a literary genre's expectations - all of these and more consist of conscious or unconscious decisions made by the writer. Writing as an art form serves as a mirror to the artist's very mind.

As a result, a piece of text can be a very delicate thing. Many people would only reveal their works to a exemplarily trusted someone, or to no one at all. That's the origin and end of uncountable masterpieces. It is also associated to passion. Few are the writers who characterize themselves as such and don't feel a duty to write. Yes, duty. Not all pieces are a labor of love, but it's almost universal that they're one of resolve, as little as it might be. One can unlock a fundamental will to write something in spite of it being weary work. At this point, for many writers, it's not a simple hobby. It's a need. It's a compulsory manner of expression hardwired onto our brains; thus, it's an inseparable part of who we are.

So what does any of this have to do with Emi's arc?

S2E01 is all about being vulnerable. Even though Emi had only asked out Mob because of a bet and hanged out with him for a week, she felt safe enough to show him her book. Her own friend group didn't have an idea that she was working on one, and once they discovered this, they ridiculed Emi's effort and teared it to shreds. Emi tried to alleviate this rejection by affirming she didn't care for her work, while everything shown previously on the episode proved this was wrong. In turn, Mob uses his psychic powers to put back her text together - his first public demonstration of them since he was a child. Mob was honest about himself by revealing he was an esper. Emi was honest by wanting his opinion on her book.

Emi is a fourteen year old girl going through a confusing and ever changing phase of her life. After doubting on Mob's emotions, she tells him that she too doesn't know well who she is, and her actions around her friends prove how she was prone to peer pressure. Her mind and identity were on an uncertain state, and this would also reflect on her writing. Emi uses complicated words, perhaps to make her writing sound more serious. Based on a translation of her work "Adventure", she uses more of a stream of consciousness prose and ambiguous descriptions. She immediately decides to write something different after her experiences with Mob. Emi has a personal style! She has techniques and topics she enjoys and active choices about how she will employ them! Emi has a bit of her on her story and this was why she hid it so much: a mockery of it would be synonym of a mockery of herself.

This is what makes the plotline with her book so important to express the episode's themes. Emi felt insecure to reveal such an integral part of herself to the world until someone came and not only took it seriously, but appreciated it enough to make an effort to understand it better. It tells a lot how Mob's demonstration of caring made her leave the people who destroyed her work.

As a writer, this detail gave a whole another layer of significance for the episode. I've felt Emi's struggle in a very intense level on the past. Storytelling is something so dear to me I can't see myself without the adjective of "writer", but the acknowledgement of my work would be the same as exposing myself to the world. It can be scary at times, to divulge something so sincere to others. However, such is the writer's role: divulging. For reasons long unknown a magical excess of words was born to me, and this coincidence can't be supressed and abandoned on the dark. There is something I can offer copiously hand in hand and its words. Words. Words. Words... And the reflection of me resonates on others.

[good-beanswrites]

My thoughts on how the Milgram mv machine works based on the evidence we have:

(I know there’s been discussion about where exactly the interrogations take place, but wherever they are,) the prisoners are made to sit in a specific chair near the wall that houses the machine.

It’s ordinarily hidden, but the wall panels shift aside to reveal it when the mechanical sounds play in the dramas. As well as the walls moving, the chair transforms to restrain the prisoner and attach whatever it takes to access their brain. The fact that none of the more frightened prisoners try to run or break it makes it seem like they physically cannot. This is why Fuuta sounds so panicked, and why Amane is suddenly helpless in front of Es in their T1 vds.

(My mind conjures very classic sci-fi mad scientist machines with wires, pipes, lights, nodes, needles, etc, but I’d love to hear how other people visualize it.)

In some vds (maybe all? I’d need to check,) you can hear Es take some steps right before their iconic line -- it would make sense that for safety reasons, the power mechanism is placed across the room. Once again it could be anything, but the sound effect makes me think of one of those giant wall-mounted levers you have to pull down.

The voice dramas don’t really provide the type of crime details that an actual interrogation would reveal, and it’s odd that they’re placed before the extraction rather than after Es gets to see the new details. This leads me to believe the machine functions with priming. All Es needs to do is get them talking about their murder, so it’s on their mind.

The video produced is much like a (non-lucid) dream. Even if the prisoners figure out that this is how it works, they can’t control it just by thinking really hard about something else. The murders produce the strongest emotional affect, and that’s what it picks up on. If someone else used the machine, it would default to whatever gave them the strongest emotional reaction in the ~15 minutes beforehand, hence why Es’ video focuses on their daunting task ahead. (The Undercover theory is still a bit loose, though, given the private shots that Es wouldn't have known about). It’s why the videos are usually closely linked to the vd topics/beats. I also like to think that the reason their prisoner colors appear so much is because they’re looking at those colors on their uniform 24/7.

The bell rings to inform Es that it’s the optimal time to use the machine -- the prisoner has been thinking about things for long enough that the video will be about their crime, and if the conversation lasts much longer they’ll start thinking of other things. It’s at a different time for each prisoner because it’s based on the specific conversation. I guess Jackalope is listening in to the interrogation, timing it perfectly. (The only one that kind of messes with this theory is Yonah, because they just keep talking afterwards lol, but it could just show that the interrogation is still in Es’ control.)

Their “Sing your sins” is the final priming nudge to get them to think of their actions as a sin, revealing their guilt.

Once activated, the prisoner enters a sort of trance/sleeping state. It’s very much like REM sleep, with the machine forcibly activating neurons and recording the output. The prisoners have asked Es what they saw, meaning they don’t remember the mvs. I like to think the prisoners do experience the mv in real time, acting as the major version of themself that appears, but can’t remember it afterwards. It’s when you experience a dream, but as soon as you wake up you’re just left with fleeting emotions and memories right on the tip of your tongue.

The video plays immediately upon extraction -- whether on a huge projection or little screen depends on which room it’s in. It simultaneously saves the memory so that Es can rewatch it later (on those old TVs in the jailbreak mix). The machine downloads the song and video together, but requires special parts to retrieve them. The technology is pretty new and fragile, so if one is broken, there might be a delay between when Es can hear the extracted song and see it with the video. (That’s my justification for Kotoko’s delays -- after 9 prisoners the parts wear out, or maybe Mikoto himself overheats it with his complex situation.)

Based on the lack of conversation we get afterwards, I picture Es leaving before the prisoner wakes from the trance. The machine adjusts their brain back to normal before they awaken, restraints freed and able to return to the rest of the prison.

It’s very much like a dream, so it’s not harmful despite the amnesia/head injuries the prisoners have. It does, however, exhaust them. Brain activity alone takes a lot of energy, so forced brain activity with added emotional strain would cause them to feel pretty drained the rest of the day.

[cushfuddled]

I saw your Sherlock post from a couple of weeks ago just now and lol greetings from the other direction. The show died for me in season 3 when Sherlock tricked his only friend into thinking they're about to die in an explosion so John HAS to forgive Sherlock for... what is ultimately another mean trick against that friend (Reichenbach), which Sherlock didn't do to save John/Mrs. Hudson/Lestrade since Mycroft had that covered, but only because he thought John would blab. AauuuGGGHHHH.

DUDE I am passing you an "I survived Sherlock BBC" T-shirt through the screen.

Also.

YOU'VE ACTIVATED MY "SHERLOCK BBC IS A TOXIC YAOI SIMULATOR" TRAP CARD! WOE, A SHERLOCK BBC VENT BE UPON YE!

What pisses me off is that, like, Moftis could've leaned into the bullshit at least. They could've made it a CHOICE.

IMO Sherlock BBC was a horror story about homophobia and codependency. Moftis made it very clear that John is "addicted" to conflict; to danger; to Sherlock. Throughout the show John furiously stresses his heterosexuality to anyone who'll listen. He breaks himself to conform to a "normal life" with a woman and a child and a steady job. But he can only play pretend for so long. I'll never recover from that wildly on-the-nose scene where John goes to sleep next to his wife and dreams about Afghanistan (a parallel to the first scene of episode one) and his life with Sherlock.

SHERLOCK (in the dream): Seen a lot of injuries, then? Violent deaths? JOHN (in the dream): Enough for a lifetime. (In the Watsons’ bedroom there’s a pounding sound nearby, as if someone is knocking on the front door.) SHERLOCK (in the dream): Want to see some more? JOHN (in the dream): Oh, God, yes. (The banging sound comes again and John jolts and sits up in bed. Half asleep, in his mind’s eye he can see Sherlock looking intensely at him.) SHERLOCK: The game is on. (He smiles.) (John wakes up properly and throws back the covers.)

This transcript neglects to mention the shot of John ripping his hand from his wife's as he races out of the bedroom. He throws the front door open, and expresses clear disappointment when it's not Sherlock on the other side.

John DESPERATELY wants to be a normal heterosexual dude with a normal heterosexual marriage, but he can't escape his nature.

SHERLOCK (louder, talking over her): John, you are addicted to a certain lifestyle. You’re abnormally attracted to dangerous situations and people … (his voice becomes quieter again) … so is it truly such a surprise that the woman you’ve fallen in love with conforms to that pattern? (John grimaces briefly and then, with his eyes still fixed on Sherlock, he points towards his wife at the other side of the room.) JOHN (his voice full of suppressed tears): But she wasn’t supposed to be like that. (Mrs. Hudson looks across to Mary in shock. Mary lowers her head.) JOHN (to Sherlock, pointing again across the room, his voice a little stronger): Why is SHE** like that? (Sherlock looks away towards the sofa wall for several seconds and then turns to look directly into John’s eyes.) SHERLOCK: Because you chose her. (John stares back at him, his face unreadable. Sherlock holds his gaze. Finally John turns away, speaking conversationally.) JOHN: Why is everything … (he walks towards the dining table, holding up a questioning hand and shrugging) … always … (his voice raises to a loud shout) … MY FAULT?! (He furiously kicks one of the dining chairs across the floor. Mrs Hudson jumps and flails. Even Sherlock jumps a little, but Mary remains still.)

**The unspoken sentiment here is "I did all this to get away from you/what you represent. Mary was supposed to be normal. She was supposed to make ME normal. So why did she turn out to be just like you?" And of course Sherlock goes, "Because you are YOU, and YOU chose her." No matter how hard John tries to be a different person with different needs, at the end of the day he's still John Watson, and John Watson can't help but want what he wants. As furious as he is at Sherlock and Mary, John is ultimately more furious with himself for his inability to shapeshift into a "normal" man who doesn't need the war/Sherlock.

As the series went on, it got harder and harder for me not to read John's outbursts as him taking out his self-hatred/internalized homophobia on Sherlock. John fucking HATES how much he loves Sherlock. He HATES that he needs Sherlock in his life. He HATES that he couldn't find happiness with a normal life and a normal wife. Sherlock tore John's shot at normalcy away from him. He is the face of everything John can't stand about himself. And so we end up with this:

And then...holy fuck, Sherlock's not exactly a ray of sunshine either. Like you pointed out, a part of Sherlock enjoys putting John through these cruel, elaborate life or death simulations. It would've been easy to construe a scenario wherein Sherlock HAD to keep John out of the loop post-Reichenbach, but Moftis opted for a much more fucked up timeline where Sherlock let John believe he'd committed suicide for years because he...kinda wanted to fuck around Europe on his own for a while? Or didn't trust John to put on a good show?

I can massage the story enough to like, come up with a kinder excuse. If John were to find out about Moriarty's web he'd bite and claw his way to Sherlock's side like he always does, and that would put John's life (even more) at risk (a la Sherlock's eventual capture). Maybe on some level Sherlock understood John's desire to escape, too, and thus opted to "free" John from his leash.

It's more difficult to soften Sherlock's decision to reenter John's life when/how he did.

If memory serves...since the show premiered, Sherlock seemed like he was always on the lookout for new and creative ways to hurt himself (whether on John's behalf, for the sake of "the game," or as a kind of release valve).

Sherlock's constant need to sacrifice (or punish) himself conflicts with his hunger for John's approval. Sherlock would die for John's happiness...but he also needs John around to make him feel smart/loved. He likes to keep John in the dark until the last possible second—to put John in situations that leave him totally at Sherlock's mercy/dependent upon Sherlock's brilliance—to more or less blunt force engineer these moments of awe and intimacy. He's addicted to John as much as John is addicted to Sherlock, and sometimes that manifests in grand gestures of selfless devotion...and sometimes it manifests in fucked up manipulation games that reassert John's dependence on Sherlock/Sherlock's control over John's life.

So yeah. It's all very fucky IMO. And I wouldn't have suddenly loved the show if Moftis had leaned into that reality, but at the very least I'd have felt a lot less gaslit lmao. Sherlock BBC beat me over the head with the toxic yaoi paddle only to scream at me, "THEY'RE BEST FRIENDS AND THEY WERE MADE FOR EACH OTHER AND YAY AREN'T YOU HAPPY THEY'RE SUCH A GREAT TEAM YAY IT'S ALL GOOD THEY MADE UP AND THEY'RE GOOD NOW IT'S GOOD FOREVER AND EVER YAY!"

Like I'm sorry, but that finale was not a happy one. It wasn't even bittersweet. It was tragic. Mary literally ends the show with, "Who you really are doesn't matter. It's all about the legend." Sherlock and John represent a refuge to people, Mary says. Their story represents hope. We're told the manipulative, miserable, codependent mess of Sherlock and John's reality "doesn't matter." What matters is the front they present to their audience. If I thought this doublespeak was intentional, I would've applauded Moftis for their commitment to the bit at least. It takes balls to look at a legendary package deal like Doyle's Holmes and Watson (I cannot stress enough how cottage-core soft these two are with each other) and say, "What if I made that relationship super fucked up?" But the whole show stinks of empty promises, like Moftis MEANT to tell a story about a fraught but ultimately beautiful (platonic) partnership. What we GOT was a gay horror story about two very traumatized guys who couldn't escape each other's gravitational pull. I mean...pick a lane. Don't TELL me these two love each other like a couple of pals and then SHOW me John catapult between yearnful dreams of Sherlock's face and like, punting Sherlock's broken body into a wall of metal lockers.

Okay, rant over HHHHHHH

[mrs-snape5984]

“I'll meet you on a day that never ends. I'll greet you in a way that heaven meant…”

“I hope you don't break my heart of stone. I don't wanna scream out loud and wake up on my own…” (“Idler’s Dream” by Oasis)

Considering, that I don’t see any way out of the misery, which my life has become since this cruel and inexorable disease ME/CFS has robbed me from being myself, I’ve started to commission some of my beloved artists of Snapedom with a special project of mine. I explained to them, that I’m slowly fading away from my life as well as from other people’s lives. It started two years ago, when this sickness got me into her relentless grip, forcing me to let go of the life, I’ve known before. Losing more and more of my abilities and strengths with each passing day, I’m finding myself in an unstoppable spiral of torments.

Nowadays, I’m not capable of leaving my room and most of the times even my bed anymore. Day in, day out I’m surrounded by darkness, silence and solitude. Participating in social activities, in milestones of my children or even in longer conversations with friends isn’t possible for me anymore. My presence has lost its meaning and purpose.

Whereas my phone didn’t stand still in the beginning of my disease, when friends and colleagues were worried about me…it’s getting more silent now. People are starting to forget about me…and yes, I can absolutely understand them. It must be frustrating to send messages or attempt to call me without getting a proper reply. My former boss told me some weeks ago, that people are feeling speechless about my situation, so it’s easier for them to forget about me…letting me become a faint memory in the back of their heads. This is exactly, what I meant, when I said, that I’m fading away…and it’s okay. I can’t be mad about it. I understand.

It’s also happening here on tumblr…and yet, here are still some kind people, who seem to notice my silence. I was astonished to hear, that my friend @capysnapeart, whom I commissioned for this beautiful artwork of Severus and my highly self-inserted OC Jules, searched me in a sweet post on their blog, after not hearing from me for several days. I was even more dumbfounded, when I realised, that other lovely people of Snapedom had also noticed my absence from my online life. This was very unexpected, but - indeed - touching and heartwarming to me. Thank you for not forgetting about me.

The project, which I’ve commissioned @capysnapeart and some other artists for, should show the different stages of the life, I’m expecting to have after my final breath, which doesn’t seem to be so far away anymore. I’ve set myself a limit…a certain point of no return, at which I won’t be able to accept and endure my pain and my suffering anymore. Well…let’s just leave it like that.

In my imagination, I will be able to choose, how my afterlife will look like. I will be with Severus, the character, I’ve been clinging on for the past 21 years, already. I imagine, that we will meet at the age of 11 years and from then on, we will spend the rest of our lives together...growing old together. It may sound strange and pathetic, but this is all, that I'm wishing for. I want to come home to him...

I asked Capy to draw Severus and Jules as a middle-aged couple…sitting on a bench in front of their little cottage at the sea. I’d love to see them being happy together…finally living the life, they’ve always wanted to live…the life, they’ve deserved to have! They’re cuddling on this wooden bench…feeling like home in themselves.

Capy, my dear friend, I’m beyond grateful for your understanding of my wish for this mesmerising artwork. You’ve managed to capture the peace and the silence of this scenery so perfectly, that it made me shed countless tears of longing. A longing for this fantasy to become true one day, when I will let go of my existence, eventually. Thank you for your talent, your kindness and your acceptance of my ideas. Feel hugged! 🫂🥹

🖤Severus & Julia🖤

🖤Sevy & Jules🖤

[incorrectlumityquotes]

Nellie and Tater: PRIMOS is an Unbalanced Mess

I know this is a lumity blog, but I wanted to talk about something different that has been bothering me lately and it's that new show, PRIMOS.

Now the show did get a lot of backlash a while back for how stereotypical it looked, and Disney Channel made some changes to save face. Now that it's out, the consensus is...

It's so okay, it's average.

And quite frankly, no one cares. Except my brother who I'm watching the show with. Now, I think the show is meh except for two things:

I HATE the main character, Tater, but I love her younger sister, Nellie.

(Tater on the left; Nellie on the right)

For those of you fortunate enough not to know what PRIMOS is, PRIMOS is the new animated show from Disney Channel about a girl name Tater who wants to have big dreams and achieve her "final form" (they never explain what that means), except her mom invited her twelve cousins to stay at their house for the summer. Easy to understand. Very slice of life comedy-ish.

My problem with the show (besides how it looks) is the main character, Tater. I hate her. I hate her design. I hate her voice. I hate her character. But she's the main character which means she's going to be in every episode and get all the screen time. Tater is also very egocentric. Everything has to be about HER and her "final form" whatever that is. Even in episodes that aren't about her, Tater actively tries to make herself the center of them. Hell, the trailer and first episode end with Tater yelling to the heavens, "BUT THIS SUMMER WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT ME!"

Nellie, on the other hand, is her taller yet younger sister.

I love Nellie. Her design is better. Her voice is better. Her character is better. She's mischievous, goofy and level-headed. She's learned to tolerate her gaggle of cousins by tuning people out with her headphones, meditating, doing yoga, and making snarky comments to take people down a peg.

The problem is that Nellie doesn't appear in every episode. Despite being the main character's younger sister, there are some episodes where she's not even mentioned.

At first, this doesn't seem like a big deal. I'm not an idiot. I'm not gonna complain that a secondary character is secondary. But then I saw two episodes: Summer of La Trabajadora and Summer of La Madriguera.

In Summer of La Trabajadora, the episode starts with all the primos at a pizzeria for "primo pizza hour." And Nellie isn't there. She's not even mentioned. They give no reason for her not being there. I guess it would have cost too much to draw her in the background? Her actress costs too much?

Then Summer of La Madriguera, which actually needs a little bit of context. In the second episode of PRIMOS, Tater was afraid the primos were going to completely take over her room. But the primos built Tater her own special "Tater's corner," so she can have her privacy. In Summer of La Madriguera, Tater finds a secret spot in the attic she can use as a hideaway, but Nellie discovers it. Tater doesn't want Nellie to tell any of the primos about it, and Nellie agrees because sometimes you need time alone to recharge. And then Nellie says this:

"I get it. That's why I meditate. I mean, none of the primos made me a special corner."

Wow. Puts a whole new spin on all the episodes that don't have Nellie in them. So now do I not only like Nellie as a character, but I sympathize with her too. As confident and aloof as she is, she does feel left out by Tater and the primos.

Which confuses me.

The creator based Tater off herself, so she's a self-insert creator's pet. We're supposed to like Tater more than any of the other characters because she's the main character. So why make Nellie more sympathetic? We're supposed to care more about Tater's "final form" (whatever that is) than a little girl being ignored in her own family? Fucking...no?

All of this reaches its boiling point in the episode Summer of Imi-Tater.

The episode starts with NELLIE narrating. We get some visual metaphors that I have to describe to you because I don't have screenshots. We'll miss you, KimCartoon.

Nellie sees herself as the Earth (makes sense) and Tater is represented by a sun that never shuts the fuck up. The primos are represented by the other planets and you can guess where this is going.

After that, we see Nellie and the primos watching TV with Nellie riffing (or mst3k-ing if you're old school) the shows and the primos getting a good laugh. They're all having a good time before Tater shows up to make herself the center of attention again. Nellie correctly predicts that Tater has some dumb idea about her final form but need the primos' help. Apparently, Tater needs money for a reason we never learn, and Nellie suggests selling lemonade. Tater then scolds Nellie for interrupting her and then suggests selling lemonade. The primos go wild for Tater's idea...even though Nellie just suggested it not even thirty seconds ago.

Nellie tries to mediate and have tea, but she can't help it this time. She's angry. And she decides to get back at Tater by becoming Tater 2.0 and making her own lemonade stand.

Nellie becomes "Tater 2.0" and is an instant success with her lemonade stand, showing up Tater and winning control of the primos. She even gets a song that is a total bop...and is kinda sad when you pay attention to the lyrics.

"Nellie see you later/cause I'm tater 2.0"

She thinks she has to be a better Tater just to get some attention because no one cared about Nellie being Nellie.

And of course, Tater, being the egocentric gremlin that she is, can't handle it.

Nellie considers this a win...until the primos all comfort Tater. Even when Nellie wins, it has to be about Tater. Nellie decides to prove her point even further by taking over Tater's failed lemonade stand, but goes too far when she reads part of Tater's diary out loud. Nellie threatens to destroy Tater's diary, but when the primos try to talk her down, Nellie loses it. She just screams:

"Tater! Tater! Tater! What about ME?!?!"

And I get it. Usually, Nellie can handle herself but this has been building since the series started. Humans are social creatures and everybody likes attention, at least every once in a while. Nellie was cool just chilling with the primos, but it felt like they dumped her every time Tater had some dumb idea. The didn't even miss her in primo pizza hour. Tater shooting down her idea and then taking credit for it was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Nellie realizes that she was burying her anger instead of dealing with it and talks to Tater. And then I hate the episode again because Tater makes it about herself again. Tater shows that she has a "Nellie Index" in her diary and that when Tater wins the Nobel Prize, she'll be sure to thank Nellie during her acceptance speech.

First of all, fuck you. Second, this isn't good enough for me. This ending doesn't resolve any of the issues brought up. It doesn't resolve or explain why the primos ignore or straight up forget Nellie. It doesn't show why we should prefer Tater over Nellie. It barely resolves Nellie burying her feelings. So it brings up the question, why do this? Why make an episode that shows your main character being a jerk to a close family member and then handwaving a resolution?

My theory is that when creators have their super-special-OC-don't-steal, they have blinders on that prevents them from seeing how bad their characters actually are. Like Mike and Bryan about Aang from Avatar the Last Airbender. Aang did some bad things, but Mike and Bryan don't see them as bad, just little character flaws to grow out of. Here I thought consent was cool, but whatever.

I like this episode and I don't like this episode. It's an unbalanced mess that has the moral and the focus in the wrong place. I love Nellie more and hate Tater more. The problem is I know that the show intended for the opposite to happen, and that's not a good sign.

Later, hater!

[pico-digital-studios]

My personal insight about the state of JD 2025 Edition

Yeah, I've seen all the criticism people have been throwing at the annual pack leading up to its release, though I'm personally feeling there's a special approach they took this year.

It's the 15th anniversary of the Just Dance series as a whole, and of course, Ubisoft are wanting to celebrate this grand occasion in the best way they can, and as such, have tried to create an experience that fans old and new can join in on.

Even with a lack of a Story playlist this year, I'm still okay with that, since a criticism panned at the JD service was that the story songs were taking too much away from the main point of the game; to just dance. Even though this left the Dance with the Swan storyline on a cliffhanger until next year, at least we've still got a bit of lore concerning the start of Night Swan/Leda's fall to darkness, and what led to a painful relationship between mother and son, and the heartbreak the father (the Traveller) experienced when he found out.

As such, pretty much all the songs in 2025 Edition don't have a definitive story going on, despite some drawing from stories from previous years (like Rasputin's last bid to reconnect with the Bride), but it shows that Ubisoft are seeing what's made the games fun for casual audiences; fun songs to dance along to, from varying genres and areas of the world.

I mean, look at all the routines they've done with songs from the Disney Animated Canon, for instance. It's their little way of appealing to whatever demographics they can, which is shown through the SpongeBob's Birthday song (animated in the style of the show, as well!). They've returned to where they can try to appeal to players old and young, fans old and new.

And they thought ahead about two seasonal holidays; Halloween and Christmas, two big points of the year for anyone. The charm of Halloween for the Trick-or-Treaters or those that love a good scare in October's reflected well in "Halloween's Here", and the nostalgia and warming vibe of the "Sleigh Ride" routine also helps appeal to those getting into the festive spirit.

The lack of connected stories this year might be a way to allow new fans to come into the charm of the Just Dance worlds without having to worry about following any major storyline, with a bunch of fun and colourful characters from all backgrounds; neurodivergent (like Epsilon), LGBT (Ari and Grace as examples), animated works (like the aforementioned pair and "Play Date"); all different things people can connect with and enjoy, no matter what side of each they enjoy and are a part of.

Understandably, not all of the songs are for everybody, I'm not denying that, but I'm sure there's at least something in 2025 Edition that can appeal to people in their own ways. Wanna dance to something without a care in the world? Got it right here! Same for if you want to figure out whether or not the Bride and Rasputin will get back together again, or to see Epsilon find themselves as a person.

Heck, the point where the celebration comes full-circle is in "Sunlight", which celebrates how far the series has come since the first game, with the coaches getting costumes based on familiar faces, past routines being referenced, and even the carrot from PoPiPo joining in at one point. And it's not often when we see the behind-the-scenes process captured on-screen, either, with the Ubisoft Paris team applauding the performance.

For me, personally, I'm keeping out of the crazy arguments going on in the fandom (like whether or not JD2018 is the series' black sheep, or whether the reveal of Jack and Wanderlust likely being half-siblings will cause problems for the shippers out there). I'm personally just here to enjoy the Danceverses and the fun I feel whenever I get to dance along to the songs every morning I can to keep active.

I simply hope that someday, 2025 Edition gets a release off the service (even though it's just a pipe dream in this reality), considering the charm it harbours, and the potential it could have separate from being online-only, especially taking into account that the service won't be maintained forever and will eventually have to be shut down. Maybe someday...

[atopvisenyashill]

Feed my delulu bestie… Sansa & Theon book canon??? Your posts give me hope when I shouldn’t have it lol.

there's so much canon evidence dammit! i always get a lil put out when people say it’s a show only thing. certainly the show made it more popular but you can say that about like 90% of the ships in the fandom! and there’s a lot here already without the obnoxious sansa bolton show arc!

For one thing, theon straight up dreams about marrying sansa-

Sansa was the pretty one. He remembered a time when he had thought that Lord Eddard Stark might marry him to Sansa and claim him for a son, but that had only been a child's fancy.

I think this is very similar to Sansa’s fantasies about Willas Tyrell-

She pictured the two of them sitting together in a garden with puppies in their laps, or listening to a singer strum upon a lute while they floated down the Mander on a pleasure barge. If I give him sons, he may come to love me. She would name them Eddard and Brandon and Rickon, and raise them all to be as valiant as Ser Loras. And to hate Lannisters, too. In Sansa's dreams, her children looked just like the brothers she had lost. Sometimes there was even a girl who looked like Arya.

For both of them, they dream of a marriage that signifies a return to the safety and welcoming of childhood, of home. Notice the focus for both of them on Stark Identity - Theon wants to be accepted as true kin by the family that raised him in an attempt to cope with his status as a hostage while Sansa focuses on the idea of having children named for her lost family members in an attempt to cope with her continued instability also as a hostage.

Which brings me to their shared status as child hostages! While not a unique social status in the world of Terros, they are unique in being our only two PoVs that really dig into the harm of being a hostage. From Theon’s longing to be a Stark and the way it's held against him by Balon to Sansa’s longing to be Joffrey's queen turning to resentment over being “made a Lannister”, both of them go from a sort of rose colored happy go lucky outlook to an extreme drop into brutal reality as Theon reckons with his trauma while sacking Winterfell and Sansa is shoved head first into the danger of politics and intrigue.

As their time as child hostages morphs into a status that is more murky but considerably more dangerous - who knows what the fuck Littlefinger is planning, and whatever Ramsay has cooking it's obviously nothing good - both of them take on another identity in Alayne Stone and Reek. They are both forced into this identity by the person in control of them, becoming subsumed into this new identity. Here is, imo, a very interesting aspect of both their characters as they exhibit a sort of...mental break of a sort when they change identities. They "kill" their old identities and truly become this new person; they act different, they speak different, they actively reject reminders of their former identity, with their chapter names even changing from "Theon" and "Sansa" to their new names. And yet that former identity is a key part of who they are and it cannot stay buried for long-

I am not your daughter, she thought. I am Sansa Stark, Lord Eddard's daughter and Lady Catelyn's, the blood of Winterfell. She did not say it, though.

The old gods, he thought. They know me. They know my name. I was Theon of House Greyjoy. I was a ward of Eddard Stark, a friend and brother to his children. "Please." He fell to his knees. "A sword, that's all I ask. Let me die as Theon, not as Reek."

Again, both Theon and Sansa focus on their connection to House Stark - Sansa as the blood of Winterfell, Theon as a ward of Ned. For Sansa, it’s about going to the home she took for granted, the home Theon years for; a place she felt safe, a family that loves her, a space she can reflect on her memories and grief with peace and understanding. For Theon, that home never existed at all! It was something he made up in his head, cobbled together from half remembered feelings of love from his mother, a dream of what it might have been like to be an older brother and beloved son. Ultimately, Winterfell and the North represents to both of them the concept of reconciling reality with the dream & delusions they’ve built up in their minds, taking a step forward and growing into adulthood.

Now….the thing about adulthood is it typically involves marriage and that is something I think a lot of people don’t take seriously when it comes to Theonsa - oh theon is too gross or whatever. But the thing is that Theon experiences this kind of sexual violence and helplessness that he himself visited upon others and enabled and I think it puts him in this interesting and unique place of finally understanding a) how gross he actually is and b) connecting to Sansa through a shared sexual helplessness. Now I’m not saying like, ~theon being reek’ed was narrative setup and punishment for theonsa~ but i AM saying this is a natural stepping point (imo) of Theon’s arc.

Think about like. Theon looking the other way while his men rape the women he’s captured, uncomfortable but feeling like this is what is necessary to be seen as A Man (and pay no mind to what they means To Be A Woman). Bedding down with the miller’s wife just to enable the very brutal murder of her sons. Taking his frustration and powerlessness out on Kya sexually. And Kya still tries to escape with him (who else could have possibly helped her?), and he dwells on the ways in which he helped lead her to her death. Dwells on the boys whose bodies he hung on the walls. Dwells on the similarities between his own falling apart body and Jeyne’s bite marks and injuries from Ramsay. For me the next step is - Theon forced to see his own helplessness as a hostage of the Starks and then a captive of Ramsay’s when he confronts Sansa, who was a hostage of the Lannisters and [wild gesture] like the kept pet of Littlefinger’s. I think seeing his own suffering so acutely reflected in the girl he projected his idealistic fantasy of happiness and home onto would be fascinating!

And equally fascinating is Sansa’s perspective - I’m sure she WILL initially see his torture as some sort of cosmic retribution for betraying Robb! But the same as she ultimately only saw another child suffering when Joffrey died in front of her, I think she will see that whatever Theon deserves for what he’s done, being flayed and tortured by Ramsay is not retribution, it’s just more suffering. And once she starts to see past her anger, Sansa too I think will be quite disarmed by the similarities between them. To have been a hostage, to have been some sort of captive under an identity forced on you, to have that captor use his power to force sexual situations you are not asking for onto you, I think it would make Sansa wrestle more with her own place In The System - similar to how being a hostage makes her realize how fucked up her conception of knights and chivalry and court is when compared to the reality, seeing the effect she herself helped have as A Good Hostage Taker will make her reflect. Theon realizing Sansa is her own person with her own inner life and Sansa realizing the same about Theon!

Once again, its about what I talked about re: Sansa and Arya being the only Starks left in Winterfell or Sansa and Jon meeting first! To grow up and embrace adulthood by growing to appreciate the reality in front of you and not the fantasy you conjured up as a child. For Theon to love Sansa for who she is and wrestle with the REALITY of what marriage would be like - both in a sense that he’s physically traumatized & no longer “handsome” but also like, having lived through the concept of “They will make a STARK out of me” and thinking about what it means in the context of sex and relationships. For Sansa to love Theon for who he is and wrestle with the reality of, like, herself in the Lannister shoes in this position, and what being an heiress and marrying actually means for her going forward. Two people who are defined by their identities being eclipsed and overlooked, wrestling with whether they’re repeating that pattern on each other or actually healing and grieving and figuring out how to define themselves on their own and not against someone else.

[dreaminonao3]

"how did this happen?" - Alastor/Charlie

Fandom: Hazbin Hotel

Triggers/Warnings: None

Rating: T

How Did This Happen? (AO3)

“How did this happen?”

The mirror had no more answers than he did. All it could show him was what he already knew – the deep diagonal slash across his chest. It was healing, slowly, and would certainly leave a new scar to add to his collection.

It happened because you got too confident. You thought you could take on Adam and win even though he was much more powerful. Instead of “How,” a better question is “Why?” Why did this happen?

He hung his head, his hands gripping the sides of the sink. It happened because of Charlie. As he was the heaviest hitter in the Hotel, she had asked him to be the one to face Adam.

It had almost killed him.

Was she worth it? Was her dream worth it?

*

How did this happen?

It was their weekly discussion of how the Hotel was running. (Smoothly as ever, of course, thanks to his expertise.) They’d had this same conversation since the hotel’s rebuilding, going on six months now. This time, though, something was different.

He wasn’t sure if the change was in her or him but something about her laugh made his heart lighten. Something about her smile made his stomach do a little flip. Something about her eyes meeting his made his breath catch.

Charlie was having an effect on him. She was a distraction.

A weakness.

Something his enemies could exploit if they knew.

He should stop.

He should leave.

Charlie chose that moment to start humming to herself as she worked on her plans for the next day’s group activity. She had no idea how adorable she was and he melted.

How could he leave?

*

How did this happen?

He ignored the text from Lucifer. His phone, a gift from Charlie, wasn’t the center of his life, therefore it was easy to pretend he never saw texts he didn’t like. At least the man decided to not confront me in person. Can’t have a scene in front of my newly-minted fiancée.

Of course, the King of Hell wasn’t the only person asking that question. Everyone wanted to know how they got together, Angel Dust being the only exception.

“Eh, it was inevitable,” he said after their engagement was announced. “She wants ta redeem everyone, he’s the ultimate sinner. He’s her passion project.”

The question was, of course, whether she would succeed in making a Winner out of him. While he had no doubts about Charlie’s abilities, he had plenty of doubts about himself.

Still, she believed in him, even after everything. It was something he could build an afterlife on.

*

“How did this happen?”

Charlie giggled. “When two demons love each other very much…”

He stared down at the pregnancy test wand in his hands. It was unmistakably positive. He was unmistakably fucked.

“Hey,” she said softly as she relieved him of the pregnancy wand then took his hands, her big eyes gazing up at him. “Stop imagining the worst.”

He raised an eyebrow. “When did you become a mind reader?”

“When I realized that you are really good at putting up a brave, scary front when you’re terrified. We can do this.”

He sighed heavily. “My father was anything but a role model.”

“My parents are far from perfect but we can both be better than all of them. We have each other and a Hotel full of people I’m sure will be happy to help.” She released his hands to wrap her arms around his waist. “It’ll be fun, Alastor.”

“‘Fun?’” he echoed in utter disbelief. “It’s the most important role either of us could possibly undertake.”

She smirked. “I don’t know, I’d say you’ve handled ‘husband’ and ‘lover’ pretty well so far. Why should ‘father’ be any different?”

He chuckled, his body finally relaxing. “How do you always know the right thing to say?”

“It’s a gift.”

His smile softened. “No, you’re the gift.”

She beamed at him then her smile turned seductive. “To answer your question, I could give you a demonstration, if you’ll allow it.”

He grinned at her. “But of course.”

[aihoshiino]

chapter 150 thoughts!

Chapters Since The 143 Kiss Happened And Went Entirely Unacknowledged And Unaddressed Count: 7…. ttttttechnically? they don't actually mention that the kiss happened, so i'm counting it…

ladies, gentlemen and those who know better, our long national nightmare is finally over

after… literally I've lost count of how long it's been since we had some proper Aqua introspection, our landmark chapter 150 is almost entirely dedicated to putting us back in Aqua's head (quite literally!) and sort of catching up with him. Some things about Aqua that have been mostly only communicated through showing over telling are explicitly told in text and i'm ngl, there's one or two things where seeing textual confirmation of them got me barking like a fucking dog. Overall, while the pacing of the start of this arc has been bit clunky and this chapter itself isn't free of that either, it actually feels like things are moving and meaningful characterization is happening which after the Movie Arc is a bit of a luxury lol.

As usual, I want to gush about Mengo's art before I touch on anything else. Setting the majority of this chapter in a dream sequence allowed her to do some incredibly fun things with the staging and imagery here. Aqua in that eerie void with his feet drenched in blood… Aqua and Gorou still stuck in that hallway where Ai died, while Ruby has managed to take steps to leave… It's so fucking good.

There were some absolutely top tier Kanas this chapter, too… her little baby tantrum in flashback and that gorgeous final page of her… But I'm getting ahead of myself.

While I described this chapter up top as being communicating things about Aqua, it very much feels to me like it's also serving as closure for Gorou, both in the sense of him as a person and resolving the posthumous arc that he's been going on as part of Aqua. This chapter at last draws a clear and explicit distinction between the two, that Aqua is no longer Gorou, even if he might have been built on the foundation of his identity. Gorou is even described as a 'role' that Aqua has been compelled to play that Gorou himself is now urging him to step down from - he is offering to relinquish Aqua's future back to him… if that's what Aqua wants.

This was how I'd initially read the relationship back in my 143 review - that 'Aqua Hoshino' created from Gorou, his core values and driving ideals, but 18+ years of living a whole new life in a whole new social role, meeting people and having experiences Gorou would never have and literally having a different body and brain in the process have made him different and the sum total of those differences is the person we call Aqua Hoshino. This chapter seems to lean into this interpretation, casting them as a pair of briefly intersecting lines that once crossed but have now diverged onto their own paths.

I also just really liked the dynamic that they were shown to have this chapter. Whenever we've seen this conflict externalized in the past, Gorou has always been this frightening, overwhelming presence whose existence actively prevents Aqua from having any kind of happiness or peace. Here, though, they have a much less adversarial energy, which is a really nice reflection of Aqua being able to gradually start pulling himself out of the shit he's been stuck in. Gorou almost feels fatherly or big brotherly here, not just in how he behaves in regards to Sarina-as-Ruby, but for Aqua, too.

But……….. okay, I'll stop dodging around the elephant in the room now lol

After over 25 chapters of very deliberately avoiding putting us in his headspace, 150 finally puts the ball in Aqua's court vis-a-vis the AquRuby tension and he answers in a way I think would be pretty hard to walk back: That Ruby is his precious sister and that's it. That her feelings for him are the result of her projecting Gorou onto him, chasing a ghost that is fading from this world and that she does not actually love him. Whoof.

This was another thing where seeing it in text felt pretty great. I'd caught pretty early on that there was a weird divide in the way the story was handling the AquRuby dynamic - namely, that there wasn't an AquRuby dynamic and all the supposed ship development of it was largely happening in retrospect, beefing up the intensity of the GRSR relationship and having Ruby express her feelings to Gorou-through-Aqua. When the idea of Aqua and Ruby romance was floated, by contrast, it was always treated like a gag. With the Movie arc being as much of a mess as it was, it was hard to work out what the intentionality of that was (if there was any to begin with) but this seems to make it about as clear as it can be: neither Gorou or Aqua have any had any feelings of that sort of Sarina-through-Ruby and neither of them want to pursue romance with them.

Once again tapping into my powers of Claire-voyance, I already know a lot of people are trying to insist that this is Aqua lying to himself or 'settling' and that he does secretly want a relationship with Ruby for reals! but that really isn't how it comes across to me in the art. He's calm, speaks straightforwardly and without hesitation and makes his point pretty clear. We know how it looks when OnK character lie to themselves and this isn't really it. It would also just be strange for that to be the case when this is a scene about Aqua starting to consider the idea of moving past the things that hurt him and live out his future with someone.

And who that someone is… seems to be coming into focus, but I don't think we'll be getting there quite yet.

I will say that for as much as I liked this as a chapter and as a goodbye for Gorou… it kind of doesn't really make a lot of sense as a resolution for his guilt lol. This chapter frames things in such a way that centers his guilt on Sarina and that seeing her live her life as Ruby has given him some catharsis over it. This is a sweet idea but… that's, uh, not how this was framed anytime prior! When we've seen Gorou intrude on Aqua's happiness before, his self hate and his guilt all center on Ai's death and his inability to save her. The last time we saw him in this capacity in 95, that's what he was saying with his whole chest: that he deserves to suffer as punishment for Ai's suffering, Ai's death. I'm sure that knowing Sarina is living on as Ruby was very cathartic but… it has nothing to do with Ai! Why is this being framed as narratively resolved in this way?

Like… if I chew on it a bit, I can make it make sense: since chapter 1, Gorou has been pretty open about projecting Sarina onto Ai, processing his grief that way and imagining her living vicariously through Ai's success. The idea of Ruby doing the same by continuing Ai's legacy and keeping her radiance alive being the thing that gives him release over Ai's death is interesting and I can understand it emotionally, it just feels like a weird unexplained leap for the narrative to make. I was talking to a friend about it, trying to work it out by externalizing it, and they theorized that this was always the intended endpoint of Gorou's posthumous arc but that the story had drifted in the middle section and Akasaka hadn't quite realigned them. This makes a lot of sense to me and I wouldn't be surprised if it was the case.

I will say that it really bugs me. I've already talked about the ways Ai's importance to the twins as their mother has been gradually downplayed and diluted as the Movie Arc has gone on. In my original post, I attributed this to Akasaka trying to amp up the intensity of the GRSR -> AQRB relationship in a soap opera-y sort of way, but given that this chapter seems to shut down AquRuby, I don't really know if that's the case. In general, Ai has been treated as sort of narratively 'resolved' as of 137, as if that chapter was the capstone to her posthumous character arc and while that might be the case for Ruby… I really don't think it is for Aqua!

It's possible that this is intentional. Aqua still has a shitton of work to do on unfucking his relationship with Ai and the ways his view of her, as implied by the Movie Arc, is warped by his grief. I could see this final stretch of the story being primarily about that - after all, this chapter is about confronting Aqua with the binary choice of revenge or love. In a lot of ways, this has always been what he's struggling with but putting the ball this firmly in his court establishes Ai's death entirely as his own trauma that he has to work through on his own. After all, Aqua might have confronted Gorou in this chapter, but there's a certain someone we also saw in chapter 95 that Aqua hasn't dealt with yet…

I'm talking about Kana, obviously! (ducks thrown tomatoes)

I don't have a ton to say about the AQKN romance setup in this chapter other than… yeah, I kinda saw this coming! It's interesting to see Gorou, the representation of Aqua's guilt and self destruction, be the one to so directly confront him and push him towards trying to find some happiness with her. Aqua quietly noting that he knows the things he likes about Kana and he knows that moving on with her makes a lot of sense - but what makes this especially interesting is the way it mirrors Kana's own reflection on her relationship with Aqua at the end of the chapter.

I like that a lot of the AQKN moments the two reflect on are just… mundane, everyday instances of the two of them stumbling through life together. I've seen a lot of people say AQKN is 'boring' or 'flat' because it lacks the drama of AQAK or AQRB but honestly, I feel like this is what makes it work (when it does work) - their relationship, whatever form it takes, is a safe and quiet space where they can just exist outside the drama and transactional utility of so many of their other relationships.

That said, while those montages mirror each other, what makes them interesting is their divergence point. Kana decides to commit to choosing 'love', with that absolutely gorgeous full page panel, but Gorou hands the knife - the symbol of the violence that blighted Aqua's life - back to him and makes it clear that love or revenge, the choice is now entirely in Aqua's hands. We don't see what he chooses, but… if Oshi no Ko really is a story with a happy ending, I think it's a foregone conclusion. And that makes me really happy.

Not that it's happening anytime soon, lol. I'll be very shocked if Kana's confession doesn't result in a rejection from Aqua, at least at this point in time - there's too much else going on in the story for this to be the right place for Aqua to commit to Kana. She's still an idol, after all and Kamiki is still around. The bets I'm placing right now are that AQKN are going to get their resolution, whatever form it takes, at the Dome concert during or after Kana's graduation.

As for their date… Call me cynical, but I also don't see it going particularly well. After all…

Aren't we forgetting somebody?

[thyshadowwriter]

hiii can i req ubbe getting jealous (in a cute way) when you are giving attention to someone else? like with pouts and stuff... thank uuu ♡

A/n: Thank you! We love fluff (and a bit of jealousy) in this house Not me writing something completely different at first lol

Being married to Ubbe was like living a dream. He was absolutely gorgeous, easily the most handsome man you ever saw, but that was just a part of him; He always treated you with love and care, completely unbothered to show his affection in public and perhaps a bit too comfortable.

If you had to point out a flaw, it would be his jealousy. It was not very pronounced, but it at times showed its head, even if he was lovely about it. It puzzled the mind as to why Ubbe would think he had any reason to be jealous, but he did. You never actively tried to stoke his jealousy, but it happened nonetheless.

Kattegat was in a festive mood, summer arrived and the celebrations were at their peak. People were happy, and there was plenty to be distracted. So you left Ubbe to his brothers and their pet peeves and went to catch up with your friends, hearing their stories and gossip, not really paying attention to whatever else was going on. Normally you would talk for a while with others then go back to Ubbe, but the conversation was actually fun and being away from the Ragnarssons drama was good too.

You looked around and met with your husband's gaze. He was with his brothers, who were on their own antics, but he paid them no mind, he was interested in you and gestured for you to come over. You smiled at him, but continued where you were. You still wanted to stay with your group a while more.

A while turned into an hour and Ubbe came to you, though you didn’t see where from. For a man his size, he sure knew how to be quiet as a cat and your friends seemed as surprised and mildly scared. His presence alone silenced your friends, even though he didn’t even bother looking at them.

“Come sit with me?”

“Soon, my love. I want to talk with my friends a little longer.”

He said nothing, gave an annoyed look to your friends and walked away to his seat. 

One of your friends asked you, looking just a little paler than before:

“Does your husband not like us?”

“What? No! It’s just his brothers.”

They didn't seem very convinced, but you continued talking nonetheless. For how long you didn't know but at some point one of your friends pointed out the prince's less then entertained expression.

When you looked at Ubbe you instantly noticed his mood was sour. His head was thrown back and he was staring directly at you with tight lips and wide eyes, nursing his mug of ale but not actually drinking any of it. For such an outstanding warrior, he sure had a flair for the drama and it was clear he was not enjoying being ignored.

The only thing that made him look away with a roll of his eyes was something Ivar said to Sigurd that apparently was outrageous enough to make him drink his ale in one gulp and shut both of them up. Usually, Ubbe would be more patient with his brothers, but when he was jealous, his patience was notably short.

You excused yourself from your friends and went to your husband, who turned his full attention to you.

“Ubbe.”

He tilted his head, looking at you accusatory with those clear blue eyes that never hid what he was feeling. His lips were shut tight, he was annoyed, but it was hard to take him seriously when his annoyance made his lips unintentionally make a pout that you couldn’t help but lean down to kiss it away.

He welcomed the light kiss, but was still very much annoyed.

“You remember you have a husband.”

“Don’t be like that. I was just talking with my friends.”

“I know. For the entire day. I thought you might spend the entire night with them as well.”

“Oh, no. That I wanted to spend with you alone.”

The thought didn’t fail to better his mood, making him smile and the corner of his eyes crinkle a bit.

“Are you mad at me?” You asked him.

Ubbe, instead of answering, put his mug on the table and reached his hand to you. You took his hand and he pulled you close, for a kiss you though, but before your face could be close to his, he picked you up and sat you on his lap, holding you in place with a tight grip in one hand and taking his mug back with the other. Back to his serene expression like he made no effort at all, resting his hand on your lap.

“I can’t be mad at you. I can be mad at your friends.”