#at the same time if i do then life itself might kill mr

[angelstrawbabie420]

ive got to get my shit together holy fuck

[theeoriginals]

Something with Klaus based on this quote from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

“… You listened.”

“To you? Always.”

I NEED the tension PLS

what a feeling | klaus mikaelson

klaus mikaelson x psychic!female!reader (no y/n)

author's note; this + the oneshot I did with the ozark quote are so fun to do, if y'all have any more tv/movie quotes you want me to do fics with send them in <333

warnings; umm vague mentions of violence but ultimately nothing besides fluff, reader is kind of an anxious mess but it's short and sweet

Her powers had always been somewhat of a burden. They were unreliable at best, dangerous and deadly at worst. She'd been on both ends of the spectrum, and even though the power that ran through her bloodline hadn't skipped her, it might as well have compared to everyone else in her family.

It'd made her somewhat of a black sheep amongst wolves. Her dreams, visions, couldn't be trusted. She couldn't be trusted.

Her family never really let her forget that, so the first time two Originals walked into her family's innocuous shop, she figured they wanted her mom or dad, or someone else– anyone but her.

But Klaus had set his eyes on her and said her name like it meant something. Like it wasn't basically a curse in and of itself.

The Mikaelsons were kind to her, despite all of the trouble she came with. Rebekah was sweet and mostly understanding, though she could sometimes be a bit hurtful without realizing it. Elijah was ultimately the same, and his interest in witchcraft always made her remember how much she really did love it, even if she was considered cursed by most witches in New Orleans.

Elijah had told her all about how their mother was the Original witch, and that if they hadn't been turned into vampires, they'd all have a bit of magic in them still. Their sister Freya, and Kol, were both lucky to have that part of their heritage still, apparently.

In the months of working with the Originals, helping them to the best of her ability, though, it was Klaus that she'd come to enjoy most.

She'd heard stories of the infamous hybrid her entire life, stories of bloodshed and needless violence, painting a picture of an unforgiving, ruthless man. Admittedly, when he'd first sought her out, she thought he'd come to kill her. For what reason, she didn't know, but there was no other reason he'd want to speak to her unless she'd unknowingly passed on a piece of her cursed magic to him.

But that hadn't been the case, and he'd just been in need of her specific powers, needed her help to keep an eye out for certain people and any future threats that would bring harm to him and his family. She'd quickly learned that above everything, Klaus just wanted to keep his family safe, and she was more than happy to help in any way she could.

Even though most of her visions were unreliable, he still urged her to share them just in case. Even though not a single one of her visions about the Mikaelsons had come true so far, he still made her tell him and his siblings. He never let her doubt herself.

She supposes that's why she's trying not to be upset right now, listening to them talk over her like she's not sitting right in front of them.

"We can't just sit back and let this happen, Niklaus," Rebekah says, her face twisted frustratedly. "Her visions aren't fact, they're mere possibilities. And very low possibilities at that."

She flinched, ducking her head down to hide the hurt Rebekah's words inflict on her, because she can't really be upset when the blonde is right. Sometimes it's just a feeling, not even a vision. She can't blame them for not trusting a vision of a future that is constantly changing.

Elijah, ever the mediator, gives his sister a slightly scolding look before looking at his brother with something apologetic in his eyes. "Rebekah's being... harsh, but brother, she's not wrong. There's no way to prove that it will come true, and because of that, we have no real reason to not fight back. We have to do something, otherwise every vampire in the Quarter will be in danger."

Klaus pinches the bridge of his nose, his face twitching in a glare. His eyes drift to the quiet witch sitting down, twisting her fingers together anxiously in her lap. He catches her gaze and softens at the sadness in her eyes, feeling it pang in his chest.

"I know," He says finally, an apology swimming in his glacial eyes as he looks at the witch. Her sadness deepens with hurt at his words and he tears his eyes away from her, looking to his siblings. "We have to go."

She stands up abruptly, looking at him in disbelief. "But Klaus, they have white oak stakes, and they're going to use them on all of you. They kill you all, and they don't stop until you're all gone, even Freya! I saw it happen, I swear! You have to believe me, please,"

Elijah says her name with pity in every syllable and she swipes a hand out, turning to look at him with pleading eyes.

"You have to believe me, you're going to be killed if you go. They have laid a trap perfectly made to capture you, and you're walking directly into it!"

"We have to," Klaus shakes his head, already walking towards the doors, Rebekah and Elijah following. He looks over his shoulder, giving her a firm look. "Stay here until we return. It's not safe for you anywhere else."

He walks out before she can say anything else, pretending that he can't feel the heartbroken look on her face burning into his back as he leaves.

──────

She hasn't moved from her seat on the couch in the entirety of their absence. With every minute that shows no sign of their return, her heart beats faster, guilt beginning to seep into her pores.

Stuck in this spiral of horrible, self-deprecating thoughts, she's startled when the doors slam open and the three Originals come marching into the compound.

She stands up, eyes wide as she takes in the drying blood staining their skin and their clothes, but can't stop the wave of relief that washes over her at the sight of them all alive.

Rebekah has a slight limp to her step and Elijah seems to be favoring his left side more than usual, and there's blood on Klaus's face that she knows is his, but they're alive.

She lets out a shaky breath as Klaus walks towards her, Elijah and Rebekah heading for the stairs to likely clean themselves up and find a blood source to suck dry and finish healing.

"I was wrong," She sighs, eyes closing in abatement. "I'm so glad I was–"

She's cut off by Klaus's palms cupping her cheeks, and her eyes snap open when she feels the press of his plush lips against hers. She makes a noise of utter surprise that quickly dissipates into a noise of pleasure, and her eyes flutter shut as she lets him deepen the kiss, stealing the breath right out of her lungs.

She chases him as he pulls away, but he stops her, dragging his thumbs gently along her cheekbones as he looks at her with a look she'd dare call adoring.

It takes her breath all over again and she squirms beneath it, feeling like she's teetering on the edge of something big.

"What," She breathes out, licking her lips like she can still feel the weight of his on them. "What was that for?"

"You were right," He says, his voice rough. "You were right. They had white oak stakes and they tried to kill us. The only reason we survived is because of what you told us,"

Her eyes widen and she looks up at him in disbelief. "But... I'm never right. I'm cursed,"

He shakes his head, lips pulling up into a smile, creasing the dried blood on his cheek. "No, you're not, darling. You saved my life. You saved my family,"

Her throat tightens, thick with emotion, and she isn't entirely proud of the way her voice shakes when she speaks. "You listened?"

Klaus's gaze warms with fondness and he gives her a smile that makes her heart race for entirely new reasons. "To you? Always."

[fantasyescapes17]

Scandal (Part 4, Final)

The Viscount's sister with an enormous dowry, beauty and unmistakable talent- you began the London season as the most desired woman in any room. But Jeon Wonwoo (a man who would rather hide in the library than dance at a ball) is beyond your comprehension. Curiosity might have killed the cat, but it embroiled you into a scandal with a man you could never love.

Genre: Wonwoo x Female!reader. Regency!AU (It's sort of Bridgerton-esque in the sense that I give zero attention to historical accuracy and prioritize aesthetics lmao) You are Joshua's sibling so your maiden name is Hong but the reader has no other physical characteristics.

Word Count: 6.7k+

Part 1 Part 2 (Part 3)

Series Masterlist [Reading Candle and Manners, the earlier installments in this series first is strongly recommended as main character dynamics are introduced there.]

Wonwoo carefully helped you down from the carriage. He offered you his arm and you leaned closer to him than you would normally have done- taking the opportunity to catch a whiff of his soothing scent. 

It was the evening of the children's performance and a number of villagers had gathered in the gardens behind the orphanage. Sister Lynn waited by the entrance, ready to greet you and Wonwoo as soon as you descended your carriage. 

"Mr. and Mrs. Jeon," she greeted you breathlessly. "I am so grateful to you for coming tonight. The children are incredibly excited to be performing for you. I have already reserved seats in the garden. This way, please…"

You followed Sister Lynn. The garden had been set up with a makeshift stage and rows of chairs. As you walked past, many of the villagers stopped to curtsey and greet you politely. Their smiles were more genuine than before and you noticed more warmth coming from some of them than you had felt during your infrequent strolls in the market. 

"The villagers seem more friendly than they used to," you murmured to Wonwoo. He angled his head slightly downwards to listen to you. "It must be because you are with me. They respect you."

Wonwoo shook his head. "I cannot take credit for that. This is your own doing. They have heard of your contributions for the orphanage."

You hesitated. "Surely not…"

"My family has been donating money to the orphanage for years but you are the first noblewoman to spend time with the children. The skills you are teaching the girls- music and French- these are skills the nobility usually hoards to themselves. By teaching them to these children, you have made a statement."

You looked up at Wonwoo in surprise. 

"It was not my intention to make any statements. I only felt it was unfair that the children did not have the opportunity to learn these skills elsewhere."

"That these children deserve the same opportunities as noble-born children- that is a statement in itself."

You did not know how to answer so you stayed silent. Teaching the children had been a welcome distraction and not an act of rebellion against the societal class structure. You were not sure that you would have volunteered your time for something like this had you still been in London. 

But you were not in London. Mrs. Jeon was not a fashionable London debutante. She was the wife of a nobleman in the countryside.

Perhaps it did not really matter what you would have done in your past life. 

Sister Lynn had reserved a pair of seats in the front row that were draped in a red cloth to make them stand out. It was evident that you and your husband were the most important guests of the evening, and had been given the prime seats. 

Fred came running up to you as soon as you sat down. 

"Mrs. Jeon!" he greeted you shyly. He was holding something behind his back and he held it out to you. "I made this for you."

It was a small rose made of red paper. You could not help it- the innocent gesturebrought a smile to your face. 

"Thank you, Fred! It is beautiful!" you told the young boy. He smiled and his ears turned pink before he ran back to join the other children waiting by the stage. Wonwoo looked down at the flower and then back up at you- the surprise on his face was unmistakable. 

You raised an eyebrow at him. "You need not look so surprised, Wonwoo. As you should know, I have admirers everywhere."

Wonwoo shook his head. 

"Your receiving a flower from a child does not surprise me. I was surprised because I have not seen you smile like that… since we were in London."

"Perhaps I have not had much reason to smile since we were in London. You should try giving me a rose sometime. I will be happy to grant you a smile in return," you teased. 

Wonwoo looked at you for a long moment and said nothing in response. You wondered if you had overstepped; your husband had not been particularly receptive to flirtation even before he was married. You cleared your throat and turned away but were surprised when Wonwoo suddenly leaned in to murmur in your ear. 

"I… would have given you more than one," he said in his calm, deep voice. "Roses must be given in threes."

You felt your heartbeat quicken. 

"Empty words considering I have one rose from Fred and none from you, Mr. Jeon," you retorted lightly. 

Wonwoo simply shook his head and turned his attention back to the stage as Sister Lynn called for all the guests to settle down; but you could see that the corner of Wonwoo's lips were curved up in the hint of a smile. 

"Take your seats, please!" Sister Lynn called out to all the villagers who settled down in the rows of chairs behind you. "The performances are about to begin!"

You settled down to watch. Each of the children had prepared something different and although you had been spending plenty of time with them of late, their talents still surprised you. Fred and some of the other boys performed an amusing little play that they had written themselves. Amelia sang a beautiful French song that you had taught her. Little Jia could not sing- but she recited some poetry in French and her accent was flawless. All the children were treated to generous applause and praise by the audience. 

Marie was the last to perform. You were surprised when four of the villagers came in carrying the heavy pianoforte from the orphanage and placed it by the side of the stage.

Sister Lynn called for the attention of the audience. 

"Marie will play a waltz that she has been practising on the piano," Sister Lynn announced with a smile. "Our generous benefactress Mrs. Jeon informs us that this is the same waltz which was played last season at the ball hosted by the Duchess of Graham in London- so we are in for a very rare treat indeed."

Wonwoo turned to you with furrowed eyebrows. 

"The ball hosted by the Duchess of Graham? Was that not the ball where we-"

"Hush," you said quickly. "Let us dance."

"Dance?" Wonwoo asked you in mild disbelief. "Here? At a children's performance?"

The opening notes of the waltz began. Marie's playing was excellent; you had taught her well. You stood and held your hand out to Wonwoo. Some of the other villagers had also risen from their seats and were beginning to dance- although, having never properly learnt the waltz, they were doing a clumsy imitation of the steps. 

"It is the same Viennese waltz that is often played at balls in London. I am sure you recognise it- despite your aversion to social events," you quipped. 

Wonwoo took your hand and followed you a short distance away from the chairs. You stepped closer to him- one hand clasped in his, the other placed on his shoulder. You had not worn gloves this evening as formal gloves had seemed excessive in the presence of the villagers. 

Wonwoo's bare hand clasped yours. His fingers were warm as he placed his other hand on your back and the simple, but intimate gesture made your heart skip a beat. 

"For a man that almost never danced at balls, you are a surprisingly good dancer," you told him with a smile as he slowly guided you into the waltz. 

Wonwoo raised an eyebrow at you. "I was trained, like any other gentleman. My mother had me and my sister take formal dance lessons before we entered society."

"Yes; but skills such as dancing often grow rusty from lack of use," you teased him. 

"You seem to be grossly underestimating the amount of dancing I did in London. It may not have been enough to suit my mother or the young ladies of the ton, but it was still plenty. I am surprised that you and I have never danced before."

You laughed at the hypocrisy. "How can you possibly be surprised that we have never danced before when you have never asked me to dance?" you demanded. 

Wonwoo bit his lip. "You would not have accepted me."

"Nonsense. You were the one who was miserly about granting dances. I never turned one down. I even danced with Mr. Park multiple times- although he constantly trod on my toes and ruined a very pretty pair of shoes I had."

"Then I am out of excuses," Wonwoo confessed. 

"You could have told me that you were too nervous to dance with me because of my superior dancing skills," you offered with a playful smile. "That would have been an acceptable excuse."

Wonwoo chuckled. "No. That would have been a bare-faced lie."

You allowed Wonwoo to lead you gently and expertly through the waltz. Many of the villagers had paused their own dancing to watch you- but Wonwoo seemed entirely unconcerned about the audience that you had gathered. He never faltered in his step. 

For a brief moment it felt magical. The dark thoughts and worries and loneliness that had incessantly bogged down every waking hour of your life for the past few months disappeared and were replaced with a sort of childish giddiness. 

Wonwoo's bare fingers entwined with yours; and his dark but gentle eyes looked down at you steadily without once avoiding your gaze. He lightly bit his soft lips in an attempt to concentrate on the waltz and for a quick moment you could see what you had never seen before. You caught a glimpse through the windows of the fortress he had built around his heart and saw the shadow of a vulnerable, hesitant, caring man trapped on the inside. 

"Wonwoo…"

The waltz came to an end. There was a loud applause for Marie and also for you and your husband- many of the villagers had admired your skilful dancing. 

"Thank you for the dance," you told your husband lightly as you took a step back from him. He nodded and released you quickly. He was flustered as he only now realised that you had been observed by most of the villagers. 

"We should have more music!" one of the villagers suggested. "So that we might dance more!"

Marie, still sitting at the piano, blushed with embarrassment. 

"I only learned how to play the one waltz," she admitted shyly. She looked up and her eyes met yours across the garden. "But Mrs. Jeon can play so many more! Mrs. Jeon, would you play us a song that everyone can dance to?"

You hesitated and looked around at the expectant faces. "I-I couldn't. This performance was for the children, it is not my place-"

Wonwoo interrupted you. "I think you should play."

You gave him a sharp look. "What?"

"Play them a song," he replied simply. 

You glanced around at the watching villagers and then leaned closer to Wonwoo, lowering your voice "At the children's performance? I hope you are not going to accuse me of being vain if one of them cries because I played better than them?"

"I think Marie may cry if you do not play."

You were surprised when Wonwoo gently took your hand and led you towards the instrument. Marie beamed and vacated the seat for you- you sat in front of the piano and took a deep breath. 

"Well- how about a lively one?" you suggested. 

You sat down and allowed your fingers to dance over the instrument in a lively waltz- something that the villagers would find entertaining despite not knowing the exact dance steps. Many of them began to dance again. Marie sat down on the stool beside you to watch you play with great interest. 

Wonwoo moved a short distance away and leaned against the garden fence to watch you play in silence. You had to focus on the keys so you could not afford to look at him very much- but Marie's eyes were constantly flickering towards your husband. 

"Mr. Jeon seems to admire your playing greatly," Marie whispered to you innocently. "Is that how he fell in love with you? Did you perform for him in London and he fell in love?"

You wanted to laugh. 

"That is not what happened," you told her. "Where did you get that idea?"

Marie looked flustered. "I read in a book that gentlemen are often impressed by ladies who have excellent musical skills."

"True," you admitted. "But that was not the case with Mr. Jeon."

"Then how did he fall in love with you?"

You bit your lip as you tried to focus on the tune you were playing. You could not blame Marie for her innocent question; it was impossible for her to understand the circumstances behind your marriage that made it difficult for you to answer. For all she knew, you and Mr. Jeon were a perfectly happy married couple.

"You shall have to ask him that," you said simply. 

Marie gasped. "I could never! Mr. Jeon looks so terribly serious all the time- although Sister Lynn says he is a very kind person and that we must be very grateful to him."

"But he could smile more," you agreed. 

"Yes, I suppose he could. He is frowning at us even now," Marie giggled. 

The waltz came to an end; your face was warm with pleasure and you could not stop the smile from spreading across your face when the villagers applauded your performance generously. You stood and thanked them as Wonwoo approached you. 

"It is growing late," he told you quietly as he offered you his arm. "Perhaps we should take our leave."

Marie suddenly stood from the stool as well. Her face was flushed as she looked up at your husband. 

"Mr. Jeon," she began boldly. "What is it that made you fall in love with Mrs. Jeon?"

Wonwoo looked taken aback by the young girl's sudden question. His eyes widened and he turned to you in confusion. You shook your head lightly- don't ruin her innocence, play along, you tried to tell him with your eyes. 

Wonwoo paused for a moment and then looked back down at the little girl. 

His response was quiet.

"I fell in love with her because she shines so brightly."

—------------------------------------------------------------

You awoke early the next morning. 

The sunlight streaming through your curtains was not as bright as usual. You were accustomed to sleeping in rather late; it was not as though you were needed anywhere in the mornings, and Mrs. Betsy was more than happy to keep breakfast for you even if you did not come downstairs in time. 

But for once, you awoke unusually early and went downstairs hoping- almost expecting- to see your husband. 

"Good morning, Mrs. Jeon!" the housekeeper greeted you in surprise when she saw you appear in the breakfast parlour. "You are awake earlier than usual. I will bring out your breakfast momentarily."

You nodded and sat down. "Thank you, Mrs. Betsy. Has… has Mr. Jeon eaten?"

Mrs. Betsy blinked at you in surprise. It was rare for you to ask about your husband; the two of you almost never ate breakfast together.

"I am afraid Mr. Jeon left early this morning for the neighbouring town to take care of some matters of the estate," she informed you simply. "He should return tomorrow."

You nodded. "Oh. I see."

"Were you expecting him?"

"No, no particularly," you said dismissively. You felt suddenly embarrassed that your housekeeper had noticed your disappointment. You thought that after the lovely evening you had spent with your husband at the orphanage, he might actually have breakfast with you. You cleared your throat. "Has the post arrived?" 

"Yes, of course."

You busied yourself reading a letter from Ella that contained some gossip about the ton- but your eyes stared blankly at her words without taking them in. Your mind was still replaying moments from the previous night. 

The feeling of Wonwoo's fingers entwined with yours, the small smile on his handsome face when you teased him, the way you had been lost in his dark eyes as he guided you through the waltz…

You had danced with possibly hundreds of men before but had never quite felt the same way. 

Was it because he was your husband? Was it because, for the first time since your marriage, you had allowed yourself to look at Jeon Wonwoo, really look at the man clearly instead of through lenses clouded by your own self-pity and misery, and see him for who he truly was? That small glimpse of Wonwoo behind his fortress walls was not enough. 

You wanted more. 

You suddenly craved more of him. 

You felt restless for the next two days as you paced the house and waited for Wonwoo's return. You had never bothered to do so before- your husband often spent the night away when he was off on business matters, and you had never once cared to worry about his return. 

It was the third day after his absence that you finally heard the sound of the carriage rolling up to the Jeon manor. Snowball perked up his ears and ran to the front entrance of the manor faster than you. The carriage had stopped in front of the main entrance and a man descended- but it was not your husband. 

"Joshua?" you asked in shock. 

The Viscount and Viscountess Hong descended the carriage. Snowball immediately leapt at your brother, and your sister-in-law came to throw her arms around you.  

"Oh; my dear, it is such a relief to see you!" she cried as she embraced you warmly. You embraced her in return- it had been months since you had seen your family and you could not help the tears that pricked your eyes. 

"I have missed you so much," you admitted as you hugged her back. Joshua finally managed to hand Snowball off to a servant and came over to give you a warm hug as well. Your brother gripped your shoulders and frowned down at you. 

"You look terrible," he told you bluntly. 

His wife swatted him. "Joshua!" she cried. "How can you say that to her?"

You did not mind at all; you were far too happy to see them and you called for Mrs. Betsy and the servants to carry their belongings inside and prepare rooms for them. Joshua watched you flitter about with a frown on his face, as you ushered them into the parlour and called for tea and refreshments. 

"What brings you here?" you asked Joshua eagerly as your brother and sister-in-law sat down in the parlour. "You did not even write that you were coming- or did I miss your letter? Perhaps I have not been keeping up with my correspondence…"

"We will not be staying long," Joshua replied simply. "We have only come to take you with us."

You blinked at him. "Take me with you? Where?"

"Home, sister."

You stared at him in confusion. "Home? But what…" your eyes widened, suddenly fearing the worst. "Is something wrong with Mother?"

"Mother is healthy and well. Luckily, she does not know what you have been going through," Joshua replied simply. His jaw was clenched; your brother suddenly seemed very unlike himself. "Instead of asking the servants to prepare rooms for us, I think it would be best if you asked them to pack your belongings."

"I don't… I don't understand…"

The Viscountess sat beside you and took your trembling hand in hers. Her voice was gentle. "My dear, I know you have been trying to hide it in your letters but we are aware of how miserable you have been. Mr. Jeon has been corresponding with your brother. We are very worried for your health."

You stiffened. "My health is fine-"

"Mr. Jeon tells us that you have been quite depressed. That you sit in the drawing room for days on end without moving, that you never speak and you never smile. He wrote to us to say that he thought it was best if you went back home."

You felt like you had been slapped. 

"Wonwoo wrote to you to take me home?"

Joshua nodded. "Yes. He wrote to me on Sunday and we left immediately upon receiving the letter. I know that you probably did not want to scare us, sister… but you should have said something in your letters. We would never have expected you to stay here if we knew you were so miserable even after all this time."

You could barely hear what your brother was saying. Your head suddenly spun; had Wonwoo done this? He had called your brother to come take you away without a word? Now, after you had finally reached out to him and were beginning to see a glimpse of hope in your future with him? 

You felt…

Betrayed. 

You stood suddenly. "No, this does not make sense. Surely Wonwoo would not have done this now. Not after the other evening, I…"

"Sister-"

"Mrs. Betsy!" you yelled for the housekeeper, your voice trembling. The older woman came running into the room, wide-eyed. "Where exactly is my husband?"

"I-I believe he is at the inn in the neighbouring town, madam-"

"Send a manservant on horseback to him at once and tell him that I demand him to return home this very instant," you ordered shakily. When the housekeeper stared at you without moving, you clenched your fists. "Was I not clear, Mrs. Betsy? I require this to be done right now!"

"Of course, madam."

You took a deep breath and tried to calm yourself. Surely there was some misunderstanding. It would be resolved. Wonwoo had simply expressed his concerns about your behaviour and your overprotective brother had jumped to his own conclusions…

"You should both go to your rooms to refresh yourselves and dress for supper," you told your brother and sister-in-law. "I… need a few moments."

"Of course."

You felt light-headed for the rest of the evening. Your thoughts were bogged down by a dense fog in your mind as you waited for Wonwoo to arrive. Your stomach clenched, and although you finally sat down to supper with the Viscount and Viscountess, the delicious food only made you feel nauseous. 

You had just begun to eat when Mrs. Betsy came into the dining room hurriedly. 

"Mr. Jeon has arrived," she announced. 

You leapt to your feet as Wonwoo entered the dining room. His eyes were red and his dark hair tousled and windswept; he appeared to have ridden here directly on horseback. He avoided looking at you. 

"Viscount Hong, Viscountess Hong," Wonwoo greeted them with a stiff nod. His voice was slightly hoarse. 

Your sister-in-law smiled at him. 

"Thank you for having us at your home, Mr. Jeon," she said before turning to your brother expectantly. The Viscount said nothing. He did not even stand to greet Wonwoo. His wife nudged him sharply. 

"Joshua!" she mumbled. 

Your brother looked up at Wonwoo with an expression you had almost never seen on the Viscount's famously kind and gentle countenance- carefully controlled anger.

"I have nothing to say to Mr. Jeon," Joshua replied. 

Wonwoo's eyes widened but he was silent. He simply nodded and turned his head away, almost as though accepting defeat. You stood from the table abruptly. 

"That does not matter, since I have plenty to say to him," you interrupted the tense silence before striding to the dining room entrance. "Let us speak in your study, Wonwoo."

You did not look back as you took determined, trembling steps towards Wonwoo's study. You could hear your husband following you. You stood silently, one hand on the back of a chair to balance yourself as you waited for Wonwoo to enter the room and close the door behind him. 

"Did you write to my brother to tell him to take me home?" you demanded. 

Wonwoo was silent. His body was facing you but his eyes were unfocused, looking at the polished wooden floor near your feet instead of into your eyes. His jaw was clenched tightly. 

"Wonwoo?" you demanded again, when multiple seconds had passed and he still had not answered. 

"...Yes," he replied. "Yes, I did."

Your legs felt weak and your grip on the back of the chair tightened- you were now using it as a crutch to stay standing upright. 

"Why?" you asked quietly. 

Wonwoo took a deep breath. He would still not look at you. His entire body was stiff and he seemed perfectly satisfied to continue staring at the floor without answering you. 

"Wonwoo!" you demanded again. 

"I don't know what to say."

You felt a burst of anger explode inside of you at the sight of his lips pressed firmly together. 

"Well, you will have to say something! You cannot just stand there in silence and allow me to come up with my own explanations for this… this drastic step that you seemed to think was necessary to take without consulting me! How exactly is this supposed to work? We are married. Do you want me gone for a month? A year?"

Wonwoo said nothing. 

"Speak to me!" you yelled. The frustration was building rapidly inside of your chest but you could see that the more you demanded it, the more Wonwoo seemed to be shutting himself off from you. His head hung low and he still would not look at you. His eyes were closed. 

"Wonwoo," you said slowly, your voice trembling with anger. "If you do not explain yourself then I have no choice but to assume the worst. I will have to assume that living with me and even speaking to me is so wholly repulsive to you that you cannot stand to do it for a moment longer." 

Wonwoo was silent. 

You felt your heart sink. It felt as though Jeon Wonwoo had reached inside of your chest and used his cold silence to rip out every remaining shred of hope and dignity you had left. 

You felt your throat close up. You were foolish. Foolish to think anything could come of this, foolish to still have entertained any hope in the possibility of happiness after months and months of this slow torture. 

"Very well," you whispered. "I will pack my things immediately."

You felt yourself walk out of the study as though you were in a dream. Everything was blurred; the walls seemed to dance in your vision as you ran up the stairs and ordered Rosie and two other maids to bring a trunk and pack all your belongings. Your own voice felt disembodied… almost like it belonged to someone else. 

The maids were shocked, but the expression on your face prevented them from asking questions.  They hurried to obey your orders. You stood stiffly in your room and watched in a daze as the maids pulled dresses out of your wardrobe and began to fold them into the trunks. 

The door to your bedroom opened without a knock. 

"Leave us," you heard Wonwoo mumble quietly to the maids. They stood and quickly left the room as Wonwoo entered and closed the door behind him. 

"Finally thought of something to say?" you asked him coldly. 

Wonwoo walked to your bed and sat down on the edge of it. His broad shoulders were hunched and he bent his head forwards as he ran his fingers through his tousled hair. 

"I need a moment," he whispered, almost inaudibly. 

You waited. Every moment of silence was agony. It could have been second, minutes… time seemed to lose meaning but finally Wonwoo lifted his head to look up at you. His eyes were red and his voice cracked when he spoke. 

"I don't know how to do it," he choked out. "I don't know how to make you happy."

"What?"

"I didn't think it would be this difficult. I thought it would pass- that I could learn in time, but I just don't know. It kills me inside knowing that you are going through so much pain. I can't watch it any longer. I can't watch you become a shell of the person you used to be. You used to light up any room you were in like the blazing sun. I can't watch as that light inside of you dies, slowly, with each passing day that you are here."

"Wonwoo…"

He took a shaky breath. "I've failed. But I can't continue to let my failures as a husband destroy you. You deserve a chance at happiness."

You stared at him. Wonwoo's fists were clenched as he gripped the wooden frame of your bed. His knuckles were white. 

"So, your solution," you said slowly. "Your solution was to go behind my back and write to my brother to come and take me away-"

"Your family will know how to fix-"

"Shut up," you hissed. Wonwoo looked up at you in shock. "I don't want to hear your excuses. I have told you this before and I will say it again, Mr. Jeon. I am a grown woman who is capable of making her own choices and decisions. I will not be treated like a child- not by the Viscount and certainly not by my husband!"

Wonwoo swallowed and said nothing.

"And the audacity- the audacity you have to claim that you have failed at something that you never once tried to do!" you snapped. "Tell me, Mr. Jeon. Tell me what valiant attempts you made to make me happy or even be a good husband to me."

"I-I tried to give you your space, your freedom…"

You laughed. "Space? Freedom? You abandoned me here. You built an impenetrable iron wall the size of a godforsaken fortress between us and you left me here to rot!"

"Every conversation we have had somehow turns to an argument. You never wanted this marriage, you never wanted to marry me, and I did not want to force myself upon you unwillingly!" Wonwoo retorted, his eyes flaming. 

"Then you should have said so! You should have spoken to me instead of running away because a marriage cannot sustain itself on silence, Wonwoo! No relationship can sustain itself on silence! You had to speak to me and tell me how you were feeling!"

Wonwoo stood and went to the large window in your bedroom. He turned his back to you as his hand grabbed the windowsill. 

"I'm sorry," he whispered. 

Your anger slowly deflated. "No, I… you are not alone in fault. I share the blame. I was too wrapped up in feeling sorry for myself and mourning the life I lost. I watched you build distance between us and I did nothing to stop it. I never gave this marriage a chance. Neither of us gave this marriage a proper chance. For heaven's sake, that connecting door has been locked since our wedding night."

Wonwoo's eyes briefly flickered towards the connecting door that led to his bedroom and nodded. 

"Maybe so," he admitted quietly. "Maybe we never really tried hard enough."

You stepped closer to him. 

"But I thought things were changing," you confessed weakly. "I thought maybe we were finally beginning to understand each other. After that night at the orphanage, when we danced together and you were speaking to me and smiling at me, I finally, finally felt…"

Wonwoo turned to look at you. 

"What?" he asked gently. 

"I finally felt like you were my husband," you finished. "But clearly I was mistaken, since whatever happened that evening prompted you to write to my brother to take me away."

Wonwoo bit his lip. 

"I saw how happy you were that night," he admitted. "I know that we never spent much time together or got along in London but… whatever disagreements we may have had, you were always someone that shined so brightly wherever you went. I saw that light die out when you married me. I was beginning to think it was gone forever. But I saw a glimmer of it when we danced and when you played the piano. I thought it was better if you went back to your family before that light died out completely."

You stepped closer to him. Wonwoo's dark eyes searched for yours and you could see the way his lower lip trembled. 

"I was happy that night," you told him gently. "But it was not because I missed dancing or music. It was because I finally felt some hope for my future. I caught a glimpse of you-of the real you that you hide behind your silence- and I thought that if only I could see more of that man, I might someday come to love him."

Wonwoo's jaw tightened. "Do you mean that?"

"More than anything."

He turned away from the window and closed the distance between you both with one large stride- and then he kissed you.

You had not expected it. It was not something that you had ever even dared to imagine, kissing Wonwoo. But his warm hands slid into the strands of your hair and he pulled you flush against him as his lips closed softly and passionately over yours. 

You took a few moments to react. You had never been kissed before, but your body was a few steps ahead of your mind and it melted naturally and comfortably against Wonwoo's. Your hands grasped at his broad shoulders and you pulled yourself closer to him. Your lips parted for him eagerly, inhaling his familiar scent, and enjoying the rush of adrenaline that was pumping through every inch of your body. 

Wonwoo pulled back breathlessly after a few moments- he pressed his forehead to yours and you felt his warm breath against your face. 

"Perhaps-" he whispered breathlessly. "Perhaps I should not have…"

"No," you insisted as you brought your hand up to rest on the side of Wonwoo’s neck and brushed his cheek with your thumb. "No, Wonwoo, we should have done this long, long ago."

He nodded. You felt his shoulders relax and his dark eyes flickered down to yours. There was a hesitation mixed with a deep longing behind them. 

"Do you still want me to return with my brother?" you whispered. 

He swallowed. "I don't… I don't know."

"What does that mean?"

"I want you to be happy," Wonwoo said firmly. "If you stay here, and you are still lonely and miserable…"

"I don't know where or how I will be happy," you told him gently. "But if things here change… if we open up to each other more, if we can spend more time together and discuss our feelings and set aside all the guilt and resentment and anger…"

Wonwoo took a deep breath.

"I don't know if I can make you happy," he admitted to you hesitantly. "I don't know if I can make you love me."

"It's not a question of making me do anything, Wonwoo. You need to stop considering my happiness as some burden that you have to bear in silence, and simply be here, with me. That is all I ask."

"I can do that."

"And I will stop pitying myself and mourning the life I left behind," you told him. "And I will try-genuinely try- to rebuild a new life with you."

"Do you think we can do this?"

"We owe it to each other to try."

"All right," Wonwoo said gently. He brought his hand up to caress your cheek and you saw the warmth, the hope in his own expression. You saw the vulnerability in his eyes when he spoke. "Then let us try again. Together. Stay with me, please."

"I will."

—-----------------------------------------------

Viscount Hong was not pleased when you informed him that you would not be going back with him the next morning. He watched in stony silence as his wife arranged for all their belongings to be reloaded onto their carriage. 

"Joshua," you tried to soothe his anger. 

He ignored you. He was looking at your husband. 

"You made me a promise," Joshua said coldly, frowning at Wonwoo. "The night when the scandal broke out, when you offered to marry my sister… you promised me that you would do everything in your power to keep her safe and happy. I trusted you and vouched for you; as a friend and a fellow gentleman."

Wonwoo took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I made mistakes, I-"

"Wonwoo, stop," you insisted firmly. "You don't need to explain anything to my brother, what happened between us is about our marriage-"

Joshua frowned. "Then how do I trust him again?"

"There is no need for you to trust Wonwoo. You can trust me. I am telling you that I want to stay here, Joshua- it is that simple."

The Viscountess called out to her husband-"My dear, the carriage is waiting!" and Joshua finally embraced you in a brotherly hug. 

"If something happens, you will write to me," he told you firmly. 

"I will."

"Goodbye, sister."

You waved goodbye to the Viscount and Viscountess as they boarded their carriage and it rattled away from the estate. Wonwoo seemed tense- you turned to him with a smile and placed a hand on his shoulder. 

"Well," you said with a small smile. "Perhaps I should congratulate you on being the only person in this world who has managed to make an enemy out of Viscount Hong."

Wonwoo laughed dryly.

"Very humorous, Mrs. Jeon. I am glad that it pleases you for your brother to hate me," he replied. 

You smiled. "He will forgive you."

"I hope so. I am almost grateful that we are not in a position to return to society in London just yet- I know that is where he keeps his duelling pistols."

You giggled. You began to walk back to the manor and you were surprised when Wonwoo suddenly reached out and took your hand in his, lacing your fingers together. There was a small smile on his handsome face. 

"How bold," you quipped lightly. "Do you usually go about touching women in this intimate manner?"

"Only when that woman is my wife and I am in my own home," Wonwoo replied. 

"Is this an indication that I should unlock the connecting door between our bedrooms?" you teased him lightly. 

His ears turned red. "If it pleases you."

"But would it please you?"

Wonwoo pressed his lips together tightly but his grip on your hand did not loosen. "Or perhaps," he suggested with a small smile. "We could go on a honeymoon instead. Have you ever seen Rome?"

You stared at him in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

"Very much so."

"We have been married for many months now. What will people think if we suddenly abandon the estate and take off for Rome like a pair of newlyweds?" you demanded. 

Wonwoo chuckled. "People already think many things about us. I sincerely doubt that a trip to Rome will be the breaking point for our reputation in society."

"I will need new dresses if we are to go to Rome," you said thoughtfully. "The seamstresses in the village are competent but they hardly know the latest fashions."

Wonwoo raised an eyebrow. 

"I am sure that can be arranged," he replied. 

"And new shoes and the latest jewellery. There is no silk to be found in this part of the countryside; we shall have to have it brought in from London. Perhaps a little extra fabric would be best- I've been meaning to have the curtains and upholstery in the drawing room replaced- they are quite dreary. The dining room could do with some refurbishment as well. And Wonwoo…"

He hummed. "Yes?"

You smiled at him. "I have been thinking that a new grand pianoforte would be an excellent addition to the library."

Wonwoo blinked. For a moment his dark eyes were unreadable and you were worried that you had gone too far- but he suddenly used your entwined hands to pull you into him and his other arm wrapped around your waist. 

His head came down to place a soft kiss against the side of your neck and he whispered hoarsely in your ear. 

"Mrs. Jeon."

"Hmmm," you mumbled. 

"Unless you wish to return with your Viscount brother, perhaps it would be best not to spend the entire Jeon family fortune in one day?"

You bit your lip as you nodded. "Y-yes, of course."

"Good," Wonwoo replied as he released you gently. Your face had turned warm and he smiled at how flustered the simple intimate contact had made you. "Let us have breakfast."

"But I will need the dresses-"

He sighed. "Of course, my dear."

—------------------------------------------------------

[see-arcane]

WARNING: Spoilers for The Vampyres, Dracula, and "Clarimonde" below the cut.

Also a bit of knife-twisting of the metaphorical variety. (Not that it hurts any less than steel.)

Rather than throw myself into another scribbling digression to take a break from other scribbling digressions, I’ve scratched a story itch via the sketchbook. This is the result.

I’ve gotten questions about what happens to ‘Quinn Morse’ aka a certain knife-swinging solicitor who God, the Devil, and Death itself won’t let die after the events of The Vampyres. The obvious answer is: dude’s still doing the job appointed to him by the Powers That Be. Poor guy is stuck paying a Faustian due of wiping out the predatory undead before he can ever put down the blade and hop in the grave himself.

Enter Clarimonde, from Théophile Gautier’s short story of the same name (also “La Morte Amoureuse” “The Dead Leman” “The Dead Woman in Love”) who’s still out here breaking hearts and ruining sleep schedules. The girl’s an undead party queen and a romantic hedonist, but is so terrible at the vampire part of vampirism she regularly drops dead(er) from being too hesitant about taking blood and/or conscripting. She takes barely a drop of blood when she does get to it; though that sin was enough for her own heart and physical form to get broken with betrayal. She got better—corporeally, at least—and carried on.

Until she crossed paths with Mr. Tall Dark and Sold His Soul for Love. And vice versa, our good friend the ex-Victorian psychopomp has finally run into a vampire it would be immoral to slay just for the sake of erasing another undead ‘to-do’ off the list…even if she’s temporarily the only one in the world. And therefore the only barrier between himself and finally getting to rest with his loved ones. He doesn’t even have the impetus of killing to save someone’s life as an excuse. Damn it.

I won’t say I’m not thinking about fully scribbling out the bizarre/sweet/likely doomed companionship that could exist between these two love-powered angst machines. The idea’s got teeth, pun intended. Plus there’s definitely an itch to be scratched regarding my old headcanon that Clarimonde was the Pretty Girl in Piccadilly that Mina and Dracula nearly broke their necks trying to get an eyeful of once upon a time. There’s some loaded ammo there for Clarimonde to really test her safety by mentioning, ‘Hey, your wife would have wanted it. I know, I read her mind that one time. We can break out a Ouija board and confirm.’

But I am trying to reserve the bulk of my writing juice for the current Big Project, so it’ll have to be something to poke at around the corners for now. Just wanted to share the concept with folks who might be interested.

Also, some deleted dialogue:

Clarimonde, posing in her sheerest funeral veil: “So, what are your thoughts on casual intimacy?”

Jonathan, sharpening the kukri: “I’m a big admirer of the praying mantis’ approach.”

Clarimonde: “The male’s or the female’s?”

Jonathan: “Either.”

Clarimonde: “So no romancing unless it’s to pull some psychosexual chess master mess on a villain?”

Jonathan: “Supposing the villain in question used said intimate betrayal on their own victims, yes. Also, they’d know something was wrong if I was ‘immune to their charms’ and—what’s this?”

Clarimonde, handing over several centuries’ worth of letters: “Documented evidence from members of aristocracy and clergy that I am a nefarious succubus in need of punishment for my preying on the morals and hearts of pious citizens. Look, they even included illustrations of how they’d do it.”

Jonathan: “…And were these documents attached to deliveries of jewelry or just sacks of gold?”

Clarimonde: “Both. On account of my evil coercing them into it.”

Jonathan, handing the letters back in a portfolio: “I’m afraid your villainy does not qualify for my services at this time. You’ll have to reapply with one or more proofs of murder and/or predation upon mortal innocents at a later date.”

Clarimonde:

[mysadblacksoul]

Backslide - 3/13 of the Clancy album

Grab a coffee and let's start this madness

MV

Tyler is wearing the same clothes that he wore in Overcompensate MV to I would assume that this MV takes place right after

Let's break down the signs first

We see the return of Ned Bayou as well as FPA, now standing for Food Petrol Etc.

You can buy 9 buns for $21, love the symbolism

There is a Jim sign omg. Baby is having his own bubblegum business

Of course the Bishops sign with 9 lines marked on it

I could've sworn that the black sign says "Dema Vapes", but looking closely I believe it's "Velma Vapes" lol

What is more, the cones (?) are yellow and I'm pretty sure that the fact that there are 5 of them is not an accident

They sold him bread that went bad lol. Nah for sure it's not the case since he gives the same bread to a child

But I believe that the scene and the lyrics are closely tied with Stressed Out

Now the next scene is interesting

I think that the bad weather is a simple metaphor for feelings of anxiety or fear

We can see that Tyler was contemplating then he was suddenly pulled from his thoughts

This is when the scene changes to normal, right? Exactly on the line It's over my head

Then we move to the scene with the kid

And I really believe that this little lad is personification of Ned

Like he has the same boba eyes lol

No but for real, this is parallel to Chlorine - kid is giving Tyler a cup just like Tyler gave to Ned. Yet he accepts it and drinks whatever is inside and Ned just shudders

Another interesting thing, that could make my point more valid is that the kid literally asks Is that a stain? You should change / Are you doin' good? / Did you solve all of your problems? like he knows Tyler very well and is in a way looking out for him

It's like he's keeping Ned by him - okat I'll stop

It might be a stretch, but the N kinda looks like a mirrored band symbol, do you also see it?

If 0.75c is equivalent to the cost of one bun than Tyler is being ripped off since he paid $21 for the pack instead of $6.75 lmao

Something is really wrong with those buns lmao

Then the mood changes again, but this time is even worse. Like his mental health is declining even more and even faster

The bread is wet, the day is ruined, thanks Mr. Joseph

You killed it Josh, love your creative mind

*funny music stops*

Now let's talk about the way how the MV is looping itself

I would say that it is a demonstration of the twisted circle that is life

Maybe it's a very basic analysis but I think of all the complicated lore-oriented MVs this one is uncomplicated

What is shown here is how our psyche can play tricks on us and how we can complicate a rather simple situation ourselves

If Tyler hadn't had dark thoughts then nothing would have happened to the bread, so he would have just gone and given it to Josh

This shows how our psyche itself can abolish the situation in which we find ourselves

Looping, on the other hand, shows that as long as we don't do anything about it ourselves, we will be stuck in this fishbowl (see what I did there?)

Maybe it's one big AD to check your mental health and a sign to try to get better

Lyrics!

Rat race, place to place, adding weight / Tendencies on repeat, innit? - rat race for sure happened in Dema, and repeat is literaly the loop, innit meand that Clancy is canonicaly British

Benefit from a shoe with no lace - shoe with no lace would make you fall back on the behaviour that you are running from

Take the seat with the crease in it - seat of someone who already tried to change their life, or even who had the same dreams and hopes for better future like Clancy

This could be parallel to When I leave, don’t save my seat/ I’ll be back when it’s all complete from Chlorine

I don't care, you control me / Leading me anywhere - well, all I should say is Dema don't control me and we all know the rest of the story

I don't wanna backslide to where I've started from - he doesn't wanna go back to his back habits as well as doesn't wanna go back to his life before he tried to escape

There's no chance I will shake this again - if he falls back one more time that will be the end of him. His psyche won't take it anymore and his plans will be buried

'Cause I feel the pull, water's over my head - this is parallel to Fall Away And I, I can feel the pull begin. But it also gives me the parallel to Holding On To You MV, the scene with the rope

Strength enough for one more time - like I said, this would be the last attempt to change everything

Reach my hand above the tide - it could indicate that his physical strength is also wearing out

I'll take anything you have / If you could throw me a line - again with the line. But it also can mean that he can endure anything now, he just needs a little helping hand

I should've loved you better - this line can be directed both to himself but also to the person who extends his hand to help. He might not have appreciated both parts before and now regrets it

Do you think that now's the time / You should let go? - This line is like both a request and an apology. As if he wants to say “I'm sorry I treated you badly before but please don't leave me when I need help”

Bad place, on a hundred-dollar bass - this line is also giving me Stressed Out. You can imagine the cheap bass being transported on the bicycle right?

Kinda wishin' that I never did "Saturday" - I think that he doesn't mean the MV irl lol, but the regret of taking part in Bishops' manipulation altogether

Is that a stain? You should change - a play with mentioning Saturday and the lirycs She said that I should change my clothes

Are you doin' good? / Did you solve all of your problems? - like I said before I believe that this is Ned looking out for Clancy, wishing him well

Thanks for asking, in a way, but / Accidentally uncovered a new one yesterday - safe to say that he is not doing better lol

What happened to what I brushed under the rug? - what happened to how well he used to be able to hide his problems and true feelings

I used to be the champion of a world you can't see / Now I'm drowning in logistics - if viewed as a fact that he created this world it now looks like he wants to regain all control over it. Logistics is to take care of the management of planning. And once again we see the mention of drowning

The bridge is acting as an externalization of his myhs and fears that even if he is outside the Dema, the Bishops will still have control over him

The entire song is about both regaining conrol over the world of Dema but also regaining control over himself, his psyche.

The main theme is about not going back to old habits.

The most important thing here is progress and pushing forward.

Because one wrong move can make all the work in vain and we will sink to the very bottom.

Safe to say that I liked it haha

[shmistarkiller]

So since it's been a few weeks since I first watched The Acolyte, I feel like I've managed to gather my thoughts about what I think some bits from s1 were hinting at wrt Qimir's backstory. This is just what I think, I really never expect anyone to agree with anything I say lol.

Obviously we know Vernestra was his master, and that she somehow ended up betraying him, using her saber-whip to carve that gnarly scar up his back.

I think where I probably differ from most if not all other viewers is, I'm of the opinion Qimir was actually fairly young when it happened. Like, younger than a teenager even.

The whole thing with him building the cortosis helmet based on the sensory deprivation ones younglings use. I guess that might not necessarily mean anything, but it would make sense to me that he'd more likely be inspired by it if he'd been abandoned closer to the age when they would be using it. He uses cortosis specifically to keep other force users out of his head, his former master by far who he most wants to keep from reading his thoughts. The fact that he reacts like a little kid being caught by their parent when Vernestra senses him again on Brendok could be a trauma response, him reverting to the last time she was in his mind. He keeps the magic helmet of protection on for the rest of the time until they leave Brendok and he's safely far away from the cause of his fear.

Osha saying she never heard of him? What if it's because Vernestra dispatched of her little youngling padawan not long after the beginning of his training? The loss of a youngling who hadn't been with the Order for very long would be a lot easier to cover up than one of the older padawans. Create some story of a tragic accident to be documented in the official records, Jedi are supposed to be all too-bad-so-sad-but-no-attachments anyway, so it goes completely unquestioned.

So then, what the hell did Vernestra see a small child do that led her to think leaving him for dead at her own hands was a reasonable reaction? She gets echoes from the force of the combat & slaughter that happened on Khofar and it's very clear she senses something familiar. It could just be that she's sensing the presence of her long lost padawan by itself, but it would be real gnarly if this is something she's seen quite literally before. I'm not saying fetus!Qimir managed to kill a bunch of people in the same way that adult!Mr. Stranger did .. but I'm not *not* saying that either.

I think it builds a stronger case for the kinship he feels toward Osha (and maybe initially with Mae as well). The twins were 8 years old when their personal life tragedy struck, so I can see him connecting more strongly with Mae's story if he too had been of a similar age when his own personal life tragedy occurred. Extra reason why he'd feel so much more in common with Osha, how much he recognizes himself in her.

Idk how deep I wanna dip my toes in on the Plagueis stuff, but if I can get back on my Ben Solo bullshit for a second, it wouldn't surprise me if old Muun-man Plagueis was whispering in little boy Qimir's ear. And Vernestra, rather than actually try to save an innocent child, would instead cut her losses, viewing him as a liability/lost cause already practically fallen to the dark side. We know The Acolyte doesn't shy away from citing the inspiration it took from TLJ, so I can easily see "You failed him by thinking his choice was made. It wasn't." applying here as well.

(And maybe the irony there is that Luke having attachment to his nephew is what kept him from attempting to murder Ben until he was at least a grownass adult. Whereas Vernestra who lives in the height of the Jedi Order's power would definitely be less inclined to preserve the life of a literal child if she thought they could prove to be an eventual threat to the status quo she prefers. Either way, a foregone conclusion. You treat a child like they're a monster, guess what they grow up to be.)

EDIT (09/07/24): Can't believe I forgot this one. The way Qimir is so callous about killing Jecki. Sol says she was a child, and his response just comes off very "yeah, so what, so was I (when I was left for dead)". Qimir seems convinced Jedi masters leading their padawans to their potential/inevitable death is definitely just A Thing™ that happens.

Some extra quibbling with ideas I just rather disagree with ..

I've seen others theorize that Qimir could actually be older than he looks and that it's Plagueis feeding him whatever that ability is to stay young/immortal, but I personally can't really think of any actual reason why that would be the case. His line about having been a Jedi a long time ago is pretty vague, so while it could apply, I'm not particularly swayed by it being proof of this theory.

I guess the other thing is people think he and Sol grew up together and were padawans at the same time? Which ties back into the idea of him being older than he looks, but again, there's nothing particularly convincing me of that idea either. When Qimir shows up masked and goes, "You don't remember me?" And Sol replies, "I do sense something familiar." To me that came off as taunting that none of them caught on when he was pretending to be the apothecary. (If anything, I initially for whatever reason thought the "You?" "Surprise!" exchange between Yord & Qimir was hinting to the idea that they'd known each other, until I remembered the aforementioned bit about Qimir's messy girl apothecary charade.)

Vernestra mentioning that she remembered Sol as a shy little padawan, and having been Qimir's master seems to be another reason for the prior two theories. But to me that ignores the possibility that Vernestra herself could also have been a child when she first met Sol. It's less clear to me since she's a humanoid non-human SW species, for all we know she could be the one who's way older than she looks because of that. And if she was already an adult and knew both Sol & Qimir as children, that still doesn't mean that was at the same time.

Okay. I think that's everything. (And if it's not I'll quietly come back and slip in whatever relevant edits I'll want to add in.)

[forcedhesitation]

I definitely do not have the time for a full essay's worth of commentary on the Casting of Frank Stone, but I definitely could give you that if I did. There is...a lot to take apart there. I am certainly...fascinated...by some of the writing & gameplay choices they made, to summarise my thoughts somewhat vaguely.

A few spoilery comments under the cut.

Like I said, I don't really have the time to offer extensive analysis (a full paper) of the game, but I do want to say a few things.

First and foremost: Do not purchase this game. In the words of Mr. Otzdarva himself: Go and watch someone play it instead. Your play through will be 95% the same as theirs. It is not worth your 50 dollars. If you still want it after you've viewed someone else's playthrough, that is your own right.

I honestly became annoyed with the writing much faster than Mr. Otzdarva did, and at first I thought it was because I was spoiled by BG3's infinitely better writing. But no, it's rather that he was being very patient. He finished with a rather negative opinion of the game, after thoroughly going through it to test just how much control you as the player really have.

I will be fair-- It is certainly a visually stunning game, as far as Supermassive titles go. Much better looking than The Devil in Me. The music is also incredible. And some of the voice acting was well done and added much needed life to otherwise bland characters.

But good grief is the writing utterly nonsensical!! Even if you respect the "a multiverse exists, so anything is possible" fact which is canon to Dead by Daylight itself, it still doesn't make any damned sense. I mean, is it ever explained why there is time travel involved? Or how it is even possible? Did they simply expect people to just assume that Augustine figured out time travel in a certain timeline? Does it have something to do with the Entity, since it can clearly traverse time? If so, why was Sam able to voluntarily time travel to Madi & elder Linda's timeline? Why and how the FUCK is Frank Stone first bound to the mill and then camera using what is clearly the same magic as the horologium, when we know the Entity has not yet been brought to that timeline??

And playing the "anything is possible" card would be fine to explain certain things, I will concede, but it really starts to feel meaningless when you realise just how many massive plot elements are never explained and that none of your choices really have any impact on the ending of the game. The story literally ends the same no matter what you do. And to be fair, I do not think it is a bad ending at all. Barring the corny "trial starting" sound that they jammed in at the last second, I thought the ending was one of the better parts of the game. It works great to make you feel hopeless, and like there is truly no escape from the Entity. I just feel that this format of a "your choices impact the outcome of the story" game was the incorrect format for the story they wanted to tell. Because it truly doesn't even matter if you get everyone killed, or you save everyone-- everything happens the same way and the world's fate is the same.

There are other things that bothered me, too. I thought having Frank Stone appear as this corny, glitchy spectral monster for most of the game was...a terrible choice, both design wise and writing wise. Now, I do not think killing him in the opening was necessarily a bad decision. I honestly thought it was a bold choice that functioned well to surprise the viewer and urge them to continue, so they might discover how the story plays out after the death of the titular character. But keeping him as this ghoulish creature, that honestly looked as though it were from some solo indie developer's first low budget horror game, was awful. He did not feel threatening whatsoever, just wildly out of place in a visual quality sense. I hate the final design much less, it is certainly much more threatening and much, much more gruesome, but it still does not make sense as to why he looks that way. The Entity still had not taken him, why did he appear as this inhuman monster before his entry into the Fog? They should have kept a more humanlike design until the very end of the game, when the Entity arrives. Then, a transformation sequence where the Entity mutates him should have been restricted to the ending where no one from the cast is seen in the Fog, so players at least get something different in that allegedly "unique" ending. After all, if a cast member does get taken, at least you get to see visions of what followed the 1980s storyline.

Also why did Augustine work alone when she is clearly part of the Black Vale? The excuse of "the cult didn't exist yet" doesn't work here, because she can time travel and is fully aware of the multiverse she exists in. Like... I thought elder Linda's mention of secret passages being for staff "so they are seen as little as possible" was foreshadowing for Augustine having fellow cultists aiding her, but it just went nowhere. Another thing that goes nowhere is the baby that Sam can save at the very beginning. Should the baby live or die has absolutely no impact whatsoever on the story, which feels like an enormous mistake to me. That baby should have grown up to be a character that the cast could have interacted with to gain...oh I don't know, some piece of important knowledge, or an item, that could then later change the fate of the cast. This way, the player's choices in the 1960s segment actually have an impact on later gameplay, rather than meaning absolutely nothing.

I'd also love to know why the hell elder Sam was sent alone to prevent this situation from occurring, when the Imperatti (I think they were called? The parents of the Pariahs, or something, right?) would have surely realised the gravity of this situation? Like, how does this make any sense? And this is far from the only moment that makes no sense at all.

Why do Jaime and Robert have almost no relevance whatsoever after the 1980s segment concludes? Robert is guaranteed survival of this segment, as that part of the game is written so that two characters always survive-- be that Linda and Robert, or Sam and Robert. As annoying as Stan was, I didn't hate him because he had great dialogue that pushed other characters to have different dialogue than what we were used to. But it felt scummy that Robert was just given this sad, offscreen death instead of being included in a lot more meaningful way.

Not going to lie, it reminded me of how in Stranger Things 4, Patrick was the one teenager whose trauma wasn't really explored or given the same respect as the others. It's like the writers went, "Guys, guys! It's okay! We still have the other Black guy! This makes our game Diverse, and therefore no one could possibly complain!" Meanwhile, we get an entire cutscene about Madi's nightmares, and elder Linda's movie career and associated trauma is talked about numerous times. But all we know about 2024 Robert is that Stan took advantage of him, and then he later died, utterly miserable. Also, Sam somehow knows about this and he and Stan know one another, despite this Sam being from a different timeline than elder Linda, Madi, and Stan himself.

And Jaime, poor sweet Jaime, he really just feels like he's there as someone they can conveniently kill to shock the player. The first chance he has to die results in a horrible, very graphic death (although not the most graphic in the game by a long shot) that I feel many players will encounter because they see it as reasonable to visit the curiosities shop first, and then to later attempt to save Chris (even though her fate is the same here, regardless of what you do). And even if you should keep Jaime alive through that first confrontation with the spectral Frank Stone, it's not as though his survival impacts following events. He can die again, when fleeing Frank with Bonnie and an injured Linda. Why they have Linda, who has a gaping hole in her shoulder, attempt to pull Jaime up the platform alone while HIS OLDER SISTER just WATCHES is beyond me. But writing his death, whether it be here, or earlier, to have no impact on Bonnie's fate, or any future events, is plain bad writing.

You cannot save Bonnie, no matter what you do. And this scene makes no sense. When Frank grabs Bonnie, Linda points the camera at him, which should work. There really isn't any reasonable explanation as to why this should not work, or should not even momentarily distract him (Which could have led to a different ending where Bonnie lives and Linda dies instead?), because in the storm drain, so much as yelling at Frank causes him to abandon whoever he's attacking to seek out the new target. I suppose, at the very least, 1980s Bonnie's death does serve some kind of purpose in the 2024 storyline, because it serves as foreshadowing for Madi's potential fate. But just like Robert, 2024 Bonnie is given a sad offscreen death and we never really learn about how she or Jaime survived that night at the mill.

And I will say, it just feels shitty from a player point of view, to make it so you cannot save certain characters. Like, I'm sorry, is that a canon event? Where is Mr. O'Hara? Because Madi must be a god-damned anomaly, being Bonnie's daughter!! And Chris- god- Chris who mysteriously travels through time...I really do hate this part of the story because understanding its purpose can only happen if you manage to get the secret ending where she goes through the projector screen and DOESN'T burn and die. Which would require you to not have taken the pocket mirror or given the "protective" amulet to her. This unlocks a secret ending where she goes back in time to the moment where she, Jaime, and Linda were inintially shooting in the mill, right before Sam interrupted them. I took this as the writers trying to show us that there would be one timeline in which Frank Stone is never released (not sure how he ever was in the first place, really), likely saving them from the Entity. But other than the player somehow luckily getting this ending, I really don't see the point of Chris' time travel, because she can also be sent immediately back in the horologium, which does nothing meaningful. And why does it have to be Chris? Why not write it so it could be her or Jaime, so that maybe the player's choice to have her and Jaime breakup or not actually has some kind of impact on the gameplay?

One of the worst things about the game though, and I cannot stress this enough, is how badly the references to DBD are integrated. I love a good reference-- it can serve to add a little playful flair to a moment, or even go so far as to have the viewer look at the piece from a different perspective they had not previously considered. Buuuut... this is only if the reference is done well. And, well, what this game does could hardly be described as tolerable, even. In was so heavy-handed, it felt almost as bad as product placement in a Michael Bay movie. Many of these "references" felt out of place to the degree that someone with no knowledge of DBD would be likely able to pick them out, because they heavily disrupt either the game's aesthetic or the gameplay itself! One generator was funny, and honestly expected, but THREE of those damn things? Clunky, corny, and honestly? Lazy.

Unfortunately, I feel those three adjectives describe how I feel about the game overall. I feel bad for the people who put hard work into making it, because there is potential there for something great. But it really felt as though they were pushed to release this game as quickly as possible, so BHVR could sell us a 50 dollar, five-to-six-hour advertisement for their next DLC chapter. Hard to think anything else, really, when completion of the game is followed by a a literal ad for it.

All I can say is-- I really hope we get 2024 Linda as a survivor. It seems more likely that it will be Madi, but it is possible we could have a two-survivor chapter (unless they specifically outlined in the roadmap that there are no upcoming 2-survivor chapters?).

Madi and 2024 Linda would be cool though. We have no older women as survivors, despite having more than one older man. I think it's about damn time. And I love the mother/daughter bond that can sort of develop between Madi and 2024 Linda in the game.

[cerealboxlore]

feeling evil, have some angst

so twins mary and billy, their parents died and they were both “taken in” by ebenezer and, shockingly enough, he sucks

ebenezer ends up almost killing mary and ditches her in some alley or something where someone kind finds her and gets her into a better place/adopts her but she lost her memories due to the trauma, i imagine that she very vaguely remembers billy and just knows something is missing but generally lives a pretty good life

anyways, billy saw her get beaten by ebenezer and doesnt know what happened to her after and might assume shes dead

he leaves ebenezer and lives on the streets (maybe gets some sort of revenge?)

later he becomes the champion and even layer joins the league

and one day while on a mission with the league he gets hit by a magic spell (or maybe fear toxin? but i’m thinking more a spell) that makes him relive his worst memory/fear

he manages to hold off the effects until he gets to the watchtower (maybe thinks nothing is wrong until it hits him at the watchtower?) and his whole demeanour just changes

he goes from happy cap to scared child to so full of rage and sorrow that it engulfs martian manhunter

i can’t organise anymore of my thoughts rn but basically it’s not fun times

Never stop being evil, honey bee 🐝

I've been going absolutely buck wild over this and let me tell you, the angst in this nutrious fic meal is divine! My compliments to the chef! 👨‍🍳

For the twin batson siblings, it's always been a thought of mind of how they could get separated from each other for so long. It's a thing that has different scenarios and details depending on the author/writer, but I thoroughly enjoy the idea of Mary and Billy being under Ebeneezer's care until Ebeneezer decides to get rid of one of them, via not so good means, and the other ending up running away in fear. Billy was always the one who ran away in my eyes, but the reasons into his run away decision is much deeper than one originally thinks.

Billy doesn't want to run away. He's a child who needs protecting. But he's led to believe that he has to, out of fear and wanting to live. Seeing his own twin sister getting near the brink of death would traumatize Billy. They share the same face, seeing Mary get hurt would scare Billy into thinking he was next. Maybe Ebeneezer got tired of having to take care of children, maybe he wanted their trust funds/inheritance, or maybe there was an accident with his car and he didn't see Mary playing in the drive way (or did he), and wanted to ditch the body. So many scenarios that could have lead to the ultimate destruction of this family. Mary is also a child, and to go through all of that would certainly be painful for ber to endure. I wouldn't blame her if the memories of this was too much to handle, causing her to repress everything into an amnesia like state for her own safety. She's fortunate enough to get adopted into a new family and have a fresh start in life, but she will be apart and missing that half of her that is her brother. She may not remember Ebeneezer hurting her, but the scars will stay.

As for sweet Billy Batson, running away to become homeless wasn't easy, but it's a decision he felt was safer than being in that horror of a house. He eventually becomes the champion of magic and joins the Justice League, good for him, but the traumas and tragedies of his past haunt him more than he realizes. Despite having all the magic in the world, he's still a child crying for his parents and sister deep down. This can be exposed/played with if a certain Venusian worm wanted to experiment and rot away his mind to destroy him, and what better way to do it than with Mr. Mind partnering up with the Scarecrow. I'm unsure what deal they would have to work together, but the mind is a terrifying place that holds the person together. A mind controller and a man who is fear itself would have a hell of a time together facing the Justice League.

Perhaps these two are hunting down members of the league together, slowly making their attempts to dwindle their numbers of active heroes down for a larger scale plot. Make the heroes of the world defenseless against their minds and inner fears, too mentally weak to fight against the later plot. The JL is on high alert, warning their fellow heroes of what's to come. Cap is too late for their message, already a victim to the evil duo's diabolical mental manipulation. Mr. Mind knows who Cap is and uses it to his advantage, controlling his memories to bring forward the worst memories of his life; his time in Ebeneezer's house. The abuse the went though. The starvation. The sense of worthlessness. Reliving what he believes were Mary's last moments. The blood. The dread. The fear.

Billy knows he's losing his mind. He can feel his mental fortitude rotting away and melting into insanity over the waves of grief and wrath engulfing him. Perhaps this also causes the seven deadly enemies to being to break free from their prisons as well. He manages to make it to the watch tower, desperately admiting that he needs help immediately, losing his smile and crying a storm of tears that won't stop.

He's defenseless. He feels weak. Worthless. The memories that haunt him are possessing his every thought, eating away at him.

I'd very much like to see how Martian Manhunter would handle this situation, especially considering how he would find out fast that Billy is just a kid, but also the dangers of entering a mind that Mr. Mind has tampered with. I'd love to see more interactions between these people, as well as batman, since Scarecrow is his villain/rogue after all.

I had an absolute blast with this ask! There's so much potential that goes with Billy and his past traumas, especially when it concerns Mary. The constant separation anxiety they both must feel, but Mary doesn't know what she's feeling separated from must be awful.

Oh goodness I wrote a lot

[kaaaaaaarf]

u can totally ignore this ask if it’s intrusive but what’s marriage like? is it weird always sharing things with someone? did u enjoy your wedding day? do u still get giddy about dates?

Hi lovely anon! ✨ I don't mind at all! Putting it under the cut for people who don't want to hear me waffle on about marriage.

Firstly, I just wanna say that my experience of marriage could be completely different from the next person's. The choice to be married or to not be married is personal and the lack of one doesn't make a relationship (or one's life) less valid. Marriage is not always the end goal and that's okay.

To me, marriage is complicated...especially when you've been together as long as Mr K and I have (together for 12, and married for 4 of those). On the one hand, you have a partner to share your life with, and no matter how mad you get, at the end of the day you chose each other and therefore have something worth fighting for. On the other hand, sometimes we make each other fucking insane and I consider taking up smoking again full time. 🤷

People grow and change as the years go on, and figuring out how to grow in the same direction can sometimes be difficult, but you communicate and make it work. When we started dating we were long distance (for three years!) and then we were attached at the hip for agessss and now we're starting to branch out and do our own things. It's nice that I can go off and have my adventures, and still have someone to come home to.

I don't find it weird sharing things... I think sharing things just comes second nature after a while. It was certainly an adjustment when we first moved in together but now it would feel weird to separate everything. I do wish we lived in a bigger apartment so we had our own space, but it's not the end of the world. That's me though...my other married friend NEEDS space for their marriage to work. If they don't have physical room for their own activities, they might kill each other...that's not a joke.

I did enjoy my wedding!! Planning a wedding took five years off my life stress wise, but the day itself was lovely. We got married during COVID so that presented its own challenges, but the wedding was small and intimate and just right. Neither me or Mr K are big on dates or anniversaries...we never have been. We do try to at least go to dinner on our wedding anniversary, though.

I quite like having a set partner to go through life with...we've chosen each other over, and over, and over again. Mr K knows me better than anyone else, and while sometimes it's terrifying being so perceived, I love him and wouldn't have it any other way.

[holly-fixation]

Everyone loves a good old fix-it AU, and in the case of Final Fantasy VII, it usually involves burning all the BAD things at Nibelheim: Jenova's body and Shinra Manor (at least the basement).

Though I am guilty of this same easy plot line, I cannot believe it to be true in universe. Fair warning, what follows is a break down of in game Canon, analysis, and my own headcanons on what would happen if Jenova's body burned.

In game canon:

Everything that lives and dies on the Planet returns to the planet. The Planet gives life to the next soul born. This keeps the Planet's circle of life rolling and the Lifestream strong. The Lifestream is every soul that has died on the planet, becoming this sort of consciousness soup as you see in the Who Am I sequence of FF7.

Why does this matter?

Every soul that dies on the Planet becomes one with the Planet. And this poses a problem when a malevolent alien lands on the surface.

In the videos Gast recorded in Icicle Village, Ifalna explains that Jenova spread a virus and that the Planet would never be able to fully heal itself as long as it exists. The surviving Cetra "defeated" and "confined" Jenova to the Northern Crater/Cave. And despite its confinement, "it could still come back to life at some time."

In the game, Sephiroth's goal is to become a god by summoning meteor, which would force all the planet's energy (the Lifestream) to one place for him to absorb.

Adding just a little bit of content from Advent Children: Geostigma, the virus that spreads S cells, is assumed to be connected with close and long proximity to mako. Mako is refined Lifestream for energy generation. Sephiroth is dead at this point.

Also, Sephiroth's plan in Advent Children: "The last thoughts of geostigma’s dead. Those Remnants will join the Lifestream and girdle the planet – choking it, corroding it."

Analysis/My head canon:

Defeated and confined do not mean killed. "It can come back to life" can easily mean "it can regain control of itself". Think about cryo-stasis where a body and (hopfully) a mind can be kept suspended with minimal aging usually up to a certain point, say waiting for a cure to be discovered for a person's terminal illness (yes I am using Mr. Freeze's wife as my example but hear me out). What I'm saying is, Jenova's probably not DEAD dead at the Northern Crater.

The Cetra probably were probably warned by the Planet that if Jenova were to die, it's virus would enter the Planet/Lifestream itself (like Geostigma). So my conclusion has always been, (even from my first play through of the game when I didn't even know about the scenes with Gast and Ifalna or the movie), Jenova is alive from the moment she landed on the Planet. In stasis? Yes. Mobile? Hell no. Psychologically active? No in game evidence and though I do love the idea, (this will does not apply in this post though).

So long story long, Jenova's burned body may lead to early Geostigma/Jenoav's specific virus and rotting of the planet from the inside out. It may accelerate Jenova's plans instead of halting them indefinitely. And God forbid whoever in the fix it burns the body also throws her remains into the mako below, she might rebuild her body using the Lifestream itself. After all, Sephiroth wanted to absorb the Lifestream to become a God. Why wouldn't Jenova be able to do the same?

Anyway, thanks for coming to my TED talk.

[ultraericthered]

Was earlier browsing the TV Tropes Ass Pull / Dragon Ball page for the most notable examples of total Ass Pull swerves seen across the Dragon Ball franchise, and I was curious in what was considered examples of such from out of the late Akira Toriyama's writing for the original Dragon Ball manga, back when he was young and in his prime. Among the handful of moments detailed on the page, there are some I agree to be unjustified, clumsily written and poorly implemented Ass Pulls (most notably all examples from the Majin Buu Saga) but a few where I honestly disagree and believe the ideas and the writing for them was sharper, more solid and sufficiently justified within the work than the TV Tropers gave them credit for.

To cover them all and relieve the best and worst of Toriyama:

King Piccolo hits Goku hard enough to stop his heartbeat. but it starts beating again after Piccolo's gone - NO. I think what people really take offense to here is the timing of it, that Piccolo leaves Goku for dead and then his heart just so happens to resume beating after he's departed from the scene. That is silly and contrived as heck. But the event itself is sensible considering that Piccolo assumed this moment of caridac arrest to have killed Goku because no human, no matter how strong and good at martial arts, could live through that. But Goku isn't human. Even this very saga stresses something is very superhuman and otherworldly about Goku, including why he had a tail and could transform into a giant ape. Piccolo had no knowledge of the Saiyans and how they're strong enough to recover from near death experiences and come back stronger than ever, so he had no way of knowing that "killing" Goku like that might not stick for long.

The Ultra Divine Water - YES. That was weird. It is indeed a direct contradiction to the previous arc at Korin's Tower and if such a thing had always existed, it would've been nice for Korin to have hinted at it back when we last saw him even if he didn't want Goku to have it.

Nail merges his life energy with Piccolo - NO. There'd been nothing saying that warrior class Namekians of the same type as Piccolo could do this before, but there'd also been nothing saying that they couldn't. What's important to remember is that this isn't a case like Kami and Piccolo re-merging, where two halves become one whole Namekian again: Nail was beaten to within an inch of his life and could've died out there with all the power still within him going to waste, but since Piccolo came along and needed the extra strength to go toe to toe with Freeza, Nail decided to let Piccolo essentially mercy kill him by absorbing his life energy and ki into himself.

Vegeta can suddenly detect power without a scouter after his fight on Earth - NO. The only thing that makes this seen nonsensical is a line in the Japanese version about him being able to awaken and attain this ability because "he's a Saiyan", even though it's an ability that has been used by non-Saiyans all the way back to Mr. Popo. In context, it still makes sense that Vegeta unlocked the potential to do this when in battle against opponents who could do so, similar to how he learned to conceal his full power level from scouters at the same time. In fact, it actually first kicked in for Vegeta during that battle on Earth, as towards the end he could sense that his enemies were all "barely clinging to life" without even having to go near them.

The Zenaki Boost - NO. I think it's misrepresented in that entry. It claims that Vegeta's minor boost in power after a genuinely near fatal beatdown from Zarbon doesn't mesh with him later not being nearly as beaten down by Recoome yet recieving another boost that puts him on par with First Form Freeza from it...but why, seeing as it only made him stronger than Jeice and Ginyu? Being now able to match Freeza in his first form isn't the same as "surpassing Freeza in his first form", so it's not too extreme a boost. It then says Goku was only "somewhat stronger than Ginyu" after the Vegeta battle, recovery, and constant training on the spaceship, but after being healed from his body getting roughed up thanks to Ginyu, he's able to match Freeza at 50% of his total power, strong enough to not risk his life via Kaio-Ken x10 and even able to pull off a Kaio-Ken x20, and that is somehow makes no sense...but that boost he got that allowed him to be somewhat stronger than Ginyu was talked up in-story as being the breakthrough that put Goku towards becoming a Super Saiyan, so why is any of this in any way a surprising, unforseen and unwarranted development? It also falsely states that "keep in mind, Freeza's second form outmatched Piccolo, who was ten times stronger than Ginyu had been", but it was Freeza's third form that outmatched Piccolo: in his second form, Freeza thought he could outmatch Piccolo but Piccolo was wearing his weighted clothing throughout the fight and showed that without it, he was an exact match in strength, speed, stamina, and full Ki power for Freeza in that form. It goes on to say that the idea almost entirely disappears after the Namek Saga since Vegeta doesn't simply try to fight Android 18 after his beatdown at her hands nor does Goku try to enter the fight rather than do more training after he recovers from his virus, but this plainly neglects details of how that story actually went down - Vegeta didn't commit to training to ascend beyond a Super Saiyan until after he learned both that Cell existed and that Piccolo now surpassed him, and Goku knew there was a greater threat when he recovered so he felt the boost on its own wouldn't be enough for it.

Additionally, I know one could nitpick that the Zenkai Boost existing renders previous training and comebacks by Goku pointless. Like what was the purpose of Goku scaling Korin's Tower and fighting to take the water from Korin when he could've just fought Tao again with the boost he got? What was the purpose of Goku having to attain the Ultra Divine Water if he could've just fought Piccolo again with the boost he got? Why train with Mr. Popo when he could've just looked for a way to nearly kill himself in order to get strong enough to fight Piccolo Jr.? Why did he need to run down Snake Way and get to King Kai's world to train under King Kai? OK, for those first three, Goku nor any of the other characters knew what a Saiyan was, that Goku was one, and that the Zenkai Boost was a thing for Saiyans. And simply getting the Zenkai Boost is in of itself not enough to truly improve a Saiyan's full inner strength and mastery over their new boosted power. Vegeta is the only one who's ever assumed that it is because he's an high class elite warrior to whom strides in the buildup and enhancement of his own power comes naturally to him and he arrogantly assumes that this is enough to ultimately ascend him to the level of Super Saiyan. Goku has never believed that - he's always put in the work to bring out and gain full skillful control over the new power he surpasses previous limits in order to attain. The training doesn't substitute for the boost, it works in concurrence with it and enhances it. Vegeta and even Freeza learn from example.

Freeza says five minutes until Namek explodes, yet the fight goes on for much longer - YES. Freeza was foolish and cannot tell time.

The Hyperbolic Time Chamber - YES. The existence of the Time Chamber isn't an Ass Pull itself, but the idea that young Goku was able to train in it and withstand its gravity yet later had trouble with the gravity on King Kai's world, and the fact that none of the fighters who were training right there at Kami's Lookout were told to or ever thought to use it for the coming fight against Nappa and Vegeta, are definite plot holes that Toriyama had no good excuse for.

The Cell Juniors - KIND OF? I think the idea is that since Cell has Namekian cells in him from Piccolo and Saiyan cells in him including those of Vegeta and Nappa, he had both the egg-making ability of King Piccolo and the memory of how to plant and grow Saibamen, but given his unique bio-organic body structure, he's able to make the seeds/eggs for such creatures inside of him and they grow once he spits them out onto planetary soil. And they come out in his own image since they inherited energy from the cells that make them. However, since he never explicity states this, it is sort of bizarre.

Cell's return as Super Perfect Cell after self-destructing- KIND OF? Two parts of it were feasible, at least: Cell returning to his Perfect Form even without 18 inside of him was due to him rettaining the memory of that form in tandem with the huge boost in power he got from the power of Super Saiyan 2 Gohan he'd been put on the recieving end of but now awakened within his cells. It's said that "he'd been beaten up several times and never once got a boost from it" until this near-death experience... didn't he, though? None of his previous beatdowns were near severe enough for him to get such a boost, and in the two where he did get outmatched in raw strength and/or Ki control power (against Future Trunks and against Goku), he did quickly rebound with a boost in strength, speed, and technique. And as for him learning the Instant Transmission, while Cell had seen Goku use it multiple times without learning it, it was made a point of that Cell was increasing his speed via watching Goku's, including the Instant Transmission, and as the page states "the only noteworthy difference is that Cell was taken along for the ride that time". Yes, Goku literally had his other hand on Cell the entire time as he blew up while he used Instant Transmission. Cell can emulate the strength of those whose cells he shares, almost as though absorbing some of their Ki power into himself. What else was going to happen there should Cell happen to live through his self destruction?

The one part that's an Ass Pull and plot hole of epic proportions is that Cell was able to regenerate from near-total annihilation into next to nothing to back whole, in his Perfect form, at the peak of his Ki power even after all that he'd expended in the earlier fight because, as he explains, "he can survive anything so long as the nucleus located in his head stays in-tact." Which directly contradicts the earlier part in his fight with Goku where Goku disintegrated his head with a point-blank Kamehameha, and Cell regenerated his upper torso and head like it was nothing. The original English dub for the anime actually gave a better excuse, that so long as so much as a single cell within his core nucleus survives, he's unkillable and can come back from anything. So even if Goku had blown up the nucleus along with Cell's head, if a single cell leaked through Cell's body in-tact, he could come back from it. And even if his entire body blew up, if the remaining nucleus still contained a single cell, he'd respawn. It's only through Gohan's final blast that Cell's nucleus and every single cell derived from it gets completely obliterated, which kills Cell.

Gotenks and Trunks become Child Super Saiyans - YES. I've harped on this one before as being one of the earliest downfalls in the Buu Saga. Nothing against Goten and Trunks or Gotenks for that matter, but how Super Saiyan power-ups got handled in regards to their characters was cheap, diminishing, and inexcusable of Toriyama.

Piccolo regenerates his whole body after it got broken because his head still remained. - YES. Didn't Piccolo get killed by Nappa with his entire body in-tact? Weren't there earlier risks of Piccolo dying by Freeza and Cell shooting him through the heart? Well, the heart is located in the part of Piccolo's body that got accidentally shattered by Goten and Trunks when he was turned to stone, yet he can now just live through that because the head is where regeneration starts for him? Where did this come from? Why was this gag even needed?

Super Saiyan 3 - YES. The concept of the form less so than the way it got implemented in a nebulous and downright contradictory way. Earlier in the saga when Goku is asked to kill Buu, he says point-blank that at his current power level he could only equal Vegeta but there's no way he could take on and kill the likes of Buu...only for him to then reveal he attained Super Saiyan 3 in the afterlife, meaning he was actually far stronger than Vegeta and was holding back on him during the Majin Vegeta fight, and that he absolutely could take on and possibly even kill Buu. And then there's no given reason for why he doesn't kill Buu in this form, much less use it ever again against the stronger, more evil Buus later on in the saga. And to top this off, Gotenks is able to skip Super Saiyan 2 and reach this form even when in the manga he had know way of even knowing about it let alone how to attain it, which is when the saga, and with it the entire original DB series, jumped the shark even before the death knell of Gohan getting outfought by Buu and absorbed by him.

That along with....

Buu's scream breaks open the sealed off Hyperbolic Time Chamber - YES. And what's annoying about this one is that it could've worked easily and raised no eyebrows - there's a full panel of Buu all tensed up and roaring in fury over it, so the idea that Buu released all of his pent up power into the roar and it creates a small crack in the fabric of the chamber dimension that's small enough for only Buu to access by turning into his liquid form and seeping through it, would work perfectly. But instead, after the initial roar, Buu screams about how "IT'S NOT FAIR!" and THAT is what unleashes the power that blows through the chamber and creates a hole for him to escape through, and the anime makes this longer and even more dumbfounding. This was Toriyama writing himself into a corner for the sake of some dumb humor and not knowing how to immediately write himself out of it in a way that could bring Buu back out as a threat but still inhibit the good guys so that there's any semblence of remaining tension.

Vegito defuses back into Goku and Vegeta inside of Buu despite the fusion having been said to be permanent - YES. It's not explained why it happens just because Vegito's been eaten by Buu, it doesn't make sense, but then again nothing about the Potara earrings and the fusion they bring about ever made sense, and its setup only gets more contradicted the more the earrings get used as a device in later franchise entries. I don't care that a movie beat Toriyama to showing Goku and Vegeta fuse via the fusion dance, he didn't let the fourth movie's "False Super Saiyan" stop him from debuting the real Super Saiyan form he'd envisoned, so why let Movie Gogeta stop him from debuting Real Gogeta. Given that he would years later do exactly that in Dragon Ball Super: Broly, I think even he regrets not doing so. When you introduce the concept of fusion into a saga along with an exact method for achieving it, stick to that method and those rules!

[kamiversee]

oooOOH okay - the way i forgot abt the songs BUT i'm gonna have to straight up make a playlist for these men (as if i don't do the same thing when i'm writing anywaysss)

incoming YAP SESH

so when you mentioned it in the last chapters, i immediately went back listened to 'sober' [childish gambino] BUT i forgot abt 'die for you' [the weeknd] sooooo he's a mini gojo analysis for that song for all my fellow gojo girlies (RAAA):

'i just can't say i don't love you / cause i love you'

this one is obvi lmao the way bro is like "hey btw i LOVE you" every chance he gets

'you hate that you want me'

bro literally says this almost verbatim when he's like "you shouldn't care abt me" but also "it's not a crime [to miss me] love" (ch45)

'i would die for you / i would lie for you ... i would kill for you'

REALLY seein the references to this one in chapter 45 lmao when he's like "i've done worse, for you" and he's said SOOO many times that he'd do anything for you and is explicitly like "the person i am around you now is not the person who fell in love with you"

so here's where i might be wayyy off base again but - what if the list started bc of something gojo tried to do for you, to show how much he cared about you? so like order of events:

years ago, gojo does something bad (ex: hurting someone, manipulating people in your life he views as "bad") in the name of helping you -> sukuna either catches him or he needs sukunas help -> sukuna uses this info to blackmail satoru

the deal for the blackmail is that you either have to complete this list that's made to hurt gojo so badly by punishing the woman he loves AND turns her against him (which is why gojo is so set on the fact that the reader can't have feelings for him, bc he's the one who's supposed to be punished by this whole thing) OR sukuna will kill gojo

which i know is like BIG but ! think about how gojo is always saying he'd do anything for the reader: he was ready to die for her; he had no intention of doing the list. when he walks in on her in ch1 he's like genuinely surprised that an opportunity like that "presented" itself to him, so he really wasn't planning to blackmail you ever

and when you finish the list, gojo is genuinely surprised and relieved that you finish it (ch45) !!!! he's also said that there was no time limit on it but that there actually was one, that it needed to be done by the end of the year i think??? somethin like that i don't remember but that always felt weird to me, so that's probs what sukuna's deadline for gojo was

--

anywhooo i also think sukuna put choso on the list bc he felt bad for hurting him (bc i'm refusing rn to think that choso lied abt the abuse which is the basis of my other theory but it bums me out so i'm just ignoring it lmao) and sukuna saw how obsessed w you gojo was and he was maybe like "hmm ok so this girl must be somethin special" and that's why he was making you hook up w choso !

yap sesh OVER (apologies this got so long and the way i was pulling out citations lmao) i will send more theories when i'm actually awake but i just read your response to my ask and HAD to do a song analysis! love you kami xoxoxoxo

-🩷

Okay this is yap session 1/2 that I’ve received & it’s not as long as the other so I’ll reply normally!!

To start, ty for this theory & semi-breakdown!! I rlly do love reading these ><

1. I LOVE how you broke down the song reference because every lyric from that damn song applies to Mr. Gojo in this fic🙏 Die For You applies more than you guys realize but it’ll make even more sense when we finally receive his backstory <3

2. You & ☃️anon have similar theories with how this whole thing started & it’s fun to see you guys on the right track & nearly hitting the nail on the head ^.^

The first theory about Gojo & Sukuna’s situation is… it’s a wonderful theory, I’ll say that. I will not say if it’s right or wrong but, since TFL is over, I think it’s safe to say you’re definitely on the right track :)

3. The Sukuna & Choso theory at the end is OH MY FUCKING GOD. I’m going to just burn my fic plans atp because I’m pretty sure you guys somehow have access to it 😄 /hj

Anyway, don’t consider that response as me confirming what you just said but DAMN you cooked & the kitchen might be on fire! :3

TO CONCLUDE, ty for the yap sesh, I love u & these sosoosooo much !!

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

Time!Reader Bio

Birthday: ? (Player can give her a birthday) Age: as old as Teyvat itself Affiliation: None Element: Geo Constellation: Infinitum

The primordial one known as Time. Indifferent yet mischievous, she enjoys watching humans fool about in their daily lives wondering how they will squander their time next. Referred to as Gusoyn by those affiliated with Celestia. (5* Bow)

Talents: Combat

Normal Attackー Time Never Stops: Performs up to 4 consecutive shots with a bow.

Elemental Skillー Mr. Sandman: Releases an onslaught of sand inflicting AOE Geo DMG to nearby enemies, blinding them for a set time period. "What are the reasonings for my actions? Silly traveler from afar, do I need truly need those to justify my actions?”

Hourglass: Alternate sprint. Time!Reader discards her constructed avatar in favor of morphing into winding sand. Is able to trigger Crystalize reactions. Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives.

Elemental Burstー The World: Tricksy Time halts itself for a set period in order to eliminate opponents undisturbed. Time!Reader occasionally pranks unsuspecting mortals with this little trick. It never ceases to amuse her when they make expressions of shock, confusion or fear.

Talents: Passives

Waste Not, Want Not: When Time!Reader crafts Weapon Ascension Materials, she has a 10% chance to receive double the product.

Primordial One: When in the party and not the last to fall, Time!Reader automatically revives herself with full HP. This effect can only occur once every 10 minutes. (*Can be reduced to 5 minutes with constellations.)

No Time Like the Present: Decreases sprinting Stamina consumption for your own party members by 20%. Not stackable with Passive Talents that provide the exact same effects.

Bonus Trivia:

Signature weapon is a white-and-gold bow in with an hourglass somewhere in the design. Signature weapon is called Stagnant Sands

Being time itself, Time!Reader is immortal and cannot be killed. The oldest being in Teyvat, as old as the world itself and as such Time!Reader never tracked their age or birthday

Watches the mess being generated by the Traveler, the Abyss Order and the Fatui in amusement wondering which will reign successful in the end of the conflict considering the many paths the conflict can go

Doesn’t dislike humans but doesn’t quite like them either, placing them on the same level as ants that might occasionally catch one’s attention if there are enough of them doing something entertaining

Refuses to cook and therefore has no special dish

(Life, Death and Time have the same voice and face despite being separate entities created in the same instant)

[steezywrites]

The Crown Of The Morally Grey

part 6

Y/n Snape x Draco Malfoy

find the previous parts here: part one part two part three part four part five

read on Ao3

This one is a bit shorter but! more information about y/n comes out!!!

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

Dumbledore had pulled Y/n into his office as soon as the feast was over; before she could check on Malfoy who had spent the entire sorting ceremony and feast staring at the table. Silently, the two walked through the halls up to The Headmasters Office. Dumbledore had said the password too quiet to hear and gestured for her to enter.

She’d been in the Headmasters Office once before. Her father had dragged her along to discuss putting her in more advanced classes. It had almost seemed like her father had been bragging about her in that moment, but as usual, he kept his expression unreadable. The Phoenix that had been bright with a calming aura at that time was now beginning to dull, coming close to the of this life cycle and ready to be reborn in ash.

Dumbledore offered her a chair, which she took, and a cup of tea was placed in front of her.

“Your father has informed me of The Unbreakable Vow you took.”

Y/n stayed silent.

“I praise your loyalty to young Mr. Malfoy. He isn’t who everyone thinks he is. Alas, I cannot allow you to be the one to kill me.” Dumbledore talked about his death, his murder calmly. It was inevitable, he knew it.

“You think I’m asking for your permission?” Y/n nearly laughed, anger threatening to make itself known.

“No, I don’t. I’m quite aware of your abilities Ms. Snape, but there is more at play here. You cannot be the one to end my life.”

“So, you’re going to manipulate the situation even more.” The words came out colder than Y/n realized. Dumbledore’s expression didn’t change. She stood up and put her hands on the desk.

“When Draco fails to kill you, I have to or his family, my father and I die. My father Vowed to help Draco, but I vowed to end your life if he fails. Draco and my father will not die, Professor. You will.”

Dumbledore looked away briefly, but his eyes continued to show the gears turning in his head.

“After you die, it will be another step towards the end. Your precious Potter might die as well, his friends, your students and coworkers. But Draco Malfoy will not die.”

Dumbledore looked at her again, his gaze softened, and he gave her a small smile.

“You really do remind me of your father.”

The statement threw Y/n off. The confusion mixed with her anger and left her silent, fist clenching around her wand.

“He once came to me, desperate for me to save someone he cared about, but it was too late, and instead he came to aid my side.”

“It isn’t too late for Draco.”

“No, it isn’t. But there is a pattern here.”

“This isn’t the same at all.”

“Isn’t it Miss Snape? You’re picking a side in hopes it helps the one you care about, even if it means your own demise.” Even though Y/n already knew what he was saying was true, it only angered her more. She wasn’t like her father. She could never be.

“I think it’s time you return to your dorm.” He stood, turning his back to her and gazing out a window, studying the clouds as if they were whispering to him.

“Oh, and smart of you to break Harry’s nose, its far more difficult to track physically injury than a spell.”

Y/n threw the door to the office open as she stormed through it, letting her feet guide her to wherever they wanted to go instead of focusing on her surroundings. The world was fuzzy, and her body felt too light, her surrounding seemed to shrink in size as she passed them too quickly to hide her anger.

I’m nothing like my father.

Her thoughts had become a muddled mess of the conversation and images of her father. He had never told her why he had become a double agent. She had figured he’d seen the wrong in his ways, or maybe did it only to give information to the good guys. If Dumbledore was right, and her father had done so to protect or honor someone he cared about, then what did she mean to him? He didn’t stop being a spy when she was born. He didn’t put much effort to stop her when she had vowed her life away to aid the Malfoys or seem to care that she would inevitably wear the dark mark. He hadn’t even talked to her most of the summer. For someone who made such a life-threatening decision for someone else who was in danger, he didn’t seem to care that his daughter was doing the same thing.

Another thought plagued her mind as she continued through the silent halls of Hogwarts. Dumbledore knew he was going to die, to be murdered even, and he didn’t seem to mind, even though he knew it would kick off Voldemort’s reign? Would that make killing him less terrible, or more? And why was he so sure that she couldn’t be the one to do it? What else didn’t she know about the already complex situation? What difference did it make to him who ended his life? There was another part to all of this that she didn’t know and that pissed her off more than the question of her and her father's relationship. That had always confused her, but she didn't like not knowing the details. She had made it a point in her life to know as much as she could.

When she found herself at the door to the Slytherin Common room. She nearly growled the password, “Serpentine” before shoving her way into the common room. Draco and Pansy were both sitting in the Common room, books of the coffee table in front of them. Draco didn’t look up as she entered.

“What did Dumbledore want?” Pansy asked, putting down whatever book she’d been reading.

“He wanted to talk about the classes. My father had been talking to him about my future career this summer." Y/n lied, somewhat hiding her anger as she went to sit beside Draco.

“What have you decided on?”

“Well, being due to my O.W.L.S last year, I was able to take whatever classes I wanted nearly. Dragonologist requires Care of Magical Creatures, Alchemy, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions and Charms.”

“I still can’t believe you want to work with Dragons.”

Y/n relaxed. The topic of her dream career putting her at ease. Ever since she and Draco snuck down to Hagrid’s years ago and saw the baby dragon- which she begged Draco to not tell anyone about but of course he didn’t listen- she’d been obsessed. When the Triwizard Champions had to face them two years ago, it only strengthened her love of the creatures. They were fascinating and she couldn’t help but feel they were incredibly misunderstood. She had spent many nights sneaking down to Hagrid’s to help him with the baby dragon he had for a few weeks and didn’t talk to Draco for nearly four months when Hagrid had to get rid of the creature. Hagrid has assured her that he’d gone to a good place with other dragons and people whose jobs it was to study and care for them. She hadn’t known such a career existed until that point, and ever since, it was an obvious answer whenever someone asked what she wanted to be when she grew up. She had overheard Ronald Weasley saying one of his older brothers worked with Dragons; she had nearly asked him about it.

“They’re...”

“Misunderstood, we know.” Pansy laughed before beginning to talk about the classes she had to take this year.

For the first time somehow, Y/n was reminded that she probably wouldn’t get the chance to become a Dragonologist. Perhaps Voldemort would need some as using Dragon’s to his advantage seemed likely. But that wasn’t how dreamt of her career choice. Using dragons for evil was never something she wanted. She glanced at Draco, reminding herself it was for him, but she blinked far more times than a person sure of their decision would.

“I’m actually going to go to bed. I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

She nearly tripped as she hurried to her dorm and shut the door behind her before sliding down it with her head in her hands.

[skylarmoon71]

Micheal (Lucifer)- Oneshot

Being banished to another universe has its perks.

Surprisingly he felt more relaxed. After he’d literally killed Chloe and Lucifer, he was thankful for the grace they had shown him when they didn’t have to. Now his punishment was to work in the precinct of a place that had a bunch of super powered criminals running around.

Oh the irony.

Micheal walked into CCPD that day with the usual frown. The first couple months there people wouldn’t stop staring at his scar. Not that he could blame them. He was nothing but a lowly consultant, much like how Lucifer started. He guessed this was supposed to give him some perspective.

Or just a cruel irony.

Life was good like that.

Swiping a cup of coffee from the kitchen, he made his way to figure out what the newest case was.

“What do we have today Detective West.”

Micheal walked in, and standing by Joe’s side was the one and only Barry Allen and another Detective who worked in the precinct. He’d seen you around, and as far as he could tell you were a tough officer. You took every case in stride and it seemed to take a bulldozer to lower your defenses. All his interactions with you had started and ended the same.

Good morning, how are you? Good.

That was it.

He wasn’t that shocked at the cold demeanor but it felt like you were extra stoic around him.

“Good Morning Mr. Morningstar, nice of you to show up.” You spoke, file in hand.

“I’m a minute late, fire me.

Please.

You didn’t respond. Barry sent you a suspicious smile and Joe just let out a sigh.

“If we could all get along that would be great.” Joe stated.

“If some of us would do our jobs I can’t see any reason why that would be a problem. “ Micheal just gives a snarky smile and you roll your eyes. Joe carries on with the explanation.

“This guy is sloppy, it’s clear that he doesn’t know what he’s doing. I need you two back at his apartment. He must have left something there.”

“We’re on it.” You place the document down, reaching for your jacket. Micheal follows behind, giving a salute as he places him mug down on the way out.

“Of all the people, why did it have to be him?”

So maybe there was a reason behind your hostility.

See the truth of the matter is, you were a bit bad at the whole love thing. Your personality in itself was a bit standoffish. Not that you could really help it. It was just the way you were. Your long list of failed dates proved that you needed work in that department. Then along came Micheal. The first day he came, the whispers and rumors started. You weren’t one for gossip, but when you saw the scar, there was obviously a story behind that.

Your first case with Joe and Micheal was possibly his second day. He was sarcastic, and brutally honest. It became clear that this job was some kind of penance. Yet, here he was. He showed up each day with that same snarky look on his face as he worked to solve each crime. As the days went by, you sort of got used to him. While you made it your mission to give him shit, you sort of admired him. He didn’t seem very affected by the way others would stare at his scar. Nor was he demotivated.

It never affected his job.

While he might not have been the most social and approachable person, he had decent work ethic.

You liked that.

You liked him.

The knock on your window glass pulled you from your thoughts. You blinked, and Micheal gave another smile as he waved gesturing for the both of you to get on with the job.

“Stupid crush.”

Of all the people you could have fallen for.

Micheal took a step back and you got out of your car, closing the door.

“Okay, let’s lay down some ground rules. No running off on your own like you did last time. If you get taken I’m gonna have a crap ton of paperwork to fill out.”

“Good to know you care about my wellbeing.”

You both head to the door, ducking under the police tape as you begin searching through the criminal’s house.

Allen Kempler was a thief and now a wanted killer. His last robbery hadn’t gone as planned and he’d shot an innocent woman. Now he was on the run. Luckily, not a meta that you would have to worry about. As you sift through his belongings upstairs, you make a mental note of items he may come back for.

“Micheal, could you pass me an evidence bag?” You got no response.

“Micheal?” He wasn’t there and you groaned in annoyance, heading for the staircase.

“Come on man, I gave you one instruction!”

You expected to see him doing his own round downstairs, but the house was quiet. Now you are worried. You drew your gun.

“Micheal, Micheal!”

Each room you went through was empty, and when you got to the back door, there was a bat that appeared to be tossed there. You cursed.

“Damn it!”

Joe was going to chew you out for this one.

~~~

After a while Micheal was a bit annoyed at all the illiterate villains. He was immortal for goodness sake. Although he still had no wings.

That’s why as the criminal pulls the bag off his head, he wasn’t even phased. Hopefully the police would get here before he had to listen to another poorly thought out plan.

“You’re probably wondering where you are?” Allen smirked.

“Not really.” Micheal retorted. Allen’s brows furrowed.

“W-Well your cop friends won’t find you here.”

“Noted.”

“And there’s no-”

“No escape, I get it. This isn’t my first rodeo. You do realize that I let you take me hostage. That precinct was just getting tedious."

Allen was growing angry.

“Are you mocking me!!” He moved to the next room to grab his gun and Micheal rolled his eyes. He leaned back in the chair, waiting for the calvary. What he didn’t expect was to see you climbing through the window. He raised a brow.

“Detective-”

You placed a hand to your lips, landing easily on the ground. When you straightened, you raced to his side.

“Joe and the others are on their way. I can’t believe you let yourself get caught. “ You shook your head, pulling out a knife as you began cutting the knots at his legs and arms.

Micheal was a bit surprised.

“You came to rescue me?”

You looked back, scoffing as you tried to move quickly.

“Of course I did, I was worried about you.” The statement stunned him, and it seemed to play in your head. His eyes were now focused on you, and you looked up, stuttering as you reached for the last knot on his arm.

“I-I mean we all were worried.”You corrected.

“You’re not going anywhere.” You spun around surprised at Allen’s words.You were standing in front of Micheal protectively.

“Put down the gun.” You advise, standing upright, eyes focused on Allen’s weapon.

“Please, do you really think he’s going to pull the trigger, he’s a coward.”

Allen’s teeth gritted.

“I’LL SHOW YOU COWARD!!” He pointed it straight at Micheal.

“NO!!”

You moved directly in front of him and both bullets hit you right in the chest. Your body dropped to the floor, and you grunted. Micheal’s eyes grew wide.

“Who’s a coward now?”

Micheal’s eyes were no longer holding disinterest. He pulled his wrist from the rope as if it were nothing and Allen raised his gun again, shooting crazily. Each bullet hit Micheal’s chest, and he just tilted his head menacingly. Allen looked terrified, and Micheal grinned.

“No one messes with the Detective except me.”

He grabbed him by the collar, throwing him across the room. His body hit a wall, falling unconscious. Micheal huffed in anger, turning back to you. He was a bit hesitant to approach. Because he didn’t want to see the blood. That would make it hurt.

He hadn’t realized that he actually cared about what happened to you. To him you always seemed like another officer. But you’d just taken a bullet for him. Literally. Not many people ever cared what happened to him. Even his siblings felt like it would be better if he never existed. Micheal kneeled down, cradling your head.

“Amenadiel, if you can hear me, please just help her. It’s not her time, this is not her fault.”

He was hoping for time to seize so his brother would come down and just save you, but when your eyes opened, you coughed, looking back at Micheal as you rubbed your chest. He was completely confused when you sat upright groaning.

“Damn bastard..” You grumbled.

You were clearly in pain. When you pulled your coat to the side, he could see the bullet proof vest.

“I didn’t think he would actually shoot..” You mutter. It took you a moment to gather yourself, and when you did, your eyes turned to Micheal with urgency.

“Crap he shot you!!” You grabbed the front of his suit, searching for the wounds, or blood or anything honestly. The bullet holes were obvious, but there was no wound. You looked up at him a bit startled.

“You’re okay…” You were still holding the lapels of his jacket and Micheal swallowed.

“POLICE!!”

The door to the room busted in and police came rushing in. Joe was right at the front and when he caught sight of the both of you on the floor, he directed the others to sweep the room.

“Are you both okay?”

You weren’t sure how to answer that question, so you just nodded.

There was obviously more to Micheal D. Morningstar than meets the eye.

[fandomandtravels]

I just got an idea for a horror/thriller trilogy.

First movie is about a woman, who is kiddnaped by a psychopat who holds her in his basement for some time. He is trying to win her heart over the fact that he is desperatelly trying to find somebody who would apreciate his agressive way of love. How does she get out? She starts using arguments about the basement that the place isnt safe because there is mold, bugs etc. And she mentiones that with a few fixes she could at least make it look nicer since she has so much free time. They begin renovating the basement. He starts to trust her more and more until there is finally the moment. He is not paying attention when painting the ceilling and stabs him. Before she smashes his head with one of the items for diy and house renovation, he smiles a little and whispers his last words: "I finally find you, my love."

In the second part, we see the same woman visiting a psychologist. She has nightmares about him even after couple of years. That he survived and wants to not only kiddnap people but also torture and kill them. It is absolutelly imposible, since the police found his body. She also later identified him, as he was known to kiddnap and later kill both man and female. After visiting the house, where she killed him and doing a lot of research, it starts to seem like his ghost is following her, tempting her to do "bad things" and stepping into her dreams, too. She also finds a medium, person, who can communicate with the ghost, but doesnt want to try contacting Mr. psycho. So, opposite opinions from both the psychologist and the medium are making our main hero a big mess in her head. She finally decides to face her demon. She doesnt know if he is real or just hidden in her head. She is ready for any option. She uses a ritual to call upon and trap him in the basement. And it seems like a real ghost is caught there. She used old spell to banish him. He dissipates into a mist. Whe suddenly, the real Mr. Psycho shows up behind her in flesh. As mentioned before, she was ready for any posibility and manages to stab him. Again. Tired, she slides next to the wall. When she looks on the floor, there is no body, only a fresh puddle of blood. Her own blood. Which is pouring from the stabbing wound in her belly, where she was sure, she just hit the Psycho. What she just saw befor was just in her head....

The last part is about a young couple looking for a house to buy. In this economy, you dont choose. So when you find a cheap murser house, you buy a cheap murder house. After all, it has such a nice mancave in the basement. Anyway, they start to notice wierd stuff in the house. Things are falling, room is suddenly chilly, typical "ghost presence 101". Still better than a rent above a pizza place. The strangest thing is that most of the "wierd stuff", tend to fix itself. A book fell on the ground? Gues what, book is back usually in couple of minutes. Most of the wierd stuff is happening in the basement but with a busy life of the couple, the barely notice this. Until one night, they are both found dead. Their ghosts find out that there are other 2 ghosts. They are the original Mr. Psycho and girl from the first 2 thrillers. They find out that the ghosts repeat what they did, when they were alive. And it is only at midnight, when for a full hour, they realise they are dead. So most of their time was spent on him keeping the protagonist in the basement or she was killing him. When there was the midnight, the main protagonist from the last 2 stories was trying to warn them and make them run away. While Mr. Psycho was picking up every book and destroying every message she might get through. And he was also planning his next murder.

The end.