#beauty’s mom is out on trial for a bit

[false-guinevere]

I think more adaptations of Beauty and the Beast need to add back in that long-ass spiel of Beauty’s overly complicated, needlessly dramatic lineage to explain why Actually she’s a Princess NOT a commoner don’t worry.

Like a movie where the original story happens, everyone’s happy, and then there’s just like 30 more minutes of backstory about characters we’ve literally never seen before this point all to lead up to Beauty’s birth.

[jeanmoreautemple]

TGR wrap up thoughts:

Chapter 17 might just be the worst torture in the whole series. This is why I can’t read an Andrew POV book. My heart woudn’t take it. I hope Zane gets paralyzed or gets killed violently or something.

Chloé Moreau was a full on mob wife that could have civilians killed just like that? And the Algerian arms dealer that Elodie was sold to was a contact of hers?? Carmela Soprano or Connie Corleone vibes I’d say.

JEAN HAS A CHILDHOOD!! EXY YOUTH!! TEAMMATE!!! THAT CARES!! and knew about Elodie!!!!

I want to apologize to everyone for doubting Jerejean being balanced, it’s clear Jeremy will need Jean as much as Jean needs him.

Jeremy exclusively sleeping with people who treat him like his family??? Belittling his efforts and calling him a whore?? Who choke him and don’t care that they leave marks on him?

Jean finding Laila hot!! Jeremy wasn’t completely lying when he told his mom Jean had a crush on her, and I know it makes him nervous.

Annalise blushing just from seeing Jean in person- the satisfaction I felt was unmeasurable.

Jeremy obsessing over Jean’s taste in women but not in men? Getting crazy jealous of Laila, Renee and Annalise but not Kevin? Interesting.

Jean knowing how to braid hair!!! Because of Elodie!! 🥲 Laila brushing Jean’s hair and Jean braining hers??

So many wrist and temple kisses???? This is beautiful. And in a Nora book??

Elodie is officially “missing” and interpol can’t track her sale? Oh Nora don’t make me hope…

If she’s actually dead then both Noah and Elodie would have been dead for 4 years as of 2007, assuming Elodie was killed shortly after being sold to the armsdealer in Algiers.

Jean is already good at cooking, ceramics and knows how to drive a motorcycle 🥹

Jeremy’s biological dad is in Korea? He was removed af with Jeremy in their call but I seriously think he’s gonna support Jeremy if he decides to leave the Wilshires.

Jeremy and Jean being called faggots and whores by Jeremy’s hookups, his biological brother, Warren Wilshire, the press and other exy players, and just about anyone outside the Trojans… it was enough with Jean’s rumours and Lucas… WHYYY NORA

Overall Colleen, Thea and Sergio and this Finn might have been the nicest ravens to Jean? But he still puts Zane in that group after chapter 17 wtf.

Jeremy craving Jean so badly when Jean leaned into him and was between his legs in the hotel room vs Jean getting immediately uneasy and putting Jabberwocky between them when Jeremy put his head near Jean’s crotch area… I can’t wait to see how Nora will handle them getting intimate.

A word for word confirmation that every single person in the nest knew Jean’s age. I don’t have to delete my three posts about it yayy.

Now the public knows Jean’s age too!!! Hope the slut shaming drecreases a bit too.

Jeremy needs to cry. In Jean’s arms.

William Hunter basically saying he’s on Jeremy’s side and not Mathilda’s… I hope they keep in touch when Jeremy leaves for good / Mathilda & Warren kick him out in book 3. I wonder if he’s gonna be the one to give Jeremy his passport and other documents ?

Derek, Derrick and Sebastian not being sure whether Jean likes girls but not having any doubts on whether he likes men lmao.

Cody going “can I ask you something? You can lie…” when he mentioned that Jeremy must absolutely love how Jean says his name hshshsh EVERYBODY KNOWS.

Renee and Jean lying to each other when they ask if they are okay 🙃

Renee supporting Jerejean?? Idk how to feel about that, it’s been only a few months! She’s stronger than me for sure.

Cat and Jean matching bikes!!!

Aaron driving Andrew’s car after the trial!!!! LETS GOOO

Andrew and Renee being press partners and Andrew not saying a single word, BFFs.

Idk how to feel about the Ravens going psycho on live TV. They weren’t even playing or trying to hide it, they were just swinging for the foxes. I felt like it was all very convenient and kinda fanservicey.

Thea showing up again for like 3 pages and fruitfully telling the new gen ravens to kill themselves?? I’ll take it😭 but proclaiming absolute loyalty to old racist Tetsuji? Didn’t Jean say that he killed a freshman boy in her last year?

Jeremy and Renee speaking for the first time on the phone, about Jean!! How awkward was it? I want them to meet in person but it’d be so bittersweet for Jeanee.

Cat and Laila suspiciously made absolute 0 comments on Jerejean this book, when even Renee was teasing. Jeremy erasing the text message about Renee’s looks so Laila wouldn’t start asking questions, but then he just openly searches for a Marseillais French teacher? They are being careful af.

Jeremy blurting to Jean “Maybe Laila’s not as good with her tongue” is CRAZYyy and Jean recovering surprisingly well by saying “I will tell her you said that” . It’s as if Jeremy always has his feelings in check except with sex?? He’s worse than Jean.

I still can’t believe Warren called Jeremy you little faggot just like that. Fuck him, Mathilda and Bryson.

Kevin’s exy tunnel vision was depressive af to read: “Everything I want and need still lies ahead of me; it is a waste of time to look back so long as that holds true” ????? But he needs to drink to talk and lie about the nest and Riko??

I get Kevin and Thea have grown complacent with the nest and don’t have much need to challenge what they saw and experienced because they love exy first and foremost and they are doing great in that regard but omg I can’t believe Jean is close to being the healthiest ex Raven???

Bryson was such a caricaturesque loser villain, he got beaten up by Jean and only ran away to show his mommy?? He better have been the one to leak Jean’s address.

Oh James Rhemann… the man that you are.

Once again I want to erase chapter 17 from my mind. The trilogy finale better be the happiest I’ve ever seen.

WILL JOSHUA SHOW UP?

Jean’s childhood teammate’s letter, the marseillais tutor, Chloé revealed to call some serious shots in the Moreau family? I think it’s all a big giant red herring towards Elodie 🥹

[haechvn]

Too Intense

Pairing: Shuri Udaku x F!Reader

Warning: Y'all gone hate me cause Shuri rude asf. You have been warned. I'm actually tryna hurt yall feelins. Angst.

Word Count: 1.1k+

Summary/Request: Toxic!Shuri. That's it.

Author’s Note: I wrote this a while ago but I wasn't too sure about it. I tweaked it a bit and now i'm in love. Lmk if yall wanna be on my taglist. Love yall

Taglist: @blkgworlamplified @wakanda-forever-andotherfandoms @theblacksuccubus

The cold, sterile smell of the hospital was almost too familiar by now, a stark reminder of the pain and confusion that had become a constant in your life. Shuri had been rough with you during a training session. Her strength, normally a reassuring presence, had become uncomfortably overbearing, and you found yourself sidelined in the hospital for a few nights on many different occasions. The bruises and aches were secondary to the emotional turmoil of being so close to her yet so far away.

When you were finally released, the confrontation you dreaded sought you out. Shuri had locked herself in her room, unable—or rather unwilling—to face you. Her absence was a silent scream of regret and discomfort, and you could feel the coldness of her avoidance cutting through the air. Her usual self-assured demeanor had cracked, revealing a vulnerability she refused to acknowledge.

Her newfound lack of empathy was one of the hardest things to endure. Shuri often acted as if her own hardships were so monumental that nothing could compare. It became a habit for her to dismiss your struggles with an almost casual cruelty. “Wow. It’s so sad you argue with your mom every day. Where’s mine? Oh, right. I’m done listening,” she would say, brushing off your pain with a shrug. It was as if your problems were trivial compared to the grand scale of her own trials.

This lack of empathy extended to how she handled your relationship, particularly when it came to her interactions with RiRi. Shuri was constantly talking about how beautiful RiRi was, her voice dripping with deliberate poison, meant to provoke jealousy and rage. Despite her attempts to downplay it, her actions spoke volumes. The tension built until it reached a breaking point. One night, the emotional strain pushed you too far and you lashed out at her with every fiber of your being. It was a desperate act of frustration and pain, the culmination of feeling constantly belittled and manipulated.

Shuri looked you dead in the eyes after that you spoke out against her behavior, her gaze cold and unwavering. “You aren’t more important than my work or anyone else in my life,” she said with an icy calm tone. “If you can’t handle that, then you should just leave me alone. Spend the money I give you and keep quiet.” The words cut deep, and the gesture that followed—a transfer of two million dollars to your account—was a bitter reminder of her ability to detach from you emotionally while trying to compensate with financial means. The way she used money as a substitute for emotional connection only deepened the rift between the two of you. Her financial generosity was supposed to be a balm for the wounds she inflicted, but it only served as a stark reminder of how transactional your relationship had become. The many millions of dollars she has transferred to you over the years were a testament to her belief that money could mend what her words and actions had shattered.

Her refusal to even be intimate with you became a weapon she wielded with precision. One morning, you had simply greeted the Dora Milaje with a soft “hi,” and Shuri’s reaction was swift and harsh. “I didn’t like the way you spoke to them,” she declared, her tone final. “No sex tonight. Matter fact, don't touch me for a week.” The punishment felt petty and unjust, a way for her to reassert her control and punish you for perceived slights.

The physical and emotional barriers she built were sometimes more painful than the wounds from training sessions. Her constant criticism, whether it was about your strength or my interactions with others, was a manifestation of her own insecurities. She projected her frustrations onto you, making every exchange feel like a test of endurance rather than a moment of genuine connection.

The dynamic between you often felt like a constant struggle for validation. Shuri’s embarrassment over your perceived lack of strength was another cruel twist in the relationship. “Tighten up, what is the hell is the matter with you,” she’d scold, her impatience palpable. It was as if your struggles were a reflection of her own inadequacies and oh did she despised seeing you falter.

Shuri’s refusal to acknowledge her role in your issues, combined with her tendency to gaslight and dismiss every feeling you expressed, left you reeling. Her actions, from the callous remarks about any family issues to the cruel mind games she played with RiRi, spoke of someone who was deeply conflicted but unwilling to confront her own shortcomings.

Each time you thought you'd find a moment of understanding or solace in one another, Shuri would retreat back into her fortress of self-righteousness and emotional detachment. It was as if she viewed the relationship as a battleground, where the stakes were high and the only victory was maintaining control. Any attempts to address these issues were met with her trademark dismissal or cold logic.

In moments of clarity, you could see the cracks in her armor—the fleeting glimpses of vulnerability and the rare admissions of her own struggles. Yet, these moments were always fleeting, quickly buried under layers of her self-imposed duty and mental barricades. It was a dance between pain and disillusion, where love was twisted into a weapon rather than a source of comfort.

As you navigated the choppy waters of your relationship, it became clear that Shuri was trapped in her own cycle of paranoia and denial. Her inability to balance her personal and professional lives, combined with her tendency to prioritize her work over the connection you two once nurtured, created a volatile environment where genuine affection was often overshadowed by power struggles and emotional manipulation.

The realization of how deeply she was embedded in her own worldview left you grappling with your own emotions. You had to come to terms with the fact that your attempts to reach her or change the situation was no longer necessary. The love you once shared had become a thorn in your side. The high stakes were not just your feelings but your very sense of self-worth and emotional stability.

In the end, you were left to decipher the complexity of your union, trying to find a way to either bridge the gap or finally accept that this cycle of emotional manipulation and control was unsustainable. The journey was marked by moments of intense passion and deep pain, a testament to the intricate and often destructive nature of your once sacred connection. The combination of emotional distance, scheming, and outright cruelty created a relationship that was as painful as it was complex.

[wheeboo]

you ask for soft thoughts and i deliver:

imagine you’re on the phone w ur parents (idk) and they ask you abt ur relationship w bf!joshua, and conveniently he gives you a backhug and then just nuzzles his face into the crook of your neck and gives you cute lil kisses🥺🥺🥺DJAIAUAKAIAI ty and good bye

JSDLKJASKD RACHELLLLDLLLLL im gonna bury myself deep in a hole and sob

just imagine something like:

"so... has he proposed yet?!"

you nearly choke at that, letting out an ugly snort at your mother's words through the phone. you can quite literally sense the excitement in her voice, having to bite back the smile that was beginning to form across your face.

"mom," you deadpan airly. "you can't just ask that."

"why not?" your mother counters teasingly. "you're both high school sweethearts. it's only a matter of time, don't you think?"

you roll your eyes at that. "mom, i promise you'll be the first to know when it happens." then you pick your head up, sneakily glancing around the room for a few moments. "we're just enjoying each other's company right now, okay? there's no rush."

"i know, honey," your mother sighs on the other end. "i'm just so happy you've found someone like him. you deserve your happiness. it's been a while since i've seen you smile so brightly."

your lips tug upwardly meekly at that. indeed, after many trials and tribulations, you may have finally reached the point in your life where being happy is as easy as breathing. it's a feeling that still surprises you sometimes--just how effortlessly joy seems to flow into your life now. you used to think happiness was something you had to chase, but with joshua, it reaches you.

"thanks, mom," you say wistfully. "i really love being around him. it's like--"

your words briefly cut off when a pair of arms sneaks around your waist, causing heat to shoot up your neck and for you to let out a small gasp into the phone.

the man in question just simply smirks, leaning his face in so that his lips meet the nape of your neck oh so gently. your heart does a leap in your chest.

"i'm so happy for you, sweetheart," your mom says on the other line. "also, when are you free? your father and i would love to stop by to have lunch some time. would this weekend be okay possibly?"

"yeah, um..." it's hard to form coherent words when joshua is practically nuzzling his face in your neck, the tiniest contact of his lips to the skin there sending tingles to run up and down your body. "i'll text you my schedule. tell dad i said hi, okay?"

"of course," your mother replies warmly. "i'll call you later, then. i love you!"

"i love you too, mom. bye!" after hanging up, comfortable silence floats around the room, and joshua's embrace still has yet to loosen around you. "shua."

no response, a few more kisses on planted on your neck, then a quiet, "hmm..?"

"what are you doing?"

"hugging you." a pause. a kiss lands at your shoulder now. "and kissing you."

"i can see that." you giggle lightly, shifting your position so that you were facing him now. you blink dazedly at him. "hi."

"hi, angel," joshua says softly, gazing at you with a look of pure affection. "you're beautiful."

you don't know how you haven't melted in his arms yet. even as something as small as a simple shower of affection causes your knees to weaken, yet brings this indescribable comfort to wrap around your heart like a safe haven. nothing but a soft, somewhat unintelligible thank you escapes you.

joshua just lets his eyes roam over your features, taking you in like it's the first time he's seeing you, his thumb brushing over your cheek tenderly.

"can you finish what you were saying earlier?" he asks.

you lift a questioning brow. "what did i--oh..." then you give it a bit of thought, before your face softens and a smile starts to bloom across your lips. "it feels like home. you feel like home."

perhaps there's a twinkle in joshua's eyes that you spot, or it's just the moonlight from outside spilling into the room. maybe it's the universe's way of showing you a glimpse of the future--your future together--and you can't help but wonder if he's envisioning the same future you are.

he blissfully kisses you just a few moments later, forcing giggles to spill out of you at the unexpected sweetness.

"is that you're way of saying you feel the same way?" you ask once you pull away.

joshua hums. "maybe," his eyes shift between your eyes and lips. "or maybe i just like seeing you smile."

"i guess i should keep smiling then."

"you do that," he responds quietly, slowly leaning back in to kiss you once again. "and i'll keep doing this."

[luveline]

if you felt comfortable would you write the KBU au with steve and reader during/just after the birth of avery? 🥺

kisses before dinner —you and steve have a baby. mom!reader, 1.1k

Just like that, Steve's a dad. 

He wonders if he's supposed to feel different, and he does in little ways. Exhausted, worried, and unbearably happy —the kind of happiness to make your ribs hurt— Steve is feeling a hundred layers of emotion right now, but it isn't his emotion that takes centre stage, it's yours. 

You've been stiff with panic since your contractions started, and while that panic turned to happy tears the moment they laid her on your chest, you're looking at the baby like you're terrified of her, stiffness returned. Genuine fear. 

"Come on," he says softly, leaning down to kiss your forehead. "She's not half as ugly as we worried."

She's beautiful. Steve's legs hurt after all these hours of standing by your side, and he can't bear to look away from the baby's face, her face, and it doesn't matter. You're his priority. He juggles these two things as he assumes he'll be juggling them for the rest of his life, happily if clumsily. 

"Please smile, honey," he says. 

You relax almost imperceptibly with his murmuring. "I am smiling." 

"You're grimacing. Ten dollar word." He crouches and steps back enough for you to see his face clearly. "Are you happy? Like, truthfully?" he asks, knowing 'truthfully' isn't a word he says. Accusing the new mother of his child of lying feels a bit dick-ish, though.

"Of course I'm happy." 

"It's okay if you're not happy. I'm not happy if you're not happy, I'm–" 

"Steve." Your smile is sad in a way, but your eyes aren't half as scared as they were. "I am happy, I'm just worried. No more trial run… I'm a mom." 

"You're a mom." He doesn't mean to say it with the world's cheesiest smile. "I didn't know they made 'em like you, I would've started chasing moms years ago." 

You laugh. He's always loved your laugh because it's yours, and it couldn't come at a better time, not even when you were pushing. None of them sounded as happy as this one. "I'm a mom," you say, still laughing. 

"I know." He leans in to dash a kiss against your cheek. You perk up at the attention, so he does it twice more. 

“This is gonna be so fun,” you say. 

His heart rears to explode. Steve puts one hand on yours under the weight of the baby and the other behind your shoulder. “Just don't let me drop her,” you say.

“My hand’s already there.” 

“Okay. I love you. Are you sure?” 

“Don't freak out.” He thinks so many things in that moment but the loudest is, aw, my girl. “You're good, babe, I love you. This is gonna be fun, just like you said. We're gonna love it.” 

Steve sits on the side of the bed and holds you like that for a while. You relax at the support and watch the baby's little face in sleep. She has the most dainty face Steve has ever seen in person. She's so, so small. He kinda thought she'd be bigger considering the whole nine month gestation period and all your aches and pains, but she's perfect. He could fit her in two hands. 

“Avery,” you say. 

You picked it out together ages ago. Seeing her now cements it. “Avery,” he repeats happily, failing to resist the urge to touch her face again. 

You need time to recover and thankfully, the nurses and doctors haven't rushed the process. You're clean but in pain, and Steve gets to hold the baby by himself while you change. 

“Can I help?” he asks, watching you wince. You barely want to stand. 

“No, just hold her.” 

“She won't break if we put her down. She's safer in the bassinet anyways,” he says. 

Your eyes spark with panic as he goes to stand, so he sits, and he chews his cheek raw while you struggle into fresh clothes. 

A knock on the door startles you both. “Hello? Y/N? Steve?” Robin's scratchy voice echoes through the door. Her excitement is unmissable. 

“Yeah, Rob!” 

She opens the door carefully but enters the room less so. There's so much stuff hanging from the crooks of her elbows she can hardly carry it. “Hey! Oh my god, hey! Is that her? Of course it's her. Is she okay? She's okay, are you okay?” She turns her gaze on you. “Holy shit, do you need help?” 

You've only got a couple of buttons to do and the waistband of your pants to cinch, but Robin immediately drops all of her things to help you finish. 

Steve shares his first private smile with his very first daughter. “She's not always like this,” he murmurs. 

“How are you feeling?” Robin asks. She sounds treacherously concerned and overwhelmingly happy. 

“Maybe she is,” he adds. 

“I'm okay, Robin,” you say, reaching for her hand. “It hurts worse than people say. But it's over now.” 

“Thank Jesus!” Robin finishes her buttoning and ties a deft bow with your drawstrings. “Come on, mom, let's get you back to bed. Jesus, Steve, you couldn't have helped her?” She's mostly kidding. 

Steve lifts Avery. “She put me on baby duty.” 

Robin almost trips over her bags trying to get to him. “Steve,” she says, as though this one word should be enough for him, planting herself by his side. It's been a long time since he bothered trying to put boundaries between them, he doesn't even want them, he's proud as he can be as he lowers the baby to give his best friend ample view of her. While she looks, he lifts his gaze to you where you limp back to the bed. 

“Oh,” he says, “Rob, are you ready to hold her? Meet your niece. Arms out.” 

Robin stammers but holds her arms out. Steve transfers Avery in her swaddle carefully as careful can be. “Hold her head, okay? Lean back.” 

“Wait, you made this look easy. Steve–” 

Your eyes are wide as he stands and turns away from the bed. “Steve,” you say. 

“No more saying my name in this room, it's banned,” he says, putting his hands under your arms to make sure you're steady where you stand. You stop walking, pain in the line of your mouth. “Come on, honey. Let's get you back to bed.” 

Your eyes shine with tears, but you don't cry. You use his arms to push back up onto the bed and shuffle slowly into position before you put your arms out. He leans in for a hug. 

“Oh, Steve,” you say with a laugh, all soft and warm, having found the only exception to his new rule, “I wanted the baby back, honey.” 

“I know,” he sighs. 

[themissinghand]

i was wondering if you could do another story with the 12th Harbinger you created "brighella" if if remember. i really liked reading the two stories about her

Genshin Impact: Oh Hydro Dragon, What is Your Wish?

Summary: In which Neuvillette discovers a new Miracle Magician in town, one who brings joy and wishes to life. He learns that humans are complex beings and that human feelings can be delightful, to the depressing.

Or, you, as Tsaritsa’s proxy, Brighella, infiltrate Fontaine for the purposes of watching over Arlecchino, but a certain Hydro Dragon appears to be more fun than you thought. 

Pairing: Neuvillette x GN! Reader

Note: Thanks for the request! Also, with the 4.2 update of the game out, how could I NOT write about it? 

Warning: A bit of angst and betrayal, after all, everything is just a play, and you are all characters of a show.

Also, spoilers for Fontaine Archon Quest!

★・・・・・・★

The Opera Epiclese glittered with splendor as noble laughter and melodies echoed through the opulent halls. 

A new talent has emerged. 

A magician, not of mere tricks but of miracles, with the power to weave dreams into reality. The people of Fontaine, including the Hydro Archon Furina herself, and Ludex Neuvillette, were charmed by this mysterious enchanter.

“Tell me what you wish for, little noble child.”  

But perhaps it was not just their show that caught Neuvillette’s attention, rather their genuine love for humans. 

“I wish for you to heal my mother’s face!” A gasp echoed throughout the room with a mix of disbelief and mockery. 

Indeed, all nobles and VIPs did not believe such a thing, but even with so much noise, Neuvillette could easily pick out what the magician whispered.

“Which one is your mother, little one?” 

When the child forcefully pulled her mother to the stage, the noble lady already had a veil to cover her face. With the rumours circulating the room, it appears that the lady was burned badly in order to save her child from a house fire. 

Due to such a bad burn and scarring, no doctor has been able to restore her original beauty. 

Neuvillette did recall such a trial occur a while back.

“Shh, Shh. Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to ask everyone to quiet down. After all, you could only witness miracles if you paid attention.” Neuvillette watched closely, curious and attentive despite Lady Furina pulling on his sleeves and excitedly waiting for a miracle.

“Madame, please repeat your child’s wish. Only the person who wishes for it, may the miracle occur.”

Thinking of nothing of it, the noble lady repeated the wish outloud. The magician slowly drag one hand from one side of her face to the other, and right before everyone’s eyes, her burn had completely disappeared. 

“W-What?” The lady touched her face with shock, then with gratitude, and broke down on the spot. 

“Mom!”

“What did you do?!” 

“That is a secret of course.” The magician out a finger on their lips.

“Thank you for helping my wife.”

Neuvillette was confused, he did not sense any use of a vision. He expected the magician to perhaps possess the powers of a dendro vision, after all, some of them could heal wounds. 

But this…he had never seen such power before. 

“Please, can I make a wish?” This gentlemen seemed like a middle-age worker, one who barely compiled enough money to enter the opera house for a show. 

“Go ahead sir.” The magician ignored the nobles and beelined for the gentlemen. 

“My house and many other homes near the sea was washed away with the large rainstorm last week, please...I wish for them to be rebuilt!” 

Once again, despite the gentlemen pleading and even tearing up for a wish, the magician smiled gently and held his hand. 

“Your wish is my command.” The magician handed him multiple unique keys, and looked at Neuvillette with a patient look. 

“If Monsieur Neuvillette could lead this gentlemen to his house safely, there would be no doubt to my credibility.” 

There was absolute confidence in their voice, and since everyone was looking at Neuvillette with such curious and pleading eyes, Neuvillette stood up. 

“Alright.” 

With a snap of fingers, Neuvillette felt the world shift underneath his feet. No, it was the shadows that engulfed a group of people to teleport them here.

In an instant, they had travelled from the center of the city, to the edge. 

As promised, those who were curious arrived at the area where houses were supposedly washed away, but instead were brand new as if a disaster has never struck. 

Neuvillette saw many people who cried at this miracle, and the gentlemen who made the wish immediately rushed into his own home to check everything.

"How? It was a wasteland just a day ago...how...you are a saint!"

When all the residents confirmed their house and nothing out of place, Neuvillette truly saw a miracle. 

An entire village built with just a wish. 

A truly great, but dangerous power. 

When Neuvillette turned to find the magician, they were already gone. 

The Miracle Magician.

A name that danced through Fontaine, and gained great popularity especially among the middle and lower class. 

Neuvillette made it a mission to find you and talk to you.

It wasn’t hard to find you.

Where there are moments of joy and wonder, the Miracle Magician will be there.

You who stood at the center of it all, made others smile and grateful for everything you’ve done.

The people loved you for your miracles and kindness, and gave back with what they can. 

Captivating outdoor performances that left Neuvillette enchanted, not just by the magic, but by the warmth and understanding that the Miracle Magician exuded.

The Miracle Magician was popular as they were desirable, for people of different status and desires approached them with good or ill intentions. 

Neuvillette was not surprised by this developments after all, he’s seen many of these human emotions in court.

Relief, gratitude, sincerity, and love. 

But also greed, envy, hatred, and distrust. 

He may not understand them well, but he can identify them.

Neuvillette was worried at first, and watched you from afar in case of any crime to occur. However, little did he know that you were just as talented as leaving the scene without a trace, and you appeared right behind him. 

“Hello, to what pleasure does the honorable Ludex Neuvillette have with me?” 

“Who are you?” Neuvillette asks, looking down at the Miracle Magician with vigilance and curiosity. 

“I am a Miracle Invoker. One who makes wishes come true.” Then with a mischievous smile, you extended a hand. 

“What is your wish, Ludex Neuvillette?”

“I do not have a wish.” The magician was stunned briefly, before they withdrew their hand. 

“That is fine too.” For some reason, the magician looked peacefully content with his answer. Sensing an unspoken initiation for conversation, the magician smiled politely at him. 

“Would you like to go on a walk? I can foresee a lot of questions from you, Monsieur Neuvillette.” He nods. 

“Follow me, perhaps our talk will be easier in a more private space.” 

Both of you went to a nearby restaurant, where the owner immediately recognized Neuvillette, and gave the two a private room. 

Little did Neuvillette know that this conversation was one of the most pleasant he’d had in decades. The magician began to share tales of distant lands, weaving narratives that spoke to the deepest corners of Neuvillette's ancient heart. 

They were naturally an entertainer, one who dramatize stories and share them as if they were in a play. Neuvillette listened for the most part, enjoying their little act.

They shared stories that sounded familiar, and ones that were foreign, regardless, he found you as good company while he drank his water. 

“Forgive me for being rude, but I haven’t gotten your name.” At the end of the two hour conversation, Neuvillette asked for this mysterious Miracle Invoker's name. 

With a polite curtsy, and a tip of their flamboyant hat, they responded with a professional smile. 

“I have no name, but if you must address me, you may deem me as a ‘Miracle’.” 

What a strange name. 

One who refers to themselves as their profession.

Neuvillette has many questions, but chooses not to ask.

As they spent more time together, the Miracle Magician became a confidant for Neuvillette. The dragon, who witnessed the passage of ages, revealed the weight of his solitary existence. 

The magician listened, offering a sympathetic ear and a comforting presence. Neuvillette, for the first time in centuries, felt understood despite his lack of expression in his feelings.

“I am not a god as you may have assumed, Monsieur Neuvillettte. I am simply an existence that is created to make wishes come true.” 

“Nonsense. Are there not requirements for a wish?” 

“The only requirement is that the person who wishes is happy.” 

“…you are lying.” A laugh, Neuvillette watches the magician break out of their polite demeanor. 

“Oh Monsieur Neuvillette, what is your wish?”

“I do not have a wish.” 

“I see. Perhaps one day you will tell me your wish.” 

One day, after a long exhausting trial, Neuvillette stepped out for a stroll. He walked and observed as humans walked past him with their own stories to tell, and their own role to play. 

A routine of his as rain fell from the sky. 

“Hydro Dragon, Hydro Dragon, don’t cry!”

But why in this black and white world, were you here?

“Monsieur Neuvillette, why are you standing in the rain alone?” You who held a colourful and flamboyant umbrella quickly shielded him from the rain. 

Startled by this unique predicament, he simply stared.

“Why…are you here?” 

“I enjoy the rain.” 

The magician smiled before extending a hand. 

“Would you like to make a wish, dear Neuvillette?”

This time, Neuvillette didn’t respond to accept or reject your offer, but instead accepted your hand and chose to walk ahead. 

Neuvillette held your hand like a gentleman, ensuring there was nothing scandalous that could occur from this action. 

But he felt his heart beating harder than before, as if he had come alive again.

“The world is beautiful, isn’t it?”

The magician suddenly says, as they take down the umbrella. Colour came back to his world as if the curtains of the stage unveiled itself.

Sun rays appear from behind the dark clouds and people rush out to see a beautiful rainbow stretching across the skies.

“The Hydro Dragon must be happy!” A little boy exclaimed as he ran around happily. 

“Monsieur Neuvillette, storms will come to pass, just as sunny days will turn to night. But what’s important is that you live now, where peace exists and people can be happy.”

The magician pulls out a blue rose from behind their back and suddenly slots it behind his ear.

With a cheeky smile, you kiss his gloved knuckles. 

“I wish for your happiness, oh Hydro Dragon.”

Neuvillette didn’t know what this feeling was, a quite foreign one for himself, but he doesn’t find it annoying or worthless. 

“Look! It’s a double rainbow!” 

As days turned to nights and nights to days, Neuvillette found himself drawn not just to the enchanting magic of the Miracle Magician but to the soul beneath the illusion. The Miracle Invoker, with genuine kindness, had become a beacon of trust and solace for Neuvillette.

So why? 

Why are you standing by the suspect’s side? 

“Stand down, dear 11th.” In an instant, the Tartaglia released his transformation. 

“Brighella?” Neuvillette heard the suspect whisper out your name, and he felt himself turning his hands into fists. 

“The Miracle Magician?! Why, why are you here?!” 

"Shh, shh," You hushed the crowd, a calming spell woven into your words. 

You stepped forward, gracefully interposing between Neuvillette and Childe. 

“What is going on?!” Lady Furina exclaimed, looking between Neuvillette and you with a bewildered expression. 

“Now, since the true guilty party has been brought forward, and even Ludex Neuvillette himself deemed my friend innocent, is there a reason for this show to proceed? Does Foutaine’s justice perhaps leave the final verdict to a machine? If so, why would we need a trial in the first place?” You put a hand to Childe’s shoulder, and the man immediately relaxed, and looked at you with a happy expression. 

You smiled, still in your new role that you’ve created for this very moment, and bowed. 

Neuvillette, sensing the unspoken authority, hesitated. 

“I wish for this trial to end peacefully, and ‘I’ to be forgotten by Fontaine.” 

Neuvillette widened his eyes and rushed towards you, but with a sly look, you stopped him with your flamboyant hat, a forcefield pushing him back. A huge tsunami burst forth in the court with water rushed around you. 

“You lied to me.”

You laughed slyly, your image as the Miracle Magician he’d always known slowly faded away.  

“Who are you?” Neuvillette felt a sense of loss and grief, and even for a moment doubted himself and his ability to properly “judge” humans emotions.

“Hydro Dragon, Hydro Dragon, don’t cry.” A hand reached out to wipe under his eye, your voice was the same, though you had a mocking expression on your face. 

“Oh Hydro Dragon, what is your wish?”

A portal appeared behind you, with Tartaglia pulling on your coat tail to signal you to leave. 

“I wish-” You put a finger to his lips.

“To think I’d see such an expression on Chief Justice, the Hydro Dragon Sovereign himself…” A smirk rose to your face, paining him even more.

“That is what it means to be human.”

In an instant, the two vanished, leaving behind a bewildered courtroom. Neuvillette felt a headache, but when he turned around, Lady Furina was already leading the court with her dramatics. 

And just as you wished, the “Miracle Magician” was no more, just as how Tartaglia was never part of the trial in the first place. 

The Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale still revealed the verdict as guilty, just not to Tartaglia, but to the true guilty party.

Neuvillette picked up your hat, and held it tightly in his hands. 

The next few days, it was raining harder than usual with Neuvillette’s figure disappeared completely from the public. 

He watched every moment he spent with you in the rain, and the joy you brought to the people. He regretted not making a wish. 

Now, no one in Fontaine knew you, and only he and Lady Furina recalled such a name. 

"Brighella."

Neuvillette hoped to find you again, even if you were a lie.

Just like your name, you appeared like a “Miracle”, and disappeared like one too.

[ottopilot-wrote-this-txt]

A Nudge And A Wink

"Are you unhappy with your service, Sir?" the restaurant owner asks in a gruff voice. This was a mom-and-pop operation, which I guess would make him Pop, and he was doubtless busy, hence his irritation at being called to my table. My waitress, a pretty brunette whose name tag read "Elizabeth," stood next to him, fidgeting with her order pad.

I dab at my mouth with a paper napkin. "No, the service was great, I just wanted to make a suggestion. If you aren't already doing so, you should pay your wait staff a living wage. And if you're skimming their tips, stop immediately and make restitution."

There's always a brief moment, maybe a split-second, where their brain has heard the words… but hasn't processed how to comply. I'm always worried it's not going to work when I see that confused, sometimes angry, glance, but then it fades into a glassy-eyed stare and an open mouth. Like clockwork.

"Yeah, sure," he says, his voice distant and his free will in another zip code.

"Great. Only one more thing before I let you get back to it, lunch is on the house today, right?"

"Yeah. On the house," he drones, before blinking and heading back to the kitchen.

Elizabeth picks up my utensils and plate with a practiced ease. "Anything else I can get for you today, Sir?"

I lean in, just a little, and lower my voice. "It's Doug. You are… Elizabeth…?"

A warm smile. "Liz. Just Liz."

"Liz. You'd like to have dinner tonight with me tonight. Write down your number and I'll text you my address. You can bring some food—you pick—after your shift, and we'll fuck a couple of times. You'll cum easily and often, and it will be the best sex you've ever had, because you think I'm good-looking and funny."

I look into Liz's gorgeous blue eyes, like tiny wells, blue but deep. I look deeper and deeper, until the light from the diner and the world isn't visible, just darkness. It's like looking directly into her mind and just moving things around a bit, like moving a houseplant into the sill of an open window.

Liz puts the plate down, and pulls a pen from her apron. She scribbles her number onto my check, which I don't have to pay anyway, and hands it to me with a flirty wink. "See you at six. Doug," she says suggestively, turning and sashaying her big ass intentionally as she walks away.

Sliding out of the booth, I put on my coat. I slide a ten under the sugar packet caddy, confident Liz and her co-workers would get their fair share of it, as I walk out into the chilly city streets.

People think being able to control minds at will would be glamorous or sexy. But it fucking sucks, if you ask me.

I don't know how long I've had this power—it just sort of happened one day. Up until then, I'd lived a pretty charmed life, and I thought that was just dumb luck. Now… I'm pretty sure that's not true.

There are a couple rules I learned from trial and error. I don't have to be looking at a person (but it helps), and I do have to be relatively close to them. I can't undo a previous command. And the effects are permanent.

It definitely has its perks, don't get me wrong. I get a lot of stuff comped, like that soup and sandwich, and a lot of pretty women like Liz have sex with me whenever I want. If you think that's neat, it's small potatoes. I'm a writer by trade, but I have millions in the bank. How did it get there? Well, when you live in New York City and have access to the minds of politicians, bankers, and CEOs, the world is your oyster. I've had crazy, wild sex with the world's most beautiful women, sometimes simultaneously. I've thrown out first pitch at Yankee Stadium. I've been the equivalent of white, pudgy Jay-Z.

I wave to a retired teacher I pass once in a while. "Hey Mrs. Garcia! ¿Cómo estás? That's a very pretty hairstyle. You feel confident and beautiful and people who tell you otherwise are wrong." She looks at me blankly before her face lights up in a proud smile.

Anyway, it's isolating. No one will ever understand what it's like to be me, and all my relationships fall into two categories: people I can't trust because I've already mind controlled them, and people I haven't mind controlled yet. I've surrounded myself with yes men before, and that's an empty and unfulfilling life. I also can't trust myself to make new friends or partners and not accidentally, innocuously, alter them. A little slip up like "I think you should wear that dress" and they'll be a different person, forever. And there's always the risk of breakage.

Let me explain. No, wait.

"Hey," I call out to some asshole manhandling his lady friend on the street. "Don't be a dick to women." And to his girlfriend: "If he treats you bad, leave him. If he hits you, you cut his dick off."

OK, now where was I? So here's an example: I naively, stupidly, made a woman fall in love with me. Sounds great! Until you realize what you wanted is someone to love you for you. So I'll just undo it. Nope, doesn't work that way. That woman will be in therapy for years, and it's my fault.

Plus, when you tell a corrupt CEO to come clean to the press, and he tells a reporter about all his trips to Epstein Island… Lemme just say that crashing the world's financial markets will make you take it down a notch.

I learned over time: don't rock the foundation of the world to its core, don't upset the balance of the universe. I like to call them nudges. Just a little suggestion here and there. Some harder than others, but never a push, just a nudge.

Ah, back home. Another fruitless day of ennui for the most powerful man in New York. I throw my keys on the counter and hang my coat on the back of a chair. I flip the TV on and plop onto the couch and sigh.

News, news, sports, infomercial, talk show…oh. Men in Black is on. I've always wanted to see this. I watch while I scroll my phone. It's pretty funny, though it feels like something else I've watched before. Tommy Lee Jones is funnier than I thought. Oh, that's interesting. Huh. Will Smith makes Agent K forget he was Agent K. Then he lives a normal life. Could I do that?? Could I live a normal life?

I rise slowly and think this through. I don't even know if it will work. Nothing could happen, or I could turn my brain into a turnip. I'd ask myself: if I didn't have this power, how did I get rich? I mean, I used to think it was just luck. I can tell myself to think that. Excited, I walk over to the bathroom vanity.

Well, I thought, taking a deep breath. Here goes nothing.

"You will forget you can control minds. You will just assume your fortune to this point is the product of charm and good luck."

I stare at the reflection in the mirror, and it stares back at me. And I feel kind of funny, like my brain was a muscle that had fallen asleep, and blood was rushing back into it. Tingly.

Damn. What was I doing?

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

Liz, the waitress from the coffee shop on Broadway, is wearing one of my t-shirts and looking at my bookshelf. I guess she liked me more than I thought, she practically threw herself at me when I opened the door. Helluva first date, I thought, as I microwaved the food she brought.

Liz reads off some of the titles. "Total Recall, Men in Black, The Matrix, Memento…" She pulls a DVD box off the shelf. "Oh, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind! I haven't seen this in years, it's such a good movie."

I shrug as I plate the food. "I've never seen it, I don't even remember buying it."

"Really? The case is pretty worn. Maybe you got it used."

I furrow my brow. Come to think of it, I don't remember seeing any of those movies. I must have got a good deal.

I pull out at chair for her, then stick my head in the fridge. "Maybe. What would you like to drink? I have Diet Coke, uhh… Diet Coke. And water."

Liz smiles, "Water is fine, I don't like fizzy drinks."

"That's too bad. Because I do have some syrups and club soda, so I could make an Italian soda. I think you would like an Italian soda if you've never had one."

I hear the sound of a fork hitting the china plate, and I turn. Liz's full lips part slightly. Her big blue eyes go glassy, her breath hitching before she exhales, long and slow. My Wu-Tang tee slips off one bare shoulder as she slackens and sinks, her expression melting like warm butter.

"I like Italian soda," she drones in a monotone voice.

Wait. What the fuck just happened here?

[changingplumbob]

The baby shower was winding down and Glenn felt like it had been moderately successful. Everyone had been kind to Silver who hadn't needed to tap out at any point. For the most part the talk was good. For the most part.

Jackson: Oh Elise, you are looking gorgeous today

Elise: I know, I look this good everyday

Howard: Help me with the dishes boys

Jackson: Her eyes are so beautiful, like pools of lavender

Coleman: This whole place is beautiful. Like all the green is singing

Koko: The green is... singing?

Coleman: And the flower pot, it's so cute

Silver: Are the two of you... okay

Jackson: Never better Silver my friend. Oh you look so handsome in that jacket

Coleman: It shows off your muscles

Jackson: You're so right

Glenn: Can you not hit on my partner in my house?

At that point Ophelia burst out laughing and the spellcasters that hadn't yet headed home stared at her in confusion.

Jackson: You're pretty when you laugh

Glenn: Did you see something Ophelia?

Ophelia: *through giggling* I can't say

Coleman: I'm pretty when I laugh

Koko: Ophelia?

Ophelia: Maybe if I don't say what happens but why? They accidentally increased the amount of pleasure in Henri's fudge... then ate the whole plate themselves

Elise: *laughing* They used Henri's ingredients to get a magical high? Oh he is going to be so mad

Jackson: Henri is pretty when he's mad

Koko: We should get them home before they embarrass themselves any more

Coleman: Are you going to tuck us in to bed Koko? I'll go if you're there

With a mixture of sighing and giggling Ophelia, Koko and Elise pulled the twins up and set about figuring out the best way home. When everyone had gone Glenn felt himself hit by a wave of fatigue and was desperate for a nap. Unwilling to drag himself up the stairs he settled himself on the couch while Silver took care of the last of the dishes. When the werewolf was finished he went over and snuggled up by the sleepy spellcaster.

Silver: Did you notice how I survived that latest trial

Glenn:*smiling* I did. Did you have a good time

Silver: I don't think I'd call it good

Glenn: *sadly* Oh, I'm sorry

Silver: Oh you did nothing wrong. I think it'll just take more time to shake the feeling of unease when I'm around so many people

Glenn: You were doing so good. You haven't needed to leave for a trip since we moved here

Silver: I was talking to Ophelia for a bit and she told me, healing happens in stages

Glenn: How is it she simultaneously the most clueless person and the smartest person in the room

Silver: I don't know but I think I love it

Glenn: Me to. Do you think we could ask her to be godmother

Silver: I mean... would we even trust her to look after Oakley

Glenn: She was talking about Oakley during the party so I would

Silver: If you want her to be godmother then I have no issue with it

Glenn: You seemed a little calmer after Phoebus talked to you.What happened?

Silver: Oh. Well you know how Drusilla does blood magic? When they were checking stuff on your bun in the oven they were able to trace the bloodlines back and they saw what my mom looked like. I guess they made me a sketch of her from what she saw

Glenn: Really?

Silver: I know, seems out of character for them but it's nice. I've only seen her in my head for decades and now I have a picture I can look at whenever I want

Glenn: Can I see her

Silver: Sure. But the box is upstairs

Glenn: Don't move then. I'm very comfy with you right here

Silver: I won't Babycakes. You have a nap and I'll get it for you after alright

So Glenn napped and this time there were no bad dreams. Just him, Silver and their child hiking through various forests and meadows. When he woke up and Silver left to get the picture Glenn ran his hands over his stomach. Whoever was in there was definitely growing.

Previous ... Next

[laurenairay]

you've been sent to save me - N. MacKinnon

Summary: what’s meant to be will always find a way.

Rachel Summers can’t stand Nathan MacKinnon. But when a mutual friend’s wedding pulls them together, will anything change?

Words: 3.4k

Warnings: some angst, some bad language

A/N: Here is my fic for @fallinallincurls birthday bingo! I chose wedding season/dates, forced proximity, meddling best friend, and invisible string theory. This was a lot of fun to write (and I can't believe I've never written a full fic for Nate before!), so I hope you enjoy it Bre! Sorry it's a bit late!

Title from always been you, by Shawn Mendes.

~

Invisible string theory suggests that everyone has someone in their lives who is attached to them by an invisible string that transcends time, distance, and geography. It’s fate.

~

June 2023

“There’s just one more thing.”

“Oh?” Rachel asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Nate’s going to be a groomsman.”

Rachel immediately groaned, tilting her head backwards. A little dramatic perhaps but for Nathan MacKinnon? It was justified. She’d been over the moon when her childhood friend had asked her to be a bridesmaid for her wedding next summer, but now knowing that Nathan was going to be in the wedding party too?

“It’s bad enough that I can’t avoid that grumpy smirky fucker whenever he’s back for the summer, but now I can’t even avoid him for the happiest day of your life?”

“It really will be the happiest day of my life, won’t it?” she sighed happily.

“Angie, focus,” Rachel snapped, unable to stop herself from huffing out a laugh. She wanted to stay mad at her friend, but it was hard with the dreamy look on her face.

Angela just giggled. “Look, Brad has been friends with him for years, you know that. And I can’t change that – I’m sure it’ll be fine?”

“Angie!” Rachel whined.

She just laughed harder. “Rach, I will make sure he won’t act like an ass. I promise!”

“I’ll believe that the day I see it.”

~

June 2024

It was finally time for Angela’s wedding. After a full year of planning – helping choose the bridesmaid dresses, the hair and make-up trials, the hen do itself, spending her weekends making table decorations – the fateful weekend had finally arrived. Rachel had been given the option to travel up a couple of days early ahead of the wedding ceremony on the Saturday, so she’d eagerly booked the time off work, and was travelling to Inverary Resort bright and early on the Thursday morning. Rachel was ready to settle in and relax with the rest of the bridal party, all friends over the years from Cole Harbour, to celebrate one of her oldest friends marrying the love of her life.

What could possibly go wrong?

After 3 and a half hours of driving, Rachel was ready to kick her shoes off and pick up a cocktail, and as she spotted Angela running happily out of the main building towards her as she parked her car, she found a smile spreading across her face. This weekend was going to be amazing, she just knew it.

“You made it! How was the journey? We got in a few hours ago and it was fine for us – was it still okay for you?”

Rachel just grinned at her friend’s happy rambling, throwing her shoulder-length dark waves up into a basic ponytail before grabbing her bags out of her backseat. Thankfully the transportation of the bridesmaid dresses – a gorgeous olive green that suited Rachel’s dark hair and tanned skin perfectly -  were taken care of by Angela’s mom so she hadn’t had to worry about creasing that.

The two of them caught up as Angela walked her through the main lobby of the resort, picking up Rachel’s room key as well as a glass of complimentary prosecco. Rachel tried not to get too wide-eyed over the beauty of the venue, but it was hard not to gawp. The views alone were amazing, and she wasn’t even on the water’s edge yet. From what she understood, for the accommodation on site there was a main lodge with the majority of rooms, as well as whole bunch of individual cottages. Rachel had chosen to stay in the main lodge, as a single guest, so at least she didn’t have to walk far with her luggage.

“Alright, here you are. There are a few other guests already here so get settled and then come downstairs to meet us for drinks. It’s just a chilled day today, touring the grounds and relaxing really, with a dinner tonight at the Lakeside restaurant,” Angela explained, “I’ll see you soon?”

“You got it,” Rachel grinned.

Angela’s enthusiasm was infectious at the very least, and Rachel could feel herself buzzing as she unpacked her bags. She couldn’t wait explore the grounds of the resort – and she was more than ready for the spa morning tomorrow in the Glasgow house cottage that Rachel had set up for the bride’s party – but first, drinks.

After freshening up with a spritz of perfume and a swipe of lipgloss, Rachel left her room, phone and room key in hand.

“Look what the cat dragged in.”

No fucking way.

Rachel turned her head to see the last person she wanted to see standing two doors down from her with a suitcase at his side. He must’ve just arrived. It was just her luck that his room was so close to hers – Angela had better not had a hand in that – as always during the summers when he was home, it was like she couldn’t escape him. Nathan MacKinnon was everywhere.

“Look what the cat coughed up,” Rachel shot back, fake smile at full capacity.

Nate just snorted, rolling his eyes. “Aww don’t front, Rach, you know you missed me.”

“Like a thorn in my foot,” she said dryly, “And don’t call me Rach.”

Rach was for friends only. And Nate was no friend.

Nate held his hands up in surrender with a snicker, finally unlocking his room door.

“If you find yourself lonely in the middle of the night, you know where to find me,” Nate smirked.

“Eurgh, in your dreams,” she grimaced.

“Yes, frequently.”

No. Just no. The audacity.

Rachel gagged dramatically, hamming up the noises, and to her surprise Nate burst out into laughter, leaning against the doorframe as his face scrunched. That had to be the first time he’d laughed so genuinely with just her. She hated the way it made her stomach fill with butterflies.

“Oh man, I needed that,” Nate grinned, still chuckling, “I’ll see you down at the lounge bar?”

More bewildered than anything else, Rachel just nodded. “Yeah, see you.”

What the hell was that?

~

Angela’s plans for the spa morning on the Friday couldn’t have been more perfect, if for nothing else than to clear Rachel’s mind. Over the space of 4 hours, Rachel (plus the other three bridesmaids, Angela, Angela’s mom, and Angela’s soon-to-be mother-in-law) got a manicure, pedicure, and a facial, on top of full use of the sauna and pool. It was exactly what Rachel needed to wind down from her work week (and the weirdness with Nate yesterday) and relax ahead of the big wedding day tomorrow. By the happy glow on the bridal party’s faces, everyone else agreed.

After a light lunch, the full wedding party met up in the main lodge, ready for a rehearsal. Angela and Brad had wanted a full walkthrough of the running order, timings, and placements of the day, just so they were prepared, which Rachel wasn’t going to complain about in the slightest. It could never hurt to be ready.

Not even Nate’s irritating grin as he stood next to her, continuously nudging her with his shoulder, could ruin her peace.

“So, in terms of who will be walking who down the aisle, we’ve paired the groomsmen and bridesmaids up already.”

As the four pairings were called out, Rachel’s stomach sank. She was walking down the aisle with Nathan MacKinnon. Of course she was. So much for peace. This had Angela written all over it, the meddling wench.

“Rach, I-”

“Don’t even say a word to me right now, you giant potato,” Rachel hissed under her voice.

Nate choked out a laugh, leaving Rachel to make her face blank and calmly walk towards the other bridesmaids. Angela’s expression was all but begging her not to cause a scene. Like she would cause something as inelegant as a scene. No, she would wait until there was a moment to pull Angela aside because what the hell was she thinking?

“What the fuck, Angie?”

“Hi Angie, you look incredible Angie, thanks for planning everything ahead of your wedding tomorrow Angie.”

Rachel pursed her lips, hands on hips, but Angie just shrugged, an amused smile on her face. The two of them were in a little alcove in the main lodge, completely hidden from view even though everyone had gone their separate ways, so Rachel didn’t bother to hide her displeasure in her body language.

“I don’t know what you want me to say? The two of you are paired together to walk for all of two minutes. You can handle it,” Angie mused.

“Why him? You could’ve paired me with literally anyone else,” Rachel groaned.

“True, I could’ve, but it’s done now. Besides the two of you could use a little time to be friendly. Or, you know. Friendly.”

Bleurgh. Absolutely not.

“You are the worst and I don’t know why we’re friends,” Rachel grimaced.

“At this point, Stockholm Syndrome?” Angela beamed.

Rachel couldn’t help but to crack a grin, Angela just giggling at her victory.

“It’s two minutes, you will survive it. The two of you will look good together at least...”

What?

They were complete opposites – Nate was blonde, blue eyed, beefy and pale. Rachel was dark-haired, dark-eyed, slim and tan.

What?

“…and Nate’s obsessed with you anyway.”

“Ew, no, he’s not obsessed with me,” Rachel said, sneering slightly.

“No? With everyone else, he’s awkward and dorky. But with you, he’s laser focused. I wonder why,” she said, finishing with an innocent smile.

“Oh gee lucky me! I don’t know, because he’s an ass?” Rachel scowled.

“No, because Nathan MacKinnon’s flirting never matured past pulling pigtails on the school playground,” Angela shot back.

What?

“He’s not flirting,” Rachel scoffed.

Angela paused for a second, gazing over Rachel as if she was trying to figure something out, before she laughed incredulously. “Oh my God, Brad’s going to lose his mind when I tell him. You really can’t see it, can you?”

“See what?”

Rachel didn’t know what her face was doing to reflect her defensive words, but Angela held her hands up in surrender.

“Just take a step back and look at everything. He wants your attention solely on him and this is the only way that’s been successful in catching it. For twenty years – and you know it. Watch him with other people. Watch him with other women. He’s flirting with you, Rach. Just think about it.”

~

Watch him with other people.

Watch him with other women.

He’s flirting with you, Rach.

Just think about it.

Angela’s words swirled around Rachel’s head all through the rest of the day, and it was all she could do to follow her friend’s advice. She watched Nate, all through dinner and the drinks afterwards. She watched how Nate was beaming and friendly with Brad and their Cole Harbour buddies. She watched how Nate was bland and polite with women that flirted with him at the bar. She watched how Nate watched her when men approached her, always catching him looking at her, eyes intense and hot. Why did Angela have to put those seeds of doubt in her head? Why did she have to do it now, the night before the wedding, when there was so much else to think about?

Why did she have to be right?

Nate was so different with her than anyone else, even people they’d known all their lives, and it was completely turning everything she’d ever thought about him on its head. This wasn’t fair. She didn’t need this, not right now. It wasn’t fair.

The wedding day came with no further clarification for her thoughts, her head in full turmoil, and it took all of Rachel’s concentration and willpower to focus on being the best bridesmaid she could be. Angela wasn’t even aware of the way she’d swept the rug out from underneath Rachel’s feet, which was probably for the best if she was being honest, so Rachel just let herself get swept up in the excitement of all the bridal party getting ready together, hair and make-up and dresses and happy tears, all of them looking gorgeous by the end of it – Angela most of all.

As the time came for them to walk down the aisle, Rachel’s nerves were in tatters.

“Rachel Summers, damn. You clean up well,” Nate murmured.

She ignored the shiver his words sent down her spine.

“Bite me MacKinnon.”

He immediately raised an eyebrow, eyes assessing her.

“You okay?” he asked quietly, frowning.

Of course he noticed. Of course.

“Peachy,” she said through gritted teeth, plastering a smile on her face.

“I can tell you’re lying.”

“Gold star for you.”

It felt like an automatic defence to slip into their usual banter, Nate just huffed out a laugh, smirking slightly, all of it serving only to make her feel unsteady. How the hell had she missed this for so long? How easy their connection was? How his bitching was actually…flirting?

“Alright princess, let’s go celebrate our friends,” he mused.

As Nate stuck out his elbow, Rachel inhaled shakily but didn’t hesitate to slip her hand into the crook of his arm. Even through the jacket, she could feel the warmth of his body, the thickness of his bicep, and all she could do was try to keep a straight face, to not let anyone see how the simple touch was making her head spin. What the fuck was happening to her?

They walked in silence, in perfection symmetry, Nate sending her a small smile as they separated at the altar, and it wasn’t until the wedding march music started, signalling Angela’s imminent arrival, that she realised she was lost in thought. She needed to pull herself together, and quickly.

Rachel locked her eyes on Angela and Brad all through the ceremony, letting their happy smiles and obvious love for each other fill her mind, a smile of her own easy on her face. This was Angela’s day, that’s all she had to focus on. That’s all she needed. Still, in the drinks reception and through the sit-down meal, Rachel found her eyes drawn back to Nate, the two of them seated at the same table (of course, albeit not next to each other so her gaze was able to float over him without looking too obvious.

Just as the night before, the way he smiled at other guests versus how he smiled at her was completely different, and she was just glad for the prosecco nearby. She was going to need it to get through this night, she knew that much. As the speeches went on and the food was served, she felt herself getting more and more overwhelmed, feeling more and more stupid for how much Angela’s revelations were affecting her. Why was she making such a big deal out of this? It’s not like it was going to change anything, right? She’d get through the wedding reception and go back home tomorrow morning and avoid Nate until he left for Colorado next month. It was totally doable. It was a great plan. It was-

“And now, please join us on the dance floor for the bride and groom’s first dance!”

Fuck.

Rachel moved on autopilot, standing to the side of the semi-circle of guests as Angela and Brad walked into the middle of the floor. Just as the music started, she felt a familiar body moving to stand next to her, and she wasn’t able to hold back the shaky breath escaping her mouth, the softest whimper only audible to him.

“What’s wrong?”

You're the light, you're the night, You're the colour of my blood, You're the cure, you're the pain, You're the only thing I wanna touch, Never knew that it could mean so much, so much.

“Hey, Rachel, are you okay?”

You're the fear, I don't care, 'Cause I've never been so high, Follow me to the dark, Let me take you past our satellites, You can see the world you brought to life, to life.

“Rach. Rachel. Seriously, you’re worrying me.”

So love me like you do, la-la-love me like you do Love me like you do, la-la-love me like you do Touch me like you do, ta-ta-touch me like you do What are you waiting for?

She was worrying him? Rachel glanced up at Nate as Ellie Goulding’s voice continued to fill the barn, and the soft look in his eyes just about broke her. It was all she could do to inhale sharply and shake her head.

“No, I’m not okay. I need to get some air. I need to get out of here.”

Nate’s soft expression immediately turned serious, eyes more intense than she’d ever seen, sending a bolt of electricity through her blood. “Can you make it through the dance? It’s fine if you can’t, I can get you out.”

What?

“I…I can wait,” she managed to choke out.

Nate looked at her for a couple of seconds before nodding, arm moving to gently rest behind her as if some kind of fail safe, and it was all Rachel could do to focus on keeping her breathing steady, eyes stinging with tears as she locked her gaze on her friends as they twirled around the floor. But in reality she was barely taking anything in, other than the heat of his body protecting her. Because that’s what it was – he was protecting her. She knew she was a hair away from having a full-on breakdown, and the last thing she wanted to do was draw attention away from the happy couple. The last thing. It was only that thought that kept her together until the music ended, and the moment everyone burst into applause, Nate was whisking her outside, somehow neither of them being stopped by other guests for polite chitchat.

Small mercies.

When they were in a secluded grassy nook, Nate turned around to face her.

“Hey, what’s going on? Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

How could he even ask that?

“Am I okay? Of course I’m not okay!”

He held his hands up in soft surrender. “What’s wrong?” Nathe frowned.

“You! You’re what’s wrong!”

His eyebrows shot up in disbelief. “Okay I know for a fact that I haven’t done anything to earn that.”

Rachel just groaned, clenching her fists as she closed her eyes briefly. He hadn’t done anything to earn it? He’d done everything to earn it!

In the 20 years they’d known each other, all she’d ever ‘known’ of him is the way he always poked at her, always the first to draw attention to her doing something stupid, untying the bows in her hair, jostling her in the school hallways. As they’d grown up he hadn’t really changed, even when he spent more time away for hockey. He still made fun of her choices in boyfriends, in clothes, in music, even being as dumb as to take the last beer at summer parties or the burger she’d been waiting for or laughing at her not being able to walk in a straight line when she was drunk.

But never anything cruel. Just stupid attention grabbing things that absolutely got her focusing only on him and no-one else, just like Angela said. Stupid irritating Nathan MacKinnon, and all of his stupid ideas, and stupid inability to actually talk like a human being.

It wasn’t until Nate started laughing that she realised she’d been ranting out loud, blurting out all of her angry thoughts to him, and it was all she could do to let out a frustrated bitten-off scream of frustration as he smirked that annoying smirk.

“You’re right, I don’t want your attention on anyone else. I never have, Rach, and I never will. If I’d known you hadn’t actually realised that, maybe I would’ve used my words. But where’s the fun in that?”

Oh that absolute ass.

Rachel let out another quiet shriek of frustration, grabbing the lapels of his jacket, Nate still laughing even as she pulled him down and pressed her lips to his in a passionate kiss.

Invisible string theory suggests that everyone has someone in their lives who is attached to them by an invisible string that transcends time, distance, and geography. It’s fate. And for Rachel Summers and Nathan MacKinnon, they were destined.

[hauntinglesbian]

rewatching episode 3 of AAA (cause for some reason it's been unwatched on my account even though I did watch it!) and just an interesting study on Agatha:

(disney isn't letting me screencap so I'll just have to do quotes sadly....)

it's interesting retrospectively watching this and you can tell Agatha is plotting, like what does she say to the rest of the coven cause she's literally making it up as she goes. Does she know it's Billy yet?

Billy is manifesting this whilst they're thinking about what form of trials they are up against e.g. when Alice says trials, Billy's brain immediately thinks of trials. Oh Billy, little do you know...

I do not see Kathryn, only Agatha, but also impressive of Agatha to make it up on the way.

when Agatha says 'safe as kittens' and puts her hands up like that, i feel like that's soft agatha <3

why is agatha putting her hand on her chest when they go into the house? Kathryn tell me your acting choices !

huge tiny lies = big little lies

oh billy that's not true, he died cause he wasn't supposed to live long.....

I feel like this agatha and agatha revealed is very different?

Going to delete my disneyplus history so I can restart watching again lol.

Do I feel bad about Sharon in this episode, yeah I do, but also Agatha looks really beautiful as always and also the scheming noise sounds like something from a reality tv show lol - like real housewives of beverley hills or something

Aww agatha in the background sitting she lost looks like she's having fun

okay so you know how she refuses for teen to drink the wine, do you think at first she thinks it's nicky?

also Agatha's hands <3 - the nails okay she's got very witchy hands lol

poor lilia <3, she's not well, she also didn't deserve to go.....

the baby scene is odd cause it's like, not true? Why is she whimpering? she did not trade her bébé for the darkhold :/

okay the parallel between Jen pushing Lilia out of the way to actually helping her, character growth!

Agatha so selfish lol

It's so weird to rewatch when having already watched it if you know what I mean

just rewatched this exact episode right now with the bestie @ragnarockz cause they are a whore for the Agatha milf fit in the first trial (can’t blame them though 👀)

So funny when she’s coming up with shit she’s like “1 trial for each skill” and then gives a little look like hell yea I kinda cooked with that one ngl. Then they get in the house and she’s like “the road changes for the coven” and she’s like damn I’m good at this making shit up on the spot stuff. 😏

Love soft Agatha, that’s my baby girl right there! 💖 me when soft agatha:

I heard someone saying something about some sort of grounding technique when Agatha puts her hand on her chest. But I can’t remember the exacts words I’m sorry.

Idk if she think it’s Nicky, I feel like she explained she was unsure for a bit so could have been. But even if she didn’t think it was him I think she would have stopped him. Recently was talking about how in Wandavision she made pb & j sandwiches for the boys with chips on the side and that’s just the cutest thing ever. And you know why, because I think agatha is a milf first! Excuse me… slipped up there… I mean a mother first! Yea she’s bad, mean and even evil if you will but one thing she’s gonna do is be a good mom (while alive).

The nails kill me a bit. Like I don’t love them. But her fingers are going 100 miles a minute in this episode it’s insanely hot.

No one deserved to die and I miss them ALL OKAY GIVE THEM BACK TO ME. I want them all to be alive and happy 😭🥺💖

She didn’t trade her baby you’re right. Not sure why it would have made her so upset. I feel like I’m the worst person to come to cause I just be watching things. But maybe it just reminded her that this is what people think of her but she believes the truth is worse, so maybe it reminds her of the truth? I’m just a simple girl. I was not made for this kind of thing. Maybe anything Nicky makes her upset. Maybe she wishes she could have used the darkhold to bring him back but it never worked out. I don’t know much about that though.

Agatha is selfish but I love women’s rights and women’s wrongs so what can I say? I love the bad boys… right?

Yea when teen/billy says “so what do we do?” outside of the house and Agatha just locks eyes with him and just does the biggest smile….

[mai-komagata]

about the "snw can't do vulcans" take

One thing I've seen over and over said in the reactions to the sdcc 2024 clip is that "SNW doesn't know how to write vulcans/has a very bioessentialist take on vulcans".... And that *specifically* Henry Alonso Myers cannot write vulcans (even though we have no idea who wrote the clip episode, afaik, i might have missed it, my bad if so). Which I find completely baffling. Every vulcan in SNW has been wildly different than any other background vulcan we have seen in the entire run of the series. 

(For one, they aren't giving every vulcan a logical bowlcut. Every other series pretty much insists their haircut is mandated by Surak or something -- even the visual language around them is different. Even though both T'pau and T'pring have interesting hair in TOS, as does amanda, who lives the vulcan way. i digress. i just love vulcans displaying personal expression). But yeah, what vulcans do we see in SNW? I'm gonna skip over spock because people have very strong opinions over 60 years about what makes a good spock characterization that has nothing to do with characterizing vulcans in general. First, T'Pring. Huge improvement in what we see in TOS. She isn't coldhearted. She loves spock. She gets annoyed by her mom and has struggles of her own. She is kickass at her job. She can match Spock in getting out of hijinks with logical thinking. She is smart and pragmatic. She wears beautiful clothes and is interested in building a strong relationship, and is willing to engage in human culture. We also have T'pring's mom. She is on the other end of the spectrum. She is very into traditional values even when it will make her angry and illogical. She is into proper appearances and doesn't go in for indulgence. She is a bit cruel, too, not just because of her prejudices to spock, but to her daughter and her husband. Then we have T'Prings dad. What a joy of a character. He is nothing like a stereotypical vulcan. He wants to try new things. He is fascinated by tastes and experiences. In many ways, though, he embodies IDIC and compassion much better. He also has a childish joy to him. We also have a V'tosh Katur prisoner in Spock Amok. He is extremely prejudiced of spock -- showing that dislike of humans isn't a prejudice linked to the teachings of Surak, but something orthogonal to that. He is extremely punchable and gets punched. its great. We have a background character that works with T'pring. She is there for a brief scene, but i loved that they resisted the temptation to put her in a "vulcan haircut" and gave her something distinct. We have Sybok, who is dating a non-binary pirate. I love that for him, great addition to his character.

There is Vice Admiral Pasalk, in Una's trial, which Spock hates from his time working with his dad. He is a stickler for the law, but also a vindictive MF, willing to punish Batel despite her doing her job to the best of her abilities despite her personal reservations. There is a Vulcan judge on the panel, who *is* willing to judge in Una's favor, proving that all vulcans aren't voting/thinking in lockstep when adjudicating law, as well. Finally, there is the Vulcan who rejected Chapel's application and then tries to get her back when he hears she met the Kevorkhians -- this vulcan does have the traditional vulcan hairstyle, lol. He is probably the most stereotypically vulcan of the bunch. But yeah... I'm not sure where people are getting that SNW writes/depicts cookie-cutter biologically race determined vulcans when it has written more different types of vulcans than any series other than Enterprise (and that was over the course of 4 seasons...). and I will note most of these vulcans are in episodes Henry Alonso Myers wrote. (although as one of the showrunners along with Akiva Goldsman, they are involved in all the episodes to some capacity). Maybe because they don't like how it characterizes Spock in particular? But Spock is not all Vulcans. Spock is Spock. And I don't even mean it because spock is half-vulcan. I mean it because Spock is one of the most famous characters in the western canon. Everyone has opinions on spock. That has nothing to do with how the show treats Vulcans as a whole. Not to mention the huge amount of things they have sprinkled in about Vulcan culture from all the shows and things they elaborate on, including lots of references to kalifee, the use of telepathy to show connection between family members, sensory differences in smell, temperature, taste, etc, descriptions of their prison system based on rehabilitation, courtship rituals, etc. There have been more interesting takes on mind melds than i have seen on any star trek show. They repeatedly emphasize that Vulcans have strong emotions and what they need to do to control it. 

Anyway -- this is why I'm not gonna assume the writers of SNW suddenly got amnesia and forgot everything they knew about Vulcans based on a 5 minute clip. (as with everything, i'll caveat, i could be wrong, and its a bad episode --- but just because it is a bad episode it doesn't invalidate everything they did with vulcans so far. have i mentioned i want to adopt tpring's dad?). ------------

Non-vulcan specific opinions i've also seen and don't want to make a separate post of: Couldn't they use surgery instead of this serum?: I don't know! neither do you, because we haven't seen the episode. I wonder if wherever they are going on mission requires a more thorough camouflage. Or maybe it has something to do with the research Chapel has been doing since s1 e1. I'm very intrigued as to what they possibly could be doing with a lirpa on a mission. Ok but why does snw have so many genetic modification plotlines: Because that is a question SNW has chosen to engage in in a sci-fi manner, through characters like La'an, Chapel, and Una. like it is one of the big recurring themes in the story -- is all genetic therapy doomed to eugenic applications? Is genetic therapy desirable? what things will it be used for? Are the answers we considered 60 years ago the same as they are today, with the advent of CRISPR and adult stem cell treatments? That the serum represents what vulcans are "really like": We don't know why they are in communication with the kerkhovians, who have previously been shown to be uncaring and bureaucratically inflexible aliens. Why are we assuming their serum is what "biological vulcans" really are like, when we know they screwed it up with 1. how long it lasts and 2. with whether it would work on a lanthanite. And previously they screwed up in assuming spock would want to be fully human, and that spock being spock was a mistake. (they are explicitly shown as bad/intransigent aliens in Charades. they aren't neutral helpful aliens, they are unreliable narrators in that way). That newbie Vulcans should just be Romulans: Well, no, Romulans *also* have their own culture, just because it is not the teachings of Surak doesn't mean Romulans also don't have their own inflexible codes of honor, duty, etc that *they* have adopted in order to regulate their society, which are more similar than different from Vulcans. Romulans aren't pre-reform Vulcans. I'm not even sure there is such a thing as "one type" of pre-reform Vulcan. We've never seen pre-reform Vulcans. Surak didn't emerge in a vacuum. Lots to explore here, and would love to explore the implications after seeing the episode. Why is racism against spock genetic: maybe their literalness/pedanticness/lack of a filter is something that comes more naturally. Romulans do have a sect built entirely around Radical Candor, and Vulcans famously "do not lie." Maybe overcoming being overly literal when its not charitable is part of the lesson they learn/struggle with. Also, there are plenty of biological reasons one might suddenly lack a filter/not be thinking clearly/acting out of character that could come with the serum. 

There was something else I meant to be doing instead of this. (sleeping, maybe?).... But im just bursting with so much speculation from the clip. My brain has just been spinning with theories. 

[nalyra-dreaming]

I'm a show-only fan who never read the book but I learned that Lestat had an very incestuous relationship with his mom Gabrielle in the book (which I'm here for it. Sorry for being a sickko who enjoy inappropriate relationships). And today I learned that Gabrielle also kissed Armand (on the lips???) and combed his hair and showed motherly affection towards him. However, Armand doesn't seem to like her very much? So we're not only gonna get some Lestat/Nikki/Armand love triangle but also gonna get some Lestat/Gabrielle/Armand (incestuous) triangle???

Wow. I can't wait to see how the show runners & Rolin are gonna handle those messy relationships. This is too good... Just imagine Louis and Daniel's face when they get this information...

Armand... hates her guts, later on. I wouldn't necessarily see them as a triangle... but we'll see.

I think the main reasons for his feelings are as follows:

When Lestat and Gabrielle leave Paris, Armand wants to come with them, but Lestat rejects him, though he says he wants to. Gabrielle is a bit more clear on that: "The Devil's Road is what we want, " she said. "And we are enough for each other now. Maybe years and years into the future, when we've been a thousand places and seen a thousand things, we'll come back. We'll talk then together as we have tonight." This "we are enough for each other now" (Lestat and Gabrielle) had to eat at Armand, who only a short time before had warned Lestat: "Remember that when your dark children strike out at you, when they rise up against you. Remember me. " and who had, only just before, fought so hard to "have" Lestat for himself. And failed.

Gabrielle fails, except on the most outrageous instances, to come to Lestat or to Lestat's aid - in Armand's eyes. Other than Armand, btw, who comes when called, or requested - I think in an attempt to make up for his refusal to help Lestat when he did come for help to him in Paris (pre trial, book canonically Lestat came to Armand for help and healing, and Armand tortured him instead because he felt used and rejected again) - a help which he had offered, before Lestat had left him. And Armand despises Gabrielle for that: Gabrielle. She's around now. She was around on The Night Island. Everyone hates her. She is Lestat's Mother, and abandons him for centuries, and somehow doesn't manage to heed Lestat's periodic and inevitable frantic cries for help, which though she could not receive them, being his fledgling, could certainly learn of them from other vampiric minds which are on fire with the news round the world when Lestat is in trouble. Gabrielle, she looks just like him, except she's a woman, totally a woman, that is, sharper of feature, small-waisted, big- breasted, sweet-eyed in the most unnerving and dishonest fashion, gorgeous in a black ball gown with her hair free, more often dusty, genderless, sheathed in supple leather or belted khaki, a steady walker, and a vampire so cunning and cold that she has forgotten what it ever meant to be human or in pain. Indeed, I think she forgot overnight, if she ever knew it. She was in mortal life one of those creatures who always wondered what the others were carrying on about. Gabrielle, low- voiced, unintentionally vicious, glacial, forbidding, ungiving, a wanderer through snowy forests of the far north, a slayer of giant white bears and white tigers, an indifferent legend to untamed tribes, something more akin to a prehistoric reptile than a human. Beautiful, naturally, blond hair in a braid down her back, almost regal in a chocolate-colored leather safari jacket and a small droopy brimmed rain hat, a stalker, a quick killer, a pitiless and seemingly thoughtful but eternally secretive thing. Gabrielle, virtually useless to anyone but herself. Some night she'll say something to someone, I suppose. ... I mean, maybe they'll dip their toes into this as well, and add "rejected lover" to the list of reasons. It could... fit. But later on he hates her guts, at least when he does speak of her.

[itsallagatha]

My thouuuuuughts!!!

LETS GO LESBIANS LETS GO!!!

Oh my god the representation we are getting in this series, like confirmed relationship??? Hello??

But ALSO don't be fucking cowards let them kiss. I will be sad if it doesn't happen, actually fairly upset. As blatant as it is it also feels like we're still kinda skirting around the topic, hopefully that's because of the plot and not for any other reason if you catch my drift.

I wish we spent more time on this trial, it felt rushed to me, somehow, the struggle with the demon did not feel as world ending as last weeks poison somehow to me.

I also kept waiting for Jinkx Monsoon to crawl out of that piano screaming "mUsiiiiiC!" Like in doctor who hehe.

Hand on THIGH.

I am so so glad we got to focus more on Agatha's conflict with Rio and Teen's identity, however I think we just glossed over Alice's trial.

Agatha torn up over teen being hurt, she was so worried and her begging Rio not to take him?! Ahg. She's really projecting the loss of her son onto this boy and I'm glad Rio tells her to drop it, that teen is not Nick. But did Agatha manipulate that information out of her? I'm on the fence.

I kinda think teen thought Agatha could be his mom. So to me, it's confirmed in my mind that he's on the hunt for his mom, and now his mom is going to be Wanda, that's where I'm officially standing on the topic.

I looved the kiki around the fire, the laughing and bonding is so important! Patti/Lilia is quickly becoming my favorite character in this series, ngl!

I'm still unsure how I feel about the dynamic between Rio and Agatha, I do think there's so much truth to their feelings and the physical chemistry between them but it's also layered amongst distrust and so much hurt. It's so toxic and beautiful and I'm so excited to keep diving in and I just know those two actors had so much fun digging into it as well. I'm also just happy that we are so far committing to the bit of gayness.

To some it all up, justice for Alice. I wanted more for her this episode!

[krchar]

Ok I kind of think someone must have thought of this, but - Steven Universe mirroring idea

ok it is obvious that the cool kids each mirror one crystal gem visually and vibe-wise - it is even on the cool kids wiki page

BUT

i was thinking about what is the point - what are their other relations

and it brought me to this idea that

Sadie mirrors Steven and Lars mirrors Rose Quartz

i have many feelings about it

but - consider the following points O.O

Lars starts as a side character, but happens to be there in episodes with quite important Rose Quartz stuff for Steven to resolve and his own story becomes incredibly cool and intense

we can always see Lars and Sadie together - like Steven always keeps a part of his mother inside - and Lars always gives Sadie a lot of trouble. It does not remain the case, though, does it, because they will not stay together...

the first episode with a huge Lars-Rose parallel, Lars and the Cool Kids, I can't even...

Lars wants to be friends with the cool kids BY HIDING WHO HE TRULY IS - like Rose (i believe that Rose truly was Rose, but she did hide her past) - but it is Steven who connects them

they go to this place where a dangerous sentient moss grows that Rose planted - the moss almost kills the cool kids and Lars says hateful stuff about Steven's mom and Steven stands up for her, which makes Lars regret what he said and they make friends, take the cool kids overgrown with moss up the hill, where it blooms and vanishes and it is beautiful - IN OTHER WORDS they face the burden that Rose left on everyone - Rose hated herself and part of the burden is her guilt, but Steven has to fight it - and Lars also has to accept her a bit in here, for everyone to survive and bloom

then there is The New Lars - where Steven accidentally spends the day in Lars's body and tries to fix his life and his mistakes - just like Steven is forced to accept Rose's role, powers, etc. Everyone likes this new Lars better, apart from Sadie - I'm not sure, but could be that Steven should accept his mother the way she was. Then the fun is that meanwhile Lars is in Steven's body, but remains asleep - thus remains "dead"

then of course the series of episodes when they go to space together, starting with I Am My Mom... oh dear gods

it just so happens that in the moment of facing his frustration with Rose's deeds, of all the characters it is Lars going with Steven to space to solve it

in a moment, when Steven fights his confusion of his own and his mother's identity, they are stuck together in the Topaz fusion in one body and they are forced to resolve their relation and Lars has to accept himself with Steven's help - while in these episodes, at the trial Steven also figures there is something strange about Rose shattering Pink Diamond for the first time

also Lars was kidnapped by Aquamarine after he was too nervous to hang out with the cool kids, hiding himself again from them, while steven and sadie got to join their party

then Off Colors and Lars's Head - Lars becoming pink and being directly connected to Steven's and Rose's magic is just really obvious. But also - Lars accepts himself more than ever before, and thanks to that they really bond with Steven.

Lars dies and it is through Steven that he is brought back to life omg (sorry i just can't) - and LARS SACRIFICES HIMSELF AND STAYS IN SPACE - THUS DISAPPEARS FROM EARTH FOR STEVEN'S SAKE LIKE ROSE omgods AND IT IS THROUGH LARS'S HELP THAT STEVEN EVEN GETS TO EARTH oh my

when Steven returns, Lars, who always wanted to be friends with the cool kids, is gone like Rose (even if not for good, unlike her) - and meanwhile the cool kids make friends with Sadie!!! like Steven became a part of the Crystal Gems.. it is even later shown that Lars feels as if she replaced him

meanwhile in space Lars becomes a criminal to homeworld with other unwanted gems like Rose did!!!! he is even their leader who inspires them to run to earth like Rose did!!! he changes his identity and finds his true self and sense in life like. rose. did.

from a different view he also leaves earth later, sort of leaving his original home, finding new friends and new purpose (like rose did. i should make an abbreviation for this. LRD.)

after he returns to earth he spends a bit of time there - but in the end he decides to leave - which is completely mirroring of Rose's travels (homeworld -> earth -> gone for good) this is already in SU Future

this includes final breakup with Sadie, who has a new life now with the cool kids and a new partner - they figure out they cannot be together, but they will remain friends - thus resolving their burdens and letting the other go - but Steven doesn't want to accept them not being together, relating this to Lars and everyone leaving him, and almost destroys everyone, including the cool kids - which is quite a parallel to him not being able to leave his mother's past behind and live, which brings quite some drama later - he needs to resolve his relation with Rose, like Sadie did with Lars, but he cannot

they obviously become very close with Steven - you would not have expected that at the beginning of the show. Steven takes some more time to resolve his trouble after Lars leaves, but we already get hints of what he needs to do - and what is difficult - to let Lars go, aka to let his mom go and accept her for who she was

and also maybe accept that she searched for a new self - acknowledge that she went through a lot of change - like Lars did -which was why he left Earth and Steven

ok. oh dear. oh dear. i believe there must be much more, but these were just sudden thoughts. other ideas?

anyway all this also gives me a lot of feelings about Lars's character and even some more layer on how his story is tragic like Rose's...

but, maybe unlike Rose, he managed to accept himself in the end truly, which is nice.

[ottopilot-wrote-this]

A Nudge And A Wink

This image is AI generated, I couldn't find a royalty-free source photo I liked. Don't like AI? Cross-posted to @ottopilot-wrote-this-txt without it.

"Are you unhappy with your service, Sir?" the restaurant owner asks in a gruff voice. This was a mom-and-pop operation, which I guess would make him Pop, and he was doubtless busy, hence his irritation at being called to my table. My waitress, a pretty brunette whose name tag read "Elizabeth," stood next to him, fidgeting with her order pad.

I dab at my mouth with a paper napkin. "No, the service was great, I just wanted to make a suggestion. If you aren't already doing so, you should pay your wait staff a living wage. And if you're skimming their tips, stop immediately and make restitution."

There's always a brief moment, maybe a split-second, where their brain has heard the words… but hasn't processed how to comply. I'm always worried it's not going to work when I see that confused, sometimes angry, glance, but then it fades into a glassy-eyed stare and an open mouth. Like clockwork.

"Yeah, sure," he says, his voice distant and his free will in another zip code.

"Great. Only one more thing before I let you get back to it, lunch is on the house today, right?"

"Yeah. On the house," he drones, before blinking and heading back to the kitchen.

Elizabeth picks up my utensils and plate with a practiced ease. "Anything else I can get for you today, Sir?"

I lean in, just a little, and lower my voice. "It's Doug. You are… Elizabeth…?"

A warm smile. "Liz. Just Liz."

"Liz. You'd like to have dinner tonight with me tonight. Write down your number and I'll text you my address. You can bring some food—you pick—after your shift, and we'll fuck a couple of times. You'll cum easily and often, and it will be the best sex you've ever had, because you think I'm good-looking and funny."

I look into Liz's gorgeous blue eyes, like tiny wells, blue but deep. I look deeper and deeper, until the light from the diner and the world isn't visible, just darkness. It's like looking directly into her mind and just moving things around a bit, like moving a houseplant into the sill of an open window.

Liz puts the plate down, and pulls a pen from her apron. She scribbles her number onto my check, which I don't have to pay anyway, and hands it to me with a flirty wink. "See you at six. Doug," she says suggestively, turning and sashaying her big ass intentionally as she walks away.

Sliding out of the booth, I put on my coat. I slide a ten under the sugar packet caddy, confident Liz and her co-workers would get their fair share of it, as I walk out into the chilly city streets.

People think being able to control minds at will would be glamorous or sexy. But it fucking sucks, if you ask me.

I don't know how long I've had this power—it just sort of happened one day. Up until then, I'd lived a pretty charmed life, and I thought that was just dumb luck. Now… I'm pretty sure that's not true.

There are a couple rules I learned from trial and error. I don't have to be looking at a person (but it helps), and I do have to be relatively close to them. I can't undo a previous command. And the effects are permanent.

It definitely has its perks, don't get me wrong. I get a lot of stuff comped, like that soup and sandwich, and a lot of pretty women like Liz have sex with me whenever I want. If you think that's neat, it's small potatoes. I'm a writer by trade, but I have millions in the bank. How did it get there? Well, when you live in New York City and have access to the minds of politicians, bankers, and CEOs, the world is your oyster. I've had crazy, wild sex with the world's most beautiful women, sometimes simultaneously. I've thrown out first pitch at Yankee Stadium. I've been the equivalent of white, pudgy Jay-Z.

I wave to a retired teacher I pass once in a while. "Hey Mrs. Garcia! ¿Cómo estás? That's a very pretty hairstyle. You feel confident and beautiful and people who tell you otherwise are wrong." She looks at me blankly before her face lights up in a proud smile.

Anyway, it's isolating. No one will ever understand what it's like to be me, and all my relationships fall into two categories: people I can't trust because I've already mind controlled them, and people I haven't mind controlled yet. I've surrounded myself with yes men before, and that's an empty and unfulfilling life. I also can't trust myself to make new friends or partners and not accidentally, innocuously, alter them. A little slip up like "I think you should wear that dress" and they'll be a different person, forever. And there's always the risk of breakage.

Let me explain. No, wait.

"Hey," I call out to some asshole manhandling his lady friend on the street. "Don't be a dick to women." And to his girlfriend: "If he treats you bad, leave him. If he hits you, you cut his dick off."

OK, now where was I? So here's an example: I naively, stupidly, made a woman fall in love with me. Sounds great! Until you realize what you wanted is someone to love you for you. So I'll just undo it. Nope, doesn't work that way. That woman will be in therapy for years, and it's my fault.

Plus, when you tell a corrupt CEO to come clean to the press, and he tells a reporter about all his trips to Epstein Island… Lemme just say that crashing the world's financial markets will make you take it down a notch.

I learned over time: don't rock the foundation of the world to its core, don't upset the balance of the universe. I like to call them nudges. Just a little suggestion here and there. Some harder than others, but never a push, just a nudge.

Ah, back home. Another fruitless day of ennui for the most powerful man in New York. I throw my keys on the counter and hang my coat on the back of a chair. I flip the TV on and plop onto the couch and sigh.

News, news, sports, infomercial, talk show…oh. Men in Black is on. I've always wanted to see this. I watch while I scroll my phone. It's pretty funny, though it feels like something else I've watched before. Tommy Lee Jones is funnier than I thought. Oh, that's interesting. Huh. Will Smith makes Agent K forget he was Agent K. Then he lives a normal life. Could I do that?? Could I live a normal life?

I rise slowly and think this through. I don't even know if it will work. Nothing could happen, or I could turn my brain into a turnip. I'd ask myself: if I didn't have this power, how did I get rich? I mean, I used to think it was just luck. I can tell myself to think that. Excited, I walk over to the bathroom vanity.

Well, I thought, taking a deep breath. Here goes nothing.

"You will forget you can control minds. You will just assume your fortune to this point is the product of charm and good luck."

I stare at the reflection in the mirror, and it stares back at me. And I feel kind of funny, like my brain was a muscle that had fallen asleep, and blood was rushing back into it. Tingly.

Damn. What was I doing?

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

Liz, the waitress from the coffee shop on Broadway, is wearing one of my t-shirts and looking at my bookshelf. I guess she liked me more than I thought, she practically threw herself at me when I opened the door. Helluva first date, I thought, as I microwaved the food she brought.

Liz reads off some of the titles. "Total Recall, Men in Black, The Matrix, Memento…" She pulls a DVD box off the shelf. "Oh, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind! I haven't seen this in years, it's such a good movie."

I shrug as I plate the food. "I've never seen it, I don't even remember buying it."

"Really? The case is pretty worn. Maybe you got it used."

I furrow my brow. Come to think of it, I don't remember seeing any of those movies. I must have got a good deal.

I pull out at chair for her, then stick my head in the fridge. "Maybe. What would you like to drink? I have Diet Coke, uhh… Diet Coke. And water."

Liz smiles, "Water is fine, I don't like fizzy drinks."

"That's too bad. Because I do have some syrups and club soda, so I could make an Italian soda. I think you would like an Italian soda if you've never had one."

I hear the sound of a fork hitting the china plate, and I turn. Liz's full lips part slightly. Her big blue eyes go glassy, her breath hitching before she exhales, long and slow. My Wu-Tang tee slips off one bare shoulder as she slackens and sinks, her expression melting like warm butter.

"I like Italian soda," she drones in a monotone voice.

Wait. What the fuck just happened here?

[writingsofwesteros]

"Noraaaa," Daella pouted as her big sister sat in the makeup chair, getting ready for the Alexander McQueen fashion show. "C'mon, talk to Aemond." "Baby I know Aemond can be a little bit-" "Controlling?" Hel chimed in, stroking Daella's hair and gently coaxing a cup of tea in her hands. "Overprotective." Nora finished. "But baby after you got pregnant with Baelon and Aenar he was really freaked out about the health issues, and not to mention what happened a few months ago with the media trial, he's just-" She sighed. "Aemond takes family about as serious as the mafia- which is over the top, and deadly serious. Family first, no doubt about it." The makeup artist finished lining her lips. "And he just can't survive anything happening to you. You might be a mom, honey but you're still the youngest of us, the baby." "It's true." Helly told her. Daella sighed. "Okay but he should at least let me leave the house with you guys, I went to my first appointment and everything's fine." "He's worried about the press." Helly said gently. Nora stood so the stylists could begin to put her in the outfit. "Nora please, if Aemond listens to anyone it's you." Daella said, and it was true. Aemond was like the head of their family, and Nora with him, and as much as Helly, Daella...and Aegon could give him puppy eyes and plead Nora's the only one who gets most frequent results. "Okay baby." Nora kisses her sister sweetly, uncaring of the glam team in the room seeing. "I'll talk to him." "Thank you," Daella smiled. "You look stunning by the way." "Beautiful." Helly agreed. "Someone's looking hot," Aegon entered, in the suit that Nora arranged for him to wear as her date, something very risque she could never get Aemond to wear. He held Saera uncaring of if she'd rumple it, and she squealed, "Mama Mama!" Nora smiled, and leaned forward to kiss her baby girl. "My love," She cooed. "C'mere baby." She took Saera briefly, the sweet girl nuzzling her neck. Thankfully the makeup remained intact, and Saera said softly, "S'pretty Mama."

"Thank you baby- but not as pretty as you," Nora hummed, making her giggle.

She put Saera down and she waddled over to her aunts, cuddling between them two- as much as Daella loved her boys, she adored Saera and secretly hopes the baby is a girl.

Saera is the best!! SWEET LOVE SHE IS !

And Aegon will literally wear whatever you want him to wear ;)