#but I quite like this immediate jump to the setup

[worldofbalance]

Sephiroth’s put his fan club in good hands - Kefka’s hands, that is.

[trentsgirl]

— 🗝️⋆⭒˚｡⋆

⟡ summary: as a renowned actress and the partner of footballer joão felix, you find yourself attending an interview, unaware that he is actually the one conducting it.

⟡ content: fluff, a little proofread, reader a bit of a dumbass for not realizing but it had to be this way, nardwuar reference in the end.

⟡ request: here:))

⟡ masterlist.

when you were informed that you’ll be interviewed, you expected to have a face-to-face interaction. however, you were surprised when they placed you in front of a camera and inserted an earpiece, explaining that the interviewer could see you, but you couldn’t see them.

you didn’t think much of it and decided to go along with the situation. however, in hindsight, it would have been wise to question the unusual setup, considering that your boyfriend, joão, was the one conducting the interview as a prank on you.

clearly, you had no idea.

“hello, i’m spencer, and i will be conducting the interview today,” a male voice resonated through the earpiece.

joão couldn’t help but chuckle at his attempt to put on a fake british accent. it was quite comical, yet once again, you didn’t find it peculiar and simply nodded in response.

“hello,” you greeted with a smile directed at the camera. “i’m y/n.”

you heard joão humming before he rudely questioned, “is that what you’re planning to wear for the interview, ma’am?”

upon hearing joão’s remark, your smile quickly faded, and you glanced down at your dress. you were wearing a beautiful white sundress adorned with blue flowers, a dress that joão actually adored and considered one of his favorites.

however, his comment was part of the question he was given by production.

you chuckled awkwardly in response, stealing a quick glance at your manager who was standing with the production team. your manager simply shrugged his shoulders, leaving you to address the question. “um, do you not like it?” you asked, trying to maintain a light tone.

joão hummed once again, his disapproval evident in his tone, and you barely was able to resist rolling your eyes.

“it’s lovely, ma’am. i was just wondering.” he said, although it was clear that he didn’t truly think so.

“anyways, let’s start shall we?”

“yeah, sure.”

joão proceeded with the question and had to restrain himself from bursting into laughter due to its absurdity. “alright... so, why do you think men like you? is it because of big breasts or personality?”

the unexpected question caught you off guard, causing your eyebrows to jump in astonishment. you were under the impression that the interview would focus on your new role in bridgerton, not about your breasts.

“I’d liked to say personality but we both know that’s not true.”

your answer prompted a few chuckles from the production team, but joão restrained himself from laughing, aware that you would immediately recognize his distinct laughter.

“do you genuinely believe that you have big breasts, ma’am?” joão asked solemnly.

glancing down at your chest, you took a brief moment to assess before raising your gaze and nodding. “yes, i suppose so.”

and again, there’s that stupid hum.

joão continued with the next question, “alright, moving on. who do you believe should pay for the first date? the man or the woman?”

you were still puzzled about how any of these questions were relevant to your show, but you chose to answer to avoid causing any disruptions.

“i don’t really mind,” you shrugged. “whenever my boyfriend and i go out, he usually insists on paying, but i would be more than happy to pay. he just never lets me.”

joão smirked, knowing well that what you had said was indeed the truth. he had never dared to let you pay for anything, even though you were one of the highest-paid actresses in the industry.

he held old-fashioned views and saw nothing wrong with it.

“more than happy to pay? i haven’t heard a woman say that, like ever. that’s new… are you sure you’re not just saying it?”

joão noticed that he had upset you when he saw your stern and intense expression through the camera.

it was evident to anyone watching the interview that joão was thoroughly relishing the opportunity to annoy you.

“i’m sure, spencer.”

he could recognize the annoyance in your voice. he realized that spencer had made it onto your list of least favorite people. it was amusing to joão how you actually maintained a physical list of people you weren’t fond of.

“why do you always let your boyfriend pay for everything? doesn’t it make you feel guilty? what a poor guy...” joão remarked, his voice dripping with feigned disappointment.

you managed to maintain your composure and professionalism, although it was a challenge. who did this guy think he was, pushing your limits like that?!

“I can assure you we’re very happy, next question, please.”

you were eager to talk about a different topic, nothing that involved your boyfriend or personal matters. that wasn’t the focus you had in mind for the interview.

“alright.. why do you prefer to sleep on the right side of the bed and not the left side?” joão inquired.

you appeared visibly unsettled. the only person who knew which side you slept on was joão and only him. not even your manager was aware of this detail.

“how on earth do you know that?” you wondered, a disbelieving chuckle escaping from your lips.

joão tried to maintain a serious demeanor, but your facial expressions were absolutely hilarious. they were pure gold. your level of discomfort was evident, and you made no attempt to conceal it.

“you’re y/n l/n, we have got to know.”

you cast a pleading glance at your manager, silently urging him to bring this ridiculous interview to a close.

“this is getting too strange for me. i don’t think i wanna continue with this interview,” you stated, reaching to remove the earpiece, but spencer intervened to stop you.

“wait, just one more question and we’ll be done!” he assured you.

you out a sigh, reluctantly acquiescing. mentally preparing yourself for yet another bizarre question, you were taken aback by what he actually said.

“how does it feel to be pranked?”

immediately, you recognized the portuguese accent of your boyfriend, who was clearly amused and laughing uncontrollably.

“joão? oh, i’m so going to kill you!”

[shootingstarwritings]

A Beta makes, an Alpha takes

TW: homophobic slurs

Eduardo Garcia was a content creator who, like many others in his field, lived in the SolCal area. He was a self-described ladies man and an amateur pick-up artist. Most of his videos and livestreams focused on giving life advice for men. That night was the same as it always was, with Ed saying his catchphrase, “A beta makes, an alpha takes,” to his impressionable audience.

Once the stream ended and he counted his donations, Ed made his way to the bar. It didn’t take long for him to find another girl to screw. His type was always the same: eager young women new to town and looking for something deep and steady.

After a long and sensual session, the girl whose name he forgot asked if what Ed wanted for breakfast that morning. She had wanted to cuddle, but Ed’s protests kept her at bay. Ed pretended to think for a while before saying, “I’ll treat ya. It’ll be a surprise,” before kissing her.

Around five the following morning, Ed snuck out of her apartment having lost zero winks of sleep that night. ‘Not my fault there’s so many suckers in this town,’ he thought to himself, grinning the whole way back to his apartment. ‘They wouldn’t fall for fellas like me if they had a lick of common sense. I just do what I do. If they don’t wise up then it’s on them.’

That morning should’ve been like all the other ones for Ed. He was in a fantastic mood to grab a quick bite and then spend some time in the gym after scoring as hard as he did the night before. However, just as he reached the floor his apartment was on, he caught sight of his neighbor standing unusually still.

Carlos was exactly everything that Ed hated about the SolCal area. They were in the same field as influencers, but Carlos focused more on “Affirmations of the self,” and “Queer rights,” and other stuff Ed had long-since forgotten about. Carlos had gone to great detail to explain, but Ed had mostly tuned out whatever didn’t relate to Carlos’ follower count or the cash he was making. Knowing the two would never get along, Ed preferred to avoid Carlos altogether, even if he did secretly wish the two would collab so that Ed’s follower count would grow.

Yet, on that morning, Ed couldn’t take his eyes off of Carlos. He stood in front of his apartment door, staring blankly ahead. A few moments passed, but the man didn’t even blink. Ed knew he should just leave him along and mind his own business, but a nosy part of him urged him forward.

“Hey man,” Ed called out, “You okay? You’ve been standing there for like an hour or something.”

Carlos’ head immediately snapped towards the direction of Ed’s voice, causing the latter to nearly jump out of his skin. “I was unable to court another female,” said Carlos in a stilted, unnatural tone. “I was reviewing what I did wrong. Forgive the intrusion.”

‘Court another female. So the fag’s trying to get with chicks, now?’ thought Ed before being struck by a genius business idea. “Good on ya, man!” Any prior concerns about Carlos’ odd behavior were discarded to the wind as Ed wrapped an arm around his shoulders and squeezed. “Good to see ya swinging for the right team. ‘bout time you dropped all that fag shit,” he said, pointing a thumb to the pride flag hanging on Carlos’ door.

“Fag shit…?” echoed Carlos, but he didn’t offer any resistance as he was guided to Ed’s apartment.

“You came to the right place, my friend. Nobody knows how to pick up the ladies quite like this lady-killer.”

“You kill them?”

“Ha-ha! Aw, ya crack me up, big guy. C’mon, I’ll give ya a few pointers.” For Ed, giving Carlos several of his lessons and even showing him the streaming setup was an investment. He was gaining much money from doing this, but all he needed was to win Carlos’ trust over and he’d be swimming in new subs and a brand new market to sell. There just had to be guys who played for both teams on Carlos’ faggy audience, he assured himself.

After about half an hour of coaching, Carlos repeated Ed’s lessons like a college student cramming for a final. “A beta makes, an alpha takes.” For whatever reason Carlos seemed particularly fond of that phrase.

“We’re the men. The providers! That’s why we gotta remind this pussified society who’s really in charge. The alphas,” said Ed, flexing his bicep to punctuate his point. His body was one of the few things he had worked honestly for. Steroids and diets were a frequent topics in his online rants. To Ed, if one couldn’t get a body like his naturally, then they couldn’t call themselves a real man.

“And this has worked to acquire mates?”

“Mates? Bro, I’m swimming in pussy. And soon you will too,” said Ed. He lightly tapped Carlos’ chest. “With a bod like this? It’ll be even easier. Stick with me and I’ll get you laid. Just, uh, don’t forget ‘bout that collab I mentioned.”

Carlos, after what seemed like an eternity of stone-cold stoicism, finally cracked a smile. “Yes, I would love to collaborate with you.”

“Awesome! Lemme get something to celebrate.” It was still early in the morning, but it was always five o’clock somewhere, right? Ed made hi way over to his fridge and pulled some of the quality beer. The cheap stuff was reserved for those rare moments he had a girl over. “We gotta celebrate this new friendship of ours, my man. I got--!”

Carlos tackled Ed as he walked back to the living room. The two crashed onto one of his couches in a mess of struggling limbs. “Yo, what the fuck, man?!” cried Ed. He tried to push Carlos off, but froze as he saw Carlos’ body convulsing and his eyes rolling up, showing the whites. Seizure? Stroke?

Before Ed could reach for his phone in his pocket, Carlos leaned forward and locked lips with him. As soon as the two made contact, a slimy creature flowed from Carlos’ mouth into Ed. Once the substance made contact with Ed, his body began unresponsive. He tried to struggle and push Carlos off of him, but his arms remained heavy and limp. More and more of the slime pumped into Ed until Carlos’ body, unconscious yet still convulsing rolled off of the couch.

Ed couldn’t move but he could still feel a chilling sensation spread throughout his body, filling him up. The slime crawled down his throat and began to expand inside of him. Most of it traveled down his esophagus and began to assimilate his core, arms, legs, and toes. Each limb seized and shook as it became corrupted by the invader.

Ed tried to scream as it fell the creature fill his head and coating his brain, yet he could do nothing but endure the sickening yet pleasurable feeling. It was filling him up, and for whatever reason, Ed couldn’t help but enjoy the way the creature dominated him. His body, still unresponsive to his pleas for help, merely humped the air and sensually moan as it was taken over.

Eventually, Ed blacked out. The last thing he perceived was his hands touching his face and his own laughter.

~~~

‘Please, give me my body back,’ whined Ed.

“Give it a rest, Ed,” the creature possessing Ed said, grinning to himself. “Thank you for providing this impressive specimen, by the way. I quite enjoyed the takeover.” He tilted his head as he read the magazine. “Hmm, you are well-endowed, indeed. Perfect for my mission.”

A few days had passed since the creature slithered into Ed’s body. Ed had woken up to see his body piloted by some kind of foreign invader. Despite Ed’s pleads, it refused to give up control, saying, “I’ve been needing a strong and virile specimen to breed and spread.”

‘You can’t fucking do this to me! It’s not right,’ Ed begged from the recesses of his own mind. ‘I’m a human being. I don’t deserve this!’

“Your mind is intact, is that not enough for you?” the creature said as he jerked Ed’s cock in the couch. “You could have ended up like my previous experiment. Right, Carlos?”

“Right you are, my alpha,” said the thing inside of Carlos. Ed tried to look away from Carlos’ naked and puppeted body, but the creature didn’t have the decency to give him that.

Carlos was not the creature’s first victim, but it was the first that didn’t suffer massive brain damage from the creature’s invasive efforts. However, the creature still hadn’t quite managed to access Carlos’ memories and personality. It had managed to figure out the basics and just needed one more attempt to do a proper possession. Ed was the creature’s first success, and it wouldn’t be the last.

“What else do you wish, my master?” said Carlos as he eagerly marched over to Ed, swaying his hips and sticking his ass out as he spoke. “Do you want to breed me once more? Fill me up with more of your spawn so I may go and spread?”

While Carlos hadn’t suffered brain damage, but the trauma of the invasion caused him to become catatonic. To remedy this, Carlos was the first one to received the creature’s spawn. The creature, riding high thanks to Ed’s disgust at the homosexual act, fucked Carlos’ body and let one of its children pilot the still-living husk.

“Please, act a bit more like your host would. Keep reviewing the videos.” Ed mentally screamed to himself as his invader forced him to say that. Even if the creatures had little idea as to how to blend in society, the sheer amount of content that Carlos and he made would guarantee that they had plenty of references for impersonating them. “Later, I’ll pump you full. I just… need to explore this body of mine a bit more.”

Carlos cleared his throat before giving a sweet, nonchalant smile. “No prob, my man. Later we should go out, though. Get familiar with the area.” He winked and said, “Later,” just as Carlos always did.

‘Please, let me go,’ Ed tried once more. The idea of the creature doing this to his friends and family, acting like him the whole time, was a hell he couldn’t bear. ‘I-I’ll even hook you up with another better. Better bodies, just please let me go…’ Ed internally sobbed.

“You’re quite pathetic,” the creature sneered as it violated Ed’s body once more. “Where’s your bravado, Eddie~? You were swimming in pussy just a few days ago. Now you’re pounding men and craving cock.” Ed’s body let out a malicious laugh as ropes of cum erupted from his stolen dick. “It’s like you always said. A beta makes, an alpha takes.”

[heliza24]

Wilhelm's Journey of Radical Forgiveness in Season 3

So this is the next entry in my unintentional series, about how Young Royals embraces truly radical story telling. Previously I’ve written about Simon in season 2 and his arc of radical acceptance, and about how radical the act of quitting the monarchy could be for Wilhelm (and I have never been so happy to be right about anything). But now I’m ready to start talking about season 3, which I loved, and specifically about the theme of radical forgiveness, which I thought was laced throughout the whole season beautifully and drove Wilhelm’s arc specifically.

Before I jump in, I want to pause and really define the concept of radical. When I’m using "radical" in this context, I’m talking about something that challenges the nature of what we assume to be true. I’m talking about embracing an idea that may not seem logical at first, but feels emotionally true and necessary. And I’m talking about ideas that are revolutionary, that have the potential to change people and societies.

When I went in to season 3, I assumed from the beginning that it would end with Wilhelm leaving the monarchy. I have always seen this as the fundamental question of the show (will Wilhelm stay and fulfill his predetermined destiny, or leave and find his own path?). Wilhelm’s relationship with Simon is a catalyst for that decision and their ability to stay together depends on its answer. (There’s no world where Wilhelm remained prince and Wilmon was still endgame.) But during the gap between episodes 5 and 6, I realized that even if you could sum up Wilhelm’s overall series conflict as crown vs freedom/Simon, that was not the major thing driving him in season 3. Or rather, there was another dramatic question he needed to answer, or internal conflict he needed to solve, before he could decide to walk away from the throne and fix his relationship with Simon.

Season 3 starts with the private arbitration/settlement negotiation, and immediately establishes how inadequate legal and financial reparations are at mending the divide between Wilhelm, Simon, and August. Instead this setup pushes Wilhelm into more conflict with August, making him feel like he has to defend his family from August’s incursions. At the same time, the season also opens with the initiation reveal, and the immediate implication that Erik was one of the perpetrators of the sexual abuse that occurred and that August was one of the victims. Suddenly the audience is able to see that the perfect family Wilhelm thinks he is defending— including Erik’s memory— is so much more complicated than Wilhelm realizes. And at the same time, the supposed threat that August poses is also much more complex. No one is as black and white, as good or as evil, as we would like to believe. And Wilhelm’s arc this season is all about understanding this.

There’s one more component to Wilhelm’s arc this season, and that’s his relationship with Simon. As the season goes on, we see Wilhelm become more and more complicit in the abuse Simon suffers. As the season progresses, Wilhelm becomes an enforcer of the palace, asking Simon to give up more of himself, to compromise more of his values, to be with him. By episode four he is saying some pretty homophobic things (“do I have to represent all queers just because I’m in love with you” feels like a slap in the face) and by episode 5 he is subjecting Simon to a violent outburst, even if it’s not directed at him. Wilhelm says almost the exact same thing to Simon that Erik said to him in season 1 (“everything you do now represents me and the royal house”/“everything you do reflects on us as a family”). Kristina is explicitly asking Wilhelm to step up and fill Erik’s shoes this season, and Wilhelm obeys in more ways than one. Wilhelm begins to pass on the same cycle of abuse that is currently affecting him to Simon. The same cycle that has affected Kristina, Erik, August, and Wilhelm is affecting Simon now as well.

In order for Wilhelm to break this cycle, he has to be able to see what he is doing. And he cannot do that until he recognizes and accepts the nuances in both Erik and August. He can’t move on until he has made some sort of peace with both of them.

I think it was a genius idea to trap Wilhelm and August in Hillerska’s version of couple counseling (lol) and force them to talk to each other. (As an aside, I really do love how this show treats therapy as a thing worthy of being dramatized. It’s so powerful.) I also think it was important to see August begin to make some steps of his own, both in therapy and in the way he begins to give Wilhelm and Sara more space. We don’t really see the end of August’s arc of slow self improvement— by the end of the show he’s still very much trapped in the royal cycle and dependent on Sara in a way that’s problematic— but that’s ok because he isn’t the protagonist, and the important thing is that we notice that he is beginning to change, and so does Wilhelm.

The scene at the end of 3.4, when August tells Wilhelm about what happened during the initiation, is so important. August delivers that information genuinely, and not as a threat. And in that moment Wilhelm’s perception of his brother (and secondarily, of August) is flipped upside down. I think even more important is the kind of unspoken question lurking under this new information for Wilhelm: if I idolized Erik, and I detested August, and my image of both of these people was incomplete, then what does that say about me?

I think we can see Wilhelm questioning his perception of his family and of himself in a lot of subtle ways over the last two episodes. We see him put on nail polish and take it off. We see him afraid to ask his dad for more information about Erik on the phone, and then screaming at his parents for the way they abandoned him. We see him struggling to integrate this new information, and he completely neglects Simon because of it, leading to the breakup.

By episode 6, Wilhelm has lost Simon, reached a sort of catharsis with his parents, and maybe most importantly seen Hillerska itself— the setting where the abusive system seems to be baked into the very walls— crumble. All of the things he though were untouchable (his love for Simon, his parents’ authority, the everlasting nature of Hillerska) have completely changed. And I think all of that instability is what allows Wilhelm to finally accept that his understanding of both Erik and August doesn’t have to be permanently fixed either. I love the scene where August and Wilhelm meet at the party, August apologizes, and Wilhelm accepts his apology. And I also love the scene where Wilhelm throws out the broken frog prince snow globe, the one enduring symbol the show has associated with Erik and Wilhelm and their shared role over and over again. I know different fans will have different arguments about how Wilhelm feels about August at the end of the series, but for me their last interaction symbolizes radical forgiveness. By this I don’t mean that Wilhelm has to forget about what August did to him, just like he doesn’t have to forget the bad things Erik has done to others. But he does have to accept them as they are- full of flaws, but intricately connected to him. As part of his imperfect family. And he lets go of the violent anger that has plagued him through much of the series in that moment. That’s a type of forgiveness that makes a real change. It opens up a whole new avenue of possibility for Wilhelm. Because in extending that radical forgiveness towards August and Erik, he’s also able to forgive himself for the way he too has failed the people he loves.

Actually, I think there’s one more component necessary for that self forgiveness, which is Simon telling Wilhelm that he never gave up on Wilhelm himself, only on the Royal family and its rules. That one line is such a gift to Wilhelm. It allows him to see himself as an individual who is separate from his family and able to make his own decisions for the first time. It allows him to fully forgive himself, and to make the decision to leave for his own sake. It allows him to save himself. And then because he has saved himself, he and Simon can be together again.

So in the end Wilhelm ends up answering the driving dramatic question (crown or freedom?) but only after he extends radical forgiveness to his family members and to himself. I think it’s so beautiful, it makes me cry every time I think about it.

This theme of radical forgiveness is everywhere this season, not just in Wilhelm’s arc. It’s in Sara and Felice’s reconciliation, and in Sara and Micke’s relationship, and in the ways that Sara forgives herself and moves beyond shame (expect another meta from me about Wilhelm and Sara season 3 parallels soon, because there are many and I love them). It’s in the way that Linda and Simon forgive each other, and the way that Simon forgives Wilhelm, and the the way that Simon forgives Sara. It’s even in the ways that August grows in fits and starts this season too. I feel like I learned so much from this season. It challenged my assumptions about characters I thought I knew and reminded me to that there is beauty in acknowledging nuance in the world. And I think it will serve as an ongoing reminder for me that even when I mess up and do not live up to my ideals, I am still worthy of radical forgiveness. Growth can’t happen without that compassion towards ourselves and others. And if that isn’t the most perfect message to take away from this beautiful show that I have loved for so long, I don’t know what is.

[mslanna]

Raphael reacting to his little mouse, who refuses to sign a contract that binds their soul to him, bowing or kneeling before him, taking one of his hands (for a moment he thinks - or maybe hopes - that they will place a kiss on the back of his hand), and declaring their allegiance to him, swearing to fight for and defend him with their life if need be. "I am already bound to you. No contract required." That is when he finally, finally recognizes the way they look at him, that it is with love and adoration but tinged with the belief that it will never be reciprocated, because it is how he gazes at them when nobody is looking.

No Deal

Also up on AO3

As a small favour, the Crown of Karsus fell into the Chionthar when Tav defeated the Netherbrain. It gave Raphael time to consider what offer to make when they came to deliver it. His little mouse proved to be quite capable, even more so than he had expected. It was time to bind them to him. Forever.

All he had to do was arrange the offer perfectly. If he said forever, he meant it. Tav would not die in his service. And as a result, their soul would never be forfeit. A prefect setup for his wary paladin. In return, well in return Tav would stay by his side, fight with him, rule with him. And in the long run – be his entirely.

The meeting was planned to the last. Not in the House of Hope where his debtors – or worse incubus – might interfere. Raphael prepared the room he rented in Sharess' Caress. Tav spoke up about the rose petals last they met. There would be rose petals again – plenty and fragrant.

Wine of similar qualities, of a dark red that lay in the goblets like thick velvet. A choice of chocolates, pastries, and savoury snacks. It looked like a seduction but if that was what it took to seal a deal with his mouse, Raphael would. His. The word echoed in his mind. A promise. A future.

Korrilla kept an eyes on Tav while they searched the river for his prize. She let him know immediately when Tav found is and Raphael was ready. He checked his new outfit in the mirror a last time. Black and red – a true prince of the hells. Soon to be king. All that was missing in his perfect future was the crown and companion.

Both walked through his door mere moments later. Raphael's prefect vision dissolved, pooling at Tav's feet with the water dripping from their clothes and hair. They hadn't even stopped to dry themself. As undignified as Tav looked, the fact they could not wait to present him his prize filled Raphael with pride.

"Come in," he gestured with half a bow.

Tav looked around, acutely aware of the dirty river water they trailed behind. They avoided the rose petals as if the water would hurt them. Raphael smiled to himself. Such consideration. Soon to be all his.

With an apologetic smile, Tav raised the crown in his direction. "Sorry for being late. The river…" The sentence trailed off.

"No need for apologies. You are true to your words as I knew you would be." He smiled, a reassuring sight on his human form. "And I appreciate your efforts and – eagerness to present their success. Your success and mine." He lowered his voice.

The effect on Tav was unmistakable. They tensed and shrunk back a little. Not what he had hoped for, but he'd work with it. "Maybe you want to clean and warm up before we continue?" He gestured at the pool behind him, heating the water with a wave of his hand.

Tav froze on the spot and fire rushed into their cheeks.

"Ah, human shame." Raphael shook his head slightly. "What an interesting, if useless, concept. I can leave you to it. No need to be uncomfortable."

Surprisingly, Tav did not jump at the opportunity. After a few moments watching the mortal stutter and writhe Raphael had mercy. "Have it your way. Come," he beckoned them, "let us fulfil the deal."

Slowly Tav crossed the room. Raphael smelled the filth of the river on them. This was a lot less glamorous than his plans, Still, when his mouse stopped before him, Raphael bent his knee and offer his head. This, at least, he would have.

After a short hesitation, Tav raised the crown and placed it gently on his head. The weight settled reassuringly on his head and Raphael felt the power coursing through it. Half his perfect future secured. He opened his eyes and met Tav's gaze – thoughtful and soft. A hint of sadness hanging back, almost obscured by their smile.

"Join me." Raphael took Tav's hand as he rose. "Join me and my victorious rule over the nine hells."

Tav blinked but didn't pull their hand away. "You – want me to stick around?"

The uncertainty in their voice wounded Raphael. He had been open about his appreciation, had he not? Generous with praise and lavish in his offers. "You have proven yourself invaluable, have you not? And I would hate to lose my favourite client."

"Oh." Something changed in the way Tav held themself.

Raphael pressed on, unwilling to lose the momentum and, with it, his little mouse. "There is no need for us to part ways. I have need of capable hands like yours. Loyalty like yours," he added quickly to stop the sagging of their shoulders. "There is none to be had in the hells, but you, little mouse," Raphael took their chin between his fingers, "you I trust."

Colour returned to Tav's cheeks as they cast down their eyes. "A bodyguard? A counsellor?"

"All that and more." He nudged Tav's face to make them look at him. "Immortality in my service for the price of your soul."

Tav didn't answer, didn't move.

Raphael conjured the contract. "You cannot die in my service, but only if you do, your soul is mine. We work together. Forever."

Finally, Tav retracted their hand from his grip. Their eyes searched his face but didn't seem to find what they were looking for. With a sigh, they sank to their knees, taking his hand as he had done before. "I don't need a contract, Raphael. I am yours to command, to fight or defend, with all my prowess and needs be with my life."

Taken aback, Raphael stared down at the mortal. This was unexpected and he didn't deal in the unexpected. He was a devil of the most cunning kind. He held all the cards. He pulled out the rug under his counterparts.

But Tav looked up, eyes deep and dark. A gentle resignation swimming under the intense gaze. "I am bound to you already, Raphael. No contract required." Tav smiled sadly. "No contract desired."

"What is it your desire?" Raphael's heart skipped when Tav gazed down at his hand shortly. But only their eyes alighted on it. Regrettably. And now, that his little mortal looked up at him again, he recognised the resignation for what it was. The stumbling, the hesitation, the stuttering faced with him.

Not fear, not even reluctance. Tav didn't even struggle with their feelings for him but the knowledge that their one-sided affection would doom them. And that they wouldn't mind. Tav's answer needed no words, so intense was their gaze. Raphael smiled, more than victory burning in his veins.

He pulled Tav upright, cradling their hand in his and pressing a soft kiss onto its back. "Say no more." The contract vanished in a flash of hellfire. His. Without a contract. Bound by forces the hells could never combat. Ready to be devoured, if only they were not covered in filthy river water.

Raphael took a step back and looked his mouse over. Still dripping. Still smelly. But now lit from within by fires hotter than Avernus. His. He growled another kiss over Tav's hand before letting go.

"Still, I will not have you die in my service." He placed his hand over Tav's heart and head, anchoring the magic in their body. The mortal shivered under his touch, a temptation and a promise. Raphael smiled. His. It was a good day to start his future as archdevil supreme.

"I – I think I'll have that bath now," Tav sighed, exhaustion overpowering them.

"As you wish." With a snap of his fingers Raphael heated the water again and floated wine and food to the side of the pool. "Let me know when you are done."

"Oh, I think you will now when I'm done." Tav grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the steaming water.

[teecupangel]

Submitted by @saberamane​

After seeing that chinchilla Desmond ask, it reminded me of my first impression upon encountering the ferox in Ark survival evolved, Genesis part 1. I know it has a cat/fox like face and kind of red panda tail and monkey-ish body but, my first experience with it was in game, as I hadn’t watched the trailer. And I thought it was a mutated chinchilla…

Saying that! A Ferox! Desmond au would be amazing. He’s small and cute, doing cute little hops to beg for treats, and then he’s a 7 foot tall wolf-gorilla thing capable of tearing your head off your body…

I just have a picture of guards angrily breaking into an ancestor’s house (like the Auditore villa at the start of AC2) and finding this cute…thing just sitting on the other side of the door, wagging it’s tail, and then they watch in horror as it suddenly grows, up and up, and up.

And then there’s nothing but screams…

================================

Additions by teecup

For those unfamiliar with what a Ferox look like, here you go:

Desmond would probably spend quite a lot of time trying to get used to his new body, especially his newly acquired four arms so he’d be a bit of a klutz too. And he’d be super surprised when he first transforms into his other form but also ‘hell yeah!’.

Desmond would just be a fluffy sweet bunny? Fox? Cat? No one knows (and Leonardo is trying to understand what he is) but that doesn’t really matter since Desmond is more or less docile and just likes to eat and cuddle. Not being liked by him would make a person a social pariah XD

So we have an idea of how Desmond could screw up AC2 (also, he can totally protect Monteriggioni by going on a rampage on the papacy army, although this might start a rumor of Monteriggioni having a demon as an attack dog) and Desmond could easily thwart Charles Lee’s plan to burn down Ratonhnhaké:ton’s village by going ham on them either while staying with Kaniehtí:io that day or by transforming and ‘taking care’ of the soldiers before Charles Lee could even hurt Ratonhnhaké:ton.

Now, the most common setup would be for Desmond to be Altaïr’s pet but may I suggest an alternative: Desmond as baby Sef’s pet? Sef found him while he and Darim are playing (maybe they were even able to sneak out of Masyaf) and he brought him back because Desmond doesn’t recognize Sef but he looks a lot like Altaïr so he just makes soft purring sounds as he put all his arms in the air in the universal gesture of ‘pick me up’ and Sef does. 

His transformation is kept a secret and Altaïr thinks Desmond might have mutated with the use of a POE. He’s still more or less Sef’s pet even though Desmond likes to follow Altaïr around when Sef isn’t in Masyaf. 

So when Swami tried to assassinate Sef in his sleep, Desmond is curled on top of Sef’s chest and he jumped down, staring at Swami. 

Swami’s eyes widened as Desmond transformed right in front of him and he let out a scream that gets drowned by Desmond’s roar.

Sef immediately wakes up to see Desmond pinning Swami against the floor and Sef knew that something fishy is certainly going on. Even though Swami is babbling that it was his father who ordered for his death, Sef doesn’t believe him.

First of all: His father wouldn’t order for this death. Of all the things Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad might and might not be, his love for his family will never be questioned.

Second of all: Even if Altaïr wanted him dead, he wouldn’t pick someone like Swami to kill him, that’s insulting. (At this point, both Swami and Desmond just stare at Sef because, yeah, he might be nicer and sweeter than his father but the Ibn-La'Ahad arrogance seems to be hereditary).

“Third of all…” Sef looked at Desmond and grinned, “Shall we get some exercise, Desmond?”

Desmond roared his agreement and…

That day, the conspiracy against Altaïr’s family and allies was thwarted by a large monster. Many of Abbas’ supposed allies squealed like pigs and admitted everything while being pinned down by said monster.

Malik drowned in paperwork that day.

[hestzhyen]

Chapter 46 Nonsense Takes

Hello dear void. So, about that whole "I wish Hokazono-sensei would slow down just a smidge" thing... yeah. Not happening. Dude's writing like he still needs to stave off the infamous WSJ axe.

I don't know man. I have a lot of thoughts that all boil down to "I wish it had gone differently." Not because I think I could do it better myself- I can't even write fanfiction that I'm comfortable with posting anonymously. But this is the first time I've ever been disappointed because we didn't get a chapter of uninterrupted talking heads.

There was plenty of dialogue, and a lot of it was intriguing. I'm gonna go ham on it all in a bit. But the way the chapter ended kind of disappointed me. This is 100% Hestzhyen's Rubbish Opinion here, but fucking let the characters rest. I hate it when the characters jump from one crisis to another until the end of time. We've seen Chihiro running on fumes for far too long now and Hakuri's going to be even worse off. Guy can't even use the power they need him for without hurting himself so bad he passes out, but there's no time to let him recover. Gotta chase the bad guys!

It's ultimately a tone and pacing thing. Having the characters fight when they're already tired and/or meaningfully injured is a basic tool in the writer's kit for establishing tension. But we've done that for almost every major fight in Kagurabachi so far! Even against random Yakuza mooks! Chihiro's been operating at less than full capacity since the Hishaku's tree exploded the guy they tried to interrogate in chapter 2 for fuck's sake. He wasn't even fully rested going in to the Rakuzaichi- his arm was newly healed and bandaged up. The "ooh they're not at full strength, this'll be tough!" thing is getting old.

Okay me, no need to hit image cap with examples. But every major fight has involved using this tool in some way- every Char rescue and fighting Sojo, the Rakuzaichi infiltration and storehouse fight, and now we're starting an arc with it. I am adamantly against any series doing this without subverting expectations. If Chihiro isn't meaningfully punished for constantly risking himself when he's not at 100%, it's flawed writing in my opinion. (Passing out or losing a limb doesn't count when Char can reverse that.)

Enough bashing. Obviously this is early in an ongoing series and we've just started the arc. There's a ton of story left to go through so chill, me. In fact, Shiba being separated from Chihiro might be an indication that yes, finally, there are going to be lasting consequences of some kind for him.

I say this because Shiba's been the lone voice of reason when Chihiro decides it's time to go off the rails. He's ignored pretty much every time, but he's still there to manage the setup and aftermath. Chihiro won't have that safety net this time. I love Hakuri to pieces but he doesn't have the experience to do the intel groundwork, nor the ability to perfectly replace Shiba's clutch escape factor, you know? So I'll shut up and wait to see what happens for now.

Actual Analysis Section

Getting right into it, we immediately learn that Shiba's not coming along due to some bad blood between himself and some Kunishige antis in the Kamunabi leadership. (I feel you, man. The Kunishige we've seen so far was the best.) So while he could turn up, I think Shiba will be on the sidelines working on his own subplot. This is the "Kamunabi Classifieds/Secret Files" arc after all. Gonna be a lot of awful truths getting unearthed and Shiba is the best guy to give us insight.

Recall this conversation in chapter 7:

Despite having quit the Kamunabi under mutually unfriendly terms, Shiba's still got connections to them. Enough that he's still included in their plans when situations call for him. I think most readers clued in to the fact that Shiba was some kind of Special Ops guy when he worked there: he's very comfortable snooping around and doing a little "forceful interrogation" to get information. But the exact nature of his history might come to light this arc. And he'll be a very interesting viewpoint into the Kamunabi as someone who is deeply entwined with the org but is loath to cooperate with them for personal reasons. I suspect he'll have the most objective opinion out of the rest of the cast.

As for Azami, he was in a real bind this chapter- he didn't say a single word and was sweating bullets the entire time. He did move to protect Chihiro when Blond Jerkass threatened him at least. This arc is gonna be pretty painful for him I think. Bet most of the tension will come from his reasons for staying with the Kamunabi versus wanting to do right by Chihiro and Shiba.

Also, time to revoke my "guess the associations" privileges since I completely missed the mark on which Bearer is associated to which area. Kabuki monk guy ([漆羽] Uruha! A name, thank god!) is in the hotsprings. Or was, rather. Hope he wasn't wishing for some excitement in his life because he got more than he bargained for with that Hishaku suicide raid I think. Is he running towards safety with the Hishaku, Kamunabi, or freedom from both...?

Another guy with a weird name too. 漆 (uru, also read as nana in modern Japanese) is very, very old and likely derives from descriptions of the shine of wood that's been lacquered or varnished. In names it can convey strength, resilience, and uniqueness. 羽 (ha) means feather and has associations with freedom, grace, good fortune, and lots of support through life. So "gleaming feather" or "lacquered feather"? Guessing he'll be a free-spirited dude with an unusual perspective! Ooh this has got me excited.

Anyway. How about that unresolved conflict at the chapter's end? Chihiro made a decent case for himself (seriously he was so cool cutting off Blond Jerkass to remind them of he good he's accomplished), but the major sticking point of him being unwilling to completely fall under the Kamunabi's control is still there. You can bet your sweet Bippy it's going to be a major source of conflict in this arc. "An enemy of my enemy is my friend" is the best way to describe the relationship between him and the government right now, and that sentiment is not a solid foundation for a lasting partnership.

I can see the Hishaku forcing the Kamunabi's hand in trusting Chihiro and Hakuri, fighting tooth and nail but still letting them get the swords, then swooping in as the Kamunabi self-destructs over what to do with them. God I can't wait suss out what they're actually doing though. John Hishaku, you are peak entertainment.

Poor guy is always surprised when he's relevant to a conversation.

More Hakuri than expected! Yay! He also got to have some good moments with Tafuku, which is really cool! Sad that he's nerfed going in to the arc, but it makes sense. Wonder if they shared that he can use Isou too... it's not relevant to this discussion so not surprised it wasn't addressed. Guess we'll see later! Love these little mysteries that hook us between the larger plot developments. Everything is explained when it needs to be instead of awkwardly blurted out or infodumped.

Best panel in the chapter by far.

Tafuku's such a bro, man. I really hope that he and Hiyuki are assigned to keep watch over Chihiro and Hakuri as they search for Uruha.

Speaking of Hiyuki, seems like she's got a lot of pull with some members of the leadership council. I wonder if that's due to her status as the Kamunabi's strongest fighter alone or if there's a bit more going on... Hiyuki backstory when?

ALMOST got to see Azami's sorcery again (ch 46 vs. 7). What a cock tease. Seems to be some sort of condensed energy ability.

Look at Hakuri! He was gonna whisk Chihiro away into the storehouse to protect him, even though it would mean putting himself at odds with the council! He's so willing to put himself at risk for Chihiro it's scary. Couldn't register and transport that notebook without knocking himself out but he'll do whatever it takes for his samurai. Seriously! God I love him. (Is this foreshadowing? I think it's character consistency more than anything else, but we'll see...)

Slightly prefer the fan TL of the line ("Place your bets on me!")

Another favorite trope of mine. Chihiro unintentionally echoing his dad's words from 20 years ago got me good- and I'm not the only one based on some of the council's reactions. I love Kagurabachi for a lot of reasons but moments like this are definitely near the top. The theme of legacy and the past influencing the present is handled so well- always there, but never overdone. Thank you for trusting us to get the point, Hokazono-sensei.

So Kunishige was willing to help the war effort but was unproven at the time. He had to convince them to trust in him at all. Interesting, very interesting. Something compelled him to be there to make his case- looking forward to finding out what that was. DEAD DIL-

Trial, Interrupted

What did we learn?

One, the Kamunabi do blood tests. Weird but alright, guess they've got records of all their members' blood types and profiles stashed away somewhere. No wait that's fucking insane. Why do you need that genetic information? Why does it have to be blood instead of saliva? Why do you store it apparently indefinitely even after death- and how? What happened to references, finger printing, and researching public records to verify identity? (Actually, Chihiro might not have been properly registered as a citizen at birth due to his circumstances... that would be a fun wrinkle in him earning a paycheck.)

Guess: drawing Chihiro's blood is going to reveal Something. Exactly what isn't something I want to speculate too hard on, but it's gonna be relevant to this arc so I'll put a pin in it for now.

Two, the Hishaku have precisely zero chill. John has been preparing for god knows how long to attack the Bearers and now is the time to strike. So this leaves me with two questions: why is Chihiro being there with the Kamunabi perfectly fine (perhaps even necessary), and did they somehow account for Hakuri's presence in their plans?

I have a list of unanswered questions about Hakuri and the Sazanamis in a text file and this adds more. No one knew he was a Special Boy with the storehouse ability until yesterday (in-universe)... theoretically. And his abilities seem perfect for throwing a wrench in the Hishaku's machinations. So if they don't know about Hakuri, how will they adapt- and what will that mean for Team Goldfish? If they do know, then how? And why let this go forward? Wow falling for the plot hooks driving the narrative, how unique! Reagrdless of which scenario comes to be, I genuinely fear for Hakuri's safety... maybe a bit too much.

Three, Kamunabi politics aren't divided into neat factions for easy comprehension. At last we have some insights into the leaders' personalities though.

Rude mfers

These might be the guys that Shiba had a disagreement with before leaving. Blond Jerkass in particular is trying really hard to look villainous; he's clearly not a fan of Kunishige and went out of his way to get us all to hate him. I think he is too principled to work with the Hishaku, but he'll definitely be a thorn in Chihiro's side.

"Principled? This guy?!" Yeah!

He disagreed vehemently with Kunishige's decision to hide the swords instead of letting the Kamunabi keep them, and he sees that same "selfishness" in Chihiro is my read of him. He's also got no qualms about killing Chihiro to make Enten available to the Kamunabi since Chihiro's wielding it without any kind of oversight. This is our "authority of the establishment" guy for sure. He's there for the mission in his own way, and I hope we learn his motivations before he's offed or put on a shelf.

Pencil 'Stache seems like a snobbish skeptic so I kinda wanna punch him too. He has a modicum of concern for the issues at hand at least, I'll give him that. Not much else to say about him right now.

Prince Nez, Azami, Mask, and Eyepatch are strongly implied to be the ones who helped Kunishige hide, so they're likely to at least be neutral. Even if they had no great love for Kunishige himself, they could have been persuaded to help on practical grounds.

Azami might be the only one with personal reasons since he was Kunishige's friend. Very interesting that Chihiro claimed not to know him though... did Shiba know or guess his circumstances and tell Chihiro to lie? Azami was off screen after chapter 18 so there's a time gap to fill there- when we left off with him, he was under investigation for secretly harboring Chihiro. He's not a happy camper about any of this and I want to know exactly why. (Also, Chihiro backstory?! He didn't always live in the mountains with his dad, and he knows or was old enough to remember leaving his old home to live there??? LORE PLEASE.)

Prince Nez seems like a rational guy based on his segments explaining why going to war with the Sazanami would be bad in Ch. 22. He's the only one who seems concerned about getting to the heart of the matter here as well, being less concerned with Chihiro's ancestry versus the feasibility of his plan. Not to mention being the one to bring up that Magatsumi needs to be properly resealed as soon as possible. So I think he's a guy who is motivated by practical concerns above all else. Logic over passion is my read of him. He'll take the best approach based on merits more than anything else.

Mask appears fairly neutral. He's one of the two who was impressed by Hiyuki's assessment of Chihiro's character, so he could share at least a few of her ideals about justice and protecting the peace. She didn't rebuke him like the other guy so he's probably sincere (or at least not an obvious faker).

Eyepatch had just one line- he thought that Chihiro did in fact look like... someone he knew. Context would lead us to assume it's Kunishige, but after decades of being baited by Nomura as a KH fan, I know a potential red herring when I see one. I won't go full tinfoil hat theory here without more info but I will demand a treat if Eyepatch was referring to Chihiro's mom.

Hairclips has a very neutral impression right now since this is the only time she spoke. She was one of the three who originally sealed Magatsumi but everything else about her is a mystery right now. She got a big panel to herself so I expect to learn more about her later.

The "this meeting could have been an e-mail" vibes speak to my soul.

Piercing Guy seems like he's in it for himself first and foremost between this outburst and Hiyuki calling him a creep for wanting her approval. Then again, he seemed pretty open to hearing Chihiro's arguments about judging him based on his actions rather than his lineage. He's also amenable to accepting Chihiro as soon as he unknowingly echoes his father's resolve from decades prior... despite starting the chapter by saying he doesn't see the resemblance at all.

There's two ways to read this: either he's careless and selfish and going with what seems good at the time, or he's careless and forgot details about Kunishige until Chihiro's testimony brought them back. I think he's the most suspicious one so far. I've got my eye on you, Piercing Guy. Careless people are easy to manipulate and corrupt.

Beard Guy seems like the first among equals. Someone who carefully weighs the pros and cons of every course of action before committing. He played the role of practical, fair-minded judge rather well this chapter. He's also quite decisive in a crisis, but there's a lot more to unpack with him. (Is he Hiyuki's supervisor? How does he actually feel about everything?) Reserving judgement until we see more of his inner thoughts.

So yeah. Chihiro and the Kamunabi have agreed to work together for now, but they certainly aren't solid allies. And the Hishaku are going all out with their datenseki stockpile to blow everything up for some reason... So much for getting to chill but hey, at least there's no time wasted either. Until next time, kind void.

[integra1127grimmreaper]

Mr. Grinch (Joel Miller)

Joel Miller Masterlist

Warning: swearing, fluff

Summary: A little Christmas story inspired by Lindsey Stirling's version of - You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch.

Mr. Grinch... that was what everyone had nicknamed Joel after just one day in Jackson last year, when he and Ellie had first set foot in the community last winter. Now, one year later, and another winter in yet the nickname still stuck. You found the entire thing to be quite amusing; yes, Joel could be grumpy and sometimes comes off as just plain mean, but there were good, loyal qualities to him, ones that only those dearests to him were witness to. So, that's why to make lightly of the nickname, you had decided to do something fun about it in the annual Christmas eve pageant.

You had come across an old burlesque record sometime back, the beat of the music perfect for what you had planned. Your outfit; a cute red winter dress, green tights and Santa hat.

The pageant was taking place in the mess hall, as the Christmas eve community dinner was to be taking place immediately thereafter. A small stage had been erected in the hall, with tablets setup for all to enjoy the show and dinner after.

The hall rang out with whistles and cheers when you made your way to stage, everyone soon quiets down, and the music begins to play.

*

You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch You really are a heel You're as cuddly as a cactus As charming as an eel, Mr. Grinch You're a bad banana with a greasy black peel

The room was eerily silent as you comically performed on stage whilst singing; everyone knew exactly where you were going with the chosen song. You on the other hand, were having a field day with it, as people's eyes kept jumping back and forth between you and the table you were clearly trained on during the entire performance.

*

You're a monster, Mr. Grinch (Mr. Grinch) Your heart's an empty hole Your brain is full of spiders You've got garlic in your soul, Mr. Grinch

You're a vile one, Mr. Grinch (Mr. Grinch) You have termites in your smile You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile, Mr. Grinch Now given the choice between the two of you I'd take the seasick crocodile Seasick crocodile

"Shit, it's you!" Ellie bawls out in realization, but you continue like nothings amiss. Everyone nervously stares back at the table as she chuckles out loudly then.

"The song is about you, Joel! You're Mr. Grinch!"

"Now, Ellie... don't be looking for trouble where there ain't none" Tommy attempts to neutralize the situation before things got out of hand.

"Nuh-uh..." Ellie retorts with a stiff head shake, hollering out then.

"See! I fuckin' told you! She just winked at him!"

The sounds of gasps ringing out at her words, as everyone braced themselves for your impending demises at the hands of the man you were clearly referring to in the song. He, on the other hand sat dangerously silent, as his dark narrowed gaze remained fixed on you as the performance continues.

"Ellie..." Tommy drawls out in annoyance, and then it happened.

"She blew him a kiss!" Ellie screams, griping onto Joel's shoulder; shaking him back and forth in excitement.

"Wait. What?" an open-mouthed Tommy stares at you on the stage.

*

The words that best describe you are stink, stank, stunk (Ooh) No, no, no Stink, stank, stunk Oh, Mr. Grinch Mr. Grinch...

The music ends and the room is filled with nothing but awkward silence, Tommy silently eyes Joel; preparing himself to have to stop his brother from strangling you in front of the entire Jackson community. Ellie then jumps out from her seat and starts cheering loudly and you chuckle out, taking a dramatic bow.

"Now, Joel..." Tommy attempts to divert his attention away from you as you step down from the stage.

Everyone sat with bated breath as you made your way toward Joel's table with a cocky smirk plastered on your lips.

"Joel" Tommy warns, jumping up to stop him when he gets up, but Ellie and Maria hold him back.

"What hell are ya two doing?!"

"Wait" Maria remarks as you and Joel meet each other in the centre of the room.

Placing a hand on your hip and cocking your head to the side; you smirk at him whilst striking a pose.

"Hey there, Mr. Grinch..."

Joel's eyes narrow to tight slits as he silently grinds his teeth whilst staring down at you for a second. Silent gasps ring out when he steps closer to you, reaching out to take the Santa hat off your head; Joel plops it onto his own, a broad smirk spreads across his lips as he pulls you flushed against him.

"Hi, Baby..." Joel drawls, tipping down to capture your lips in a deep kiss.

"What the fuck...?!" Tommy voice rings out, along with loudly gasps of surprise.

"Knew they were fucking long before this, FYI..." Ellie remarks smugly, causing both Tommy and Maria to scowl at her disapprovingly.

"What?" she shrugs at them.

"He's always looking at her all-googly-eyed... and she's even worse. Also caught him from my bedroom window; sneaking out of her house and back home in the early hours of the morning when no one's awake."

Joel and you chuckle into each other's mouths at her words, resting your foreheads against one another's with broad smiles.

You had your suspicious of her knowledge, but both had decided to keep your relationship a secret till now. Finally deciding after four months that it was time to make it public, as a matter of fact; it was Joel who had come with the idea of your performance when you had let him in on the town nickname for him.

What the residents didn't know; was that even with only one good ear, Joel had still managed to pick up on the word 'Grinch' being softly uttered whenever he was around. He wasn't too keen on it at first, not till you had told him that you found it to be a cute name for him. That 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas' had been one of your favorite Christmas movies as a child. That in the end Mr. Grinch wasn't as bad as everyone believed him to be just lonely and misunderstood, with a heart of gold hidden underneath all that grumpiness, just as your Joel.

When you playfully performed the Mr. Grinch song for him, Joel found it utterly amusing and that's how you came to be performing it tonight. Proving to everyone that your Mr. Grinch wasn't as bad as everyone believed him to be.

"C'mon Baby..." Joel slings his arm around your shoulder and directing you towards the table.

"Lead the way, Mr. Grinch..." you pat his ass affectionally, causing him to chuckle yet again as the rest of Jackson stared at the two of you weirdly. 

[capybaraonabicycle]

Omg I will of course leave the final fic choice up to you, but doesn't "True hate’s kiss (only kissing your enemy can break a curse)" sound like the perfect setup to a Twissy fic 👀

Thank you, love!

~1.5 k words, so much for "let me just write 5 sentences for you real quick". But it's, of course, because you are right, this prompt was made for twissy 🥰

I have not actually read this again, so beware. But here you go :)

[ID: gif of Missy's face in close up, smiling down like she is pitying someone mockingly. end ID]

“Can't you move a bit faster?”

If silly little companion pulled on her sleeve any more roughly, he was going to lose that new hand of his. Or maybe his nose, she wasn't really picky. The nose might taste better, Missy mused. She was quite sure it was the original one and not some cyborg-technology the Doctor had partly scavenged, partly cooked up himself. But that reasoning implied she had paid attention to the egg-head's babblings and she had a general policy never to do that.

It was lucky, comic relief had paid closer attention to her, however, because she didn't even need to voice her threat. Breathing out her nose audibly and baring her teeth sufficed easily and he squeaked, jumped, dropped her hand and hurried on a few inches further away from her.

“I am a time lady, snickerdoodle” she drawled, making a point of walking a tad more measuredly instead of hurrying up. “I always walk at the exact right speed.”

The Doctor's snack had the audacity to huff but he wisely chose not to talk back.

“It- it is just” he stuttered instead, “the Doctor, he is -”

“-dying?” she finished, already bored. “That's his usual Thursday, pup.”

“He asked for you!” the idiot-in-training blurted out and despite herself, Missy stopped and blinked.

“He did?” Now that were exciting news for a change. A bright smile grew on her face, simultaneously with the rising panic in plucky assistant's eyes.

“He said you could save him” he whispered, somehow managing to have his voice creak when he wasn't even properly using it.

“He did?” Missy repeated and by now her smile was positively giddy. Eggy started whimpering softly.

Missy didn't give him time to gather his bearings, instead grabbing his arm forcefully in turn, making him jump again. She brought her face close to his for good measure, revelling at the terror in his expression.

“Why. Didn't. You. Say. So. Immediately?” she asked, her voice stuck on the same note throughout the words, too high, too cheerful to be anything but disconcerting. “Hurry up, pet: I've got a day to save!”

He shuddered away from her and picked up the pace again, not looking back. But this time she was right there with him, excitement surging through her veins. The Doctor was in actual danger, helpless, pathetic and he had asked for her. Because he loved her. Because he needed her. And – most importantly – she would get to gloat. Once she had saved him. Which she obviously would. No matter what idiotic thing he had done, her silly sausage, she would get him up and running in no-time. She was his best friend, after all. His very best friend.

They reached the Doctor's office only a few minutes later, and Missy immediately noticed how serious the situation was. The psychic waves coming from him were all over the place – and not in the fun, chaotic way they usually were – they usually were a lot subtler as well, some things he had learnt in his thousand years of spacetravel – they were hurtful almost, full of pain and distress. She knew he was lying on the ground before she saw him, knew he was still conscious, too, even though his other little munch was convinced of the opposite. Missy paid her little mind how she was sitting on the floor with him, crying and mumbling affirmations. She only got in the way, really, with the way she was cradling the Doctor's head in her lap, she couldn't help him after all.

“I am here, oh, apple of my eye” Missy exclaimed dramatically, dropping to the floor at his side with great flourish.

“I don't, I don't think, he can hear you” girl-companion hiccuped through her tears, but Missy waved her interjection away.

“Of course he can, silly-billy” she huffed, reaching for the Doctor's hand that had come to lie on his stomach. She pressed it to her chest, holding on tightly.

“I am here” she whispered. “Tell me, Doctor, what do you need?”

Oh, she liked playing the hero. Being the one who held the Doctor's life in their hands. Being the one everyone looked at with those worshippy, wide eyes. She thought, right now, she could fathom why he had gotten addicted to it.

“We think he got cursed” supplementary fuss said behind her back. “We were on Tigella, and there was this sceptre. The Doctor touched -”

The last of the words died in his throat when Missy whirled around to him.

“Do you know what you're talking about?” she asked sweetly, but didn't give him a chance to answer. “No, you don't. So shut up before I change my mind and make a nice soup out of the three of you instead of helping. - okay?”

She fluttered her eyelids to emphasize the point and his mouth snapped shot, his jaw tightening.

“Thank you, much appreciated.” Missy turned towards the Doctor again, nearing her ear to his mouth. “Doctor, what do you need?”

“I need -” he rasped and french-fries-friendywend gasped when she heard him speak, almost making Missy miss his next words. Did these bumbling humans ever learn? “- a kiss. From – my worst enemy.”

“Awww” Missy bit her lip, drawing back. He needed his arch-enemy! And he had thought of her. “How very touching! I am so honoured, I am not even gonna bargain.”

He didn't answer or open his eyes, but there was a pleased twitch around his mouth that made her press his hand.

“I have to say though, Doctor,” she purred, leaning in again, “if you wanted for me to kiss you, there would have been easier ways to ask than going through the trouble of getting cursed.”

Now he snorted and measured by the state he was in, this tiny bit of banter was the greatest love confessions out of all the ones he had bestowed upon her today already.

“Come on, now - “ he coughed, “Missy. You would – have never – been content with – any – thing less – elaborate.”

“True” she smirked. She was hovering right above him now. “And I appreciate the effort, darling.”

His lips moved, searching hers, and she waited just another second, savouring the moment. Then human-thingy coughed pointedly and she drew it out yet another second, simply to antagonise her. But his breath was getting visibly shallower and there was a slight tremble in his hand. Plus, his lips looked chapped like burnt Earth and just as inviting. So, finally, she led their mouths together, her hand slipping across the extra's leg to support his head.

The moment their lips touched, it was like the life flooded back into him, his mouth's movement becoming more purposeful and his tongue meeting hers cordially when she slipped it past his teeth. His free hand even twitched, like he was trying to grasp her frock.

Of their own accord, Missy's eyes closed and for a moment she lost herself in the feeling of their lips meeting, the familiar taste of his tongue, the desperate way his breath fanned her chin and cheek, reminiscent of many breathless nights spent together, oh so long ago.

But then, his movement slowed, a distressed sound escaping his throat. Before Missy could decide whether to draw back – finally killing the Doctor by kissing him to death would have been an end she could have deemed worthy of their friendship – a rough hand was on her shoulder, pulling her away from him. She hissed and whirled around, biting hard into the offending limp. So, the sniveller had decided he didn't need this body part, after all, it seemed.

He cried out, pulling his hand away from her mouth with a pathetic whine. Missy spat out some blood and fake skin with a huff. It tasted as horribly as she had expected.

“What did you do that for?” he sobbed.

“Don't touch me, crybaby” she huffed, turning back around to the Doctor.

He was still lying motionless, if possible even paler now.

“Why didn't this work?” his pillow croaked, close to tears again. Missy drew her eyebrows together in agreement. Indeed. Why hadn't it? It should have worked, she had been supposed to save the day!

For some reason, the Doctor was smiling. Mind, it was barely visible, frail as he was, but Missy could read his face like a book in every incarnation and that so was his satisfied smile.

“Seems like,” he mumbled, “we aren't – strictly – enemies anymore, love.”

“Of course, we are, don't be stupid” she pressed out. Only now she noticed how desperately she was clutching his hand, it was almost like she was trying to imitate spare-parts over at the door who was licking his own injured paw.

“Don't smile” she told the Doctor off, and she was sounding more serious than she had any right to be. “You are dying and I am your enemy. You don't get to smile at that.”

She was sure, if he had had any strength left, his smile would have grown now.

“I am – sorry, Missy” he breathed instead, “but I must – ask you – to fetch – Da – Davros.”

Missy felt her mouth drop open in shock and humiliation. Davros? Fucking Davros got to save her Doctor??

This was rock bottom.

Thank you for reading, I hope it is about what you envisioned <3

[kib-ble]

ok so im here again i hope u still have requests open SO:

lets say konig gets back from a mission RIGHT? andd since its hes busy with missions he forgets its his birthday. ok and he comes home and reader surpises him :') WITH A CAKE AND EVERYTHING

maybe a pet cat or dog as a present??? who knows 😋

(i personally see him as both a cat and dog person)

YES ABSOLUTELY YES OMG

THIS IS SO FUCKING CUTEEE I CANTTTT

*ps, all translations were made in google translate, if they’re wrong, i apologize!!*

(könig x reader)

the amount of decorations you had managed to put up in the span of 2 hours was quite surprising. the other hour you spent making sure a cake would be ready when könig got home. he was unexpectedly put on leave and he had texted you to let you know since it would most likely be dark by the time he got home.

the small cat you had picked out from the animal shelter sat on his small bed next to the couch, watching the balloons move in the air.

the smell of the take out you got for the both of you wafted through the air, making you hungry and the small cake you got with the correct number of candles to match his age sat on the counter.

he told you he’d be home in about half an hour, giving you time to fix any small details in the decorations you could find. the food was laid nicely on the table and you put the cat back in the carrier ti surprise him later.

with your back turned away from the door and you too focused on the table setup, you never noticed the door open and close. you did notice, however, the sound of a large bag hitting the floor, which made you turn around. you were supposed to have 10 minutes left before he came home.

konigs brown eyes looked around at all the decorations that surrounded you. his hands took off his mask as he walked over to you, pulling you into a tight hug.

“schatz..” his voice broke and he pulled you tighter to him, “you didn’t have to do all this..”

you pulled away slightly to look at his face. some tears swarmed his eyes as he looked into yours, a smile had appeared aswell, making you smile.

“anything for my king.”

konig pulled your face close, pressing his lips softly against yours. the kiss lasted a while with both of you pulling apart breathless.

“why don’t you get changed and i’ll grab your present, then we can eat?”

“you got me a present?” his eyes lit up once again, earning a small laugh from you.

“yes, but you need to get changed in order to get it.”

konig nodded then quickly rushed to get changed. you grabbed the cat carrier from the other room, setting it on a chair where it would be hidden from konig until you gave it to him.

he came back soon, all changed and comfy. “couch. sit. close your eyes please.”

he sat in the couch, closing his eyes. you grabbed the carrier and set it next to him. “open.”

his eyes opened to see the small black carrier. his hand opened the door and the kitten came out almost immediately.

“oh, honig (honey, i didn’t know that either).” konig picked up the call then placed him on his lap. the kitten snuggled into him, purring as konig scratched behind his ears.

“i can’t believe you remembered..” he spoke quietly.

“remembered you liked cats or remembered your birthday?”

“my birthday.. even i forgot.”

you sat next to him on the couch, holding onto his arm as your head dropped onto his shoulder. “baby, i would never forget. i love you so much.”

“i love you too, schatz”

“happy birthday konig.”

“thank you.” he kissed your head, then laid his ontop of yours.

“oh! i almost forgot.” jumping off the couch and running to the kitchen, your grabbed the cake. konig stood and watched you, still holding his new kitten. “surprise!” you held the cake down so he could see the writing, ‘happy birthday, king!’

he continued to smile as he watched you set the cake back down. slowly, he made his way toward you, setting the cat down in the process, and picking you up, holding you as close as possible to him. “danke meine, liebe”

(thank you, my love)

[alyssajennwrites]

Fireworks ~ Quackity x Y/n

Quackity x f!reader

TW: Fireworks (Loud noises), cursing, fluff

Note: In 1st person. I’m sorry if your tall but for the sake of the story the reader is short. Also, it doesn’t really mention it but Y/n is around Quackity’s age (just wanted to say that so you didn’t get confused).

Remember: D/n = Discord name, S/n = Ship name, N/n = Nickname

Summary: Y/n meets up with the dspm gang for the first time. But things take a slight turn in the wrong direction when Tommy not only sets off fireworks, but when he also sets off Y/n’s fear of loud noises.

A/N: I know it’s not the Fourth of July but I’ve had this idea for forever so I wanted to write it.

Word Count: 2,015

༺𝓞𝓷𝓮 𝓦𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓢𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂༻

“Happy Fourth of July everyone!” Tommy said through the discord as he and the rest of the gang streamed.

I am currently sitting in my room, waiting for Tommy to finish up. He said he’d be done in five minutes, he said that 30 minutes ago. Not gonna lie, he’s kinda a dick sometimes. He’s my best friend, but he’s just irritating sometimes.

I honestly shouldn’t have let him stream from my setup! I don’t know what I was thinking at the time, but I shouldn’t have let him.

“Tommy,” I whined, walking over to him and placing my head on his shoulder. “You told me you would be done 25 minutes ago.”

I gave him a pouty face while trying to get his attention. He looked over in my direction but didn’t look at me. He looked over at the chat.

“Chat! Stop spamming that! Y/n and I are not a couple!” Tommy said, well more as he yelled.

I looked over to see the chat spamming their ship name for us, S/n. When chat first started spamming it, about a year ago, Tommy had freaked out. But now he just yells for the fun of it.

I laugh and put on a headset, pulling the extra microphone over to me.

“Hey chat!” I say waving at the camera even if I feel like a complete idiot doing so. “Tommy? Why isn’t a game pulled up on the computer? Weren’t you playing on the SMP?”

“Well, Mujer Bonita, we don’t have our set up with us at the moment,” I heard Big Q say through the call.

Big Q has a habit of giving me nicknames but saying them in Spanish. At first, I couldn’t understand a word he’d say, but now I know bits and pieces.

“Oh? And why would that be?” I ask.

“You’ll just have to wait and see missy,” He replies.

“Well chat,” Tommy interrupts. “I better end this before Big Q and N/n get into another fight. You know the drill and I really don’t feel like repeating it but check the follow button and I’ll see you later. Bye!”

He immediately ends the stream, but doesn’t disconnect from the discord call. He turns to me, letting out a long breath.

“What? Why are you acting like you need to do something this minute but you don’t want to?” I ask, tilting my head to the side. “Did you forget that you have a college essay due tomorrow?”

I hear a lot of, “Ooo,” coming from the boys still in the call. I laugh, at Tommy’s face.

“You’re never gonna let me live that down are you?” He asks, the corners of his mouth lifting up slightly.

“Do you really expect me to? You had 3 weeks to complete that essay and you put it off until the night before. I’m surprised you even finished it.”

“Tommy, the lady has a point,” Karl jumps in.

I smirk, triumphantly.

“Quit boosting her ego! You should see the look on her face,” Tommy says, somewhat annoyed.

The whole call bursts out laughing and I’m reminded of how much I want to meet them all in person. I’ve only met Tommy in person and he is currently staying over for the next couple of weeks. I really want to see them.

It’s weird, having people know you better than you know yourself. Especially if those people have never met you in real life. Like, take Karl for example, he knows every one of my favorite songs. Though that’s probably because I play and sing them nonstop when on a call with him.

“Alright, alright! Enough! N/n and I have to go. We’ll talk to you idiots later!” Tommy says.

Multiple byes and see ya’s can be heard from the call before Tommy logs off. That’s when he turns back to face me.

“Let’s go before we miss the party.” With that, he pulls me up and begins dragging me to the front door.

“Tommy where are we going?” I ask for about the third time during our little night drive.

“Y/n! I swear! If you fucking ask again I’m gonna turn around and we’re going home. And trust me when I say you’ll not be happy with that!” Tommy says as he takes a corner way too fucking fast.

I sigh, laying back further in my seat. I pull out my phone, opening Discord to find absolutely no messages from my main SMP friends. I frown, both confused and disappointed. That’s when I decide to get their attention.

See, the boys are very protective of me. Me being one of the only girls along with Niki has its perks. So, I text the main chat for our little group of friends.

D/n:

AAAHHHH SAVE MEEEEE

Big Q immediately answers this and I’m not surprised.

Quackity:

Woah! What’s wrong? Are you okay?

KarlJacobs:

You good?

Dream:

Fuck not again…

Tommy looks over when he hears me laugh at the boys’ reaction.

“What do you think you’re doing?” He leans over and looks at my screen. “Hey! Turn that off! No Discord during our trip!” He takes my phone again, placing it on the other side of him where I can’t reach it.

“Tommy… Give me my phone back!” I yell reaching for it.

“No! Get away!” He screams back at me.

“Don’t make me ask again Bitch Boy!”

Tommy playfully gasps, “Okay, now you’re not getting it back!”

I huff, sinking into my seat, defeated. My phone begins vibrating. Over, and over, and over, and over again.

“Damn girl, why do you have Discord notifications on?” Tommy asks, turning on my phone screen. “Holy shit! What did you say to them? I can’t read what they said because of your stupid Face ID, but I can tell that they’re worried.”

“Dude! Eyes on the fucking road!” I say as he drifts into the other lane.

~~~~~

The drive takes another 30 minutes before Tommy turns into a parking lot. I get out of the vehicle, looking around. There is nothing here. I see no party.

“Here you go. Please answer them before they start bugging me,” Tommy says, handing his phone to me and then leaning on the car.

I unlock my phone to see multiple messages from the boys.

Quackity:

N/n? You can’t scream and then not respond to us!

Mujer Bonita? Answer us, please!

Tubbo:

Y/n?

Y/n are you okay?

GeorgeNotFound:

Did she get kidnapped?

KarlJacobs:

No, she didn’t fucking get kidnapped, George!

It goes on like this for a while. So I keep scrolling to find this,

Wilbur:

Have you tried calling her?

Quackity:

No, let me try really quickly!

Wilbur:

You should have tried that first dipshit!

‘Quackity started a call’

’Fifteen missed calls from Quackity’

I sigh,

“Tommy! You took my phone and now the SMP is worried!” I say, playfully slapping his arm.

“Geez! Sorry, I didn’t want them to spill the surprise!” He said.

But before I could even question him, he dragged me towards the one bend in the road at the end of the parking lot. This bend was conveniently wide enough for me not to be able to see the other side.

“Tommy, I don’t like this,” I say, pulling my arm out of his grasp and backing up. “What is going on?”

“Just trust me N/n.” Right after he said that I could feel my phone vibrate.

I unlock my phone, finding that I had a message from Big Q.

Quackity:

Trust him Mujer!

I look up, confused, but either way, I hesitantly reach out my hand to Tommy. Tommy grabs hold of my hand and pulls me around the bend.

I stop short, gasping at the sight in front of me. There was a huge house like tent with lanterns everywhere. There was a walkway with torches lining the path. The tent was illuminated by what I guessed to candles or lanterns. The one thing that stood out to me the most was the crowd of people all talking outside of the tent.

I freed myself from Tommy’s hold and ran down the path to the crowd. As I make my way closer, I see one of the short males turn to face me. I gasp as I recognize the face, freezing when I recognize all the faces in the crowd.

“What…?” I say quietly. “How are you here?”

Tommy comes up behind me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“Happy Fourth of July Y/n.”

~~~~~

After many hugs and some tears. We all settle down. Me sitting next to Alex on the loveseat. Wilbur sitting on a stool with his guitar, strumming the tune to Your New Boyfriend. And everyone else sitting on the couches and chairs that surround the fire.

I look around at our group, there was Alex, Karl, Wilbur, Dream with a face mask on, George, Tubbo, Tommy, Philza, Niki, and Ranboo who also had a mask on.

They did it. They actually made a get together. And it is the best get together I could have asked for.

Out of no where, Tommy jumps up and yells,

“Time for fireworks bitches!!”

He runs outside, everyone else following. But as I stood up I realized, I hate loud noises. Tommy’s yelling is fine but, fireworks? I’ll have a mental breakdown.

“You okay mi amor?” Alex asked, walking back over to me.

“Mhm,” I say quietly, still looking at the wall.

“Hey…” Alex says quietly, using if hand to gently turn my head to face him. “What’s wrong?”

“Don’t laugh,” I saying, smiling sadly.

“I promise.” He sticks his pinky out for me to link with mine.

I laugh lightly, linking our pinkies in a promise.

“Okay, so…” I take a deep breath. “I’m scared of loud noises.”

Alex looks shocked at that. But he doesn’t laugh. He gives me a small smile and pulls me into a hug. But then suddenly he pulls away.

“How do you handle Tommy’s yelling and screaming them?” He looks worried, but I just chuckle.

“Oh, Tommy’s fine. I know that his yelling is all fun and games,” I reply smiling. “When I first met him though, I almost fell out of my chair because I jumped so hard when he yelled out his welcome.”

“Well, why don’t we go outside with the others?” He asks, stretching his hand out for me to grab.

I hold on, momentarily forgetting my fear. That is, until Tommy set off the first firework and I jump back. Alex immediately looks back to see me sitting on the ground, shaking. He quickly sits down next to me and covers my ears with his hands.

A look of worry, and guilt crossing his face. His hands were warm on my ears, and I couldn’t seem to make myself look away from his eyes. There was something about them that was mesmerizing.

We stayed like that until Tommy had run out of fireworks to light. Alex pulled his hands away from my ears as soon as he was certain that there were no more fireworks. He gently brushed his fingers across my skin, wiping away the tears that had broken free.

“I’m sorry, I should have stopped them sooner,” he whispered.

“It’s fine,” I whispered back.

“Hey! What do you two think you are doing on the ground?” Tommy called out from the distance.

Alex and I both laughed, helping each other off of the ground. We spent the rest of the night laughing and having fun. And Alex couldn’t seem to let go of my hand, but I’m not complaining.

“Wait, were you guys texting me from the same room? And were you in a call with Tommy from the same place?”

I never got an answer, I only got a bunch of laughter.

[randomfoggytiger]

The Scully Family In-Depth (Part XVII): The Doubting Thomas

Bill Scully: an example of needful prodding pushed too far.

Dana Scully is dying.

Having been called away from her last supper at Maggie Scully's, she jumps from denying Mulder's tip to helping him disprove it, consequently falling down a flight of stairs and into her brother's crossfire. More importantly, we explore the depths of Scully's denial, along with the Scully family tradition of harsh reality checks.

The Confrontation

After being knocked down a flight of stairs, Scully stares at her reflection, shying away from lingering raw emotions by assessing how well she's concealed her injuries (an visual representation of the lengths she is going through to deny her impending death and to avoid hard conversations with her mother and extended family.) Underneath it all, however, Scully can’t quite escape the knowledge of her metastasis… and the fear. 

It's in this sullying moment of darker reflection that Bill opens the door, solidifying a pattern of being at the right (or wrong) place at the (debatably) right time to discover his sister's secrets.  

“Dana?”

Scully is shocked, half-stepping backwards to nonchalantly conceal the blood on her shirt.

“Bill.” Pausing to collect herself, she stows away the last shades of vulnerability. “What are you doing here?” 

Bill is trying his best to salvage an awkward situation between them, turning unnecessarily to close the door while giving a falsely cheerful explanation.

“I picked up the phone when they called Mom.” Smiling, he clutches his gift with both hands as he advances, a messy patch of hair sticking up at the back of his head (evidence of his hurried bolt to the hospital for her sake.) He swallows and thrusts forward her clothes: a peace sign. “Bet you could use a change of clothes.”  

His tight smile and forced ease brings one to mind of the many sibling coverups Bill might have orchestrated for his tomboy little sister (the designated role of any older sibling.) 

Scully, however, has plenty to hide from him, batting aside his camaraderie gently with a slightly stressed, slightly anxious, “Thank you. Um, where’s Mom?” 

Bill feels her rejection, looking down as he drums up an answer. Tilting his head to the side like a little boy caught in a setup, he blinks, pauses, and finally admits-- looking up only after doing so, like Scully had seconds prior-- “I didn’t tell Mom what happened.” 

He swallows, an indication Bill is hiding and revealing more than she might assume. Schrödinger's information.

Scully looks caught, trapped; and immediately flees from that feeling, from the questions she knows Bill will likely ask, by looking down and busying herself with something else (her “I need to work” defense mechanism beginning to kick in urgently as the noose of her cancer begins to tighten.) 

Bill knows she is avoiding his scrutiny and his questions; but he can't let this go. “So… what did happen?” he asks, avoiding eye contact until the last second. 

She flippantly waves off the encounter, doing her best to dismiss his concerns with her own forced cheerfulness. “I, uh,” she begins, continuing to eye her buttons, “was knocked down a flight of stairs. But I’m okay,” she tells his chest. “Luckily,” she tacks on, head down again. 

Bill swallows, a first glimpse of his thinning patience. “You’re not okay, Dana,” he states. Fact undeniable.  

Scully immediately tenses; then sighs audibly, straightening for the first time, her mask firmly in place. She is implicitly demanding answers, not offering explanations.

She does not open herself up to Bill like she had Melissa, nor does she attempt to soothe his concerns or put him at ease like she does with Maggie or Mulder; instead, she immediately raises her guard to create emotional distance. It’s an unmistakable sign that they're not very close, despite mutual love and affectionate memories. Bill is the big Navy brother she proudly embraces every few years off his ship, not the person she confesses to about her The Blessing Way chip or Wetwired paranoia or Memento Mori diagnosis. As such, she keeps her personal life away from his opinions. 

Bill watches this transformation; and tries to push past these boundaries, tries to find a way to open her up. It’s an aspect of their relationship he will overcompensate for in A Christmas Carol; but for now, the reality that she hid incurable cancer from him for months, possibly until her final breath, is more than enough to fuel his building anger. 

It is an unfair position Scully has placed him in; but while Bill begins his interrogation fairly, he allows his pain to devolve a conversation about accountability into finger-pointing accusations. 

**Note**: I recommend this meta piece by @agirlcallednarelle (which I forgot to include in my first draft): it beautifully deconstructs the exact similarities between both siblings-- particularly, how Scully learned and evolved from her initial beliefs while Bill has yet to do so.

“I know about your cancer.” His lips tighten, his eyes redden, and he swallows again. 

Scully half-blinks, a crack in her determined resolution. Steeling herself, she admits, “I told Mom not to tell you.”  

Bill’s pain begins to switch to anger at her unapologetic admission. “Why?” 

Scully exhales again, tilting her head up higher as she pulls her thoughts together, preparing to put them into words. 

“Because it’s very personal,” she states, face hard, emotions impenetrable. 

Bill’s head snaps up as if struck, dewy tears vanishing in an instant at the realization that she’d chosen to cut him out of that aspect of her life because of an-- as he sees it-- excuse. 

Scully studies his expression, having read his tears and softened voice as confirmation she’d made the right decision. That he’s already given her up for dead. “Because I don’t want sympathy.” 

But here the tables turn completely turn: Bill divines her best kept secret, dragging it out of the shadows and into the garish, unrelenting light of reality, shaking his head at her as he does so: “You think you can cure yourself.” 

Scully hunches up tightly: stung at Bill’s pitying accusation-- still more stung at her inability to deny it, even to herself. 

For all her words about “my dying wish”, Scully has not yet accepted her death; nor has she given up, deep down, on life. Every bone Mulder or the work throws her, she snatches and guiltily buries away, greedily planning to gnaw over later when prying eyes have vanished. She mingled at her mother’s family party, denied a need to tell Bill or Charlie about her diagnosis, and brushed off her injuries at work with “luckily” all because she hasn’t allowed herself to fully take in, acknowledge, and feel the gravity of her situation. Not yet, anyway. 

The evidence is before her; but which truth will she believe? 

“Mom tells me that--” Bill begins; and Scully lowers her head completely, knowing her mother well enough to know the jig is fully up, “--that you’ve gotten worse. That your cancer’s gone into your bloodstream.”

She forces herself back into an upright position, gulping air as Bill lays out the unavoidable facts. Her reactions say it all: she’s logiced her way through a death sentence-- taking the doctor’s report and relaying it to Maggie as clinically as possible-- without dwelling on or taking it in. Playing a part at her mother’s party only to run off to Mulder’s side, playing a part at Mulder’s side only to chase after answers at work, playing a part before her brother only to explode when applied with the right pressure. 

When his sister still doesn’t respond, Bill utters in disbelief, “What are you doing at work getting knocked down and beaten up? What are you--” he finishes, anger manifesting at last, “--trying to prove? That you’re going to go out fighting?” 

He’s right: Scully is trying to prove something. And to all outward appearances, it does appear as if Scully would be more willing to die on the battlefield than admit her weaknesses to her family, that she is shunning their support and love in order to uphold an impossible, ideal woman that ditched medical school and devoted her life to a calling in the federal government. To Bill specifically, his sister seems more willing to stick it out unto death than admit she was wrong or anything less than perfect because of “other fathers.” And while he most certainly doesn’t know about her instinctual draw to rebellion, he is aware of the familial split over Dana’s choice to leave medicine-- a fact he does not bring up canonically (other than a cruel deleted scene in Memento Mori, post here) but which couldn’t have slipped his notice. Without hearing her proclamation in the first of many hallways (“I have things to prove… but for my own reasons”), his perspective is bound to be warped by pain and anger, and fueled by the strain Scully’s reticence has put their mother under. Not to mention the tiny window of time he assumes the family have together before death claims this sister, too.  

“Oh, now, come on, Bill,” Scully starts before being startled out of her rebuttal by Bill loudly thwacking her clothes aside.  

He advances, furious at her minimization and unwilling to hear a second of her excuses. Slapping her upside the head with brutal reality-- the same she gives Mulder later this episode-- he says, “You know what Mom is going through?” 

It’s the type of criticism that freezes Scully’s Starbuck complex in its tracks, causing her to doubt herself and leading her to reexamine her approach (and confront her failures in Redux II.) 

Her walls are down as Bill rhetorically asserts, “Why do you think I didn’t tell her when they called?” 

“What should I be doing?” Scully exclaims, his statements hitting upon the exact questions she’s been asking herself, the ones she’s been avoiding answering because they don’t seem to be a right answer. 

“We have a responsibility--” Bill insists, the mantra that takes him out to sea and brings him home again, “--not just to ourselves, but to the people in our lives.” 

His truths, however Billian, are hitting too close to home to the naggings on her own conscience; and Scully accidentally reveals how close in her attempts to deflect them. “Hey, look, just, just because I haven’t bared my soul to you or, or to Father McCue or to God--” a reflection of the “other fathers” in Scully’s life, “--it doesn’t mean I’m not responsible to what’s important to me.” She ends with her declaration with a plea, a little hook to snag validation or acceptance from her prosecutor.   

“To what? To who?” Bill snaps, his and his mother’s wounded sensibilities weighed against her undisclosed cancer, phone call, and ditch. “This guy Mulder? But where is he, Dana? Where is he through all this?” 

Bill knows it’s Mulder, not the work, that is “luring” Scully away from her family, whether it be from Maggie’s descriptions when she relayed Dana’s diagnosis or his follow up questions after Scully took Mulder’s call and left. There is no disguise in his language: “where is he through all this” draws blatant lines between Scully's newly placed loyalty and love; and this combined with Mulder's actions in Redux II-- bringing “work” to her deathbed and “manipulating” her into sticking sci-fi tech in the back of her neck-- creates the storm of vitriol Bill unleashes two episodes from now. 

Scully gapes as her argument with Mulder over his quest, the existence of God, and proof comes rushing back to her. Her brother’s eyes drill into hers, demanding the decency of a straight answer... but she has none. Mulder isn’t here because he doesn’t know, because she hasn’t told him; but if she had told him, if he did know, would Mulder be here? Will her death be swallowed up in his pursuit for answers?

She looks down, silent; away, silent; and Bill waits, sensing his sister is on the cusp of a decision.  

Ultimately, it boils down to a matter of faith. 

Scully believes Bill loves her and wants the best for her; but she doesn’t trust him like Mulder or her mother, nor does she confide in him like Melissa. They may push and prod-- or, in Melissa’s case, shove-- her for answers, for due-diligence introspection, for truths she's too afraid to face; but she trusts they trust her abilities, her decisions, her. Bill struck home with “a responsibility… to the people in our lives” because it is a truth they both act on; but she cannot share a greater one-- one that is wrapped up in her fears, her hopes, her wishes, her passions, her drive, her source of strength-- without sharing Mulder, too. And what is there to share of Mulder? Since Demons, since Gethsemane, Scully isn’t sure. 

She turns aside, swallows, garbs her spare clothes, whispers, “Thank you for coming”, and rushes into the bathroom before Bill can question her further. 

He fruitlessly calls, “Dana…” after her, watching his little sister slip away with regret. 

CONCLUSION

The set up, really, for more drama in Redux II.

Thanks for reading~

Enjoy!

[mermaidsirennikita]

ARC REVIEW: The Road of Bones by Demi Winters

4/5. Releases 11/5/2024.

Vibes:

—vikings

—magic-hunting

—BIG-ASS MEN

Heat Index: 6/10

The Basics:

After her dying father reveals a life-changing secret, Silla must embark on the dangerous Road of Bones to escape the queen's assassin. Along the way, she has no choice but to join up with a notoriously dangerous crew—and if she's going to live, she has to make them trust her.

The Review:

This is an intense book from the start, jumping into the action with a literal stoning. So that is to say—this is going to a bit heavier than, say, Fourth Wing. But you know what? I think that's a good thing, because it ratchets up the stakes for Silla immediately.

As the name suggests, this is kind of a road trip book, if you think of a road trip in terms of terror and non-stop danger. Which, I mean, who doesn't? What this does is compel us to invest in Silla and her new companions even more, though. Anything could happen at any time.

With that being said, this is on the longer side, and perhaps it's a bit longer than it absolutely needs to be. (That being said, this is a traditional release of a series that was self-published before—I suspect it's been edited a bit already, and it's less that the editing is insufficient, and more that this is just DENSE.) The pacing is a little on the slower end, but it's more of an all-around slow burn. By no means is this not entertaining.

It's hard for me to talk about the romance here, because it's a bit complicated... in a way I really appreciated. Like I said, this is a slow burn. And the book doesn't take a straightforward journey towards the love story itself. But... there are hot vikings. I can promise you that!

If I had to call this a romance or a fantasy, I'd say... It's a fantasy romance still, but it does lean very heavily toward the fantasy. If you're someone who needs romance to be at the very top of mind, this might not be QUITE enough.

But I suspect the next book will pitch us even further into those qualities, and I'm ready.

The Sex:

Again, kind of hard for me to talk about the sex in this one without giving things away. But suffice to say—there's sex, it's open door, and I bet you don't know where it's going...

This was an intriguing and well-written read, and I'm excited to dive into the next book. Yes, there's a lot of setup. But it's setup for a world I want to read more of.

Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[anhed-nia]

BLOGTOBER 10/6/2024: THE I SPIT ON YOUR LADIES' NIGHT MISOGYNATHON, PART 1 - BLINK TWICE AND DON'T WORRY DARLING

Sometimes during Blogtober I'll watch some movie that so activates my pattern recognition that I have to watch several other movies in a row, and then the entry is like this. In this case it is all the fault of BLINK TWICE.

I am perennially interested in stories about insidious forms of sexual abuse, and I thought this was OK. Spoilers be here, if you're worried you could skip to the image from DON'T WORRY DARLING below, although I don't know how surprising BLINK TWICE really is. Well, maybe it's surprising enough that the fucking studio put a fucking trigger warning on the beginning of this fucking R-rated movie like I'm a little fucking baby, but ANYWAY. It is rather obviously about how Channing Tatum is a recently-disgraced techbro who is continuing to do extremely bad things to the women he lures to his tropical island. Part of me wondered if this whole movie weren't some sort of warning shot at Jared Leto about the island cult he has or is trying to start, but in any case it is very entertaining. It's sort of odd to do what is kind of a heavy rape movie and make it this funny, but I supposed there ought to be some alternative to just extreme confrontationalism--although there is a dash of that here too.

There is also a dash of some sort of magic realism that didn't seem that well integrated. That the island is full of snakes whose venom just so happens to counteract the techbro's experimental rape drug--and he knows this--is a little too on the nose for me, a little too Eve and the Serpent, kind of silly. And if you're a genius with unlimited resources, why would you chose a place that's full of these problematic snakes for your island where you have to use this one drug for your rape orgies? Yeah, sure, he could have realized this too late and wasn't willing to cut his losses, but it all seems very convenient.

I also had a problem with part of the basic setup: Zoe Kravitz directs Naomi Ackie as this loser millennial who is first seen watching an apology video by Channing Tatum who has become notorious for doing some unspecified Armie Hammer-type shit. Then Naomi sneaks into this gala where she meets him and immediately accepts an invitation to his isolated island, and like *maybe* what you learn much later is supposed to explain why she has absolutely no misgivings about this, but in the meantime you have to spend quite a lot of time wondering what kind of person she is, that she's down for this. Her acceptance of him should mean something. Either she's so naive she believes public apologies from powerful men, or she's suffering from so much internalized misogyny that she doesn't believe other women, or she loves bad boys, or she's hypnotized by his wealth, or...something. I really wanted an excuse because whatever it is would majorly inform her whole character. We all have pretty specific assumptions about people who defend Johnny Depp, there are specific motivations behind that behavior. I just felt like the whole story needed more justification from the jump. Although that said, it is very amusing for a movie about a rape island.

Anyway, while I was watching BLINK TWICE I started to wonder if Olivia Wilde felt ripped off by it. Even though DON'T WORRY DARLING is a science fiction film, it has essentially the same plot: A rich, charismatic techbro invents a little elite paradise for his friends and supporters where they can enjoy perfect control over women. And I'm suddenly realizing this segment is also going to be fairly spoilery, so sorry if you haven't seen this one either but the twist ending actually IS surprising, even if the movie otherwise wears its debt to THE STEPFORD WIVES on its sleeve. But perhaps the most surprising thing of all is that I actually sort of like DON'T WORRY DARLING, and I might be the only person in the world to say that.

I don't even know if I can justify my affection for it, but I am comfortable at least saying that even if it's not great, it doesn't deserve the heaps of abuse it got. In this cold, weird, '50s-flavored thriller, Florence Pugh and her husband Harry Styles live in a remote Southwestern cul-de-sac that houses all the bright young men who work on the mysterious "Victory Project". None of the too-perfect housewives knows what the Victory Project actually is, though everyone is way oversubscribed to the idea that glorified cult leader Chris Pine is somehow building a better future. Inevitably, Florence Pugh figures out that the women are being controlled somehow, which revelation causes some fabulous hallucinations and her eventual action hero rebellion.

I get the problems with this. The story is overly familiar, poor Harry Styles produces absolutely nothing resembling a recognizable character despite his earnest efforts, and worst of all, the movie just misuses its time. The revelation that this is not a Stepford-type project, but rather an underground virtual reality experiment for incels and their kidnap victims is honestly pretty cool. It's interesting! Interesting enough that they shouldn't have saved it for the very end, they should have found a way to integrate it into the main narrative more; instead there are too many repetitive scenes of Florence Pugh being argumentative, which all have forgone conclusions.

But meanwhile, DON'T WORRY DARLING establishes a very sharp, edgy tone that keeps you (or me, anyway) in a reasonable state of suspense and claustrophobic anxiety. I've been trying to analyze where this comes from and I think part of it is just the sound, which is often excellent (if occasionally over the top). There's a certain kind of ambient tone used in the little cloistered homes that makes me smell ozone and feel pressure in my ears. And I think most of the performances are very good, especially Florence Pugh of course who I just love. I love her because I think she could beat my ass. It's like, fucking Scarlett Johansson has been foisted upon the world as an action hero and she just seems so slow and dull and unconvincing. Meanwhile Florence Pugh is scrambling up a gravel road barefoot at alarming speeds and I totally believe it. Even in MIDSOMMAR she's just so fucking physical, and did you see that wrestling movie she made, FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY? It's really good, you should watch it. She could kick anybody's ass.

[animehouse-moe]

Chainsaw Man Chapter 138: Sword Man

Classic Fujimoto, entirely inscrutable to the outside eye, changing pace and outlook at the drop of the hat. Closure is a word that I'm sure doesn't exist in their vocabulary at this point as we skip and jump around from place to place in this chapter and expose a lot of information. Really, they drop a lot of stuff, arguably important stuff, in this chapter that I really think will get people wondering.

We first find out that our mystery girl, Fumiko Mifune, is actually a bodyguard placed next to Denji to protect him. A pretty solid surprise for sure, but I think more interesting than that is the personality that she shows now that the jig is up.

The switch flips immediately, and instead of it being all about Denji, it's now all about Chainsaw Man. It's a really interesting piece that doesn't quite elicit a specific emotional response as it does confusion in Denji. The girl that was interested in "him" was only interested in Chainsaw Man. Just a natural extension of Denji's terrible luck with (older) women. Every single one is after only half of him, the piece that resembles him the least, the piece that people want to rob him of. Why is Denji not worthy of love and attention, but Chainsaw Man is? Perhaps that's what confuses Denji in this moment, why everybody looks through him for something that is him.

Anyways, Karaoke Fujimoto.

And now some fun dichotomy between Asa and Yoru. It's quite enjoyable how consistent and committed Fujimoto is to representing Asa and Yoru as separate and opposite entities in comparison to the blurred lines that exist with Denji and Chainsaw Man.

Following that up, I really liked this dialogue/sequence with Asa discussing her popularity. She refuses to be likened to Yoru, so of course she immediately denies the fact that she's drawn in by her fame and popularity. But her story tells readers otherwise. She's the one tuned into the TV broadcast plastering her face across the screen, she's the one that is smiling at seeing how much attention she's getting.

Asa's inability to be honest with herself has long been an established character trait, so I really enjoy seeing it be used in places like this where it can be used to further blur the line between Asa and Yoru, and that despite being setup to be at complete odds with one another, they're slowly assimilating.

And now, for the real bombshells of the chapter. Asa/Yoru's scar is visible to others when Yoru takes control of the body. This is a trait that we've not seen with hybrids up until this point. So, the question is,

Can you call Asa Mitaka a hybrid?

I don't think you can, and here's why. First of all, when a hybrid devil "transforms", they have to directly interact with their body: Denji pulling his cord, Katana Man take his hand off, so on and so forth. Secondly, when a hybrid "returns" to their human form, that excess transformation begins to slough off of their bodies in clumps. Thirdly, it's marked by physical differences to their human body that resemble the fear that they embody. Lastly, the devil inhabits the heart of the hybrid human.

In all situations, Asa and Yoru do not satisfy these criteria. There is no requirement for transformation, nor any physical difference that is gained and removed in the typical fashion, nor is it Asa's heart that's been removed.

By all means, I believe we can properly confirm that what Asa and Yoru are experiencing is symbiosis, where Yoru is a symbiote existing in Asa. The transformation is implicit, Yoru can control Asa (though Asa can wrestle control back), etc. etc. The point being that knowing that the scar is an actual change that is perceived means that Yoru can exert some form of control over the body, but that she can't transform properly like a hybrid. Some might argue that there's potential Yoru is considered a "fiend", but in those the original personality is erased (which is not the case here).

Also, with the confirmation of the scar being visible, a new theory is produced. Not that there's two bodies or anything like that, no it's a much more odd, implicit, and weird thing to try and explain. Yoru is using Asa's old body, while Asa herself occupies the "new" one given to her by Yoru. Yeah, I use old and new even though I said there's not two bodies, but I'm not sure how else to explain it. The scars that are visible directly indicate that Yoru's "body" is the one that she put back together when Asa died. However, Asa's current body does not display any of those scars. I'm unsure what exactly this could mean, but I think there's a lot of potential for some really interesting psychological aspects to emerge.

Anyways, the next massive bombshell: Sword Man. This alone gives the potential for all the other hybrids to still be alive. This means characters like Reze, Quanxi, and others could still exist. Not that we really had a way to confirm that they were dead, but considering they've not shown up until now it's not a crazy thing to have assumed.

At the same time, it also means that there's potential for Sword Man to not actually be sword man. We've seen that it's entirely possible to morph and shapeshift to look exactly like other people, so it's entirely possible that this person is either working with or is the same person that is the imposter Chainsaw Man. That, or they're part of the group that is set on attacking Denji.

Whichever is the truth, it's a big reveal that has pretty dire consequences for the nature of the impending doom of the foretold prophecy.

So overall, the chapter stays pretty far away from Denji's identity crisis regarding Chainsaw Man, and instead establishes some crazily important facts and points within the world to provide the stepping stones for future aspects. Will we find out what Asa and Yoru actually are? Will the existence of Sword Man lead us towards who is the false Chainsaw Man? Will other hybrids make an appearance, is Yoshida pulling strings behind the curtains through all of these moments? Will Denji ever find anybody that likes him for just who he is? Find out, on the next episode of: Chainsaw Man.

[intuitive-revelations]

I need to rewatch that episode at some point to fully digest it, as I was watching with my family, but I have a bit of a theory coming out of it. Granted it might also be wishful thinking, since it's kind-of what I would do if I was in RTD's shoes, but hear me out:

Getting another mention of the Timeless Child arc feels very deliberate, despite (again) the new series obstensibly being a jumping on point for new viewers.

The episode is filled with themes regarding being a 'foundling' (that wording from Davina was a VERY deliberate choice - granted it's already floating around in pop-culture a bit with The Mandalorian, but it's also specifically the wording the Master used to describe the Timeless Child), not to mention fostering from the parent's point of view, and ambiguous family relationships (daughter / foster kid etc.).

There's clearly a coincidence parallel there. Indeed we hear as much from Fifteen himself.

"I'm adopted." "Are you?" "Yeah, yeah. I, uh, only found out recently."

Meanwhile we also get this element of the timeline changing, and it completely changing the life and personality of Carla.

And finally, there's the Doctor watching Ruby's birth mother (?) leave despite seemingly being tempted to confront her vs Ruby immediately running off when she realises the Doctor's a time traveller (RTD clearly influencing himself there, given the similarities with Rose's debut).

My guess (and hope, full disclaimer) is that we might get some development of the Doctor's origins to make them a bit more ambiguous beyond the Timeless Child mystery. Ideally via changing timelines as per Unnatural History IMHO, like I mentioned in a recent post.

We've got some hints of RTD thinking this way already, given his reasoning for sharing Doctor Who and the Time War during lockdown:

More importantly, the idea has come of age. This chapter only died because it became, continuity-wise, incorrect. But now, the Thirteenth Doctor has shown us Doctors galore, with infinite possibilities. All Doctors exist. All stories are true.

Tales of the TARDIS also seems to lean quite hard into this, with each past Doctor having aged beyond their regenerations due to the constantly changing time tracks. (This also feels kinda like what he was getting at with his 'all Doctors bigenerated' comment, even if it actually occuring in-universe as it did with Fourteen woud be a disaster.)

Do I think we will get too focused on timelines shifting? ...no not necessarily. But I do think we might see some key themes regarding having multiple families (biological, adopted, fostered, found etc.) and these might get applied directly to the Doctor, with him acknowledging having multiple pasts and multiple families. Like that line from Lungbarrow:

'Goodbye, Lungbarrovians,' he called. 'Don't worry. I don't ask for your forgiveness. Time runs in circles. I have other families!

Granted, a lot of this is pure speculation, but I do think there's clear setup for Ruby and Fifteen to be foils to each other going forward, which may indicate similar arcs, even if they don't necessarily unfold at the same time.

However there is one big thing that really might just link it together for me..

The way the family changes as the timelines change. The way Carla's relationship with her foster children changes too. The difference in the number of photos.

This last bit is particulary interesting, because it has two possible subtextual meanings in my head. Let's assume the theory is right, everything involving Ruby is meant to foreshadow the Doctor's own multiple pasts and multiple families.

Does the number of photos represent the size of his family (eg. 45 cousins in a House vs a handful of siblings and stepsiblings)?

"You've got the biggest family in the world." "I have. What about you?" "Uh... I've got no one."

(Although it is worth noting that this is also exactly what Sarah Jane said to Ten about the companions in Journeys End. I'm not how, or if, this is meaningful, but I figured I'd note it.)

Or... and this is a stretch of a stretch... could it represent the number of incarnations the Doctor has had in each timetrack?

"All those lives... you fostered thirty-three." "How many? Not me, darling. Don't be so stupid."

There's not that much to go off yet, so a lot of this may be well off what actually happens, but on a thematic level at least, I do very much think Ruby and the Doctor will continue to be foils to eachother regarding their relationships with their families and trying to find their 'true origin'.