#but I’m just saying that scene should’ve been more powerful than how it was played out

[chipkoy]

have some angst💔

[crystalninjaphoenix]

Hold My Hand Tight

Paranormal Preteens AU: Episode Nineteen

A JSE Fanfic

Forgive me if the title seems unfitting, I almost forgot to queue this so it's super late as I'm titling it and writing this author's note. I'll get straight to the summary. Chase realizes that he made a mistake earlier, and so tries to make up for it by hanging out with Marvin, just the two of them. There's also a brief discussion about what to do about the thing in the school basement, and a scene where JJ gets an unexpected visitor. Enjoy reading :)

More of this AU

++++++++++++++++++++

The school week passed uneventfully, but still, Chase couldn’t help but feel like something was off. And it wasn’t because of the “paperpillar” in the basement. He hadn’t heard anything about that. No strange sounds or sights, and no rumors about a paper monster in the school. No, this was something else.

It took him until Thursday afternoon to realize what it was. He was watching TV in the living room. Schneep was there, too, but he was curled up reading instead of paying attention to the show (he wasn’t into this show.) The commercials had just started, allowing Chase’s mind to wander—and then it hit him. “Oh my god, I’m an idiot,” he whispered.

Schneep looked over at him. “What? Why?”

“I called Marvin ‘weird’ again.” Chase hit his forehead. “Dumb! Dumb dumb dumb! I didn’t mean it like that! I should’ve used a different word!”

“Chase.” Schneep lowered his book and stared at him.

“Don’t sound so disappointed! You didn’t say anything when it happened!”

“I was busy thinking about how Marvin suddenly had powers. And... a-and I should not have to say something every time you make a mistake.”

Chase slumped back against the sofa. “I didn’t mean it like that,” he repeated, mumbling.

“What did you mean it like, then?” Schneep asked.

“I dunno. Uh... strange, but cool. Because it is cool.” Chase shook his head. “I just... I use that word all the time. Everyone does. Even Marvin does, I’ve heard him say it. But I should’ve thought about what happened. And the, uh... the... surroundings. Of the word. There’s a word for that, um... the context. I should’ve thought about the context.”

“And you should have realized what you did before now,” Schneep muttered.

“I know! But we’ve been kinda busy!” Schoolwork was really starting to get intense, which wasn’t fair, because the end-of-term exams were still at least a month away. And besides that, there was, you know, a giant paper caterpillar in the basement of the school. And that weird Circle group, which everyone was convinced was watching them. And that guy who looked like Anti—Jackie had called him Jack McLoughlin. Chase had tried asking around about him, but he was too old for any of the kids in his year to have known. “And I’ll say again, you didn’t say anything, either. And neither did Stacy!”

“Well maybe she thought you would’ve realized on your own much faster,” Schneep pointed out.

Chase sighed, slumping further. “I should’ve.” He paused. “Uh... what do I do now? I should say sorry, right? Or has it been too long?”

“You should say sorry.”

“Yeah.” Another pause. Chase stared blankly at the commercials on TV. Some toy ad was playing. He didn’t really care about it. “But like... I wanna do more than that, too. Cause like... I don’t want Marvin to hate me. Or think I hate him. I want to do something to make up for... um... being a butt.”

Schneep laughed a little. “Maybe you two can do something together. Ah, ‘hang out’ somewhere.”

“You don’t think that’s too much?”

“You just said you wanted to do more than just say sorry. I think hanging out together could be that.” Schneep shrugged. “Marvin might not want to, of course. In which case, you still say sorry. There is nothing to lose in asking. You should not be so, ah, unsure about yourself.”

“...yeah, I guess you’re right.” Chase nodded. “I don’t know what he’d want to do, though. I guess he could choose. That’d be easier, and show that I, uh... wanna hear about stuff he likes to do.”

Schneep grinned. “That seems good to me. We will see everyone tomorrow after school to talk about everything, ja? You can talk to him after all that about this.”

“That’s a good plan. Thanks, Schneep.”

“You are welcome.”

At that moment, Mom walked into the room. She glanced over at the sofa on her way to the kitchen. “Chase, do you want to break your spine? Stop sitting like that.”

Chase groaned. “It’s fine, Mom!” he said, but sat up straight anyway.

Schneep laughed.

++++++++++++++++++++

The whole group had agreed to meet up at Zelly’s on Friday. Mom dropped Chase and Schneep off, promising to pick them up when they texted her. Everyone else was already there. Jackie, Stacy, and of course, the Jacksons. Chase stared at Marvin for a little longer than he probably should have. But Marvin didn’t notice. He was too busy methodically shredding a napkin.

“Hey guys!” Jackie grinned as Chase and Schneep sat down. “We’re probably not gonna have a lot of time. I have to work in like, half an hour. But I think that’ll be long enough.”

“I didn’t know these guys sold hot chocolate,” Stacy said as she read a menu.

“Yeah, they sell it in winter,” Chase said. “Did they put it on the menu already? It’s not that cold.”

I’m going to disagree, JJ said. He was wearing a blue jacket over his normal shirt.

“Well, let us decide what to get and then talk about the past week,” Schneep said.

They decided on their drinks—Jackie, Stacy, and JJ would get hot chocolate while Chase, Schneep, and Marvin stuck with soda. A server came over and they ordered, adding on a couple baskets of fries for the table. As soon as the server was out of sight, Stacy leaned forward. “So, like, how does this work? Do we just start talking about how to deal with the paper thing in the basement right away?”

“The paperpillar,” Marvin said, his eyes brightening a little. “It’s a paperpillar. Paperpillar!” Clearly, he really liked the word and/or the concept of a paperpillar.

“Yeah, that,” Stacy said. “What’re we gonna do about it?”

“Do we need to do anything about it?” Schneep asked. “It has not come up into the school since we saw it. And I have not heard about any trouble.”

“But like... it tried to eat Jackie, sooo...” Chase pointed out.

“It wasn’t eating me, it was just like... wrapping around me,” Jackie said. “It didn’t hurt or anything. And I don’t think something made of paper can ‘eat’ things in the first place.”

Chase has a good point, though, JJ said. It ran at us the moment it saw us. It will probably do the same thing to anyone who goes into the basement.

“Hmm. Yes, you are right.” Schneep nodded. “Even if most people do not go down there, it looked like there was a lot of, ah, maintenance things there. Someone will go in the basement one day to mess with those things. That is how maintenance works.”

“Alright, so we agree we gotta stop it, then,” Jackie said. “How?”

“Uh... we can, like, burn it or something,” Stacy suggested.

“Whoa!” Chase laughed. “I-I didn’t think you’d say that.”

“What? Cause I’m a girl? Girls can burn things down if they wanna.” Stacy pushed her glasses into place. “And if it’s made of paper, fire is probably the best thing to use. Have you ever seen paper burn? It goes up immediately.”

JJ nodded. We can find lighters easily enough. Maybe we could throw one at it. Maybe a couple, just to be sure it will catch—

“Maybe let’s not set a fire in the school?” Jackie said delicately. “If it spreads to the rest of the building, uh... there’ll be a lot of people in there. So... that’s bad.”

“Oh.” Stacy blinked. “Right.”

Will it spread so easily? JJ wondered.

“Yes,” Jackie emphasized. “If the thing on fire is a big paperpillar that can run really fast, then yes.”

JJ frowned. Probably a bad idea, then.

“There could also be gas things in the basement,” Schneep added.

“Okay, so no fire,” Chase said. “But what do we do, then? We can’t banish it like the ghost, we can’t pop it like the bubble monster, we can’t cut it up like the mushrooms, we can’t... uh... what did we do with the monster dog?”

Marvin, previously rather quiet, straightened. “I was thinking about that, actually. Uh, so, you know, we managed to like, pull all the greenlight out of the monster dog and turn it back to normal, right? Using a bunch of crystals. But, like, uh... I have this now.” He held out his hands, palms up. A tiny ball of green light appeared hovering over each of them. He quickly closed his hands into fists, making the lights disappear, and continued. “Maybe I can just pull the greenlight out of the paperpillar by myself. I mean, if that’s a good idea. Do you guys think it is?”

Chase squirmed in his seat a little, but no one was looking at him to notice.

“Do you think you can do that?” Stacy asked. “I mean, in movies and stuff people always have to learn magic and get better and stuff through practice. Pulling out the greenlight seems hard.”

“I, uh, I have been practicing,” Marvin admitted, sounding a bit embarrassed.

JJ nodded excitedly. He can make shapes!

“Make shapes?” Schneep repeated. He leaned closer, intrigued. “How? Can we see?”

“Oh, uh... s-sure.” Looking uncharacteristically nervous, Marvin cupped his hands together, holding them over the table palms-down. A translucent green golf ball appeared on the table under his hands. Then it shifted to a cube. Then a pyramid. Then a squiggly sort of cylinder. Then Marvin lowered his cupped hands over the shape and it disappeared.

“Cool,” Chase breathed.

Very cool! JJ signed. He can also make glowing stars, like the kind that goes on ceilings, they look so nice at night. And he can make tiny hands and ropes to move and grab stuff.

Marvin laughed. “Y-yeah.”

“Wow.” Jackie grinned. “So, you’re kinda like Green Lantern, then.”

“Who?” Marvin asked.

“He’s a superhero.”

“Oh. Well, I’m a witch.”

“We are getting off topic,” Schneep said, shaking his head. “The point is, do you think you can do that? Pull the greenlight out?”

“Uh... I mean, I don’t think I can really practice that,” Marvin said slowly. “Not without something that has greenlight in it. And the only thing we know about like that right now is the paperpillar. So... we kinda just have to try.”

“If crystals can make greenlight more powerful, maybe we can bring some to try and help you out?” Stacy suggested.

“That’s a great idea!” Jackie said, grinning. “Okay, I think we have a plan. We meet after school one day—oh.” They paused for a moment as the server returned with their fries and drinks. “Thanks.” After everyone had their order, small talk with the server was done, and the server had walked out of earshot, Jackie continued. “We’ll meet after school one day. Go into the basement to find the paperpillar. Most of us will try to distract it as Marvin tries draining the greenlight. If he can’t do it, we’ll run and try again some other day.”

“We’ll need somewhere we can defend, then,” Chase said. “A fort of some kind.”

If we’re doing it after school, maybe we can lure it out of the basement and into one of the classrooms? JJ said. There are sets up in one of the Theatre rooms we can hide behind.

“That sounds perfect,” Stacy said.

“Okay, but before we start talking about more details and stuff, can I ask something?” Chase said. “Has anyone found out anything new about the Circle? Or that Jack guy who looks like Anti?”

A chorus of various ‘no’s rang out around the table. “The same teachers are being weird, but nothing actually happened all week,” Marvin said.

“Maybe they’re not going to do anything,” Stacy said optimistically. “Maybe they’re just going to keep an eye on us to make sure we don’t say anything.”

Schneep frowned. “I do not trust grown-ups like that to not do anything. Just because nothing has happened yet does not mean nothing will happen ever. They are probably just waiting for a good time to... to...” He looked down into his soda glass and went quiet. Chase leaned a bit closer, grabbing his hand and squeezing it. Schneep squeezed back.

“We still have to be careful,” Jackie said. “Try not to go anywhere in school alone. And definitely don’t trust strangers.” He paused. “You also asked about Jack, right, Chase?”

“Mm-hmm.” Chase nodded. “Did you find anything? I didn’t.”

Jackie shrugged. “Got confirmation from some Band kids that Jack moved back to Ireland right after the school year ended. But they didn’t know anything else about where he’d go. One of them knew his parents’ names, I guess... guess I’ll try looking online or in phone books for their names? Gonna be hard covering all of Ireland, though. So it’ll take a while. And for the life of me, I can’t figure out why Anti would look like that guy.”

“Maybe it’s random,” Stacy guessed. “Maybe Anti just started looking like the first person he saw when he came out of the dark place.”

JJ frowned. Maybe. But I think there’s a connection. It’s just not clear why.

“Yeah.” Chase paused. “Well... back to the paperpillar, then.”

The group talked some more, hashing out the specifics, and agreed to try fighting the paperpillar after school that Monday. After that, they talked some more about school. Mostly complaining about tests and homework. JJ and Schneep insisted it wasn’t that bad, while everyone else universally agreed it sucked. Even Stacy, which surprised Chase, since she seemed like the smart type. Jackie did point out that school was important, but he was probably only doing that because he felt like he had to, as the oldest one in the group. After the school discussion, they talked about games and movies and books for a while before it was time for them to all go. Mostly because Jackie’s shift was about to start and it would’ve been awkward for the kids to stay there while he was working.

But, as Schneep suggested, Chase hung back, waiting. When everyone was gone but him and the twins (Schneep agreed to wait outside) he tapped Marvin on the shoulder and said, “Hey. Can I, uh... talk to you?”

Marvin looked at him. Then he looked at JJ. Then back at him. “Yeah. Do you mean alone? Should JJ leave?”

“Uh... I guess not,” Chase said. “I was just wondering if you wanna... hang out? Sometime this weekend? Not like, the whole group, I mean. Just you and me?”

“Um...” Marvin looked confused. “Sure, but why?”

“I wanna hang out with you,” Chase said. “I don’t think I’ve done stuff with just you before. Or, uh, just you,” he added, looking at JJ. “If you and me wanna do something after this, we can.”

JJ smiled a bit. That’d be great, but I don’t think I’d have the time. I have a lot of classwork to do. But you and Marvin can do stuff together. I don’t mind.

“You sure?” Marvin asked.

I’m sure.

“Alright, then.” Marvin looked back at Chase. “What were you thinking?”

Chase shrugged, trying to look casual. “Whatever you want to do.”

Marvin stared at him. “...shit. What do I like to do?”

JJ laughed, seeing the blank look on his twin’s face.

“Oh shut up.” Marvin shoved him. JJ shoved back. The two of them were distracted by a shoving contest for a couple seconds before Marvin suddenly went “Oh!” and looked back at Chase. “I got it. Do you wanna go watch a movie?”

“A movie?” Chase repeated. “Uh, yeah. Sounds fun. The theater’s closed on Sundays so we’ll have to go tomorrow—”

“Oh, not at the big cinema,” Mavin interrupted. “Have you seen the small one on Everson Street? It’s just called ‘Hollewych Motion Picture Cinema.’ It’s kinda old.”

“Uhhh... I think I’ve seen that?” Chase hadn’t really thought much about it, though. It was just part of the background of that street. “You want to go there?”

“Yeah, we go there all the time during school holidays,” Marvin said, gesturing to him and JJ, who nodded. “They don’t usually show new movies that just came out, instead they screen a lot of ones that are already out. Some of them are kinda old, too, but they can do anything that’s on DVD. We can go tomorrow or Sunday, they’re open all the time. And nobody usually goes there so it’s not as crowded. Which is great.”

“Okay. Sure.” Chase nodded slowly. “I don’t know if Mom will let me go see a movie by myself.”

“Why not? Doesn’t she let you go to the library and park and stuff alone?”

“Yeah, but I dunno. Something about a movie seems different. But, uh, maybe if I say Jackie is going too, that’ll work out. He can... watch a different movie. While we watch ours. If he’s cool with that.” Chase glanced towards the kitchen doors. Jackie had disappeared through them a couple minutes ago. “I’ll ask him. Does that work?”

“Yeah, fucking perfect.” Marvin smiled a little. “So... talk to your mom and Jackie about times and stuff. Then call JJ.” JJ waved. “And I’ll pick up.”

“Got it.” Chase nodded. “I’ll see you later, then.”

“See you later.”

And with that, Chase turned and left the restaurant.

++++++++++++++++++++

Chase was correct; Mom would not let him go to the movies without someone else. When he asked why, she said it would be dark so anything could happen. But she agreed to it when he said Jackei would come. And thankfully, Jackie agreed, too. He picked up Chase Sunday morning, and together the two of them picked up Marvin and drove down to Emerson Street.

This was in the center of the city, where a lot of the older buildings were. Hollewych Motion Picture Cinema sat right on the street. That was a bit weird, since the other theater in town, the Cineworld, was a bit off the street, surrounded by parking lots. Posters were plastered on the sides of its concrete building. There were no posters outside HMPC, only a couple of those signs with the removable letters hanging on the side of the brick building. Marvin, Chase, and Jackie walked up to these signs. They listed the prices for tickets and the movies that were currently playing, times included.

“I brought extra money if you guys need help covering your tickets,” Jackie said.

“No, I got it,” Marvin said. “JJ and I know how much it costs. We use his allowance money for it. I got just enough right here.” He put a hand in his pocket. “But all of this looks boring.”

“Uhhh I wouldn’t mind watching a couple of these,” Chase said. “But, um, yeah. You can choose. I dunno what you’ll want to see if it’s all boring to you, though.���

“Don’t worry. I have a plan.”

There was a ticket booth next to the theater’s entrance. Marvin walked right up to it, leaving Chase and Jackie to follow. A man sat behind the glass in the booth—a boy, really, not that much older than Jackie. He wore a nametag pinned to his shirt that read ‘Nick.’ He wasn’t really paying attention to them, instead reading a thick-looking textbook propped up on the counter. “Hey,” Marvin said.

The guy—Nick quickly closed the textbook. “Hi, what can I do for you toda—Oh hey, Marvin.” He looked at Chase. “Did Jameson get shorter?” Then at Jackie. “Or... taller?”

Marvin grinned. “No, this is my friend Chase, and the beanie boy is my friend Jackie.”

“Oh, nice to meet you two.” He stared at Jackie for a minute. “Aren’t you that kid with the name change?”

Jackie looked a bit nervous, but smiled. “Uh, yeah, that’s me.”

“Alright.” Nick looked back at Marvin. “What can I get for you today?”

“Do you have an empty theater?” Marvin asked. “Your listings are boring.”

Nick laughed. “Yeah, one’s empty right now. What d’you want to play?”

“Can we watch, uh... that bridge movie? The sad one?”

Nick’s eyes widened slightly. “That’s, uh... probably a bit too sad for your friends’ first visit here. Don’t want to make a bad impression.” He laughed again, just to clear the tension. “How about The Princess Bride? Or maybe Narnia? We’ll be getting the sequel to that soon, y’know.”

“Narnia is good,” Marvin said, looking a bit disappointed but getting over it quickly. “Two for that.”

“Um, what’s playing in the theaters next to the empty one?” Jackie asked.

“We have The Godfather and Spider-Man 2.”

“Oh hell yeah. I’ll have a ticket for Spider-Man 2. Can I just walk in?”

“Yep, go ahead. I think it just barely started.” Nick bent over, fiddling with something under the counter, and reappeared with three yellow tickets. Marvin and Jackie paid for their respective tickets and Nick passed them over, along with some change. “Alright, you two head to Theater 2, it’ll be a moment to get it started. Jackie, right? Yours is Theater 3, it’s to the right of 2. Enjoy your movies.”

The three of them said their thanks and headed inside, Marvin in front. The interior of the small theater was done in shades of warm yellows and oranges against contrasting black. There wasn’t much in the main entrance, just a small counter for concessions manned by a woman with curly blond hair. She was also familiar with Marvin, handing him two small bags of buttered popcorn. Chase watched this and wondered how often the twins came here if the staff knew them on sight. Or maybe not many people worked here. Maybe both.

They walked down the one hallway, with Marvin talking as they went. “This style of, uh, interior design is called ‘art deco,��� JJ really likes it, and I can get where he’s coming from but I think I like ‘art nouveau' more, it’s much more swirly while this one is all angles. And here we are!” He stopped in front of a pair of theater doors. 

“You guys have fun,” Jackie said, continuing down the hall. “Text me if anything happens. I’m not gonna silence my phone.” He laughed. “Don’t tell anyone.”

“I won’t!” Chase said. “You have fun too!” And he followed Marvin into the room.

There were only five rows of seats in here, and the screen, while much bigger than any TV Chase had ever seen, was way smaller than regular movie screens. The chairs in here looked a bit old, their red fabric cushions faded, but there was something nice about it. “You gotta sit in the middle,” Marvin said, inching his way into the third row. “That way you’re not too close or too far away. But if there’s a lot of people they always go for the middle, too, so if it’s full, I prefer the back. But it’s not full now.” He sat down in the exact middle of the row. Chase sat next to him, and Marvin passed him one of the popcorn bags. “Cool, huh?”

“Yeah.” Chase nodded. “Um... so... I wanna watch the movie, but I... also want to... talk to you about something.”

Marvin stared at him. He nodded slowly. “Okay. Let’s wait for a bit. Watch the start of the movie.”

“Okay.” Chase nodded back. “Um... I don’t think I’ve ever heard of this one. What’s it about?”

“Oh, you haven’t?! Okay, so...”

Marvin had just enough time to explain the basic plot before the lights dimmed and the film started. Chase tried to relax, but he couldn’t. He was busy mentally preparing what to say. And then... well, he was a bit confused. “I thought you said this was a fantasy movie,” he whispered to Marvin.

“I said that they went into the fantasy world,” Marvin replied in a normal volume. “They have to start in the real world first. You’ll see. The beginning is, like, ‘oh my god,’ but then they go out to the country and find stuff there.” He paused. “Also you don’t have to whisper. It’s just us in here.”

“Riiiight.” Chase nodded, going quiet for a moment and trying to pay attention for a bit. Marvin didn’t have any problem with that. He was immediately sucked into the movie, eyes glued to the screen even as he ate popcorn. Chase almost hated to interrupt him. But he had to. So, when the movie seemed to be slowing down, he spoke up again. “Um... can we talk now?”

Marvin glanced at him. “They’re not even in Narnia yet.”

“Yeah, but... but I-I wanna talk before we get too into it.”

Marvin sighed. “I guess that makes sense.” He put the popcorn bag on the seat next to him and looked at Chase. “What is it?”

“I, uh...” Chase’s mind went blank. He fidgeted with his own popcorn bag for a moment before putting it aside and blurting out, “I’m an idiot.”

“Okay.”

“Wha—You’re not gonna, like, say that I’m not?”

“A lot of people are idiots,” Marvin said. “I’m an idiot. But we’re smart in other ways. I thought you were establishing a rapport.”

“A what?” Chase repeated, confused. “What the heck is that?”

“It’s uh... You know, I don’t actually know how to explain it.”

Chase shook his head. “Well, I wasn’t doing that. I was, um, opening up to something. I’m an idiot because... because I didn’t realize I’d made you upset again. When we figured out you had greenlight powers, I said they were weird. I, uh... i-it took me a while to realize you, uh... got... your feelings hurt.”

“...oh.” Marvin stared at him, then looked back at the movie. “That’s fine.”

“No it’s not!” Chase protested. “I didn’t want to upset you! I... I’m sorry I did. I wasn’t really thinking. I was just... using the same word I always would’ve and didn’t think about the context. I’m really sorry. You’re not weird.”

“Yeah, I am.” Marvin didn’t look back at Chase. “I’m an idiot, but I’m not fucking stupid. I like wearing capes and others don’t. I talk a lot and others don’t. I get upset when the lights in the school are too loud and others don’t. I’m a fucking weirdo, Chase. And you don’t have to pretend I’m not. I know. People think I don’t know, but I do. I mean, I didn’t used to know, like when I was really little, but by now, I’ve figured it out. I’m not normal. I’m weird. Fucking... deal with it.”

“...oh.” Chase wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “I, um... It’s not a bad thing. To, uh... not be normal.”

“People always say that,” Marvin sighed. “But like... even though I don’t get made fun of or anything, the difference feels bad sometimes. Like—like—” He gestured vaguely. “Like, everyone is painting a picture, but my paints are different colors. And I can mix colors and stuff to get something that’s sort of close to what everyone else is using, but it’s not right, and everyone can tell. So, like, fuck it, right? Might as well use my own colors. At least then everyone’s looking at my painting. Even though they like everyone else’s better.”

Chase nodded slowly. “Um... I like your painting, though.”

“Uh... I don’t actually have a painting. It’s a metaphor.”

“No, I know. I know what a metaphor is, I’m okay at English class. And I’m keeping going with this one. I like your painting. I like how you use different colors.”

Marvin finally turned to look at him, surprised. “But... you...” He paused, struggling for words. “You keep... It’s... I’m a magic weirdo, though.” He raised one hand, a little baseball-sized sphere of greenlight forming in his palm.

“I like that you’re a magic weirdo,” Chase explained, grinning. “Look at that! That’s so cool. You can just, like, make stuff. Freaking amazing, bro.”

“And... the cape and stuff?”

“I’m not gonna lie, it was, uh, strange at first, but now I know you and it’s also cool.”

Marvin blinked. “I’m... confused.”

“Uh... how do I say this...” Chase looked up at the ceiling, thinking. “If we talk about it like paintings again, I think... I think a lot of people want their paintings to look just like what everyone else wants to see. Maybe they’re drawing a bowl full of apples, but they wanna draw a bowl full of oranges, but people like apples more than oranges so they don't. For me... I’m looking at what everyone else is painting. A-and I’m trying to do the same thing.”

“Why do you want to make the same thing everyone else is making?” Marvin asked quietly.

Chase shrugged. “I think everyone does. But that’s impossible. Everyone paints differently. Why don’t you want to make the same thing?”

Marvin paused. He shrugged. “It’s hard. And it’s not fun. And it’s not... it’s not me.”

“Yeah.” Chase smiled at him. “And I like that. I like that you’re... that you’re so you all the time. I-I wish I could be as much me as I wanna be. But... when my painting starts looking a bit different than everyone else’s, I get nervous. I-I don’t want people to look at it and think ‘I don’t like that because it’s not like mine.’ So, even if it’s hard and not fun and not me, I try to change it. But you don’t. And I think you’re really... I think you’re really brave and cool for that.”

Marvin blinked. His eyes were looking watery. “I... I-I get nervous, too, you know.”

“Yeah, but you do it anyway, and I don’t. In fact, I...” Chase lowered his head, ashamed. “I get so nervous that I don’t even want my painting to be near different ones sometimes. B-but I shouldn’t want that! It’s not fair and it’s mean and it’s not what I really want. I want to hang our paintings together.” He raised his head again. “I want to keep being friends. Screw what other people think. But I-I might make mistakes sometimes. Because I’m not used to it. So... I’m sorry. I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”

A moment passed. Marvin looked away. It took Chase a moment to realize he was wiping his face on his cape. When Marvin looked back again, his eyes were red, but clear. “It’s okay,” he said quietly. “I... I want to keep being friends, too. I’m not... good at making them. So, a couple mistakes aren’t gonna make me hate you or anything.” He smiled a bit. “But I think you should’ve said this earlier.”

Chase slumped with relief and smiled back. “Yeah. I know now. But I’m an idiot when it comes to other people’s feelings and stuff. Don’t know how to deal with it.”

“Fuck, I don’t know, either. Let’s just agree to talk about stuff right away in the future. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Marvin smiled wider. He leaned over and bumped his shoulder against Chase’s.

Chase laughed. “Oh, man. I have not been watching the movie at all. What’s even going on?”

“Oh shit, I think we missed the first moment! Alright, it’s okay, I remember what happened. So basically...”

As they grabbed their popcorn again and settled down to finish the movie, Chase felt like a weight was lifted from his chest. Huh. He didn’t even realize that was there.

++++++++++++++++++++

JJ closed the textbook, relieved to finally be done with his history notes. Carefully, he slid the sheets of lined paper into his binder, preparing them to be turned in on Monday. God, he hated taking notes. He was already good at remembering stuff. He didn’t need notes. Especially Cornell notes, ugh. They didn’t help at all! Why was his World History teacher so obsessed with them? Why did he need to prove that he’d done them?

He’d do it anyway, of course. They got graded on their notes. It’d look bad if he skipped them and got a bad grade as a result.

Well... now what?

He sighed, leaning back in the kitchen chair. He wished there was room for a desk in his and Marvin’s bedroom. It’d be nice. Doing his homework in the kitchen wasn’t too annoying, but it did mean Mam and Dad sometimes poked their heads in to ask if he was working. Which... obviously he was. And... obviously they were interrupting him. Obviously.

JJ stood up and put his binder back in his bag. Then he headed out. He could hear the TV playing from the living room. Sounded like one of Granmam’s shows. Maybe after he put his bag back in his room, he’d come back down and sit with her. She didn’t mind it when he was there. 

Sometimes he and Marvin wished that their grandmother could stay with them all year. Everything seemed... somehow better when she was there. But they knew they couldn’t ask her to do that. They were lucky that she stayed with them through Christmas every year. Grandparents didn’t usually do that.

He headed up the stairs. There was more TV noise coming from Mam and Dad’s room (totally wasn’t fair that they got a second, personal TV and he and Marvin didn’t even have a desk) but he ignored that and headed straight to his room. He walked in, turned on the lights, put his bag in its usual place in the corner by the door—

“Hey.”

—and then spun around when hearing the sudden voice.

Anti was sitting on the windowsill. It was narrow, probably a tough place to sit, but Anti could float so it didn’t really matter to him. He grinned when he saw JJ and gave a little wave.

JJ grabbed the nearest thing he could find—one of Marvin’s shoes—and threw it at Anti. It passed right through him and thudded against the window’s glass.

Anti’s grin disappeared. “You really like throwing things, huh? Rude. You’re so... so fucking rude.” Then he giggled, as if amused by his own swearing.

What are you doing here? JJ demanded.

“I still don’t know what you’re saying, but you pointed at me, so you’re probably asking why I’m here.” Anti tilted his head. “Your twin is off doing something right now. With someone else. Did you know about that?”

Confused, JJ nodded. He glanced around the room, wondering if there was something he could use to get Anti out of here. Maybe if he threw enough stuff at him he’d go away. He took a couple steps forward, aiming to get to the dresser.

“You did? And you’re okay with that?”

JJ nodded again. Why wouldn’t he be okay with that?

“What if Marvin stops doing anything with you?” Anti pressed. “Would you be okay with that? Are you scared of him doing stuff by himself?”

JJ frowned. He shook his head.

“You’re not scared of that?” Anti blinked. The ceiling light flickered. “What if he’s scared of that? What if he doesn’t want you to do things without him?”

Marvin wouldn’t be like that, though. The two of them had always been together, and always will be. They’d gone through a lot, told each other things that they’d never told anyone else. JJ isn’t so... insecure... to think that Marvin doing something with Chase means he’ll stop hanging out with JJ. And the same could be said for Marvin, too. Besides, they lived together. They couldn’t ignore each other forever. JJ took a couple steps towards the dresser and shook his head again.

Anti stared at him. His eyes narrowed. He seemed somehow unhappy with JJ’s answers. “What are you scared of?” he whispered. “You don’t ever look scared. You don’t ever look upset at all. But you have to be scared of something. Don’t you?”

JJ raised his shoulders. Something about this conversation was disturbing him. Quickly, he grabbed the nearest item from the dresser and threw it.

The object hit Anti in the chest, right under his neck. “Ow!” Anti gasped, catching the object as it fell. One of Marvin’s crystals. Anti stared at it. He seemed more surprised than hurt. And soon, both those feelings were overtaken by anger. He looked up at JJ, the green in his eyes flaring brighter as the ceiling light flickered wildly. JJ started backing up. “You’re terrible, Jameson Jackson,” Anti growled. “I gave Marvin a nice birthday present. Maybe you’ll get a Christmas present that’s just... as... ni͢c͏e̡.̛”

The light went out for a few seconds. JJ looked up at it. Then he looked back at the window. Though he should have been able to see Anti’s silhouette even in the sudden darkness of the room, he only saw the dark blue square of the window. And then the light turned on again. And his suspicion was confirmed; Anti had disappeared. Marvin’s crystal was on the ledge right where he’d been sitting.

JJ shivered. He walked over and quickly grabbed the crystal—and the shoe he’d thrown first. Then he put them back where he’d found them. And he thought about what Anti meant. If he’d pushed Marvin down the stairs as a ‘present,’ what did he want to do to him? The twin he didn’t like?

...It would be fine, wouldn’t it? JJ would just have to be careful to not go near anything dangerous by himself. He could do that. No need to tell Marvin or any of the others about that. Well, he should probably tell them he saw Anti. But not about the... threat. He didn’t want to worry them. He needed to not worry them. Or anyone. Ever.

JJ headed back downstairs—gripping the bannister tightly—and walked into the living room. As he suspected, Granmam was on the sofa watching one of her ‘shows,’ as she called him. She looked back as he came in. “Hey, lad,” she said, smiling. “Everyt’ing alrigh’? You look a mite pale.”

I’m alright, JJ said.

“Hmm.” Granmam pursed her lips. “Hey, c’mere t’me. Ye want to sit with you granmam for a bit?”

JJ nodded and hurried over. He slid onto the sofa and scooted up next to her. She always smelled a bit like vanilla. It was nice.

“Your brother’s still out?”

He nodded.

“T’ink he’ll want to join in when he gets back?”

Maybe.

Granmam smiled down at him. “Well, I know your parents are up for the night, so we have some time.” She leaned a bit closer and lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “I love ‘em, but they can be a pair of dryshites sometimes.”

JJ burst into laughter.

Granmam grinned right back. “Not Marvin, o’course, he’s grand. He can come right in if he wants to. For now, let’s have a moment, yea?”

JJ nodded. He leaned his head on her shoulder and stared at the TV. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but that wasn’t really the point of watching shows with Granmam.

Nothing to worry about. No need to worry anyone about anything.

Neither he nor his grandmother saw the shadow walk down the stairs, stare down the hall at them, and then disappear into thin air.

[lyriumsings]

Ok, let’s get this over with here’s everything that was wrong with this ATLA adaptation. I’m gonna try to start from the beginning there’s a lot lmao:

I didn’t care for them showing the genocide of the air nomads. This is what i feel like what they meant by wanting to “appeal to GOT fans” it felt like it was trying to be edgy. Changing Aang to “needing to clear his head” instead of literally running away from his responsibilities because he’s a scared goddamn child was pure stupidity. And takes so much away from him. Even the scenes going back and showing Aang “being so much more special” than the other kids was so stupid. He wasn’t “so much more special” that’s the point. Up until Aang discovered he was the Avatar he was normal! He lived a normal life his friends treated him like everyone else! that’s literally WHY he ran away! Because they instantly started treating him differently after it became known he was the Avatar!!

Holy shit all the shit they tried to shove together in the arcs. From omashu to the southern air temple to sokka’s fucking ice berg trials. It was clunky, cheap, and downright disrespectful to the source material and I 100% support the creators leaving lmfao cuz this shit is a joke.

So much happens with so little explanation but at the same time core character traits are overexplained. They’re constantly saying “oh you’re so kind, you’re so fierce, etc” having characters verbally DESCRIBE other characters charter traits, instead of fucking showing it. Katara for example (just one of the many characters they fucking butchered but i digress) in the opening scene when Katara screams at Sokka for his sexist remarks and breaks the ice that showed just how unconsciously powerful she is at water bending. She is a prodigy. This is shown to you literally in the opening moments of the show. After discovering Aang in the iceberg Katara runs head first at the iceberg with Sokka’s boomerang to bust it open. This shows that Katara is impulsive and rash but kind and caring. She is literally breaking open the ice having no idea what it will do in the name of helping someone who clearly needs help (who realistically would most likely be dead) but she tried. Like that whole opening of ATLA told you so much about her character WITHOUT LITERALLY HOLDING YOUR HAND AND TELLING YOU. Then taking out Sokka’s sexism and letting him unlearn it was pure fucking lazy. Reducing Katara to “younger sister who needs to grow up” was a bad joke.

Like listen i’m not a “oh my god it should’ve been frame for frame like the cartoon” like there’s room for acceptable changes and space to add to the narrative. The way they got into Omashu was an acceptable change (not the jet part but hitching a ride was fine), adding Lu Tan’s funeral was GREAT it ADDED to the overall story and added depth to Iroh, even the bit with the Earth Kingdom soldier was good. Adding in Ozai’s little dogs at Azusa showing him pushing her behind the scenes and pitting her against Zuko was also nice imo. Like these are things they could’ve added and worked with the original creators on. Even the part where in the bar they’re like in the background easter-egging about the canyon episode like that was fine anything that was pure filler could’ve been mentioned in that way. But that’s the thing with ATLA few things are PURE filler. Almost every ep arc serves a genuine purpose, which is why shoving it all in a blender and hoping for the best was really not it.

Even Appa and Momo were reduced to like a mode of transportation (i also didn’t like this in legend of Korra bison became more like cars had less personality and purpose and were just A Way To Get Around i get why bc there were so many etc etc but still) and like a pet. When they’re not! they’re genuine characters! ESPECIALLY APPA! They play crucial roles in the plot they have a purpose and agency they’re not just “funky animal side kicks” which is what they feel reduced to, to me. Appa is so vital to the group and episode that is 90% silence and is just about his time away from aang is literally one of the best episodes in atla.

I haven’t even finished the whole thing yet this is just my thoughts so far based on what i remember rn through my disappointed rage lmao so ✨i’ll be back✨

[ilsrevent]

i just watched saw x and i come humbly to you, thee eminent saw scholar on this app as i am very curious and interested as to your thoughts on it (if you want to share)!

hiii anon i hope you had fun!! you’re also v kind to say that i’m literally just some guy But i am more than happy to chatter! i would love to hear your thoughts as well if you’d like to share them <3

SAW X SPOILERS BELOW

okay so first of all: i had fun! i enjoyed it! i think overall they did a good job! loved being able to see amanda interact with john, loved the gore and the silly traps (the thing with using valentina’s guts as a rope? obsessed), loved to see people encouraging each other and trying to work together in the saw trap. overall i think it’s a solid entry in the franchise and tbh renewed my interest in them doing more films

the beginning of it very much didn’t feel like a saw movie and it was certainly a departure from the typical saw formula but i don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing? i Love the typical saw formula but i also respect them for making a movie that Wasn’t that but still felt like it fit into the franchise. imo saw has always been at its best when it’s character driven so i think the slower, more drama-style start to the film was really refreshing. i also think it was just exciting for tobin bell to actually get a chance to do some Acting, which he did marvellously. i don’t Care for john but i do think it was interesting to be inside his head a little

now amanda. oooooh amanda. my poor little meow meow my sweet cheese my rotten soldier. the way shawnee plays her and her mix of Silliness and Fear and Misery and Devotion is just so compelling to me and i am so so glad this film made such an effort to empathise with her. many thoughts about how many small things in the film act as callbacks to her trauma - obviously the parallel with gabriela, but also the shackle round the ankle, even picking up valentina’s guts reminded me of her sifting through the stomach of the guy to get the key for the reverse bear trap… smth smth even if you escape the trap you are still in the trap you are always going to be in the trap

now. i feel like it would be remiss of me to not mention that i do have thoughts about the racist implications of a Lot of what was going on. first of all we don’t need to be using the yellow mexican filter it’s 2023. second of all. look we know john has always targeted the poor and marginalised and desperate this has been clear from the first film, but it felt particularly uncomfortable here to me, especially because i feel like the film positions john and cecilia (both white) as these two masterminds duking it out meanwhile the rest of the hispanic cast are essentially pawns in their overarching narrative. “they also participated in the scam” yeah but there’s a very blatant class and motivation disparity between cecilia (and parker) and diego/mateo/gabriela/valentina. this Could be saying smth about white exploitation of poor POC but i’m not sure if it effectively serves that purpose as written. now john kramer wouldn’t care about this but john is also not a real person, it’s a story written by people that maybe should’ve considered the implications of a film mostly focused on a powerful white men brutalising POC. anyway. i’m not a racial scholar i’m just saying words recreationally

my other major critiques are that the twist was Very Weak (you’re telling me john kramer had this all planned out beforehand? i for one am Shocked) and the credits scene was cheap nostalgia bait (they have no reason to be in the bathroom!). yes i still cheered and clapped in the theatre but also. Come On

anyway that’s it from me on what’s top of mind rn but please feel free to drop me an ask or a dm, would love to chat further about it! like i said at the beginning overall i did really enjoy it and i do think we are So Fucking Back in a way we haven’t been since saw VII and i’m excited to see where things go!

[nick-close]

i think a lot of current discussion and enjoyment of the fandom is s2 centered? so more s1 stuff is slightly less usual in the show now (despite still having a lot of references lol)

Nothing hurts more than the fact I spent like literally half an hour on a reply and the power went out as I went to post it- but fuck it! We try again. I’ll try to make it shorter this time. (I failed sorry.)

I totally understand that the current fandom is more s2 focused and want different things. But I don’t think that means it shouldn’t be viewed from a s1 lense. The first season set the foundation and appeal of the show as a comedy. Though I do think the fandom is genuinely a lot younger rn and focuses more on ships, character moments, story beats, etc- which is totally fine! I’m not trying to dismiss critiques or say these wants are stupid because of the younger fanbase- I was in this fandom since I was 15. I do think it plays into the wants and appeals of the show though.

And here’s really the thing. S1 is the basis of the show- it should’ve set the expectations for how the podcast goes. Where I think the divide comes from, is that the younger audience usually means people binged s1- rather than listen episodically. Binging it, you don’t have to wait between the stupid five footers and nonsense to get to character beats and emotions because you can just go and go and go to the next episode.

This is why I think people are so impatient in s2. I see people writing their own fanfiction ideas about how the next episode is going to go, spending 2 weeks building up an expectation that is never actually going to meet the show. If they were binging through this, I don’t think anyone would have this strong of a reaction to this episode because they’d just go to the next one to try and get what they want. People love the characters and plot so much they tend to forget the podcast has always been a rowdy comedy podcast at its core.

I actually think one of the reasons s2 struggles so much is because of the huge expectation to live up to the emotional beats of s1 without realizing the stupid moments are the reasons they WORK. You need Henry’s hippie jokes to make Oakvale hit. You need Glenn’s weed joke to Erin so it can come back at the trial. We make jokes about how ‘I’m crying over Glenn Close in Meth Bay lol!’ But that’s why the emotions hit so heavy. They are not SUPPOSED to be every episode.

The podcast is founded on the jokes and the stupid shit- if you want cool dnd shit.. like, this isn’t your podcast. That isn’t me gatekeeping or saying people can’t enjoy it if they come for those moments- but genuinely telling you to remember what you’re coming to. If you love the characters and the story, that’s great- but the comedy and bullshit episodes are always the core of the show for the story to build around. If you’re not gonna like them, that’s okay- but you will only disappoint yourself if you keep coming expecting something else.

You can watch it and hate these episodes. You can feel disappointed or upset something didn’t happen. That’s totally fine. But I really draw an issue with people viewing it as an error on the show’s end. Your personal preference not aligning with the show all the time is cool! But the show doesn’t pretend to be anything but stupid. It’s not bad storytelling to make the comedy show funny. The episode after the Grant Yeet scene, a huge part of it is them looking at Darryl’s shit in the toilet and getting eldritch trauma. You can’t really pick and choose Imo. But hey, do what you want, I’m just some guy! And ultimately if complaining is how you have fun (I get it, I love talking shit) then enjoy fandom however you like.

[rayereil]

Chad the man’s first appearance! His arc carried a lot less despite being longer. We did get a cool fight with Rukia, and she and Chad partnered up for a bit, but most of the arc was comprised of someone running around to somewhere. Well, not everything can be a hit!

We still got a good intro for Chad.

Also, I wish this came up more! Chad has a weakness for cute things? There should’ve been some Uryu&Chad scenes since Uryu has a skill for sewing, but what he creates isn’t necessarily cute.

Anyways, we see how strong Chad is, and that’ll play into his power later. I enjoy that even without his awakened powers he’s able to stop a steel bar from crushing his friends and rip a literal telephone pole out of the ground. It makes you wonder why Kubo gives Chad so many Ls by the end of the series…. Maybe I’ll have more insight by the end. For now, Chad for the win! And while I’m mostly neutral on Chad’s character because Kubo really does leave Chad in the dust, I’ll still root for him! He’s also got a cool character design.

Besides the running around, there’s also plenty of Ichiruki. While I see a blossoming romance, the key takeaway is their growing bond. But first: Rukia’s being cute.

Followed by Mizuiro and Keigo both commenting about Ichigo and Rukia as possibly dating. Look, this is the clearest example of ‘everyone knows the two characters like each other except the two characters’. Super common trope. It usually evolves once one of them realizes their feelings…

What’s with that smile, Rukia? Are you catching feelings?

In different news, I know Ichigo and Chad’s past and I’d thought it came up in this arc. I’m surprised it didn’t. I’m not sure when it’ll show up. I think Ichigo has a flashback in Soul Society, at a minimum? Do we have to wait that long? Hopefully we get more hints sooner. With such an intense character focus in Orihime’s arc, I really thought Chad’s character focus was up next, but we don’t even get his backstory. But we do see he’s super strong, so that’s something.

(A literal telephone pole)

My only other comments are about Ichigo’s pure rage at the hollow’s big reveal. While I don’t think the hollow being a serial killer and tricking the boy-bird into finding him victims was a huge plot twist (because the boy-bird is so obviously good and the hollow is so obviously bad), I do think Kubo is giving us the smallest hint to how Ichigo feels about his own mother’s death (which was mentioned this chapter). I kind of wish Kubo had explored this more in regards to Ichigo’s character…

We rarely see him enraged. I don’t even remember a time we see him this gleefully vindictive unless he’s a Vasto Lorde. I’m almost positive the hollow inside him hasn’t awoken yet, so this is just pure Ichigo Fury.

As an aside, I wonder how Chad feels about this reveal. We don’t know because Ichigo takes front and center as soon as he shows up (the opposite of what happened with Orihime). Interesting to compare/contrast Orihime’s intro arc to Chad’s.

Random thoughts:

Ichigo slowly acknowledging he cares about Rukia.

Also…

I saw someone mention that Isshin is talking to the hospital here, which means when he says “tell your manager this is a request from Kurosaki”, he means to tell Ryuken. Perhaps? Also, got to love corner-Ichigo.

And… is Rukia being serious here?

The top panel, where she hesitates and is fumbling with what to say almost makes me think she’s not? But I think I might be trying to retcon for Kubo.

I think Rukia means what she’s saying here. When Kubo wrote this, he really thought Soul Society would be these things. He didn’t know the structure of Soul Society, so he didn’t have much to say about it. Then he changed his mind. He gave soul society have extreme poverty outside the beautiful seireitei. We know Rukia had to steal to survive while living in poverty, so do souls really never get hungry? We also know soul society is not 9 times out of 10 better than the human world… also, boy-bird won’t remember who he is when he gets there. His mom won’t remember him either. They never meet again.

So I believe the original intention was to show how bad Rukia is at comforting people/knowing what to say. She showcased that in the first chapter and will again in MITR. It’s part of her character growth… and here she realizes that the boy-bird is scared, sad, worried, and she should say something to comfort him but doesn’t know what that is.

Eh, maybe I’m reading too much into it.

[happydazedi]

DC TITIANS SEASON 4 FINALE PART 1

⚠️spoilers ahead obvi⚠️

IM NOT READY FOR THE SEASON FINALE

- um not Connor trying to off himself first minute of the episode

- Aw I love mommy daughter car rides

- Rachel said she trynna keep DicKory active

- I KNEW SEBASTIAN WAS STILL GOOD BBY BOY SEB

-oH Connor was just shaving his head I thought he was trying to.. nvm LOL

- LMAOOSHDKSHXJSHD NOT CONNOR GOIN THROUGH HIS TEENAGE PHASE. I need Dick to take him outside and toss a basketball with him

- “We are not doing that” and Connor calling him Richard got me

- Damn baby boy Gar stressed out too, that bowling scene wasn’t long enough, we all need a little more rest huh?

- THE HELL WAS THAT. Not Gar 10secs forward than the rest of em

- Goodbye mother mayhem IS REACHING

- I wonder if eating the hair was even necessary, y’all know how jinx be jinxing

- They should’ve titled the episode “big night for everyone” LMAO I love Dick’s little one liners

- Connor don’t need to be right, it will only make him worse

- I know the actor that plays berarnd from something else but I can’t remember it and I don’t wanna look it up bc I wanna remember organically

- Kory & Dick got too many kids to keep track of all their mental healths, but Gar don’t need to be alone rn

- Not Connor being disrespectful to his actual father, that’s wild

- NOT HIM SAYING RACHEL IS USELESS RIGHT THERE- I’m dying

- “4 minutes ago” y’all don’t get notification alerts for that???

- Not seb been toxic this whole time LOL she got him that thoughtful ass gift and he let them insecurities sneak in

- AW not Jinx putting in her formal application to be a permanent member of the team. I’m for it.

- Dick just sitting back and watching the 3 most powerful women in the world

- THEYRE TALKING ABOUT THE 💖VISION💖

- Mmmmm they look so good in their suits ah yum

- Why they leaving krypto at the house, that man can help

- OH SHIT WHITE RAVEN. I literally saw comments about white Raven on Twitter and had no idea what that was about so I read the entire lore about her. I love it

- GASP OH NO NOT JINX💟

- THE FUCK WAS THAT?

- Damn Sebastian I tried to help you I truly did

[profateic]

@strywoven has inquired of THE PROPHET —

for a man who despises gods so fully, shall we question the reasoning as to why - to how - he's invited a bastard-blooded divinity into the fold so fully? not like own ilk, kaen remains an antithesis of all they stand to become; kind beyond reason, vesting within the prophet nothing but the faith of the blindly devoted ( how ironic , thus ) . and there they sit, a docile doe, a place of utter submission at his feet. antlered head cocked to lean against his knee, eyes closed, breathing low and exhaled in smoking wisps, bearing smile upon lips. what can we say? not only is faith blind, but so is love.

THE PROPHET WAS NOT KIND BY NATURE, and that was no exception in his dealings with Kaen. Yet, they stayed in his presence; unflinching and steady, like clockwork. By his side did they wait, loyal like a pup, never turning their back on him even when he forced them to become a god; to bare their teeth and sink them into his flesh and bone in spite their best efforts otherwise. It was he who pressed down on them, forcing their jaw open and stripped them down to their most base instinct. It was him as well who they pressed against, their legs folded beneath the weight of their body, their temple leaning against his knee, unafraid of what he could do.

   Adoration, when weaponised, never failed to disappoint. As such, the Prophet nurtured Kaen’s affection. He treated them kindly, ensuring that no matter how used Kaen was beneath his ministrations, they understood just as well that they were cared for by him. That in his eyes, in his hands, they were something remarkable — a weapon, a monster, a godly being that he could not replace so easily like the rest. Despite what most people would believe, the Prophet never lied when it came to this matter. Why should he, when the truth was much worse than any deceit, any illusion he could conjure?

   The Prophet placed his hand upon their head, his fingers tucking into the fluffy strands of their hair between their antlers. He was careful not to touch them, even when his skin brushed against them. This was one part of them he would not violate, knowing it would make them feel too much like an animal; tugged around and forced down like a show pony taught to perform. No. The Prophet much preferred to see Kaen dance along to his tune on their own volition than to see them forced into it. Every being had a role to play, and it was always much more entertaining when they fell into the role rather than be forced upon them.

   Twisting copper in between his fingers, the Prophet taught his mouth to form a smile — softer than his usual grins, forcibly tender in a way he had learnt to become to sharpen his act of becoming something gentle. He tilted his head to look at them, pinning his tongue between his teeth to prevent himself from speaking aloud and birthing something foolish in the midst of an otherwise picturesque moment. The Prophet ran his gaze along their figure, assessing the state of their existence thoughtlessly. Kaen, for their seemingly small stature, was the furthest thing from small — large was their heart, larger still their power. The Prophet had thought their meeting to be a passing incident, and how mistaken he had been. Kaen, as they had proven all over again, was his greatest asset.

❛ Thank you. ❜

   The Prophet turned his hand, rubbing his bandaged knuckles along the top of Kaen’s head. It had taken too much time to properly fix him up as blood would insist upon bleeding through the white fabric without fail. Yet, Kaen had been insistent with him, patching him up with devotion. As such, he would like to appreciate their efforts. He would not have done it to himself if it had been up to him.

❛ You didn’t have to. ❜

   But I’m glad you did. I could have handled it on my own. Thank you for looking out for me. You should’ve just let me be. The Prophet had set the scene. It was entirely up to Kaen to complete the rest of the story, to fill in the blanks he had no interest in expanding upon. The ball, for all intents and purposes, sat on Kaen’s side of the court, and the Prophet was counting on them to do something interesting with it.

[thetremendous17monstaxgiant]

I get the feeling Astarion is like, suuuper manipulative. I just started playing bg3, and it’s really fun, and of course I started romancing Astarion. It took me almost 100 hours but I’m beginning to realize just how manipulative he is.

I probably should’ve noticed it was sooner but I’ve never exactly been the most noticeable when it comes to that. But starting from the beginning when he almost kills you instead of letting you talk, then joins you, then sweet talks you into you letting him bite you, to the constant flirty and generally ‘sweet’ demeanor. But like, there are some stuff that I didn’t notice until I got to act three and ascended Astarion and it made it so much more obvious because it’s so much more prevalent than it was before.

Like his disdain for almost everyone. He jokes about murder so casually and carelessly. Jokes about slavery which was super surprising to me because he IS a slave. Or was rather. Then his pet names. Like I don’t think I’ve ever heard him just save the name or anything just ‘thing’ and of course theirs darling, love, all that but he usually calls you a sweet thing or a generous thing, and now he calls me pet all the time or little love but mostly pet.

Which I have to say is super shocking because of his disdain for animals. Like he basically hates animals and enjoys torturing them. He even likens goblins and koboloids to them and says they’re pretty much good for feeding and torturing and that likes…it…and I’m playing as a high elf but he is calling me a pet.

I know there’s that heartwarming scene in act two but it comes off kinda manipulative too. The whole ‘I don’t know what I’m doing I’ve only done these things on the whim of my master and so you’ll have to be patient with me if I fuck up and I need your help to really understand myself’ which I totally fell for. I’m guessing if you don’t let Astarion ascend there’s a less demanding Astarion, but at the same time I’m seeing people say he goes back to being his regular self but his regular self is incredibly manipulative to a fault, and enjoying the humiliation and shame of the person he claimes to care for

Don’t get me wrong. I love a well done fantasy bad boy. And it was pretty clear Astarion wasn’t a good guy given how much he approved of murder, humiliation, and shaming. I’m not mad or anything in fact it’s almost amazing how well his character is written and I’m somewhat baffled by just how perfect it was. I’m just shocked I didn’t notice how manipulative he was to the main character until act three. The whole master slave relationship he had with Cazador really had him blinding me lol.

I’ve also seen people say he isn’t bad it’s just trauma. I mean, maybe, but if that’s the case why doesn’t he have sympathy for other slaves like himself? If it was truly just trauma he should feel bad but he gets super disapproving if you help the slaves out. And why would he revel in the power he has over other people when scenes like loviatar come up. Even Shadowheart seemed a bit…eh…on that scene but Astarion was practically drooling. Not to mention the whole ‘don’t you dare say no’. I’m kinda curious what would happen if I did say no.

As a whole Astarion is a lot more abusive and dominating and sadistic than I had previously noticed. Not that I mind. I love a good evil character. Especially in games books and tv (not irl of course) but they aren’t usually done with such perfection. And I haven’t don’t other walk through yet but apparently he changes his phrases based off how you come onto him and what you say. Rather than having a generally similar outlook irregardless of what you say, like shadowheart, gale, Wyll, laezal. Pretty much everyone else.

[cornflowershade]

nlmg x ourskyy ep. 2. — just gonna fully liveblog this one for fun

.

laughing through the you’ll have to be my wife scene and the line “it’s because of viewers like you that viewer discretion is advised”

also nice to see them laughing together for a minute

/

lol palm using all the english phrases after they keep getting interrupted

/

HE STOLE THE BRACELET

(okay we’re doing the whole give me back my jewelry thing again lol xD)

/

“i can make him give it back or lash him” / “are you drunk with power?” yes talk some sense into him nueng. palm really has been using “i’m a lord here” as an excuse for everything being/turning out fine asdfg

/

lol the request 

(aw he’s envious of how open nueng and palm are.)

/

OOOOH time capsule that’s a clever idea. sweet but also proves if they’re actually in the past. nice.

/

okay GUYS. 

you have to bury it deeper than that 😂 

“let’s just dig a little mini hole like we’re planting a crocus bulb and cover the top with some leaves, surely the earth won’t shift too much here and no one will find it/move it before a couple hundred years pass!!” lmao.

/

love me some scheming gays

also literally the most unsubtle way to watch someone

/

pfff nueng “i used to send flirting signs to someone. but it took him forever to pick up on the signs. he was stupid.” -> anyway this line could apply to any fandom i swear

/

*hold my umbrella* 

(the fluffy ancient times ‘hold my beer’)

/

LOSING IT at the entire sequence of palm and nueng counting how long the stares lasts.

the investment they have

/

yeahhhh that scene was too sweet for them to end up going home successfully.

/

imagine if the whole ‘let’s start a fight’ thing doesn’t work and they just. get killed with a giant machete for no reason. (also c’mon y’all just ruined everyone’s holiday)

/

the we’re finally home hug was cute. they’re so happy! --> oooooh okay so they have to find their box at the old tree. wellllll. hope the grOunD haSn”t movEd tOo mUCH. (one giant storm and i swear that box should’ve been displaced. this bugs me more than it should.)

/

“you [palm] watch to many dramas” it’s me, i’m palm.

/

PHUM OWNES THE PLACE ASDFG

/

y’all are lucky THAT’S ALL I’M SAYING

/

reading the letters: “when you ride a horse you look so cool like a prince”  --> that’s cute xD

palm’s letter: i admire all these aspects of your personality

nueng’s letter: i like ur corny jokes and how pretty u are and that hairstyle you had that one time

lol

(okay i know he said slightly more than that but)

/

liked seeing them joke together again at the end. also more cuteness. but please why did they play background music over nueng’s singing that COMPLETELY clashed with the notes hELP

anyway. this episode was fun, i liked it a lot better than the first one! still such a weird plot choice though lol

[creme-meme]

two 7 hour flights is a great way to catch up on marvel films that I don’t wanna pay money for so here are some ✨thoughts✨ that I got for free (or the price of a connecting flight through Doha)

watched Spider-Man No Way Home and even though he had 5 seconds of screen time Mysterio really was such a boss bitch. he served cunt in a gaudy green suit, ruined the life of a teenager, and then peaced the fuck out. and you know that bitch was watching the Daily Bugle with a pina colada in Costa Rica and then remembered fuck all after Strange wiped everyone’s memories

and the ending hot damn they finally made Peter poor as fuck hell yea

I got to see Charlie Cox back as Matt Murdoch 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

Venom 2 I would’ve paid good money for but that’s another story. anyway after the breakup and makeup (and also Venom wanting a poly relationship with Anne going “THAT SHOULD’VE BEEN US” when Anne said she was marrying Dan lol), it was great to Eddie and Venom getting ripped out of their universe and wandering around the multiverse, missing all the action because they didn’t even know Spider-Man while getting drunk in a bar, and then just peacing out without paying. like this version of Eddie and Venom is top quality and I commend Andy Serkis, Kelly Marcel and Tom Hardy for this

I thought it was kinda weird/ bad foresight for them kill off Cletus/ Carnage after 1 movie but idk maybe they’ll bring him back with the ‘a small part of the Carnage symbiote survived and regrew into a whole Cletus McFuckface’ reason, and it might also just be Woody Harrelson didn’t sign on for another movie who knows

I also thought it was very interesting on how Venom couldn’t keep a host alive outside of Eddie, like they just kept dropping and I would really like to see more of why that’s the case, if there’s just something about Eddie and Venom that make them compatible with each other or if Venom wasn’t eating properly because he didn’t want to chomp brains because he’s swayed by Eddie or both

Doctor Strange 2: Electric Boogaloo had all the bad CGI people were talking about with the 3rd eye but there were some top quality GCSE power point transition scenes too, which I don’t mind because it just makes the whole viewing experience more camp

I honestly didn’t mind having Wanda as the villain of the film because she was a sympathetic villain in the same way Loki was in the first Avengers film, which is way better than Thanos ‘I’m evil because of reasons’ so I’ll take it

and like despite this site’s view on Bindlebar Cuttlefish I do have to say he plays an arrogant campy wizard well enough to make it entertaining so like I’ll take this movie for free 🤷‍♀️

tl;dr - don’t pay for marvel films just pay for a flight half way across the world to see your family and then watch all the films in a sleep-deprived state

[demonicintegrity]

Sasha was an incredible part of the movie you’re so right. And her and Gloria def represent the generational divide between not only Barbie, but the general approach each generation has. Gloria is one with nostalgia and love and appreciation, and also understands Barbie itself is fairly innocent of what it peddles (nowadays. She still had her moments.) While Sasha represents the younger generations that watched any semblance of girlhood get weaponized against girls. It bitters even things they once played with and loved. Hyperaware and critical of any potential side effect.

(I thought her calling Barbie a fascist was hilarious, not because she was right or anything, even Barbie says that doesn’t make sense bc she doesn’t have that control. Although highlighting how teens are ridiculous and misuse weighty words, it also shows that that’s what’s on a kid’s mind these days. Kids get pulled into cultural debates and politics at a much younger day than they should and it weighs on them, they see threats even in toys.)

Her supporting her mother was a great part of the movie!!! But her personal feelings towards Barbie was dropped after her introduction and that’s such a shame. Growing up means accepting the good within the bad and vice versa and her realizing what she thought was a capitalist pinkwashed scam has genuine well-meaning and good impact as well as unfortunate side effects should’ve been acknowledged.

And you’re so right, the Ken dance off war was bizarre. Fun for the kids sure, but I was personally reeling through The Horrors of what he had become to really focus on that number. I think I did chuckle at the internal dissonance. But you know what I also don’t understand??? The campfire scene.

Because here’s what gets me: with all that talk of knocking Ken down when he feels powerful and in charge, I thought that was gonna be Barbie rejecting him. I genuinely thought she was going to stop him mid/after the song and go “Yknow, I appreciate the song and what we’ve done, but I’m genuinely happier as just friends and I want to break up.” I thought it was going to be her taking back the agency!! That does knock down patriarchy when a woman takes agency regardless!!

And she fuckin??? Switches Kens???? Instead?? How does that solve anything???

“It kicks him when his guard is down!” Yeah no shit, if I was having a romantic moment I set up for my partner and then she fuckin left mid song for a different person, I’d be hurt too!!! A lot!!! It very much would give me insecurity and trust issues about her cheating which is not a girlboss move!!

Now granted, the “show me your phone” was genuinely chilling and hits the nail on the head regarding a man’s possessiveness of being the only thing to make their girl happy. I get why that was included and I suppose that. And yes, it does turn the Kens against each other. But WHY would you have the final push of all their hard work of putting up with this patriarchy be that???

Now, if Barbie had broken up with him and he, regardless of her words and assurances, thought it was another Ken and thus went to war, I think that would’ve been a lot more effective. It would highlight patriarchal men being so aghast at the fact that a woman didn’t like them, that there must be a different guy. (And honesty, you could’ve slipped in a nice guy joke with that which could be funny as hell.)

i’m so upset because so many people say they felt seen after watching barbie but genuinely i felt like if you aren’t a straight girly girl these barbies did nothing for you

i think it’s great they’re not all white and have different careers! but otherwise they were the exact same type of person in my eyes

i loved loved the idea of the “ordinary barbie” but i hoped they would’ve gone a little deeper into that. this was something i felt all throughout the movie honestly, so many good ideas thrown in and none of them explored enough so everything just felt extremely surface level and already obvious

after watching little women 2019 i can’t not be a greta gerwig fan but i feel like this movie was too commercial and therefore didn’t feel like her usual style. all of her other movies explore deeper feeling more subtly, and don’t just spoon-feed you every idea, while this one told you everything word for word so that it could reach a wider audience. i understand the importance of teaching feminist ideas to more people, but this seemed like a very weak way to do it

this is not to say that there weren’t some scenes i really liked, and visually the movie was beautiful and fun, but throwing so many things in and barely analysing them made the movie feel very much not cohesive and somewhat incomplete

overall i was not impressed, and i had such high expectations so i’m really quite disappointed

[sacredsorceress]

Distraction || Bucky Barnes

pairing: bucky barnes x avenger!reader

request: “bucky x reader where reader is really attracted to bucky’s fighting side while he’s defeating the bad guys?”

a/n: moved this request to the top because hello last episodes fight scenes were so good??

word count: 2.5k

warnings: mentions of guns, getting shot, fighting, not really angsty, fluff

masterlist || request

“This feels like a bad idea.” You called to the two men as you followed them into the abandoned factory. 

“Trust me, Y/n. It’s going to be fine.” Sam assured you. “And when have I ever been wrong?”

As soon as the sentence escaped his mouth, both you and Bucky stopped in your tracks, turning to face Sam while quirking your eyebrows.

“Would you like a list?” You asked.

“I can think of a few-”

“You know what? Forget it. You two suck. It’s not important.” Sam said, cutting Bucky off, continuing his pace into the building. “What is important is that we catch these guys before they can do anything else, okay?”

Not inclined to argue, you continued to follow Sam’s lead with Bucky by your side. As you climbed up a rotted staircase, you couldn’t help but turn to stare at the super soldier by your side, gun ready in his hands. 

“Nervous?” He asked, not even turning to face you, but seeing the smirk playing on his lips, you knew he caught you staring out of the corner of his eye.

Embarrassed, you quickly turned away and faced the path in front of you.

“W-what? No.” You cleared your throat, attempting to mask how flustered he made you.

In the short time that you had known James “Bucky” Barnes, you had learned that he was expertly skilled in making you a flustered mess. The fact that he asked you if you were nervous was almost comical considering the most nervous you ever were was when you were with him- not because he was the winter soldier or because he had a vibranium arm or because he could end you in a second- but because he made your heart fill a little more every time he looked at you and you would melt every time you shared more than two words.

“Good. You shouldn’t.” He told you, finally turning to face you. When you felt his hand land on your arm, you met his eyes.

“Yeah?” You asked. “Why shouldn’t I? Fighting super soldiers isn’t really my area of expertise.”

He knew you were right.

Although you had spent nearly five years alongside the likes of Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff during the blip, you weren’t nearly as experienced in truly fighting as the rest of them and you were especially amateur at hand-to-hand combat compared to the man in front of you.

You discovered during the blip that you had powers similar to those of Wanda Maximoff. When you did, you sought the help of the remaining Avengers. Though you trained among the best, you were never truly taken to physical combat, instead expanding your knowledge on your power- magic- to use to your advantage.

Although Bucky Barnes was utterly fascinated by your abilities- unbeknownst to you- you still grew nervous in situations such as the one you were in now where someone could easily attack you before you had the chance to act.

“Sam already told you that they don’t have the serum.” He reminded you.

“Oh yeah, because Sam’s always right.” You laughed. “What happens if he’s wrong?”

He shrugged. “Then I’ll handle it.”

Before you could even say anything back, you watched as he quickly went still before shoving you against the wall.

“Wha-” You attempted to whisper before he quickly shushed you.

His face inches from yours, you watched as he focused on the wall behind you, attempting to listen to what was going on around the both of you. Both you and Sam turned to face each other, questioning what was going on before you turned to face Bucky.

You would be lying if you said your heart wasn’t racing from the feeling of his hands on your arms, face inches from yours, so close you could make the details out on his face.

Before you could allow yourself to fall any deeper into the hole of your own thoughts, his eyes met yours, speaking to both you and Sam.

“I can hear them downstairs.” He whispered.

Before anyone could say anything else you watched as Sam deployed redwing from his own suit, the drone flying over the open room below.

“How many are there?” You asked.

“Ten.”

“What’s the plan?” You asked, looking between the two men.

Bucky pulled away from you finally and gestured for you and Sam to follow him up the remainder of the staircase. When you met them at the top of the steps, you found yourself on a balcony overlooking the large, open room of the factory below. When you hit the last step, Bucky pulled you into a crouch in between him and Sam as they scanned the room through the bannister.

“I think we should just go in now.” Bucky whispered and you were once again realizing how close you were to the man, feeling his breath on your face.

“I think we should wait.” Sam said.

“For what?” Bucky shook his head. “So they can realize we’re here? I have a vibraniu-”

“-vibranium arm.” You and Sam finished his sentence for him in unison.

Bucky scoffed.

“We know, man.” Sam said.

Bucky pulled himself up from his crouching position beside you. “I’m not going to wait up here for them to find us.” He told Sam, then turning to you. “You stay up here and make sure none of them leave. Keep an eye on them. Sam, you get the stuff and I’ll handle them.”

Both you and Sam turned to each other before looking back to Bucky.

“Are you sure about this, Buck?” You asked.

Bucky reached out his hand to you, pulling you to your feet. “You’ve got nothing to worry about, Y/n. I got this.”

How could you say no when he said your name? Or anything at all?

Before another word could slip out of your mouth you watched as he ran down the steps you had just climbed a minute before to apprehend the men in the room below. Turning back to observe the area, you felt Sam stand besides you, the makeshift wings extending from his suit.

“When we see him, block off the room and I’ll go get the stuff, okay?”

“You’ve got it boss.” You told him, grinning.

He chuckled, placing the goggles over his eyes. “Good to know that cyborg hasn’t changed you too much.”

“Wait what-”

Before he could even reply, he took off and you leaned over the bannister, and your eyes immediately landed on Bucky, watching as he snuck up behind one of the men carrying a gun. He placed his vibranium hand on his shoulder, yanking him backwards and when he did, he pulled the gun out of his grasp with his other hand. As soon as he did, a gunshot rang from the gun, prompting the other men in the room to turn their attention towards Bucky. As they did, you snapped out of your own thoughts, stretching out your hands to create a forcefield around the room, blocking the men from escaping through any exits.

Although Sam used the distraction of the gunshot to his advantage, stealing the information he needed without any intervention, you watched as Bucky essentially took on ten men across the room.

With your arms still holding the forcefield in place, you couldn’t help but watch as the super soldier grabbed the wrist of a man coming after him with a knife, twisting his wrist in the opposite direction until it fell from the man’s hands onto the floor. At the sound of the clatter of the knife, he pulled the man towards him, kneeing him in the stomach and flipping him onto the floor, knocking him unconscious.

You couldn’t help but feel your heart begin to race in your chest- not because you were worried for Bucky, but because as much as you hated to admit it- it was hot. Although you struggled with hand-to-hand combat, Bucky made it look easy, taking on each man with giving any hint that it was strenuous.

Your job was simple- keep the forcefield up and make sure no one leaves. All you had to do was keep your arms up. What you weren’t anticipating, however, was for one of the men that should have been going after Bucky, to notice you standing on top of the bannister.

Just as Bucky noticed the man across the room, raising a gun to you, it was already too late.

You heard the shot sound from the gun and immediately after, a searing pain shoot throughout your upper arm. You immediately dropped your arms, your hand gripping the wound. The forcefield fell around you as you yelped in pain, falling against the bannister and onto the floor.

The next thing you knew you heard Bucky’s footsteps, stomping up the stairs as Sam landed in front of you. Pushing Sam out of the way, Bucky dropped to his knees besides you.

“Fuck.” He cursed, moving his hands to your arm. “Are you okay? I’m gonna go back down there and kill that guy, Y/n, I swear.”

You shook your head. “It’s fine, Buck. We got what we needed, right?”

Sam nodded, slipping a hard drive into his pocket. “Yeah. Are you sure you’re alright though? You just got shot.”

Prompted by his question, you finally pulled your hand away from your arm, noticing the tear in your sleeve where the bullet scraped through your arm. As you moved your trembling hands, you finally noticed the blood coating your palms. Bucky was quick to take hold of your bloodstained hand and examine the wound.

“Shit. I should’ve been paying attention.” He told you, shaking his head.

You shook your head, placing your hand on his shoulder. When he finally met your eyes you spoke.

“Don’t blame yourself, Buck. It was my fault.” You sighed. “I should’ve been paying attention. I’m sorry. I was... distracted.”

Bucky furrowed his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

When you opened your mouth to speak, Sam- who was still standing to the side- cleared his throat. “Well... you guys seem to have this covered so I’m going to go ahead and meet Torres outside. I’ll leave you guys to... whatever this... is.”

And with that he left, this time making his way down the staircase.

An awkward silence existed between you and Bucky with his departure until Bucky finally spoke.

“What distracted you?” He asked again, still kneeling at your side.

You knew he wouldn’t let this go and you began hoping to whatever higher power there was above that he wouldn’t completely judge you and that your partnership wouldn’t completely fall apart.

“You.” You told him, shyly, refusing to meet his eyes.

You felt him shuffle closer to you, gripping your hand that was still in his.

“Me?” He asked. “What about me?”

Maybe it was the loss of blood or just the situation in general, but you couldn’t help but laugh. It only made the man beside you more confused.

“You know,” You began, finally meeting his eyes. “For someone over a century old, you can be really naive.”

What you didn’t know was that Bucky- along with his fascination for your powers- was infatuated with you. As much as the stubborn super soldier tried to hide it the best he could, he could feel his heart racing trying to piece together the situation.

“I’m not naive.” He told you, pretending to be offended. “You’re the one who just got shot when you could see the whole room in front of you. Some lookout.”

“Shut up!” You laughed shoving his arm. “I literally just got shot!”

Bucky laughed back before squeezing your hand.

“I’m serious. Just tell me. What was it?” He asked.

You looked up, met his eyes and smiled. You allowed yourself to take in his face, still a hint of a smile gracing his lips, trying to memorize the moment incase you were never able to experience it again.

“It was you, Buck.” You told him, sighing. “I was distracted... by you.”

“What-”

“I was distracted by you fighting.” You chuckled, now realizing you just got shot because you found Bucky Barnes knocking a man unconscious attractive. “And I know what you’re thinking, but I have to be honest- it wasn’t because I was worried about you. I didn't have to worry for a second.”

“Then why?” He asked.

You shrugged, feeling yourself grow flustered again. You could basically feel his eyes on you- he really stared a lot didn't he?

“Because... I thought you looked... hot.” You told him, physically cringing as the last word slipped out of your mouth.

In that moment, Bucky realized for the first time in eighty years that he had lost his “charm”. Although a part of him was so filled with confidence in knowing that you found him not only attractive, but hot while he was fighting, he had no idea what to say in a way that wouldn’t make him a stuttering mess which was the last thing he wanted to come across as in this moment.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn't have said that-”

“You like seeing me fight?” He asked finally.

You paused. 

“Yeah.”

Finally you felt yourself breathe a sigh of relief when you watched as a grin stretched across his face.

“I think you lost a lot of blood.” He laughed.

You swat him again. “Shut up! I’m being serious, Buck.”

“I just can’t believe you got shot because you liked the way I kicked some guy’s ass.” He teased.

“I always like the way you look.”

As soon as it slipped out of your mouth, you regret it, focusing your eyes on anywhere besides Bucky. Your undeniable feelings for James “Bucky” Barnes had really come to torment you today.

You began running through all of the ways to escape from the situation when he finally spoke up.

“I... like you too.” He told you, finally pushing himself off of his knees and onto his feet, looking down at you.

It took you a minute for your brain to register the information.

“You like me?” You asked, staring up at him.

“And I’m the naive one?” He asked, reaching out his hand to pull you up.

You gladly took his hand with your good arm, pulling yourself to your feet.

“I don’t believe you.” You told him, standing only inches apart.

He sighed, chuckling to himself before facing you.

“Remember two weeks ago when I got that bad gash in my side?” He asked and you nodded. “I was checking you out.”

Your mouth dropped, not even sure how to respond. You could barely even believe that after all this time of you getting flustered over every little thing that he did, he was feeling the exact same way about you. 

“No way!” You finally said, taking a step closer to him.

“Yeah um,” He chuckled, scratching where the chain of the dog tag met the back of his neck. “You looked... good.”

When your faces were only inches apart, you placed your hand against his chest, planting a kiss on his cheek before pulling away, smiling.

“No more getting ugly scars for each other, okay?”

He smiled.

“No promises.”

[mypoisonedvine]

claimed || alpha!Andy Barber x reader

summary: an interrogation with an alpha is no place to have an unexpected heat.

word count: 2.7k

warnings: smut (dub con; the reader goes into heat and can’t think clearly enough to say no), a/b/o dynamics, loss of virginity, mentions of misogyny/discrimination against omegas, vague noncon and violence references, kinda housewife kink, possessiveness, breeding kink, praise, overstimulation, knotting, slight bondage (reader is handcuffed), slight pain kink, implied/subtle age gap, pregnancy mention at the end, kinda soft!dark andy but he's really not that dark

"This would be a lot easier for both of us if you started telling the truth."

You chewed your lip, looking away from the man across from you; it was impossible to keep eye contact when his gaze bore into you like that, when he gave you that stern, dominating look.

Andy Barber was so obviously an alpha, he was one of those types that just reeked of it. Figuratively— with the way he towered over you, his masculine body and strong features— but also literally considering his scent was filling the room now: pine, cinnamon, sage, and something a little bit sweet that made your mouth water.

It made sense for an alpha like him to have a high-powered, high-pressure career like this; he probably got a real kick out of squeezing information out of scared betas who couldn’t stand up to him.

And that was the role you were going to play now, because he was wrong: it would not be easier if you told the truth. If he knew what you really were, you’d be doomed.

You’d been hiding successfully as a beta for a long time by now, and you weren’t about to give it up now, even if it would likely have the charges against you dismissed. Omegas lived sheltered, oppressed lives; sought constantly by alphas, they had their pick of the finest since omegas were so rare, but until mated they were extremely vulnerable— and afterwards they were usually made to be subservient housewives, constantly bearing children as a consequence of their extreme fertility.

Maybe some omegas were okay with that, plenty probably loved that lifestyle since it was sort of the instinctual habit of an omega by nature, but not you. Never you. You wanted a life, a real life, your own life as more than an alpha’s mate. Thankfully you’d found the right mix of suppressants and perfumes to hide your scent, the right work schedule so you could always be home for your rare heats, and voila: to the rest of the world, you were a beta.

Being a beta meant being unnoticed, unacknowledged, never pursued and never courted. And that was exactly how you wanted it.

If Andy Barber knew that the man you’d stabbed was an alpha trying to force himself on you, there was a chance he would understand that it was self-defense and let you go. Then again, a lot of alphas seemed to think that being forced to mate was just par for the course for an omega; surely Andy wouldn’t be one of those types, as a man of the law, right?

“I can’t,” you finally answered.

“Whatever it is, you can tell me,” he assured, some of his anger shifting to a soothing tone. It really did calm you down; he must have been using his ‘alpha voice’ on you, and the fact that it worked should’ve been a red flag but you didn’t notice. “Let’s start from the beginning. You said you were at home but no one has confirmed your alibi. You said you didn’t know the victim but you obviously reacted when I showed you his picture. And, you said you weren’t there at the time of the murder but we found your DNA on the body.”

A little smile pulled at the corner of your lips, exactly not the reaction Andy had been expecting. “You’re lying,” you whispered.

He tensed up as you called his bluff. The DNA found at the scene was in the process of being analysed, sure, but it would be weeks until the results came back. “How can you be so sure?” he pressed.

“Because I.  Wasn’t. There,” you hissed, glaring back at him; he shook his head solemnly..

“No, that’s not it. I can tell when you’re lying, too, you know,” he warned.  “Tell me how you know I don’t have your DNA at the scene?”

“Because… because…” you breathed, blinking a few times as the room started to get warmer. Your head was spinning, your thighs clenched together— and when Andy reached out to rest his hand on yours and ask if you were alright, his touch sent it all into overdrive.

No, no, it wasn't your time yet. It shouldn't have come for a few more days, and you’d arranged to be bailed out tomorrow so you’d go into your cycle safely at home and not in jail. But now it was beginning and you had no way to stop it. Had the smell of an alpha really been enough to start your heat early?

Andy watched you start to pant and sweat with a furrowed brow, unsure what he was witnessing because he’d never had the opportunity to see it before. His ex-wife had been a beta, he'd never even met an omega before— they were quite rare after all.

But what he lacked in experience, he made up for in instinct; his body told him everything he needed to know about what he was seeing. “Omega,” he growled lowly, watching your whole body erupt into shivers at the timbre of his voice.

As far as alphas go, Andy was relatively level-headed, not as preoccupied with instinctual desires to dominate, to claim, to impregnate. A lot of alphas viewed mating with a beta as settling, although it was the much more likely outcome, statistically speaking. Andy, though, never really saw it that way, even knowing how much harder it would be to have a child with a beta. Their fertility was significantly weaker, both the males and the females, and Jacob was the product of years of trying; in all their marriage him and Laurie had never used any contraceptives and she only got pregnant the once.

But an omega? Especially a young one like you? He could knock you up right now, if he wanted. That power was intoxicating. It was exactly what he never knew he needed so badly.

“I don’t need the results of your DNA to know what you are,” he explained firmly. “I can’t believe I didn’t know before— you must have tried really hard to keep it a secret, little one. You must be so afraid of who you are… and who I am, for that matter.  It must scare you to imagine what I could do to you.”

You whimpered, the noise tugging his heart in conflicting directions; to comfort you, or to make you do it again.

“I’m not going to hurt you, if that’s what you think,” he assured. “Not if I can help it…”

Honestly, he wasn’t so sure he would be able to help it; he felt his own sanity slipping as he watched you writhe and cry, instinct overtaking logic in the both of you.

"Alpha, please," you shuddered, the title making his cock harden instantly, uncomfortably filling the trousers of his suit.

"You smell so good," he purred, taking his jacket off as he stood up to cool off a bit. "I can smell your heat, Omega. I bet everyone in the building can—” he glanced to the locked door— “but I'm the only one here."

"Need you," you whined, tugging on the handcuffs that kept you bound to the table.

"Stand up, bend over," he commanded, and he'd barely finished speaking when you'd already done it, bent at the hips with your forearms resting on the table as you waited for him. "Good girl."

He rolled up his sleeves and took his place behind you, caging his body in with yours, nuzzling into your neck to get a deep breath of your scent.

"Fuck, so sweet," he groaned. "Waited so long for this. To feel an Omega on my cock. Never thought it would really happen. Has an Alpha ever taken you before?"

"No, I never… no."

"Not just unclaimed but a virgin. Christ, am I dreaming?"

But he was too far gone to take any more time to appreciate his luck— he needed you now, and he was taking you all for himself.

If he wasn't so overcome with need he wouldn't have thought to tear your clothes off, but now he didn't even think to question the idea, shedding you of your clothes like they were made of paper until you were completely exposed to him, your wet core vulnerable while another wave of your sweet scent filled the room.

"Look at all this," he grinned, kneeling down to lap at your folds and taste your slick. Your eyes rolled back in your head, your channel craving to be filled. "All for me, Omega?"

"Yours, it's all yours…"

"Doesn't it feel good to be claimed, little one? To be owned?"

"S-so good," you agreed. "Want your knot, Alpha. Want your mark."

A growl echoed in his chest when you said that, and he craved nothing more than to bite your neck and bond you to him for life.

But, it would be better if he saved that for a little later.

He stood up again and gave your ass a quick slap— nothing too rough, just enough to make you yelp all cute and whiny— before grabbing your hips to pull them back into his. You gasped and pushed back onto him, shamelessly rubbing yourself against the thick outline of his cock.

"Gonna make a mess on me with all that slick, Omega," he growled, but it was by no means discouragement.

"Want it in me, please," you sobbed. Unable to resist your begging anymore, he hastily opened his belt and fly, sighing with relief when he wrapped his hand around his cock and pulled it out. Your whole body visibly quaked when he swiped the swollen head through your folds, coating himself in your plentiful arousal.

Without any further warning, he pushed his cock in with a loud moan, a cry tearing from your throat as he tore into your body. "Shh," he soothed as his fingers rubbed your spine, "that's my girl, that's my pretty Omega."

But pain wasn't really your issue; it hurt, yes, but what made you cry was that you were already on the edge, about to come from hardly anything. When he thrusted once, you lost it and your legs quivered as a new wave of slick started to dribble down them.

"Are you coming?" he asked darkly.

You could only nod, biting your lip to try to keep from moaning too loudly.

"Oh my god…" he groaned, amazed at how sensitive you were. Clearly he wasn't the only one realizing how powerful and incredible it could be when an alpha and omega mated.

He started to really pound into you then, each brutal thrust knocking you forward.

"Feels good when you come for me, Omega. Do it again."

You couldn't help yourself; his voice had complete control over your body, his words a command you were helpless to resist. With a broken whimper you came again, walls squeezing his cock in a weak and stuttered rhythm.

"It's better than they say it is. Even better than I imagined. So fucking good," he sighed. It felt so right, that was the thing. It felt like your body was made to be claimed and owned by him.

"Want your knot," you whined, "please, Alpha—"

"If I give you my knot, you're mine. My Omega. You will never allow another Alpha to touch you. You will not speak to another Alpha, look at another Alpha, even Betas are off-limits. When I bite you, you'll be bonded to me and become my wife, you'll never disobey me or leave me. When I knot you, you'll give me a child. Is all of that perfectly clear?"

It was everything you'd wanted to avoid just an hour ago. Now it was your greatest dream come true. "Yes, Alpha. Yours, Alpha."

"Want to be bred, Omega? Bred by your Alpha?"

"Please!" you sobbed.

"Then keep coming and I'll let you have it soon," he promised. "I'll give you all my come like you need so badly."

You whimpered as your walls seemed to try to suck him in deeper, gripping him so tight that it made his head spin. Orgasm after orgasm washed over you, too many and too numb to count, each part of you slowly stripped away and replaced with pure, all-consuming pleasure.

The base of his cock began to swell and you mewled proudly— that is, until, it just kept growing and you couldn't imagine taking anymore.

"P-pull it out," you begged instead.

"I told you that you would take my knot, was I not clear?"

But you hadn't realized how big it would get, how far it would stretch you— and it was still going. "It hurts, Alpha, please!"

"You'll get used to it, gonna keep it in you all night and give it to you every day so you'll have plenty of practice. Take my fucking knot while I come inside you and breed your cunt."

When his knot finally grew to its full potential, streams of hot come began to fill you, deeper than you had ever imagined possible. It was overwhelming, apparently unending, and one final orgasm rocked your body as you milked his cock for all it was worth.

He wrapped his arms around your body, holding you close and soothing you as you shivered and cried, his kisses trailing up your shoulder to your neck where, finally, he sunk his teeth into your skin and left his mark on you.

Your walls quivered around him at the feeling of being claimed, mated for life. In that moment you didn't notice or care that it was to a man you barely knew; he was your Alpha now, that was all that mattered.

He kissed and licked over the sensitive bitemark, whispering praises your ringing ears couldn't quite process yet.

At least you were getting bailed out a day early.

//

Andy kept his promise about exactly how owned you would be. For the first few months you didn't even leave the house, he was too busy filling you with his cock every day. Although he was happy to claim you anywhere he happened to find you— the shower where he hopped in randomly, the kitchen where he bent you over the counter, the living room where he pinned you onto the couch— his favorite place was the bed. It was rougher and more animalistic in the other places, but in bed he was possessive in an entirely different way.

"My wife, my sweet little wife," he whispered in your ear as he slowly thrust all the way into you, making your back arch until your chest pushed against his. "My Omega. All mine."

"Yours," you agreed.

The protectiveness increased tenfold when your scent changed during pregnancy, even more when you started showing; he was obsessed with the way you looked full of his baby.

As for you, omega life was better than you'd expected. At times you felt smothered by him, but simultaneously you felt worshipped and loved like you never thought you could deserve. He certainly spoiled you, though he expected your unwavering loyalty in return.

That part was easy, though. Love, not fear, kept you in check when other alphas had a wandering eye. They knew you were mated, the bitemark scar (which Andy never, ever let you cover) and ring (which Andy never, ever let you take off) were sign enough along with the change in your scent to them. Occasionally one would shoot his shot and get unilaterally rejected by you before getting his ass kicked by your husband. If only they knew what you'd done to the last alpha that tried to creep on you; how you met Andy in the first place.

In the end, maybe it wasn't so bad to fall into your instincts, your natural role in society. Andy sure made it pretty enjoyable with the way he brought you to the height of pleasure over and over every night. "Mine," he promised you in deep whispers, "from the moment I saw you."

[lufecu01]

MY thoughts after reading acosf

Being mean and cruel does not make a character badass

Being feminine and having a hobby doesn’t make a character boring

Saying a character is the kindest of all yet failing to see that kindness in the book?? Idk, she only seems polite to me.

Nesta got on her knees for Amren and begged for forgiveness, but she couldn’t even voice a thank you to Feyre?

Trauma is not an excuse to treat others like trash

Nesta being there for Elain her whole life even when she was severely depressed and traumatized, only for Elain to get mad and basically abandoning Nesta when she’s dealing with her trauma her way does not sit right with me

Acosf was a healing and growing journey, not really a redemption arc.

House of wind stairs plot. Do I need to say more?

Giving up powers you didn’t want in the first place to save someones life is not a sacrifice

She shouldn’t have given up her powers

Eris and Nesta intrigued me more than Nessian

The scene w Lanthys showing Nesta him and her together was kinda…hot

Villain Nesta could’ve been so powerful

I would absolutely love Nesta if she treated both her sisters the same and was cruel to everyone else

Feyre is severely underrated in her own series

Idk how I feel about Feyre locking Nesta in the HOW and being compared to what Tamlin did.

“Elain is Elain” what??

I wanted Feyre to snap at Nesta and bitch slap her AT LEAST once

I feel like so much was left unsaid and swept under the rug

I think I liked Nesta more in acowar than by the end of acosf

Idc, Nesta should’ve apologized to Feyre

Loved the Valkyries friendship so much more than Feyre, Mor, and Amrens

Acosf made me sympathize w Nesta, but I still don’t like her

Azriel stopped loving Mor after 500 years bc of Elain just like that?

Elain doesn’t owe Lucien anything but at least a formal rejection to him. Where’s that kindness?

She was asking Amren about turning human again, i think she would’ve asked how to sever the bond long ago.

Lucien wouldn’t invoke a blood duel.

People think there’s something between Lucien and Vassa but not Azriel and Gwyn?

Elriels relationship is like “🙂” in my head

Mixed feelings about Azriels bonus chapter

Him and Elain obviously have feelings towards each other, but how would that play out in the long run?

Elain would always have that bond w Lucien, Azriel probably has a mate out there, his shadows skittered away from her, I’m trying so hard to like them. They just give me the ick together.

How do his shadows work?! They run from someone and dance with another persons breath?

I really want a Tamlin redemption…

Elain was semi curious about Lucien in Acowar (while still being in love w Graysen, even after having recently experienced something traumatic) and after she just completely ignores him??

I don’t blame Az for thinking sexually of Elain, but dude couldn’t think of anything else?

Also don’t blame him for wondering why she’s not his mate since his brothers are mated to the sisters

He could’ve at least said he has feelings other than lust towards her idk

Why did he avoid the question ab Mor?!

Gwyn could definitely be a lightsinger(highly doubt shes an evil one though)

Cassian gifting the symphonia to Nesta is the sweetest thing ever

Ok but what if Gwyn asked Azriel if he sung bc she heard a faint singing before (like Azriel did after talking to Gwyn) and it’s actually their mate bond singing (music between their souls) or something. Idk maybe I’m reaching

Will not apologize for this:)

[merakiui]

Half-Off Love

yandere!scaramouche x (gender neutral) reader art credit - kentasha1236 on twt cw: yandere, nsfw, unhealthy behaviors/relationship, gold-digging, implied yandere!childe note - thank you so much for 600 followers! o(≧∇≦o) I’ll work hard!

It’s strange. There’s no other adjective to describe the situation you’ve found yourself in. 

The ring slides itself onto your steady finger and it’s a miracle your discomfort doesn’t show. Your eyes struggle to meet his, but when they do you’re searching for a reason—for a meaning behind such a generous gift. You’ve witnessed this scene plenty of times before, having scoffed at the couples who decide to take their relationship to the next level. Whether it be in Mondstadt or Liyue, you’ve watched your fair share of angelic proposals. Although this is far from a proposal—at least, you hope it’s not a proposal. You’d feel powerless to decline if Scaramouche put you in such a position, and you’re almost certain he’s aware of this. 

But the main thing—you now realize—that’s holding him back is your status and his relationship with you. It’s nothing special, just mere physical attraction rather than the emotional hindrances that come with real, heart-racing love. There’s nothing wholesome in the way you regard one another; it’s just sex. 

“Do you like it? I made sure to find only the highest quality gemstone for you.”

And yet when he performs this caring charade, it doesn’t feel like loveless copulation. 

Ew, you think, plastering a smile to your face. Since when was Scaramouche so concerned with materialistic signs of affection? He’s far from loving; he’s just pent-up, frustrated from his rigorous job as a Harbinger and so he decides to use you as a means of coping. He almost sounds like Childe with his ineffective flirting methods. You’ve received your fair share of spoils from him as well, and you’ve done everything you could to cull that relationship before it grew out of hand. But now you’re stuck with the lesser side of the coin: another troublesome Fatui Harbinger. 

If you didn’t know any better, you might think to chase after Signora or Dottore next. Maybe you’ll aim for the Tsaritsa Herself if you’re especially daring. After all, your life has been nothing but deceit and faux pleasures; there’s little value to a liar’s life. If the Archons wish for your swift end, you’re positive it’ll be a result of your insatiable greed.

“It’s lovely. The color matches my eyes.”

It doesn’t, but you lie about it anyways. And he looks pleased to hear your approval. 

“Then perhaps I should get you a bracelet as well? Or would you prefer something with a little more use, such as a pocket watch?”

Why don’t you just lock me up with a collar instead? you think bitterly, already keen on pawning the ring off once the initial luster fades. Since you’re so eager to buy these things for me in hopes that I’ll return. It’s annoying.

“This is more than enough. I don’t want you to spend a fortune on me.” There’s a sweet lilt in your voice as your hand cups his cheek, and he leans into your warm touch, starved of the affection like a stray mutt. ”I only need you per our agreement. You do remember what that is, right?”

He’d be caught dead bending to the desires of someone so insignificant, but he just can’t stay away. Not when your every word is intoxicating poison he’ll readily ingest. 

“I’m aware." There’s a sigh in his tone as he pulls away, almost as if he wants to simply sit there and indulge in playful conversation. As if he actually wants to familiarize himself with the real you. But that emotion doesn’t last for long and an irritated expression crawls onto his handsome face as he silently recalls something. 

You’re slipping your silks off with grace, curiously tracking his movements. “You look upset. Was it because of what I said?”

“Of course not. You could never upset me.”

Until you get bored of me.

When you cast your robes aside, reaching for Scaramouche’s elaborate outfit, you murmur, “Let me guess. It was that traveler again, wasn’t it? I’m not sure why you’re so hung up on them.” A whimper leaks into your voice and you fix him with a pout. “I’m sad you’d think of others when I’m right here. Aren’t I the only one you need?”

It’s ironic how quickly that line hooks him, dragging him up from the murkiest depths of love that has skewed into obsession. When you tried it out on Childe, he wasn’t so easily swayed. You find their differences to be invigorating. If the arrangement with Childe was still ongoing, you might’ve considered a threesome, if only to wring more glittering treasures out of the both of them. Mora and jewelry galore, it all goes towards your stockpiled savings. And it’s times like these when you’re lucky to have avoided economic business with the Fatui. Being free of Fatui debt has its perks, a bright miracle in your dark relationships. That’s one less tether to Scaramouche and one less reason to cling to him after you’ve had enough. 

He smirks at your forced envy, easily pushing you backwards onto the plush mattress once he’s fully undressed. For a brief moment, he pictures your pliant body sprawled across an office desk while he pounds into you from behind, putting on a lewd show for his leering underlings. There’s something arousing about your secret relationship that has strange ideas formulating within his head. He entertains a simple scheme, one in which he’d shed light on your connection; however, the other side of him wants to keep your existence for himself, where no one will disturb the two of you in your pleasurable endeavors.

Perhaps you would truly belong to him if he were to expose you for the fraud you really are. Oh, the joy of trapping an unsuspecting rat in a corner, with no way out but into his open arms. You’ll hardly have any semblance of a choice, but he knows you’ll choose the option that guarantees another chance at life.

Scaramouche thinks about that as he revels in soft, tantalizing foreplay. He knows you aren’t as dedicated to this relationship as he is and he’s almost certain you’ve got others waiting for you in different parts of Teyvat. He’s just another plaything you’ve picked up for the fun of it. And in these moments where you surrender to his touch, your back arching with avaricious thoughts, you seem to forget about the power he truly wields. The thought that he could suffocate you in this very bed with his love alone should have you taking precautions to cover your vulnerability, but you only have your eyes set on one thing—not exactly minding the outcome so long as it’s monetarily favorable.

And if playing into your covetous hands ensures your weekly arrival, he’ll gladly empty his pockets of spare change.

You don’t like this new side of him. Lately he’s been treating this as if the two of you are lovers: slow, sensual thrusts accompanied with the sweetest of promises. You’ve never really minded the filth he’d moan in your ear and now you wish he’d resort to that instead. Loveless words spoken through the veil of lust—that’s what you want to hear.  

He envelops you like a smothering fog, fitting himself snugly inside of your tight hole in an embrace that’s oh so familiar. You aren’t used to such gentle treatment and as he kisses along your collarbone you feel yourself going under, having fallen victim to a Harbinger who is normally so cold-hearted. Perhaps he’s more sensitive than you originally thought. Months ago, you wouldn’t have imagined your relationship would grow into something so uncertain, where emotionless love becomes packaged and bogged down with so much feeling.

His lips ghost over yours and there’s a slight pause in his actions. You turn your head to the side, denying his choking affection before it can drag you further into a spiraling abyss of regret. Annoyance swells in his hazy gaze, but he uses your new position to his advantage.

“It’s cute,” he says in a hushed voice, breath tickling your ear, “how you seem to rid yourself of my gifts as soon as they fall into your hands. I wonder where they’ve gone. Into the harbor? Traded off for food and shelter? Do tell me.”

When his grip on your hip tightens to a threatening degree, you resign yourself, opting to hold your tongue as his pace remains brutally slow. Rather than speaking out of line, you raise your hand to his face, and he clasps your wrist in a forceful hold. 

The look in his eyes is far from loving—it’s that same obsessed expression Childe wore. And even if he still searches for you for reasons other than sex, you’re aware there’s no luck where Scaramouche is concerned. You can run from Childe because he’ll allow it—because he adores the chase—but Scaramouche hardly finds delight in a game of cat and mouse. You should’ve expected this. After all, he is just as conniving as the rest, always inventing new ways to track down and eradicate that peculiar traveler. Of course he would know about how you handle his presents when he isn’t looking because there’s no denying the stern gazes that would pierce through your backside whenever you went to the market.

"I’d never throw them out like that...” you mumble through another soft moan, hoping he’ll just pick up the pace and be done with you. “Your gifts are priceless.”

And yet the price for your own love is so hefty. If he weren’t Fatui, it might be enough to throw him into lifelong debt.

“Is that so? You seem to put a price on them whenever you visit the marketplace.” His fingers grip your chin, forcing you into an inescapable eye contact. “If you enjoy putting prices on items that you claim are priceless, you won’t mind if I collect a refund for your dishonesty.”

“A...refund?” 

Your lustful thoughts evaporate once you realize his pace has become horribly slow, his dick stilling and creating an itch of barely noticeable ecstasy. You wiggle your hips to increase the friction, wanting to get yourself off before his words can sour the mood. Though it’s already spoiled when you recognize the carnal victory shining in his twisted smirk. Your unfortunate fate was sealed the moment you welcomed his company with foolish openness, and you’ve been indebted ever since he decided to spoil you with lavish foods and accessories. 

For love that is far from cheap, interest must be paid and your very being makes for the perfect bargain.

It’s weird when he kisses you on your lips rather than on the parts of your body that are normally obscured with delicate cloth. And it’s even weirder when that metaphorical collar binds your throat in a vice. It’s more harrowing than any sort of debt you might’ve garnered and it’s just as inconvenient as his boyish adoration.

Scaramouche doesn’t have to purchase your flimsy, half-off love when it’s already prepackaged and ready for the taking. 

“You heard me. A refund is hardly enough punishment for a lying brat, but it will have to suffice for now.”

For now.

Spurred on by his own insinuating threats, he seeks to bruise your very insides with thrusts that are filled with physical vexation rather than the emotional ministrations from before. And since you’re so accustomed to him, your greedy hole eagerly welcomes him.