#but for me it does a lot more harm than good; so I will lie and cheat and steal to avoid it if it comes down to it

[laser-tripwires]

the way that sophie doesn't understand eliot because she is, by nature, a shapeshifter. any part of herself that she doesn't like, she can change, up to the point which her identity loses meaning completely. whereas eliot can't change the way she does so he instead has to/chooses to live with the things he has done. the way sophie can be separated from her past because she has changed and eliot can't because, in so many ways, he is still the same

so, full disclosure, this post has sat in my drafts for literal years because i was trying to think of a good response. i think one can go even deeper with this.

you're missing one key detail, and it's the one everyone misses when they analyse sophie. well, don't miss entirely, but it's the one everyone kinda seems to leave unsaid even if they contradict it. sophie can read people. she can read people extremely fucking well, and her default social interaction mode is manipulation. in the original series this is a skill overshadowed by nate's ability to do the same thing, but by redemption it's been suddenly retconned to be sophie's main skill and it's a testament to the og show's writing that that doesn't seem out of place. sophie can read people extremely fucking well.

so no, she doesn't understand eliot. but it's not quite just because of their differences in personal identity; there's also the fact that sophie gets an extremely accurate view of the person eliot is, but not quite the depths of the emotional intelligence eliot has.

it's why i love that scene in tap-out so much - you see soph making an assumption, buying into the read of eliot that they'll later use as a weapon in the con, and eliot steps back slightly to talk her through why she's wrong. but sophie's sophie - she reads people really well. she did pick up on eliot's pain in that scene, but her own view of the world slotted it into a different root than the one that was really there.

actually! you wanna hear something really fun that i realised last time i rewatched almost paradise? in that show, christian kane's character, alex, has a moment in a random fight scene in season two where he chucks a dude over a railing and makes an "oops that dude's dead" face. eliot never does that, the closest we get is the wedding job i guess, but... i lie. he does do that wince, and it's in the opener to season three. eliot chucks a guy into traffic and makes that same face.

and, of course, that sequence doesn't actually happen. it's just sophie's telling of a story to nate. it's the first time we unambigously see eliot kill someone, and it's in a story told by sophie.

see where i'm going with this?

she's dramatising. but she's dramatising in a way that i don't think eliot ever would, because in real life eliot isn't that sloppy and accidentally killing someone is a bigger deal than that. leverage exists in a magic universe where bonking people on the head is always nonfatal, shh it's fine.

just... not to sophie, apparently. not to little miss "spikes a diplomat's drink in order to induce a potentially deadly anaphylactic response as a distraction" sophie devereaux. do i think sophie's ever actually killed someone? probably not, and she clearly has stronger boundaries about this than the rest of the team (see last dam), but i also think in not having that darkness, she misses the softer lines that the others tread. especially eliot. that was true then - look at their conversations in the real fake car job - and it's still true now. sophie harbours a lot of guilt about a lot of things, but in contrast to eliot, all her regrets are to do with collateral damage. never direct harm.

bringing it back to sophie more broadly (i will start talking about eliot give me a minute) it's not really just that sophie has changed. a LOT of her has stayed the same.

oh, sure, she is a creature of change, she shreds names and identities like they're second skins. she has spent most of her adult life stuck in a toxic cycle of thinking that running away will fix things, and it's only recently (and by "recently" i really do mean "recently", like, after the muddy waters job recently) that she's prperly broken that loop. but there's a lot about her that's the same as it's always been.

she is a creature of change but that change is a constant, and it's only in ceasing to change - in finding a family, in falling in love, in putting down roots, in deciding to never fully start again but instead to just keep going - that sophie finally achieved her redemption.

so you're right about her, but you're wrong, too. she changes, and she doesn't, and it's in change that she stops changing, and that's what earns her redemption.

...and the thing with eliot, right, is that you're correct - he has been a similar person to who he is now for a very long time. including when he was killing people, which is something i think people gloss over. the eliot we have now is basically just that eliot minus the depression and plus some found family.

actually, by the by, this is what makes the "the white hat doesn't suit you" line from the big bang job so damn good. and "he prefers beer" is the scariest goddamn line in the show because we've been hearing all season about moreau's atrocities and now we find out that eliot is the kind of person to casually hang out with that sort of employer. that's chilling. our eliot has worked so hard for restitution, arguably too hard once we reach redemption. but this is spoken by someone who knows the stuff eliot is seeking restitution FROM, certainly better than we the audience do. and that's why this is so damn terrifying. think about who eliot is, a personality that's still the same and that moreau knows. how can the white hat suit a man like eliot, how can doing the good thing fit a guy with those oceans of blood on his hands?

so, we have literal concrete proof that at his worst eliot still preferred the same drinks, still made friends, still probably laughed and smiled. it'd be all too easy to just imagine him as a completely cold-hearted monster, and while that might've been what was at his core back then, on the surface? he was still the same person. news flash, kids, depression isn't always obvious. "he prefers beer" is the most spine-chilling line in the entire show, because it means eliot was happy to laugh with these people, to drink with them, to let his quirks slip through and be who he is.

eliot opens up in different ways with different people - look at his conversation with shelly, for example, and how that banter wouldn't have come up with the team. it makes you wonder exactly what jokes got told, exactly what blood got washed off of his hands before life as normal continued.

the person eliot was and the person eliot is might be very different people in terms of actions, but in terms of personality? i think eliot said it best in french connection; "Different guy. [...] Same bad attitude, though."

watch him, in the early episodes of the show, in season three when he's going through the wringer in secret. eliot does a lot of bantering and joking around without really actually opening up - he's not guarded, not in the same way someone like sophie is, but he is a human being with a lot of layers.

and people underestimate him! as nate says, that's kind of the point, but it's damn relevant here if we're gonna talk about how sophie percieves eliot, which i believe is at least partly what i intended for this post to be about.

so sophie changes, all of the time. she achieves redemption by learning when to stop changing, by finding a life and a name she is comfortable in. i will forever love that scene in crowning achivement where astrid asks sophie what her real name is and sophie tells her it's sophie devereaux, because... it is, now.

but eliot? it's not that he can't change, that he hasn't changed. his personality has stayed largely the same, but his actions and choices are extremely different now to what they used to be. but "bad choices are bad choices", see, and "they eat you up inside. and you don't even notice."

eliot's not stuck with being the person he was. he makes different choices now, but he'll always be the guy who did those things. he'll always know why he did them, and he'll always have to sit with the uncomfortable truths that lie beneath that.

can eliot be redeemed? i don't know. but his journey is not sophie's, and you're right - they're two people trapped in extremely different prisons of causality.

[vandal-flower]

Great Power Comes with No Responsibilities

Ror men with a powerful but lazy s/o.

Requested by 🦅 anon.

Characters: Qin Shi Huang, Jack the Ripper, Buddha and Loki.

Warnings: A bit of angst in Jack's part. 😶

Notes: Do you think I wrote too much this time?

Scenario:

"Female god reader who is extremely powerful but lazy , lazy in the means she liked to lie down and sleep a lot , if she wants to she could kill zeus and she can be really intimidating but shes soft around them."

Qin Shi Huang

He didn't even notice you were a god.

You looked too exhausted to function, and yet you were ready to fight whomever tried to harm him.

He would take care of any obstacles that would dare present itself to him, but he loves how you sort the situation than he does.

There were times where you offered to lift his curse, but he declined.

According to him, if he as an emperor could not endure this curse, how could he rule a nation.

You haven't heard such wise words from anyone else before. You smile at him, and gently give him a kiss on his head.

No one dares to challenge either of you as they fear the both individually.

In private, he declares his love and loyalty for you, as the two of you embrace each other.

"Even if the Heavens dare to object our love, we'll remain ontop."

Jack the Ripper

He's honestly surprised how someone like you could love a man like him.

He has faced many hardships, threats and much more from people who knew him and those who don't.

However, when it comes to you, he can't help but cry a little at the smallest hint of love and kindness someone has ever given him.

Someone who is even more powerful than Zeus himself. Despite your intimidating nature, he finds it soothing.

Especially when you are so soft around him. He often wonders what he did to be loved and cherished by someone like you.

Many wanted to end his life even before he fought Hercules. He is very thankful that you continue to defend him even with your reputation at stake.

You often don't mind defending him against the other gods, after all he is your lover.

It's unknown how you two got together, but it does not matter as the two of you are head over heels for each other. (Good for you.)

"I don't know what I did to have to have you in my life, but I promise to cherish our time forever my dear."

Buddha

My guy here is taking advantage of the whole situation.

You can't blame him though, he is literally in a relationship with someone who is as strong, if not stronger than a primordial god!

Many wonder how in the world did you end up with someone like him, but seeing how lazy you are, it makes sense.

Often times, when Zeus threatens to punish him, you put Zeus in his place, promising an eternity of pain should he ever hurt your lover.

The smirk on his face says it all. (Me too.)

He is happy at the fact that even though you are powerful enough to defeat Zeus, or any chief god, you don't get arrogant.

Despite how powerful you are, he treats you the same way he treats everyone, just with more affection.

You bet he's telling Jataka about you, and how much he loves you!

"Thanks for taking care of the other gods for me. I'll cuddle you later if you want honeybun."

Loki

Another one on the list of taking advantage of this, however to an even greater degree. (What did you expect?)

Whenever he pranks Thor or Odin, he immediately runs to you. The two can't do anything but give him a death glare.

He's busy giggling his bum off behind your back, as you wake up from your nap and question who woke you up.

He often questions you if Zeus truly is the Grandfather of the Cosmos. To which you reply an exhausted, "No, it's only because he is powerful and looks older than he is."

At first he thought you were a demigod due to how sluggish you were acting. But quickly straightened up after seeing Zeus treat you with more respect than anyone.

He tried pranking you, but you were too tired to notice anything. And when you did notice, it backfired on him, resulting to him being confined in the emergency room.

He definitely thinks you're weird and has voiced this, but knows you won't care either way. He also tries to get a reaction from you.

He likes telling you the latest stories (or gossip) from the Heavens. You sometimes stay awake just to hear them.

"Apparently there was a rumors spreading around about Aphrodite's beauty salon."

I probably wrote too much didn't I.

My inbox is open. Check out my Rules.

[friedpaolo]

Can I please request any type of headcanon either fluff or nsfw for Mr Crawling and Mr Scarletella, mostly relationship headcanons.Thank u may u have a great day ✨

Had to brainstorm so hard and long for this, rung my brain dry for what little creative juices it had..

Mr. Scarletella is an obsessive companion. We've seen from game that he's very obsessive and literally tracks you around the underground facility like a bloodhound. If you've already made relationship with him then he's always trailing behind, crimson umbrella ominously tilted just right to mask the way his eyes are boring into you, crazed and feverish. He just loves you so fucking much, can you even call it love? It feels more like obsession. He makes a big attempt to not scare you, although he's failing almost 60% of the time. He's not good at camaraderie like Mr. Crawling or Mr. Chopped so expectant a lot of very creepy silence or singular sentenced phrases. He's not trying to scare you, absolutely not! But he's been so... him for so long that he doesn't start acting all lovey dovey immediately.

Mr. Scarletella who has a vocal kink, or a name kink if you put it more specific. He just loves to hear you say his name when he's got you overstimulated from how powerful he feels atop you. He takes little consideration into how big he is because he can balance his weight enough to not harm you. "Say my name." He cups you face and forces your eye contact to viciously meet his own. He doesn't let you look away not untill you comply. All those deaths by your hand were sacrifices for him, right? He finds the way you utter his name to be the greatest devotion to him. Greater than any kiss or hug. Speak his name proudly, don't be nervous! He won't hurt you... much. When you finally give in and stutter out his name, it's enough to make him cum instantly.

Mr. Scarletella will always share his umbrella with you. His lanky arm wrapped around you in a way that sort of limits your movement. He's not sure why you'd ever want personal space when you can be close to him at all times! His perception of love is very misguided and misconstrued, he believes that not allowing you to interact with other entities is considered protecting you. Even if said entity is just a trailing Mr. Crawling or even a bodyless Mr. Chopped. Not gonna lie, he's bordering yandere when it comes to having him as a lover. Like even when you're not his lover, you still are. If that makes sense.

Mr. Crawling.. oh, sweet Crawling. This man is the best choice of companion. We've already seen how bountiful his affections for you are through the main game. He's so clingy, but not in the way that Scarletella is. Unlike him, Mr. Crawling isn't obsessing over your every move, word and action. Neither does he force you to stay close approximation to him. He loves when you make friends with the other ghosts and creatures in this world, although he can get pretty protective if he deems anything as a threat to your wellbeing and general safety. He has no qualms of safeguarding you, even if it involves a little bloodshed. However for the most part, he's a very lighthearted companion.

Mr. Crawling definitely strikes me as the type to have an odd intrigued engrossment in doing missionary with you, the ironic thing is that it's a 50/50 thing with him. You never know when he'll ask for you, perhaps he views it as a bonding ritual and always wants to feel close with you. Although, you've noticed that it happens more often when you've separated for a bit of a time. Rather it be that he finds you, or You've returned to your dear disheartened companion, whom perks conspicuously at the mere presence of you. You'll always find yourself on your back with a large, vacuous creature desperate to slide his twitchy cock inside of you. He misses the first 3 times, be patient with him.

Mr. Crawling who Is very desperate to make you feel comfortable around him, that he avoids standing around you. He intentionally makes himself smaller to seem much less intimidating and will always feel guilty if he ever does spook you. Likewise, he becomes more opposing and intimidating to scare off the more offensive monsters. He really does love you lots, always trailing behind and reaching out to tug your rain coat for attention or pressing his head up against your limp hand to signal that he'd like for you to pet him like how he pets you, to reassure him that even if he follows, you steal remember and value his presence as your own. He really is about as loyal as a street mutt that you've made the mistake of feeding.

02/02/2025 © Friedpaolo. please do not translate, modify or repost any of my work on any platform, or claim any of it as your own.

[things-keeping-me-up-at-night]

It‘s always so funny to read what people on Reddit are thinking about The Bear because I do not agree with A SINGLE THING

Like…did we watch the same show??? The Syd hate has always been rampant but it is especially bad now and you cannot tell me that it isn‘t rooted in sexism and racism. She‘s (barely) on the same level of irrational behaviour and complexity as Carmy and Richie but somehow, they always seem to get a pass but she doesn‘t.

„But we like Tina, Ebraheim and Marcus, it‘s just that she‘s not good at her job“- okay, first of all, these are not main characters so they get a lot less screen time (aka time to do things wrong) and I think it‘s more fair to compare her treatment to that of the other main characters.

Secondly, these three characters have been absolute sweethearts for the majority of the show, so people would have to reach pretty far to come up with any reason for criticism.

Thirdly: that‘s such a lie because people on that sub have been hating on Marcus for YEARS because of the donut thing. Yes, he was in the wrong in that situation, but let‘s not forget that, even recently, there have been so many posts saying „say what you want, I still hate Syd and Marcus for their behaviour during Reviews, Carmy was in the right“ which is an ok opinion to have, but people kept repeating it even after season 3, so it took at least two seasons for a lot of them to forgive Marcus for something that was a lot less harmful than so much of what Carm and Richie did. So…do I think that characters of colour on this show are held to a different standards than white ones? Yes.

„But we’re not sexist, we love Claire, and Jess is so cool, she‘s actually the true leader The Bear needs, I‘m actually only excited to watch season 5 for her and Richie“ don‘t piss me off.

Listen, there are complex female characters in this show other than Syd, absolutely, who are much more well-liked by those fans than she is; Nat and Tina in particular. But both of them - other than Tina in season 1, who honestly feels like a different character from who we got for the rest of the show (which I‘m not complaining about) - have really have never done anything wrong that would justify any hate for these people. They‘re kind, uplifting and, most importantly, pretty much always in the right in what they do. They also do not have the kind of conflicts with Carm and Richie that Sydney does, which I think is key to how they‘re perceived in comparison to her.

Going back to Claire and Jess though: the fact that the female characters who are the most beloved by that portion of the fandom are the ones who are pretty much living plot devices on this show is absolutely laughable.

Now, I warmed up to Claire and her relationship to Carmy over the course of the last two seasons, but these people have been up her ass from the second she looked at Carmy with big eyes and kept going on and on about how enticing she is, how good she is for him…same goes with Jess, who is such a nothing burger of a character but somehow ended up as their absolute favourite - because, again, there‘s no complexity there.

Other than bringing about the needed change in S4 (which could have been done by any other character, including Tina and Syd if Carm had actually listened to them), her sole purpose on the show is to motivate Richie and be a non-controversial potential love interest to him, which is lame af (in my humble opinion).

Listen, I‘m not saying she has no personality (I‘m sure they‘re going to give her one in S5, which is a waste of time imo because we have so many more interesting characters already, but I‘ve already seen those people talk about how they hope she is given some sort of tragic backstory…I guess so she can fit in? Or so they can say „hey, no, she‘s actually not one-dimensional!!!“…listen to yourselves.) but the people who love her this much are the reason the ‚cool girl‘ trope exists because that‘s exactly what they want in a female character. To only exist in relation to a man, to be exactly what he needs, to have herself chosen by him whenever he‘s ready, to be her attractive, low-maintenance, funny and smart but not as important as him and, again, white self.

I don‘t hate these character‘s existence in this show or anything and I actually am really happy with how season 4 went, so this is not a dig at the writers, but I do think when so many of these fans think this way, there’s a connection to be made.

I also really do not want to bring up shipping because that‘s an equally controversial topic to these people (again, have I mentioned how much I hate being on male-dominated subreddits), but it‘s so funny to me how the same people who hated the idea of Sydcarmy and kept going on and on about how „this show isn‘t about romantic relationships!!! All the relationships are strictly platonic and anyone who says otherwise is a stupid girl and should go watch Bridgerton or something!!!“ started salivating the moment Claire and Jess showed up and are now doing the very shipping they complained about. „I hope she comes back🥺🥺🥺 I like her so much! I want to see more of them together, I really hope they end up together!“

Now imagine their reaction if people made posts like that about Syd and either of the other main main characters on Reddit. I get not wanting any of the three together in that way because it’s a recipe (no pun intended) for disaster or because you just don‘t see their relationships that way, that‘s fine, but it is so telling to me how mad they got at the idea of any possible romantic interpretation of the relationships between Syd and either Carm or Richie compared to the love interests they want for them. Again, this is not about the ships themselves, anybody can ship whatever they want, but about the ideals they seem to have of ��worthy“ female characters.

I‘m not saying Syd is without fault or that there aren‘t reasons to dislike her, but to me, she comes from a long, long line of irrationally hated female characters whose biggest fault is being realistic.

I love how her character is written because, to me, it is absolutely understandable how hard of a time she‘s having knowing what to do in the last two seasons with what we know about Sheridan Road and again, just like so many of the characters, she has a lot to work through. Her anger at Carm, even if he‘s gotten better and I get his decision at the end, is also absolutely justified because he did leave her hanging for two seasons atp. And even with her more controversial behavior, she does so much right, she‘s a much better colleague and friend to the others than Carmy most of the time and she is, as he‘s said, a great leader and teacher, she uplifted so many pf the people at The Bear and came in with a lot of the exact right ideas.

Maybe that‘s why the post I saw about how Jess being the ‚true leader‘ of the last season set me off like that, because we see Syd work so hard to be exactly what she needs to be, we get to know and understand her so much, and still, all of that is disregarded by these people in favor of a character who really is barely even that because that‘s what these people really want.

[thesleepyhollows]

Understanding Arkhamverse scarecrow.

I’ve been wanting to make this post for awhile. I think with the release of Arkham shadow we might finally have all the necessary pieces to understand the life of Jonathan crane, his motivations and his descent into obsession.

This scene gives us a lot to work with.

Let’s start with this. It seems like unlike some versions of crane who see fear as a tool. The true face of control and power. Arkhamverse Crane sees fear as everything. This has been observed all throughout the series. From him discussing how fear drives every human action in Arkham asylum to this line in Arkham knight just before he’s defeated.

Something else I noted in that clip was Jonathan immediately trying to rationalise and analyse his reaction to his toxin using fear.

Now we’re not quite sure what this original chemical of his does. Only that its intention is to trigger the shadow within people. We can assume through both his and Batman’s reactions that it aims to do this through a similar process to the future fear toxin. Bringing out and facing people with their deepest fears. Hoping they may become them.

Though that leaves the same question. Why jump to fear. He’s clearly talented in chemistry. Surly there would be more direct ways to bring out people’s demons rather than only focusing on a single part of the shadow. Well I believe that shows us even before this realisation Jonathan had some experience and issues with fear. It’s also why his greatest fear seemingly is just. Fear itself. The helpless fears given to us from evolutions and experiences long before our time. Inherent fears.

However we also shouldn’t disregard his fixation on the shadow itself. Why does he seemingly want to get people to become their worst selves. As seen in his tapes with Harvey. Why is Jonathan crane like this?

Well I think there may have been a time where he saw someone consumed by fear. Destoryed by it.

This could draw an interesting parallel to the story of Amadeus Arkham whose story started when he watched his own mother be consumed by her mental illness before ending up consumed by it himself. I think this parallel could make a lot of sense given that I’d argue although the joker plays a more personal threat scarecrow is the main villain of the Arkham series.

So allow me to tell you what I believe to be the story of Jonathan Crane in the Arkham series. Assuming that the brief backstory we got in his Arkham asylum character bio isn’t considered canon.

A parent or other caregiver suffered from great anxiety and paranoia that caused them to do great harm. Maybe overtime perhaps in one tragic incident. Jonathan internalised this and began to grow interested in the mind. Maybe it started with good intentions. After all he does claim to be helping people in Arkham shadow. Maybe that was a lie and he’s been twisted for a very long time. Who knows.

He began work at Gotham state university and we know how that ended up.

Though it’s worth noting he clearly was brilliant. So much so that this incident unlike most versions of the character did not get him fired because his classes brought the university so much revenue. Instead he left on his own accord to take over as head of rehabilitation at blackgate. An odd choice given the amount of institutions bidding over him. They were likely offering more, far more than the job he took. Though I think his motivations for this were split. Partly is of course the obvious motivation of easy access to test subjects that couldn’t easily speak out. We can see in the previous game that he was running controlled tests likely of the chemicals we see used in Arkham shadow and his subjects were willing participants.

Now either not enough people were choosing to participate or the effects were becoming so potent it risked drawing unwanted attention to his work.

The second reason connects to my proposed backstory. Maybe he was curious to explore how fear connects and causes crime and violence via the shadow. The chain reaction that begins WITH fear.

We then see the events that happen in Arkham shadow and we find out alongside Jonathan that he’s been inhaling his own chemicals during testing. Smart move there buddy. This sends him into a psychotic spiral and forces him to confront and become his greatest fear. His shadow. Fear itself. We can see that this truly set in given how messed up he looks the following day. Not to mention his actions becoming erratic. No longer thinking to hide his crimes until after he severely injures Harvey and huffing his own chemicals right in court.

Afterwards? We’re not sure. Of course he goes on to become the scarecrow then the events play out as we see throughout the rest of the Arkham games. He gets mauled by killer croc during the events of asylum and his previously smug and joyfully sadistic personality get destroyed alongside his face. The experience clearly changed him quite drastically as a person. Although clearly it didn’t shake his core ideals and beliefs about the all consuming nature of fear.

How pitifully ironic that this idea became true in the end. As he’s injected with his own toxins his mind collapsing and giving way to permanent insanity and terror. Fear really was everything Jonathan had left in the end.

[bullet-prooflove]

Always: John Carter x Reader

Tagging: @kmc1989 @anna-bailey @ofsoapsuds @queenslandlover-93 @gemofspace

Summary: You and John discuss the reasons behind your dancing.

Companion piece to:

Dreamer (NSFW) - John dreams of you when he's with someone else.

Little John - You try to keep John's mind off the task at hand.

The First One Is Always The Hardest - You comfort John after the death of a patient.

Forget-Me-Nots - John wakes up hung over in a strange bed and with an unexpected memento of the night before.

Speak Your Truth - John speaks his truth in the aftermath of a tragedy.

Trauma - John makes a realisation after his confession.

Fever - John gets more than he bargained for when he attends a friend's stag party in a Chicago Speakeasy.

Minx (NSFW) - John had no idea he had such a deviant little minx on his hands.

It takes John almost an hour to remove the gems and pasties from your chest. You lie with your head on his lap as he sits with his back against the headboard, lightly dabbing them with a warm, damp wash cloth to remove the adhesive. When they loosen he picks each one up carefully, depositing it into a glass he’s set on the nightstand to collect them for reuse.

“Does it hurt?” He asks you, his fingertips tracing over the red marks left on your skin.

“No.” You say drowsily. “It’s just sensitive from the adhesive.”

He picks up the moisturizer from the nightstand, squeezing it into his palms, rubbing them together to heat it. The scent of pine and cedar wood floods your senses as he spreads it gently over your breasts, smoothing it into your delicate flesh in gentle circles. You moan at the sensation and he leans in close, placing a kiss on the tip of your nose.

“I thought I wore you out.” He murmurs, the edges of his mouth tipping up into a smile.

“You did.” You mumble, stretching like a cat across the mattress. “I just like how good it makes me feel when you have your hands on me.”

“Well I like making you feel good.” He says, reaching underneath his pillow and pulling out the white Northwestern cut off he wears to bed. “You wanna put that on? Save your nipples from further harm?”

“A true gentleman.” You say as you sit up. He helps you into the shirt and it drapes over your form like it meant for you, clinging to your curves as your tousled hair falls in a wave over your features.

“Perfect.” He whispers because having you here in his bed, it’s like every single one of his wildest dreams are coming true. He draws back the sheets and you climb underneath, snuggling down into the plush pillow as he tucks the quilt carefully around you before following suit. His arm wraps around you, drawing you into the shelter of his body, your bare legs tangling with his.

“Tell me about the burlesque.” He requests, his nose trailing along yours. “We both know that is certainly not the first time you’ve done it.”

His brain is still trying to reconcile with everything that’s happened tonight. From the moment he saw you up on that stage to right here, right now where you’re wearing his clothes, sleeping in his bed.

“It started in college, I have a friend whose been on the circuit since the revival, she teaches classes. Initially it was something to do to unwind and as it turns out I’m really freaking good at it. She needed a support act for one of her shows and I realised I could actually make a lot of money doing it.” You say quietly as his fingertips brush an errant strand of hair back behind your ear. “While I enjoy it, burlesque is something that I do to pay my living costs. The scholarship only covers med school and minimal living expenses, stuff like rent but not utilities or food. So doing a show or two every couple of months usually means I can eat and stay warm, focus on my studies. The fact they’re so exclusive always makes sure it’s a packed event so the billing is higher which means I can go longer between acts.”

It feels like you’ve just punched him right in the chest. The two of you have been through three years of med school together and this is the first time he’s ever had the inclination that you were struggling financially.

The things you’re talking about, they’re things he’s never had to worry about. There’s always been a roof over his head, enough food to eat, a credit card to pay for whatever he wants. He’s never had to go cold, or hungry, try to balance school work with a job. The thought of you experiencing any of those things, it wounds him. It feels like someone’s plunged a scalpel into his chest and cut him wide open.

“That look on your face right now… That’s why I never told you.” You say, your fingertips tracing over the tiny freckles that line his handsome features. “It’s hard enough being the scholarship kid at a private university, I don’t need the one person I actually give a shit about looking at me like I’m a charity case.”

“You are certainly not a charity case.” He says firmly, planting kisses on your cheeks, your chin, your jaw. “You are dedicated, determined and I am very proud of your ingenuity. You found away to make it work on your terms, not anyone else’s and that’s why I love you Crys, everything you do, it’s all you. You inspire me, you truly do.”

Your fingers thread through his hair as his mouth seeks out yours, rolling you onto your back underneath him. The heat of his bareness radiates through the thin fabric of the Northwestern cut off, warming your skin as you sigh contently at his proximity. You can’t describe what it feels to be like this with him, to be the focus of his affection.

“This is why I love being with you. You’re so open with your feelings, so honest. That realness, it’s what makes you such a good person and it’s going to help you become a great doctor. I just know it.” You tell him as you look into those fathomless dark eyes of his.

“One could even say you love me.” He murmurs, his lips brushing over the corner of your mouth before they start to wander again.

“You know I do.”  You whisper, your fingers digging into his back as his teeth graze that perfect spot, the one that makes you just a little crazy when he bites down. “I always have John, I always will.”

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Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[lavender-butterfly-cookie]

The Greatest Show (Pre corruption Shadow Milk cookie x Reader)

Imagine being the assistant of the smartest cookie to have ever walked earthbread. Imagine having the honor of working side by side with a cookie whom holds all knowledge. Imagine being part of so many magnificent shows by his side. Well, this isn't an imagination for Y/N cookie. They were the most trusted cookie of Blueberry Milk cookie, after all.

To work side by side with him was the highest of honors. He was smart, funny and frankly the best companion to work with. He had the most wisdom in all of earthbread and obviously that drew a lot of cookies to come see him. Y/N cookie themselves, as the great cookies assistant, also greatly admired him. And he knew it. He was kind and caring with them and when he wished to have company under the night sky it was always Y/N cookie who'd be there. The two had grown close and it was undeniable that both were fond of each other.

This relationship didn't go unnoticed though. Many cookies wanted to be in Y/N cookies place. They yearned being so close with a cookie such as Blueberry Milk cookie, and seeing someone like Y/N cookie get that privilege on a silver platter sparked some envy amongst them. What did Blueberry Milk cookie even see in them? Wouldn't he rather have a cookie stronger than them? What use does this cookie even have to him? The cookies grew to resent the assistant for having an opportunity they couldn't. This hatred grew more and more and as time past they practically wanted the cookie dead.

"Y/N cookie. Can I speak to you for a moment?"

Y/N cookie turned to face Blueberry Milk cookie when he asked that. They were in his study and were looking through some scrolls for what had been a decently quiet 30 minutes, so the question was a bit sudden. Nevertheless, they nodded.

"Of course. What can I do for you?"

"Have you noticed? The other cookies seem to have grown bitter around you. Do you know why?"

Y/N cookie stayed silent for a moment. It would be a lie to say that this went unnoticed by them. The other cookies seemed to dislike them now, and they didn't know why.

"No. I'm unsure why. As far as I know, I haven't done anything to them. It's strange, really. What could've sparked such hatred towards me?"

"Who knows. It might just have to do with the fact that you're my assistant."

"Really? how so?"

"If you think about it, many cookies would want to be in your shoes, have your position beside me, let's say. It might just be that they envy you for this."

Blueberry Milk cookie looks out the window for a bit in deep thought. Many cookies yearned the position Y/N cookie had. So much that it's turned into envy and resentment towards them. If this wasn't dealt with eventually, then they might be at risk of physical harm. The thought alone scared Blueberry Milk cookie. Those other cookies didn't understand his deep connection with Y/N cookie. And they never will if they choose to hurt them.

"Y/N cookie, do me a favor will you."

"Yeah?"

"Please keep an eye out for any suspicious behavior from the cookies. I don't want to assume they'd do something bad, but it's best to stay safe rather than to regret it in the end. Will you please do that for me?"

"I will. Thanks for the concern."

"Good. It's getting late, I think it's best for you to go to bed for the night. I'll finish up here."

"Alright then. Goodnight Blueberry Milk cookie."

"Goodnight Y/N cookie."

As Y/N cookie walks through the long halls to their room, they can't help but feel something is off. They turned around to check if thy were being followed several times but there was nothing. Once they were finally close to their room there was the sound of something falling over behind them. They turned around to see a butler cookie, frozen in place and staring at them. He let out a sigh as he stood up straight.

"Ah, caught your attention. A slip up on my end, my apologies."

He said it so casually, like this was normal. Y/N cookie stepped back, the feeling that something was off was now at it's peak. He was up to something, they just know it. Why else would he have tried so desperately to be unseen.

"What do you want? Aren't you supposed to have gone homw by now?"

"Yes, I suppose so but it seems like there was still a bit of cleaning left to do."

Y/N cookie didn't even wanna ask what he was trying to imply. They tried stepping back again-

"!?!"

When they were stopped by some other cookie holding onto them from behind. They tried to scream, but the cookie slapped a cloth over their mouth. Their struggles started decreasing as they realized the cloth had been doused in chloroform. Soon the poor cookie had been knocked out cold and the cookie behind them, who was actually a maid, dropped their unconscious limp body to the floor. The butler joined her and both took Y/N cookie to their room, leaving them in a way that looked like they hung themselves in the closet and ultimately killing them.

Blueberry Milk cookie was worried when his assistant didn't come for work today. Something was wrong, very wrong. When he asked the maids and butlers where Y/N cookie might've been, all denied any knowledge of knowing. However, he could feel that one- no, two of them were lying. He knocked at their bedroom door.

"Y/N cookie? Y/N cookie, are you there? Is everything ok?"

No response.

"Alright, I'm coming in then. I'm gonna just hope for both our sakes you're decent."

He entered. Upon seeing that they weren't in sight, he decided to check around a bit. He checked by the bed, in the bathroom, by the closet-

"?!?-"

He froze. This wasn't happening. It wasn't happening. "Y/N COOKIE!!!"

He quickly and carefully brought the limp cold body down from where it had been hung and laid it on the floor in a panic. He tried getting a response, feeling for a pulse, doing cpr, EVERYTHING! But they never made a sound. They never moved. They never opened their eyes. They were gone.

"No... no no no no no no no- Don't do this to me Y/N cookie! This- this isn't funny!... Please... You can't- you can't be dead! You can't! You-... you..."

As the gravity of what happened settled in, he broke down in tears, hugging the lifeless body of his assistant. How... How could this be happening... Why... Why was this happening... they couldn't be dead... He wasn't gonna believe it. He can't believe it.

"You're not dead..." he whispered to himself.

"You're not dead- you're just... sleeping... Yeah... yeah, you're sleeping!"

The broken cookie was now lying to himself. He kept going. Kept insisting they were still alive, that they were still there. This lie became a delusion for him. When he finds out who dare trick them into thinking Y/N cookie died- oh he won't even give them a chance to explain! Heck- did it matter anymore if they're still alive? They ARE still alive! And this time he will protect them from the other cookies! The only way to make sure nobody ever hurt his assistant again was by making sure he controlled EVERYTHING they did. Yeah... Yeah! He'd control them and make sure they'd never hurt Y/N cookie again!

As for Y/N cookie, they were kept in a special room where their dough would never crumble or mold. A place where they could live forever. A place to stay until Blueberry Shadow Milk cookie could wake them up.

If they could ever wake up that is.

[kiame-sama]

Not gonna lie, Drider!Rook made me think about the story ‘The Most Dangerous Game’ and I can just picture him wanting to hunt Reader since he’s never encountered such an exotic and unique prey like a Human, as he’s vibrating from excitement about how his newest ‘Prey’ shall fair against him

He probably read stories about Humans in his youth and wondered before they went extinct, how they were able to survive without gills, scales, claws, wings, poison, etc or even without magic

Because Reader uses hidden traps and misleading tracks, Rook calls her ‘Mademoiselle Trickster’ (Mademoiselle is a title for an Unmarried Women in French) and felt his heart skip a beat seeing Reader use her intelligence, cunning and trickery to get the upper hand over him

Only he’s not going to eat or kill her, rather he just wants to feel the thrill of the hunt by chasing an endangered species (He has no intention to harm her)

But here’s a twist, the hunt is actually a common mating practice for his species of Drider (Or just his family) when it comes to finding a mate

There’s not really a lot of information about Rook’s family as he’s quite secretive about himself (Which I find ironic because he wants to know everything when it comes to his ‘Muses’)

(I know the shadows over his eyes don't make sense given the pose and the angle of the lighting, but I liked the way they looked all darkened and menacing, so I kept the eye shadows for my own aesthetic.)

(Rook waiting in his web on the Pomefiore ballroom ceiling. He does this to observe the other students and document their habits and will even do this web building around campus in heavy traffic areas/popular gathering spots to stalk others more effectively. Vil will often throw things at Rook if he sees the Drider has built yet another web on the Pomefiore ceiling. His dorm robes aren't well suited for the upsidedown life, but he makes due and uses magic to keep his favorite hat in place on his head.)

- Rook would absolutely love hunting the little Human Trickster if only to experience the thrill of The Hunt. He wouldn't dare harm a hair on his sweet Human's head, but he would absolutely love a back and forth of Hunter and Hunted with them just for fun. He may not tell the little Human it is just for fun, seeing as he wants an authentic experience and a good hunt. Once he eventually catches his Human- and he will catch them at some point- he will be practically bouncing from the thrill of it all and only then will he inform the terrified Human that this was a game and not an actual hunt. Were it an actual hunt, they would not have seen a single hair of the Drider before he struck.

- There is little as exhilarating to Rook than a hunt for prey that knows how to fight back and evade him. Any traps his Human sets, no matter how flimsy or obvious, will only thrill Rook becuase he loves the idea of being hunted by his own prey. To flip the tables on such a skilled Huntsman only makes the game more fun. There is nothing quite like the thrill of chasing down dangerous game and it certainly gets Rook's blood burning hot and pumping.

- As Rook is a Golden Huntsman Drider, he doesn't often participate in web-building in regards to hunting his prey. He will build webs for many reasons in many places, but rarely ever will he build a web to be used in an actual hunt. Huntsman are a spider species known for wandering, tracking down prey, and foraging when needed, Rook is no different and is a voracious predator when it comes to the true hunting and gathering of prey. Naturally, this does mean all of his family shares this drive to hunt. Hunting is ingrained in a Huntsman's DNA so naturally they will also hunt prospective mates.

- Like their spider counterparts, male Huntsman Driders- upon locating a suitable mate- have a tendency to lay their legs in substrate and shuffle them back and forth to make a rustling or rattling sound depending on the substrate. Usually a hunter would not be keen to reveal themselves, but this sound can draw in curious prey and curious mates who are seeking the Drider making the sound. Part of this mating display is hunting their mates down and drawing them in with the sound before springing. Naturally, when they have their mates in their grasp, they don't let go easily as Huntsman Spiders are known to cling tightly to prey and even predators to stop themselves from being shaken off or dislodged from their quarry.

[vodika-vibes]

Okay so I had a thought.

So imagine—

You work at the Senate, your job is important but you're one of a dozen people who do this job day in and day out. And somehow—miraculously—you've managed to catch Fox's eye.

And it's great! Fantastic even! He's kind and considerate and completely devoted to you and your happiness, which is great, because you're just as devoted to him.

There is one, little bitty problem.

You don't get paid enough.

Oh sure, you've made it work, with some heavy budgeting, but Fox doesn't get paid. So if you want nice-ish dates you have to pay for then.

Which, again, is fine. He's worth it, but it does leave your end of the month bank account looking at little...bare.

So, what are your options?

You could ask for a raise, but you'd get laughed out of your boss' office.

You've never been much of a crafter, so a side hustle like that is out.

And you respect Fox too much to even consider any kind of sex work. Not that you have anything against it, but you'd want to talk to him about it first, and you absolutely do not want him to know about your money issues. So that's out, too.

And you've never been good at gambling, so that's off the table, too.

So you think and think, and then you remember. There's an underground, very illegal, fighting club that accepts participants of all ages, genders, species, and skill level. And the pay is very, very good.

You did martial arts as a kid. And only stopped when you were in college because of a lack of time, so you might have a chance of winning a bout or two. And if you're careful, Fox will never find out about your illegal fights.

You win your first fight, and the next three after that. Earning enough to go on several dates with Fox and have money left over for your rainy day fund. And so, the fights become a regular thing, once or twice a week.

You win more than you lose, but you do lose every now and then. So you have to learn to treat your injuries before Fox can see them. His head might very well explode if he knew you were fighting for money.

But Lady Luck has never favored you, and it was only after a matter of time before the club ended up getting raided by the Corries.

Which is how Fox finds you, sitting in a holding cell with several of the other fighters, all of you several different types of beat up. You have an ice pack pressed against your eye and a split lip, and when Fox stands there and stares at you, you can't look him in the eyes.

"I...can explain?" You offer hesitantly, not actually sure you can explain.

"With me." Fox's words are clipped as he let's you out of the cell, and you trot after him.

"Are you mad?"

"No."

"Are you sure? Because you're using your 'I'm mad but I'm trying not to show it' voice."

He pushes his office door open, "In."

You slump, "Yeah, you're mad."

He slams the door shut behind you, and motions for you to sit in a chair, before he plucks the ice pack off your eye, "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I like fighting!" You blurt out, a blatant lie that he doesn't believe for a second.

"Try again."

"Uhm..." he arches a brow, and you look away, "I needed the money."

"For what? What's so important that you had to put yourself in harm's way to get money for?"

"I...stuff."

"Stuff?"

"Stuff."

"If you don't tell me the truth I'm going to assume you're cheating on me." Fox says bluntly.

"I would never!"

"So tell me."

"I...can't afford our dates."

He blinks. Twice. And then leans back slightly, "Come again?"

"I don't get paid a lot and my apartment is expensive and I can't afford your dates but you're important enough that I want to keep going on them, so...fighting."

"You...are the dumbest smart person I've ever met." Fox finally says, "Why didn't you say anything?"

You shrug, "Didn't want you to worry or whatever."

"So you made me worry more?"

"...I didn't say it was a good idea. Just the only feasible one I had."

He sighs, "I love you, but I'm so mad right now."

"Fair."

"No more cage matches. No more fighting. Promise me."

"I promise."

"We can work out something different for our dates. And next time, just talk to me. Please."

"Yeah. Yeah. Can I go home now?"

"No."

"...what?"

"You're going back to the holding cell."

"WHAT?"

"You're spending the night. You'll be released in the morning. Just like everyone else."

"I...but...Fox!"

"Thems the rules, cyare. Here's your ice pack back."

You stare at him, speechless. But he just smiles at you as he motions for Thire to return you to the holding cell.

[depressed-bitch-80]

Not So Secret Anymore

Chapter 3

Word count: 1,184

Pairing: BBC!Sherlock x Reader

Summary: John is trying to enjoy a peaceful day at 221B when a mystery woman shows up and says she’s Sherlock’s wife.

A/N: Chapter 3 is finally here! Thank you guys for all the support I’ve been getting on this series, it truly means a lot to me.

AO3 link, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 4

John was a jumbled up mess of emotions currently but the one that stood out the most was hurt. He had been living with Sherlock for nearly half a year now and the man never once mentioned he was romantically involved. Sometimes John naively thought Sherlock might not be capable of such a thing. There was one moment, one memory, being dredged up in John’s mind over and over.

“Married to your work, are you? I do have to say that was a good one, expert deflection on your part.” John said, now moving towards the kitchen to pour himself a cup of scotch. Once he got there he decided to forgo the cup and take a swig directly from the bottle.

“John, you must understand, I didn’t want to lie to you. We both have enemies, people who wish to do us harm and who would go after people we are close to. That is why we decided to keep things rather private.” Sherlock stated. He watched John, now standing at the sink, take several more generous swigs of alcohol before finally setting the bottle down.

John stared at the two of them in silence. They looked good together, like they fit together perfectly. Sherlock kept looking her over, probably trying to assess the true severity of her injuries, while she stood there awkwardly pinned down by John’s gaze.

“Alright.” John shrugged.

“Alright? That's all you have to say now?” (Y/N) questioned.

“What do you want me to say? He obviously cares for you in ways many people don’t think him capable of. I know him to be fiercely protective of the few people he does have attachments to, so yes it makes sense.” John said, giving her a small shrug.

“I do think that is the nicest thing I’ve ever heard anyone say about Sherlock” (Y/N) remarked, shooting a glance toward Sherlock. He was standing beside the kitchen table, looking oddly uncomfortable with the amount of praise he was receiving.

“Right, then I’m knackered. Plus I don’t believe my brain has had enough time to process everything that’s going on here” John said, rubbing his eyes. He could use a bit of sleep and a little more time to mull everything over. “I’m going to leave you to your reunion. I’m off to bed.”

He then proceeded to take his bottle of scotch and make his way upstairs for what would inevitably be a very fitful night’s sleep. Sherlock and (Y/N) remained in the kitchen staring at each other in disbelief.

“He handled that better than I expected.” Sherlock said with a slight grin.

“I’d hate to see him handling it poorly then.” (Y/N) said, slightly giggling. Now that they were alone she cupped Sherlock’s face and pulled him down into a kiss, full of longing and need. “I missed you.” She breathed, carding her fingers through his unruly curls.

“Please don’t ever leave for that long again.” He said, pulling her in as close as humanly possible and burying his face in the crook of her neck. They sat there breathing each other in, taking in every detail about the other, as if they had been separated for lifetimes.

“You know I can’t promise that.” She whispered, finally pulling back to give him a few chaste kisses. She wanted nothing more than to stay here forever but her job would never allow it. “It is nice to see you’ve made a new acquaintance in my absence.”

“Yes John has been very helpful.” Sherlock admitted. He would never say that in front of John though.

“Please tell me you haven’t been running the poor man at all hours.” (Y/N) probed. She knew how difficult Sherlock could be at times. The staying up for days on end and refusing to let even a morsel of food pass his lips before he solved the case could be arduous to someone not well versed in his ways.

“Never” Sherlock replied with as much sarcasm as he could muster.

“Not sure I believe you on that one but answer me one very important question?” (Y/N) challenged. She was just as worried about her husband as he was for her. He had promised he was going to quit but she could smell it from the moment he walked in the door.

“Yes?” Sherlock responded, hesitant. He knew he’d been caught but he was trying his best to play it casual. There was no lying to (Y/N), she would smell his deceit a mile away.

“Why do you smell like cigarettes Mr. Holmes?” She demanded, seeing the guilty look in his eye. She wasn’t mad or disappointed per say, she was more concerned as to what could have driven him to smoke again.

At that he pulled completely away from her. Sherlock didn’t like to be vulnerable, confess his shortcomings, to anyone but with her it was slightly bearable.

“Experiments, I was simply doing experiments.” He said, still trying to get away with the lie even though he knew she could see right through him.

“What kind of experiments exactly?” She asked, looking at him quizzically. She was slowly breaking his resolve. (Y/N) knew the only way to get the truth was playing along and reading through the lines.

“Ash.” He stated simply.

“Hmm…nope not buying it, mister.” She disagreed, letting him know his lies were not working. He held strong for a moment, staring at her with his best poker face. It wasn’t until she raised an eyebrow, indicating that she was still waiting, that he finally broke.

“Fine.” He huffed. “It was only one, dear. I haven’t had an adequate case in weeks.” The lack of interesting murders had in fact contributed to his nicotine relapse, but it was her extended absence that had finally pushed him over the edge.

Sherlock stood there, unable to meet her eye. Not wanting to see even the slightest flicker of disappointment in her eyes, he couldn’t bear it.

“I’m not mad at you Sherlock, you know that.” She told him as softly as she could, trying desperately to snap him out of his self-doubt spiral. His eyes were fixed to the floor.

“Come on, let's go to bed. When is the last time you’ve had a decent night's rest?” She asked, reaching up to tuck a wild curl behind his ear. He took the opportunity to lean into her touch, closing his eyes and kissing her palm.

They stayed like that for a moment. Now that she was coming down from the adrenal rush of seeing him after so long, she could see just how worn down the detective in front of her was. His eyes plastered with dark circles and his form just a little too thin for her liking.

“How long have you been gone again?” Sherlock replied, as she took his hand and led him to their shared room. She was expecting more of a battle trying to get him to rest, but as soon as he laid down with her finally in reach he drifted off peacefully.

[goodnightmemes]

INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE SEASON ONE SENTENCE STARTERS (PART TWO)

episodes: s01e05 - s01e07

❛ I'm trying to think of something more fucked up than this. ❜

❛ Stay out of my head. ❜

❛ I care for him more than he cares for himself. ❜

❛ A whole lot of concern's been wasted on you these past months. ❜

❛ Where are the bodies? ❜

❛ Well, then, I guess you better hope and pray you taught me how to clean up good. ❜

❛ You gonna let him do this to me? ❜

❛I'm never gonna forget what happened here. I hate you both. ❜

❛ Sounds like there's a maniac on the loose. ❜

❛ So much wine in his blood. And beer and whisky. ❜

❛ Happy? We were not happy. ❜

❛ Who am I supposed to love? ❜

❛ Why can't I make one? No matter how much blood I give them, they just lie there gaspin'. ❜

❛ What is this? Look at me. What have you done? ❜

❛ If you could find them, which you won't, they would shred you to strips, because you are built like a bird - because you are a mistake. ❜

❛ He treats us like shit and you take it! Why is that? ❜

❛ Been following you. You ain't been your careful self. ❜

❛ Don't... Don't run off. ❜

❛ Poor dear. She wasn't held enough in between ritualistic murders. ❜

❛ Once you put it out there, they decide what it is. It can get away from you. ❜

❛ Assume we are under suspicion. ❜

❛ We should leave the city, start anew. ❜

❛ Should I do like you instead? Read the first pages of every book, pass myself off as cultured? ❜

❛ You draw me into your gloom. ❜

❛ So, quick stop home to do laundry before you fuck off for good. ❜

❛ If what I've read is lies, then tell me what's true. ❜

❛ The vampires out there are vicious. Oh...but you've learned that already. ❜

❛ Come with me!  I thought I could live without you, but I was wrong. ❜

❛ His love is a small box he keeps you in. Don't stay in it. ❜

❛ I fought myself a million times, fought my nature, controlled my temper. I never once harmed you. ❜

❛ Let him go. It's me you want. ❜

❛ Listen to me, and listen very carefully, my infant death. It was never you. ❜

❛ I have patiently waited in vain for you to love me... as I love you. ❜

❛ Just say it. Say, "I am never going to love you". It would help me a great deal to hear that from your lips...your quivering...hateful lips. ❜

❛ Excruciating pain was the proof I was still alive. ❜

❛ You know he's a vampire, right? ❜

❛ NDAs signed by any and all who cross the threshold, eh? ❜

❛ Are you still dreaming about our first meeting? ❜

❛ Are we the sum of our worst moments? Can we be forgiven if we do not forgive others ourselves? ❜

❛ You gonna be my knight in vengeful black? ❜

❛ Save your charity for the needful. ❜

❛ I was someone I don't want to be anymore. I've changed. Let me prove it to you. I'm nothing without you. ❜

❛ If you want me to go away, just say so. I'll obey you. I'll leave your life forever. ❜

❛ This silence is cruel. And you were never cruel. ❜

❛ Write me a song and put your lover's voice on it? What the fuck is wrong with your head? ❜

❛ Put some clothes on and get the fuck out. ❜

❛ The vampire bond. There is no human equivalent. Lover, murderer, maker. ❜

❛ It's a bond that can never fully be severed. A bond like that makes you believe there are only two of you on the planet. ❜

❛ I cried. I called to God. I didn't want this. But I have a capacity for enduring. ❜

❛ We leave the damage so we never forget the damage. ❜

❛ She's grown very protective of me. ❜

❛ I ask these questions because I'm trying to understand you better. ❜

❛ I'm sorry for your losses. ❜

❛ I admire your steadfast pursuit of a game you clearly have no acumen for. ❜

❛ You're ugly when you act like that. ❜

❛ They don't appreciate you like I do. ❜

❛ You're like me. You like to laugh. ❜

❛ Well, now that I'm dead, I can be whoever I want. ❜

❛ I seek refuge from complaints when I visit you, dear. ❜

❛ He's the father of lies. ❜

❛ This life, it does a number on the head, on the soul... if we even have a soul. ❜

❛ When he hurts you again, and he will, come find me. ❜

❛ You don't need me. You think you do, but you don't. You're smarter now. You see trouble coming a mile away. ❜

❛ You left without saying goodbye. Again. ❜

❛ Back in your cage, sweetheart. ❜

❛ We endure each other for [name]’s happiness. ❜

❛ I love you. I don't say it often enough anymore. ❜

❛ You threaten a life which will endure till the end of the world. ❜

❛ Are you a narc? ❜

❛ I want to interview you. ❜

❛ So...question. Can an immortal meet mortality? ❜

❛ We would spend our hours enduring, with little pretense of getting along, locked together in hatred. ❜

❛ Knowledge is the ocean's edge. ❜

❛ They say that Satan lives in this house. ❜

❛ Well, send Saint Peter our regards. ❜

❛ We have to leave this place. ❜

❛ Maybe start by telling me the plan? ❜

❛ You spend an hour alone with him and you're breathing in sync together. ❜

❛ I'll lose myself in him. ❜

❛ You irritate me. Your very presence irritates me. ❜

❛ I came to make peace with you. ❜

❛ No one's comin' to a party thrown by freaks. ❜

❛ You're gonna try to kill him at this party? ❜

❛ I mean, this is all good and... sufficiently creepy. What do you want? ❜

❛ Would you like to know the secret of immortality? ❜

❛ I wanted him dead. I wanted him all to myself. ❜

❛ I'm going to miss this place. ❜

❛ I was his, and he was mine. ❜

❛ Always the petty slights with you. ❜

❛ We are joined by a cord, by a cord that you cannot see, but it is real. It is real. ❜

❛ I have loved you...with all myself. ❜

❛ I'm happy it was you...here with me…at the end. ❜

❛ This horror that had been [name]...I stared helplessly at it. The thing lay still. ❜

❛ Murder? What murder? It was an act of mercy. ❜

❛ You didn't kill him. You spared him, out of some fucked-up idea you had about love. ❜

❛ We have to burn him. It's the only way we'll know! ❜

❛ You don't need a memoir. You need a hundred sessions of EMDR. ❜

❛ You've only heard half the story. ❜

❛ This time, I won't save your life. ❜

[velvetvexations]

I’m. So baffled by that one dude saying that trans men being able to pretend to be women is a privilege, because in his tags he says that it’s a thing specific to transmascs. Does he mean pretending to be cis as a means of safety is a transmasc specific thing?? Because uh, I’m… pretty sure that’s something that can be done regardless of a trans person’s gender? There are transfems and nonbinary people who can also pretend to be cis [whatever their agab was], too?

Its also not a privilege. Having to hide what you are out of fear isn’t a fucking privilege lmao

strangely people understand that when it's about trans women

just saw a post on my dash saying "'infighting' is a dogwhistle which frames transfems as aggressors". i really hope the tide is turning like you said, bc this shit is getting exhausting and im still seeing it from random people i follow who otherwise gave no indication that they drank the koolaid.

they make me out to be the aggressor all the time!

Nazi imagery anon here

These are the pics I was referring to.

As you can see it’s posted on the verified border security account and you can see two different nazi symbols on him :(

yeah it looks like standards for what they allow soldiers to adorn themselves with are low and the person taking and posting the pics aren't paying good enough attention because that guy also straight up has a naked anime bitch on his knife sheath

as I said this is an individual thing and they need to start knocking their heads together like the Three Stooges and sending them into trenches first

You know who saying that th**fab is actually a storied term that trans fems have been using to identify transmisogonists is fucking insane like girl that's such obvious lie give us nothing

they aren't even trying

It’s crazy how almost every other day on this site I see a new post with like 50k notes talking about how absolutely NOBODY deserves to be harassed, sent death threats or be put on blast yet once again I’m seeing people trying to justify the harassment of another transmasc teenager. Honestly people should just start openly admitting Tumblr is becoming increasingly hostile towards trans masculine individuals, I don’t see clownery on this level on any other platform-

Tumblr...is really bad.

I think the reason why this whole headcanons discourse bothers me so much is that is really is just fuelled by petty spite. Like all these characters are cisgender in canon. We make headcanons because it’s FUN to expand on characters in ways that reflect our different life experiences in whatever form that may take. Intentionally going after transmascs, especially young transmascs, for doing this with characters like they like and accusing them of all these different things genuinely does just feel like bigotry. Who cares if a head canon may not make the most amount of sense? It’s a cisgender fictional character we’re playing around with! Why does it have to be some grand act of activism to say blorbo number 3 is transmasc? We have much bigger fish to fry here.

exactly it's such dedication to not letting anyone else have anything

So sick of people acting like trans men are the same as cis men under the patriarchy and moreso im really sick of the "you're privileged to not be surrounded by men". Like, for lack of better phrasing, saying that about a group of people that is generally perceived as "failure women" pre transition (and sometimes during and post) is a little tone deaf. All about acknowledging how women and people perceived as women are harmed by misogyny until the ones perceived are men. Gender essentialism is ugly and tasteless and nonsensical. Please feel free to delete this im just rambling without a point

rambling is okay anon <3

„wow ur so privileged to not fear men”

i fear the fucking everyone asshole, i just realized that isnt everyone elses fault so i should still treat them with respect !!!!!

that woman called me a "self-hating doll" and I hate the second part a lot more than the first

[allforreading-fandomthings]

Hey, I am very familiar with Scientology and with Tom's whole thing with it, and if you want to give the anon some sources the blog threeoaksy.tumblr.com has a tag talking about Scientology and this thing of Tom recruiting, which is something a lot of people speculate he was a part of it. Speculate being the operative word because the shit ton of things people don't know Miscaviege did to him or the fact he has tried to distance himself from it.

And also, there are at least two people that have said he has never tried to recruit them, one of which wishes to remain anonymous but claimed they were meeting him about something at his house, I believe, an a church member got there ans he tried to keep fhe church member from seeing said person.

The anon seems aware that things aren't as black and white, but the truth is that we literally can't believe anything anyone says about him and Scientology at this point because the level of misinformation and lies is so widespread that unless he decides to say something about it, we will never know.

And while I can understand if people think that he would lie, even Tom said he had no intention or interest in recruiting anyone. You can choose to believe that or not.

Honestly, I think is more likely that people would be shouting out about this instead of not doing so. People already hate him, already think he's as bad as Miscaviege, wouldn't be as hard as you talking about a well loved and respected actor instead.

The uncomfortable truth is that is far more likely has always been the byproduct of being married to Mimi young, being a vulnerable young man trying to make it in Hollywood (and mind you, a shit ton of directors talked about Tom has this air of innocence about him) that tbh just make him the perfect target for Miscaviege. Tom's vulnerabilities, the fact he was abandoned by his abusive father, that he is dyslexic, that he grew up poor and wanting to meet new people are all things that made him susceptible to the brain washing we know Scientology is known for.

Hell, he was like clay that the cult used because he young, naive, and they needed a scapegoat and a reference to show how great the cult was and how it could change people's lives because if they got Tom himself and he's that successful now, imagine what they could do for you?

Is he the reason a lot of celebrities and others joined? Absolutely. I would be remiss to not point out that having that huge of a movie star, specially around that time, would be a huge deal for them.

But Miscaviege was fucking obsessed with Tom, to the point it makes me uncomfortable and I have heard and seen some shit in my days. He would stalk him, watch him, survail him, have him followed, belittle him, be psychologically and psychologically abusive towards him and all that.

Everything that surrounds that topic of Scientology and Tom has been mystified and warped by tabloids but the sheer reach and control the cult had on him was fucking scary and honestly, I am surprised he is alive.

He has tried to distance himself from it once, that I know off and I don't even say we because that's not common knowledge and I don't think he could. To be honest we don't even know if he hasn't already, if he wasn't able to buy back his audition tape from them and just burn it, because honestly, at this point Scientology has far more talkative members than Tom at their back and corner aka Will Smit* and others that talk about how beautiful their religion is.

We will never know the full extent of what Miscaviege did to Cruise, but the rainbows and flowers people believe in? Nah. And ti believe some anonymous source is saying on this subject does more harm than good because you're just perpetuating an stigma over a situation that is far beyond anything we can currently comprehend.

Thanks anon! Nothing to add here

[greyfix]

Klance Fic Recs

i'm not going to lie to you, i don't know how to reblog on communities, so i'm gonna just throw this out there and hope it works.

Alot of these are old, i have an archive of klance fics i read and reread all throughout the last 5 or so years, so that's where these are coming from.

The New Romantics

This is going to have some sort of plot, but for now, yeah. Klance smut, as promised, more to come. Laughing at the discourse over which sho

tumblr.com

Something is up with lance, and Keith notices. The Become Frenemies. With benefits…?

Angst, fluff, smut, etc

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

Replace You -- MarvelSPhaNdom

So Keith was leaving for the blade, so what? I mean sure, Lance would miss teasing him, but it wasn't a big deal ... right?

 It may not have been for the first day, or the second day, but by the end of the week? It turned out to be a big deal. 

 He missed Keith, freaking missed him. Him and his stupid mullet, Him and his stupid gorgeous eyes, Him and his even more stupid useless jacket.

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Shut Up and Dance With Me -- wittyy_name

Lance and his friends have been regulars at the Altea Dance Studio for years. Not just for classes, but to hang out, practice, and spend time with good people who love dancing. Every year, they audition to be one of the few representing Altea at the regional dance competition. Lance always auditions solo, but this year he misses out on auditions and blows his chance to participate. And so does his self-proclaimed rival, Keith.

Luckily, Shiro comes up with a brilliant plan: convince Lance and Keith to audition as a duo.

With a little convincing, and a lot of effort, these two might just be able to pull it off and go to regionals... or they might crash and burn.

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

Written On Your Skin -- Trashness

Keith is your typical troubled kid who's just trying to sort his life out. Things aren't perfect, but he's attending night school to get enough credits for university, he loves hanging out with Shiro and Matt on the weekends, and he's prepped to be the youngest member of his martial arts club to get his second Dan black belt. Things are looking up for Keith!

That is until strange notes start to appear on his arm.

They don't come off. At least, not when Keith tries to remove them. And they're written in handwriting that Keith knows isn't his.

So where are they coming from?

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

Blind Affection -- jilliancares

After Lance gets injured in battle he finds himself without his eyesight, a situation he never would've expected himself to get into. Half expecting to get kicked off the team, Lance is determined to train harder and keep the fact that he's upset about his loss of eyesight from his teammates. No harm ever comes from bottling everything up, right?

(Wrong. Also Keith helps him train. Also Lance shows Keith proper skin care. Also Lance has a huge crush on Keith. Also maybe being blind's gonna help him get in Keith's pants [and heart].)

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

The Ultimate Wingman -- KR_Luna, Luna_Vulpes

Lance and Hunk have moved in to the new student apartments at Garrison University called The V at Garrison.

Living on their floor, they meet and befriend their neighbors: Pidge, a child prodigy in robotics. Matt, Allura, and Shiro, life time friends with the boys watching over their siblings. And Keith, the anti-social boy who hates change.

As time progresses, they all become friends and Lance finally finds someone to help him explore his bisexuality - his gay neighbor Keith.

They strike a deal = Lance helps Keith find a social life while Keith becomes Lance's wingman, but what happens when both men realize that their deal has become more complicated than they expected.

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

It's OK -- DeetsViBre

Lance hid himself behind layers of bravado and for many years only two people had ever seen past his facade. One was dead and the other was Hunk.Late one night while Hunk and Lance were having a private conversation Keith accidentally interrupted. His presence wasn't as disruptive as Lance had expected and things began to change between them. A bond is formed and becomes something neither could have imagined. Literally, it's not something they could explain to their friends and teammates...Can they navigate their new relationship while keeping it all a secret from their team? maybe? But probably not.

Aka: Lance is not OK. He has a huge crush on Keith and suddenly gets a chance to do something about it. Oh, but wait, first he has to try and stay alive in the cold vacuum of space. Maybe he can get the guy and survive at the same time? Either way that's the path he decided to take! plus overcoming anxiety and trauma! yeah...

This is a Lance character study that got out of control and grew a massive plot.

Original summary: Lance had been trying to change for a long time. Rewriting yourself costs something, a deep pain with every edit.

Some tags left out for plot reasons.

^This is my all time Favorite!!!

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

In (Almost) Every Reality -- notverystraight

When Lance finds himself face to face with alternate universe versions of himself and all his friends, he’s excited to talk to them – who wouldn’t want to see just how different their life could have turned out?

However, that feeling begins to sour when Lance notices that, out of all his alternate selves, he seems to have the most underwhelming life.

And another unexpected thing. He and Keith seem to be a lot more, um… friendly with each other in the other realities…

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Bright Eyes -- amycoolz, SylWritesStuff

When Keith agrees to meet Hunk for a study session at the mall food court, he isn't expecting him to bring his roommate. He isn't expecting to be asked on a date, to accept, and to enjoy himself more than he has in years. He's definitely not expecting to get wrapped up in the world of a blind Cuban and the grief he carries right next to hope.

But Keith's always been good at adapting to the unexpected. And throwing punches when needed.

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

Living in Color -- sungsformugs

t was just a simple mind-meld exercise. But something seems to happen in the middle and now Lance and Keith can feel each other's emotions. Lance realizes that Keith actually desperately wants to be open and vulnerable around people and Keith realizes that Lance just wants someone to notice him. They try to navigate their new reality.

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[sepublic]

As I talk about Luz visiting a host culture and learning to appreciate it, to respect and submit to the grace of her hosts, I think there’s similar potential in Vee doing the same in a reverse way; She’s a demon entering the human world, she’s engaging in human culture and learns how to be human on their terms.

Now granted, some of that human culture Vee encounters has issues of assimilation and imperialism and the like, so the onus on Vee to be respectful is much smaller. Plus she’s a refugee who had little choice, persecuted by an older branch of that culture in Belos, so really she’s entitled to do as she pleases with Gravesfield; She’s not like the Coven Heads, who expected to fuse the realms, and be treated like royalty for it by both inhabitants.

But then we get to the Noceda family, who aren’t from there, who are Dominican immigrants, whose forebearers come from a country that struggles with imperialism, whose struggles in this American society hearken back to that. With Luz needing to learn magic on the terms of the witches and the Titan and whatnot, I think there’s potential in Vee acclimating herself to the Nocedas’ Dominican customs, learning Spanish, all of that. Camila very much chose to adopt this scared child who had to go along to survive, but it’d be neat to explore Vee understanding Luz in hindsight, and how her decision to leave home was informed by racism and other factors.

Like imagine Vee getting to apologize/make it up to Luz for saying she had it good and abandoned her mother for nothing; Imagine Vee reflecting on how she didn’t even want to be here specifically, just away from someplace else so she could survive. But now Vee can catch her breath and find stability, so now what? Does she do the same as Luz and embrace another world?

Imagine Vee taking Spanish lessons, imagine Vee partaking in the family traditions and music and culture. Appreciating what the Dominican heritage that adopted her is like. Being grateful to be included, wondering if she even belongs or deserves to, if she’s just an impersonating thief like her creator. Eda tells Luz to her own kind of witch, maybe Luz and Camila comfort Vee in a similar way.

I can see it being a touchy subject that requires care, but it could be something the Noceda sisters bond over, that question if they really belong and if their presence is inherently harmful; Luz wanting to do her witch fantasy led her to helping Belos find what he needed to become an emperor and enact the draining spell, to establish a genocidal regime.

Vee stole Luz’s life and contributed to a lie that devastated Camila when she found out, created a temporary rift between mother and daughter that contributed so much to Luz’s suicidal depression, which of course pained Camila. Luz and Vee both hurt people who took them in, who they grew to love and vice versa, without meaning to in a grand butterfly effect.

Because again, people understand Luz, a lot more than she realizes, it’s her greatest comfort, a fantasy even deeper than being Azura because even that was about finding people who shared the same interest in magic as her. Camila knows what it’s like to make mistakes, Willow knows what it’s like struggling to be the perfect friend everyone can depend upon; Amity knows what it’s like to hide your greatest sin for fear your new friend will reject you for it. Etc.

So Vee knows what it’s like to have to leave a place, finding a new one, stumbling your way into the arms of a mother and learning enthusiastically about how to be this world’s people as you make friends from them. But all the while you question yourself if you belong, if you’re some impersonating thief. Luz saw herself in Belos, maybe Vee saw herself in other white colonizers like him, the ones who came shortly before in conquering the Americas, contributing to the Dominican culture as a side-effect.

Vee’s ability to shapeshift could make her ask, Am I just an imitator? This makes me think of how Hunter is really good for episodes where he and another character bond over similarities; We were both cloned by Belos to aid in his genocide (While Hunter was technically in the spotlight and meant to be a nephew, Vee was hidden at all times and a loathsome tool). We both feel the weight of being colonial in some regard. We both have to rely on the identities of others, so who does that make us? In a timeline where Gus was not as mindful about the Grimwalker secret, I could see Vee helping Gus with Hunter’s clone angst.

And if there’d been more time, maybe Vee could’ve helped Luz with her own guilt, her own worry of being an outsider who doesn’t belong and is inherently harmful whether she means to be or not. Camila could bring up Vee and say that it’s not the same, there’s a difference between an immigrant and a colonizer, esp when the native chooses to accept. And Vee would feel validation as an example, but still wonder anyway. Shouldn’t they be conscious of it?

But maybe that’s what they’ve already done, with Luz learning to earn magic the way wild witches do, treating witches and demons as people and not side character tropes in her story. Those friends affirm that she’s already done the work, and the butterfly effect of being manipulated is not equivalent to malicious, intentional colonization. And if Vee feels she hasn’t done it, she can begin now, when it comes to Dominican culture and being a Noceda. And the Nocedas have always loved weirdness, so Vee’s already halfway there! Manny would’ve loved her and appreciated the joy Vee brought to his family.

Between everything that needed to be established for the plot and for Luz’s own depression, plus clone troubles, and Camila’s backstory and like. Yeah there was no time for a Vee storyline like this when Luz was isolating herself the whole time, and would only start to let people in when she was returning to the Demon Realm or was there. But imagine a full S3 where we could’ve it all…

This could make good grounds for a fanfic, the Noceda sisters bonding. It’d have to take some cultural sensitivity that the characters would have in-universe, but a writer might struggle out-of-universe. I could see this being after the finale, when Luz has a relapse because that’s always a possibility and has happened before; And for Vee, her storyline isn’t necessarily addressed and they can both bond over a shared fear together!!!

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Hello! I have seen this question debated many times and I wanted to know your take on it cause I find your theories very compelling. Do you think harry should've been in Slytherin? Does he have what it "takes" to be a Slytherin? Is it because of voldemort's soul in him that lead the sorting hat to even suggest he could be in Slytherin? I know this is not one question but I would like to know your opinion on this topic in general!

First of all, thank you for the kind words! 😊

As for the questions, well, you've asked more than one question, but this ask kinda gives me a good reason to talk about how Harry isn't some golden Gryffindor. He actually has some anger issues and he most definitely has what it "takes" for Slytherin.

I'll start with the last question and then go backward, actually.

Did the hat consider Slytherin house just because of the Horcrux?

I don't think so.

I mean, Harry is incredibly clever, magically powerful, and has a cunning streak a mile wide all on his own. I'd actually go as far as to say he's more cunning, ruthless, and resourceful than many of the Slytherins we see in the books. So his own traits definitely are in line with a Slytherin sorting, Horcrux or no Horcrux.

We can try and discern if the Horcrux has an effect on Harry's personality then, and if its influence is seen like that. I'd say that I don't think so either.

Tom and Harry, while they have their similarities, are very different people. They both have a bad temper (although they react to anger differently), but Harry has low self-esteem whereas Tom thinks he is the best (while still hating himself). They're both stubborn, but Tom is much more obsessive than Harry in pursuit of his goals. Harry cares for justice and isn't willing to hurt innocents, Tom doesn't really care about any of that he cares for efficiency. If the Horcrux was influencing Harry's personality, I'd expect to see more similarities between them that go deeper than that.

So, I don't think the hat only offered Slytherin because of the Horcrux. Harry is a Slytherin in his own right.

Does Harry have what it "takes" for Slytherin?

So, I honestly got really excited at the sight of this sentence. See I love Harry, that's no secret. But one of the things I love about him is that he isn't the perfect noble hero. He can be angry, and cruel and ruthless. But he has a sense of justice, he wouldn't wish harm on someone innocent, but someone who did harm to him, or was mean to him or someone he cares for... then Harry can be terrifying when he wants to be.

So, now I'm going to go through some (I have so many more examples of this, and the examples here are mostly books 1-5 since that's what I had on hand) of my collection of quotes showing Harry Potter's vindictiveness and anger.

Harry's response to "have a good summer" at the end of his first year:

“Oh, I will,” said Harry, and they were surprised at the grin that was spreading over his face. “They don’t know we’re not allowed to use magic at home. I’m going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer.…

(PS, page 221)

This is Harry's (very justified) vindictiveness we see towards the Dursleys many times in the books. He uses the idea of magic to scare them and is gleeful at the thought of Dudley's fear. Harry is very much chill with vengeance.

“…He likes to keep in touch with me, though . . . keep up with my news . . . check if I’m happy. . . .” And, grinning broadly at the look of horror on Uncle Vernon’s face, Harry set off toward the station exit, Hedwig rattling along in front of him, for what looked like a much better summer than the last.

(PoA, page 435)

Same as above, just Sirius Black as the threat instead of magic.

Yes, thought Harry, that looked all right. There was no point putting in the dream; he didn’t want it to look as though he was too worried.

(GoF, page 25)

Harry can and does lie and conceal information, even from people he trusts (like Sirius) if he thinks it'll be better not to tell them something. Whether that is for his own image or for what they would think.

“Potter! Weasley! What are you doing?” It was Professor McGonagall, and her mouth was the thinnest of thin lines. “We were — we were —” Ron stammered. “We were going to — to go and see —” “Hermione,” said Harry. Ron and Professor McGonagall both looked at him. “We haven’t seen her for ages, Professor,” Harry went on hurriedly, treading on Ron’s foot, “and we thought we’d sneak into the hospital wing, you know, and tell her the Mandrakes are nearly ready and, er, not to worry —” Professor McGonagall was still staring at him, and for a moment, Harry thought she was going to explode, but when she spoke, it was in a strangely croaky voice. “Of course,” she said, and Harry, amazed, saw a tear glistening in her beady eye.

(CoS, page 259)

And he clearly can lie well, even at 12.

But Harry wasn’t going to stand for this. Gone were the days when he had been forced to take every single one of the Dursleys’ stupid rules. He wasn’t following Dudley’s diet, and he wasn’t going to let Uncle Vernon stop him from going to the Quidditch World Cup, not if he could help it. Harry took a deep, steadying breath and then said, “Okay, I can’t see the World Cup. Can I go now, then? Only I’ve got a letter to Sirius I want to finish. You know — my godfather.” He had done it. He had said the magic words. Now he watched the purple recede blotchily from Uncle Vernon’s face, making it look like badly mixed black currant ice cream.

...

He stopped there to enjoy the effect of these words. He could almost see the cogs working under Uncle Vernon’s thick, dark, neatly parted hair. If he tried to stop Harry writing to Sirius, Sirius would think Harry was being mistreated. If he told Harry he couldn’t go to the Quidditch World Cup, Harry would write and tell Sirius, who would know Harry was being mistreated. There was only one thing for Uncle Vernon to do. Harry could see the conclusion forming in his uncle’s mind as though the great mustached face were transparent. Harry tried not to smile, to keep his own face as blank as possible. And then — “Well, all right then. You can go to this ruddy . . . this stupid . . . this World Cup thing.

(GoF, page 33)

Again, vindictiveness and manipulation of Vernon through fear. Not only that, but Harry can keep his calm and keep his face blank even at 14 for the sake of getting something he wants.

“Get stuffed, Malfoy,” said Harry. “C’mon, Ron. . . .” “Oh yeah, you were staying with them this summer, weren’t you, Potter?” sneered Malfoy. “So tell me, is his mother really that porky, or is it just the picture?” “You know your mother, Malfoy?” said Harry — both he and Hermione had grabbed the back of Ron’s robes to stop him from launching himself at Malfoy — “that expression she’s got, like she’s got dung under her nose? Has she always looked like that, or was it just because you were with her?” Malfoy’s pale face went slightly pink. “Don’t you dare insult my mother, Potter.” “Keep your fat mouth shut, then,” said Harry, turning away.

(GoF, page 204)

Harry has a bark (all of the above quotes are Harry having a bark). He can and does shoot back as good as he gets.

Harry isn't all bark though, he's got a bit. Harry's anger is palpable and so very real and I love seeing it:

just as Uncle Vernon burst out of the dining room, his trouser leg in bloody tatters. “COME BACK IN HERE!” he bellowed. “COME BACK AND PUT HER RIGHT!” But a reckless rage had come over Harry. He kicked his trunk open, pulled out his wand, and pointed it at Uncle Vernon. “She deserved it,” Harry said, breathing very fast. “She deserved what she got. You keep away from me.”  He fumbled behind him for the latch on the door. “I’m going,” Harry said. “I’ve had enough.”

(PoA, page 30)

Again, Harry has his vindictive strike. (Obviously, Marge had it coming, but that's also what Harry is thinking).

A boiling hate erupted in Harry’s chest, leaving no place for fear. For the first time in his life, he wanted his wand back in his hand, not to defend himself, but to attack . . . to kill.

(PoA, page 339)

“You killed my parents,” said Harry, his voice shaking slightly, but his wand hand quite steady.

(PoA, page 341)

Harry, at 13, was fully willing to kill who he believed led to his parents' deaths. And more:

So what if he had to kill the cat too? It was in league with Black. . . . If it was prepared to die, trying to protect Black, that wasn’t Harry’s business. . . .

(PoA, page 342)

He's willing to kill Hermione's cat if it stands in his way.

Harry stood there, feeling suddenly empty. He hadn’t done it. His nerve had failed him. Black was going to be handed back to the dementors.

(PoA, page 343)

Harry Potter, at 13, laments that he didn't have the nerve to kill Sirius himself. He thinks he should've killed himself. He sees it as a failure that justice would be served by someone other than him.

Harry sat there staring at Snape as the lesson began, picturing horrific things happening to him. . . . If only he knew how to do the Cruciatus Curse . . . he’d have Snape flat on his back like that spider, jerking and twitching. . . .

(GoF, page 300)

Harry felt oddly separate from everyone around him, whether they were wishing him good luck or hissing “We’ll have a box of tissues ready, Potter ” as he passed. It was a state of nervousness so advanced that he wondered whether he mightn’t just lose his head when they tried to lead him out to his dragon, and start trying to curse everyone in sight.

(GoF, page 347)

The above quotes are both situations Harry was willing and wishing to curse people. Even Crucio Snape. He's not as noble and righteous and golden as many fans and characters in the books make him out to be...

If Dudley’s friends saw him sitting here, they would be sure to make a beeline for him, and what would Dudley do then? He wouldn’t want to lose face in front of the gang, but he’d be terrified of provoking Harry. . . . It would be really fun to watch Dudley’s dilemma; to taunt him, watch him, with him powerless to respond . . . and if any of the others tried hitting Harry, Harry was ready — he had his wand . . . let them try . . . He’d love to vent some of his frustration on the boys who had once made his life hell —

(OotP, page 11)

And sometimes, Harry wishes for an excuse to fight. An excuse to take his anger out on someone. (He has a lot of anger in him)

Smirking all over his pointed face, Draco Malfoy leaned across Harry and seized the largest bowtruckle. “Maybe,” said Malfoy in an undertone, so that only Harry could hear him, “the stupid great oaf’s got himself badly injured.” “Maybe you will if you don’t shut up,” said Harry out of the side of his mouth.

(OotP, page 260)

He's threatening and witty.

“Oh no,” said Hermione, quaking so badly that her knees gave way. “Oh, that was horrible. And he [Gwamp] might kill them [the centaurs] all. . . .” “I’m not that fussed, to be honest,” said Harry bitterly.

(OotP, page 759)

And when it comes to people he doesn't consider innocent, or ones he doesn't care for, even if they never harmed him, Harry is still vindictive. The centaurs mistreated Firenze and Hagrid, so Harry doesn't really care if Gwamp kills them all.

That being said, he is more concerned about Sirius in the above scene.

And he can and does cast unforgivables easily by the later books:

Hatred rose in Harry such as he had never known before. He flung himself out from behind the fountain and bellowed “Crucio!” Bellatrix screamed. The spell had knocked her off her feet, but she did not writhe and shriek with pain as Neville had — she was already on her feet again, breathless, no longer laughing. Harry dodged behind the golden fountain again — her counterspell hit the head of the handsome wizard, which was blown off and landed twenty feet away, gouging long scratches into the wooden floor.

(OotP, page 809)

Harry raised the hawthorn wand beneath the cloak, pointed it at the old goblin, and whispered, for the first time in his life, “Imperio!” A curious sensation shot down Harry’s arm, a feeling of tingling, warmth that seemed to flow from his mind, down the sinews and veins connecting him to the wand and the curse it had just cast. The goblin took Bellatrix’s wand, examined it closely, and then said, “Ah, you have had a new wand made, Madam Lestrange!”

(DH, pages 152-453)

As Amycus spun around, Harry shouted, “Crucio!” The Death Eater was lifted off his feet. He writhed through the air like a drowning man, thrashing and howling in pain, and then, with a crunch and a shattering of glass, he smashed into the front of a bookcase and crumpled, insensible, to the floor. “I see what Bellatrix meant,” said Harry, the blood thundering through his brain, “you need to really mean it.”

(DH, page 502)

So, I think Harry definitely has what it takes. He's clever, he can be ruthless, and he's capable of lying and hiding secrets when he feels it's the best option. He can hide his emotions when he really needs to, even if he rarely does. Actually, only in book 6, Harry starts sharing everything with Ron and Hermione on Dumbledore’s advice. Up to that point, he kept quite a bit to himself. And when someone wrongs him, he can and often will swing back.

And last but not least, should he have been in Slytherin?

So, this is an interesting question, because "should" can have two meanings.

1. Should've for the story — as in what is best for the narrative.

2. Should've for the character — in universe, which house the sorting hat should've picked.

So, for the first one, my answer is no. Gryffindor was the right choice for Harry for the narrative of the books as they are. Gryffindor is essentially the opposite of Slytherin and represents a choice more than just the traits and values the house represents. It represents Harry's choice even though he could've been a Slytherin he chose Gryffindor. And it's a constant choice with every heroic act. (personally, I'm not the biggest fan of equating school houses with morality, but it's effective in creating a clear narrative)

And while not all Slytherins are evil and not all Gryffindors are good, a Slytherin Harry Potter would've resulted in a very different story than what we have. So, for the story we ended up getting to happen the way it did, yes, Harry needed to be a Gryffindor.

For the second, maybe. Personally, I believe people (even if they aren't hatstalls) have more than one house they can fit into. Harry is both a Slytherin and a Gryffindor, and neither of them is more wrong or right for him as a person. I think deciding which one of them is best for him is up to a coin flip (and when in his life the question is asked).

He can be ruthless and cunning like a Slytherin. Selfless and courageous like a Gryffindor. He values justice like a Gryffindor. But he also has the selective loyalty of Slytherin to their own.

Point is, there isn't really a "should", because both suit him and he would’ve done well in both. Do I think Slytherin Harry is an incredibly fun concept to consider? Yes. Did I read way too many fics with this premise and would read more? Yes. Do I think he might've fit into Slytherin better than Gryffindor? Well, not necessarily.

Harry is much quieter than most in Gryffindor, but I think the constant scheming and image-keeping in Slytherin would be exhausting to him. He just doesn't care about all the gossip and politicalizing (something that occasionally leaves him out of the loop also in Gryffindor). So, again, both suit him about equally. The difference is that we get a very different story depending on his house.