#but still important to hear for people who (for some reason) aren't paying attention to this stuff anymore

[emoclone]

the Binax rapid tests have updated their testing guidelines to reflect this—they say you need to take two tests AT LEAST 48 hours apart if you have symptoms but don't test positive on the first one. even with two negative tests, i'd still be cautious.

regardless of whether you test positive (because the rapid tests are becoming notoriously unreliable), if you have symptoms AT ALL you should be masking up in public and around other people.

If you have a cold and test negative for COVID you are not in the clear. Tests take a while to turn positive. Meanwhile you are spreading COVID to family and friends. Mask up if you have any symptoms. This virus is just evil.

[theother-victoria]

been thinking of street racing with aventurine bc I imagine he’d like the thrill of it too…

tags: not proofread, I typed this out in tumblr drafts, some suggestive comments, flirting, gn reader, I don't know anything about street racing so pls forgive any inaccuracies, banter (they're so silly)

Aventurine, who pulls up to the race in an edgy and sleek sports car, drawing the attention of everyone else there- yours included.

You lean against the side of your car, watching him as he leaves opponent after opponent in the dust. He's skilled, you'll give him that. From the aggressive driving style and the make and model of the car, you're betting it's just some bored teenage boy with daddy's money to burn, but you'd be lying if you said you weren't at least a little bit curious about the person behind the wheel.

A few easy wins later that night and you're slated to race against him. He takes his sweet time pulling up to the finish line, but to your surprise, he rolls his window down for the first time that night and you're able to get a good look at him. He's no teenage boy but he has the same mischievous look that implies he's up to no good.

"Checking me out already?" he remarks, his (captivating) eyes twinkling in delight, although they're hidden behind his sunglasses. "And I thought I'd for sure be the one to make the first move."

Oh, so he's a flirt too. You can barely hear him over the loud purring of his expensive and modded car's engine and you know tonight's race will be a tight one.

"I see you've got money. What's a rich boy like you doing all the way out here?"

His grin widens.

"Ooh, you’re sharp. I like that and the way you talk.”

"Why don't you tell me who you are first?"

He laughs and shakes his head. He rolls up the window, much to your irritation, but not before saying one last thing and sending a wink your way.

"If you win, I'll tell you who I am. How does that sound?"

Damn. No other choice but to accept since the race is about to start.

You end up losing, but just barely. You had to push your car to its limits and he wasn't above playing dirty too, giving you a couple of close calls throughout. Although, he at least didn't endanger your life like some others have in the past, so you'll give him that.

After the race ends, you pull into a brightly-lit gas station with some people there. Shortly after, another car pulls up next to you and he steps out.

"Not bad, not bad," he says, clapping lightly. "It's not often that I find someone that can at least keep up with me, much less overtake me a couple times."

"So you were following me."

He raises his hands as a mock display of innocence.

"Hey, relax! Don't be so hostile! I just wanted to get to know you a bit better, that's all. Besides, you wanted to know who I am, right?"

You watch as he scribbles something onto a business card.

"Wasn't that only applicable if I won?"

"Eh, I've changed my mind now," he says, handing the card to you. "I don't make deals that don’t pay off and I'd consider it a loss if I didn't get at least your number tonight."

"You still didn't answer my original question. What's someone like you doing all the way out here? Surely you have more important matters to attend to, right?"

He laughs.

"Wow, you really don't know who I am, huh?"

"... What's that supposed to mean?"

"Ah, nothing. Just talking to myself. But to answer your question... I suppose it's because I enjoy the thrill of it. It's like gambling. Not knowing whether you'll win or lose, or even live or die. After all, the higher the stakes, the higher the excitement- why're you looking at me like that?"

"… You're insane."

"Sure, sure, sweetheart. I'll pretend that your reasons aren't the same as mine and that the adrenaline rush doesn't excite you every time. Why else would you willingly race, night after night?"

With one last wink, he gets into his car and drives away. You finally glance at the business card, only to do a double take and gape at it in shock when you realize its contents.

Aventurine, one of the IPC's Ten Stonehearts? No way... this guy's an IPC exec?

You don't know whether to feel proud about the fact that you got an IPC executive's number without trying or humiliated about the whole exchange...

There's a winking smiley face and an "call me xoxo" written next to the phone number.

And against your better judgement, you do just that.

He turns out to be an interesting companion. You'd think that with his demanding position, he'd be traveling all over the galaxy every day- which is true, to an extent, but he's always there for your weekly races and frequently drags you out shopping with him. He teaches you how to play poker and how to count your cards, if you didn't know how to already. He then tries to get you to play a round or two against him, which you promptly refuse each time.

("I spent all that time teaching you how to play and this is what I get in return? Boo, you're no fun. But a round or two never hurt anyone, right?"

"Aventurine, even a round or two is a surefire way to go into debt to you. Absolutely not."

He pouts and grumbles like a little kid every time.)

He also pays for additional mods to your car. When you try to refuse him, he merely brushes off your concerns.

"Sweetheart, I don't think you understand," he said back then. "I make more in a day than what it costs to mod your car. To me, this is nothing. Besides, I want an opponent who can keep up with me. If you start falling behind, well, then that's no fun for both of us, right?"

One night, there’s a particularly high-stakes race that you’re slated to compete in. The cash prize is one that’s too big for anyone to pass up.

Well, except for Aventurine. That amount of money is probably nothing by his standards.

For once, he’s not racing. When it’s your turn, he waves you over with a teasing smile as you’re getting ready.

“Say, how about raising the stakes for tonight?”

“What now?”

“Let’s make a bet.”

“… Fine.”

“If you win, we go on a date together. My treat, of course. If you lose, then you’ll have to play a round of poker with me.”

There isn’t an ounce of shame in his words. You openly gape at him as he beams at you proudly.

“… What?”

“You heard me.”

“Why though?”

He shrugs.

“Simple. I know this is a bet that will pay off. And I’ve been wanting this to happen for a long time now. So…”

He leans in close, lips teasingly brushing over your ear for a moment.

“Don’t disappoint me. I want to see you try and turn the tides in your favor for this race.”

You pull away from him.

“I accept, but only because I am not going into debt because of poker.”

He laughs.

“Go on then, sweetheart. I want to see you leave everyone behind in the dust. Oh, and don’t forget your good luck kiss!”

Aventurine blows a kiss to you. You roll your eyes as you climb into your car. Insufferable, that’s what he is. But if there’s one thing he’s good at, it’s reading people. Meaning he must’ve noticed that you wanted this too.

You roll your neck and focus on the road ahead. The race is about to begin.

That cash prize and date with Aventurine is yours.

[sarnai4]

Teamwork

This is going to sound a little odd given how some of my previous posts mentioned Viggo being very dismissive of Dagur...BUT I'm going to throw this idea out there. Imagine Viggo and Dagur as actual business partners/crime buddies. (Spoilers ahead)

Now, just hear me out. They are extremely different, yes, but I think their strengths balance the other's weaknesses. Let's consider Viggo. His biggest flaw is what I like to somewhat affectionately call his Viggo ego. The man is cocky to a new level. He couldn't even imagine someone betraying him, not him because he's the genius Viggo Grimborn. He can tell Dagur to follow orders and that he's dumb and he'll do nothing. Oops, okay, he did something. Viggo can ridicule his brother time and time again and Ryker will obviously do nothing to him because who can, right? Well, Ryker apparently can turn on him. Hmm, weird. Okay, for real this time, no one else can try to touch him. Dang it, Krogan and Johann! Just had to try to kill the guy. Don't you know that no one can go against Viggo? He's amazing. Well, that's the thing, he is, but he's so aware of that fact that he sets himself up for failure by not even considering real dangers as threats. It's really Viggo's only weak area. Besides that, he's incredibly strategic, level-headed, cool, charismatic, etc. He just needs to balance out that arrogance of his. I think Dagur could help him with this.

Despite Dagur definitely being a cocky guy too, he's nowhere near Viggo's level. To put it in perspective, the guy didn't even fight back after getting choked out because he didn't want to mess up his plan. He never said anything when the Grimborns mocked him and he also let Alvin think he was in charge back in DoB. This is the type of influence Viggo needs in his life. If he's willing to listen, Dagur could help open his eyes to the people around him and how they aren't all on his side. Honestly, once Viggo doesn't have to worry about his "allies" trying to kill or betray him, he's pretty much good. That removes about 70% of his problems. Even just in the two interacting, Dagur could probably help Viggo gain some humility and learn to not underestimate people. It would be difficult for the crime boss to accept that someone like Dagur is actually smart, so it would be an important first step for him to take. Afterwards, he could probably start opening his mind more to different forms of intelligence and not just assuming, "I'm better than you and you'll never stand a chance against me," when meeting someone.

Considering Dagur, I think his biggest weakness is his temper. No, not his mind. That's not fair and honestly not true. Him being deranged has led to him being unpredictable, a valuable trait when going up against people. He's also still very capable, so it's never held him back. His temper on the other hand. Woo. Yeah, that causes some issues. He gets angry over tiny things and just cannot function anymore. Dagur, if you stayed calm, you probably would've expected the tail to the face when Heather and the Riders left. Probably would've also not retreated in fury when the A Team showed up. This is how he had his first real loss against Hiccup back when they were kids because he was so angry at the provocation that he didn't pay attention and took him on with the Skrill, electrocuting himself. He had the advantage before that because of the numbers, but he reacted too hastily. Just have to get that temper under control.

Viggo is so calm and reasonable that I could see him helping with this. Even in times when he's lost, he can respect a game well played. There are times when he's lost his temper, but it's very rare and he generally keeps a cool head. Now, he'd need to not be condescending towards Dagur since that would make it worse, but I think he could be beneficial. Viggo getting through to Dagur, finding out why he actually gets so furious about things and helping him calm down/think things through when he's in one of those states would really help him out.

So, this friendship would definitely take time to work. It also might take some situations where they're forced to rely on each other first, but I think there's potential. Unfortunately, this would ultimately be to the detriment of the world because a Viggo who doesn't underestimate his foes and a Dagur who doesn't let his anger get the better of him are a deadly duo.

[deprivedofbraincellsandsleep]

hiii zia

so the other day u was talking with my sister and you told hwr you werw trying to quit listening to music because of ur religion and like i thought u were mualim and i’ve seen a lot of muslim people singing and listening to music so i was just curious to like why you cant listen to music same thing with dancing about how you can’t dance only when you’re alone

im just curious btw

heyyyy, okayy so this is kinda ish (not really) complicated but bear with meeee

so I am muslim and the thing is, we aren't allowed to listen to music for a few reasons being:

1) instruments are haram (meaning forbidden, so singing with just ur voice is okay or listening to vocals only is okay too)

2) idk if you’ve noticed but music tends to make people want to move aka dance so another reason why is that if played in a public place or smth like that it can lead to men and women dancing together (which isn't allowed) and that can progress further to them doing things together if yk wut I mean (I dont rlly know how to explain this better)

3) this is the most important thing, so we have our holy scripture right, the Holy Quran, and while we may desire to listen to music, our soul desires the Holy Quran, so we cannot deprive it of that. There cannot be two things in our heart at once, music and Quran cannot co-exist, because if you try to keep both things in your heart together, it won't work because as a Muslim, you'll notice that you won't be focused in your worship because all you will be able to think of is music instead of paying attention. You truly cannot taste the sweetness and completely digest words of the Quran with another thing occupying your heart (music), you have to eliminate it first and cleanse your heart of it to truly be able to taste the sweetness of not only the Quran but of life aswell, theres no other way of saying this. You have to fill your heart with good things, and you'll notice nowadays that lyrics of music tends to be talking about dirty things and such so that's not good too.

sorry that got too long, anyways something called nasheeds exist, they aren't really songs because it's just vocals and the lyrics are talking about Allah and like about our Prophet (peace be upon him) and stuff about our religion. But some nasheeds tend to have instruments so you gotta be careful😭. Anyways so Muslims can listen to those instead of music and also listen to podcasts (especially Islamic ones since ur just gaining more knowledge about your religion and becoming closer to God) to help with listening to music less.

the dancing thing kinda ties in with my first point (and also the second one), because dancing can be provocative and can lead to dirty things happening between men and women which is a major sin called Zina (sex between unmarried people).

anyways so music is definitely haram (forbidden) but many Muslims nowadays, since music is so normalized and is everywhere, refuse to accept that (not every Muslim obviously but many yk). They still put music in their videos (which isn't good because for every time someone watches that video and hears the music, you get a bad deed) and listen to it themselves, and since music has completely embedded itself into society, its harder to quit it and many people struggle doing so (including me). Singing if it's just with your voice is fine though.

Sorry again for this becoming so long, I hope my rambling was comprehensive enough, especially for someone who is non-muslim😭😭.

Theres lots of videos on yt about people quitting music, it's mostly Muslims but I saw one of this girl quitting it for 3 months and she did a really nice video about it too explaining what she learnt from it and all. They really go in depth about how music has completely embedded itself into our lives and how much of a struggle it is to free yourself from it so if you wanna do more research about this you can js watch those.

[redshiftsinger]

Here's the thing though: it's incredibly difficult to just "show compassion" to people whose attitude is "I don't like the options, so I'm gonna do nothing while YOU suffer, because I'M privileged enough that I think I don't need to care whether or not we elect a fascist who will actively try to kill you, and I want to virtue-signal that I'm Against Bad Thing Of The Day".

Because that's what they're doing. Everyone has had PLENTY of opportunity to recognize that Trump, if elected, will only encourage Israel to genocide Palestinians even harder, so claims that they just care SO much about not tolerating genocide are nonsensical.

There are a lot of bad things in the world. Some people like to pin all their attention on the latest big news item, follow the crowd, and ignore everything else while acting all righteous about it. Yes, it sucks having no truly good options. Everyone is dealing with that, you're not special, everyone has to do some shit they don't like sometimes.

I have been accused of these people of being a shit person for caring about whether I personally get to continue having rights, with phrasing like "so you'll support a genocide just because it makes YOUR life easier?" bitch no. I'll continue NOT protesting a genocide while doing my absolute best to prevent MORE genocides, by voting for fucking harm reduction when that's the only viable option open to me. Talking about myself and the fact that if Trump is elected he'll literally try to make me be dead too (or so suppressed that I might as well be) is an attempt to invoke whatever scrap of empathy is still present in your shriveled, clout-chasing soul (not you, missmacfire -- the people who act Like That. I think you mean well here but having to constantly hear about how I'm supposed to "show compassion" for people who aren't willing to show me any is exhausting, frankly, and I'm gonna push back on that).

We've TRIED "showing compassion" to people who prioritize their immediate comfort about one issue over paying enough attention to reality to recognize that there are approximately a thousand other issues that would be mitigated by the harm-reduction vote. We put "yes, it sucks, but here's why it's still important" into every goddamn post. We're fucking TIRED OF IT. Time for people to pull their heads out of their asses whining about their personal feel-goods and show some compassion for everyone who's desperately trying to keep the state of the world from deteriorating even further while also being genocided a little more quietly, with oppressive legislation and the withholding of healthcare and being pushed and pushed and PUSHED to suicides instead of being bombed directly. And I'm not speaking hypothetically here. I have personally stayed up til I was seeing double from exhaustion so many nights talking trans teens right here in the US down from committing suicide because transphobic legislation got passed in their states and pulled the rug out from under them on their hopes of being able to soon live as themselves, or because their parents who had been supportive enough to give them hope started falling for anti-trans propaganda and pressuring them to continue conforming to their AGAB. I'm sure I've failed in some cases, I can't keep up with every single one, and most of them are people I don't have any prior relationship with so it's not reasonable to expect them to stay in contact with me long-term just because I kept them talking and encouraged them to hold on to hope for one more night.

Where's the compassion from the "but Biden supports Israel so I won't support Biden" crowd, for everyone who's deeply exhausted and terrified of what will happen if Trump wins again, and who isn't too wrapped up in purity politics to recognize that Trump winning would also be worse for Palestine?

By existing as a citizen in and paying taxes to the imperial core, we automatically hold complicity in imperialist oppression because we are literally footing the bill for it. That is just the basic nature of being born to privilege in systems of oppression in general. We can be disadvantaged and marginalized in every single other consideration and we still have to understand and cope with this, and ensure we leverage it as effectively as possible.

Voting abstinence/sabotage does not absolve us of our responsibility to do everything in our power to lessen harm, but it DOES show that when our personal morals aren't satisfied, we retreat into (imperialist, this time) privilege to 'wash our hands' of the situation and declare it's not our fault and it's not our problem.

[lookwhatilost]

i wanted to write a while back about the weird right wing funhouse mirror conceptualization of "free speech". specifically the kanye's shitshow of a media tour at the end of last year, and the self-evidently bad idea to run walker. but now i've had more time to think about it. and i have some time to scribble it down. enjoy a take that has been sitting in the freezer for two months.

when jane coaston was still writing for vox, she used to talk a lot about guardrails in a political movement or social institutions. and i think she's dead on with this – it's especially important if you believe in free speech, and if you don't want a sort of heavy-handed set of rules driving your beat, to exert some kind of guardrails and discipline.

kanye west is not a deep thinker on public policy issues. it's not who he is. he was a celebrated recording artist and sometimes fashion entrepreneur. so you have to ask yourself when you're deliberately taking on somebody, "do i want to hold this person up as the representative of my movement? is this somebody who people in my cause should care a lot about with what they have to say?" you have to think about why you want to do that.

the best reason to draw a celebrity entertainer to a political movement is because that person is making a really banal point that has almost no content to it. like, think taylor swift saying she believed in marriage equality, or katy perry endorsing hillary clinton. we want their large fanbases to hear these analytically simple things. the whole kanye thing just kind of reeked of this... desperation to own the libs by finding a black person to say something provocative about race? and with so much interest in that, that you don't pay any attention at all to questions like "does he know what he's talking about?" or "does this person have any information at all?"

something similar happened with herschel walker where he'd say things that conservatives would want to hear, but would shy away from a lot of uncomfortable stuff, like paying his ex girlfriend's abortion tab or holding a gun to his wife's head. and the argument conservatives made when the audio of that was leaked was "herschel is being smeared! there's an interview where she says she's forgive him for that behavior!" i mean, it's a salient fact in his history that this is something he did, which he admitted to, and he has a bit of a history with this violent behavior against women. so if you want to hold up an example of The Libs are Attacking Somebody, maybe you shouldn't pick the guy who had a gun to his wife's head? same with the guy who's spouting antisemitic stuff.

if i were to ask someone like tucker carlson what he thought about affirmative action, he'd probably tell me "well, i'm concerned that we're diluting important meritocratic qualities in pursuit of diversity." but then you look at how the conservative movement structures, well, itself, they wanted walker to run against warnock. they wanted kanye to counter BLM. they're reaching for people who aren't at all informed about public policy. the state of georgia is not at all lacking in regular politicians that don't have the scandals that dogged walker and can speak coherently about issues. even if you set the scandals aside, he's up on a debate saying "people with diabetes just need to eat better". so, no type 1 diabetes exists? it's dumb, and it's sort of a gaffe, but he's also a football star with no background in politics at all in a state that's historically been very republican. why did you pick him?

it's, like, it's getting lost in the weeds with someone's personal draw that no one ever stops to think, "wait, why the fuck are we interviewing this guy?"

it's baffling that alex jones still brought kanye on infowars and elon gave him his twt back after the red wave that never happened. you'd figure that if you were a right winger, this would be a wakeup call that it isn't politically working out for you to have your face of your movements to be Some Guy.

but then again, they might be backed into a corner, because they've leaned so far away from policy in their political strategy. "so what do you guys plan to do about the debt ceiling?" "blue lives matter!" "wtf?"

[woodsinfusedcorpse]

List of shounen anime with well written female characters!

Cause sometimes it's annoying to watch girls constantly being sidelined or just so not written as an actual person

First 3 are the best written:

-Jujutsu Kaisen (I'd say this has the best written female characters you could find, they're amazing and well rounded and actually have different opinions and struggles and don't only revolve around men 10/10)

-The Promised Neverlands (I've only seen the first season but may read more, do not watch season 2, and Emma is amazing and also the main character which is fucking awesome)

-Chainsaw Man ( to put it simply: women are written as integral characters, written as people with their own wants and desires and fears, are entirely as important as male characters, closest to 1:1 ratio gender rep I've ever seen, uniforms are not gender based, girls can look and have cool moments. Honestly I would put this as first but I know a lot of people are uncomfortable with Denji and his obsession with sex or the Fandom. I don't want to go on to long about this or spoil things so I'll just say it's important to read between the lines and pay attention to small details, things are not face value in this.)

-Full Metal Achemist Brotherhood (tbh I've only seen FMA but I hear FMAB is a lot better and also has a lot more characters so hell yeah more cool girls. Negative is they don't really take center stage but they're still amazing)

-Attack On Titan (Mikasa is pretty average but all the other girls are top tier. I'm not counting Hange as they are gender nonspecific in the manga but Hange also rocks)

-One Piece (this may come as a surprise considering how their bodies are later drawn and same face syndrome but Nami and Robin are amazing, I loved Perona and Iiii haven't gotten passed the clown laboratory place but hopefully the women that show up later are just as awesome)

- Gintama (this is a weird anime and you probably need to have watched a bit of shounen already to get at least a bit of their references but anyways a significant amount of the woman and girls are amazing and just as weird and gross as the dudes in an unsexy lighting. Also they're cool)

Hunter x Hunter (Once again girls are not in a main focus but they're pretty great when they show up! Plus they have a transgirl who's amazing!)

Soul Eater (This one is a split, I don't have any problem with any of the girl characters but some just aren't their enough for me to consider them well written. but the ones thst are are fantastic. I believe Maka and Soul mainly share the main character role so another female lead kinda)

-Dr. Stone (the author seems to like women in general and includes them a lot but they definetly feel less important to the story and don't often push the story forward on their own. Have yet to see a women have an interest in science,which the series revolves around, but maybe there is later? Also only skimpy girl outfits and the girls have a faker looking eye style making them seem kinda less human? I doubt that was the intention but it's a little jarring)

-Demon Slayer (Most of the girls seem pretty great but I'm not counting the main girl Nezuko. She's really got no personality other then loving her brother and humans and kill demon.) UPDATE: girl characters are underutilized and often stuck with feminine rolls which the anime doesn't challenge. I like a lot of them in theory more then in practice and wouldn't recommend this to someone for fem representation but I wouldn't diswayed them from watching it either

-Claymore (I don't know if the anime is any good but the manga is great and also has a main girl character! And I love a lot of them but I also haven't read this in probably 7 years)

-Bleach (this is low for a reason, some of the girls are very well written, some almost were but them bombed and some just arent)

-D. Gray Man (I think I remember them being surprisingly good. I'd put this higher on the list but I don't fully trust my memory)

-Jojos Bizare Adventures (I have never watched this, I really don't know but I've heard about them being great and based of their designs alone I'd agree)

���--------

It is super okay not to want to watch/read any of the above for whatever reason, these are just suggestions

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

On another note hear are ones to avoid if you specifically want to see well written female characters

Naruto/Boruto (they're so badly written... and always pushed to the back... and mainly are healers... and fuck Boruto for what it makes most of them become. Fun series but ugh)

Death Note (I love Misa and that one FBI agent but the fact I don't remember her name is pretty telling. This one's more on here because it feels like the writer actively hates women. I mean it works since Light is a piece of shit and him being a misogynist really works but it can be annoying to watch sometimes. I love this show and hate it <3)

-Fairy Tail (constantly sexualizing every girl character and they're pretty bland writing wise. If you don't mind that then watch it if it sounds appealing)

[yazthebookish]

The reason why I truly believe Azriel and Elain aren't ment to be relies on many things, but mostly on his relationship with Mor as it stands now and on how their story has been written so far.

A discussion between Azriel and Mor is important and not something Sarah would just brush over. They need closure, because only then will Azriel be able to properly move on and start a relationship. Otherwise Azriel will always be haunted by what a relationship with Mor could have been.

As we know, Azriel isn't completely over Mor. There might be fewer glances, but he still reacts when some people mention her (as we've seen with Helion). Plus, when Rhys asked him about Mor he completely ignored the question. Don't people find it weird that he has loved Mor for centuries, yet we see him suddenly putting all of his attention on Elain? He went from pining after Mor, looking at her with longing to suddenly being ready to fight Lucien over Elain if he had to. So how exactly can we take this shift, his feelings for Elain seriously, when we didn't get any closure between him and Mor? We need to see the progress of his thoughts to fully accept a romance between him and his future partner and that is why a relationship between him and Gwyn is more likely to happen in my opinion. We would indeed see them grow as a couple on page and everything would develop organically.

They need closure, because only then will Azriel be able to properly move on and start a relationship.

This.

Sarah highlighted on how important it would be for Mor and Azriel to talk and have that closure. She did not say it directly but we can see it through what the characters say and their actions.

Mor also needs that closure because she still carries the guilt of hurting Azriel. We see it in ACOMAF, ACOWAR, and ACOFAS. You can't tell me all of that will be dismissed.

For Azriel to move on, he needs proper closure because as you said, it's not that he stopped paying attention to Mor (come on 9 months prior to ACOSF we was still looking at her with heat and longing).

The glances between them were few, he didn't like Helion asking about Mor, when Nesta asked Feyre if Elain knew about the pregnancy he cut her off to ask if Mor knows instead of waiting to hear about the Elain question.

You know what also made it easier to shift his attention on Elain? Mor being away in Vallahan for months while Elain is the one in Velaris.

There's a good reason as to why Sarah will make Mor join the Valkyries training. Guess who also is part of those training sessions? Azriel.

She's putting both in close-proximity for a reason and around a group that includes their potential love interests.

[stars-in-a-jam-jar]

So like. Functionally. The concept of Media Literacy is the ability to, with some level of proficiency, comprehend and interpret a text; not just as in being able to read the words and process the structure of the sentences, but to derive an underlying ethos from that text. It's the difference between 'I like Ritz and other salty snacks' and 'Lotta nuance to a Ritz cracker if you really pay attention'.

I think at the core of people saying media literacy is dead is the attitude amongst a slowly growing (or at least slowly growing louder) contingent of people attempting media analysis who try and Come To The Correct Conclusion and the way that attitude clashes against Most Other Things. The people saying they know the one thing this art is Actually saying and Actually about say people are either foolishly blind to or willfully ignoring The Important Parts, so they say media literacy is dying. The complex soup of people who think those people are being ridiculous for one reason or another say those guys aren't actually engaging with the text on its own terms, or under the lens it is meant to be seen, or with the proper amount of grace and good faith, or any other way to criticize someone's approach to media analysis. So they also say media literacy is dying.

This further clashes against casual enjoyers who only consciously know their own personal tastes and intuitively vibe check pieces of media based on what those tastes are. Either you own being a casual enjoyer of a thing and chafe at all the people talking over your head about What's Actually Going On And What It's Actually About/Saying/Implying/Endorsing/Whatever, or you feel the need to be on the same level as everyone else and try to articulate and justify intuitive vibes-based things inside yourself using the only language available to you, which is often other people on the internet. This is a bonkers unreliable way to develop and articulate an argument, opinion, or interpretation about anything. Like, example, I initially got as interested in media analysis as I did when I was a middle schooler because I watched Friendship is Magic and there was a very active community of randoms making videos about it on YouTube. Most of them were doing high school freshman levels of analysis on these pony cartoons for elementary schoolers, which was incredibly convenient for me, a 7th grader with a lot of expendable energy, because it felt novel and challenging without being inaccessible to hear words like 'continuity' and 'character development' and 'metaphor' getting thrown around and broken down. However, it is important to note, I was Also paying a lot of attention in my PreAP English classes IRL. I graduated highschool with a college freshman level of English literature education and media literacy, at least according to them institutions what say who's smart and who's smartn't.

If I was dismissing my English classes out of hand because I figured 'I have other plans for my life, I don't need to dig into this gay little book about boys at a boarding school.' (Go read A Separate Peace) 'What was the takeaway from Lord of the Flies? People are weird and do bad stuff to one another, idk.' 'Why are we reading Shakespeare? Romeo and Juliet is depressing and I don't care about any of the other ones.' If I'd decided not to expend the energy becoming excellent at media analysis, I'd still be at that level I was in the 7th grade, kind of understanding that character development is important and things *can* mean other things and reference older stuff like myths or historical events, but not having a backlog of experience and texts I've paid close attention to which I can then apply to this random weird indie game or that shakily executed anime or that Really Visceral black humor podcast.

So basically what I'm saying is it boils down to a combination of too many people talking, too many people talking past eachother, and a lot of really underqualified analysts attempting to participate and muddying the waters.

"Media Literacy"

I know it is a problem, but everytime I hear someone say "Media Literacy is dead", I just hear someone saying "I'm so much smarter than these idiots!", like they themselves already know everything about how media literacy works, have never had an uninformed or biased take and that stories have ONE WAY they can ever be read or experienced or understood.

But maybe I'm misunderstanding the trend, so let's get this out: when people say there is a media literacy crisis, what EXACTLY do you mean?

[sub-hoshi-enthusiast]

So I had a small idea 👀 (bruh when I was trying to type somnopholia it tried to auto correct it to homophobia and I was just ????) I hope you all like it :)

Shownu

Monsta X Wearing a Skirt For You

  I don't know how the hell you convinced him to do it but a round of applause to you. He refuses to look in your eyes the second he puts it on. Not to say he hates wearing it, he just gets hella embarrassed when he does. He gets all flustered when you start telling him how pretty he looks and he'll just look down at the floor while he plays with the edge of his skirt 🥺. Continuously compliment him and I don't think he'd be able to say anything. His face would just be beet red cause pretty much all the blood in his body has rushed up to his face, but it's fucking adorable so you'd compliment him every chance you get. He'll only ever wear one when you tell him to but it doesn't make him any less beautiful. The only exception is when you fuck him and leave marks all over his thighs, like bite marks, bruises from where you hit him, scratches from your nails, you name it he loves it. He'll wear a skirt at some point the next day so every time he passes by a mirror he can look at them and remember how good you ruined him, leaving his thighs mostly bare so everyone can see them. Well, so you can see them. The poor baby would die if he ever had to wear one in public. Please don't do that to him, you can keep that beautiful sight just between the two of you. 

Wonho

Bitch was wearing skirts before he met you and was just waiting so he would know you wouldn't freak out and dump him. He just wore a skirt unprompted when you had returned home from work one day and you had a mini heart attack. He got all worried cause you just started coughing after choking on air. Everytime you see him in one after that though, you're still left breathless. Cause goddamn he looks gorgeous. He likes wearing them cause he feels pretty. One time when you were out you bought him a pretty pastel pink skirt and he wouldn't take it off for the rest of the day. Everytime he tries on a skirt he'll do a little spin then look up at you all like "Do I look pretty mommy? 🥺🥺" and y'know what who needs to live anymore? Your heart will die then and there, don't lie to me. Skirts aren't limited to the house either, he likes wearing them out in public. Honestly it makes you a little mad sometimes cause people's eyes will go straight to his thighs, though he doesn't seem to notice. You'll get over your anger as soon as he spins to you, pointing at something excitedly with a little smile on his face so it's all good. Bruh, I got bias wrecked so hard when writing this 😔

Minhyuk

This man practically lives on your lap when he has a skirt on. You're watching a movie and there's an entire couch available? Your lap is obviously the better option. Oh, you're working on something important from your home office that needs to be done immediately? You'll just have to rest your head on his shoulder cause he isn't moving. The main reason he does this is because when you zone out you'll unintentionally start running your fingers up and down his thighs which makes him  h o r n y. Yeah, the second you see that skirt on him you know that nothing's getting done except for him. You'll just be sitting there for movie night and cuddles then next thing you know he's grinding helplessly against your leg cause you kept touching his thigh. "Well don't touch me there unless you wanna fuck my brains out." Another perk of him wearing a skirt is how simple it is for you to just bend him over whenever you want. He likes the thought of you taking him whenever you want cause you just completely own him so he has no say in it (did someone say somnophilia 👀). The little fucker likes to wear lingerie as well, just to give you more of a reason to bend him over and fuck him silly. He won't even try to hide it either, if he thinks you aren't paying enough attention to him he'll just bend over right in front of you and show off what he was wearing underneath. This boy is such a cutie in a skirt but he's a little hard to manage so good luck with that. 

Kihyun

The only thing you'd hear from this man when you put a skirt on him is complaints. He loves to wear skirts, cause he looks so pretty and you never forget to tell him that, not that he'd ever admit it. The little brat likes to put up a fight against anything you do. He won't wear one on his own accord unless he knows you won't be home for a while. The rest of the time you have to tell him to put one on. Now, you would never ask your boyfriend to do something he's uncomfortable with, but you know that look in his eye. You know he loves it, but he just likes talking back to you so somebody's gotta put him in his place. That might mean "forcing" him to wear a skirt and just tying him up and teasing him until he finally tells you how much he loves it and how pretty he looks. The next morning he'll go right back to complaining about it so you shouldn't get your hopes up. You also notice how when you take him out shopping his eyes will start wandering over to the pretty fabrics he pretends to despise so much. Of course he'd take that little "secret" to his grave. Does that stop you from buying them when you go out alone and "forcing" him to try them on? Of course it doesn't.

Hyungwon

You first asked him to wear a skirt for you after their little family skit thing cause he looks too fucking cute as a girl and you found it a little unfair. Boy was hella confused. Honestly thought that you were just looking for a reason to make fun of him a little more. When he finally caved and wore a skirt, he was surprised by the way you looked at him. Which of course led to the bedroom. Wears them all the time after that. Mainly because when you fucked him while he was wearing it you wouldn't stop talking about how pretty he looked and sent his praise kink into overdrive. And of course this man looks amazing in a skirt cause he's got legs for days and you definitely spend your time doing actual work and not just staring and drooling over his legs. If you had never even tried to convince him to wear one when he has legs like that you have failed at life and I don't want you to talk to me. But he has definitely noticed the way you look at his legs all the time and oop- would you look at that now he has a pair of heels. For someone who has supposedly never walked in heels before he does surprisingly well though??

Jooheon

I think Jooheon would like wearing skirts. Not in public or around the rest of the boys (except maybe Changkyun cause they're best bros) but he likes to wear them. I think it'd be fucking adorable if him and Changkyun went shopping for skirts together. Since Jooheon is a little shy when it comes to wearing them, Changkyun gives him more confidence when they're out together cause he just doesn't give a fuck. His legs look so pretty in skirts though so even if he was wearing one just to wear one it won't be long before you have him bent over a table as you pound into him. Or if you have his hands cuffed behind his back while he rides you in a skirt; one of the best views honestly. Whenever he wears a skirt, his ass also looks amazing so you can't help but grab it or slap it everytime he walks by you. He's never complained before but 9 times out of 10 it'll lead to sex. One time he wore skirts for an entire week, which was a terrible mistake. The poor boy could barely walk the next week and even had to sit out for a few practises. Changkyun wouldn't stop laughing at him over the phone so you kept giving him whatever he wanted cause you felt so bad.

Changkyun

Honestly I feel like changkyun would like wearing a skirt for you the most. First of all, the members are always saying he walks around the dorms naked so I feel like he would appreciate the little extra freedom a skirt has as opposed to shorts or pants. Secondly, he would definitely start teasing you as soon as he sees how much you like it. You'd think this boy was the clumsiest man on the planet with how many times he drops things on the floor. Sometimes he'll even spill his drink on the floor just so he has to get on his hands and knees and clean it up. When you confront him on his behavior, however, he'll act like nothing was happening. "What? I wasn't doing anything provocative. Jeez (Y/N), I didn't realize you were such a pervert." He'll also wear thigh highs or garters to show off his legs and make sure you're looking at him. Gets pouty when you don't. "Daddy~ why won't you look at me? Do you think I got all dolled up for nothing?" (I am a firm believer that Changkyun has a daddy kink if you are male or female and you can fight me on that) If you think you can look at him wearing a skirt and not fuck his brains out you are delusional.

[yandere-romanticaa]

❝ glimmering darling. ❞

Everyone has a preference, no? For what kind of darling would these young men fall for? Why don't we find out~

♡ Riddle Rosehearts ♡

Riddle is infamous for being a huge pain when it comes to rules and because of that, whenever someone brings up the topic of romantic partners, Riddle always states that he wants a true prim and proper lady. Someone who knows their table manners, is polite, never yells, is obedient etc, etc.

But what Riddle himself does not know is that he finds rebellious darlings extremely attractive. He would never, ever admit that to anyone, not even himself! He just can't seem to understand that he just loves to play with fire and that the hotter it gets the more intense he will be.

He will constantly shout at his darling, barking orders and giving them tasks that are destined to fail and yet, darling does each and every one of them with that teasing, beautiful, breathtaking smile on their face... And all Riddle wants is to chop off their head.

How dare they? Who do they think they are, confusing Riddle like that?! His heart and mind can't take it, he's at a complete loss! But then again, he would never actually do that no matter how much he wants to... or so he tells himself.

"Off with your head...!"

♡ Azul Ashengrotto ♡

Ah, Azul. Azul can be a bit tricky to read but it shouldn't be surprising that he would adore a s/o who can sign. Hearing them sing would be such a blessing and he would ask them to sign so many times.

He would like for his s/o to be intelligent but not so intelligent that they will quickly realize his plans and motives. He's the dominant one in the relationship and having a s/o who sticks their nose where it doesn't belong is more then a little pesky for him. Someone who knows their limits and boundaries and yet still aspires to be something more is rather cute though and he can always just step in and offer them a contract~

s/o better be prepared to pay the price though, because there is no going back. The moment they are in his grasp he will never let them go.

♡ Kalim Al-Asim ♡

Kasim is a simple guy! He doesn't care all that much about looks and as for a personality, all he wants for his s/o is that they are carefree and fun. For a prince he can be rather irresponsible though and he would appreciate it if his s/o was a bit more on the serious side as well. Someone who knows how to have fun but knows the limit is just right for him, is it not?

♡ Vil Schoenheit ♡

It is already a well known fact that Vil is a very vain young man but he has every reason to be. He has high expectations for his darling and he deserves nothing more then complete perfection. He is the fairest of them all and he expects his darling to be a beauty in her own right.

Deep down though, Vil would probably fall for someone who needs "fixing", someone who's "broken". He just loves helping other people, his darling especially~! He'll be sure to take great care of them and they will be treated correctly and lovingly. That is, if they don't overstep any boundaries of course...

♡ Idia Shroud ♡

Idia is a true loner and he never thought that he'd ever have a real lover, not just an in-game one. His ideal s/o is honestly someone like him. Someone antisocial, introverted, a huge geek/nerd, and someone who won't bother him to go outside for a change. Yeah, he knows it would be good for his health but there would be other people around and he just... He just can't! He can't, okay?! Okay!

He's isn't too picky when it comes to looks but just as long as that person is willing to accept him for who he is Idia will be over the moon! Even if he probably won't show it at first...

♡ Leona Kingscholar ♡

Leona has two ideal types. The first one is the feisty type, someone who always makes sarcastic remarks and can't seem to hold their tounge no matter the situation. Or, the complete opposite of that, a die hard sweetheart. Someone who would take care of him and pet him, how cute would that be! Although, a mix of both would literally be perfect for him. Despite his lazy nature, he desires to be the alpha in the relationship and even though seeing his s/o all fired up is hot as all Hell, but he would like some peace and quiet sometimes.

It's also important to note that Leona is a huge ass and he is just LOVES to tease. Having a stone cold darling would just be so boring to him. But, someone a bit more awkward and clumsy would really be adorable, don't you think babe~?

♡ Malleus Draconia ♡

Malleus is a mystery to many and there are times when he is probably a mystery to himself! He never thought about romance for the majority of his life but there is a certain type of person that will catch his eye. A kind, bubbly individual is sure to pique the dark fae's interest, but what fascinates him the most is darling good nature.

Many say that in Night Raven College that it is for the best to just not attract attention to yourself and to just lay low but to have someone so sweet and innocent running around the school is sure to bring in more then some unwanted attention. The way they look up at him with those big doe (e/c) eyes, Malleus can't help but to wonder if he is under some spell. He'll first tell himself that whatever he's feeling means nothing, that he is just bored and that the intense feelings will go away just as fast as they came.

But they don't.

With each passing day, the dark and twisted obsession only grows deeper and deeper inside of Malleus. Where is s/o? What are they doing? Why aren't they inviting me?

After that Malleus will pretty much become a guard dog and no one, and I mean no one, will come near his darling ever again. Darlings twisted fate has only just begun.

[zuffer-weird-girl]

Run run lost boy...

Living on the streets was definitely like living on hell.

Being kicked out and threaten to death after the... incident; Chisaki had no idea what to do... an cursed orphan could little to provide himself on a sick world like this... Heroes didn't even looked at him. Why would they? What importance would it give to them to help a abandoned dirty child on the streets?

He was alone and he accepted that quite easily for his dismay... after all. He has been alone as far as he could remember.

His feet were so sore... walking bare foot on the hot street and occasionally grass from parks let his skin all itchy and with bubbles.... yet he couldn't stop. He knew the risks of being a minor and walking alone... only God could provide his safety if there was even one... maybe he was abandoned by him as well...

His stomach growled as he hissed. Supporting himself on a wall of an alley to rub at his tummy... to his horror, his bones were staring to peak out under his shirt...

The last time he had eaten were hours before his quirk had activated for the very first time... and it had been days already. His eyes burned at the pain yet no tear came... he couldn't. He showed weakness once and look at what happened.

The boy only clenched his grip on the bare skin of his tummy and continued to walk.

A man walking on a bike shouted and he dodged quickly as he saw it with wide eyes the man shouting obscenities to him... His gaze travelled from the path the biker had took and his golden orbs gleamed at seing the huge street market.

His interested got the best of him and he could only gulp loudly as his feet carried his frail body to the market.

Dodging ocassionaly adults and disobedient whiny childs who begged for a toy or a pantry.

He stared at the place in wonder until he flinched at hearing a man shouting at the owner of some stand... The man hitted his hand harshly on the table and it happened to fall a onigiri right in front of his feet.

He frowned at it before crouching down to pick between his bony hands as he stared at it.... it had just fell on the ground and it even got some dirt around it... but he was just so hungry and weak..  He knew better than complain about the only edible thing he had been gifted.

His mouth invonluarialy salivated when he opened hesitantly.... disgust present on his face... yet he closed his eyes tightly and took a huge bite out of it....

God, how long has it been since he eaten something to just feel goosebumps at swallowing a piece of food? He even let out a shaky sigh as his hands trembled and eaten the rest of the thing like a animal... not caring anymore if he could get sick or not... he had to eat something. Anything...

"Good eh?" He widened his eyes at the voice above him and gasped before tripping and falling on his butt on the floor.

The man was smoking a cigarette while smirking down at him with crossed arms. A cap covering half of his sweaty and greasy face.

"The money runt. If you get something you have to paid for it." He growled as Chisaki gulped.

"I... don't have-" he grunted and clenched at the rough hand whose grabbed him by the hem of his torn out shirt and lifted him up on the air.

"Now listen here you street rat! Or you pay now or I am going to cut your hands outta of that limb body for you to learn how to not steal from the others!" He shouted, getting the attention of a bunch of the people around... but no one did anything.

He cried for the man to let go, screamed, kicked his legs to try to get out... nothing worked. He pressed his hands against the man's arm and hand but it did nothing.

Why?! Why wouldn't it work when he needed?! Why his curse couldn't just work?! Why couldn't he control it...?!

Tears started to gather on his eyes as desperation and the man only shouted louder at him. Grabbing a knife nearby with his free hand as Kai only squirmed even more to try to get out of the man's grasp.

"LET GO-!"

"No one steal from my stand boy!" He shouted back before he stopped on his tracks when a toy made of wood hit his head. Distracted enough he let go of chisaki whose fell on the ground harshly.

"Why don't you mess with someone of your size?!" A child's voice shouted and he looked up to see a kid, around his age or younger with tears on her eyes as she curled her fists on her little hands...

"What is that?!" The man cursed, holding onto the side of his face where the toy made a little cut "Wanna get punished as well you little brat?!"

The girl widened her eyes in fear before she crouched and picked a rock. Throwing on another's man head whose immediatly demanded to know whose was it.

"Him!" You pointed at the man as Chisaki only blinked as the males started to argue before he felt someone grab his wrist and pull him up from the ground.

"Come on!" You shouted and started to run, pulling him along with you, just when the man noticed you two had run off.

"GET THOSE LITTLE THIEFS!"

He could hear the shouts but the only thing his body could do was run along with as his mind tries to process why the heck you did that?... why were you risking yourself with... him?

You pulled him to an alley and gasped when both of you saw the salespeople running after you both.

"Here!" You started to climb as he only could follow... it was better than a bunch of old man trying to beat you up for a onigiri...

You two reached the rooftop but he widened his eyes at seing one of sailors had quirk which teleported him and another had wings.

Just when one of the wings went to grab your arm, he slapped his hand away before a hero passed by and got him.

Although the other was running towards you two.

"Dammit..." he muttered before he saw you looking at the edge of the building before looking at him.

"On three we jump, okay?" You breathed out as he widened his eyes.

"Arw you nu-"

"THREE!" you grabbed his hand and jumped, both of you screaming before falling onto bags of trash which prevented your fall to hurt you both.

"Where are they?!" You two looked at each other and hearing the voices up above before you grabbed his hand and lead him to hide on a hole it ha don one of the walls of the alley.

"Look around! Pests like them cant had gotten that far!"

"Come on dude. Let it be..." you two heard it and you put your finger on your lips while looking at him as he breathed in and out to catch his air back.

"Fine! Such a fucking prejudice though..."

The voices were getting away and away before you poked your head out of you guys hidding spot and giggled before crawling your way out. Patting your clothes out of dirt you after extended your hand at the hole where he was still curled up.

"Here. They're gone now.." your voice was so... soft. Caring. Sweet... he rarely got to hear someone talking like that to him as he slowly and hesitantly crawled his way out... but never touching your hand.

"You're okay?" You tilted your head and went to brush your fingers in his bony arm but he stepped back while looking away.

"I'm fine..." you demonstrated for one second a look of hurt but soon it was replaced by a relieved smile.

"I'm glad!" He looked at you hesitantly and frowned at how kind you were being towards him... it was clear as day that he didn't had nothing to give back... what did you want it?

"You're still hungry... aren't you?" You frowned at him as he tsked.

"No-" his body betrayed him when a loud growl was heard by both of you... his cheeks flushed at the sound and it got worse when you stiffled your chuckles by your two small and healthy hands... so different from his ones.

"I am hungry too.. I can pick something that is not from the ground though." You montioned for him to come and before he knew you grabbed his hand on yours and pulled him.

He clenched his jaw tight but didn't muttered a single sound as you dragged him. He occasionally looked at how well dressed you were compared to him... disapproving and weird looks that both of you received.

You pushed a glass door, making a bell sound to echo in the air as he looked around a what it seemed like a bakery... the air was so warm and the aroma of breads and cakes filled the space as he ocassionaly sniffed and sighed in content...

It was such a clean place... the ground could even show his own reflection as he looked at it... the contrast of his dirty and bony self to a classic clean noble place was huge...

"Go sit!" You chirped while letting go of his hand... for some reason... he looked at his hand and holded it with his other one... it felt... wrong. He never was one of physical contact... yet, he felt more empty than usual when your warm hand let go of his cold one.

He rubbed at his hand and walked around until he found somewhere to seat...it was so comfy and soft compared to the streets and benches he had to sleep on...

His golden orbs were fixated on the table before looking up to see you standing on your tip toes, talking to an old man whose smiled down at you and handed you a bag.

You jumped your way towards him and sit down on his side with a smile. His face lowered as if he wanted to hide between his shoulder blades. You searched don the bag and got a nice and fluffly kind of bun and placed on his front on a paper.

"Its a milk bread! Takashi-san is the best on doing those!" You smiled as he frowned and slowly uncurled his legs and stared at the bread in front of him... occasionally poking hesitantly.

You giggled at the aprehensive look he gave to you before you put your hands on teh table and bounced.

"Go on!" You encourage as he pursued his lips together with a frown before hesitantly grabbing the piece of bread between hsi trembling hands as he sniffed... taking a little bite before hsi golden eyes widened at it.

You looked at him eating desperately as he chugged down bread after bread on his mouth... crumbs stuck on his face as he could only be described at the moment as a animal whose was finally eating the hunt he so long searched for.

After eating he let out a little burp making him blush red as you giggled.

"Hope that was enough.." you smiled as he stared at you with parted lips before returning to look at his lap as he fidget with his hands.

"Why.. why this?" He spoke quietly, his voice scratchy and hoarse... how long has it been since he had a normal conversation? He didn't know.

"This what?"

"... I can't pay back..." he mumbled while scracthing lightly his forearm, not daring to look up "Dont have... money for it."

"I just wanted to help-" You smiled before hesitantly putting your hand on his shoulder yet retreading as he flinched harshly na d stared at you like if you had burned him.

"Sorry." You mumbled sadly "You don't like others to touch you, right?"

He could only nod warily as you brought your legs up to sit on them.

"Sorry. I wont do it again." You smiled as he breathed in and out before slowly lowering his guard. "Do you... have a name?"

"... Chisaki." He mumbled, looking down "Chisaki Kai..."

"That's a nice name." You said and pointed at yourself with a big tootheless smile "I'm (L/n) (Y/n)! But call me (Y/n)."

He looked warily at you before gulping and reaching for your hand... his skin felt warm again at only getting closer as you let his bony hand touch yours to test the waters...

Your hands reached up at the height of your chests as he stared at it... how soft and how perfect it was how you rand his hand got together.

"(Y/n)..." he tested on his own little scratchy voice before he looked up at the bell ringing... two males in black yukatas entered and talked with the old man occasionally.

"Oh... the yakusa" you muttered as he snatched his hand back at noticing the heat coming back to his cheeks.

"Ya..yaku..?"

"The yakusa. The Shie Hassaikai." You muttered with a smile as you pointed at the two males receiving a package the old man gave to them. "Those are the lower rank I guess... Takashi-san told me once. They only come pick up what the "big guy" demands."

"Its a mafia." He mused out loud as you nodded.

"You know. Takashi-san raised me since my parents died on a accident because a hero was fighting a villain... they were on a building where he was threw off and... happened." You sighed as he looked at you.

His parents were terrible and even called the heroes on him... and the one who helped him had their parents taken away of them because of one.

What kind of justice is this..?

"The big guy helped Takashi-san to raise me so basically we own them lots!" You smiled as he nodded with a poker face.

"(Y/n)-chan." The old man came up and Chisaki flinched away and got down from the seat "I'm sorry, but we need to close... this friend of yours can't stay here."

"But-!" You heard a bell ringing and gasped at sieng that Chisaki had left and ran out of the store before you whined when Takashi grabbed your arm.

"Kai-kun!!" He stopped on his tracks and looked at you aprehensively as you wiggled on the old man's grasp. "I want to see you again! Can we?! Pleaseee???"

He widened his eyes at your words as a breeze of wind passed by as his dark brow looks flew... despite the wind... his frail amd bony body were warm and... fuzzy.

For the first time... the muscles of his face moved... his lip moved on his own and curled up...

He smiled for the first every time on his life...

He nodded and his face flushed when you squealed and waved at him as the old man laughed. He waited for you to enter the bakery to start to walk again... but that never happened.

Because this day aparently were teh day his butt was going to be sore because goddammit another one he tumbles over and falls back.

"Oh. I'm sorry kid." A older voice pronounced as he grunted and looked up... the sun made it difficult to see the man's face "What the.. the state you're in boy, where are your parents?"

The mere mention of them made him shiver and the man quickly noticed that.

"I see... got no place to call it home..." he furrowed his eyebrows and crouched down on his level as he looked up.

"Say..." he looked up amd saw the face of the man as he blinked "What's your name?"

.

.

Years passed by...

.

.

.

The screech Mimic lwt put was enough for him to flinch and messed up on his a signature he was doing it on one of the papers.

His eye twitched before he let out a breath and got up only to be stopped by seing you entering his office... beautiful as always.

"The precepts today were glad that I brought goods of the bakery." You giggled while he allowed himself to take his mask off to let out a chuff and to pinch his bare nose with his gloved hand.

"Grown up ass adults and you come by to leave breads and cakes... what a great partner for our Shie Hassaiakai."

"Oh hush." You pouted while putting the trail on the coffe table and huffing with your hands on your hips "I'm sorry that I cant be perfect for the all mighty future leader of the Hassaikai boyfriend of mine!" You bowed mockingly as you snorted at the chuckled he let out.

"You're ridiculous..." he rested hsi head on his hands as you poked your tongue out.

"And you're boring." You placed down on his desk a plate as he eyed suspiciously before smirking.

"Milk bread I see." He grabbed a piece between his fingers and immediately put it on his mouth as he got up and you standed in front of him.

"How is that?"

"... Perfect." He allowed a rare smile to show on his lips as you smiled back at the man you had the pleasure of knowing even on his worst state.

[oasis-makcr]

Yeah. I mean, I'm still mostly paying attention to make sure I'm not missing anything! Because if I stopped paying attention altogether, I think Jamil would be a little disappointed in me. Of course, he might be disappointed to know I'm blogging instead of taking notes anyway, but. 🤫 He doesn't know I have a blog yet.

Oh! Right! Sorry, I keep forgetting sometimes that not everyone knows what blot is. Blot is the natural side effect of casting magic; the more powerful and taxing the spell, the more blot a mage generates! The point of a magestone is that it will siphon the blot from your body, which gives you more room to cast spells, and it lets you have a visual indicator on how much blot you've generated, because the stone will dim in color the more you do. Blot creation is sped up when you're more stressed and upset, so it's very important to have a handle on your emotions when casting!

On the upside, blot naturally dissipates so long as you're taking care of yourself and not pushing yourself past your limits! That's why it's best that you don't cast magic without a magestone; you don't know how much blot is being generated without one, and not being careful with that can lead to overblotting, which... is bad for just about everyone involved. It makes you more powerful at spellcasting and changes how you look, oozing caustic ink, but once you've overblotted, you burn through your magical reserves, and if you aren't knocked out before that happens... you'll die. It isn't supposed to happen very often, but... we've been having a lot more cases of overblots lately in just this year than in say... I want to say the past century, maybe?

Yeah, I think so too! I might have to ask the juniors about it, I'm positive that I've got a lot of juniors in Scarabia (our dorm!) that I could ask about it!

That's true... I'm sure there are a few censuses I could look at for better statistics, but I know I'll forget about doing that in a few hours. That doesn't particularly surprise me, though! I'm sure I probably have a biased view on mages because I went to Royal Sword Academy for a little while before transferring to Night Raven College, which are two of the most prestigious schools for mages, so I know I'm definitely used to being around people who are REALLY powerful mages. I'm sure there are plenty more mages who probably don't have the natural reserves for stronger magic and I just haven't... thought about that until now.

Hmmm... no, I think there are some magical batteries! If I were in Ignihyde, I'd definitely have a better answer; Ignihyde's whole dorm thing is that they're all really skilled with making magitek and being genius inventors and that sort of thing, at least a lot of the time! I know Idia made himself an android brother and he's capable of casting magic and existing on his own! Idia's one of the smartest mages and inventors I know, he can make just about anything if he puts his mind to it!

Not that I know him that well... he's usually holed up in his room and tries to avoid physically going to class or housewarden meetings or anything... I've been slowly convincing him to join some of my movie nights though!

I think so, too. I think it's better to be compassionate more than anything else, but I know a lot of the founding families disagree with that... though I think part of it is because we all have a lot of power and are more or less part of the government, so a lot of them probably see compassion as a threat. I think... if I had to choose... I'd like to meet the Vipers! Jamil's ancestors! They've worked for my family forever, and... I'd like to know why. The real reason why. Depending on how far back I went, though... it'd be incredible to meet the Sorcerer of the Sands! Wanting to meet one of the Great Seven in person might be pretty obvious, but I think it'd be really interesting! Especially since you only hear about him but you don't hear as much about say... the Sultan, or the Princess? Or even the Djinni?

I guess it comes down to "I think sometimes our knowledge of history is lacking and I'd love to see things as they were actually happening"!

And since you're ahead, the class becomes boring. I think I get it. And I can't complain since that means I have someone to talk to now aha.

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*✲ﾟ*｡

I guess my first question is "What's blot?" since that sounds sorta fundamental to whatever magic you're using - and I guess that must be the "modern magic" in your Abbreviated Spellcasting Long Name class haha. I dunno. Certainly evolution of language sounds like it might be related given the class name, but I've never been able to use magic myself, so I can't really tell you. .·°՞(≧□≦)՞°·.

I feel 1-2 out of 70 is still a lot. Then again, people who can use special powers in my world probably amount to close to 1 in 10000-100000 people? And most of them only have powers equivalent to lighting a tiny candle or bending a spoon.

Oh, so Magitek still relies on personal reserves. So there's no way to replace a personal reserve with something like a magical battery or something?

Niceness is a virtue, I think. The world would be a better place if there were more nice people. Ohhh, whose family's ancestors do you want to meet - like what sort of things would you want to learn?

[imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl]

The Perfect Bad Boy (Pt. 02 of 18)

Pairing: Billy Hargrove X Reader

Word count: 2.5K

Summary: Working as a lifeguard in the Hawkins Community Pool, you try to fit in after moving from New York. Things were going pretty well when you notice you've been under someone's stare. Billy Hargrove, Hawkins' bad boy, has been staring at you since day one. You never intended to have anything to do with him, judging by the reputation he has. But Billy won't leave you alone, determined to show you his feelings are different this time...

As if your heart flooding you with confusing feelings wasn't enough, there are weird, strange animals lurking in the woods... But those have to be just part of the wild live of the woods surrounding Hawkins... Right?

<- Previous part (01)

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{Stranger Things Masterlist}

×

Car Trouble

“Are you having car trouble?” Billy asks, his eyes locked on yours.

“Judging by the smoke, yeah.” You sigh, opening the door and stepping out of the car. You avoid eye contact, looking at the light gray smoke instead.

“Pop the hood, let me check.” Doing as he says, you press the button as you sit back on the driver's seat, hoping he can actually fix whatever is wrong just so you can make it home. “Bad news.” He says after a couple of minutes.” There's nothing I can do. Not here, at least.”

“Are you sure?”

“One hundred percent.” He lets the hood fall before coming to stand by the door. “Didn't it give any signs something was wrong?”

“It has been making this funny noise since I bought it. But that was a month ago, I didn't think it would actually stop working.” Taking a deep breath, you take your bag and get out, closing the door. “I'll call the mechanics when I get home. Thanks for checking it out.” You wave at him, walking away.

“I could give you a ride home if you want.”

“I'm alright. Don't want to be a bother.”

“I wouldn't offer you a ride if you were a bother. C'mon, I'm just trying to help a co-worker.”

You stop, turning to face Billy. He doesn't have to usual cocky expression he always has. And he's right. He's just offering a ride home because your car is broken, there's nothing more. Monica and those girls are just getting under your skin, making you think too much about something that doesn't deserve much thought. “Ok then.”

“Let's go.” Billy guides you to his Camaro and you get into the passenger seat. Seconds later you're spending up through the streets, and you buckle up because he's going a little too fast for your taste. You give him your address, not really paying attention to the route he's taking. Your eyes are on the landscape outside the window, passing by in a blur.

“Do you mind if I stop to get some tacos before dropping you off?”

“No.” Shrugging your shoulders, you run a hand through your hair as he parks in a small restaurant and gets out to buy his food. As you wait, you wonder if you should tell Monica about this. If you do, you probably won't hear the end of it. But it could also snap her out of this whole mission thing. Today she was silent again, overanalyzing Billy instead of watching the pools. At least she seems to be excited about something.

A whistle gets your attention, dragging you out of your thoughts. It's Billy at the restaurant's door, gesturing for you to go there. You're a little confused when you leave the car. Did he make the order and then realized he forgot his wallet or something?

“What's up?” You ask him, crossing your arms.

“Nothing. C'mon.” Billy guides you to a table on the back, where he sits. “I ordered you some tacos too.”

What the hell. “Do you even know if I have money with me? You should've asked.”

“But I didn't, did I?” He raises an eyebrow.

Taking a deep breath, you decide not to make a big deal out of it. “Whatever,” you mumble, sitting down across from him. It's so damn obvious he's staring now. He doesn't even try to hide it. Since you're here, you could try to put a stop to this nonsense. Sorry, Mon. Your mission will be over soon. “What are you looking at?” You ask, elbows on the table, finally meeting his gaze.

“You.” He simply says, and there's no hint he'll give further explanation.

You were just about to say something when the waitress comes with your tacos. They do look good, and you're a little hungry.

“I'll get something to drink. What do you want?”

“Ice cold Coca-Cola,” you answer, watching as he gets up. You don't wait for him to come back, you just start eating. The last time you ate tacos you were in elementary school.

“Here's your drink.” He places the can down and you open it, taking a sip. “So, new girl... How do you like this dipshit place?”

“I really like it. Hawkins is exactly what I was looking for.” Billy seems a little surprised, raising his eyebrows. “What? Did you think I was dragged here? I wanted to come.”

“Can't understand why anyone would want to live here.”

“I had my reasons.” Shrugging your shoulders, a loud laugh gets your attention. It's a girl you see often in the pool. She's friends with one of those girls from the locker... The girls who were talking about Billy. “Hey. Don't you have a date today? With that Jennifer girl?” It comes back to your mind, and you burst it out. “Let's go, I can take these and eat at home.” The last thing you want is Billy being mad because giving you a ride kept him from meeting some girl. So you get up, taking the plate and the can.

“Where are you going?”

“...Home? You're taking me home now so you won't be late to be with the girl.” Why do you have to state the obvious? You doubt he'd forget about a date.

“I am with a girl. Now sit down and relax.”

If this day gets any weirder, you're calling it a night and going back home immediately. “Fine. It's your night you're ruining.” You sit back down, defeated.

“Who said my night is ruined?”

“Billy...” Leaning forward, you look into his eyes. “Whatever you're trying here, it won't work.”

“I'm not trying anything.”

Alright. Time to end this game. “I'm not the kind of girl you hang out with, ok? Put your efforts on someone hot and beautiful, don't waste your time with me.” You take another bite of the taco on your plate.

“Wait. You don't think you're hot and beautiful?” He leans forward too, pushing his empty plate away, eyes on you.

He totally got the wrong part of what you said. “I'm... Ok. I'm cute but you can aim so much higher than me.” You're not blind, so you're not immune to Billy's effect. You have to admit you stole a few glances on your first days working on the pool, but knowing his reputation, you'd never let it go further than finding him handsome. “But they say beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, so...” You're done with the tacos, and you drink what's left of your Coca-Cola.

“I wish you could see yourself through my eyes then.” Billy lowers his voice, the smirk leaving his lips as if this statement is the most important thing in the world, a fact on which the whole Earth stands.

You gasp, giggling a little. “So that's how you do it. That's what you say to get your girls.”

“No. I say very different things.” The smirk is back, and you look away for a moment. You really hope you're not blushing.

“We're both done eating. Can we go now?”

“I haven't finished my drink yet.” He gestures at is can. “You don't need to leave your guard up all the time. We're just... Two friends hanging out. No big deal.”

“So we're friends now?” He simply nods. “You don't even speak to me at work, how can we be friends?”

“I'll change that, don't worry. You don't seem to have many friends, anyway.”

“I do. Monica and her little crew.” It's actually mostly just Monica, but he doesn't have to know that. “They're nice.”

“Well, you can just add me to your list of new friends then.” Billy smiles at you, and now that you get to see it, from up close, it's so damn beautiful. There's a secret behind it, something he's hiding, and it looks like he knows you're aware of that. “What do you say?” He reaches out his hand over the table. “Try to get to know me instead of judging by what you heard.”

You hesitate for a while before shaking his hand. You won't fall for his game, so there's no problem befriending the guy. And you must admit it's a little mean to judge someone by what people say. You rather judge him by his actions. “Fine, Billy Hargrove. We can try to be friends. But that's it. Nothing else.”

“Good.”

You stay at the restaurant for another hour before he finally takes you home. Your aunt is organizing some papers, so she doesn't make many questions. She's just happy you were out with someone. And you don't really give much thought to what happened. You actually had some fun today, and since you're still struggling to fit in, you're in no position to refuse any friendship you can get.

And it was kind of Billy to offer you a ride home. You're so attached to everything you heard of him that you didn't even felt thankful for his help. If he was the asshole people say he is, he'd just leave you in the parking lot, or take you straight home. But he didn't. Billy even paid for the tacos. It's mean of you to judge the guy so harshly, before exchanging any words with him. He does sleep with a different girl every night, but they go out with him because they want to. They know he won't stick to them. But this is just something he enjoys, it doesn't mean he's a total jerk. Right? Jennifer and her friend seemed okay with a one night stand, so it's obvious he's not forcing them into it. They know it's a one-time thing.

So if you take this part away, you're left with a normal guy. So, if he's not trying to make you fall on his game, maybe his intentions aren't what you think they are. It's harmless to try and get to know him. Maybe he can become a good friend, who knows?

During the next day in the pool, you're still thinking about it. You don't really understand why you're feeling a little guilty for thinking so low of Billy. So, as you're walking back to your post and Billy is coming from his chair, to take his lunch break, you decided to talk to him.

“Billy, can I talk to you for a sec?” You say when you're close enough.

“Of course. C'mon.” He tilts his head, gesturing for you to with him back into the cafeteria. You were just going to say it right here, but since he's already walking, you just follow him. Monica gives you a meaningful stare once she notices you're following Billy. But you shake your head no, trying to tell her this is nothing.

“I'll be quick. I have to get back to my chair.” You say as he sits down on the table. “I just wanted to say thank you for yesterday. For the ride home and for the snack you bought me.”

“That's it?” He seems genuinely confused.

“Yeah...” You stand there awkwardly, watching as his lips break into a smile.

“What happened to your car?”

“It'll be ready in two days. Mon is giving me a ride until then.” Shrugging your shoulders, you start making your way out. “Well, that's it. I gotta go.”

“Keep doing the good job.” He winks at you, and you can't hold back the smile that comes to your lips.

“I will.” Turning your back at him, you go back to your chair.

•••

By the end of the day, you're sitting shotgun in Monica's car, the windows opens to let the fresh wind come in.

“I have great news.” She says, smiling.

“Let's hear it.”

“Jennifer was super mad today. Now guess why.” You exchange a glance as you think if you should tell her or not. But she's so excited about it, and Jennifer has always been mean to her... So you decide to just say it.

“Because my car wouldn't start, so Billy offered a ride home. And in the process, he stopped by this restaurant and bought me tacos.” She hits the breaks so suddenly that your heart skips a beat. “Holy shit, Monica! Are you trying to get us killed?”

“What did you just say, (Y/N)?” She's dead serious, looking at you. “Explain it. And don't hold back the details.”

She drives slower, just to give you more time. She forces you to remember everything he said, and everything you said, overanalyzing every single word. She doesn't seem too convinced that Billy just wants to be friends, going on about how he looks at you. With affection, admiration. But you don't really believe that.

“Just the fact that he was straight forward with wanting to be your friends is impressive. You gotta understand this is not usual of Billy.” She says as you walk into your house since you invited her to stay for dinner. “Believe me, I know. I wouldn't be talking about Billy with you if I wasn't utterly perplexed.”

“Who's Billy?" Your aunt asks, coming from the kitchen, an amused smile on her face.

“Good evening, Mrs. Florence," Monica says, matching your aunt's tone.

“Call me Diane, dear. And tell me about this Billy.”

“He's just a friend, aunt. He gave me a ride home yesterday.” You and Monica follow her into the kitchen, sitting on the table.

“Yesterday? You came home late yesterday.” She rests her back on the counter, looking at you. You feel like you were busted doing something wrong.

“He wanted to eat tacos so since I was with him, we just stopped by a small restaurant at the side of the road.” Shrugging your shoulders, you try to act casual. But why are you trying to act casual? It was a casual meeting.

“Did he pay?”

“Yes, but–”

“Then it was a date,” Diane states before turning around, her attention back to her current task.

You feel your cheeks burning as you exchange a glance with a smirking Monica. “It wasn't a date.” You have no idea how you could make this more clear than that. “If it was a date he would have kissed me goodnight.” You use the cliche every romance movie implements, trying to change their minds. “If that doesn't happen, it's not a date.”

“Well, say whatever you want. But tomorrow you'll be going out with me and the guys. No Billy.” Monica says, gesturing at you.

Whatever. You don't have to explain anything, and time will show them there's nothing between you and Billy. “Count me in,” you tell her, looking down at your hands for a moment. It will be good. No Billy, nobody talking about Billy for a change. It's your second week here, and it feels like it's all been about him from the start. You can't wait until people realize that everything that's ever gonna happens, if it happens, is just a friendship. Nothing more.

[growingstronglikeahighgardenrose]

Sanditon Season 2: all the news & my thoughts

So, we're getting not one but two new seasons of Sanditon! After a year of tremendous effort on behalf of the Sanditon sisterhood who kept the fandom alive, we'll be looking at a new season. Although I think the biggest thank you probably goes out to Bridgerton, which showed that romance, regency, a diverse cast and butts are a perfect mix to lure audiences.

I want to take this moment to reflect on what I think we'll win, what we'll lose and what we can expect in the future.

1. No Sidlotte HEA

This is probably the most heartbreaking salty news we could get. But I know Theo James, he likes new projects. And after divergent's disaster, I can't blame the boy for not wanting to hang onto another franchise. As a fanfic writer, although mainly an Esther/Babington one, I broke my head for over a year on how to get Sidlotte together. I had to imagine the grandest schemes to get them together. Tom needed 10 000 pounds in less than a month. Even Babington was probably not worth that much. That's over 6 million in today's money if adjusted to inflation. Regency era's England's top 1-2% made that in a full a year, and most of that is probably in assets and investments. And they don't just get to keep that money, most used a good chunk of it to keep their estates running and to pay their staff. Anyone know someone who has a casual 6 million lying around?

There's only two realistic solutions: either have Eliza die: which would be cruel and take years (unless you kill her in childbirth 9 months in), or create a grand scheme that would take months and see Sidney, Crowe and Babington actively work hard on their 'business' while in the meantime Charlotte, Lady Denham and Lady Susan get everyone including the prince regent to come to Sanditon. I kind of accepted they would have a hard time getting out of that plot twist. It was likely that Sidlotte could not be endgame.

Personally, I never felt a strong connection to Sidlotte, and had hoped that Charlotte, like Jane Bennet, would go to London with Lady Susan to recover from her heartbreak, and I kind of hoped James Stringer would eventually go down there for his apprenticeship, where a sort of Captain Wentworth-like situation would come to exist where he is a young man trying to make something of himself. I know Charlotte didn't love him. But I also knew that Charlotte wanted adventure and perhaps needed to grow as a person. But in the new season she'll probably be a bit jaded, closed off, and depressed. And will probably need a softer more available man. Growing up goes with swinging to extremes. She was an open optimist at the beginning, and eventually turned to the opposite, not letting her emotions shine through and being very guarded (@miss-holly-goes-lightly did a wonderful post on this). Adulthood is finding a good balance again.

So while I am saddened, because this brings along a long set of questions like: "Does Sanditon still take place in Sanditon then?" "Where will Sidney live, will he then live in London with his wife?" "Why doesn't he come help his brother the next season or visit his family, as we know Tom will make a mess of things" The show will have to answer these questions in a believable manner.

2. No Beaufort twins

Mollie Holder said on her instagram that the Beauforts wouldn't be returning. This leads to quite a few questions like: where will Georgiana stay then? What will be happening to Mrs. Griffiths? Will Georgiana be her sole ward while the Beaufort's absence is explained as them having married or having become governesses?

3. Who remains aboard

Rose Williams is definitely on board. It's also pretty certain Tom will be there again. Lady Denham is also likely to return. The child actors and their parents were willing, but worried about their increasing age a few months back. Old Stringer said he'd have loved to be part of Sanditon again and to see it continue, but he's well... dead on the show so he won't return. So who will join Charlotte?

Leo Sutter might not return. He plays an important role in the next spin-off of vikings. Vikings has a new season each year. On top of that he's currently busy recording Gateway 6. We don't know how long that might take. And perhaps by the time filming ends he's required for the next season of the Walhalla series. Leo Sutter is a rising star, he might not even have the time to return. Especially for two seasons. At his age and point in his career, he needs to cement his name, or he'll remain b-list while he has a-list potential. So he might have to give up Sanditon for his career. It's sad, I'd love a Stringer/Charlotte future where they both grow to being suitable for each other while becoming people confident in their own abilities. But in the end, I would be alright with it, as Charlotte didn't express immediate interest in him. Writing him out would also be fairly easy, they could just write that despite thinking he had to stay home after his father's death, he went to London in the end under Charlotte's encouragement. Perhaps he could then come back for a guest appearance.

Crystal Clarke will reprise her role as Georgiana. Clarke has, since Sanditon, spoken out about the sometimes tone-deaf director and scriptwriters. She had to step in a few times to make sure Georgiana was done justice. She also said she hoped Georgiana, if the show was continued, would get the space to breathe and be independent, instead of playing a minor role as token black friend of Charlotte while under the control of Sidney. It will be complex to have her return without involving Sidney, as his character will have to be written out. I imagine this can be done with a timejump, but the timejump would have to be 4 years to make Georgiana 'of age' as she is 17 in the show. They'll probably place her under someone's care while saying Sidney is "still her guardian, but away". Georgiana is, in my opinion, an essential part of Sanditon. Bridgerton showed the world wanted to see diverse faces. Austen wrote a black character as a wealthy and desirable woman. They simply have to do more with her in the future. Clarke will reprise her role, this time with black writers to do justice to her character. I'm excited to see what will be done.

The actor who plays Arthur, Turlough Convery, is a good actor and mostly in period pieces. However he's never overly in demand, and usually stays with shows for multiple seasons. I think he's quite willing to come back and it means Georgiana would have a friend. I also hope they delve into his character, especially after his "I don't think i'll ever get married".

Matthew Needham and Mark Stanley, Crowe and Babington, are Sidney's best friends. It will be hard to have them come back without them explaining why Sidney is never with them. But I believe they would work well as a duo: the drunk and the one braincell are a fun dynamic. Both are not much in demand, despite that I quite like them as actors. So we might see them returning. Their return would also be vital for the return of a few other characters:

Their return would also be vital for the return of a few other characters:

Charlotte Spencer's Esther Denham is married to Babington. Without Babington returning, how can Esther? And vice versa. Their storyline was also the main romance for me and a big part of the last few episodes. They kinda need to return. Babington is also Sanditon's access point to high society. To cash in on Bridgerton's success they should search that royal connection. Babington is friends with the Prince Regent. On top of that he has the most money. If he hosts a party and Charlotte is invited, this is where they get those grand-bridgertonesque scenes.

Lily Sacofsky's Clara had a romantic subplot with Crowe. In their final unaired scene they went to London together. She could return. However, the chances are quite slim. Clara is in London, and Sanditon takes place in Sanditon. Unless Lady Susan takes Charlotte to London for a while and she meets Clara and Edward there, cooking up a plan to get back at Esther and Lady Denham.

4. Predictions

There's no words to describe the popularity of Bridgerton, so this WILL influence Sanditon. I predict: more sex, more scandal, and even more ahistorically modern ideas and characters, multiple female characters and multiple male characters that each get screentime and their separate storylines and developments like in bridgerton, instead of just Charlotte's pov we follow. Glamorous scenes. And more POC.

The season will start with a timejump in all likeliness (as it is easier so they don't have to focus too much on her grieving). Charlotte will catch us up with what has happened while perhaps narrating over some letters she's written to georgiana and lady susan. She'll return to Sanditon during a summer. Sanditon will have been partially rebuilt with Eliza's money, and many activities will be planned. Sanditon will be in some kind of trouble. Charlotte will still be a planner. Her being very actively involved in things and having a vision was one of the most alluring parts of her character. In the books there was a rival town Tom hated. That might be a bit tricky to adapt so they could introduce some local competition for attention around Sanditon. A local duke hosting parties could overshadow tom's events. Or the social season in London could lure everyone there instead of to Sanditon. Charlotte will try to help Tom with this while getting reacquainted with everyone still in Sanditon, and hearing about the reasons why Sidney/Esther/Stringer/The Beauforts (to be seen) aren't in the show anymore. She'll also rebuild her relationship with Georgiana.

Then one day for an event Charlotte will invite Lady Susan, who will invite her to the London season to get over her heartache à la Jane Bennet. Charlotte will join Lady Susan to lure a crowd to Sanditon. There, she'll be confronted with some of her demons of the past season. Perhaps a pregnant Eliza Campion makes an appearance to rub it in Charlotte's face. In Sense & Sensibility Margaret discovered Willoughby's relationship in a most shocking manner in an almost public setting. Sanditon likes to nod at all Austen books so this could be a nod at that book when Charlotte discovers unpleasant news in a public manner. Charlotte will congratulate her and wish them happiness, and afterwards either a girlpower moment could happen with Lady Susan or Georgiana supporting her, or a love moment. Mrs Campion has tried to talk Charlotte down in front of people in the past, if she did it again, a new love interest could step in at that time to compliment her and then take her off for a dance. That could be an emotional moment for her, as she realized her feelings for Sidney in London during a dance the last time around as well. And she could have her cinderella moment by excusing herself and running off after the dance, uncertain of her feelings. She'll have some grand balls, might be harrassed by a man and risk a scandal, or try and prevent Georgiana from ruin during a scandal.

At the last moment she'll succeed in her goal and lure a crowd to Sanditon's events that will put Sanditon on the map. Either the local competitive duke, or someone from London will be impressed with her, but she won't be ready to marry yet. I trust that by the end of the second season, she'll finally have a realisation that she's quite happy with how she's living her life and how good her work is, and that she has finally stopped feeling sad. So the second season will stop with her atop a cliff, letting go of the traumatic loss she suffered on that same cliff a season before. By the end of the season, one or two love interests will be set up for the last season.

So the nudity and big romance will have to come from elsewhere. Georgiana will get more agency and action in the next seasons. She could be trying to tempt Charlotte in joining her adventures as a single wealthy independent woman. She might even leave to find her place in the world via boat, returning to where she was last truly happy: Antigua. The second season could maybe end with Charlotte overlooking Georgiana's boat leaving from the previously mentioned clifftop. Another option is Georgiana falling in love with a local man and taken an interest in the town. Financially speaking, Georgiana could be the only one able to save Sanditon. But I don't think she owes the town anything. Another option is the writers focus on Georgiana navigating her relationship with Otis, who might be back home for a holiday after navy duty. We could also see some political debates à la Poldark S5 about freedom, servitude, independence and so on. The first plan for Georgiana doesn't even have to exclude the second, she could decide to sail away with Otis to find their place in the world. In any case: race shall not be brushed under the carpet and Georgiana will kick some shins on her way to her happy ending. In Jane Austen, we have rarely seen a woman who tried to elope, or escape her guardian, get a happy ending. Georgiana Darcy, Eliza Williams, Eliza's mother, ... they're all tragic tales of women falling for bad guys who try to steal their virtue or take their money. And in the end they always become dependent on men again. I hope in Sanditon Georgiana will learn and grow herself, instead of being coddled by men. A lot could be done.

Esther and Babington could be a very cool insert if the actors join. They can really connect the high society to Sanditon. They could host balls, invest in Sanditon or drive the London plot. But they can also be an emotional backbone to the show. Esther married Babington, but she wasn't in love yet. I'm not a fan of the edward/Esther angle. After all he did, I rather she hated him with burning passion and never spoke to him again. But he could try to blackmail her and ruin her reputation in London. Perhaps become some kind of Lord Whistledown. With Charlotte coming to Esther's aid. Esther's plotline could be about learning to trust people and open her heart again. Perhaps she could have a conflict with Babington about him wanting a family and she still being uneasy with marriage, let alone children. Maybe they could have a fight, with one of them going to London. In their separation they might realize they love each other. And then the other comes back home from London with Charlotte and they fix everything. Another route is them having a fight, Esther going to confront Edward or Clara about their blackmailing or maneouvring. Babington thinks it's because she doesn't love him, but actually it's because she loves Babington and wants to be rid of her past. But she gets into an accident and Babington only realizes the truth later on, leading to a happy ending.

Other things I'd love to see: Mary finally growing a backbone and telling Tom to either be open about his affairs and finances or be gone. Arthur and Diana growing a backbone and telling their brother he's a fuck up. Charlotte realizing Tom is stupid. Lady Denham appointing Charlotte or Arthur to head of Sanditon after showing their worth an entire season. Tom being repentant. Diana getting over her fears. Arthur getting a love interest. Crowe being in Sanditon, I just love him. Kisses. Healthy love interests that aren't broody and traumatized and in need of fixing by women. Jane Austen's men need to do their growing ON THEIR OWN. And then they earn their brides.

5. What we'll lose

- A Sidlotte ending: once the new season comes out, Sidlotte is no longer headcanon.

- A happy Esther/Babington ending: they married and looked happy, despite Esther's rushed turn around. If they're in the new season, their marriage won't be perfect. They'll have conflicts, just for plot. Whatever headcanons we had for them will probably be falsified. We might come to dislike them or their relationship. I've seen almost all my ships crumble to dust on the rocks of multiple seasons dragging out relationships and piling on conflict just to keep it interesting.

- A part of what made Sanditon Sanditon: we'll lose many faces we've come to love. And the dynamics and relationships will therefore change a lot.

- Fanfics become dated: I know it is the problem of every fandom, but it's one I regret all the same. Part of why I love Austen fandoms is the fact that the books are written. The characters and relationships won't change. With 2 new seasons coming, all fanfics out there will become dated. The millions of hours authors put into Sidlotte fics will perhaps become barely read when Charlotte gets new love interests. All the headcanons I and many others wrote down for Sidlotte, Esther/Babington, Charlotte/Stringer, will officially become silly fantheories. I've been there a couple of times before that shows changed the entire course and personality of certain characters and then you can't help but feel exhausted and sometimes annoyed because these are your babies and you had dreams for them, and the writers took them in directions that sometimes don't do them justice. But it's canon so you gotta accept it. Sometimes fantasy is nicer than a writer toying around with storylines and characters just to create drama. And I'll have to write my characters in a new way that fits the characters based on the info from the new seasons. I might fall out of love with them. Ah, the burden of being a shipper weighs heavy.

- Perhaps we still lose a HEA: Season one ended with a happy babington/Esther and an unhappy Charlotte who learned a lot, and a Sanditon that was saved. Although Sanditon has been extended for two seasons it's possible that if the ratings for S2 aren't good they may still cancel the third season. If they don't learn from their mistakes and end season 2 on another cliffhanger even Esther's relationship and sanditon may be at stake. If they're getting 2 seasons they will also not marry or engage charlotte in the second, meaning Charlotte will still be single by the end of the series if they cancel season 3. The whole reason we wanted more seasons was for charlotte to have a HEA. So I'm really fearful that she'll be put in another hard spot. They at least need to get her happy by the end of S2.

6. What we'll gain

- More sanditon content

- More regency era content and images and music which is always lovely

- Seeing our favourites again

- Hopefully we get to see new challenges and romance and humor and tense moments and scandal and drama that will be fun to watch

- A Georgiana story arc: a black woman in a realistic historical setting living her life, being wealthy, and England just having to Deal With It. And as cherry on top she'll be written by black writers.

- Happy endings (hopefully)

- New hot men! This is a guarantee

- Perhaps LGBTQ+ representation with Arthur

- Frustration at Tom's antics (guaranteed)

- Maybe some interactions with Charlotte's siblings

- Esther Babington content

- New material to write fanfics and metas about

- Over 8 hours of viewing pleasure

[nicco-needs-love]

Back with the last two chapters! Quick warning, this is the chapter with a quick description of gore! It's short and it's not a canon character <3 y'all are so sweet omg- this is a looong one. Pretty sure it's around 4k .

(2/3)Red Proposal

"Ooooh isn't this exciting?! We're going to a wedding! God, this is awesome!"

"Shut up, rat! If I hear one more word about this damn thing we aren't  going!"

"Awww, come on, angel baby! This is an exciting day for everyone! I mean, we could take some pointers from this-"

"Shut up!"

Hyde is silenced by a pillow slamming against his face. Licht huffs, getting off their bed and stomping into their bathroom.

Hyde laughs, peeling the pillow off his face. He can't help but be excited, it's a wedding! Especially since it's a wedding for one of his siblings, most shockingly is Ildio getting married! Hyde is a sucker for weddings, the most romantic day of someone's life. Well, it's been about ten days out of Hyde's life, he tries not to think about that. He got up hours ago, already getting ready for Ildio's wedding. There's a dress code, obviously fancy attire, the really interesting thing though is that the wedding theme is all white. Hyde finds it ironic, a vampire and a mafia boss, having an all white wedding. Honestly it's a beautiful thing.

"Angelllll…! Don't leave me alone! I wanna cuddle~!"

"Oh my fucking god Hyde!"

Licht kicks open the bathroom door, clearly 'irritated'. Hyde laughs, his arms wide open for a well deserved cuddle session.

"Pleaseee!  Baby!"

Licht huffs, not in the mood to argue about this. He thinks that Hyde may actually need this. Licht doesn't ask about Hyde's past, it's a touchy subject for obvious reasons. The only time he really hears about it is during Hyde's emotional occasional rants. He knows that Hyde has been married multiple times, which is something that many people do, it's completely normal. However, multiple marriages don't have the same circumstances as Hyde's. Licht can understand that today can be an emotional day. So, he decided a few nights ago, when they got the wedding invitation and when Hyde started crying; that Licht would be much more tolerable to Hyde's antics. He lies down in Hyde's arms, Licht's face against Hyde's shoulder.

"There. Happy now?"

Hyde hums, laying his head on top of Licht's, smiling into his hair.

"Mhm. Very."

Unfortunately for Licht, he's very comfortable. This is a daily occurrence, much to Licht's 'dismay'. He's gotten used to Hyde's emotional swings, between being completely neurotic and bursting into tears. These little moments, usually last around ten minutes, are a highlight of Licht's day. No one would ever hear those words from his mouth, though.

"Y'know… I'm kinda worried for Wor and his Eve. Their wedding isn't gonna be public but it's much more public than I thought they were gonna do."

"What do you mean? It's a wedding, not a cult ritual. "

"No, no, I mean anyone could show up. I still remember Child's look when he found out there would be another wedding. I don't think he himself would do anything but his subclass? I'm not too sure."

"I think you're thinking too much into it, why would he even want to ruin a day like that? If it's not meant to be, they'll just divorce."

Hyde goes silent for a moment, mulling over not Licht's words, but Hugh's. Hugh would keep glancing over at Hyde while talking about how marriage doesn't work for Servamps. That it's just a painful thing for both of them. Hyde knows that Hugh was talking to Ildio, but the words felt directed at him. Even though he doesn't think about her anymore, it's a topic that will never be let go during meetings.

"Hey, it's rare for you to shut up."

Licht's words drag Hyde out of his thoughts. 

"Aha, sorry angel, just started thinking."

"Well. Stop thinking about other things, start thinking about me, an angel. "

Licht can feel Hyde smile against his head.

"Yeah, you're right, angel. You're the best to think about."

Hyde shouldn't be thinking about the negative things, especially on such a joyful day. He just can't help it. So much negativity has happened in the lives of the Servamps. Why would luck grace any of them today?

"This is going to be the best day of my life… this is going to be the best day of my life this is-" 

Niccolò keeps repeating that mantra in his head, it's not that he doesn't think this will be the best day of his life. He's just cripplingly worried and anxious about this day. What if he messes up? What if he falls down on his face while walking down the aisle? What if Ildio decides that's it, he doesn't want to get married? What if-

"Boss. Are you alright?"

Nicco looks over to Cappuccino, snapping out of yet another one of his worry sessions.

"Ah, I'm fine. Just… worrying."

"Shouldn't you-"

A knock on the door startles Niccolò, the door opens slowly.

"Sorry to interrupt, I just would like to have a conversation with Niccolò Carpe Diem."

The door completely opens, revealing a man that Niccolò doesn't know. By the look of the suit, he's most likely a member of another family. Nicco swallows heavily, feeling somewhat nervous at the sight of this. He takes a few steps forward, offering his hand to the stranger. In the corner of his eye, Nicco can see Cappuccino with a hand in his shirt, where everyone keeps their guns holstered. 

"Nice to meet you."

The stranger takes his hand, shaking it quite enthusiastically. 

"It's a pleasure to finally meet the new leader of the family! I knew your father, he was a wonderful man."

Niccolò raises a brow, giving a small smile. This man certainly caught Nicco off guard. He thought he knew everyone back when Father was alive. As he was ill for a long time, Nicco had met everyone within his father's social circle since he was going to inherit the family. With shame, Nicco thinks that he could not be paying enough attention to the events of other familiar families. He's done a decent job gaining all their trust but all of that could go away at any moment, it's a terrifying thought to Niccolò. 

"R-really? Well, it's wonderful to meet you again. You're welcome to stay if you'd like. This is a personal event and I don't think we've been in contact so this may be an awkward situation. "

The man shakes his head, still holding Nicco's hand. Nothing seems wrong with the man, his tone and presence seem harmless. Still, Nicco is on edge.

"What personal event is it? I just wanted to meet the new kingpin after your father's passing."

Niccolò drops the man's hand, the term 'kingpin' catching his attention. It's a word that Nicco hasn't heard in a long time. Especially in the business he's in, that word is very much a buzzword, a word that isn't used kindly. If this man actually knows the family, then that word would not be used.

"Forgive my rudeness but, which family are you a part of?"

The man smiles,

"Serpente."

Niccolò freezes, blood running cold. This family name… Nicco remembers it far too well, they were the first family that Nicco spared. He spared their boss, thinking that family would leave the city. Instead… They set aflame the building where a child and parents of a very close family of Nicco's. To this day, Niccolò still tears himself apart about it. If only he had shot that boss… He tenses, not too sure how to continue the conversation-

"Anyway, what event is going on today?"

Before Niccolò can even speak, the Serpente family member speaks. Nicco isn't sure he should even tell this man. However, if he acts suspicious now, things could go horribly wrong.

"It's uh… today's my wedding."

"Your wedding!? Well, who's the lucky lady?"

Nicco goes quiet, not sure what to say to this. For the few people that know about this wedding, they're fine with it. Not many people even need to know anyway, marriage isn't going to affect his job, and that's the most important thing. There's also the fact this marriage is complicated, it isn't a 'conventional' wedding. A gay marriage, a gay marriage with an immortal vampire and notorious mafia boss.

"Uhm… Well, I'm marrying a man. I'd say I'm the lucky one."

Niccolò chuckles, trying his damndest to add some humor. He isn't sure who this man is, besides the name… His hands are uncomfortably clammy, he's getting increasingly nervous by the moment. The man gives Nicco a look. A look that Nicco can place from looks he has seen in the church. Years of flashbacks, years of self loathing, years of tears. All of that from one glare. Niccolò takes a small step back, the step signaling Cappuccino to get a grip on his gun. Nicco doesn't want to start a fight, especially today. He already had started getting ready for the wedding. He was going to be the one walking down the aisle. Already in his white suit. The last thing Nicco wants is to get into a fight with the stranger, getting either his own blood or this man's everywhere.

"I see… Well, I hope you have a wonderful wedding! I'd love to stay for the ceremony! I'll be back for the meals!"

The man laughs, walking right out where he came. Niccolò blinks, he sighs loudly, tension leaving his shoulders like a boulder. 

"Grazie Dio…"

He comments, shoulders slumping down.

"Did he say he was a part of… Serpente?"

Cappuccino says hesitantly, not sure if he heard right. Nicco nods, rubbing his temple. 

"Yes… I'm not sure he was telling the truth…"

Niccolò knows he shouldn't let this get to him, it could have just been a new boss wanting to make amends with Nicco. Yet, here he is, getting freaked out and very weary of what just happened. 

"This is going to be the best day of my life… This is going to be the best day of my life."

"Ohhh this is so exciting oh my god! You're getting married!"

"Law, shut up."

The wedding just began. Ildio waiting at the altar, the best men and women of both grooms on each side of the altar. Ironically, a priest at the forefront of said altar. It's a beautiful sight, everyone all dressed in white suits and dresses. White chiffon curtains tied to trees, white rose petals scattered throughout the grounds, a gorgeous pearl white five-tier cake, it's a stunning scene. All the chairs filled with people, there aren't many chairs, a grand total of twelve. The Servamps are standing with Ildio, the best men, and one woman. Even Hugh showed up, it took a lot of convincing but he ended up showing up. Of course, when he did, Hyde gave Hugh a long talk about saying anything negative today. Surprisingly, he agreed and even apologized. Their Eves are all sitting down in the pure white chairs. The other chairs filled with Niccolò's family. Ildio even got to meet Niccolò's sister, who looks uncannily similar to Nicco. She's a very kind person, can't hold a candle to the kind heart or beauty of Niccolò, but still a very kind and lovely person.

The only thing the wedding is missing is Niccolò. Ildio can't help but be excited for this. A moment that he never thought he would ever experience in his life. Or even want to experience. Yet, here he is, wanting to marry Niccolò, wanting to spend as much time with him as he possibly can. It could be the romantic movies that Hyde would make Ildio watch when those movies were all the rage. Ildio can't wait to see Nicco walk down the aisle, to see his beautiful face. It's almost comical how much Ildio has changed, gone is the man who only wanted food and blood. Well, he still needs both of them, those things just aren't the only things he thinks about now.

A quiet song starts to play in the background, a song that Ildio knows very well from long drives together with Niccolò. La storia infinita. If the couple were to have a song, this would be it. The song is slower than usual, the lyrics accompanied by a soft piano. 

Then… There he is. The man that Ildio is helplessly in love with. Niccolò Carpe Diem. He always looks beautiful but today… Today he looks ethereal. It's ironic because Nicco always calls Ildio his God but here, Nicco is the one who looks like an Adonis. He's wearing a pure white suit, fitting him perfectly in all the right places, the cuffs of his coat and pants are a delicate lace. Nicco's long, beautiful hair is placed in a low bun. A sheer, delicate lace veil covers Niccolò's face. The last detail, the thing that makes him look even more stunning is a dark green rose in his suit pocket. Ildio has no words; their song playing quietly in the background, Niccolò looking like a God walking down the aisle. Ildio can't help the tears starting to roll down his face. He can't name a time that he's ever cried happy tears, or cried ever.

Niccolò continues walking up the aisle, the beautiful song picks up in sound, right as Nicco reaches the altar. He can't believe it. This is the day he's getting married. Getting married to Ildio of all people. It's not that Nicco didn't think he would ever fall in love. The thing is, he never thought anyone would love him back. Niccolò never thought that someone would care enough about him emotionally or romantically. Yet, here he is, getting married to the man he is hopelessly in love with. Nicco knows that he won't live forever, it's a horrible thing to think about, that one day, he'll die and leave Ildio behind.

The preacher starts speaking, reading from a holy book; going silent for each of them to recite their vows.

"I, Niccolò Carpe Diem, take thee, World End, Ildio, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better and for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till…"

Niccolò goes silent for a moment, thinking about this word. 'Till death do us part.' Nicco isn't sure he wants to say that, he feels like it would be disrespectful to Ildio because death will do them part… Except Nicco is the only one who'll die.

Ildio grabs one of Niccolò's hands, rubbing the inside of his palm, as if telling Nicco it's okay. At this point, tears are running down both of their faces, tears of extreme joy, but tears nonetheless. They aren't the only ones either. Almost everyone in the ceremony is reduced to tears.

"-Till death do us part. According to my beliefs, I hereby pledge to you my eternal love."

Ildio inhales, he can't believe he's hearing these words. These words that he's thought about hearing from Niccolò's mouth many times. Actually hearing them is an entirely different thing. He didn't expect a slight crack at some of the words, Nicco shakily inhaling from tears. Nor did Ildio expect Nicco to stop in the middle of the vows, as if asking to continue with the last few verses. 

"I, World End, Ildio, take you, Niccolò Carpe Diem, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for rich and for poor, in sickness and health, to love and cherish until… Until death do us part. I pledge to you all my love."

Ildio turns red after finishing his vows. He missed a few things, he tried to memorize the vows but he couldn't help getting lost looking at Niccolò. The lines about death taste sour in his mouth. He wants to just forget about the fact that he's a Servamp. That one day he'll outlive his precious Nicco. For now, all Ildio can do is hope to ignore it.

"Is there anyone who wishes to object to this holy, wonderful matrimony?"

Silence. Nicco had turned his head for just a moment to see if anyone was going to say anything, he turns back to Ildio, smiling. Ildio grabs the ring that he picked out, picking up Niccolò's hand-

BOOM!

It's as if time starts to slow. Ildio looks at Nicco, seeing a large splotch of red starting to bloom against his shoulder. Niccolò stumbles, catching himself before he can fall or before Ildio can catch him. The blood quickly travels to cover almost all of Nicco's front suit. 

A loud shrill scream echoes throughout the lot, a scream from Nicco's sister. 

Ildio sees red. Not red from blood. No, red hot rage. So furious that he can't see anything but red. Following the smell of the gunpowder, he runs to the shooter. It all goes red.

Niccolò presses an unsteady hand against the gunshot wound, a shot from a revolver. He knows he won't die from a shot like this, he's had much worse injuries. His waistcoat is stark red, a horrifying contrast against the white. Nicco looks around, desperately hoping that everyone is okay. He meets eyes with his sister, who is racing over to him.

"Oh Mio Dio Niccolò?! Stai bene!?"

"Sto bene, sorella…"

Niccolò speaks Italian in a shaky voice. He's shocked, not going into shock, but shocked that he would be shot on his damn wedding day. Niccolò's sister grabs his hands, looking terrified. 

"I'm okay… Just shaken up."

"Sh-shaken up!? You've been shot, Nicco!"

Niccolò looks down, realizing the blood is traveling to his pants as it's completely covering his shirt. Some of his blood paints his sister's dress, staining a large portion of the bottom white tulle red. 

Loud, vicious moist sounds fill the air. Terror grips Niccolò, he turns to look where the sound is, terrified that something may have just happened to his beloved Ildio-

Jesus…

Ildio is panting, whole body heaving in quick breaths. Blood is everywhere. Covering his mouth, bits and pieces in his hair, his entire outfit is entirely deep crimson. Beneath his feet is a body, or… the small remains of a body. All that's left is an open chest, organs strewed throughout the entire yard. Deep red mush where the head is supposed to be, legs and arms gone, thrown in multiple different directions. A large pool of blood is beneath Ildio, obviously not his, but the shooter. A large gun, the one that shot Nicco, lays a few feet away. Niccolò feels sick, bile rising in his throat at the sight. He's seen Ildio's rages. He thought he had seen the worst. This… This is the most violent thing Nicco has ever seen. He turns his head to retch, moving over not to get any of his morning breakfast on any of the guests who haven't run for the hills. Which none of them have.

Niccolò walks over to Ildio, trying very hard to ignore the squelching of his shoes in blood.

"...Il?"

The red slowly fades back to color, Ildio coming back to his senses. He looks around, taking in the gory scene beneath him. He takes a few steps back, eyes widening. He's done this before, he's let his fury take hold of him. However, this is the worst that Ildio has ever been. Ildio turns around, catching Niccolò just in time before his body hits the ground.

"Ti ho usata come una risposta. Ma eri milioni di domande." 

(Just to not confuse anyone, the last line is the last verse from their wedding song^^)