#but we get no sense of how people are reacting to these new revelations

[chuubian]

Bulle fruit pancakes

Tags Arlecchino x fem reader, fluff, domestic life, anxiety, blood, death, soft Arlecchino, Arlecchino acts like an old man in this she’s my favorite gilf

Summary After a mission that nearly breaks you and Arlecchino apart, she decides she can’t let her job get in the way of your relationship. Living in the countryside after running away from the fatui can be scary. But Arlecchino finds a way to comfort and reassure you that you’re safe with her.

A/N: This is actually based off a conversation in stormbringer where verlaine tells rimbaud about his plan about running away and giving chuuya a normal life 😭😭 i wanted to cry during that and now i can’t stop thinking about it.

Images of Arlecchino, covered in blood and lifeless infront of you have haunted you since your relationship started. Her job is dangerous. Stepping out of line could lead to her being hunted down and killed. As her girlfriend, they wouldn’t hesitate to target you for revenge too. The fatui is not a philanthropic organization.

Her job requires her to constantly be away from home, sometimes you go weeks without hearing from her, wondering if she was killed— or, god forbid, captured and tortured. As a trained soldier, she would probably be able to handle it and escape, but it doesn't make it less frightening. There are still people stronger than her in this world— though it is very few.

On her last mission, Arlecchino is supposed to be sent to Inazuma for an undisclosed amount of time. Naturally, this revelation fills you with anxiety. How could they not know even a general timeframe? Was it this serious of an assignment. You begged her to please ask for a new assignment, but she brushes your worries aside. Telling you that you're overreacting and that if you can't handle it then there's nothing she can do to salvage the relationship, her cold red eyes staring into your soul, taking note of how you react.

You instantly go speechless, humbled by the threat. Sitting back down quietly, unwilling to lose her. Maybe it won't be so bad. She can still send letters. Arlecchino's gaze softens, leaning over you, kissing the top of your head gently. It was so sweet and intimate that you couldn't help but lean into her pleasant touch.

"I'll try to get back home as soon as possible. We can still write to each other."

Sighing softly, you look up at her. There was a flurry of emotions stirring up inside your chest. How were you supposed to be okay with this? You're brought back out of your thoughts by Arlecchino softly cupping your cheeks. Her nails, although sharp, feel soothing against your heated skin.

"It'll be fine. You worry too much."

Leaning away from her touch, you take a hold of her hands. You don't even want to look at her.

"How can you be sure? You don't even know how long you'll be gone."

Her eyes narrow, she pulls her hands our of your grip.

"I'm going whether you like it or not, it's my job. I expect you to reflect and come to your senses while I'm gone."

With that, she grabs her bags and leaves. Not even offering you so much as a goodbye. You sit in silence, feeling cold and abandoned. It's hard to even get up, your mind is filled with worries about what could possibly happen on this dangerous trip.

For the seven months Arlecchino is gone from home, she rarely writes. You can't really blame her, you don't respond to her letters either way. Nevertheless, you can't help feeling betrayed by her. She didn't stop to consider your feelings at all. It might be selfish, but you wish she cared more about you than her job.

When Arlecchino shows her disgraceful face around your shared house again, she's covered in blood. She doesn't wait for you to invite her in, taking the initiative to push past you, rushing into your bedroom and packing your clothes into a garbage bag. Stunned, you try to stop her.

"Arle! What are you doing?!"

She ignores you, seeming engrossed in her task. You try to pull her hands away, but instead of letting you, Arlecchino smacks your hand away. She looks back at you with a frenzied, irritated look on her face. It's clear you shouldn't mess with her, but you have barely talked to her in seven months, she can't force you to do anything. However, Arlecchino is nothing if not commanding and forceful. The look in her eyes chills you to the bone. Now you understand why she has such a high ranking in the fatui.

When she finishes packing your clothes, her cold hand wraps around your forearm- pulling you away from the bedroom, away from the house, and away from Snezhnaya. She doesn't speak until the harsh winter storms are far behind, in favor of the mild winters and humid summers of the Fontainian countryside.

"I'm leaving the fatui."

"What?"

She rolls her eyes, seemingly still aggravated.

"I'm leaving the fatui."

Your initial reaction is to doubt her new announcement. Even if she isn't lying- she betrayed you, she doesn't get to drag you away to Fontaine. But thinking it over for a few seconds, you realize something must've gone wrong. You take in her appearance, jacket turned brown. It makes you shiver, a sense of dread looming over you, the fright that comes with it sinks deep in your gut, making it hard to even move with the burden of your emotion weighing you down.

"Why? Did something happen?"

She moves to hold your hand instead, pulling you closer. The warmth radiating from her almost makes you forget about how stained her clothing and hand is.

“We’ll talk about it when we get to our destination, okay?”

You nod and follow her lead, unsure of what’s going on. Although the both of you aren’t speaking, it’s comfortable. The scenery of rainbow rose fields and exotic birds is a welcome change from the brutal blizzards that leave nothing but a white wasteland in Snezhnaya. As you both approach the cottage in the distance, you notice just how remote everything is. There's no people around at all, it doesn't seem like there's even any electricity. This is going to be a hellhole in the summer.

Arlecchino sets your bags down on the couch when you first enter, sighing softly. She starts taking off her soiled, blood covered jacket. Looking over her exposed arms, your mouth goes dry. It's been too long since you last saw her, and it was hard not to stare at her defined arms and strong back. She was covered in a thin sheen of sweat, her skin was glistening. You reached out to grab hold of her arm, finding it hard to resist. The feeling of her soft skin and firm muscles is invigorating. It's just so right. You're interrupted in your thoughts by Arlecchino sitting down and pulling you onto her lap.

"What are you thinking about, my love?"

"You still haven't explained anything."

While talking to her you can't help but run yours hands over her arms and shoulders. The years of training in the fatui have sculpted her like a Greek god, you can hardly even pay attention to what she says. She tilts your chin up to look her in the eyes, sharp nails digging into your jaw.

"i meant exactly what i said, I'm leaving the Fatui."

Scowling, you shake her shoulders. Why does she always have to be so tight-lipped?

"Okayyy but why...? This is so sudden! And especially for a harbinger its hard to completely escape, what if they come looking for us? You came back covered in blood, I was worried all seven months! We barely even talked in that time, so what gives you the right to drag me away from home?!"

You felt like you're going crazy, How is this normal in any way? Arlecchino can never just talk to you like a normal person. She shushes you by putting a finger over your mouth. Pushing her hand away, you glare at her.

"Why cant you ever talk to me like a normal person? Am i not worthy of knowing your thoughts? Or what you're up to?! Seriously you're so fucking condescending and irritating, Arle!"

She smirks in response. Seriously!?

"You're angry at me but you still use a nickname?"

You can feel your face get warmer, embarrassed and angry with her. She knows you too well, she always has to rile you up in the way only she knows.

"If you don't explain I'm walking the whole way to Snezhnaya."

Her grip around your waist tightens. She wasnt going to let her prized possession leave her so easily.

"Fine fine, Ill explain."

You cross your arms, waiting for the explanation.

"Look... I didn't want my job to get between us. You're more important to me than the fatui is so It's not a big deal okay?"

"That's it? You couldn't have told me that before dragging me to Fontaine?"

Gently running her fingers over your sides, she presses a soft kiss to your cheek. The tensions leaves your body at the tender show of affection. All the anger and worry dissipates, leaving your mind feeling light. It's a welcome change from the grim thoughts running through your head for the past seven months. It's amazing how easily Arlecchino can manage to lower your defenses- she's your biggest weakness and she knows it.

"I'm sorry, but i had to get us away from there as soon as possible... They'll definitely look for us but its okay, I'm here. I'll protect us. I've taken all the precautions i can. You trust me right?"

You nod, leaning in and resting your head on Arlecchino's shoulder.

"But... you're not even the strongest harbinger, what if they find us?"

She soothingly rubs your back. It's comfortable moments like this that remind you of why you fell in love with her. She's usually so cold and brutal, but during intimate moments she turns sympathetic and unguarded.

"They won't, i made sure."

"You came back covered in blood, I was so worried."

Your eyes start watering. During that period of minimal contact, your heart was aching for your lover. Aching for someone you assumed didn't feel the same way. The lump in your throat grows bigger, making it hard to breathe or talk properly.

Arlecchino lets you cry into her neck all night. Holding you tightly and never letting go. She could never even conceive of a world where your relationship isn't her top priority. A sense of warmth washes over you, melting away the cold lonely feeling in your heart.

It's been months since you ran away with Arlecchino. Months since you've been away from civilization and big crowds- but surprisingly, you don't feel isolated.

The paranoia of being found by the fatui never goes away. Slowly creeping up on your mind, becoming more and more persistent until it pounces- causing severe panic attacks and barbaric nightmares. Images flash before your eyes. Portrayals of Arlecchino collapsed on the floor, slumped over, covered in her own blood, eyes flat and lifeless. Your cottage has been ransacked and destroyed by those barbarians. All your furniture and clothing were scattered across the ground, some of them charred until they were unrecognizable. You could feel the heat radiating off the fire burning your back.

You tried to scream for help, but for some reason your voice wasn't working, your throat was closing. Your mind felt fuzzy, it was hard to think or move- like your legs were made of lead. You didn't even get to say goodbye. She was taken too soon.

Suddenly you were shaken awake. Eyes fluttering open, your cheeks were wet with tears and you could feel your heart tightening in your chest. Arlecchino's worried face was hovering above you. Gasping for air, you search for comfort in your lovers arms. Relieved to see her again alive, wrapping your arms around her and squeezing tight, leaning into the warmth- the life- radiating off of her.

"What happened, my love?"

She tenderly caresses your hair, running her slender and sharp fingers through the strands. It sends tingles through your scalp and down you spine, quelling the dull ache through your body.

"Y-you died..."

Your voice was shaky and weak. It was clear to Arlecchino that the nightmare had affected you deep to your core. She gently kisses your forehead.

"I'm here, I'm not leaving any time soon."

She gently pulled you back bed, laying you down in her caring embrace. The soft golden light of the sunrise is shining through the window and into your eyes. It made Arlecchino's smooth skin glow. She looks so heavenly, even with her messy bedhead. How had you landed someone so gracious and bewitching? She cooed softly, her enchanting voice lulling you into a dreamlike daze. Even with the horrible nightmares that haunted you, mornings like this were your favorite part of being with Arlecchino. She never fails to make you feel secure again.

After a few minutes of laying in bed and holding each other tightly, Arlecchino decides to get up, attempting to pry your arms off her.

"Noooo don't leave me!"

Whining, you hug her closer, refusing to let go of the human heater that sleeps on the other side of the bed. Unfortunately, Arlecchino is much stronger than you so she manages to get your hands off her, instead deciding to pin your wrists to the bed, straddling your hips.

"We have to get up eventually, my love."

Pouting, you start complaining and trying to free your wrists.

"But does it have to be now?"

She chuckles lowly, leaning in so close that you can feel her breath fanning over your face.

"Yes, it does."

Your heart is beating so fast, her face is so close, you can feel the electricity in the air. The heat radiating from her skin was making your face burn. It was hard to look her in the eyes, if you made eye contact you would probably burst into flames. But despite you avoiding her gaze, you could feel her staring at your lips, looking down at you under her, with your hair splayed out, so disheveled but still so beautiful. The butterflies in your stomach seeming to want to escape, fluttering against the walls of your stomach, making your muscles quiver.

She squeezes your wrists tighter, leaning in even closer. You could cut the tension with a knife. It was like there was a magnet pulling your lips closer, like the universe is working to bring the both of you together. Slowly, she presses her lips to yours. She tastes like heaven. Your head goes fuzzy and your body feels like it's floating. It's too soon after that, that Arlecchino starts pulling away. Her lips are parted, panting softly. Her eyes are darkened, her pupils dilated.

Suddenly, she sits up- looking high and mighty, like an ice queen.

"We need to get up."

She drags herself out of bed, giving you a playful smack on the ass.

"Agh!! you're mean!"

Smacking her hand away, you attempt to drag her back to bed.

"Come back!"

"Nope."

She smirks taking a hold of your hands, kissing the knuckles. It made you forget your goal. Before you could get back on track she pulls you out of the comfortable cotton sheets, wrapping her arms around your waist.

"Arle!"

She ignores your cries and carries you over her shoulders. You squirm and kick, trying to get free.

"Put me down!"

She holds the back of your thighs tightly, laughing at your struggle. Once you both arrive in the kitchen she finally puts you down on the kitchen counter. She stands between your knees, with her hands on your thighs.

"I told you we had to get out of bed."

"Well maybe i didn't want to."

"But i want you to, the sun is already up"

You scowl, pushing her hands off you.

"It's only seven! we should be sleeping!"

She shrugs, not seeming to understand the problem.

"I like waking up early."

You run your fingers through her hair, pulling her closer.

"You're like an old man, seriously why do we need to be up so early?"

She wraps her arms around your waist, pulling your bodies closer.

"The sun is up, it's time to eat."

You sigh, giving up on trying to convince her to be normal. Getting up from the counter, you walk around the kitchen grabbing ingredients and tools to start cooking breakfast.

"You better stay out of the kitchen, your cooking is deadly."

Arlecchino doesn't even try to argue, she knows it wont do any good. Sitting down at the kitchen table, admiring the view, she rests her chin on her hand.

It seems like a dream, the birds chirping in the distance, the beautiful flowers in the garden, the sounds and smells of your cooking- it all feels surreal.

You cut up the bulle fruits, mix up the batter, making Arlecchino's favorite dish-Hearthfire's trail, adding spices (which are desperately needed). You cant let her live on without spices anymore, it is physically hurting you to see her eat bland food. How does she even do it? She's just torturing herself.

After a few minutes of cooking you finally finish, giving her a nice big serving of pancakes with bulle fruit jubilee, and her stupid beloved Hearthfire's trail. She looks at it confused.

"Did you do something to it? It looks different."

"No... i spent so long making it perfect for you and you're complaining?"

She decides against pressing you for more information, trying some. Quickly, her face turns red. She evidently isn't used to eating anything other than bland meat. Regardless, she doesn't spit it out, deciding to swallow it before complaining.

"Why did you do this to me??"

Her voice is hoarse, you cant help but burst out in laughter. You've never seen her so flustered.

" Hehehe... Arle! you can't go on eating unseasoned food forever! It's time to be an adult."

"Seasoning is useless! If your food needs spices to taste good then its just bad quality."

Shrugging you point to her food.

"I worked very hard on that, you have to finish it."

She grumbles softly, complaining but doing as you say anyways. She sips her tea between every bite, suffering due to your little scheme. After she's done, she digs into her pancakes, seeming much more delighted at the taste of cold ice cream and sweet fruit on her tongue. You giggle watching her, amused by how weak she is to something so simple.

"Arle... How did you manage to get the position as the fourth harbinger when you cant even eat cumin?"

"Our position isn't based off food preferences, it's based on strength."

She clearly isn't as amused as you, her eyes narrowed.

"Still..."

"I just have a taste for quality food."

"I would hardly consider what you eat to be 'quality'."

"Hey! I eat your cooking, so that means you think your own cooking is bad."

Oh she thinks she's so funny. Groaning, you sit up straight.

"My cooking is good!"

"You don't seem to think so."

Scowling, you ignore her. You eat your pancakes angrily.

"Do you like my cooking?"

"No."

Her face betrays her words, she's smirking- enjoying getting under your skin. You decide you need to get revenge.... by wiping putting the whipped cream and ice cream from your pancakes on her face.

"I hate you."

She only laughs in response, wiping the cream off with her pointy fingers and licking it off. Her long forked tongue dragging over the blackened skin. She doesn't even try to hide her intentions, staring you right in the eyes with that evil, sinful stare.

The rest of the morning is a blur. You can only remember the feeling of pure bliss and the warmth of being in her arms. All the worries about the fatui finding you are completely forgotten when you're with her. Arlecchino makes you into a happier, more secure person. There's no other place you'd rather be.

[starburr]

Another thing that I think about is despite we see Orion pushing D-16 to imagine more, to strive for it, he ultimately means well. He says "I did this for us" during the race even if what comes next is to D-16's annoyance, or the way he looked over to wait for D-16 to catch up during their quest to find the matrix. Orion is impulsive and selfish at times but makes sure to try and figure out what to do next instead of just internalizing it, because he knows he wants others to succeed with him. He dreams big because he wants to be more, and wants what he reaps to give to others because of how they "can be so much more."

On the other hand, D-16 is easily hurt and angry, selfish. It makes sense given his entire life was built on lies, and even before that he felt frustrated but ultimately resigned himself to the fact that they're "just miners. We mine, that's it." He put his faith in Sentinel and the system they lived in that was built on lies, believed in it, but blames others for it. Notice when he lashes out at Orion that he blames him specifically, not even questioning himself on why he believed Sentinel for so long or what he could do to change their lives now. He projects that Orion is constantly thinking about himself and no one else, and yet he still thinks about Sentinel's deception towards him, not his people. He's realistic because he reacts to his first taste of power with a willingness to fight back (maybe too willing), but with the added philosophy of "might makes right" no matter the consequences. Even as he's aiming to kill Sentinel, he's desperate to get it done. He doesn't want to think about the consequences as much as he knows there are, because that's for him to figure out later once he achieves his satisfaction. I'm not calling Orion blameless and perfect for the rest of their interactions in the movie leading up to their falling out, but he at least is thinking of the bigger picture and how it is they can be better.

D just wanted Sentinel dead, I don't fault him for that. But if you are to cement that philosophy that only the strong should rule in front of your entire people, it will make everything inevitably worse as far as overthrowing corrupt governments go. You've replaced your sell-out two-faced fake prime of a leader with an even worse one, one who demands you stay on protocol or else you face the consequences. He believes that others are as selfish as him, even as he was breaking down after having shot Orion, he still blamed him. "Why did you do that why?!?!" Not once did he try to comfort Orion or the others after the revelation that Sentinel betrayed the Primes, this leads him to further becoming cold and intimidating because he believes he can only trust himself. He is right to want Sentinel to pay for his actions, but wrong for not thinking of the consequences of killing him and applying this 'might makes right' mindset right after he's still projecting his selfishness onto others.

D-16/Megatron is a complex character, a tragedy that makes you wish he wasn't so selfish because ultimately, he was still Orion's friend, something that Orion never forgot. Even in the final battle, where both of them were still relying too much on their new-found abilities, Orion wasn't trying to hurt him. Well, I should say Optimus, but where D-16 saw another Prime to be crushed after renouncing them, Optimus still saw the same miner bot he cared for so long.

[fangsforiris]

How would the sakamaki brothers react if they find out that they were the sons of the same mother and that they're biologically brothers but karlheinz killed their real mother and separated them . (Btw i reaaally love your blog 💕💕)

Sakamaki Brothers’ Reaction to Being Blood Siblings Related by 1 Mother

——————————

Shū:

“We are blood related…? Seriously…? And here I thought I only had to deal with Reiji. …It seems as if that man will never rest. …That poor woman…”

• Shū wouldn’t be as shocked as compared to the others. He’s been used to Karlheinz’s plans for years longer than the others.

• However, he’d be more tired if anything. Like always, he can never be rid himself of his father and his constant need for his plans to succeed.

• I doubt his relationships with the brothers will change, since beyond this revelation, they are all still the same people. Within the same environment which conditions them to act within a hostile manner.

Reiji:

“Father… he… No. I refuse to believe such a sentiment. I already loathe being related to that deadbeat enough, but this? …What will become of us now?”

• He’d be the most in denial. As in, it would take Reiji the longest to accept that this was even a possibility in the cards.

• Reiji is known to idolize his father, so for this to occur? I think it would heavily confuse his loyalties.

• However, since he does have somewhat of a maternal instinct for his siblings, mainly younger, he’d use this as an opportunity to get closer to them and have more of a ‘close knitted family,’ in the way the Mukami’s do.

Ayato:

“Ehh!? What do you mean we all shared a mother?! That doesn’t even make sense…! We don’t even look alike? Gah… that old man has some explaining to do!”

• Most confused 100%

• Either he skipped a few biology lessons or fell asleep in them, but even he knows that it doesn’t add up as much as it’s supposed to.

• I think he’d use this as a way to perhaps become a bit closer to all of the brothers and in a sense, make amends for the past teasing/borderline bullying he participated in (mainly towards Subaru.)

• Since he is considered to be the most ‘humane’ out of the brothers, it isn’t as far off for him to have empathy and to want to start brand new.

Kanato:

“We… all share a mother? What do you mean? Am I not my mothers son? I don’t understand, Teddy. What are is he saying…? What are you saying!? This does not make any sense…!”

• I think he’d also be in denial, or mainly shocked beyond comprehension.

• It’ll take Kanato a bit to understand, especially since this will deeply impact his pre-established identity issues.

• He was heavily narcissistic about his hair due to it being almost exact to the late Cordelia’s, so for him to not have that connection, one that he founded his entire self-esteem on, it would be detrimental.

Laito:

“So it seems we were fooled, weren’t we? Fufu~ That man certainly knows how to cause a commotion. …That woman then is no mother to me…”

• Out of everyone, I think Laito would want to do further research into this woman and who she was.

• Due to his complicated relationship with his mother, and his pre-established self-loathing, I think this will make him wonder if in another life, he’d be able to have a healthy correlation with mother figures and sexual activity as a whole.

• Laito already does somewhat act as an ‘older brother’ towards Ayato, Kanato, and Subaru, but perhaps this would allow him to get away with more in the scope of caring and involvement.

Subaru:

“He… killed her…? That damned old man! He’s selfish to the core, not one ounce of feeling to be found in him…! That’s all we are… just pawns…”

• Subaru already hated his father due to what he did to his mother and himself. So to find out that he shared an actual blood bond with his brothers, and not just a half-bond would be almost incomprehensible to him.

• He’s always wondered what it’d be like to share a fully-blooded sibling, so to find out it was always here… is bittersweet. Especially since the pre-established relationships between him and the rest of them are sour, and based on tearing down his self-esteem.

• He’d feel the most bad for the woman, and whatever alternate universe could’ve arised from him having a good parent that didn’t project all of their emotional turmoil onto him.

[missholland]

Farewell, a place once called home!

I was homebound this week for an illness recovery, and thought it was the perfect time to rewatch one of my ultimate comfort shows: The Untamed.

Some people watch stuff once. Some people religiously rewatch their favs because they discover something new each time. I'm certainly part of the latter clan, and I cannot believe I never wrote about Wei Wuxian (WWX)'s post-resurrection return to Lotus Pier before.

The second half of episode 45 throughout episode 46 is quite a journey on its own right: the setting, the aesthetics, the dialogue, the emotional weight as one of the biggest secrets finally came to surface.

A very long rambling analysis ahead so bear with me!

Considering the latter half of episode 45 was mostly consumed with Si Si and Bi Cao exposing Jin Guangyao (JGY)'s dark past, there were only a couple of Lotus Pier moments that worth mentioning.

As WWX and Lan Wangji (LWJ) walked through the entrance of Lotus Pier, I was immediately taken back to what WWX said to LWJ in episode 6 when they were healing their injuries in the Cold Spring. WWX asked LWJ to come visit him in Lotus Pier one day, and I bet the circumstance they eventually found themselves in episode 45 was far from what WWX thought the visit would have been like.

Let's also take another step back to episode 34, where Jiang Cheng (JC) interrogated WWX. WWX admitted that he wanted to go back to Lotus Pier even in his dream, but at the time, he had probably given up all hopes of ever making that come true.

What else is there? His master and madam died, his disciple elder sister Yanli died, he got expelled from his own clan. It was virtually impossible to prepare WWX for the event of episode 45 where he actually got to walk into Lotus Pier again.

Let's now cruise into the main event - episode 46! Fed up with how the big clan meeting went following the revelation of JGY's wrongdoings, WWX and LWJ stepped away from the front room and made their way around Lotus Pier. They were likely just wandering around at the time, as their concentration was totally occupied with finding out who might be the mastermind trying to expose JGY. Then again, it might as well be WWX's muscle memory as they somehow ended up right in front of the ancestral hall.

Despite initial hesitation, WWX eventually decided to come in and paid respect to his Master, Madam and Yanli along with LWJ. It's not the first time we saw this incredibly tranquil and beautiful room. It really was WWX's most frequently visited room, whether it was being punished by Madam Yu (story apparently travelled all the way to Gusu) or having heartfelt conversation with Yanli. WWX telling LWJ his childhood stories inside the ancestral hall was probably the most mundane sequence during this whole ordeal, and a small moment of normality for WWX before our resident killjoy JC walked in.

Yes JC, we know it's your house but surely yelling in the middle of the ancestral hall whether your family was resting in peace isn't a very good idea? Our WWX certainly didn't expect any less from all the unpleasantness coming out of JC's mouth, as since forever he only let his anger do the speaking and not the common sense. LWJ was ready to have a showdown, but WWX calmly told him to stand down and let it go.

But did JC let it go too? Of course not. He was irritated by WWX's calmness and tried to spill some more frustration to get the other to react. He clearly picked the right route to go down on by picking on LWJ and Wen Ning (WN). Worse, he proceeded to single out LWJ and insulted his commitment to WWX.

That prompted WWX to yell out JC's courtesy name Jiang Wanyin, a name we didn't hear very often throughout the show but in this instance it was most memorable, especially coming from WWX. That itself drew a clear boundary in their relationship at that moment, from brothers to mere acquaintances in the cultivation world.

WWX wasn't afraid to ask a proud JC to apologise, but all JC was gonna do is pushing the button even more. He took a very personal swipe at their confidant/soulmate-ship that led WWX to, quite uncharacteristically, violently held JC's collar.

Our dearest is giving JC what he wants! Although to be perfect honest, I thought it was quite hilarious that JC for whatever reason was confident he could take on both of them. WWX possibly since he wasn't at his finest during that moment, but prime LWJ though...?

Thankfully, WWX looked up and saw Yanli's name. He knew very well it would break Yanli's heart seeing the two of them like this. He's gotta be the bigger person (and fair enough, he's already knackered from being the lure flag for the puppets). As our beloved couple once again tried to leave in peace, JC decided to make it as hard as possible for them. Here he is, triggering LWJ's angry lover protector mode.

I love the swift but determined arm push LWJ did to JC a second after this to get him off WWX, then right away his expression transitioned back into anxious lover worrier mode. LWJ didn't even give JC a second look. He promptly escorted WWX away but was still super alerted to give JC a good old Piss Off for STILL ONCE AGAIN not letting it go.

Let's take a moment to admire this bittersweet yet romantically charged frame before getting the tearfest started.

Now, our sweet baby WN just flew in with WWX's Suibian sword, got a couple of hits from JC's Zidian but was still determined to stand tall and asked JC to unseathe Suibian. JC was angry and confused, LWJ was probably also angry and confused, WWX has fainted, so now WN is the only sane one and the voice of reason. His cold lack of reaction (because he wasn't surprised at all) placing next to a shocked pikachu LWJ and confusingly mortified JC was the perfect comparison.

LWJ's face tells me that as soon as he saw JC taking out Suibian, he was already somewhat fearing the reason behind it. He hasn't quite reached the destination yet, but he was on the way. After all, he's one of the most intelligent and knowledgeable characters in the story thanks to his sect's education. His eyes made it look like he was holding on a tiny glimpse of hope that maybe it's not true, maybe it's not the worst case scenario, but it was certainly mixed with fear that it might be.

It's very different from JC who's just completely out of the loop, no hint of any possibility that he might be able to work out what happened. If WN wasn't there to SPELL IT OUT, JC would just remain angry and confused for the rest of the episode.

As JC is still in deep denial, and WN precisely recounted the event on the mountain in great details where JC was tricked to go find Baoshan Wanderer who could fix his core, LWJ only had eyes on WWX. His ears were listening to everything WN said too, but his focus was on WWX while he did his own reflection on how he reacted to WWX abandoning swordsmanship in the past (the same way JC did).

All the burning questions LWJ had inside his head - why WWX no longer carried Suibian, why he made all these excuses to not get back into practicing swords, why he took on crafty tricks, why he had a change in personality and demeanour, why he behaved so strangely after getting Suibian back - they are finally answered. But in the most unimaginably painful and heartbreaking way. LWJ's trembling face and tears scream PAIN, the pain you feel when you know someone you love is in pain, but you are also aware that whatever you feel is only 1/10000 of their actual suffering.

Pain and anger come together time to time, and LWJ has heard enough. He just wanted to get WWX out of here, out of this hell of a truth. He made his feeling known by stamping Bichen loudly on the ground and took WWX away, once and all.

Our baby WN really shined here. He wrapped up this dreadful revelation by daring JC to find anyone who can unsheathe Suibian, but not before hitting him with possibly the last thing any human being as competitive and eager to win like JC wanted to hear - did you know you were supposed to beneath your disciple older brother forever?

WN kept his head down and let out a sigh. He knew he shouldn't have done it since he promised WWX, but that was as much as he knew he had to do so. His guilt toward WWX was starting to hit him, but it was also obvious that a huge burden has been lifted off his shoulders.

We're now getting to the end of WWX's unexpectedly eventful return to Lotus Pier. Without JC's unreasonable pot-stirring screaming, we're finally given a lovely shot of Lotus lake at night with LWJ ensuring WWX's body not leaving his caring touch. I don't think we've had a proper conversation between LWJ and WN up to this point, and what makes it so special is that it's a genuine exchange between the only 2 people left who deeply care about WWX - a lonely anti-hero who's been walking alone on his deeply misunderstood journey for so long that it lasted through 2 lives.

Sweet WN also thanked LWJ for taking care of A Yuan and we got to learn about how LWJ managed to save A Yuan back then. It was sad but heartwarming knowing that WN was content with not disclosing A Yuan's past to him, as he's had a happy childhood and blessed life thanks to LWJ. Although, he acknowledges that eventually A Yuan would find out, just like JC did about his golden core.

Now as the conversation circled back to the golden core swap, LWJ asked WN a question that truly, you only ask when it's about someone you love. 'Is it painful?'. Not 'How did Wen Qing do it', but was it painful for WWX. What was the feeling he had, what was the pain he suffered, what was it like. It's not a sympathy question. It's something you want to know and empathise when your loved one goes through hard time. It's such a deeply specific and personal question, because when the person you love is in pain, you are too. You even want to feel it too, and LWJ is no stranger to that if we recall him leaving the same burn mark on his left chest as WWX had. Shame that this detail was never explained in the show.

As WN described:

'He should be sober enough to see the golden score which connects to the spiritual vein be separated from his body and feel the spiritual power die down little by little, until it is motionless and nothing can be felt'.

You can feel LWJ's pain peak as he was told WWX remained awake for 2 nights and 1 day with only 50% chance of success. As someone who deep down admires his soulmate's talent from a young age, what could be worse than having to hear that his other half had accepted to be mediocre for the rest of his life and never ascend to the top as he could have easily done?

Poor WWX regained conscious and realised where he was. Unsurprisingly, all of his Lotus Pier memories were tied with Yanli and he's overwhelmed by the image of her and flashback of their time together. What is home to WWX, the one who was trying his hardest to grow lotus somewhere as deadly as Burial Mounds? JC was his family, but not anymore. Yanli is no longer around, but till her death, she remained his family. She might have had married into Jin clan, but she embodied everything about Lotus Pier. Yanli is home. Yanli is Lotus Pier.

Seeing Yanli die at Nightless City was saying goodbye to the last person on earth who cared about WWX (or so he forgot about LWJ), which pushed him to giving up on his own life. So is Lotus Pier still home without Yanli? Is there even home without Yanli? WWX was barely treated like a proper guest at Lotus Pier. He was just someone who knew the way around, as home no longer hold the same meaning as it once did.

Lovely WWX was finally jolly again at the possibility of snacking on some tasty lotus seeds he must have missed dearly. Yet his little happiness was seemingly switched off by the rigid rule follower LWJ. If anything I was surprised that WWX agreed to give up the lotus seeds that quickly, of course not without sulking in disappointment.

But all of this only make the following moment even more glorious and poignant: the high and mighty LWJ who grew up obeying 3000 rules at Gusu Lan Sect literally picked a lotus with his own hand and give it to his soulmate, much to his shock and confusion.

At first I thought Well that's the least LWJ could do, has WWX not suffered enough, would a few (hundreds) lotus seeds matter that much. He's been in pain, he needs to be coddled and spoiled till the end of the world! So LWJ willing to break one tiny rule (tiny, comparing to all the others he broke because of WWX already) is a well deserved comfort that WWX needs.

But then it also hit me - it is an example of making compromise in a healthy relationship. WWX used to hold on to his wine and was willing to put up a fight for it, most of the time against LWJ himself. So why was it so easy to him to just have an awkward chuckle and drop the lotus seeds as LWJ didn't want to break a rule?

WWX compromised, as you would in a partnership. You don't have it your way all the time, you work together toward the same goal and there are times you're willing to put your partner's values above your own benefit. WWX, despite not fully happy about the decision, still agreed to give us the lotus as LWJ was uncomfortable. And in return, LWJ was okay with putting WWX's needs above his ingrained principle about 'stealing'. At the end of the day, it's not about winning or losing in a relationship. You win together and you lose together.

We really are spoiled with lotus romance in this episode!

But maybe... just maybe... LWJ doesn't know whether WWX would ever get a chance to return to Lotus Pier. Should this be the last ever opportunity, he would probably rather WWX's final memory of the visit not being JC's anger and resentment. In return, it is a rare carefree moment on Lotus lake, one his WWX's favourite places, eating lotus seeds with the only 2 people who still care so much about him and willing to go to the end of the world for him.

If this is meant to be a farewell to a place WWX once called home, while LWJ couldn't change the unfortunate circumstance that led to this challenging visit, he at least has done his best to give it a drama-free peaceful ending for the person he loves dearly.

[mychoombatheroomba]

Voices Carry

Between the Bones (Leon x GN! Reader) - Chapter 22

You have a conversation with Valeria about Leon. It ends up involving a bloody nose.

(Cross-posted from Ao3)

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Chapter Index

CW: some manipulative behavior against the reader (not from Leon)

The two of you left the mess hall that evening with a few new understandings. The first was that you would have to be more careful, just as Leon said. 

"The smart thing to do would be to stop," you pointed out, your voice hushed so none of the mess hall staff could overhear. 

"And what about the slightly stupid thing to do?" Leon asked, and you wanted to kiss that goofy smile off his face. 

"We train with Alenko and Williams regularly. Keep some suspicion off of us. Keep everything as quick as possible.” 

Leon had agreed to that part easily enough. You both agreed that you couldn’t meet as often as you’d like. That any moment stolen had to be just that - a moment. Neither of you were happy about it, but that was the hand you’d been dealt. “Feels like we’re teenagers trying not to get caught,” he said eventually, and you couldn’t help but agree. 

“Yeah, except we’ve already been caught.” 

And that led to the second understanding. Valeria. 

“She’s always looking for an edge,” you said, and Leon knew it well enough. You’d seen what she’d done during his assessment. How she’d been teasing him since he joined your squad. She wasn’t the type to let something go unused or unexploited. 

“So she’d, what, hold it over us until she finds something we have that she wants?” 

“Probably,” you shrugged. 

“All the more reason to talk to her about it.” 

You hated the idea, but you knew that Leon was right. 

“I’ll do it tomorrow,” you resolved. “Ask her to spar. Do it then.” 

Leon nodded, frowning a little and you knew it was because it would mean another night when the two of you wouldn’t be alone. But that was the way it had to be. You both knew it, even if neither of you liked it. You had both gotten used to hard truths. 

“That’ll be a fun conversation,” Leon huffed.

“No worse than the one we just had with Krauser.” 

Then the energy of the room had shifted, making it feel as empty as it was. Leon nodded, and you saw him disappear into his thoughts.

There was a long silence, then. 

You decided to be the one to break it, because as much as you wanted to talk about when you and Leon could next steal a moment together, that conversation with Krauser - the revelations it had provided - took up a great amount of space in your mind.

“I . . .” how could you say this the right way? “I can see why you didn’t want to talk about it. What happened in Raccoon City.” It was the best you could do in the moment, the best way you could think of to begin the conversation. “I’m . . .” fuck, how could you say this? 

In the end, after a moment’s hesitation, you settled with the one thing you had yet to say to him. The one thing you had avoided, because you didn’t want him to think you pitied him. Because you had heard so many people say this to you, and you’d hated them for it. 

But now, because it was him and it was coming from you, you only hoped that he would understand the words better than you had. 

“I’m sorry you had to face all of that.” You forced yourself to look him in the eyes, needing him to see you. Needing him to understand what you meant. “And I’m sorry you had to relive it now.” 

Leon just stared at you for a moment, his eyes searching yours, and you worried he would react poorly to the words, just as you had. 

But then, Leon wasn’t you. And thank god for that. 

“Thank you,” he said quietly, and you felt him gently squeeze your thigh under the table. Only a second later, something in his gaze shifted. “But you don’t have anything to be sorry for. It’s Umbrella that does.” And there, sparking just beneath the surface, was a fire you’d come to know all too well from Leon. A strength and a sense of justice that was something out of a storybook. 

You knew he was going to be a dangerous enemy for Umbrella to have. 

But then, so were you. You couldn’t say for sure what exactly Umbrella had taken from Leon. His chance at a normal life, yes. The life of a woman who’d betrayed him, true, but what else, you couldn’t say. Whatever it was, you knew in your heart that justice was the reason he wanted to face them down. 

And you wanted justice too, you supposed. 

But you wanted something more. Because Umbrella was responsible for the virus that had killed your friends. Your brothers in arms. Your mentor. The man you considered a father. They had taken everything from you.

So yes, you wanted justice for them. For the fallen. 

But more than that, you wanted revenge. For your friends. For Leon. 

For you. 

“Then we’ll bring them down,” you said, and Leon looked over at you with wide eyes. “We’ll make them pay. Burn them to the ground.” 

His eyes shifted, and suddenly you weren’t staring at some fresh-faced rookie with tired eyes and the weight of the world on his shoulders. You were looking at a soldier. One with a mission, that he was going to see through, one way or another. “You’re damn right we will,” he nodded. 

That murmured promise of justice and vengeance . . . that was your third understanding of the night. 

And to deliver on that promise, the two of you would have to be ready. 

⧫⧫⧫

Krauser was different the next day. Still pissed, you could tell, and still pushing you all to the limit, but he did so with his usual insults. Those little barbed comments that were meant to spur you all onward. 

You never thought you’d be grateful to hear them again, but it marked what you hoped would be a return to equilibrium. And you knew it was because he had direction, now. He knew what to train you and the rest to be able to face - or at least had an idea of it. So, you were hardly surprised when the more rigorous training kept up. More than that, you readily embraced it, now knowing what Leon had faced. You pushed hard, trying to imagine the horrors he’d described. Trying to push yourself, that you might be able to take such horrors down. 

And you watched your squad struggle, hoping they would be able to do the same. It made you realize your obligation to help those who didn’t know what they were going to be fighting out there. 

People like the pair who’d asked you and Leon for help, even before your conversation with Krauser. 

Williams and Alenko were forgiving of the fact that you hadn’t been able to spar with them. Forgiving, but all too curious about why Major Krauser had pulled the two of you out of drills like he was going to read you the riot act. Luckily, you and Leon had discussed what it was you were going to tell them. 

“He wants us leading off-hours sparring practice,” you said, and the lie came easily. Krauser had been pushing you all harder, and Williams and Alenko already wanted to practice with you anyway. And, as Leon pointed out, your actual conversation with Krauser “never happened” so the Major wouldn’t correct your lie, even if he found out.

The two newly added members of your squad didn’t need much convincing. After all, Krauser had been asking you to assist with his training for months now. 

And as for Leon . . . well, it was no secret that the two of you were sparring partners. 

It was your actual secret that needed addressing. 

And Valeria was all too happy to agree when you asked her to spar with you the next day after drills. 

“Oh?” She’d raised a brow. “You and blanquito looking for a third?” 

The comment didn’t shake your expression, because you already looked pissed off enough as it was. 

“Just you and me.” Was your answer. And then Valeria smiled, because she knew why you were asking.

“Fine. But no knives. Hand to hand. Unless you think you need to hide behind steel to win.” 

Your eyes narrowed, and your response came out faster than you intended, hissed in frustration. “Better than hiding behind words.” 

Valeria’s eyes widened, and you worried that you’d said something to piss her off. That she would turn and head to the Major’s office to rat you and Leon out because of spite. Instead, the dark-eyed soldier smiled like she’d won something. “Been wondering if you had any good lines in you.” 

And so that night, as Leon headed off to the firing range with Williams and Alenko in tow, you and Valeria took up ready stances in the training yard. Krauser was listening to music again, and heavy guitar sounded through the open windows. 

So, you set up as far away from the barracks as you could, because you didn’t trust the music to be enough to drown out the conversation. And, to your credit, you really, honestly intended it to be a somewhat civil conversation. 

You were about to begin, but Valeria beat you to the punch. Literally. 

“So. Is this gonna be about what I saw the other night?” 

You barely opened your mouth to answer before her fist came at your face and you only barely managed to duck out of the way, and then you were straightening, stepping back as she advanced. She would go for a face hit right off the bat. She had never been shy about headshots, and Krauser had stopped reprimanding her for it early on. It’ll teach you all to duck, he’d said. 

And you’d learned well. 

You struck out at her stomach as you dodged, lightning fast and laser focused. 

If it were one of Leon’s old squad, you would have landed the hit easily. But this was Valeria. She could trade blows with the best of your squad . . . and she fought dirtier than most. Her hand batted the strike away, and she twisted as she delivered a painful kick to your stomach. 

You grunted as you were forced away, and Valeria didn’t follow, still wearing that damn smirk. The frustration you felt was almost enough to make you forget the question she’d asked. 

Almost. “Yes,” you hissed, raising your guard. “It’s about that.” 

The distant song ended, and then there were little bursts of new music as Krauser switched through the stations. 

You could hear different songs chopped together, only adding to the discordant energy in the air around you. 

“Hit me with your-”

“-keep it down now, voices carry-”

“You two really should be more careful,” Valeria grinned, her voice soft. Like she didn’t want anyone else to hear, either. “Be a shame if the Major found out.” 

It was your turn to swing at her. A quick one-two, a feint high then low. You caught her in the ribs, striking harder than you should have. Maybe you weren’t helping your chances in doing so, but you didn’t much care. 

“Good thing,” you hissed from clenched teeth as Valeria traded you blows, “he’s not going to.” 

Valeria snorted. You went for a punch. She moved to the side. Left your arm extended for too long. Then her hand was moving, one holding your arm in place, the other swooping up from under. You moved a second too late. 

Pain bloomed, then, and you reeled back, clutching at the blood now spilling from your nose. 

Your vision blurred a bit after the hit. Valeria stepped back on her left leg, her guard up again, dark eyes glinting. “Who’s to say he doesn’t already know?” 

Something pulsed through you, then. Heavy and hot. It settled in your chest, filling you with fire. 

You knew she wanted you to come at her, then. She loved setting traps like that. Loved provoking people into attacking her however she could. 

It was great when it worked. 

The trouble was, now she’d done more than just provoke you because you aren’t just sparring anymore. 

She knew her mistake as you swung a now bloodied fist at her with all your might. Her snickering dies as she desperately gets out of the way, but you don’t give her the chance to counter. You were coming after her in a rage, blood flying from your nose as you moved. Hit after hit you laid on her and you could see her becoming smaller and smaller as she shrunk away from you, looking for an opening. 

But her fear made her sloppy, and you landed a push kick square against her chest, sending her back. 

She didn’t go all the way down, though. 

She ran at you, aiming a kick of her own at your side. Your leg came up too, blocking it, just as your fist swung at her head, because you were pissed and hurt and if she’s fighting like that, then so were you. She was lucky she could raise a block in time. There was an attempt at a counter, but you were too fast, so she had to adjust to block again. Your third punch missed altogether as she stepped to the side. 

You almost got clipped in the head as she brought her arm around, but you wove beneath it. Raising your own arm . . . 

And then your forearm crashed hard across her cheek. Almost your elbow, but there was still a shred of restraint left in you.  

She backed away, staggered, and it was all the time and space you needed. 

You turned over your left shoulder, gaining the momentum you needed. Your leg came up, then the other. And then you were spinning through the air, the other leg extended as you jumped. 

The kick connected with Valeria’s shoulder. Hard. She cried out, but that cry was jumbled as she went spilling onto the ground, dirt rising and falling around her. 

And then you were on top of her, pinning her there, eyes full of fury. 

“Did you tell him?” You demanded, your voice little more than a hiss. 

Valeria looks up at you, her head still reeling, dark eyes unfocused. “Mierda,” she groans, baring her teeth as she clutches at her shoulder. “Okay, pretty boy is a sensitive topic, I get it-” 

“That’s not an answer.” 

She huffed, shook her head. “No. I didn’t tell him, damn.” 

You almost let the tension you’d been holding release. Almost. Still, even if she hadn’t told the Major, she still held that knowledge. She still posed a danger. 

As if she can see those thoughts written across your face, Valeria just snickers from underneath you. “Look, I’m gonna give you both shit for it, but I’m not gonna go telling people about you and the rookie.” She surprised you with how genuine she sounded. Maybe more so than you’d ever heard from her. “Don’t think I ever actually saw you smile until he came around. You’ve been actually tolerable lately, so I’m not gonna be on the lookout to end that. Besides,” she grinned then, because it seemed she couldn’t be too courteous for too long, “if the Major finds out, then there goes my entertainment. Because you two are fucking hilarious to watch.” 

“I don’t buy it,” you shook your head, still keeping her pinned. Not trusting her. “I don’t buy you being willing to let this go that easily.” 

Again, Valeria snickered, and that smirk was back. “Who said I was?” And there it was. The negotiation you’d been prepared for. “I keep your secret, and some day, you two can do something for me.” 

“This isn’t a game, Valeria.” 

“No?” She raised a brow. “Then you and Leon better get serious. Cause if I saw you, then it’s only a matter of time before someone else does. Might help you to have someone in your corner.” 

She was right. You and Leon had discussed that much at length, after all. In a perfect world, she wouldn’t know, and that would be that. But in this world, you supposed it was better to have her support than her animosity. So fine, then. 

“What do you want, then?” you asked, because that was the position you found yourself in. 

And Valeria, even though she had lost the fight, knew she’d just won something. “I want in on sparring with you. Other than that . . . I’ll let you know when I have something in mind. And in the meantime, you and pretty boy just carry on as you were.” 

It was going to remain hanging over your heads, then. “Fine.” 

With a final sigh, more of your blood dripping onto the dirt by her head, you stood. You almost didn’t offer her a hand up, but in the end, you reached your unbloodied one towards her anyway. 

She let you help her up, looking at you for a moment longer. “Glad we could have this little talk,” she said, rolling the shoulder you’d hit and brushing dirt off her fatigues. “Just have one more question for you.” 

“And what’s that?” you asked, raising a hand to your bleeding nose, your tone betraying how much you wanted to be done. 

Valeria’s dark eyes got just a little bit darker as she smiled. “Is he any good?” Again, you found some anger spiking through you. “I mean, he looks so sweet, but I bet-”

“Too bad you’ll never know,” you shot at her, and she laughed. 

“Touchy, touchy, alright then.” She started to walk past you, with too much swagger for a woman who just had her ass handed to her. “You’re no fun.” 

And with that, apparently done for the night in the training yard, you spat some blood into the dirt and made your way to the firing range. 

⧫⧫⧫

Leon didn’t realize you’d joined him, Williams, and Alenko until you were stepping up beside him, checking the pistol in your hands and getting ready to fit some headphones over your ears. 

But as soon as he saw you, he saw the blood on your shirt, and what still dripped a little from your nose. He knew then just what kind of conversation you and Valeria had had. 

“Jesus,” he breathed, taking his own headphones off and setting his gun down. “Are you okay?” 

You looked at him with a shrug, just like he expected from you. “It's not so bad,” you said, and Leon just stared at you for a moment, bewildered. But then he so often was bewildered by you. “And honestly?” You slid your pistol’s magazine into place, then met Leon’s eyes. And only you could make a bloody nose look so beautiful. “Could have gone worse, I guess.” 

He supposed, even if it had left you bloody, that was a silver lining. 

Leon laughed once, just taking you in, then shook his head. “Never took you for an optimist.” 

“Oh, I’m just brimming with positivity, Kennedy,” you deadpanned back, then wiped the blood from under your nose and slid the headphones on. 

He chuckled again, then mirrored your actions, feeling a little weight come off his shoulders.

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Chapter Index

[starsreminisce]

Tell me when you knew,” (Lucien) demanded, his knee pressing into mine. “That Rhysand was your mate. Tell me when you stopped loving Tamlin and started loving him instead.”

I chose not to answer.

“Was it going on before you even left?”

I whipped my head to him, even if I could barely make out his features in the dark. “I never touched Rhysand like that until months later.”

“You kissed Under the Mountain.”

“I had as little choice in that as I did in the dancing.”

“And yet this is the male you now love.” HE IS SO REAL FOR ALL OF THIS

Lucien is literally going through the same thing as Feyre did, and it's easy to forget that Feyre had only just accepted the mating bond a few days before she went back to the Spring Court.

Lucien just received confirmation that his mate wasn't the one his father murdered—the one he was so convinced was his mate that he left his court over it. She never was. Feyre spent a significant portion of ACOMAF waiting for her mating bond to snap with Tamlin and didn't believe that her mate was Rhys because she didn't see herself as his equal.

But the hurt and guilt I expected weren’t there. Lucien slowly released his grip. “I need to find her.” “You don’t even know Elain. The mating bond is just a physical reaction overriding your good sense.” “Is that what it did to you and Rhys?”

This exchange too stood out because of what made Feyre finally figured out that she was mated to Rhys:

Because he’d been injured, and I’d gone out of my mind—absolutely insane—when he’d been taken from me, shot out of the sky like a bird. I’d acted on instinct, on a drive to protect him that had come from so deep in me … So deep in me—

Feyre used both skills she developed when she was human (forever iconic using her scent on Rhys's fingers to track him) and shapeshifting from Tamlin despite her reservations to track him down. This mirrors Lucien using his hidden powers to get to Elain.

Sometimes I do wonder if Lucien started getting doubts that Jesminda was his mate and that's why he became ridden with guilt. Perhaps he started having visions or dreams of Elain after UTM, similar to how Rhys did with Feyre before she came over the wall. He also started to pull away from his usual dallying to put a hard stop on Ianthe. The combination of seeing Feyre die and come back to life because of the mating bond might have forced him to face the truth that Jesminda wasn't his mate. Feyre was resurrected due to the bond, while Jesminda was not.

Lucien was well within his rights to question this. Why was he able to react in such a way for someone he never met before but not for the female he loved? The only person who could have helped him process it would have been Feyre, but I don't think Feyre could explain it in a way that Lucien would understand, especially when it's still new to her. We see this when she asked Rhys why Azriel wasn't Elain's mate, seeing Elain and Azriel sitting quietly together, and knowing Lucien isn't someone like that. It's telling that the more she started to understand being someone's mate and being mated to someone, she never brought up Azriel and Elain again, even in her own POV.

As for Lucien, he finally understood when Elain turned to him and he took in her face. Lucien and Elain will always have this pull towards each other, will always have a tug, will always know the other better than anyone else can compare because they have a literal soul-bridge to each other. But it still takes two people to make it work.

The revelation of the mating was always the confirmation of being endgame. It doesnt matter when it was revealed.

Love this quote, thank you for reminding me!

[jerzwriter]

Mono~poly Chapter 2: Love on Tap

A Tobias x Casey AU - Information and Notes

AU Premise: What happens when something that was supposed to be just fun turns into something real? When true love enters the equation between two people who view the very concept of love in different ways, can it work? In this alternate universe, we'll follow Casey and Tobias (and some others along the way) on their journey, where a happy ending is what both desire, but (as in life) nothing is guaranteed.

Fandom: Open Heart, Choices ** Pairing (This Chapter): Tobias Carrick x Casey MacTavish F!MC Other Characters: Jackie Varma, Ethan Ramsey, Sienna Trinh, OC: Addie Larkin Rating: Teen Words: 5,100

Chapter Summary: Tobias & Casey are reveling in their newfound love as those around them have different reactions to the news. Conversations with Ethan have him coming up with realizations of his own, and Casey sees that she and Tobias still have a lot to learn about each other.

A/N: Wow, I posted that without a chapter summary! lol See, don't do things when tired! No notes this time around, hope to have part 3 up next week! Thank you to all who have read this so far, it's so appreciated! :)

SERIES MASTERLIST SERIES INFORMATION MY MAIN MASTERLIST

“You’re out of your fucking mind.”

Standing at the brunch buffet, Jackie scooped a spoonful of scrambled eggs onto her plate as Casey stepped back. Her friend was known for her straightforwardness, which is why she valued her opinions, but her reaction was still surprising.

“This will never work,” Jackie continued. “You’re a smart woman; how do you possibly think it could?”

Casey snatched the last piece of French toast just as Jackie reached for it. She didn’t want French toast, but with her growing annoyance, the petty win offered a sense of satisfaction.

“Thank you, Jackie,” she replied, voice dripping with sarcasm. “I think what you meant to say was, Gee, friend! I’m so happy for you, friend! I can see you’re overjoyed, and that’s wonderful, my friend.”

Jackie sank into her chair and grabbed her fork, stealing the sole piece of French toast from Casey’s plate.

“Stop with the friend shit,” she snapped. “We’re friends because we call each other out on our shit. We’re real... no blowing sunshine up each other’s asses when we’re doing something stupid. That’s the foundation we are built on, and I see no reason to change that now.”

“A little support would be nice...”

“Then I suggest you call Sienna, but make sure to leave out some key details about last night when you do.”

“But I’m not being stupid! Come on! You like Tobias! You play the ‘he’s so irritating’ game, but I’ve seen you together. You welcomed him into our circle. He loves me and treats me like a princess, so why are you so negative about us?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she said with a swirl of her fork. “Maybe it’s the conversation you had about offering him a pass to fuck someone else twelve seconds after you exchanged I love yous?”

“Jackie!” Casey snapped, glancing around to ensure no one overheard. “That’s not what happened!”

“It’s not? Because that’s what it sounded like to me.”

“Then I suggest getting your hearing checked because that’s not what I said! I said we’re taking things one day at a time. Neither of us wants to see anyone else right now, but if that changes, we won’t break up or cheat on each other like most people do. We’ll discuss it like adults and see if we can make it work. That’s so horribly immature of me, I can see why you would disapprove!”

Jackie opened her mouth to speak but thought better. With a sigh and a dismissive wave of her hand, she merely replied, “Whatever,” turning Casey’s irritation into ire.

“Really? You know damn well there are many ways to have a relationship! What’s with you! You’re always so open-minded about everything, but when it comes to me, this is how you react!”

“I live in Somerville, Casey! I’m pretty much polyamory adjacent, and you know I have no problem with non-monogamy. The problem is you’re monogamous, and no matter how much you try to tell me that you’d be OK with Tobias telling you he needs next Tuesday free to go fuck that hot nurse he used to hang out with at Kenmore, I know you’re full of shit. So, as your friend, it’s my duty to pull off those rose-colored glasses and make you see the real picture.”

Casey speared a hash brown so forcefully that her fork nearly cracked the plate. “He’s not going to fuck anyone next Tuesday. Did you miss where I said it’s just us?”

“For now,” Jackie emphasized. “It’s just you two, for now. It won’t be easier when you’re together longer, you love him more, you’re planning a future, and then when he tells you he needs... more?”

“Look, I didn’t make any promises outside of I'm willing to try. Obviously, there would be conversations and boundaries. But sex... it’s just sex! If I’m in a loving, happy relationship, why would I throw it away because my partner has a very normal desire to have sex with someone else on occasion?”

Jackie sighed with exasperation. “If you’re cool with it, that’s your choice. But... what if it’s not on occasion? What if he needs two or three nights a week with the side piece. And what if it’s not just sex? What if he falls in love with someone else? Are you willing to share that as well?”

“First, I don’t think the word side piece is used in consensual non-monogamy. Second, he’s 38 years old, and he’s loved one person in his lifetime. ME! So I'm no too concerned about that."

Jackie reached over the table and squeezed her friend's hand, the judgmental look in her eyes softening into one of sympathy. “Casey, we don’t exactly decide who we fall in love with. And when people start bumping uglies... feelings happen. A year ago, you two were just fun, and... now look.”

“Which is why we're taking it day by day.”

“All right,” Jackie resigned. “If this is what you want, I’m happy for you. I just hope you don’t get hurt.”  

“Thank you,” Casey demurred. “... I hope so, too.”

~~~~~

Tobias had an early shift the morning after their big declaration. While he was known for being bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as others glowered at him over their first cup of coffee, today, he was especially effervescent,  and that had people talking.

“I’d say he got laid last night,” a passing resident observed. “But I think that’s pretty much every night for him.” “Rumor has it he and MacTavish are official now!” their friend added. “Official? Carrick?” A nearby nurse scoffed. “Look out the window. If there aren't any floods, locusts, and famine, you got your story wrong.”

But the rumor spread like wildfire, and even those who avoided idle gossip found themselves desperate to know the truth. That included Dr. Harper Emery, who went straight to the source for answers. Swinging the door to the diagnostic team’s office open, she found Tobias seated at the conference table, Ethan reviewing files across from him.

“There you are!” Harper exclaimed.

“Dr. Emery,” Tobias chirped. “How can I be of assistance today?”

Ethan raised his eyes with suspicion, for he had also noticed Tobias’s excessive energy this morning but hadn’t questioned it until now. He wasn’t sure if he had come to expect this from his colleague or that he didn’t much care for the reason, and he was leaning toward the latter. Still, when Harper began questioning, Ethan’s attention was piqued.

“You know I’m not one to engage in hospital gossip, but sometimes, it’s so outlandish the scientist in me needs to determine its validity.”

“Oh, really?” Tobias smirked, pushing away from the table like a peacock about to spread its tail. “And how can I assist you with your dilemma?”

“Don’t be coy with me, Carrick. Is it true? Are you off the market?”

“Off the market?” He chuckled. “As of last night, Casey and I are official if that’s what you’re asking.”

Harper shook her head with amazement as Ethan choked on his coffee. Tobias turned to him with concern. “You all right there, buddy?”

“I’m fine,” Ethan insisted. “Something just... went down the wrong way.”

“You could say that again,” Harper grinned.

“So,” Ethan recovered. “You... and Casey... are official?”

“Yep,” Tobias beamed. “We’ve been unofficially official, but last night, we finally said it out loud.”

“And they said it couldn’t happen,” Harper teased. “But I must say, you do look happy! So I’m happy for you.”

“Oh, I'm unabashedly happy,” he insisted. “We both are.”

“Do you mind if I confirm that we part with Casey?” Harper taunted.

“Feel free! I have no doubt she’ll agree.”

Ethan’s lack of response was noticeable, and the stupified doctor felt the weight of his colleagues’ stares as he struggled to speak. “That’s... great news. I suppose... congratulations.”

Ethan quickly pivoted the conversation to the potential achalasia patient admitted late last night. When the discussion ended, Harper excused herself, but not before congratulating Tobias one more time. With her exit, an awkward silence overtook the room, and while Ethan was content to let it linger, Tobias didn't let it go.

“So, are we going to address the elephant in the room,” he asked. “Or are we going to feed it peanuts to keep it quiet?”

“What?” Ethan asked. “You and Casey? I don’t see why we need to discuss your personal life in a work setting.”

“Well, maybe because we all share the same work setting....”

“You make a point. Will you be notifying HR? You know, to ensure everything is on the up and up.”

“Already scheduled,”  Tobias confirmed. “Case and I already made an appointment to speak with the Director tomorrow.”

“Then,” Ethan slid his glasses back on. “It’s taken care of.”

Tobias anxiously rubbed his chin, his leg jiggling as he decided if he should continue.

“Are you alright with this?” he blurted before having the chance to think it entirely through.

Ethan removed his glasses and placed them back on the table; his mood difficult to read. Anger, annoyance, indifference—any would have been fitting. He reclined in his chair, giving careful thought to his words before continuing.

“Tobias... you and Casey are grown adults... and what you do outside of work is none of my concern.”

“I know that which is why I wasn’t asking for your permission. I’m merely asking if you’re OK with this.”

Ethan shrugged with a weary sigh. “Why ask useless questions, Tobias? Would it make a difference if I wasn’t? Would that change anything? If not, this conversation is pointless.”

“Stop the crap, Ethan. It has a purpose. We all work together. I consider you a friend even if you're not fully on board with that idea. But Casey is absolutely your friend – a good friend – and your opinion will matter to her, so it matters to me.”

Ethan smirked. “Don’t worry, Tobias, I’m not going to tell your girlfriend to break up with you.”

He hid it seamlessly, but the word “girlfriend” stuck in Ethan’s throat, and the discomfort lingered throughout the day, no matter how much he tried to wash it away.

Tobias was not one to be easily annoyed, but he was bordering on exasperation. He eyed the door to ensure it was closed before continuing.

“Ethan... I’m going to put my cards on the table. Even if Casey hadn’t shared some of your history with me, it’s the worst-kept secret at Edenbrook. Add in our own history, and....”

“Ancient history,” Ethan interrupted.

“Yes. Yes, it is. But turn on the news, buddy. Ancient history has a way of fucking up current times real good... and that’s something I don’t want to occur here.”

“Don’t worry,” Ethan assured. “Your relationship with Casey will not be impacted by any history with me unless one of you allows it to.”

“All right,” Tobias mumbled, returning to his work. But after a few moments passed, Ethan was compelled to say something more.

“I know you may not believe me, but... I’m happy for you. Both of you.”

“You are? You don’t have to say it if you don’t...”

“I think you know me well enough to know I won't say anything I don’t mean to placate you. It’s a bit awkward, I’ll give you that. But you appear to make one another happy, and when it comes down to it, I’d like to see you both happy.”

Tobias smiled, and the tension that engulfed them moments before all but melted away.

“Thanks, buddy. That... it means a lot to me.”

“I just have one request.”

“Name it.”

“Be good to her. Don’t... don’t hurt her, OK?”

“Hurting Casey is the last thing I want to do,” Tobias assured. “I mean it. I love her. I’ve never loved anyone like this, and I won't do anything stupid to mess it up.”

Ethan did his best to conceal how those words left him stricken, unintentionally pouring salt into wounds most would have believed were long healed.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Ethan smiled so convincingly he could have been nominated for an Oscar. “Now, let’s get back to work before the rest of the team arrives.”

~~~~~

Casey was blow-drying her hair in her tiny bathroom, though attempting to dry her hair would be a more accurate description. Her roommates—and Bryce—continually barging in was one thing. She was a veteran of that and knew how to usher them away until she completed her task. But today was different.

Today, she longed for a secretary to assist with the non-stop barrage of messages she was receiving. She knew the news would travel fast; it was Edenbrook, after all. But she never expected such an enthusiastic reaction. “OMG IS IT TRUE?” texts arrived by the dozen. Those messages were fun, but she would have put them on hold to continue getting ready. But there was no way she was ignoring the messages coming from her new boyfriend. Boyfriend!

With that, Casey returned to being protector of the mirror; Sienna was her first victim.

“Hey! I was here first!”

The diminutive doctor turned with a sly grin. “Sorry. I love you, but you snooze... you lose.”

“Sienna....” Casey wined. “You’re supposed to be the nice one!”

“I am! Relax, I’m just making a braid. I’ll be out of your hair, no pun intended.”

“All right,” Casey smiled.

“You aren't usually this concerned about your appearance when we're just going to Donahue’s,” Sienna teased. “What makes tonight so special?”

“Si...”

“Oh, I know!” she playfully chided. “It’s your big debut as Dr. Mrs. Carrick.”

Sienna underestimated how quickly her friend could maneuver. Within seconds, Casey grabbed the hot pink spray bottle off the counter and took aim.

“HEY!” Sienna protested.

“Sorry, this is how people train their pets. I’m going to try using it on my roommates.”  

 “You know I’m just teasing you,” Sienna giggled.

“I know. I just don’t want you guys scaring him away. I'm his first serious girlfriend, so let’s leave the word ‘wife’ out of conversations. I want to keep him around a little longer.”

“Around him? Of course!” Sienna insisted. “Around you? No freaking way.”

She gestured toward the mirror with a flourish. “Your mirror awaits! I’ll block the others from entering so you can get ready for your debut.”

She embraced Casey warmly before stepping away. “You look so happy!”  

“I am so happy.”

“And it’s well deserved! Tonight's going to be a great night.”

~~~~~

Casey was a ball of nervous energy as they turned onto Donahue’s street. Her skin-tight black satin pants, glittery gold cami, and matching sandals made quite a statement, and the hair she worked so hard to perfect was now a cascade of luscious, blonde waves. Her friends teased, saying she already landed the guy; she could relax now. But they didn't understand; she simply wanted her exterior to reflect how amazing she felt inside, and she nailed it.

Tobias, dressed a bit more casually than his freshly minted significant other was already waiting. He didn’t require much to command attention. His well-worn pale blue jeans and a black t-shirt that perfectly showcased the work he had been doing at the gym worked just fine.

He attracted a crowd wherever he went, and that’s just how he liked it. Sure, he reveled in the attention, but there was much more. Tobias had a unique talent for making each person feel like they were the only one in the room, and he loved making others feel seen. Tonight’s audience was predominantly strangers who had fallen under his spell, but one familiar face sitting perpendicular to him wasn’t nearly as impressed with him.

Addie had been his friend since he arrived in Boston nearly a decade before. One particularly gloomy night, he couldn’t stand the thought of sitting alone in his apartment for a minute longer, so he headed to a neighborhood watering hole not much different than the one they found themselves in tonight. He was seated alone at the bar when the curly-haired blonde rushed in from the rain, promptly slipping on the floor beside him. He helped her up and offered his medical services; she thanked him, then promptly called him a pervert. His raucous laughter made it clear no offense was taken, and, to Addie, that made him worthy of sharing a beer.

Their friendship blossomed effortlessly, and before long, she showed him enough of Boston for him to feel like a native. She introduced him to people she knew, and sometimes they forgot they hadn't been friends forever.

She hailed from a traditional Boston Irish family with whom she was estranged, but she retained some of their best traits. Addie Larkin knew from a young age that she wasn’t made to fit any mold, and she remained true to that, regardless of the price she had to pay. While she didn’t share Tobias’s boisterous personality, she still commanded the attention of a room as well as he did, and when the two were together, a good time was guaranteed.

They talked frequently and cherished each other but never managed to see each other as often as they wished. In fact, she wouldn’t have been at Donahue’s tonight if she hadn’t heard the news. Tobias Carrick had a girlfriend? She wouldn't believe it until she saw it with her own eyes. Ordering another round of drinks, she rolled her eyes at Tobias, who was entertaining the crowd with a story about the two of them breaking into the Franklin Park Zoo after hours.

“You did not!” A fetching young redhead squeaked, attempting to step closer to the handsome doctor.

“Most certainly did, young lady. But I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the mastermind here.”

“Please,” Addie scoffed. “Tobias has a tendency to make me into much more of a legend than I actually am.”

“That is entirely untrue!”

“It is true. Did he tell you why we snuck in? I was obsessed with the ring-tailed lemur, and after way too much bourbon, I convinced myself that the poor little fella was simply crushed because I hadn’t seen him in two weeks! That needed to be rectified immediately. That’s not legendary children,” she informed. “That’s insanity!”

Tobias draped an arm loosely around her shoulder. “As if insanity and being a legend are mutually exclusive! I’m of the belief that you can't be a legend unless you're a little off."

Ethan sauntered in at that very moment, hopping on the barstool next to Tobias.

“If that’s the case, you have exactly what it takes to be a legend, Carrick.”

“You see!” Tobias raised his beer. “I rest my case.”

Addie was already eyeing Ethan, subtly assessing him. Another trait she shared with Tobias... she could size someone up without them being remotely aware… unless she wanted them to be.

“Well, who is this handsome guy?” Addie asked with a smile.

“Handsome? Behind that scowl, maybe,” Tobias tittered. “This is my friend...”

“His boss,” Ethan injected.

“...Ethan. Ethan, this is my friend....”

“...and legend,” she added.

“...Addie.”

The tiny blonde extended a hand, eyes twinkling. “It’s very nice to meet you, Ethan.”

“Likewise,” he simpered, nodding toward her drink. “Could you use a refill?”

“Thank you, but I’m cut off for the night. I'll be driving soon. I’m only staying to meet Tobias’s girlfriend,” she said to the dismay of several people surrounding them. “I refuse to believe it’s true unless I see it with my own eyes.”

“Trust,” Ethan chuckled, motioning toward the bartender for a drink. “We all felt that way. But I can confirm, it’s for real.”

Addie went to respond, but her phone rang in her purse. “Oh, I have to take this,” she said, sliding down from her stool. “I’ll be right back!”

Ethan’s eyes trailed her as she walked away, only to find Tobias staring directly at him when he looked up. Clearing his throat nervously, he decided he had nothing to lose by asking.

“She seems lovely,” Ethan began. “Is she taken?”

“She is,” Tobias shrugged. “But that never seems to stop her, now that I think of it.”  

“Oh, in that case, I’ll pass. The last thing I need is drama.”

“On the contrary,” Tobias smirked. “I think you need more drama, my friend.”

“Sorry about that,” Addie announced upon her return. “I own a store in Cambridge, and my manager’s sort of new. She had a few questions that couldn’t wait.”

“Oh, what kind of a store?” Ethan inquired.

“Bohemian clothing, metaphysical stuff, incense... no offense, I don’t think you’d find it appealing.”

Ethan glared at Tobias, who choked on his beer.

“Hey, T. Will Casey be arriving soon? Alysha's not ready to close the store on her own yet, so I need to head out soon.”

“Affirmative! She’s on her way. She just got delayed by a five roommate pile up in her bathroom. Luckily, she was still able to get dressed, and no injuries were reported.”

“Five roommates!” Addie approved. “My kind of girl! I’m so glad you didn’t end up with one of those gorgeous, snobby assholes you used to date.”

Now, it was Ethan choking on his Scotch. “You know, I like her.”

“Casey is gorgeous,” Tobias corrected. “But I don’t think snobby or asshole remotely describe her.”

He heard the bells on the front door ring, indicating someone had entered, and turned just in time to see Casey appear.

“There’s my girl!” He hollered, turning to Addie with a brilliant smile. “Told you she’s gorgeous!”

“Hey!” Casey beamed as he pulled her close for a tender kiss. When they broke apart, Tobias had a smile that went all the way up to his eyes.

“Can you do me a favor?” He asked.

“Anything.”

He stepped back, obviously assessing the subject, and let out a low growl.

“Can you walk out and come back in? Because I need to watch that again.”

“Tobias,” she giggled. “How about you watch me walk back from the jukebox. Would that do? Besides,” she said, inconspicuously tapping the front of his jeans. “I have a feeling if you watch me too much, you’ll want to usher me right out of here.”

“Out of here or to the coat closet,” he leered while Ethan muttered something unintelligible.

“There’s plenty of time for that later,” Casey insisted. “Tonight, I'm showing off my new boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend,” Tobias grinned, wrapping his hands around her waist and lifting her onto the bar in front of him.

“Tobias, what are you doing?” She squeaked.

“Hey... everyone! Everyone, look over here. I have an announcement to make.”

Ethan dragged a hand down his face. “Jesus Christ!"

“Do you see this beautiful woman?”

“Yeah,” the crowd roared as Casey turned ten shades of crimson.

“This beautiful angel is my girlfriend, and I want all of you SOBs to know it!”

While most of the patrons cheered, there were some shocked faces and a few disapproving scowls within the crowd. But if anyone noticed them, it wasn't Tobias or Casey, who only had eyes for each other's eyes.

Jackie had elbowed her way through the mele and stood next to Tobias. “Aww, kiss her already!”

“Wow, have we turned you into a romantic?” Tobias asked.

“Oh, fuck no! Just do it and get her ass off the bar so I can order a drink!”

Tobias reached up and placed his hand behind Casey's neck, pulling her down for a long, passionate kiss as wolf whistles and cheers filled the room. Even Jackie managed to smile... just a little.

When Casey was back on solid ground, Addie turned to her with a welcoming grin. “All right, I have to ask because I know this man too well. This is for real, right? He didn’t pay you to pull a prank or something.”

 “No,” Casey assured. “This is the real deal.”

“Well, I’m astonished... and so happy... to hear that. I’m Addie,” she said, extending her hand. “Tobias and I go way back, and I had to come see this for myself!”

Casey enthusiastically shook her hand, mentally sifting through past conversations to see if Tobias had ever mentioned Addie, but nothing registered.

“Well, it’s lovely to meet you,” Casey beamed. But Addie raised a brow.

“He’s never mentioned me, has he?” She turned to Tobias and struck his shoulder. “You prick! You have been dating her for a year, and you never told her about me!”

“Well,” he smiled slyly. “We were often preoccupied with other things.”

“For a full year?” Addie bleated before holding up her hand. “Wait, no. Nevermind. It’s you... I’m sure that’s 100% true.”

Casey looped her arm around Tobias’s waist, and he pulled her close.

“In fairness, until last night, we never defined what we were. I’m sure we still have a lot to learn about each other now.”

“Oh, honey!” Addie said, taking Casey’s hand. “I hope I didn’t offend you. This is just how I bust this asshole’s chops.”

A wide grin spread on Casey’s face. “Oh, we’re going to get along just fine.”

“I’m inclined to agree with you,” Addie winked.

“Oh, great. They're already ganging up on me.”

Ethan raised his glass with a smirk. “This is why I avoid relationships.”

“Oh yeah,” Tobias teased. “That’s why!”

“I wish I didn’t have to cut out so early,” Addie sighed. “But I have to go to Cambridge to help my new manager close my shop. But I’m going to see a friend perform at The Burren in Somerville later; why don’t you guys come?”

“We’d love to,” Tobias grinned, turning to Casey. “But we’re a little tied up tonight.”

“Literally or figuratively,” Addie chortled.

“Whatever she’s willing to do,” Tobias shrugged.

 “Ahh, I’m never going to see this man again, am I, Casey?”

“Oh, no!” Casey insisted. “We'll be spending plenty of time together, of course, but our friends matter, too! He’ll still be seeing you. I'll make sure of it.”

“Well, that’s good to know!” Addie stepped off her bar stool, offering Tobias and Casey a quick hug.

“It was lovely meeting you,” she said to Casey, then looked over her shoulder at Ethan. "You too, by the way."

“Likewise," he nodded. Then Addie was out the door.

“I like her,” Casey confirmed.

"Oh, Addie is the best!"

“We’ll have to hang out sometime. Is she seeing anyone?”

“She has a boyfriend, but I’ve only met him once or twice in passing.”

“Well, we’ll have to change that! Maybe we can double date?”

“I don’t know about this,” Tobias said playfully, looking at his watch. “I have a girlfriend for 20 hours, and she’s already controlling my schedule.”

“Oh, fuck you, T!” She laughed as he snarled.

“Gladly!”

“Oh, Christ!” Ethan interrupted. “Are we going to be subjected to this all night?”

Tobias pat his friend on the back. “Nope. With any luck, you’re going to be subjected to this for the rest of your life.”

“I need to find another bar,” Ethan sighed.

“No, you don't,” Casey insisted, grabbing his hand. “Screw that, come and dance with me.”

“Casey, you know I don’t...”

“Dance with me!”

Ethan turned to Tobias, hoping he would save him. But Tobias just smiled as he hopped back on his stool.

“If the lady says dance... dance.”

Casey was having the time of her life on the dancefloor, while poor Ethan looked like a fish out of water. When the lively tune abruptly led into a slow ballad, Ethan thought he found his salvation. He already had one foot off the floor when he said, “I suppose we should sit.”

But Casey wasn’t done. “Ethan, you’re allowed to dance with me. Tobias isn’t going to bite you.”

“Is this where you tell me that’s because he’s saving it to bite you later?”

“No,” she grinned, placing her arm on his shoulder and keeping a friendly distance between them. “But dance with me. It’s the perfect place to have a private conversation in a crowded bar.”  

She could feel the itchy wool of his sweater scratch against her skin as his chest rose and fell, and she had to smile. Tobias and Ethan were only three months apart in age. Tobias always called himself an old man, but Ethan fit the moniker so much more.

“I didn’t realize we had to talk,” he whispered.

“Well, we do. I wanted to let you know that nothing will change between us. I'm dating Tobias, but our friendship remains the same. You still mean just as much to me.”

“Casey, I...”

“Let me finish!” She scolded as his face softened, that smile only she brought out of him spreading on his lips.

“Go on.”

“You always say I'm your favorite mentee, and you continue to be a mentor to me, but that role is secondary. The most important thing is that you're my friend. I know we didn’t end up where we thought we might a few years ago… or maybe we did. Either way, you’re very important to me. Promise me our relationship won’t change.”

Ethan smiled down at her, silently kicking himself for having been such a fool.

"Nothing will change," he muttered. "I promise."

“Good,” she replied, leaning her head on his chest. “Now, I need to hook you up with someone so we can double date.”

“What's your obsession with double dating?" He laughed. "But there is no need. I am fine as I am."

“No, you’re not,” she dismissed. “There’s no chance you and Harper....”

“Casey...”

“All right, what about Addie? She’s hot, and she was totally checking you out.”

“Did you forget Tobias said she has a boyfriend? Though, he also said that wouldn’t be much of a hindrance.”

“Oh?” Casey said. “Would that work for you?"

“Shut up and dance," he smirked.

Casey stepped back and grinned. "How can we keep dancing? The song is over."

“Then... can have one more?”

“Of course," she smiled.

When the song ended, they returned to the bar, where Tobias welcomed her back. The night was full of drinking, laughter, and friends, and the new couple was unable to keep their hands off each other, becoming more affectionate with each drink imbibed.

“Would you two get a fucking room?” Jackie grimaced.

“I’ve got several rooms at my place,” Tobias purred into Casey’s ear. “What do you say? Ready to get out of here?”

Casey didn’t think twice. “Bye, guys!” she yelled as she clutched Tobias’s hand and raced toward the door. “See you soon!”

Once they were gone, Jackie clinked her beer against Ethan’s. The two took a drink and let out simultaneous sighs.

“This is going to be difficult. Isn’t it?” Jackie asked.

"Varma, you have no idea."

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Tagging others separately

[crooked-wasteland]

Hazbin Hotel Live Blog: Masquerade

So, been a few and we pre-gamed for this one extra special. I will be transparent in that I have a personal history with SA and quid pro quo sexual abuse as well as physical and domestic abuse. My partner has warned me prior on the larger portions of the shock value Medrano uses, but we both are not really sure how I will react to this.

Amazon has added an explicit warning for sexual assault to the episode that was not previously there. So good on them for that.

The audio between Keith David and Blake Roman feels like they were done in different parts of the world.

Tell not show. Husk just says all the things.

Angel Dust is shrill. I’ve never described a human being as shrill, but this vocal performance is shrill and I wish he never spoke again.

WTF was that animation as Charlie kicks her legs.

Valentino could be such an interesting character, but he lacks any depth.

So Charlie is just an idiot.

Blake completely loses the Angel Dust voice. He’s not even in character and the only thing he has to act with is his voice. You have to stay in character to be a voice actor.

The whole scene in the dressing room lacks any weight. Everything is so sudden and contrived. Charlie fucks up the shoot so Valentino has an excuse to abuse Angel Dust and it’s so obvious where the direction of events are going that it isn’t even emotionally investing. And it’s a testament to the fact that I was a pilot fan and invested in where Medrano would take the show to now saying I just don’t care.

“Just don’t hurt her” Where was the inclination that would happened. Angel Dust going off on Charlie was actually well written, but the fact that it is supposed to be seen as insincere ruins it.

The song has the most graphic depiction of sexual abuse and yet the whole message is confused.

Angel Dust is sexually abused and proceeds to Sexually harass Husk.

So Charlie ruined his day, but let’s blame Husk.

Why are we supposed to believe Husk is judging Angel Dust? He’s an alcoholic.

Angel Dust is living in self harm with his promiscuity and drug abuse, and that isn’t supposed to be who he actually is, it’s supposed to be his persona` to get by, but that feels like we are getting a whole new character introduced 4 episodes in.

Loser Baby is the worst thing I have ever heard musically and lyrically.

I stand by what I said about Loser Baby. It completely lacks any depth or emotional processing. It’s just two people who are making excuses for themselves and saying “well, I’m not the only one.”

So this is the shortest list I have because so much of it cannot be bullet points. Animation wise it lacks weight. The characters being hurt doesn’t feel real it lacks the sense of gravity needed for the violence to feel mature. This is less intense than Tom and Jerry. On the other hand, Blake Roman’s vocal performance is awful. He can’t keep his voice in character when he tries to have any amount of emotion, but the vocal deliveries that at least are in his character range are on par with Whitey from 8 Crazy Nights. It is ear splitting. Aside from that, the transparency of how Medrano is obviously ticking boxes to get to the emotional beats she planned, actual nuance and depth be damned. I just don’t care about what is happening, which actually is the only reason this isn’t so triggering. This episode revels in sexual abuse fetishism and it is equally as defensive about it. The signs pointing at Angel Dust are repulsive and to then have it set against the backdrop of “You aren’t alone so why bother changing” is appalling. I stand by the statement that this is group therapy without the therapy. The whole idea behind the group therapy setting is that you can learn from others on how better to help yourself, but this online generation has seemed to think that the group part was what made the therapy effective. In reality it is very easy for a group setting to become a cesspool of covert narcissism.

On the other hand, I don’t get how anyone could have thought this was about abuse of any kind. Because the whole episode treats sexual abuse as a joke from the beginning to the end. The only time it is taken seriously, it is whiplash. Angel Dust telling Husk how he wishes to become so ruined and broken that his abuser wouldn’t want him anymore is so heavy and abruptly serious when every other moment of abuse is either so cartoonishly done like the dressing room, or is played as sexy or a joke. It is a joke in the script from how poorly written the pornos are (which its shown Angel doesn’t want to participate in, but it’s made to be comedic so that aspect fades real fast) to how unimportant it is that Angel is literally attempted to be drugged.

And Charlie has officially become the worst character. I didn’t even see Charlie as a character, it’s very obvious where Medrano sources her inspiration. Just like how Lute is Peridot, Charlie is just Harley Quinn, except she has none of the charm and all of the annoyance. Which goes back to what I said before.

I think the worst part is that I don’t care. I really just don’t care because the characters just don’t care, and even when they do, I don’t know them enough to invest in them emotionally. This is not at all on the series being 8 episodes, this is exactly how I feel watching Helluva Boss, whom Vivienne is making a season 3 for as we speak. So the limitations are not why this series is so painfully shallow, it’s a reflection of a creator who lacks depth as a human being. Who has no life experience to draw from to really empathize with the characters and craft around it an emotionally visceral narrative. This is someone who lives their life as a simulation, pressing the right buttons, making the right choices to get the predictable outcome. If you told me Vivienne Medrano was actually a prototype android AI, I would believe you. This is how a computer thinks humans feel, even the abrupt changes in emotion is simulation of an AI program. Things move unnaturally fast in a computer, hours are like years in terms of social media. So I don’t think anyone is surprised that this feels like a script written and directed by ChatGPT.

This episode I didn’t find triggering. The episode itself does not affect me. What does trigger me is knowing the kind of person needed to make an episode like this in the first place. I don’t think anyone should necessarily be banned from telling any sort of story, but the byproduct of a machine and internet algorithms should never be allowed to tell human stories.

-20/10

[bored-trans-orchidsexual]

Kristin might just be a bad Cleric.

TL;DR - Kristin's attitude may make sense to some, but it can still just feel bad for her to just make the same mistakes over and over. If it doesn't bother you, fine, but please don't condescend to those who are bothered by it, it's not the morally right reaction to love or hate what we've seen. There's a lot of talk I can already see about Kristin in this new season, and how she's treating Cassandra. Some people are apparently getting upset and talking trash about her, though I'm not really seeing that myself, mostly a lot of people reacting to that by defending her. I've seen it pointed out she's a minor still and is allowed to not know what she wants, About how she can't be happy because she was raised with the idea of a god as a kid and is trying to replace an impossible thing.

I think both sides can admit to liking Kristin, overall, as a character. When I call her a *bad cleric* it's not me calling her a bad character narratively, or Ally a bad player. Not at all. But the cleric class, and the way it works, not only has always been bent for Kristin so it can encompass the kind of character she is, but let's not mis-represent the Cassandra thing and make it *just* another god like Helio or Sol. She was chosen for them, with her will not taken into account. And before you say something about "but not Sol, just Helio" I want you to really think about the Sophmore year revelations about Kristin's faith. She didn't 'make a new god', her power was always coming from either Helio or Sol. She was just being manipulated into thinking she was making her own choices, when really she never really got to make any. She never *lost* her magic despite her crisis of faith, despite her magic being driven by her faith, because Sol *allowed* her antics believing in the end she would wind up serving him anyway.

Cassandra was a *true* break from the mold. Not only did she find a genuinely different god, a true new source of divine magic, but also she downright *devoted* herself to this new god, speaking all kinds of Ernest praises and devotion, not because she was told to, but because she *chose* to. Cassandra *betrayed* and murdered her, and the edge of reality Kristin still chose to follow and serve Cassandra, as the god missing from the system, a perfect goddess *for her* because it's not just doubt, she's also about magic, and mystery... and by the laws of "As above, so below" any way Kristin *feels* about her god, as the sole believer and thus the sum total of her faith, is true.

So now we've got a Kristin who is casually dismissive of, rude to, and it's implied even not really much of a believer anymore, in the goddess she in-universe devoted herself to with so much effort and passion, based entirely on her own instinct and choice, in what is in-universe like *3-4 months ago.* I know it's been a long time for us, and seeing the bad kids after all these years is nostalgic, but truly it has not been much time in universe since Sohpmore year was set near the end of that school year on spring break, and this scene, if not this season, is beginning a few days before junior school year begins. They have had pretty much just a summer break since, which *Seems* to have been completely occupied with battling that-which-we-won't-name. Everybody's stressed, and honestly maybe Kristin doesn't feel as strongly about all this as we are reading into.

It doesn't change that fundamentally, this episode demonstrates that while Sol and Helio were bad gods for Kristin, she herself can be an outright bad cleric for a godess that not only *Can be* whatever she needs her to be, unlike the god she 'made up' which was an empty gesture while still under Sol's influence, but if you compare what Kristin's going through to the trail of faith *Tracker* went under as sophmore year ended and how differently she responded, when her new god after falling out of helio turned out to be problematic, she got down to buisness and worked to better the god from the reach of the followers ruining her. Kristin doesn't have anyone else to blame. She entered this cleric/god relationship of her own account, maybe perusing some idea she didn't fully understand but she devoted herself, willingly, when nobody even told her it was an option, let alone nobody telling her to do it. So if she's already actually disillusioned with Cassandra who is so clearly a reflection of Kristin herself at this point, it might be more self-hatred than anything else, and maybe Kristin herself is just a bad cleric. I'll still follow the show and love every second, and she's a fantastic character.

...I think the only thing that's bothering me is, compared to how much *new* the rest of the cast is showing, this just feels like Kristin's worst hits on repeat. It's disillusionment with her god... again... combined with how shitty it felt to watch her be so terrible to Tracker, s selfish and unnecessarily cruel. This is big "didn't you sleep that off?" energy and while it's very much in character for Kristin to do, it's stuff that she has repeatedly had narrative arcs to overcome, and while yes in real life people are complicated and change is hard, these are characters in a story, and even Gorgug has had more lasting change in his much smaller arcs while it feels like Kristin, at least here in episode 1, is just a new visual gimmick (being buff, more like Helio than ever) while acting like she hasn't learned her lessons. Realistic, maybe. But it still feels bad.

[theladysherlock]

talk shop tuesday! incredible coincidence - i wanted to ask you more about your dnd OCs, and you posted a new art piece with one of them! continuing the theme: could you tell more about your dnd OCs and how they came to be?

Ohhhh you have opened Pandora's Box my friend!! I could talk about this topic all day.

Basically there's two parts to this: my approach to DnD in general, and in-depth explanations of the characters. I'm going to put this under a Read More to save everyone's Dash.

Part One: Dungeons and Dragons

So the thing I love most about DnD (and other TTRPGs) is that it's a collaborative game. I'm not responsible for the entirety of the story, I bring my character to the table and everyone else brings their characters and between us, the DM, and the dice, we figure out where the story is going. I enjoy it so much more than trying to come up with everything on my own. And I love that people can surprise me!! @mothmansbigfatass and @ahawkmet (my irl friends and in most of the campaigns I play) can attest, apparently I'm a lot of fun to watch during revelations because I always have a big reaction.

So when making a dnd character, it's important for me to know 1. What the world we'll be playing in is like, and 2. What everyone else is doing. Again, it's a collaborative game, so I want to make sure that I'm playing nice with the DM's world. AND often the setting itself will give me an idea (see Ethan: the game is set at a community college. What's a college stereotype that would be fun to play?). Ideally, the character I make would have a really hard time being plopped into a different campaign and have it still make sense. Secondly, it's more fun for me to play a class that will fill out the party. For example, if we already have a cleric, I don't also need to play a religious character. Those story beats are covered by someone else, I don't want to be competing with another person for cool moments.

Once those two things are settled, character creation is determined by what seems fun to play and what would be interesting aesthetically. I like to keep the backstory light to see what happens as we start playing, and then I can fill it in bit by bit later. Sometimes that bites me in the ass, though (see Ethan: I didn't give him birth parents and then they were incredibly important to the plot). I tend to have a general idea about who they are and what they're like, and then I always get surprised by what they actually end up acting like once we start playing. It's fun for me to figure them out along the way!

The last thing I wanna say about DnD (for now) is that I love everyone else's characters just as much. I just draw mine more because, well, they're mine. I feel weird putting their guys in situations and guessing how they'd react because they aren't my little guys. I much prefer working collaboratively with the other players (like an RP thread) to just writing a story on my own.

Part Two: Ethan

Where to even start with my boy. A bunch of my work friends got together to start a DnD game, and I hadn't played with most of them before so I wasn't sure what to expect. I also did not think the game would last very long, since most campaigns tend to fizzle out after a few sessions. So I made kind of a joke character with extremely little backstory: He's a half-orc, since I hadn't played that race before, he's a bard who is the captain of the local community college's Improv Team, he's "the kind of guy to play wonderwall at a party but you're not mad about it", and I said he's adopted by two men, neither of whom were his biological parents, and he wasn't particularly interested in tracking down his bio parents. This last point is for two reasons: one, I was trying to avoid just duplicating a Dimension 20's Gorgug, a half-orc who was adopted by gnomes and spent the whole first season trying to find his dad; and two, I was pushing an "Adopted parents are not less than biological parents" agenda.

My DM took this personally (affectionate). First session, I was given a clue about his birth parents' identities. From then on, Ethan was dragged kicking and screaming into being the unofficial main character of the campaign. His mom was one of our favorite NPCs, a kickass pirate with a truly tragic backstory who would always jump to help us out of a scrape. His biological dad was the human embodiment of Pride who had took on the form of Fantasy Harrison Ford and was an extremely famous actor in-world. Our BBEG was his uncle, the embodiment of Greed. Every plot point became very personal and it was a lot of fun. I also loved putting him through the wringer, so between me and the DM the poor guy couldn't catch a break.

Part of the dice telling the story, I rolled so bad all the time when I played Ethan. It didn't matter which dice I used, I just rolled really bad, which was not something that normally happened with me. So that was fun to incorporate into his character as we played-- he was insecure about his own abilities compared to the extremely powerful characters he was surrounded by (we had a 20 ft Earth Titan who was an extremely powerful Druid, Emeshka you will always be famous). So he became a more three-dimensional and actualized character the more we played.

He's extremely easy to put in situations and his character design is pretty solid, so I end up drawing him the most. My perfect little guy.

(Anything about him I've tagged either "Ethan" or "Big Yarr Energy" if you want to find more)

Part Three: Mina

After the campaign with Ethan wrapped up, we started a new one in a Cthulhu-inspired setting. My goal with making Mina was to do as close to a 180 as I could from Ethan. While Ethan was a friendly and charming but bad at most things, Mina is a competent and intelligent Druid who's blunt and overworked and doesn't quite know how to meaningfully engage with her party members (but she tries, bless her). Druid was one of the classes I hadn't played yet and I've been making my way through the list of available classes. The One-With-Nature stuff isn't super interesting to me as a player, but I found a homebrew subclass that was based more in Big Cities and as an Architecture Nerd that was much more my speed. Also, I hadn't played an Aasimar before, so that seemed like fun. From all that, I pulled together her whole deal: She was from a bloodline of guardian angels who were sent to protect different villages and towns, and she's gone from her mother's small town to being the guardian of a city of several million people and it's overwhelming. She's lonely and she's jaded and she's got severe Gifted Kid Syndrome and she's got her head on a swivel to make sure her party members are okay even if they don't like her very much and I love her.

I didn't give her a lot of tragic backstory because there are a lot of us playing and I wanted to have a character who could push the plot forward with her actions, instead of having a "now let's stop and talk about my life!!" moment every session that seemed to happen with Ethan. Give everyone else some time to have cool moments, you know? And by GOD are there some cool moments. My fellow players are so good at making compelling characters. Ask @mothmansbigfatass about Nelly if you get a chance.

We're still playing this campaign, although we're nearing the end of it. There's still space for some big moments for Mina in the game, though I'm hoping our DM lets me save hers for last. She's the kind of character to make sure everyone else is okay before taking care of herself, so it feels appropriate. I'm excited to see where Mina ends up. She's definitely a character I'll go back and write/draw a lot afterwards, though. Part of being in a group this size means there's a lot of stuff that just won't get covered. I'll have a lot of material to play with for my own work once we get to the next campaign.

(Anything about Mina I've tagged either "Mina" or "Cthulhu Crimes" if you want to find more)

Part Four: Jess

Jess is a character that isn't from DnD but is a TTRPG character of mine, and I like her so I'm going to talk about her too. Jess is a cautionary tale in Knowing Your Audience.

Jess is from a different group of players than Ethan and Mina. Our DM for that game is notorious for wanting to give us Big, Shonen-Style fight scenes and an insane level of power creep. Character interactions are fine, but his true passion is making us look like Goku.

Jess was... not built to look like Goku. In this world you could identify different types of magic users by their focus, and I wanted her whole schtick to be about deception. She looked like a wizard when she was actually a monk, she looked like a dumb blonde girl when she was extremely smart and good at stealing things, she's a dancer but her primary fighting style was based on capoeira, etc. Also part of why Jess sticks with me as a favorite character is the way I had her powers work was so fun and visually interesting that I haven't been able to shake it. Basically her superpower was that she could snatch bits of other people's powers and use them herself, and you could tell which ones she had because they would fill out spectral stained glass wings with specific colors.

Jess was (and still is, frankly) too complicated for the game our DM wanted to run. Immediately any hope of her being a chronic liar was dashed as her powers did not manifest in a way that could possibly pass off as being a wizard. So instead of being sneaky, Jess became very angry. She was quick to point out injustices in the world we were in. She beat up creeps, she yelled at bigots, she stole powers from macho superheroes trying to one-up her. She had to get a lot less complicated for the story we were in, but the complicated version of her still lives in my head and I like to see what she's up to from time to time.

(I don't think I have anything tagged for Jess, unfortunately)

TL; DR:

TTRPG characters are fun because they let me do my favorite thing creatively, which is bounce ideas off of other people. I typically design them based on the setting, party needs, character tropes that I think are interesting, and just general vibes. Most importantly, though, I don't have a fleshed out character without the input of the other players.

[doubleaspectrum]

Ruby Gillman, A Lesson on Earning Moments (Spoilers)

So, I recently watched Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken. Overall, it was… well… it wasn’t particularly great. It had potential, but I would most likely prefer the fix fics that people either have written, are writing, or will write.

Now, I could say what everyone else has already said, or I could go on a tangent, but how about I just try taking one writing lesson away from the movie instead?

Today’s lesson is on earning your moments, with Ruby Gillman standing as an anti-example.

You see, when I saw the scene where Brill talks Ruby out of her obligatory “My actions made everything worse, so I’ll start moping before the final battle” moment, I flipped out.

Looking back at the scene, what he said to Ruby word-for-word was, “I could never understand why [Agatha] chose to leave the ocean. Until, I saw the awesome life she created on land. And I realized, your mom chose her own path. She chose you.”

Now, this sound like something that should come out of the tail end of a character arc. It contains an admittance of bad understanding, acknowledgement of a transformative moment, and a declaration of new ideals following said moment. Overall, it’s a summation of somebody’s character development.

You see where I’m going with this? My problem is that Brill is acting like he’s just conquered his character arc, when most of his time in the movie has been:

This

This

And… you get it by now

My point is that with Brill’s comic relief antics dominating his character, he had no arc! So getting to say, “I didn’t get it at first, but I do now” isn’t earned in the slightest!

It wouldn’t have taken a lot to earn this moment either! He may be a dumb marshmallow, but he’s a well-meaning marshmallow! All we’d need is to have some moment which fits his character and still progresses him to the “I get it” moment that would justify his speech!

The solution would be either bonding with Agatha, or bonding with Ruby. I could see how either of those would be structured too!

For Agatha, all Brill has to do is express any emotion beyond “happy puppy” when he’s with her.

Seriously! She left home without an explanation and he makes it clear that he looks up to her! All he would need is a moment to say, “I missed you” and the conversation could take off from there!

Such a moment would force Agatha to respond and that could give Brill a chance to understand why she left. Heck, it would benefit Agatha too! Being confronted with the idea that her choices have harmed her family would force her to reflect on her actions! She could either go out of her way to justify her choices, or show some remorse at having hurt her brother’s feelings. It would be a revelatory moment that would show us how to see her character.

Sorry about the tangent, I’ll get back on topic.

The alternative to get Brill to his “I get it” moment would be to have him bond with Ruby.

What I’m thinking in particular is for him to act as a firsthand witness to Ruby and Grandmamah’s relationship. Grandmamah’s ideas of making Ruby the heir to a warrior kingdom is shown to make Ruby uncomfortable. If Brill was shown reacting to this, and if he took into account any accusations Agatha had about Grandmamah being a controlling mother, then it would have helped him have a “So this is why Agatha left” moment. That would validate a later claim that he understands that Agatha only wanted what was best for Ruby.

Overall, what I’m saying is that an emotional revelation should have emotional buildup. It makes the character’s actions flow in a logical manner, and it gives us a chance to determine their natures. But when you have the emotional revelation without the buildup, it’s jarring. If we can’t see how it happened, then it doesn’t make sense to us why it happened at all!

To sum up the lesson, take your time to give characters moments to have emotions and react to the events and ideas they’re exposed to. It’ll give moments to develop their relationships, character traits, ideologies, and most importantly, their character arcs.

If you give characters the time to become who you want them to be, we’ll get to enjoy watching it happen.

[spartanguard]

sons of love and death, 5/13 {CSSNS 23}

Summary: After the Final Battle, Killian Jones had finally settled into his happily ever after with his wife and family. Until a new foe arrived in Storybrooke: the infamous Dorian Gray, who looks rather familiar—one might say identical—to the pirate, and he’s on a mission: to claim the powers of the Dark One for himself. There’s only one problem: the Dark One no longer exists. What follows is a journey of vengeance, revelations, magic, and finally facing down the darkness within himself that Killian thought he’d finally put to rest. [roughly canon divergent from 5B, though set post-canon]

A/N: Little later in the day than my usual posting for this @cssns​ story, but hope no one minds too much! (This one is worth a bit of wait, IMO ;) ) (As always, thanks to the best beta, @optomisticgirl​​​​!)

rated M | 4.5k words | AO3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Regina probably could have installed a more modern security system in her vault; she’d had plenty of time to do it. But honestly, anyone who didn’t know what they were getting into would likely be hurt far worse by whatever they found—those Agrabah vipers were still down there, after all—and it would be useless against anyone who did know what they were after.

However, she did have a sixth sense for when her shit was being messed with, and transported herself inside the vault once she was done helping Gold get his shop straightened out. A hooded figure was poking around her potion supplies, though a far more contemporary hood than had often been down here—that of a sweatshirt instead of a cloak. Must be one of the Lost Boys, getting into trouble.

She silently strode up behind them. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” And then she yanked the hood down and turned the boy around.

Only she wasn’t looking up into the face of a pubescent youth. It was—not Hook, no; there was an edge of desperation around this guy that the pirate hadn’t had in years. “Ah, so it’s the twin,” she realized.

“I have my own name, your Majesty,” he snarled back. “And I know what I’m after, so I’ll kindly ask you to leave me to it.”

He turned back around and studied the shelf, glancing between that and a book open in his hand. She didn’t recognize the tome at first, and tried reading it over his shoulder, mainly out of curiosity before she reprimanded him.

But then she read the page, and wasn’t quite sure how to react, other than to let him know, “It won’t work.”

“You say that now,” he tossed back, looking over his shoulder at her. “Bet people said that about the Dark Curse, too, and yet—here we are.”

She rolled her eyes. “I have no reason to lie to you. You can’t resurrect the powers of the Dark One.” The book in his hand was one of her oldest and hardest-won—but also contained some of the darkest magical theories ever published.

“This seems to suggest otherwise.” So both the sass and the stubbornness were genetic, as well as the one-track mind. “And you were so kind as to leave it out for me. ‘Guide to resurrection,’” he read. “How perfect.”

Well. She had been reading it. Ever since Henry left on his realm-hopping adventure, she’d been feeling rather lonely, and helping her sister raise little Robyn had just made it all the more clear how much she missed her own Robin. It had been a moment of desperation after last Valentine’s Day that she’d dug it out.

But she pretty quickly deduced that it wouldn’t work—not with the way he died. And even if he’d died a more normal way, it would be cruel to drag a soul at rest back to the chaotic world of the living. 

Bringing back magic, though? She could easily tell him why this wouldn’t work, but professional curiosity demanded she get in his mind. “Just how do you plan on resurrecting magic without a tether?” Especially magic that had relied on one for so long, Gold’s interrupted experiment with the Sorcerer’s hat notwithstanding. 

“By creating a new one,” he answered simply, and flipped to another page in the ancient book, bearing an illustration of an ornate dagger. “Looks simple enough; just needs something touched by all past users of the magic to forge a new weapon. And what luck—I have a couple options at my disposal.”

“You really think you can just walk up to Hook or Rumple in the street and, what, pick their pockets? And while her magic is still fairly unrefined, Ms. Swan-Jones would blast you into tomorrow if you tried to even touch her or her pirate.”

“You don’t seem to be her biggest fan,” Dorian noticed quickly. 

“We have a…complicated history,” Regina replied, as succinctly as she could manage. “But we’ve at least come to an understanding.” Then she laughed. “Actually, she’s the reason I’m not on your list of former Dark Ones.”

“Gotta love those hero types,” he said, though it came out more as a complaint. “Perhaps you can help me, then? Maybe we could share.” He stepped into her space and bit his bottom lip, raising his eyebrow in question. 

It hadn’t worked when Hook tried it, years ago, and it wasn’t working now. “I’m good. Maiming isn’t so much my thing; call me when you need a heart.”

He glanced back at the book and flipped between pages—a little too quickly for the ancient book, in her opinion. “Huh; neither of these spells seem to require one. That’s odd; most like this do.” She was surprised; he knew his stuff—and he noticed her shock. “Oh, I’m not the only one here who had to crush the heart of the thing they loved most.”

She had to look away at that. “For someone who’s done their research, you still don’t seem to understand that you’re on a fool’s errand.”

“If there’s anything left of the Darkness in this realm, then I can bring it together and restore it to what it once was. We both know that magic never fully dies.”

“No, it doesn’t,” she had to concede. “But this isn’t a normal situation; this had divine intervention. Hades didn’t just die—he was destroyed.” She swallowed down her rising emotions at the memory of that night. “He was killed with the Olympian Crystal; completely obliterated—both him and any magic he held.”

“Then why can I still feel it?” Dorian practically whined. “You all keep telling me it’s gone, but no one can explain that one detail to me.”

“Maybe no one wants to,” she snapped back. 

Dorian glared and the light even seemed to flicker as his rage threatened to boil over. But her stare back was just as fiery, she knew. 

But then his look softened, and weirdly, he even smiled a bit. “If no one wants to, then that must mean it’s sensitive information. Perhaps the kind that could be life-threatening.”

She scoffed. “Only if you know how to harvest a soul.”

That cocky eyebrow arched again, and she immediately regretted her rash statement. “I’m sure I can find a way. See you ‘round, sweetheart.” Then he and his dimpled smirk disappeared in a cloud of dark smoke edged with a lick of flames. 

Dammit. She was pretty sure his quest was a dead end, but she’d inadvertently put a target on the backs of her friends. 

Quickly, she took a mental stock of what he’d taken: the book, as well as a few rare and potent herbs. Not enough to cast any sort of spell, but enough to get him started—or at least get him high. 

She ran out of the vault and up the stairs, magically sliding the stone cover over the entry. Then she locked the door to the mausoleum and put a blood lock on it to make sure Dorian couldn’t get back in; unlike when she was trying to keep Zelena out of her spaces, she was positive she wasn’t related to the Jones men. 

And then Regina headed back into town, using the walk there to figure out how to tell Emma that her husband’s evil twin probably wanted to kill them. 

The whole situation had “mess” written all over it, but at least it was some excitement; she certainly could use some of that. 

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・🗡・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

Though Killian was beginning to feel at ease for the first time in over a day, he still had a lot of questions regarding his twin and the powers they apparently shared. They hadn’t flared at all since his chat with Emma, and the tea seemed to be calming him even more. Though most assuring was the fact that Dorian was no longer in town, and that his life might continue in peace. 

But still—his academic nature demanded he learn more. Were the legends he’d just been told about Cailleach Mountain real or fiction?

Good thing he was working at the library today, and therefore spending time with the one person who’d be sure to get him the answers he needed.

“Morning, love,” he called out when he entered the library—but was surprised to hear baby Gideon squealing in reply rather than his mother.

Behind the counter, Belle was struggling to get the boy to go down in his—what was it called? Play pen? But he was having none of it; instead, he was reaching for his favorite uncle. 

“Oh, Belle,” he said, rushing over to grab the little lad. “I wish you’d told me you were bringing him today; I’d have grabbed you some tea.”

Gideon almost immediately wrapped himself around Killian’s neck and nestled into him. He was always a bit in awe of the steady trust this tiny person put in him, and he dared not take it for granted. 

“I did tell you,” Belle answered, setting her diaper bag on the circulation desk. “Texted you as soon as I left Ashley’s; Alexandra was running a fever so she had to cancel today.”

“Damn; my apologies for missing that. I’ve had…a long day already.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she waved off, and headed to the back room (most likely to make some tea). “It was obvious you’ve had a lot on your mind, and after yesterday, I don’t blame you.”

He swayed in his spot with Gideon, slightly taken aback by Belle’s assessment of his mental state; she knew him well, but wasn’t aware it was that well. “How could you tell?”

“I mean, anyone could guess,” she called out over the sound of the microwave. “But you had that look on your face.”

“What look?”

She poked her head out of the room. “The one that says we’re doing some research today,” she answered with a teasing smile. 

Well, she wasn’t wrong. 

Gideon still refused to be put down, even though he’d settled against Killian and was content to play with his necklace charms. But the quiet at least let Killian give Belle the run-down on what he’d been told so far; he was getting fairly good at summarizing everything by now.

“Cailleach…I know I’ve heard of it, but the name is ringing a bell for another reason. I think it translates to something. Maybe it’ll come to me once we get started.”

They spent the rest of the morning in the reference sections, save for attending to the few patrons that trickled in. Gideon did eventually let them set him down in his playpen (once they moved it to the reference area), which meant they could dig into research even harder. 

The books they were consulting were among the oldest in the collection—ones that had somehow come over with the second curse. Killian had found several mentions of the inherent magic in the area around Cailleach, but nothing more specific. 

There was a growing stack on the table next to him of books he’d already looked at, and the ones he’d yet to read were dwindling. He sometimes wished it was as easy to search through these as it was to find information on the computer box, but it was worth it to be surrounded by the smell of old parchment; it reminded him of the library at the naval academy.

On her side of the table, Belle had a few translation dictionaries on one side of her as well as a similar set of stacks, all being carefully handled. She was still the expert when it came to these books, so he fully expected her to find the answer before he did. And he was right.

“Oh, I think that's it!” she exclaimed, looking up from her book and reaching for one of the dictionaries. She muttered to herself in a different tongue, but one he seemed to recognize, as she flipped through the pages of the other book, all while keeping the first one open with a carefully placed elbow. 

“What’ve you got?”

“I knew the legend sounded familiar, but couldn’t place the name to it. It is a different language: it’s Gaelic—or whatever it’s called in our land; the same one your name comes from, actually.” She found the page she wanted and skimmed it with her finger. “Yeah; it means ‘witch’—and what you were describing sounds like the story of Witch Mountain.”

“And what’s that?”

“It’s one that sort of spilled into this realm; I think we actually might have the book in the YA section, though, like most things, this realm probably got it wrong.” She went back to the first book. “It’s right here: ‘Though it happens rarely,’” she read, “‘All twins born in the area around Witch Mountain are inherently blessed with gods-given magic, in balance of each other.’”

He was both surprised at that, but also not, based on what Regina had told him. But it confirmed that whatever these powers were, they were definitely his—and had always been. That was going to take some getting used to.

Although, he was left curious about the phrasing of what Belle had read. “In balance?”

“Probably from an elemental standpoint; this is a book on natural sources of magic. Did you notice his powers manifesting a certain way?”

“No; his magic has been blocked both times I talked to him. But we’ve both seen evidence of his ability to melt through metal.”

“So it’s either the ability to manipulate metal, or heat-based magic. Which means yours would probably be connected to either wood or water.”

He immediately thought of his inherent connection with the Jolly Roger, which suggested either one, and he told her as much.

“Oh, let’s test it! Try to do something in my tea.” Her mug had long since cooled, despite being half full, so she pushed it toward him.

“You think I have any idea how to control it?” he tossed back.

“Well, not with that attitude.” (Truly, she was the sister he’d never had.)

“Perhaps not, but if he’s not around anymore, then it’s a non-issue. Hopefully, I won’t need to use it.”

Belle pouted a bit, but then turned her attention back to the book and read ahead. “It also says here that twins’ powers will develop as they grow together; the fact that it makes a point to say ‘together’ suggests that’s why yours haven’t manifested until now.”

“Let’s hope it stays that way, then.”

He was content with that answer, though she did insist on comparing that story to the novelization and temporarily took that one out of circulation. He put the books away while she sought about giving Gideon his afternoon snack, and realized he was finally feeling at peace about this whole situation.

And, with any luck, that would be the end of it.

But, Storybrooke being Storybrooke, he should have known it wouldn’t be.

“Hook? You here?” Regina’s voice called out even before the doorbell could finish ringing. 

“Aye, back here,” he replied, as loud as he dared to shout within the confines of the library. 

“We’ve got a problem,” she stated, sounding annoyed, as the clacking of her heels on the tile floor grew closer. “Your twin is out for blood.”

“What?” He’d still been putting books on the shelf, but whirled around and nearly dropped them; he caught them at the last second, though, lest he face Belle’s wrath. “I thought Emma sent him out of town; are you sure?” (And then he carefully placed the books on the table, just to be safe.)

“Well, he must have found a way back in, because I caught him in my vault not 10 minutes ago.”

“Wasn’t he wearing the cuff?” Belle had just laid Gideon down for his nap and joined the conversation. “He shouldn’t have been able to get past the barrier without his magic.”

“Then he got it off somehow, because he definitely had his powers. Nearly set the vault on fire.”

Belle gave Killian a knowing look, but he ignored it. “What was he doing?”

“What he’s been doing—trying to become the Dark One. But now that he knows the powers are gone, he’s going about it a different way—and a bit more gruesome.”

“How so?” Belle asked. 

“He wants to recreate the dagger and manifest the powers from that last bit of Darkness left in you, Emma, and Rumpelstiltskin.”

Killian was confused. “The part you said was attached to our souls?” 

“The very same.”

“How the hell can he do that?”

“By detaching your soul from your body. And there’s only one way to do that.”

“Oh, bloody hell,” he cursed; Regina didn’t need to explain it—he knew she meant murder. His stomach turned at the idea of not just him, but Emma being a target for his brother’s deranged plot. 

On the table, Belle’s half-empty mug cracked, water flying everywhere. He glanced down, and his palm was glowing again; shit. (At least it had somehow avoided the books.)

“That answers that question,” Belle muttered. “But—his name is Dorian Gray, right? Like the book?”

“Yeah,” Killian confirmed. 

She gave a cautious smirk. “I think we might actually have something we can use against him.”

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・🗡・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

Above the library but behind the clock tower was a little-used, mostly empty storage area. At least, it had been empty, until recently. Now it was filled with boxes, sheet-draped furniture, and large frames—some covered, some not. 

“This is all stuff that came over from the Land of Untold Stories,” Belle explained as she led Killian and Regina through the maze that had taken over the room. “Anything of value, at least; they obviously didn’t want it exposed to the elements, but I made sure to intervene before it ended up in my husband’s shop, never to be seen again.” She loved her husband, but she did have to admit he had a tricky relationship with the concept of ownership, and the black hole that was the back of his shop. Inventory always took forever. 

In her down time, she’d been trying to catalog all of this stuff for their new residents, and either get it back to who it belonged to or perhaps start a museum with some of it. (Assuming she could get Rumple to donate some items, too—but she was pretty sure she could convince him.)

“So what exactly are we looking for?” Regina asked from behind her, clearly perturbed by the amount of dust up here; Belle hadn’t had a chance to clean it up before everything moved in, but it was at least dry and fairly climate-controlled. 

“We’re not looking; I know exactly where it is.” Killian was bringing up the rear, Gideon in his arms once more. She swore that was her son’s favorite spot to sleep. Their friendship was probably odd and unexpected on paper, but despite their vastly different lives and rocky history, there wasn’t anyone she trusted more. 

Which was why she’d be damned if his maniac evil twin did anything to hurt him; he’d been through enough for more than one lifetime. 

In the far corner of the storage room was a gathering of smaller paintings, filed together in an old armoire and covered with a sheet. “It’s over here,” she called back. 

She wasted no time in yanking the sheet off, but it made them all cough from the ensuing dust. “Sorry,” she choked. 

“‘S alright, love,” Killian replied, but his voice was raspy. 

She didn’t waste any more time in digging through the stash of ancient portraits. “It stood out to me because—well, obviously everyone’s heard of it; I just had no idea it was real,” she explained. “Though I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised,” she conceded as she found the frame she was looking for. 

She carefully pulled it out and looked it over as she turned to face the others. “Gosh; and now that I know, I should have seen it—even if it’s not pretty.”

“Seen what?” Killian asked, but his tone was more concerned than curious. 

Her answer was to simply flip the painting around. “The Picture of Dorian Gray. In the flesh, so to speak.”

The novel had gotten the details of the painting correct: the man on the canvas could only be described as ugly and twisted, a nearly skeletal, aged face with grayed, wild hair and a hunched frame. 

But one thing that stood out were the piercing blue eyes, sharp cheekbones, and slightly pointed ears—the same ones she was looking at on her best friend. 

“Bloody hell,” he murmured. 

“Gods, I think that looks even worse than the guy Emma met in the Wish Realm,” Regina added. 

“So, in the book, Dorian died when he tried to murder the portrait,” Belle went on. “Obviously, that didn’t actually happen, but I’m wondering if it’s not far from the truth—although I don’t know exactly what kind of spell this is.”

“It’s a curse,” Killian replied. “He told me.” He swallowed, clearly uncomfortable with the details of the painting. “He crushed the heart of the woman he loved to cast it.”

Oh—that was indeed morbid, and Belle shifted to a more careful hold on the frame. “Well, bare minimum, it probably gives us leverage over him; or…it gives us a way to potentially stop him.”

She didn’t miss the way Killian was studying the floor and clenching his jaw at that; it wasn’t an idea she was thrilled with, either. “Last resort,” she added. 

Regina shuddered, no doubt having some of her own bad memories stirred. But then she jumped again and looked up. “I think there’s a leak in here,” she said. 

“Odd, there shouldn’t be,” Belle replied. “The dwarves redid the roof last summer.”

And yet—as she looked up, a drop of water hit her square on the nose. Another few fell around them, and one landed on Killian’s shoulder, but he barely noticed. 

“Snap out of it, pirate,” Regina commanded, and Killian jumped. “That’s you, with the waterworks.”

“Sorry,” he said quickly, but sounded somewhat bewildered. Belle did notice a blue glow coming from his clenched fist, though. 

“Looks like magic lessons just got added to the calendar,” Regina commented dryly, while brushing the wet spot on the shoulder of her jacket. 

Screaming then came from outside, and the general hum of commotion. The group ran to the nearest window, boarded-up as it was, and peered out into the street. 

Cruella’s long-abandoned De Ville had finally met its end, and was now engulfed in flames. Near it, a figure was disappearing into a cloud of fiery smoke. 

“I suppose they did,” Killian sighed. 

Belle didn’t like to see the conflict written on his face—gods knew he spent enough time brooding—but she had to admit: she was curious to see how this went.

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・🗡・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

Dorian certainly didn’t regret coming back into town, but he was rather frustrated at the lack of negative reception. He’d fully anticipated coming to blows with the Evil Queen—honestly, half the reason he’d gone to her vault was in hopes of running into her. (Perhaps doing more, if she’d been interested, but she had the stink of heartbreak around her.)

(Actually, Rumpelstiltskin’s lass was the one who’d really caught his eye, but for very different reasons—nostalgic ones. The resemblance to Sybil was more than passing, though Sybil’s hair was in ringlets, and her irises more violet. But the potential of both he and his twin having taken both of Rumple’s wives was a tempting one…if she’d go for it.)

So he assumed it would cause an uproar when he set fire to that auto, and perhaps draw the heroes he sought out of the woodwork, particularly the sheriff. But after a brief stir, the onlookers merely went about their business, and the elderly woman from the diner anticlimactically put it out with a fire extinguisher while he watched from an alley.

For someone who was fond of having a dramatic flair, it was disappointing. Doubly so when he realized just how big this town was and how he really could have used that car to get around; it just screamed supervillain. (Not that he knew how to operate such a vehicle…but that was everyone else’s problem.)

Instead, there wasn’t much he could do but putter about, trying to figure out the best way to enact his plan. He’d gotten the information he needed from Regina’s vault, but had to assume he’d not easily be able to get in again. Perhaps the town had a blacksmith shop? It’d be a lot easier to forge a dagger and later imbue it with the Darkness than create one from scratch. Obviously, he could melt metal on his own, but shaping it was a whole other skill.

Alas, the town center came up empty, and the only directory he could find was a phone book dated from 1983 that fell apart nearly as soon as he touched it. Bollocks. 

Maybe it was time he invested in one of those smart telephone things; he’d long since broken the burner flip phone he got on one of his previous trips to this realm.

As evening approached, another issue arose: where he was supposed to sleep. He’d been with Tisbe the first night and the hospitality of the sheriff department the next. While he was no stranger to camping, he’d rather not if he didn’t have to. He was at least able to salvage enough of the old phone book to determine there was exactly one inn in town, conveniently attached to the diner he’d tried to eat at yesterday.

Perhaps the second time would be the charm? The fact that he was far more sober now would surely help. That said, he still tried to blend in when he entered and calmly took a seat at the counter.

“What’ll it be tonight, hon?” the elderly proprietress asked him quickly. He started to enquire about a room, but was promptly cut off. “Oh, it’s you. Out.”

He blinked. “Beg your pardon?”

“You heard me, sonny. Out. This is a private establishment and I can choose who I serve, and I ain’t servin’ you.”

“On what grounds?” He could feel the flames of indignation rising within.

“We don’t need you causing any more trouble around here,” she told him sternly. “Hook’s been through enough without you stirring the pot. So out with ya.”

He could burn this place to the ground in a minute, but that would only play into the accusations she was already leveling at him.

“Fine. I’m on my way,” he said, as calmly as he could, and hopped off the stool and slid out.

Perhaps the reception at the drinking hole would be less discerning. He ignored the glares he received on the way there and merely wondered how slow he’d have to nurse his drinks until he found a suitable partner to head home with. 

The bartender didn’t appear to judge him when he sloughed down at the counter, but everyone else seemed to keep their distance, even as the hours wore on and the crowd grew larger and seedier. 

This was frustrating; he wasn’t used to being ignored, especially not with a face like his. He could typically get any man or woman he wanted, yet every time he made eye contact with someone from across the bar, they quickly avoided his gaze. 

What the hell?

He finally took his drink and started to make his way to the small dance floor, hoping for some kind of connection. But the crowd seemed to part around him. Bloody fuck. 

Even Tisbe from the other night appeared to be dodging him. He sidled up to her while she was at the jukebox, greeting her with a tried and true, “Hello, beautiful; fancy seeing you here again.”

She looked over at him, rolled her eyes, and scoffed. “No thanks.”

“That’s not what you were saying the other night,” he murmured, trying to seductively get in her space, but she backed away.

“Yeah, because I thought you were actually Hook,” she tossed back. “And I wanted to piss off the sheriff after she screwed my family over.”

He drew back in disbelief. “Did the fact that I have two hands not escape your notice?” he asked, holding both of them upright in emphasis. 

She just shrugged and walked away. 

Fine then. He knew when he wasn’t wanted. He headed for the door, summoning a bottle of top-shelf whiskey to his hands as he exited, and headed back out into the night. 

Briefly, he considered breaking into a car and crashing in the back seat, but apparently the town was on high alert when it came to him. And if he was going to go through with his plan, he should probably stay out of sight long enough to get it done. (Not something he was used to, but he could give it a shot—this was important enough.)

He eventually found a bench near the docks that looked comfortable enough, and cast a protection spell around it that would keep him hidden from all passers-by. Then he dug out the herbs he’d pilfered from the Evil Queen’s hideout, rolled them together in a paper he’d had in his pocket, lit the end of the roll, and took a long drag; the effects hit him quickly and a hazy bliss settled over him. 

When the joint was spent, he drank the whiskey until he passed out. 

The last thing he was aware of was the twinkle of the stars and the gentle lap of the waves against the pier; at least he had picked a relaxing place to crash. 

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・🗡・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

thanks for reading! tagging some peeps (let me know if you do/don’t want a tag!) @kat2609 @xpumpkindumplingx @shipsxahoy​ @mryddinwilt @cocohook38 @annytecture @shireness-says @ohmightydevviepuu​ @wistfulcynic​ @pirateherokillian​ @colinoeyebrows​ @wingedlioness​ @word-bug​ @thisonesatellite​ @killianmesmalls​ @thejollyroger-writer​ @ineffablecolors​ @ive-always-been-a-pirate​ @nfbagelperson​ @stubblesandwich​ @phiralovesloki​ @athenascarlet​ @kmomof4​ @ilovemesomekillianjones​ @whimsicallyenchantedrose​ @snowbellewells​ @idristardis​ @scientificapricot​ @searchingwardrobes​ @donteattheappleshook​ @jrob64​ @the-darkdragonfly​ @stahlop​ @klynn-stormz​ @resident-of-storybrooke​ @bluewildcatfanatic​

[afreakingdork]

Hey, hello, hi! So, I've been thinking about some things, and I've decided to just ask and get it out of my head to calm down xd

So, if I understand correctly, you try to write reader in WS as neutral as possible, but some things are still based on your own experience. And if I understood correctly, in WS reader already been in a relationship before, right?

The thing I've been wondering, is how would the relationship go in WS if it was reader's first relationship? Like, they never had partners before and so they're inexperienced. Would their first night with Donnie be any different? How would they react on B.E.D.F.A.S.T.? And maybe any other thoughts you have on this question.

Sorry, I'm a weirdo xdd And thank you in advance!

Howdy and might I start with a 'proud of you!' Look at you reaching out; you did amazing!! I'm here for any and all questions and this is not weird at all!

In fact, I'd say this is fun one! 🤭

You've got it exactly. I try to make reader as every man as possible, but as a creative (I believe this is universal) you are always putting a little piece of yourself into your work no matter how outside the realm of your world you're depicting. Everything you see is through your own honed perspective, unlike any other and no matter what that will come through!

So reader is meant to be about 32/33 and thus it seemed typical to me that they had been in a relationship before and had had sex prior. Obviously, there are people who have never sex by that age or what have you!

Never had a relationship before and it seems like you might also be insinuating that they've never had sex before in that case, but I will write this two scenarios differently because I do love a writing exercise:

No Prior Romantic Relationships + Has Had Sex

I feel like largely this would play out the same from a sexual standpoint. They would be attracted to each other in the same way and would follow the same line of escalation due to that experience. Where it would change would def be in how much reader is able to handle and communication. Obviously we're still talking in a broad sense, so it could go one of two ways. One would be that reader doesn't put up with as much and fails certain cues due to inexperience. This would come hard into play especially around the time when he starts putting down all his rules in how he's struggling to put reader into his life (chapter 7 and revelations like him holding back). Since it is Donnie's first relationship, the learning curve would be WAY steeper. You have two people who have no experience it is difficult to become that patient and understanding of a partner with no experience. That isn't to say it's impossible, you'd have other types of relationships, friends, family, ect, that you would have learned to navigate, but this would be something far more raw. Even for someone with previous relationship experience, you need to remember that Donnie is a damaged person. He has deep and painful unhealed trauma, he's autistic, and he has only just, for the first time in his life, been able to live as himself which is not something he knows how to do. I am by no means saying that it couldn't work out, but holy hell talk about starting relationships on hard mode. It's hard to think that they would have weathered all the lies. Each time Donnie pushed reader closer and closer to a breaking point, I believe someone with no relationship experience might buckle more quickly at those points.

Let's take it another way though, being new to a relationship gives you a level a naivety. What does this mean to the story? Let's reset to what I said about them following the same line of sexual escalation. Now, if we were to take the naive route, this affects the story because then reader puts up with too much. When you're naive in a new relationship, you're often willing to put up with way more than you realistically should. You try so hard because you're blinded by love, you don't know better, and it's so very difficult to prioritize yourself when those feelings of affection and running wildly rampant. This changes the story because reader wouldn't be obviously hitting those push back points. They'd probably roll over more and think thing were okay when in reality they were tearing reader apart. Down this scenario, Donnie is affected negatively too. Where they'd probably break up in the first go at this, in this one, they'd stay in an unhealthy place where their relationship isn't a partnership. Donnie wouldn't reveal his backstory as early and I can see reader ultimately having a severe breakdown with Donnie being devastated because he had no idea it was getting so bad.

Again, this is just conjecture. There's no reason to say these won't work, but when I play the exercises out, you see I've come to two bad end scenarios. It's sort of like a dating sim (which might be a good place to mention I'm addicted to these sorts of games). Another thing to keep in mind is this is just the case if we stick to the plot of Weak Spot, which I don't think would happen in either of these cases. That's the beauty of writing; you change one thing and it cascades into a hundred others. I bet you I could take both the previous scenarios and turn them into the same positive and loving relationship, but the story itself would play out very, very differently.

But I have another scenario to run through!

No Prior Romantic Relationships + Has NEVER Had Sex

Now this one falls heavily on Donnie which he will struggle with immensely. He barely has time to take care of himself, let alone another person with where he is currently at mentally. Reader needed to press him for things he needed and he's still the hard giver in the relationship despite everything he's going through so I bet he'd be further taxed in this scenario. I have a harder time seeing them having the same sexual escalation so I imagine they would have had sex much further down the line. Sure, you can be a flirty savant having neither had a romantic partner nor sex, but it's not the norm and would depend heavily on your situation. When they did finally get to a sex step, it would have been reached methodically with more time spent at each base. I see their first date ending at heavy petting and Don excusing himself since he's losing control. He would force himself to learn control before he'd get anywhere near taking reader to bed. The arousal scent bomb that set Donnie feral would never have happened. i can't imagine getting placed naked in front of him while he's trying to explain what's going to happen and a person with zero experience wanting to interrupt that. Instead it would have been a slow and loving first time and since they would have hit the bases, reader would have been slowly stretched out to be able to take him along the way. Wild sex in this scenario would come much, much later down the line because Donnie would never chance this. I feel like he would struggle a lot with this one, not for control (he struggles way more with that), but he would have been closed off much longer. I don't think this reader would have pressed him on his holding back as much and he would be cold and callous for months and months, maybe even the first year of their relationship. For B.E.D.F.A.S.T. I can't see them even initiating at where they are currently (closer toward the second year of their relationship). Again, another scenario where I feel like within the restraints of the Weak Spot plot we are getting a bad ending, but if I actually wrote this out, I would probably take the story in a new direction!

Ah that was a blast! I'm sorry these weren't all good, but it was a lovely exercise.

[jessmalia]

heartless | 15. olive branch

pairing: henry mills x oc a/n: i made this one gayer than it was originally you’re welcome. seriously, though, killian deserved to flirt with men. he’s a slutty pirate for christ’s sake you don’t get more bisexual and that! warnings: some lewd jokes, violence. wordcount: 2488

<<prev || masterlist || next>>

After she had stormed off the night before, Max's inbox was filled to the brim with emails from Henry apologizing a million times over for having forgotten to keep her in the loop. She had written back immediately to tell him that apologizing wasn't necessary — it wasn't even him she was mad at, and he had always told her everything before; he was allowed one mistake. It hadn't done much to persuade Henry, though, insisting that he should've noticed that Max was feeling left out by his family, and also apologizing for being dragged along to the trip to find Baelfire, so they'd spend even more time apart.

  After Max had told him how much his apologies and worries meant to her, he calmed down a bit.

  She was happy for him that he'd gotten his family back — she really was — but she couldn't deny that all these new people in Henry's life meant that there was less space for her, and she missed how it used to be.

  "Max?"

  The voice was Mary Margaret's. It carried from the other side of her locked door as she knocked. Max didn't answer, just continued staring upwards from where she had laid on her bed all day.

  "Max, I know you're in there, and I know you're mad, and I get it. I came here to apologize."

  She wasn't swayed.

  "I'm sorry we left you out. We were neglectful and it won't happen again. I know how important you are to Henry, and I want you to feel like you're a part of this family, too. You're a good kid, Max. You know I've always thought that."

  Max turned her head to look sideways at the door.

  "David and I are going out to look for Cora and we want you to come with us. We need you, actually. We figured Hook is our best lead and you might be the only one he's willing to talk to."

  Slowly, Max rose from her bed. She walked towards the door and unlocked and opened it, an unsure smile on her face.

  "I'll help."

–––

While Mary Margaret thought it was best to bring Max along since she was friends with Killian and he would be more likely to listen to her, her husband didn't seem to agree. He simply would not stop arguing with and yelling at Killian any chance he got. Max recognized the couples' olive branch, and she really wanted to make up with them, too. She was best friends with Henry and being on bad terms with his family was simply inconvenient. David's behavior irritated her to no end, though. It didn't even make sense. This was the first time they'd met. What grievances could he possibly have with him?

  "You didn't even ask me about my recovery," said Killian as he escorted them through the docks. Max rolled her eyes. She had seen him suffer way worse injuries than this (often unnecessary ones caused by his own recklessness), and every time someone had expressed concern he got offended, saying it implied that he couldn't "handle" it.

  Mary Margaret rolled her eyes, too, but for different reasons. "How are you feeling, Hook?"

  "Come closer and feel for yourself."

  That comment immediately got him punched right in his wound by David. God, he was such an only child.

  An outsider might have thought that Killian was stupid for not seeing that coming, but they would be wrong — he knew that David would react that way. What made him stupid was that he'd done it intentionally.

  "You wanna lose the other hand?!" barked the prince. "Where's the ship?!"

  Max stepped in between them. "Woah, calm down there, Prince Charming. You going all Hulk isn't gonna help anyone. And do you really let yourself get antagonized that easily? Elementary School must've been hell for you." She turned around to face Killian, who kept his eyes on David. He was really reveling in getting under his skin while keeping Max on his side. She knew this behaviour was only a coping mechanism — a way to make him feel like he still had the upper hand. Her tone was a sharp contrast to David's question when she said, "Archie told us that the Jolly Roger was sealed somehow. Could you please show it to us?"

  As soon as she'd started talking, Killian had made eye contact with her, and he was now sporting a, still kind of smug, but definite familial smile on his face. Max knew it well, as it was reserved only for her. "Aye, that it is. And I will. But only because you're asking. And you deserve to come back home." He glanced up at David again, cementing to him that Max's place was with him, before turning around. "Follow me. I don't know what you expect to find. Cora won't be there."

  "Well, maybe she left something behind that will tell us where she is," David said, still infuriated. Max kept herself standing in between them so he couldn't punch him again.

  "No funny business," said Leroy from the back. "I'm watching you, pirate." The way he spit out the last word as if it were a curse made it hard for Max to stop herself from punching him.

  Killian smirked at the threat. "Yes, dwarf, that should deter me from any malfeasance."

  A matching smirk appeared on Max's face. "I don't think he understood what that meant," she said, and they exchanged chuckles.

  "Ah, here it is," said Killian, stopping in front of nothing. Before anyone could call him out on it, he walked onto the invisible ramp and was quickly swallowed up by the ship's cloaking spell.

  Max grinned, sprinting on after him, the others hot on her tail. While the power games Killian insisted on playing with David could certainly be annoying, she couldn't say that anything he'd said had been wrong. Boarding the Jolly Roger again certainly felt as if she'd just come back home. "Oh, she's as beautiful as ever!" she exclaimed, spinning around in circles so she could take in her every last detail. Then she walked over to the mainmast, gently stroking it like you would a horse. "Hi, girl."

  "Feels good to be back, aye?" Killian asked. Max's joy had infected him — he was grinning just as big. For that moment it was like the others weren't even there.

  She nodded. "Oh, more than you can imagine."

  "You sailed this ship from our land..." Leroy spoke up, reminding them of their presence. "Could you sail it back?"

  "My ship? She's a marvel."

  "Understatement of the century," said Max, joining Killian at his side, who nodded.

  "She's made from enchanted wood," Killian continued, walking up the stairs to the quarterdeck as he did so. It took him a while, his injuries making the task significantly more difficult, and Max eyed him the whole time to make sure he didn't fall. "We've weathered many a storm together, seen many strange glittering shores." They'd made it up, the rest of the group having followed as well, and as soon as Killian was out of the imitate danger of tripping and breaking his neck, Max's eyes left him and narrowed on large box. It was about chest high and was covered by a brown sheet. It was the only thing on the entire ship that was foreign to her. "But, to travel between lands, she must go through a portal."

  "Yeah," David said, patience running thin, "what do you know about Cora's plans?"

  "Cora's not the most communicative of lasses. But I will tell you this. Whatever malice she has in mind, her weapon of choice is in here," Killian said, patting the box Max was eyeing. Together, David and Leroy removed the sheet, revealing a wooden cage with a sleeping man inside it, wearing giants' robes.

  "Who's that?" asked Mary Margaret.

  Killian explained that it was the last remaining giant that he and Emma had faced off back in the Enchanted Forest, and that Cora had shrunk him using magic. "Whatever she intends to do with him, it's important."

  "Oh, I think you know exactly what she intends," said David, getting up in Killian's personal space, practically oozing testosterone. Max rolled her eyes so hard that, if she'd been in class, Mary Margaret surely would've told her off about getting her eyes stuck like that one day. "You're holding out!"

  "Well, either have your lovely wife torture it out of me, which I promise will be fun for both of–"

  David grabbed Killian by the throat and pinned him to the mast behind him. "Why don't you and I have some fun?"

  "Sorry, but you're not really my type."

  "Oh, come on, boys, you're both pretty. There's no need to start squabbling. Or flirting," said Max, stepping in between them again so David was forced to let go.

  Killian slowly rubbed at his neck, glaring at David. "I don't know what she's planning. Why don't you wake the bloody giant and ask him yourself?" He held out a key towards Mary Margaret, and she put her bow down and took it from him, unlocking the cage. Gently, she stroked the giant's shoulder, and he immediately jerked awake.

  "It's alright. You're safe now," she said, using that insanely soothing tone of hers no one else seemed capable of. "What's your name?" she asked as she helped him step out.

  "Anton," the giant answered, looking around him. "Where's that witch?"

  "She's gone, don't worry."

  Anton examined Mary Margaret seeming confused. Then he looked down at himself, eyes widening. "What did she do?" he wailed. "She made me small." Max couldn't help the stab of pain in her chest at the clear heartbreak in his voice.

  David seemed to have a similar reaction to Max, his face softening as he said, "Come on. Let's get you out of here," grabbing the giant's shoulder from behind.

  Anton turned around, and as soon as his eyes landed on David, they filled with rage. "You."

  David frowned. "Me?"

  "YOU!" he screamed, punching David so hard he flung into the air, making a couple spins before he landed on the main dock. Leroy ran after Anton, screaming. But he got his ass handed to him, too. The giant kicked the gun out of David's hand, and wasn't stopped until Mary Margaret shot a warning shot with her bow, missing him by just inches.

  Anton looked at the arrow, then back at them. "You may have me outnumbered, but this isn't over. You think I forgot what you did? I didn't! You'll pay for your evil! I PROMISE! YOU'LL PAY!"

–––

Anton had run off after proclaiming his threat, and now they couldn't find him anywhere. It really was too bad Cora had turned him travel-sized — if he'd been giant, he would've been much easier to spot. Killian had disappeared, too. Either he was tired of being assaulted by David, or he had met up with Cora to help her with her schemes. Max prayed to God it was the former.

  This meant Max was now alone with the Charmings and Leroy (who she never really liked), sitting in Granny's diner and discussing the day's events. Or more like listening in on the adults while they discussed it. Max wasn't saying much. Just resting her arms and chin against the table, thinking about how much she missed Henry.

  "David..." Mary Margaret started, "did that giant say he'll 'make you pay'? For what?"

  David looked as clueless as ever. "I have no idea. I've never seen that guy before."

  "Well, he sure knows you," muttered Leroy.

  Max frowned. "Didn't you have an evil twin brother or something?"

  Realization dawned on him then. "Yes... he must think I'm James! It's the only thing that makes sense."

  "How is that not the first thing you thought of? This can't be the first time this has happened."

–––

Max should've known to be careful what she wished for, because now the giant had somehow turned giant again, and while he may have been way easier to spot now, he had also started throwing cars around. She was lucky their plan was to convince Anton that David was not the person who'd done him wrong to get him to stop, and not to fight the guy. She'd never fought a giant before and she doubted her dagger would be very effective. Best she could do was give him a Spanish splinter.

  David and Mary Margaret had instructed the panicked townsfolk to run to the town hall, and when the streets were cleared, David ran up to him, waving his arms around. "WAIT!"

  Anton turned around, his face twisting in rage when he spotted David.

  "YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS!"

  "Yeah! I do! You destroyed everything in my life! Now you're gonna know what that feels like!"

  "THE MAN WHO HURT YOU, THAT WASN'T ME!" David was doing a surprisingly good job of sounding reassuring while simultaneously yelling his lungs out so that the giant could hear him. "THAT WAS MY TWIN BROTHER, JAMES! WE WERE SEPARATED AT BIRTH! HE WAS RAISED BY A– A RUTHLESS KING!"

  Anton hesitated. "You're not James?"

  "NO!"

  "Then where is he?"

  "HE PAID THE ULTIMATE PRICE FOR HIS ARROGANCE! HE'S DEAD! THERE IS NOTHING MORE YOU CAN DO TO HIM!"

  "WE'RE ON YOUR SIDE ANTON!" Yelled Mary Margaret as she ran up to her husband's side, Max and Leroy following her. "WE'RE GOOD! WE'RE HERE BECAUSE OF YOU! YOU KNOW OUR DAUGHTER, EMMA — YOU HAVE HER THE MAGIC COMPASS!"

  "Emma? Let me talk to her. If she says you're okay, then I'll stop."

  Mary Margaret exchanged worried glances with the rest of the group. "...SHE'S KIND OF OUT OF TOWN!"

  "Really?" he asked, obviously not believing them. Max couldn't really blame him. "I have an evil twin brother" and "she's out of town" sounded like the two worst excuses of all time.

  "BUT WHEN SHE GETS BACK I KNOW SHE'LL REALLY WANNA TALK TO YOU!"

  "How convenient!"

  Max tilted her head. "ACTUALLY IT'S KIND OF INCONVENIENT! 'CAUSE NOW IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE LYING TO YOU! WHICH WE'RE NOT, BY THE WAY!" she shouted, but Anton didn't act like he'd heard.

  "Everyone I'm looking for isn't around! All you humans do is lie, and cheat, and kill, and I'm sick of it!" At once he booked it towards them.

  Max and the others ran as fast as they could, keeping their distance from Anton. Though, Leroy decided that this was the best time in the world to start an argument over David's name. When that was over, David got the even brighter idea of self sacrifice, turning around and facing the giant once more.

  "ANTON!"

  He stopped.

  "HOW ABOUT WE MAKE A DEAL?"

  "I don't make deals with humans!"

  "HEAR ME OUT! I'LL SURRENDER MYSELF TO YOU, IF YOU SPARE THE LIVES OF EVERYONE IN STORYBROOKE!"

  "David, you can't do this!" Mary Margaret ran up to him.

  "If I don't, the whole town will suffer. I can't allow that," he said, before turning back to Anton. Max suddenly felt horrible for how mad she'd been at them. Because here David was, willing to sacrifice himself for the town, and Mary Margaret definitely would've done the same thing in his place. Their indiscretions really were nothing compared to their good deeds. "WELL, WHAT DO YOU SAY?"

  "Deal."

  He ran towards David, jumping up, and switched to one foot so that he'd squash him to bits. But Mary Margaret was faster. She jumped onto David and pulled him out of the way just in time. The sheer force of Anton's jump made him sink down waist-deep into the ground. He looked around, confused for a bit, before magic smoke appeared around him, and when it faded, he was gone.

  They ran to the edge of the sinkhole to look for him. He had turned tiny again and was holding on for his life onto one of the underground pipes.

  It took some time, but with the help of David's truck, some very sturdy rope, and at least a dozen other townies, they succeeded in pulling him up.

–––

heartless taglist: @clarasamelia​ @anonymousewrites​

[muffet-appreciation]

Muffet Monday #2 (Aug 7th, 2023)

Hello! Welcome to the second Muffet Monday. I am fortune because I get the chance to talk about another topical thing! There has been some discussion recently regarding Muffet's dialogue in the genocide route. Some have said this confirms that Muffet is irredeemably evil, and some have said that Muffet is to blame for the genocide route. Is this true? Let's talk about it.

Content warning: Mentions of violence and character death as per the Genocide route usual.

As you may or may not know, Muffet has a monologue exclusive to the genocide route. Many players didn't know this because Muffet follows the trend of most enemies by this point in the genocide route. That being, one-hit-kill. So the only way to see this is to intentionally stall turns.

Anyways, here is Muffet's in-battle speech exclusive to the genocide route.

Let you go? Don't be silly~

You're scaring off all my customers!

The person who warned us about you...

Looked like a total nerd.

She was very adamant I run away with her~~ Ahuhuhu~~

She even left a route for me to escape from~

She said she would block off the rest of Hotland after I followed her~

Foolish nerd~ A spider NEVER leaves her web~ (Except to sell pastries~)

Ah, but I do feel a little regret over it now...

Yes, I should have wrapped her up when I had the chance~

She looked like she would have made a juicy donut~~

But enough of that... It's time for dinner, isn't it? Ahuhuhu~

You're still alive? Ahuhuhu~

Oh, my pet~ Looks like it's time for dessert~

Huh?

A telegram from the spiders in the RUINS?

They say even if you are a hyper-violent murderer...

You never laid a single finger on a spider!

Oh my, this has all been a big misunderstanding~

I thought you were someone who hated spiders~

The person who warned me about you...

They really had no idea what they were talking about~

So from this, we know the following for certain. 1) Alphys warned Muffet about Frisk, and offered an escape route. 2) Alphys told Muffet that the exit would remain open until Muffet followed. 3) Muffet spares Frisk after discovering they haven't killed any of her spiders.

This has led some players to incorrectly assume that the genocide route would have failed if it wasn't for Muffet. This is wrong for a number of reasons.

Firstly, there's no reason to believe that any exit Alphys would've prepared would have sufficed to stop Frisk. At this point, Frisk has already defeated Undyne the Undying, so it makes perfect sense that any barrier Alphys could put up would not have cut it.

Secondly, it's not like Muffet ever led Alphys to believe she would follow. Alphys' choice to leave the exit open is her own; just like Muffet's choice to stay is her own. You can't blame Muffet for that.

Now, you might think it sounds like I'm blaming Alphys instead, but I'm actually not, because...

Thirdly, the entire point of the genocide route is that the pain is all the players fault. It is totally absurd to me to see people blaming Muffet for the genocide route, when the genocide route is all about making the player feel bad for the pain they willingly cause. Like, be so for real.

If there is a dangerous person, and some people are able to escape but decide to wait for everyone to escape before trapping the dangerous person, but the dangerous person gets to them first, you have to blame the dangerous person! Why would you blame their victims and not the dangerous person?

Also, some people have reacted to Muffet's dialogue saying that it makes Muffet downright evil and that it is some huge revelation for her character. This is mostly due to Muffet mentioning cooking Alphys. People have found this comment to be seemingly off-color and dark compared to how some people understood Muffet to be. I don't really get this, because...

Firstly, Muffet makes an actual attempt to cook Frisk in every route she can. So the idea of Muffet trying to capture and cook someone is totally not news.

Secondly, people who find this comment dark considering the death that predates this point in the genocide route, seem to forget that Muffet is isolated. She doesn't have any known friends aside from her spiders. There is no reason to believe she would be aware of how awful the genocide route truly is. Even with Alphys' warning. She would just assume this is another human. And Muffet is quite the capable fighter (to the annoyance of some players) so she would have all reason to believe that she could take on Frisk in combat because usually she can.

Finally, I'd like to also discuss Muffet sparing Frisk. Another part of this speech that people have found to be totally evil is that Muffet spares Frisk despite knowing they are a murderer. Solely because they haven't killed spiders. While I think there is a lot of truth to that being her reasoning, I think we should also consider...

By the time Muffet says this, she has already realized she can't win. ("You're still alive?") and may just be trying to cut her losses. As in, she just wants to escape alive now that she knows she is in too deep. Muffet, as mentioned before, had all reason to believe she was a capable enough fighter to get through this. There was no way she could know exactly how dangerous Frisk is currently.

TL;DR I find it strange how adamant people are to blame the victims of the genocide route. I am happy to see Muffet being talked about and analyzed, but to say she is at fault for the genocide route is a totally absurd idea to me.

Thank you all for reading another Muffet Monday! This one ended up being quite lengthy compared to what I imagine will be normal for this episode, but I had a lot to say. I hope you enjoyed.

Feel free to let me know your thoughts on the matter, and send any asks with questions or topics you may want me to tackle!

[popculturebuffet]

Art of Ducktales Review: Just Ducky

Hello everyone and welcome to an extra crunchy bonus review, as I take a look at something you knew I was going to get eventually but thanks to mom telling me I wasn't getting it for christmas, I bought way sooner than expected: The Art of Ducktales, the art book released just last week from Dark Horse, containing interviews with tons of the crew, mostly Matt and Frank as you'd expect, behind the scenes art, and more good stuff. It was 50 bucks for the standard version but was it worth it? Join me to find out This was something I was jazzed for and for good reason: My love of ducktales is well documetented on this blog having covered the major arcs for season, all of season 3 and some assorted episodes. And i'm not really slowing down as I have a Gizmoduck arc planned for sometime next year (whenever Kev wants to do it), and a review of "last Christmas!" in just a few weeks. While I plan to still pace myself I do want to have reviewed EVERY episode at some point. Ducktales was everything I coudl've hoped for, more and then more AFTER THAT, an expertly crafted show spread over three wonderful seasons that should've gotten a fourth. What we got was still great though, so naturally a book honoring that, especially from disney who RARELY makes merch for older fans of their DTVA shows, and one that's sales could impact us getting one for Owl House, was like catnip. The fact that it was written and put together by Ken Plume, the same great dude who put together the awesome Art of Venture Bros that I still use reguarly for my Venture Bros retrospective was just the cherry on top So did it live up to the hype? Welll... yes and no. The bad news is while I HOPED for some content about what episodes could've been, some new factoids about the characters already.. there wasn't much of that. What we have gotten through tumblr (and Kev sending me posts) has mostly been thorugh the supplemental book that came with the deluxe edition I didn't buy because it was 80 dollary doos. I was already pushing my budget getting this. From that we did find out Hortense and Quackmore are still alive and living on Grandma Duck's farm.. but...

Like... did they meet the kids before Della came back? Why would they go along with Donald's lies? why did they never try to patch the donald and scrooge riff?

What is their relationship with the kids? How would they react to Webby, both pre and post revelation about her being a clone now and the two of her just a hangin around donald adopted? how would they treat Daisy? why are they on a farm? These are questions we fans can answer and i'll have fun doing so, this book reignited my passion and writins for the show so I might just do that, but it's stil baffling to just drop that bomb and not fill it Out matt, and especailly in the delxue edition. We also get conformation it was Matt who clearly missed the queer subtext with Webby and Lena as not only does it never come up but he outright calls them "friends who are sisters". Maybe he dosen't care some fans ship them? maybe it's his interpretation? I dunno and as one of the co creators it's fair for him to interpret it that way.. in a sense

All in good fun of course. I do respect Matt. But I also expect my right to disagree. Anyways, we don't get any new blistering insights into the world itself. But it's MORE than made up for. While this book lacks in what we coudl've had it's a really GORGEOUS celebration of what we did get. For starters we get a LOT of in depth info on the creation of the show, it's themes, and I gained a new respect for a guy I didn't even really know existed, Seam Jimenz who was the shows art director. The stuff he pulled off for the show, the tone he set and everything he and his crew were amazing. A lot of the book is he or other people on the show detailing how they pulled off shit that came off efortless to me and making me love the show even more. From blocking an episode in an enclosed place for Last Crash of the Sunchaser, to how they ONLY used fog for Missing Links of Morshire or the castle eps as a stylistic choice, to the little bits of comic fuz you see in every background there's a lot of cool details. We also get lots of great art, from the protype designs of the kids, to Lena's own evolution, to various concept art for characters. There were a lot of good designs before the awesome ones we landed on. We also get art of incidental stuff like the posters from Terror of the Terra Firmians, the very gay cake from Night on Killmotor hill, the darkwing first darkness poster.. if your a hardcore fan of thes how like I am there's a LOT to love here. So in short, as this is a fairly short review if you love hearing the people who made this show fantastic talk about how they pulled that offf, character stuff, episode ideas and other neat little stuff, this is for you. if your hoping for more of the show.. this sadly isn't it.. but maybe it'll get us more. Either way it's a great insight into the beautiful found family this show created that gave us one of my faviorite shows of the last decade. Woo-Ooo!a