#full time and i don't know why they're suddenly insisting it's different now

[katya-goncharov]

oh my gosh the utter bullshit i've had to put up with from universal credit!!

[woso-dreamzzz]

Treat You Better III

Laia Codina x Reader

Summary: You visit Spain

The language barrier posed a bit of a problem but you could get past that.

The food posed a bit of a problem but you could get past that too.

What you couldn't get past was the topless sunbathing.

You weren't prudish by any means. But you were Irish and the beaches you usually went to in Ireland were full of pebbles. You didn't sunbathe in Ireland. You just hoped that you didn't get taken out by a wave.

Spanish beaches were different though. They were sandy and the sea was calm and all of Laia's friends were stripping off their bikini tops and lying out in the sun.

Your eyebrows shot up to your hairline at how easily everyone did it. You hadn't experienced much cultural issues moving from Ireland to England but now you were getting the experience that Laia did.

Moving from Spain to England was a big thing, full of cultural differences that she had to adapt too. Now you're doing the same.

You didn't know the rules surrounding this so you just decided to avert your eyes and pretend that it wasn't happening.

You sat under an umbrella and contemplated whether it was rude to just duck into a shop and stay there until everyone was ready to go.

"You aren't sunbathing?"

"I'm Irish, luv," You say," I don't tan well. I burn."

"Katie tans."

"Yeah, she got lucky. I didn't."

Laia wiggles under the umbrella with you. She's shirtless just like her friends but you don't feel awkward looking at her. You've seen her naked countless times. Seeing her topless seems a little tame in comparison.

Seeing her friends and other world class footballers shirtless was a little different.

"You don't tan at all?" She pouts at you," I could have sworn you did in Australia."

"You were watching me back then?" You laugh," You little stalker."

Her cheeks turn pink. "I thought you were very pretty. It is a shame you won't try to tan here."

"I'll burn," You insist," And we'll go back to London and Katie will tease me. I'm not attempting it."

"But you tan! I know you do! I've seen it!"

"It's too much effort," You say nonchalantly," I'm happy here. I might go and buy an ice cream. I'm fine, luv."

She looks at you suspiciously, her pout getting bigger and bigger the more you attempt to get away.

"Leave her alone, Codi!" You hear someone yell, Mariona you think.

"I'm just wearing her down!" Laia yells back with a teasing smile," Don't ruin this for me!"

"Ruin this for you?" You echo," I see how it is. You want to see me topless."

She tries to deny it but her stuttered words betray her true attention.

"You're cute, luv, but no, I'm not stripping in front of your friends."

"Why not? You're not insecure are you?" Her words come out in a stream, interspersed with random kisses pressed to your face. "Because you're so beautiful and you're stunning and I think you're so much prettier than all of my friends and you shouldn't feel insecure about something like this."

"Laia-"

"Because you have nothing to feel insecure about. And I love you and-"

"Laia-"

"You should never feel bad about your body and-"

"Laia! Luv, shut up. I'm not insecure. I know I have a good body but...These are your friends and they're topless."

Laia frowns. "I don't understand."

You laugh. "It'd be like if we went to the beach with Katie and Caitlin and they whipped their tops off. You would feel a little awkward, wouldn't you?"

You can see Laia think it over for a moment. She turns it over in her mind. You can see the moment she imagines Katie topless because her eyes suddenly squeeze shut.

"I see," She admits," But you promise you do not feel insecure?"

"I promise," You say, laying a kiss on her lips," Just feeling a little awkward. I'm sure after a few more trips I'll feel more comfortable."

She beams. "You want to come back?"

You roll your eyes. "Yes, Laia. This is your home. These are your friends. Of course, I want to come back."

She attacks you with kisses, pinning you against your beach towel.

"Codi!" One of her friends call," Stop kissing your girlfriend! I want to go paddle boarding!"

"Go, luv," You laugh, pushing her away," We have lots of time later."

[autistic-ben-tennyson]

A rant about Jedi Stans from an ex-Jedi fangirl

After some time I've had to reflect on my own behavior as well as my time in the pro Jedi fandom, I decided it's time to call this shit out. Some people take it really personal if someone criticized your favorite characters or their beliefs. Ironically, you all act more like the Sith than the Jedi with how obsessive you can be and insisting any criticism is equal to wanting genocide.

I'm going to start by saying I was in the pro jedi fandom for a few months. Truth be told, I was using it as an outlet for some of my anger issues with my hate towards Anakin, seeing him as similar to a lot of people I've had to deal with. Some of it was wanting more followers and fear of being disliked by the majority. I would pick fights with Anakin fans and was a bit of an asshole and I apologize for that. I still don't like him but no longer HATE him. Seeing how fandoms treat abuse victims who aren't perfect angels like Shinji Ikari or Lapis Lazuli has caused me to loosen up a bit. Many Jedi stans would probably hate those characters for not being “perfect” victims. In retrospect, this wasn't a good community for me. It was very puritanical and I often felt like I was wrong for enjoying media that went against the beliefs Jedi Stans put on a pedestal. Three of my favorite ships (Madohomu, Reishin and Hodaka x Hina) involve "burning the world for one person" and I felt like I couldn't talk about them without being a hypocrite. That and me agreeing less and less with Luca's beliefs pushed me to leave.

It's fine to enjoy a fictional character and defend them if you feel that they're being unfairly criticized. I've done it myself and have written essays defending my faves. The problem is that Jedi stans don't know when to stop. So many are quick to compare the Jedi to minority religions or marginalized groups as a shield against criticism, not recognizing how insulting that can be. Jewish, asian and aroace people are the ones normally used due to the Jedi beliefs being based off Eastern religions as well as Judaism as well as some aroace people identifying with the Jedi.

One thing I noticed about Jedi stans is their similarities to Jumblr which is full of religious chauvinism reworded to sound progressive. Many of them talk about how the Jedi shouldn't have to change their traditions with the times or to accommodate a few individuals like Anakin or Ahsoka. This can be similar to how a lot of people are quick to defend minority religions from outside criticism based on how they were treated by Christian colonists or missionaries. The problem is that this can veer right into ableist or queerphobic territory. You know who else believe that their religion shouldn't have to change with the times to accommodate people? Conservative Christians who hate being told to be affirming of LGBTQ people. Also, schools and parents/guardians do have a responsibility to accommodate kids with disabilities, mental health issues or trauma, even if it may be inconvenient or force you to bend the rules. Claiming they need to just suck it up is honestly disgusting.

This was all a big reason for why I left this garbage pit of a fandom. While there are some who hate the Jedi because they stan the empire or think people need 50s nuclear families to live fulfilling lives, not everyone does that. Believe it or not, some people have faced abuse and bigotry under Judaism and Buddhism. People can also criticize how Lucas presented their beliefs as some Buddhists think he didn't do a good job. Libsoftiktok is a vile transphobe, an Orthodox Jew and her beliefs are said to be fairly common in her community. Many people of color identify with the clones and dislike how even the nicer Jedi treated them. When Obi Wan told Anakin, "It's okay to have romantic feelings, but you must let them pass," that hits different for queer people who have been told similar things from "polite" homophobes. Some queer people do choose celibacy like Side B christians which is fine as long as they don't treat it as a moral failure to want a relationship. There are many neurodivergent people who don't like the Jedi beliefs as they hit close to home. Lucas may have not intended to come off as ableist but the Jedi did with their beliefs about negative emotions. To some people, platitudes like "just let go" aren't helpful and treating it as bad for not living up to those principles is gross.

I deleted the post, but a while back I made a post asking a popular pro jedi blogger their views on adoption since they claimed Anakin not viewing the Jedi as his "found family" was a moral failure. I found their response to be tone deaf and insulting. I responded in a decent way of course, but felt a bit judged and unhappy for wanting to know my birth mother. Adoptees are another set of people this fandom is insensitive and gross to. The Kenobi series I find insulting for that reason too, having Leia be a foil for Anakin and Obi Wan romanticize his recruitment as a child.

Jedi fans are also shitty to those with religious trauma and who faced abuse. Accusing anyone who criticizes the Jedi of projecting their issues with Christianity while simultaneously talking like conservatives as shown above. Tumblr in general has a weird habit of treating religion as if it’s either conservative evangelicalism, liberal reform Judaism and some vague pagan or eastern spirituality with little nuance. Some Jedi stans really come from a place of privilege. Claiming "they can just leave" is insulting to real religious abuse survivors who were raised with harmful beliefs like creationism or homophobia. I'm no antitheist but treating non christian religion as inherently progressive dismisses a lot of people's experiences.

Let's be real, the writing in this franchise was always a bit sloppy. Lucas's issue was wanting to simultaneously create both a black-and-white morality tale for kids based on the fairy tales and serials he grew up and a deep socio-political commentary about the Vietnam and Iraq wars which required some morally grey themes. Thus, along with his terrible dialogue that made the characters seem unlikable, is why the fandom is so divided over whether he intended people to agree with the prequel Jedi.

To wrap this up, I found the pro jedi fandom to be a terrible experience. It was a mix of faux progressivism mixed with fear of judgement for disagreeing. I ended up editing a post I made, and eventually deleted, comparing Yoda with Garnet from SU because I included a tiny bit of criticism and didn't want to get backlash. As long as it’s not gross or bigoted criticism of your favorite characters isn't the end of the world. People don't have to like George Lucas or his beliefs and put them on a pedestal. I feel like the fandom's worship of George comes in response to OT purists who claimed he "raped their childhoods" but there's fair criticism to be made. Just like how not everyone who criticizes Disney SW or any Disney media in general is an "anti woke" grifter. To the pro jedi fans reading this, here's a suggestion. Just block and ignore people, write an essay if you feel it's important, but don't act like an entitled bully if a blog or even a SW writer disagrees with the Jedi, interprets the story differently or criticizes your favorite characters.

[muddyorbsblr]

why him?

See my full list of works here!

Part of the 500 Follower Celebration Requested by: @fictive-sl0th

Summary: An invitation to a Thanksgiving family reunion was sent addressed to you and Loki, and you're not exactly all that excited to face everyone after over a decade of no contact.

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Word Count: 4.6k

Warnings: Audrey and her grade-A parenting…and she's got friends this time; family drama; hints of Loki's insecurity over his brother if you squint; language (get over it, Rogers) [let me know if I missed anything!]

Things to be aware of: established relationship

The air was unreasonably thick as the car drove through the streets of your old neighborhood, the layout hauntingly familiar to you and growing increasingly stifling as you passed each picturesque home. Every single one of those houses looked like they didn't age a day, the paint jobs pristinely done to ensure they looked as good as when its owners moved in over a decade and a half ago.

The lawns were a uniform obnoxious radiant green, a blatant show of affluence that yes, you were in a neighborhood that could afford to allocate obscene amounts of water to maintain the lush green hue of a patch of land that nobody could walk on. All for the sake of display.

"My love, I rarely ever say these words to anyone besides myself, but you must calm yourself." The feel of a large hand taking yours and fingers lacing through yours brought you out of your trance, not realizing that you'd been incessantly shaking your leg until Loki placed his free hand on top of it to stop you. "We can still turn around and head home instead. We need not face these people if even the thought of seeing them again has you shaking this way."

"I just don't get it," you murmured, relaxing your posture to let the god maneuver you and place you onto his lap, resting your head on his shoulder. You could practically feel your nerves melting away as he pressed a kiss to your forehead, the backs of his fingers stroking along your spine making you lean into him all the more. "Why now? After all this time?"

"Perhaps they wish to show you off," he grunted, sighing when he felt you tense up again after his words. "I don't wish to think ill of the very people that brought you into this world as I owe them a great debt for that alone, but if they had made the monumental mistake of ceasing to be a part of your life for so long, then my mind cannot help but think of ulterior motives on their part."

"Maybe they need me to win a pissing contest," you added, rolling your eyes. "But if that's the case then why didn't they reach out when I got into the Avengers Program? When Tony announced me as a new member of the team? How come after years of my mother voicing how disappointed she's been in me straying from the family business, suddenly we're--Holy fuck I know what it is." His light squeeze at your side prompted you to continue. "It's you."

"I'm afraid you've lost me there, darling. How is it--"

"Think about it," you kept going. "What happened days before we got the invitation? And just the fact that they addressed the invitation to both of us. Not just me and telling me that I can bring my boyfriend. The invitation said Y/N and Loki. They're not out to brag about me to their pretentious fuckwits at the country club. They're out to brag about you."

"Y/N that's absurd--"

"It's makes complete sense and you know it," you insisted. "We went public just a few days before we got that invitation--" He cut you off with a pointed look, challenging your spin on the situation. "Okay fine, people took photos of us out on a date and before theories got out of hand I tweeted 'Yeah we're dating. Deal with it.' and gave Pepper a migraine, same difference. Anyway, that happens, and suddenly they want me at Thanksgiving? That's not a coincidence, sweetie."

He pressed his forehead to yours, letting out a long sigh as he wrapped his arms tighter around you. "Say the word and we can call off this charade. I will speak with Stark and tell him we truly do not need these people as stakeholders if it comes at the cost of your peace."

Your heart swelled at his offer, knowing full well that he was more than ready to put an end to this shitstorm before it even began. But you also knew that a guilt would always eat away at you if you didn't so much as try. You owed Tony a great deal, after all, especially considering that he didn't even hold it against you when you outright refused to participate in that skirmish back in Germany and also proceeded to refer to all the parties that took part in it "a bunch of babies incapable of just talking it out instead".

"I have to at least try," you muttered, nuzzling your face into the crook of his neck. "At the very least it'd be nice to see my little sister again. Scare her fiancé within an inch of his sanity if he even thinks of hurting her."

"If you're sure, darling. But if at any point you wish to leave, let me know. We'll be home in seconds. Leave Stark's transportation behind. Surely Hogan will be able to find his way back to the compound."

"I heard that," a voice broke through the speakers on your side of the divider. "Look if you two have to make the dramatic exit a heads up would be nice is all I'm saying. Don't wanna have to spend a second longer in here than we have to, you know?"

"Happy I get you, but I'm sure you know by now that if we're gonna be texting you about a dramatic exit, by the time you read it, we'll already be back in our apartment." His groan over the speakers was all the agreement you needed. "Just--if anyone in that house asks you any questions, say it's classified information under Tony's orders or some shit. I don't want anyone in there knowing a goddamn thing. Nosy pretentious asshats." You grumbled the last part under your breath, earning a chuckle from the god still cradling you in his arms.

"Well I hope your poker face is ready, Y/N," Happy spoke up again. "Because we're about three houses away and a woman that looks like an older Botox'd to the high heavens and bleach blonde version of you is waiting by the mailbox."

"I'm assuming the woman he's describing is your mother?"

You nodded, refusing to lift your head from Loki's shoulder as if it would somehow prolong -- maybe even prevent -- the inevitable. "Fucking Audrey."

"Should I be especially cautious around anyone?"

You scoffed at the question. "Everyone. Just as a rule of thumb, if any of my aunts corner you and ask you about sleeping habits or stamina, call me. If anyone touches you anywhere that only I should be touching and not in front of a live audience unless we're feeling especially risqué, shout and I'll beat them up and make a scene so crazy it'll make Wade proud."

"I don't think you should pride yourself on your ability to incur that Wilson's pride, darling," he cautioned you with a soft chuckle. "But I will make sure to take your words to heart." You let out a whiny whimper as he eased you off his lap and seated you beside him, feeling the car coming to a stop. "Shall we?"

You placed your hand in his, lacing your fingers together as he exited the car before helping you out as well. When you saw the obviously newly bleached blonde middle aged woman approaching you, you could feel Loki's thumb rubbing circles on the back of your hand the moment you began to tense up. "Mother," you spoke up, smiling through gritted teeth. "Thank you for extending the invitation. Let me introduce you to Loki, we work together and we…also live together. He's my boyfriend."

Every nerve in your body tensed itself for a fight the second she gave him a head-to-toe look, her eyes so visibly dismissive and judgmental. "It was your father that extended the invitation. Come on, we shouldn't keep him waiting." And then she turned around and walked back toward the house, completely ignoring the god's outstretched hand to shake.

"What in the actual fuck?" you muttered, both of you giving each other a look before following Audrey into your childhood home.

The second the door opened you saw a familiar dark-haired ball of energy running toward you for a hug. "Y/N holy fuck you actually came!" your sister Stella squealed, the impact of her embrace making you let go of your boyfriend's hand. "I fucking missed you so much!"

"It's great to see you too, sis," you chuckled, returning her embrace as you took a look around the house that barely resembled your home from years past. "Any idea why they sent the invite, though? I mean I don't wanna sound like a right bitch but--"

"The short version is that Dad saw a video of you on a mission last year and he started missing you. When you went viral a few weeks ago after those photos of you and your boyfriend went around, he decided it's been too long since he's seen you and he wanted to meet you. And Loki. He just wants to meet the guy who made you smile the way you do in the pictures. You seem really happy with him."

You beamed at her words. "I really am, Stell. Actually I was wondering if you and your fiancé would be up to it, we could all meet up next time you're in the city." If it was possible, her smile got even wider at your offer. "I never wanted to be the first to show weakness since Audrey would fucking jump in glee at that but…I really fucking missed you, too, моя маленькая сестра."

The wonder that entered her eyes tugged at your heartstrings, reminding you so much of how she looked before you'd left home all those years ago. Back when she was still smack dab in the middle of high school. "What was that you just said?"

"My little sister." She let out a childlike giggle as she wrapped her arms around you again. "Nat's been teaching me mainly so we can talk shit. The only ones who can tell what we're talking about are Loki, his brother, and Bucky."

"Ohh if you knew how fucking thirsty everyone's been on the family group chat over literally everyone you just mentioned. Oop--you should probably go save your mans from some of them because our aunts? Well, let's just say they got handsy over my Nate, and he's nowhere near as built as your--"

"Say less," you muttered, walking toward the aunts in question. There were three of them standing in front of your boyfriend, the closest being Brenda who was basically the slutty wine mom version of Audrey, and she was about to reach out and place an overly manicured hand complete with long coffin acrylic nails on Loki's arm.

You put a stop to her wine-aided show of interest in people that weren't hers inches before acrylic met cotton, your hand catching her wrist in a thinly-veiled death grip and earning you an incredulous head-to-toe look from her. "Why, little horsey, what's gotten into--"

"Touch him, and it will be the last time you have hands, Brenda," you seethed, placing enough pressure against the joint of her thumb to let her know you weren't kidding. "I might be one of the non-enhanced members of my team, but that doesn't mean I can't break your hand like a fucking toothpick. And since you can't seem to remember anything you were taught as a child, let me just refresh your decaying memory. Touch that which belongs to someone else and lose a fucking limb."

She struggled to free her hand from your grip for a few moments before you made a show of "graciously" letting go, the three women stumbling away from you and the raven-haired Asgardian, a look of caution in their eyes as they made their way back to the kitchen. "Can I steal that line from you, little bunny?"

You turned towards the source of the new voice, a smile stretching across your face as you met eyes with you father. The only other friendly face you'd seen so far besides Stella since stepping foot in this house. This time around you were the one running for a hug, nearly sending him stumbling back from the impact. "I'll even teach you where to apply pressure."

"Horse? Bunny?" You broke the embrace to turn back towards Loki. "Any particular reason why your familial nicknames are based on animals?"

"When my permanent teeth were coming in, my front teeth looked a little too big for my face, so…" You trapped your bottom lip under your front teeth and wiggled your nose like a bunny, making him chuckle as you stepped back into his embrace before pressing a kiss to your forehead. "Horse is because I had an overbite and despite growing into it, Brenda always fucking neighed whenever I stepped into  the room."

"Darling, that's horrid."

"That's Brenda for you," your dad retorted, holding out a hand toward the god. "I'm Thatcher. I apologize for Y/N's mother. And her sisters. And my sisters."

The tension that had knots forming all over you began to relax by the slightest as you slipped out of Loki's hold, leaving him to talk with your father in relative peace compared to how you began your re-entry into this chapter of your life that felt too full of ghosts you thought you'd exorcised a long time ago.

"The last time I saw her this happy she was a little girl twirling around in a yellow princess dress getting ready for Halloween trick or treating around the neighborhood. Do you--have that? Back in…?"

"Asgard?" Loki finished for your father. "We do not. In truth Y/N was the one that kept me apprised of all the traditions mortals have in this realm. And the sweets that children tend to hoard during that time of year. We still have some from this year's festivities in our apartment left over from when she handed them out to the children."

"Is that how you and her became a thing?"

The god let out a mix between a chuckle and a sharp exhale as the memories of the early days of your relationship came back to him. "No. Those days we were simply friends. I'd only started truly courting her earlier this year. It was my brother that tipped us both off that we were as you mortals would say…dancing around each other? Truly I'd been taken with her the moment we met, I just never dared think she would return the sentiment. Since then I'd barely ever left her side." He looked to you, speaking with your sister once more as you both walked down the hall toward the kitchen, heart pounding in his chest as his mind was bombarded with the thought of perhaps living in a home similar to this with you one day, perhaps starting a family of your own. "You raised a remarkable woman, you should be very proud of her."

"I have been. I've always been. Honestly the only reason I haven't reached out to her sooner is I knew she wouldn't want to see most of the people in this house since they're the ones that practically drove her out all those years ago. But getting hit with the realization that my little girl was building a future that I wasn't going to be a part of felt so wrong to me. I only wanted for us to reconnect but the second Audrey and the rest of the family heard I was planning to reach out they took over. Invited themselves. Turned it into this entire thing."

"Apologies but I don't quite follow. She talked as if she knew that this would be a full family affair. Braced herself for it, even."

"That's only because she knows her mother painfully well, always sticking her business in places it didn't belong," he grumbled. "I don't know if she told you, but her mother and I have been separated since years before she even left the house. Our families have just been so tangled up with one another that I can't seem to escape as cleanly as my daughter did. Really I only planned for this to have been a simple meal shared with maybe Stella and her fiancé. I should have met with her instead, fuck I really clowned with this whole thing."

"Something that Y/N told me throughout my acclimation into this realm was…we learn as we go." Your father snapped his gaze towards you the moment Loki said the words. "She said you taught her that."

Thatcher straightened his stance and faced the god once more. "Do you love my daughter?"

He didn't hesitate to give his answer. "More than anything."

A lump formed in Loki's throat as your father reached into his pocket, pulling out a ring box that seemed generations old, set in a black leather and gold detailing. "The second I saw those pictures of the two of you, I recognized that look in your eyes. It's the same one I saw in Nate when he looked at Stella. When you're ready, and more importantly when she's ready, all I want is to be able to walk my baby down the aisle. But until then, keep this somewhere safe."

With a wave of his hand, Loki made the box disappear in a flash of green, keeping it in the safest place he could. "I'm sure she would love to have you walk her--"

"Are you fucking kidding me, Audrey??" The sound of your voice going shrill had him ready to march over to you. "So not only did you have the fucking audacity to invite yourself to this, bring your air-headed sisters along with you, and disrespect me and my boyfriend within sixty seconds of getting out the fucking car, but now you think you're in a position to pass your judgment and tell everyone how you think I 'picked the wrong Asgardian'."

A chill spread throughout Loki's body at your words. Despite the knowledge that yes, Thor was in fact the one that practically pushed you two to finally admit to your feelings towards one another, there would always be a deep-seated fear in him that you would wake up one day and choose differently. As so many before did in their youth.

"I'm just saying, little horsey, that if I was given the choice between two brothers, I would have picked the one that could make me a queen of a whole planet. Not the alien equivalent of an ex-con," your mother sneered at you, making his skin bristle at the sight of your rage visibly beginning to build. "Then again I shouldn't be surprised. You always did make it so difficult for us to tell any of our friends about you. Turning your back on the family business, specializing in a field that could do nothing for the image of my family, and now we can't even tell anyone you're dating a prince because all they're gonna see is the guy on YouTube back in Stuttgart that told everyone to--"

"Audrey, you finish that sentence I'm gonna make you fucking kneel," you seethed, shoulders squaring as you took a step toward them. "You haven't had a single good thing to say about me since I got first runner up in that stupid pageant you dragged me into when I was three. I turned my back on the family business because I refused to participate in a cycle of helping raise a new generation of girls that would turn out to be as brainless and shallow as you lot. I specialized in technological advancements in sustainable energy so I could actually do some good in the world and it got me an internship in Stark Industries that led to my training at SHIELD that led me into the Avengers program.

"And I don't give a single flying fuck if you can't brag to your friends at the country club about who I share a home with! Tell them whatever the fuck you want, but the long and short of it is this: I am dating a god. And a King." You lowered your voice as a smirk tugged at the side of your mouth, picking up a book that had been placed on top of the counter and waving it in their direction. "And these big boy blue-skinned ice aliens you're thirsting over in your horny wine moms book club?" You tossed the book back on the countertop with a resounding smack. "I'm dating that, too."

Your sister's jaw dropped to the ground as her gaze flickered between the scene in front of her and towards the front door where Loki still stood watching along with your father. "You go, sis," he heard her mutter before she cleared her throat. "If it helps, she's unimpressed with Nate being a neurosurgeon, too."

Somehow that sentiment caused you to chuckle, your stance a touch more relaxed now. "You know for such unimpressive women, you seem to have impossible standards for what you think is impressive to you. And the funniest thing is that somehow you all got it into your heads that the blonde himbo I call one of my best friends, that got banished to Earth for trying to destroy an entire realm because he was always a little too excited to wage war 'in his youth'…The same blonde himbo that had to grab and shake my shoulders to knock some sense into me because apparently my not so subtle crush on his brother was reciprocated and we were being idiots friendzoning ourselves? That Thor? Somehow you think you know better than I do and that he's somehow the better option? Fucking. Laughable.

"When I choose who I give my heart to, Audrey, that's it. I don't do the stupid thing and look around and see if there's greener pastures somewhere because I was raised better than that. By someone with more character in his pinky toenail than you have in your entire body, you bumbling idiot. Fact is there is no better option and there will never be a better option. Not for me. Thor doesn't even begin to compete. He's just the matchmaker. And if you can't even suck up your ego for five seconds and show me a modicum of respect then I don't need to tolerate your pretentious ass for one more minute."

As you walked out of the kitchen, marching your way back to him, Loki could see a fierce protectiveness in your eyes that he only ever saw out in the field. He'd come to terms that he would never see you donning that look over himself because out there he was better equipped and more than willing to be the one protecting you. He had to admit, however, that seeing it now had his heart doing somersaults in his chest.

I'm going to marry this woman, he thought to himself, a smile stretching across his face once you'd reached him and stepped into his outstretched arm, your own hand sliding across his lower back as you both settled into a familiar embrace.

"Sorry to rain down on this whole thing, Dad. I know you tried." You and your father gave each other mirroring shrugs. "Maybe you could--go to New York next time? Bring Stella with you? Y'know…just because I never wanna see those sad sacks of silicone and bleach ever again doesn't mean I wanna live the rest of my life without you two."

"I'll reach out next time I find myself in your neck of the woods, little bunny. Might be sooner than you think."

Your hold on him tightened the slightest bit as if to draw his attention back to you. It was adorable that you thought it ever left. "Let's go home." The way your tone audibly softened as soon as you turned to face him had the god unable to hold back from pressing a kiss to the top of your head before turning toward the door.

"Home?" a new voice perked up, making you both turn and face the dark-blond haired man who stepped in next to your sister. "I take it Audrey fucked up that fast, huh?" He set the grocery bags in his hands down, wiping his hands on his trouser legs before extending one towards you. "I'm Nate."

"The neurosurgeon, right?" you answered, taking his hand in what Loki knew was a handshake a touch firmer than necessary. "You know I work with someone who used to be a neurosurgeon, too. And…" The god stifled a chuckle as your grip tightened and tilted his hand to a point of discomfort. "If you ever even think about hurting my little sister, I will make what Stephen Strange went through look like a walk in the fucking park."

"Wouldn't dream of it," the Midgardian healer squeaked, letting out a breath of relief when you relinquished your hold on his hand. "Sorry you have to leave so early. Would've loved the opportunity to get to know the woman Stella can never seem to stop talking about. She's an entire fangirl whenever she sees you on the news."

"Shut up I am not!" Your sister faced you with a slightly sheepish look not too dissimilar from a look he occasionally saw from you. "Okay maybe I am a little bit. I mean I can't help it! My sister's a superhero!"

The sentiment had you nearly mirroring her jovial tone as you stepped out of his hold to pull her into an embrace. "I love you, too, sis. Come see me if you're ever in New York, okay?" When you pulled away from one another, you held her shoulders as you imparted one final piece of advice to both her and her intended. "You don't have to tolerate her behavior. Neither of you do. Today or--any other day of your lives."

It was just before dark when you and Loki got back to the Avengers Compound, already bracing yourself for what Tony was about to say once you stepped through the threshold. You knew you fucked up any chance of a new stakeholder for the Avengers the second you walked out of that house hand in hand with Loki, but you couldn't bring yourself to tolerate Audrey and her vapid posse a second longer.

Nobody got to pass judgment on you and your choices like that, especially when the choice they were so dismissively passing their judgment on was the love of your life. You should have broken their hands the second they started talking about how they thought you fumbled so badly for not choosing Thor.

"Thanks for not leaving Happy in hoity toity upper middle class Suburbia, you two," Stark hollered seconds after you stepped through the compound's main entrance.

"Tony I'm sorry--"

"For what?" he cut you off. "While you two were on the road your dad called me, said he wanted to invest in the Avengers Program, even offered his consulting company to be in our roster of resources. On one condition."

"And that would be?"

"Regular visits. At least once a quarter, he said. With you as the official liaison. Said he doesn't wanna miss any more of your life if he can help it."

A grin threatened to split your face, your heart warming at the knowledge that when your father said 'might be sooner than you think', he truly meant it. You no longer had to "all or nothing" your embargo on your family. "I think that can be arranged."

A/N: If you got that book reference, let's be best friends. And that name drop.

I'm so glad to knock another request off the 500-follower list! And this was honestly so much fun to write because I got to create a larger family dynamic that wasn't all bad for Reader but also showed that a few bad elements can really just throw off the whole vibe that that in itself is a good enough reason to walk away. (aka fuck u Audrey)

And also writing scenes where Reader tells Audrey off will never not be cathartic for me 😂🫡

Thank you so much for sending the request in, Camille! I hope you love the story as much as I loved creating it 💖💛

'everything' taglist: @sailorholly @loopsisloops @unlucky-number-13 @imalovernotahater @coldnique @loz-3 @huntress-artemiss @salempoe @vickie5446 @athalialaufeyson @lokiprompts @sarahscribbles @kats72 @kikster606 @evelyn-kingsley @lokixryss @thomase1 @mischief2sarawr @peaches1958 @lovingchoices14 @goblingirlsarah @iamlokisgloriouspurpose @creationsbyme @maple-seed @mjsthrillernp @ladyofthestayingpower @mygfloki @sititran @glitterylokislut @ozymdias @fictive-sl0th @lovelysizzlingbluebird @lokidbadguy @mochie85 @silverfire475 @joyful-enchantress @dangertoozmanykids101 @elizabethmidnight2017 @lokidokieokie @lunarnights95 @superficialdomina

Loki taglist: @calumance @severuslovebot @moonlightreader649 @i-stand-with-loki @nixymarvelkins @infinitystoner @lokisgoodgirl @purplegrrl27 @thedistractedagglomeration

[flxwrites]

Back To London

Emily x Harry

"I'm freezing." Emily mentions rubbing her arms even with her sweater on, still not used to the cold temperatures in London.

And she honestly loves visiting Harry's family, there's something about their house that just makes her feel like it's her home too, she thinks it's something very important.

"Well, I know a way we can warm up." Her fiancé purrs climbing into bed with her, and when he catches her in his arms, Emily giggles shaking her head.

"Oh no, we're not going to have sex with your mother and sister downstairs in the living room, what if they hear us?"

"They're not going to hear us, plus we can be extra quiet." He starts kissing her neck and she knows that if she doesn't stop him now, she won't be able to later.

But she doesn't need to say anything, for days now she has been feeling sick, her head hurts, her breasts are tender and swollen, even if she gets enough sleep she is tired, she feels nauseous every morning, she even still remembers how the night before she threw up her dinner.

And her period is a week late.

"I think I'm pregnant." She spits out suddenly, feels Harry stop and even though he still has his lips pressed to her neck, he is no longer kissing her.

She doesn't know why she's so afraid, they're getting married in a couple of months, everything in their relationship is going great and they both have a good job as well as stable.

It should be the perfect moment, but why does she feel she is not ready yet?

"Really?..." he asks softly pulling away from her to sit on the bed, Emily mimics his action while nodding her head.

"I was going to tell you until I was sure but...I-" She sighs, she wants to search for the right words but if anything, are there any? "The idea hasn't left my head and honestly it kind of scares me." She finally confesses.

Her fiancé's face at that moment is hard to read, she doesn't know what's going through his mind or what he'll say next, but it terrifies her.

"Can you tell me something?..." She insists.

He opens his mouth, thinks he's going to say something but closes it again before combing her hair back and then takes her hand to pull her to him, making her sit on his lap.

"Love, I'm kind of...I don't have words." When Harry lets out a chuckle kissing her cheek, it's as if a huge weight is lifted from Emily's shoulders.

Maybe her fear was that he didn't want to have a baby.

"I mean, it's not a sure thing yet but...I think the symptoms I have are pretty telling. Umm I bought a test last night, I was going to get it done but I didn't-I didn't." She explains.

"How about we find out now, petal?" Harry tucks a lock of hair behind his fiancée's ear.

She nods smiling before sighing and getting up to walk to the dresser in front of the bed, under the clothes she pulls out the home test box. Her heart races and she swears the nausea returns.

But her train of thought is stopped thanks to Harry's presence, he hugs her waist from behind and noisily kisses her cheek.

"Come on..."

And with that they both make their way to the bathroom, Emily is the first to enter and he follows, she carefully opens the packaging where the test awaits, she carefully reads the instructions written on the box.

1.Urinate into a cup or directly into the absorbent end of the test mid-flow for 5-10 seconds

Although Harry and Emily have had sex before, this is something different so she still expects some privacy, he knows her so well that it doesn't take him long to turn his back on her. He wants to be present all the time.

She pulls her pants down along with her underwear until they are a puddle on the floor, sits on the toilet bowl and places the proof between her legs.

"Everything in order?" he asks.

"Yeah, I think so...I think I'm going to throw up. I'm scared." She replies, Emily can feel her hands shaking.

"It’s okay , we're in this together, do you need help?"

"No, I'm just going to pee. Don't turn around."

2. Wait for the results. This may take 2 to 10 minutes for the full results to appear.

While Emily reads the instructions, her fiancé hums some Fleetwood Mac tunes and it really helps distract her from all the swirling emotions she is feeling.

3. If the result is positive, two pink marks will appear on the test, if the result is negative, only one of the marks will appear.

"Finish." She warns stretching his arm to the sink where he leaves the test, Emily is quick to wipe herself and pull up her pants.

She flushes the toilet once she stood up, her stomach twists and those 10 minutes feel like an eternity for both of them.

Harry notices how his fiancée trembles as his eyes are focused on what outcome will appear, if someone ask him. He would love to be a dad, he wants to start a family and even though they haven't planned to start now, he wouldn't mind doing so.

He hugs her around the waist pressing his lips against her forehead, feels her small hands touch his back on his shirt. Emily is terrified and he knows it.

"Why are you so scared baby?, you're not alone...and believe me if we have a baby now, it will be wonderful." He murmurs against her skin.

"What if I'm not a good mom?...."

The Brit frowns, quizzical at what he just said. He's also scared but honestly can't wait to have children with Emily. Taking care of them, living in a beautiful house with a big garden where they can play. It all sounds like a dream.

"Why do you say that?" he asks pulling away from her slightly to look into her eyes, she is on the verge of tears, her pretty eyes are full of tears and he can tell.

She shrugs her shoulders.

"Hey...we will learn together. The first step is to love our baby and I don't think that's hard work." He lets out a chuckle caressing her cheek with his thumb before stealing a kiss.

Emily kisses him again grabbing him by the shirt, he wraps her in a hug and then his gaze falls on the test.

His heart races as he pulls away from his fiancé and takes her in his hands.

"I'm pregnant."

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Heeeey ✨ i hope you liked it, if there are any misspelled words, feel free to tell me 🫶

[66sharkteeth]

Hi 66, I have a lot of thoughts sorry in advance! One of my favorite things about CoB is how the premise lays the groundwork for some really interesting angst, psychological horror, and identity crises. Today, when I was at work and thinking about CoB (as one does) a thought suddenly occurred to me. Bell and Rex are both interested in each other -- if they were to start dating, and Lyss found out about it, oh my god how would she even begin to process that???? (1/4)

Sharing the full thing bc I think it's good food for thought!

Honestly, I'm not sure I'm gonna give you the answer you're looking for though and might end up rambling with my own thoughts related to this. Because I can't really say much about Lyss and Bell's relationship yet, let alone each individual's with Rex. Except that Lyss did have romantic feelings for Rex, ones that she knows weren't ever requited bc of how she treated his kind before she knew he was one of them. Without those factors, Rex could have been interested back...and low and behold, he is, with Bell.

Honestly though, Bell and Lyss make me think about the argument that blanks are just a continuation of humans though. I see soooooooooooooo many comments (esp in earlier episodes) of people going like "why do people hate blanks? they're the same person." but no, they aren't, and Lyss and Bell are the most blatant example of that. Yes, they might look and act exactly the same, but Bell and Lyss are the PRIME example that when a blank takes your face, your consciousness and who you are STAYS with you (and usually dies), and a COPY of it is born. Lyss didn't suddenly wake up as Bell. She isn't Bell now that half her face was stolen. She isn't magically connected with Bell either, like they don't share a consciousness and read each others minds or anything. Lyss stayed Lyss when her face was stolen, and Bell was born as an (albeit incomplete) copy of her.

There is no difference in their situation than any other blank victim's, other than Lyss survived and Bell will never get 100% of Lyss' memories in her current state. But like that girl in the opening episodes? She didn't "become" a blank. A blank became her. And if Rex hadn't mercy-killed that blank, she'd be living pretty similar to Lyss now, still existing and living her life with a blank copy of her out somewhere. Just because most people die in the face stealing process, doesn't change anything.

Any of them who survive would end up essentially like Lyss and Bell, who everyone views as two very different people despite insisting that blanks are just the person whose face they stole, just now a different species.

Now, I do acknowledge this gets a little confusing and complicated when we got blanks like Claude and Charlie who were also Claude and Charlie as humans...but that's simply just a case of identity. Claude was Claude the human, then he became Claude the blank. But he will NEVER be Claude the human again. Claude the human is dead and Claude the human will never come back. However, he was comfortable with his former identity (plus he wanted to keep Claude the human's family and business ties), so he just decided to be Claude the blank when it came time to settle on his identity.

But then there's blanks like Desmond, who don't identify as their face at all. He took his face from Reese the human, and now Reese is dead and he is a blank named Desmond wearing a Reese skin. He will never be Reese, though, not even Reese the blank.

[jerzwriter]

A Different Fate... Part 3 - It's been a long time.

Book: Open Heart (Post Series)

Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (past) feat. Tobias Carrick

Rating: Teen

Words: 2.2 k

Category: Short-Series/AU/Lost Love

Summary: Kaycee is both excited and anxious as she prepares for dinner, not sure of what it will uncover.

A/N: This was supposed to be a one-and-done, y'all. lol Instead, it's a little AU series of its own. It will be a total of four parts, so one more to go after this. I hope you enjoy it! @choiceschallenge-may2023 | Seeing an old friend/love @choicesflashfics Prompt in bold

Series Masterlist Ethan x Kaycee Masterlist Full Masterlist

There is something special about springtime in New York. Kaycee insists everyone should experience it at least once. She was now living through her eighth and found it every bit as magical as her first. Perhaps that's why her eyes were fixed on the window as she patiently waited, perched anxiously on the edge of her chair. There was so much to keep her mind occupied. Children in fancy prep-school uniforms skipped beside their harried nannies, who scolded them not to run ahead. Tourists, with perpetually lost expressions, had their cameras at the ready, and who could blame them? There wasn't a thing surrounding them that anyone would want to forget. Then there were the young lovers, strolling hand in hand, so enraptured with each other that they never even stopped to marvel at the blooming fields that turned Central Park into a masterpiece that no artist could ever replicate. Yes, New York in the spring delivered pure magic, and she never took that for granted.

She was relieved when she received his text earlier that day. Work was more chaotic than usual. Knowing he was running even later than her brought her a little relief. Just a little. 

I called Gabriel's they're still holding our reservation. When you get there, order a bottle of wine. You always had exquisite taste, so I trust you. And it's on me, don't spare me any expense.  

She watched closely as the well-bedecked waiter poured her glass of Vérité La Muse Merlot, a crafty smile tugging at her lips. He hadn't arrived yet, but she could already hear him….

I said spare no expense, but I didn't think you'd bleed me dry!

She'd tease that their next bottle would be the Château Lafite Rothschild Pauillac Bordeaux, three times the price. But maybe not... knowing him? He'd order it on the spot.  

She mindlessly swirled the garnet liquor in its decadent crystal chalice, enjoying its fragrant aroma before eagerly welcoming the glass to her lips. The tension left her shoulders as the smile on her face grew.

"I take it meets your approval," the waiter beamed.

"More than," Kaycee replied, suddenly grateful he had picked the venue. It seemed like overkill when he mentioned it. After all, she was more of a burger and beer at The Perfect Pint woman herself, but right now… she hadn't a single complaint.

She heard his voice before she saw him, and she downed her remaining wine in a most unladylike manner. Her stomach was in knots, though she couldn't say why, especially after she turned and saw that once-familiar smile light up the room. It was funny how time and distance could melt away with one glance.

"MacClennan!" Tobias gushed. "Get the hell over here and give me a hug!"

"Oh my God, look at you!" She beamed, clenching him in a warm embrace. "I swear you haven't changed a bit!"

"Well, you have!" He insisted, dramatically walking around her for effect. "How is it you get younger with every passing year?"

"You know, those pathetic lines may work on most women, Tobias…."

"But you've never been most women," he laughed.

The two old friends took to their seats and began chatting away like old times. It had been a good six years since they exchanged more than a brief greeting on their birthdays and a card at Christmastime, and though there was much to catch up on, it was as if they didn't miss a beat.

"I hear you were seeing someone!"

"Yes, was… past tense."

"I heard you got married?"

"And divorced… but you already knew that, didn't you?"

"Of course I did!"

"I read your research on genetically engineering cells… it was brilliant!"

"I’d love to say I was surprised with how you’ve made your team world-renowned, but that would be a lie.”

The conversation flowed so freely, so pleasantly... it felt like home, and Kaycee wondered why she was ever apprehensive about the evening. She questioned her choice to keep Tobias at arms-length some six years before. But as the evening moved on and the topics of conversation dwindled, the reason was clear. The eight-thousand-pound elephant in the room that the two had eloquently managed to sidestep was suddenly standing before them, demanding to be seen. It was Kaycee who relented first.

“So, how is Ethan?” She asked softly, a tone so low Tobias may have missed it if he hadn't been waiting for her to ask all night.

“He’s good,” Tobias assured, preparing to recite the canned reply he planned just for this occasion. “He’s doing just….”

But the evening had been too pleasant, his joy at seeing his old friend too genuine to mar the night with a lie.

“He’s Ethan… Kaycee. He’s Ethan.”

Her lip twitched, and she quickly grabbed her wine, a quick reflex that would provide a cover until she could think of more to say.

“I… I was hoping maybe he’d join you. Is he in town as well?”

“No, no… I’m the only one representing the team. He decided to sit this one out.”

“Oh,” she replied sadly. “Well, I’m not surprised. Pediatrics isn’t his field. In fact, I was surprised you were attending.”

“Well, unfortunately, we’re seeing more and more young patients, and we need to expand our knowledge. We hope to add two pediatric specialists to the team by year's end, but it never hurts to learn more.”

“Oh, I might know someone by the name of Dr. Trinh who would make a marvelous addition to the team, not that I’m trying to influence you!”

“Trust me, I’ve already floated her name. We all know she’d be perfect, except….”

He tried to stop that last word, but it came a second too late.

“Except?” Kaycee arched her brow, already knowing the answer she'd receive.

Tobias leaned back with a sigh and ran a hand down his face.

“It’s still hard for him to be around… people or things… that he associates with you. I know it may sound ridiculous, but....”

“No,” Kaycee said, pouring the remaining wine into her glass. “It doesn’t sound ridiculous at all. Of course, some of us had to learn to live with it because… everything reminds me of him….” she trailed. “But that’s unimportant. I don’t think he’d be foolish enough to let the best doctor for the position go or to deny her the opportunity… just because of... me.”

Tobias studied Kaycee carefully, and while she did a better job hiding it than his best friend back in Boston, he could still see that familiar pain in her eyes.

“No. When push comes to shove, he will always do what’s best for the team. But, it won’t be easy.”

For the first time that night, an uncomfortable silence fell between them, and he gave her the time she needed. Her eyes were fixed on the silverware she was fidgeting with, and Tobias was already composing the tongue-lashing he intended to give Ethan in his mind.

“You know… I owe you an apology,” she finally spoke.

“Me?” He marveled. “What for?”

“For blowing you off,” she faltered. “You know, not in the way most women blow you off,” she teased, desperate for any form of levity. “But… seriously… how can I criticize Ethan for doing the very things I’ve done. I limited our friendship to the occasional nicety because… it was just too hard to be around you. It reminded me of a different time, a wonderful time, but… whoever said ‘time heals’ is a liar."

“Kaycee,” whispered. “I’ll never understand how the two of you have allowed so much time to linger... so much pain… when it’s unnecessary.”

“Is it, though?” She asked defensively. “Is it? When I think back to when my residency was ending… Tobias, there was nothing I wouldn’t have given for him. I loved him… I loved him so much… I would have done anything to stay together, but he, he wasn't willing to give anything at all. What choice did I have? And I’ve tried… I’ve tried to move on. I’ve built a phenomenal career, and I have a good life here. I love New York, and I’m happy. But when it comes to love… everyone is still second to him. They’re second to a ghost, so in time we both end up hurt, and it’s not fair. When my last relationship ended, I decided not to even try anymore. It was three years, Tobias… three intoxicating, extraordinary, tumultuous years. We've lived almost three times that amount since I left Boston, and still… I can’t let go. I’ve just accepted that this is how it will always be.”

Tobias tossed his napkin on the table with a sigh. “Ah, Kaycee… You know… you deserve more. You really do.”

“We both do,” she smiled sadly.

“Have you ever tried reaching out to him? At all?”

“I ran into him at a convention or two. We exchanged polite greetings after we failed at doing our best to avoid each other, but nothing more than that.”

“Why don’t you try?”

“Tobias. Did you ask him to come to this conference with you? And don’t lie to me. I can tell when you lie.”

“No, you can’t,” he smirked.

“Try me.”

“Yes. I asked him.”

“And he declined... he declined because he didn’t want to risk seeing me. In a city of eight million people, the risk of running into me was too great… so he declined. Am I right?”

“You are,” he whispered with a sad smile.

“Trust me, Tobias. Any man who goes to those lengths to avoid me doesn’t want my call.”

Tobias reached over and gave her hand a supportive squeeze as they tried to move the conversation along. Despite the melancholy mood the evening had taken on, they were still happy to have spent time together. Tobias walked Kaycee to her door and shared a long hug before bidding her good night.

“I can’t tell you what to do, but I’d love it if we didn’t let another six years slip by before doing this again.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” she grinned. “So, you’ll just have to come to New York…”

“… or you can come o Boston….”

"Oh, Tobias," Kaycee said, gently touching his cheek. "You know damn well that Boston only has around 650,000 people... and it's the scene of the crime."

"Then I’ll just have to make a point of coming to New York more often,” he grinned. “It was great seeing you.”

“It was great seeing you, too.”

Without any place to go, Tobias lingered in front of Kaycee’s building, his eyes trailing her until she stepped through the elevator doors. Then he started on the five-block walk to his hotel. He wasn’t one to believe in love… not often anyway… but when it was real... when it was true... he couldn't understand how two people could let it go. He had watched his best friend live half a life for nearly a decade, and now that he knew Kaycee had been doing the same, he was filled with a sadness he didn't quite understand.

The lobby of his hotel was warm and inviting... mahogany walls, soft jazz, small groups of people engaged in convivial conversations and laughter. Given his state of mind, this was definitely more appealing than the solitary room waiting for him. He flopped back into one of the plush settees and ordered a stiff drink. He knew it was just another night for Ethan, but he felt the need to check on his friend. With a few sips of brandy under his belt, he reached into his pocket for his phone.

“Hey, Boss! How’s it going?”

“It’s going,” Ethan replied. “I should be asking you that.... how was the first day of the conference.”

“Good, it was good,” Tobias enthused. “Lots of information, and it left me confident of one thing.”

“Yeah, what’s that?”

“We need to bring on the pros. Sure, we should broaden our own knowledge, but I say we move ahead and hire some peds for our team. We’re getting too many kids lately, Ethan… and neither of us enjoys it when we fail them. I think it would improve our outcomes.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Ethan replied.

“Good! I say we put the search into high swing.”

“I’m a step ahead of you," Ethan countered. "I spent the night speaking with… with Dr. Trinh.”

“Oh,” Tobias’s eyes widened. “Did you? You know I’ve made no secret about it… she’d be the best person for the job.”

“You're right,” Ethan sighed. “And she can be quite persuasive, too.”

“That’s an understatement,” Tobias laughed. “So, did she convince you to let her be our new team member?”

“She did. I told her the job is hers if she wants it… and I think she wants it.”

“Excellent!” Tobias grinned, grateful that something left him feeling a little better. “If I had known she could be this persuasive, I would have utilized her sooner!”

“Yeah,” Ethan laughed. “You have no idea how persuasive she could be.”

“Oh, is there more?”

“There is.”

“OK, stop being so cryptic, buddy. You going to fill me in or what?”

“I could,” Ethan swallowed. “But it's not a conversation to have on the phone. Why don’t you come join me at the bar, and I’ll tell you the rest.”

“That would be great, Ethan… but in case you’ve forgotten, I’m an hour and a half plane ride away.”

“Tobias... turn around.”

Stupified, Tobias stood up and glanced around the room, his phone still at his ear when a goofy grin lit up his face. 

“So, you’re in New York?” He spoke into the mouthpiece. “Is it for the conference?”

Ethan shook his head with a smirk.

"Why don't you hang up and join me.”

Permatags: @a-crepusculo @animesuck3r @annoyingmillenialnewbie @crazy-loca-blog @doriopenheart @differenttyphoonwerewolf @fayeswiftie @gryffindordaughterofathena @genevievemd @inlocusmads @jamespotterthefirst @jennieausten @kingliam2019 @liaromancewriter @lucy-268 @onikalover @openheartforeverinmyheart @potionsprefect @quixoticdreamer16 @rookiemartin @secretaryunpaid @socalwriterbee @sophxwithers @tessa-liam @trappedinfanfiction @jerzwriter-reblogs-asks @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartforeverinmyheart

[mischivarien]

Part 2 of the Steve angst I wrote last week:) I couldn't just let this sit as angst so I had to give some comfort..

Ao3:https://archiveofourown.org/works/47785066

"Keep the spirit high and your heart in love. keep on movin' "

Steve can just barely hear James Taylor, or even the instrumentals over the ringing in his ears.

He knows if he listens to past-him, and follows through with the promise of asking for help when he's ready, he would be perfectly fine by now- well. As perfect as one can be without hearing or seeing and a messed up body.

He knows he's ready for help and wants to seek out the help. He just doesn't know how.

How to ask Joyce for a ride to the audiologist. How to ask Eddie to read the books he wants to desperately read to him. How to ask Mrs. Sinclair what she does for her migraines. How to ask Claudia to drop him off at the hospital when she leaves for her shift as a nurse, so that he can finally look into medication for his nerves and muscle spasms.

How to ask Mrs. Wheeler to take the kids places, even if she doesn't want to, so that he doesn't crash the car. How to ask Robin, and maybe Phil, to come with him to the optometrist so he can pick out frames. How to ask Hopper to help him get to Mindy's Bookstore because he started shaking too bad to even try to continue driving.

He doesn't know how.

He's tried multiple times. When it was late and the kids were at the Wheeler's for their campaign instead of Eddie's trailer, or Steve's dining table -they like to switch where they're playing for scenery purposes. He's tried when he was driving down a road on the other side of town, where he wasn't as familiar with the signs, and couldn't read them, or when Joyce offered to drive Steve anywhere since he's always driving the kids around.

He's tried. But he's just too tired.

He just wishes he could make all of the pain go away. Wishes he didn't wait so long to be ready for help. Wishes he didn't sit in the pain for so long.

It started with Eddie. He offers to drive Steve and the kids to the arcade "since they're already here and he's been looking to drive somewhere anyways, relax Steve". Then, continuing to offer rides whenever Steve thinks he's the one that needs to be behind the wheel, like he can sense the dread Steve feels, and he probably can.

Then it's Mrs. Wheeler offering to take the kids to the pool, to Steve's, and to take them home. He knows that he's not being replaced, and that the kids won't leave him because he's no longer their chauffeur.

He just has this feeling that everyone knows something he doesn't. He just can't figure it out, not with all the pain he's in.

Suddenly, Mrs. Sinclair is dropping off her ql teas and notebooks full of tips for pains and aches, mainly for head pains and minor injuries "don't worry, dear. I've gotten new copies and too many teas at home to fit into my cupboards. I just want them here because I remember the kids talking about the teas you have" before offering a kind smile and heading to her car to leave.

He uses the books, which help a lot, actually. And the teas. And when the teas inevitably run out, a Sinclair will pop up at his door offering more, along with a mostly believable excuse.

Now Phil is asking for him and Robin to come with him to get new frames for his glasses and " why not get our eyes checked while we're there" leading to Steve walking out of the boiling with a new pair of glasses settled on his nose a week later and another check up in three months.

He can see things better now, but Eddie still ends up offering to read to him, insisting " if I read it, you'll get the full experience, different voices and all guaranteed"

Claudia suddenly needs a buddy for her drives to the hospital, arguing that "oh, you're not that busy at 6 AM, honey." Which leaves Steve to do nothing between the arrival and the beginning Eddie and Max's PT check ups that happen a few times a week, which are at noon. So, he schedules appointments to see his doctors.

He eventually gets a prescription that helps regulate his movements and a strong pain medication to help his migraines along with what Mrs. Sinclair gave him.

Hopper starts coming over before his patrols and always asking if he's " busy at all today? Do you have a ride, and to where? Are you working today?" Before having him climb into his patrol car because "two sets of eyes are better than one" even though Steve doesn't technically count as a full set of eyes anymore.

Then Joyce is heading up to Indianapolis for a few errands and "why don't you tag along, Steve? I'm sure you can find something that'll be fun, or interesting while I run around. Give yourself a break from running after the kids for a bit" and he can't say no to her. So, he goes to the audiologist up there and gets fitted for a hearing aid after getting checked, getting told to either come back in a few weeks or have them delivered to his house, up to him.

The kids even started helping him whenever they're around. Doing dishes. Picking up all the bedding and trash from sleepovers. Helping pay for some things.

He still doesn't know how to ask for help, but maybe he doesn't have to yet. He has people who are willing to help him.

He's glad he was ready for help.

[melishade]

Z-King: oh boy imagin what Starscream would do if he finds out about how Megatron treats the warrior candidates, especially if Gabi opens her big mouth

Previous Episode of the Revenge Timeline

Oh Starscream kills Gabi because she doesn't shut her big mouth.

CW abuse mention via Starscream's thougts.

Let's pick up where we left off. Starscream has taken over Marley. He's riding the absolute high of beating Megatron in combat. Possibly killing him even (he should really double tap that.) Marley and the world is his to command and rule, but something is bothering him. Like an itch in the back of his mind.

What was Megatron doing here in the first place? And why was he helping humans? Somethings not adding up.

He tells the bounty hunters to find some information about this. The Bounty Hunters are like, we did our job pay us. But Starscream states that their job is done when he says it's done. So Starscream is kind of holding them hostage, but he does promise higher pay (possible lie). The Bounty Hunters don't want to cross Starscream, especially with all that power he has, so they just comply.

They do find out some suspicious information about a human named 'Matthew Hayes', with red eyes and proficiency in combat skill, and Starscream immediately recognizes that it was Megatron. He was aware he had a holoform, but he just didn't know what it looked like. Starscream demands why the hell they didn't grab him when they had the chance, but they justify it as 'all the humans look the same. They're slimy and gross. Why would they even bother?'

Starscream processes this and is like 'Yeah, I would've thought the same thing.' So he let's it slide for now.

But he finds out that Megatron, as Matthew Hayes, was training the Warrior Cadets. Which he finds amusing. He assumes that it was going to be a double cross for his own self interest. Not out of character for Megatron. Hell, he would even buy Megatron aligning himself with Optimus. At least Megatron knows Optimus. Why would Megatron work with humans? Willingly?! His pride wouldn't allow it!

So he decides to bring the Warrior Cadets in: Colt, Gabi, Zofia, Falco, and Udo. He scares them, puts on that little devious show, and then rips the rug from under them by revealing Matthew as Megatron. All of them are devastated, and Gabi is vehemently denying Starscream's proclamation, calling him a liar and a devil. And Starscream's initially amused by this, laughing even at Gabi's plight. He decides to asks what made Megatron so special? So different from all the others who scorned and ridiculed them and called them devils.

And Gabi starts listing all the nice and wonderful things that Megatron had done as Matthew. He treated them with respect. He believed that they were capable. He got them treats as rewards. He even helped set a grave for Bertholdt. No one has ever done that for them before!

And Falco...is noticing something horrid. Starscream's amused expression, is turning into one of anger and malice. His amused grin turns into a frown, then a snarl, and those red optics are just now full of fury. Falco begs Gabi to just 'Shut up! Now!' because this was getting worse, but Gabi is just so insistent on trying to prove Starscream wrong.

And Starscream is just furious. Ever kind act that Gabi is listing, he is only reminded of the pain he went through under Megatron's command. The verbal and physical abuse, the threats on his life, the beatings, the humiliation. Every agonizing day he lived in fear because of him, and Megatron suddenly turned around?! He was acting kind now?! With no incentive?! He had no right to act that way after wronging him so many times! He doesn't have the right to be happy! HE DOESN'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO MOVE ON!

The high he was feeling for the past few days is now replaced with unbridled rage. He pulls out his blaster, screams at Gabi to shut up, because this stupid brat would shut up! And before Gabi could think, he blasts her away. Incinerates her into dust in an instant, in front of the remaining Warrior Cadets and the Bounty Hunters.

So you're probably wondering, why do this? Why would Starscream kill Gabi in this timeline? A few reasons. One: Starscream is not in the right head space when it comes to dealing with the trauma that Megatron inflicted on him. To have his abuser be happy?! That was such bullshit! And he needed to take his anger out on someone. Two: Sure, it's the loss of a Warrior Cadet, if he wants to hold bargaining chips, but he has four more right there. Killing one because she badmouthed him was a perfect way to set an example for the remaining four and control them with fear and get them to do his bidding. Three: The human insect would just not shut the hell up, so he shut her up permanently.

So the remaining four Cadets are sobbing over Gabi's death, and the Bounty Hunters are a little put on edge by Starscream's irrational behavior right there. Specifically the former Autobot turned Bounty Hunter. I'd like to imagine he would still have some moral code about harming someone not on the kill list and he's just thinking:

And Starscream orders the Warriors Cadets to be taken away. He then hisses at the bounty hunters in anger, with a new found drive of revenge, to hunt down Megatron wherever he was on this wretched dirt ball and bring him here. He was going to make Megatron suffer for everything he put him through!

[queen--kenobi]

POV, for the ask game

Send me "POV" and I'll write a scene from one of my fics/wips in another character's POV.

Have some Dear Elayna!

It's the day before Elayna's 18 birthday.

Tyland only knows this because Tymon has been obsessively going over the plan for tonight and tomorrow. Truth be told, if Tyland hears Elayna's name or sees it written in Tymon's handwriting one more time, he...

Well. He doesn't know what he'll do, but he knows it will be something to make Tymon furious. He could get away with it too.

Despite being blood, Tymon still sees Tyland as boring and bland, not the type of man to seize what he wants and take it for himself. If only Tymon knew. If only anyone knew. The list of people who know Tyland's true nature is small. He prefers to keep it that way.

It's much easier for him to get what he wants.

If he were brash or openly cunning, he would be met with opposition every time he did anything. He doesn't necessarily want people to underestimate him either. His pride can only take so much. Besides. If he purposefully made people underestimate him, they would watch him closely when he began to get what he wanted. No. Safe to play boring and average intelligence, the sort of man who can get lucky through persistence and hard work.

"You've got the reservations, right?" Tymon lounges on one of the chairs in Tyland's study. The only sign of his impatience is his insistent tapping of his fingers on his thighs. The two agreed Tymon would hide in Tyland's house until it was dark. No use spooking Elayna. If she saw Tymon during the day, no doubt she would run again in the night.

Tymon initially wanted to go see Elayna during the day. He didn't seem to understand why Elayna would bolt. Tyland thought about it but decided against it. If Aemond Targaryen weren't involved, Tyland would have. Where would have Elayna gone but to him? She would have had nowhere to run.

Now, she had Aemond to run to when things turned with Tymon. Why would she come to Tyland?

Aemond complicated things. Nevertheless, Tyland could work with things. He was flexible.

"I have the reservations." Tyland dips his head. "One o'clock."

He neglects to mention they're for the wrong restaurant. It would be easy enough to cover his tracks. The place was always full. Besides, he can play the card Elayna would be more comfortable and receptive in a different place. Worst comes to worst, he can always play the bumbling idiot who got things confused.

Tymon sighs. He gets up and begins pacing.

"I need everything to go perfectly." He begins on his tirade that's almost a mantra. "I need it to be the proposal every girl has dreamed of. I need her to see the kind of life she can have! She can't say no, not if it's picture perfect. Not that she will. She knows only I can protect her. Only I can take care of her. Only I can satisfy every little thing she needs. Only I love her."

Tyland bites the inside of his cheek. He wants to vomit. Instead, he lets Tymon rant and rave. His quill scratches against the paper. Otto wants Tyland to calculate assets and money. No doubt he's testing him, seeing if Tyland would be a better fit to manage finances. Things were beginning to come together on multiple fronts.

"Have I shown you the engagement gift I had made?" Tymon suddenly stops.

"I don't think you have."

"It's perfect." Tymon reaches into his pocket to produce a velvet box. Tyland holds out his hand to take it. Tymon stares at him. Tyland raises an eyebrow.

"I don't want you to touch it. I don't want anything on it."

Tyland levels his brother with a look.

"I won't touch it."

Tymon carefully opens the box. A hair comb rests inside of it. The gold glimmers. The rubies and pearls shine. It's beautiful, a masterpiece. It's almost a shame Elayna will hate it.

"It's nice. It must have cost a pretty penny."

"I have to show her what I can give her. She's going to be my wife. She has to look the part." Tymon closes the box and places it in his pocket once more. "I have her dress already planned out. Silk and pearls with gold. She'll look perfect. She has to."

"I'm sure it will be beautiful."

Silk and pearls and gold? It sounds almost gaudy to Tyland.

Tymon seems content with that answer. He looks towards the clock. It's still early in the afternoon. He fidgets.

"Myrtle should have made lunch by now. Would you like to check on her progress?"

Tymon nods.

"Yeah. I'll go check."

Tyland nearly sighs and sags with relief once Tymon has left. He shakes his head. A dull throbbing begins in his temples. As quietly as he can, Tyland opens a side drawer. A nearly identical box to Tymon's lays inside. Carefully, Tyland opens it. The gold haircomb rests in the box. Rubies decorate it as well but more sparingly. The designs in the gold are more the centerpiece, a lion on each side. Elegant and beautiful without drawing too much attention to itself. Tyland hums and shuts the box.

Patience. Tymon will fuck everything up in due time, and Tyland can swoop in for the kill, playing the part of apologetic older brother trying to make up for his younger brother's mistakes. An ordinary way to start a friendship and from there, a relationship. Nothing to question and no reason for Elayna to run.

Lunch goes about as badly as Tyland predicted. He almost couldn't have hoped for a better outcome. From the moment Elayna came outside, she nearly clung to him. Tymon's irritation rolled off him in massive waves, which only served to press Elayna closer to Tyland.

He scares her.

Tyland knows that will be a problem. Tymon no doubt won't give up, even if Elayna marries another. Tyland will need to find a way to placate his younger brother. He also knows it will work in his favor. He can see the results even now. Elayna will run to him for comfort and protection only he can provide, and he will do so willingly.

Things spiral quickly once they're seated. Even before the appetizers reach them, Tymon pulls out the box and pushes it on Elayna. Initially, Elayna resists graciously, but her irritation becomes clear.

"Tymon." Tyland clears his throat. "Perhaps now isn't the best time for gifts."

Tymon looks as if he wants to murder him right then and there. Thankfully, Aemond's arrival and invitation to family dinner distracts Tymon enough he doesn't try to make too much of a scene. At least, not on that front.

When they leave, Tyland quietly places a reassuring hand on Elayna’s back. It's a fleeting touch but long enough to get Elayna to look at him. Tymon, surprisingly, doesn't notice. He's too busy trying to light his pipe, standing back by a pole. His hands shake with barely contained rage.

Tyland dips his head. Elayna smiles.

"Thank you." She whispers. "For trying to stop him."

"I wish I could have done more." Regret colors his tone. "He was a bit of an embarassment. I hope he didn't ruin your birthday."

"A little."

"Let me make it up to you. A proper lunch."

"I'd like that."

"You'd like what?" Tymon's tone is clipped, anger lurking underneath it.

"Tyland offered to pay for a train ticket home if I wanted to see my dad." The lie falls easily from Elayna's lips. Tymon blinks. Tyland keeps his face passive, but something inside him stirs.

He knew. He knew she was like him.

Yes, she'd make a fine wife.

[lunaryugamine]

I posted 1,083 times in 2022

That's 647 more posts than 2021!

22 posts created (2%)

1,061 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@metaorigin

@ladyloveandjustice

@the-name-is-loser

@shanastoryteller

@readenheim

I tagged 1,010 of my posts in 2022

Only 7% of my posts had no tags

#funny - 313 posts

#fanart - 257 posts

#so cool - 111 posts

#cale henituse - 99 posts

#signal boost - 86 posts

#trash of the count's family - 85 posts

#spy x family - 52 posts

#art - 43 posts

#kim dokja - 38 posts

#trash of the count’s family - 38 posts

Longest Tag: 134 characters

#death: *calls out his moping and makes a ‘take your brother to work day’ and makes someone immortal just so dream can go on playdates*

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

So the positive attention I've gotten for my TBHK fic idea of an exorcist!Aoi has kept it in my head and although I'm not going to write the full thing until the manga is over (I've already changed so much from the first fic I posted on AO3 almost two years ago because of stuff revealed in the manga) but I'm sort of obsessed with my character dynamics I've created for Aoi, Akane, and Teru so I'm going to discuss them here using those fun ship dynamic pictures. I will also probably post more fics focusing on their relationships with each other as well as other characters because character writing is one of my favorite things which is why my NaNoWriMo project is focusing on worldbuilding.

Have fun with this!

Some backstory: Aoi and Teru have known each other since they were really little and are WlW MlM solidarity and hostility at the same time.

When Akane comes into the mix when he becomes part supernatural, things differ significantly from manga canon because Aoi isn't going to let Akane flounder in this new world and so comes clean about everything, leading to a dynamic that is healthier because they are honest to each other now and Akane isn't continually confessing to Aoi because he realizes that she isn't going to love him back the way he loves her and his feelings for her slowly fade. It is also unhealthy in a different way because now they are codependent and possessive of each other. It's fun. Teru thinks it's fun, anyway, and pokes at it constantly.

Anyway, because Akane now knows that Aoi is an exorcist, he insists on helping her with exorcisms and refuses the glasses Teru offers him. The three of them begin to regularly work together and it brings them closer with each other.

Onto the ship pictures!

They are all one of these at some point in their relationship. It is a Problem.

See the full post

16 notes - Posted November 1, 2022

#4

It's very awkward having a British student in my class who is unapologetically pro-monarch. When asked by my chorale teacher what exactly the Queen symbolized, she said that she united everyone in the UK, no matter their political beliefs.

As she's a tiny freshman on a completely different continent, I was nice enough not to point her to tumblr to show her all the people in the UK who are celebrating her death.

23 notes - Posted September 9, 2022

#3

So... Latest JSHK chapter...

Obviously we're all very upset about Teru. He cares so much for his brother and they're both so traumatized and, regardless of how he treats supernaturals, he did just push his brother out of danger and Did Not Deserve That.

But, also, why does Number Six suddenly have an accent?

Did he have an accent in earlier chapters? Is this just a weird thing in the translation I'm reading?

Also, sad that Aoi had no lines in this chapter. Let her speak, Aodairo!!!

25 notes - Posted February 19, 2022

#2

I'm honestly shocked how many people don't realize that Helio and Medea kissing isn't an endorsement of their relationship. It's very clear that their relationship isn't healthy and that Medea doesn't care for Helio the same way he cares for her. I mean, when he asks "to console her", she doesn't give an enthusiastic "yes" or even a tepid "sure". She pauses and then says, "If you'd like." She doesn't ask for it.

To be clear, I'm not saying that Helio is taking advantage of Medea like some other people are saying. I think it's honestly the other way around. Medea knows he loves/worships her and indulges his eccentricities, even if it sort of annoys her (like when she repeated called him clingy), because it allows her to keep him under her thumb.

The major difference between Medea and Eros is that she feels guilty about using Helio like this, unlike how Eros feels about using Psyche (or literally anyone else because he's insane).

Medea legitimately cares for Helio. Just not as much as he cares for her.

74 notes - Posted January 15, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Goodbye Jonathan "my good friend" Harker

Goodbye Mina "I am the train fiend" Harker

Goodbye Lucy "polyamorous icon" Westerna

Goodbye Dr John "what are morals" Seward

Goodbye Quincey "shoot a bat" Morris

Goodbye Arthur "money solves everything" Holmwood

Goodbye Dr. Abraham "I am an expert in everything" Van Helsing

Fuck you Count "lizard fashion" Dracula

You will be missed. Except for Dracula.

2,674 notes - Posted November 7, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[anemoarchonhoe]

Okay I'm only a little bit sorry so I'll amend my previous scenario.

Imagine humming dandelions and when Venti asks you to sing the actual words, he feels so awed and humbled and flustered all at once because the way you're looking at him while you softly sing the lyrics to him. Bonus points if you tell him the song specifically reminds you of him.

Anon I am so sorry for taking so long to answer because I just HAD to make this really freaking romantic. I can't Not simp for this green creature and I can't stop myself from wanting to kiss his stupid lips and confess my love okay-

Content: aftermath of Imposter AU (implied, forgiveness route), One Punch Man AU (kinda irrelevant but author wrote this with it in mind), Disney Princess AU (kinda), God!Reader with no imposter au trauma because they fisted their acolytes' faces so hard the poor things nearly died before this drabble, tooth-rotting fluff, God!Reader's hair being described (not important, but will be implemented on my OPM AU series)

Warning: Author temporarily lost their sanity in the writing of this fic due to how hard they were simping, not beta read, we die like the Nameless Bard

Song: Dandelions - Ruth B.

"Wow, this place looks a lot different than I expected." You marveled, your wide, vibrant eyes taking in the sight of the dandelion field that Venti took you to see.

The bard simply grinned, sitting down under the shade of a tree and patting the space beside him.

"What did you expect it to look like, Your Grace?"

"Like..." You gestured vaguely. "...a few dandelions, maybe ten of them? I mean, that's how it looked in the game."

"But you're no longer playing a game. This is reality now."

"Yeah..." You chuckled, finally sitting down beside him. "...Reality is always much better. It would've been the best if I didn't have these... godly duties thing going on. It's so unfair that Morax insists on me doing them when he faked his own death to escape that life. Damn hypocrite, I should've punched him harder when I had the chance."

Venti laughed at that, knowing full well you were simply joking. You valued each and every one of your acolytes; you'd never harm them. Well, of course, except that one time they tried to obliterate you and erase your existence from Teyvat...

The Anemo Archon shuddered, remembering how he attacked the Creator and then suddenly waking up in Inazuma's Narukami Island.

The Creator said they gave him a light slap on his face when he asked them what happened, when everything was all forgiven. Venti doesn't want to know what will happen to him if he was given a slightly harder slap.

"You shivered. Are you cold?" You asked. "Here; scoot closer to me." You added, as if you're not already pulling him towards you, making the archon smile. He rests his head on your shoulder, watching the dandelions sway when a gentle breeze blew. The moon was shining up in the night sky, casting a soft light upon them and making them glow.

However, the dandelions pale in comparison to your hair, glowing softly under the moonlight. They're the same color as the mythical primordial gems; beautiful, like a dream come true, like a dream that one has realized you wish to do, like a dream yet to be dreamed.

You began to hum a tune, breaking Venti's poetic musings, making him close his eyes to fully immerse himself in your wordless song. When you finished, he looks up at you with gleaming eyes and a request spills from his lips.

"Your grace, what is that song? Can you sing it for me?"

"Oh? Um, sure why not? I'm not very good though, so..."

Still, you clear your throat... and began to sing.

Maybe it's the way you say my name

Maybe it's the way you play your game

But it's so good, I've never known anybody like you

But it's so good, I've never dreamed of nobody like you

Venti closes his eyes again and made a move to rest his head again on your shoulders, but you don't let him. You cup his face, making him look at you.

And I've heard of a love that comes once in a lifetime

And I'm pretty sure that you are that love of mine

Venti flushes under your gaze, eyes wide. He tries to look away, but with you cupping his cheeks, he could only move his eyes. He can still see in his peripheral vision how softly you're looking at him right now.

"Your grace..." He quietly spoke, hands placing themselves over yours. "...I-If you continue looking at me like that, a-and emphasizing that you part of the song, I-I... I might misunderstand your feelings..."

"But what if you're right in your assumption?" You replied, still staring intently at him.

"Huh?" Venti hates how dumb he sounded just now.

'Cause I'm in a field of dandelions

Wishing on every one that you'll be mine, mine

A sudden gust of wind blew, making the dandelions' teal fluffs to float into the air. The breeze swirls around them, making the atmosphere even more romantic. It doesn't help that fireflies and anemo crystalflies emerged from the tree they are both under, like they were just waiting to show up in that very moment.

And I see forever in your eyes

I feel okay when I see you smile, smile

Venti feels like he's going to die of both happiness and embarassment. He also found that he doesn't mind if he did.

Wishing on dandelions all of the time

Praying to God that one day you'll be mine

Wishing on dandelions all of the time, all of the time

You chuckled softly, gently running your thumb across his cheek, treating him like a precious gem. A crystalfly lands where his cecilia flower is neatly tucked into his hair, and you found your heart beating like its going to burst out of your chest.

"Kiss me."

Now it's your turn to get flustered. "What?"

"Kiss me." He repeats, breaths shallow. Nervous. Hesitant. Hopeful. "Please?"

So you did.

I'm in a field of dandelions

Wishing on every one that you'll be mine, mine

As your lips move together in a gentle dance, he pulled you even closer against him, and you melted. You fit together like a puzzle piece, you thought to yourself, and now you're complete. You felt Venti's wings engulf you completely and shielding you from the world and... oh.

You've never felt so loved and cherished.

I'm in a field of dandelions

Wishing on every one that you'll be mine, mine

He's always been yours.

[soleminisanction]

This post spun a little out of control, but it was inspired by @avaraydrake's tags on my previous Jordanna Spence essay. (Thank you for that, btw. Sincerely, they were great to read and clearly gave me a lot to think about.) Specifically, it started from their comments on this scene:

Which I read as Steph abandoning Jordanna while she's unconscious, while avaraydrake pointed out that this is standard first aid practice. Which is true. I personally expect a superhero to do more than just the standard practice, but it is true... in a vacuum.

The reason this moment stands out to me, the reason I tend to focus on it, has to do with a recurring problem throughout the series that isn't directly related to Jordanna. But to explain what that problem is, I'm going to have to jump ahead a few issues, to Issue 8 -- the Red Robin crossover.

See, all through the Batgirl side of the crossover -- in-between insulting Tim, stalking Tim, and also that weirdly sexist dress thing @mzminola pointed out -- Steph is constantly insisting to Tim that she's "different now." That he has to trust and like and respect her again because she's "changed" from the person who tried to chase him down for attention. Even though she spends the entire issue... chasing him down for attention.

Ultimately, the thread culminates in this page:

Which, if you've been paying attention to the series up to this point, rings completely hollow. Frankly, it feels like Steph is just bullshitting Tim because she wants to prove him wrong about her.

Because see, up to literally this very issue? Steph doesn't help, rescue, or assist a single Gotham citizen. She just fights people.

Her first scene certainly wasn't about helping anyone, given that she beat both the racers up and then got them arrested. The second time we see her suit up, she leaps in to save a cop... only because he is Detective Nicholas "St. Nick" Gage, who gets more page time than Barbara, flirts with Steph constantly, and is (very weirdly) basically the deurotagonist of the series.

And even then, Steph doesn't actually save him -- she swings in, punches one guy, and then while she's busy posing and thinking, "ooooh, the cop is pretty," Nick gets them both blown out of the window.

Continuing on to the party scene, even if you don't think Steph abandons Jordanna at that moment, she's not shown helping her either. No one is, really.

And then that, of course, leads into her big confrontation with Scarecrow which... also isn't about saving anyone. It's about how Steph is so strong and stubborn and full of hope (I think?) that she's able to overcome "her ''''worst''' self" (people telling her that she's a shitty superhero), and that's what makes her so inspiring and is why she deserves "a second chance."

That pattern continues for almost the entire first year. Steph doesn't save anyone until Issue 8, when she helps Tim protect Leslie Tompkins. The first time she so much as thinks about protecting "the people of Gotham" comes in Issue 9, and even when it does it's with this... really uncomfortable dynamic, which actually starts back in Issue 4.

See, in Issue 4, during Steph's first patrol in her shiny new ugly Batgirl costume, the first thing Steph does is knock a pair of robbers off a skyscraper, only thinking to ask how much weight a grapple line can hold after they're in free-fall. She winds up swinging them down into a tour bus. It's unclear if Steph is even aware the tourists are there, but to be fair she is trying not to die.

The tourists immediately swarm to start taking pictures (starting with her butt, of course), when Steph is suddenly approached by a certain doe-eyed little girl.

This girl is named Nell Little which, in addition to never being spoken in the text (we only know because of an interview Brian Q. Miller gave at some point), is suspiciously close to Little Nell, Charles Dickenson's archetypal too-good-for-this-sinful-earth angel-victim-child.

Nell Little is a semi-recurring character throughout the book, having 4 appearances over the course of the 2 years. Her personality is sweet and innocent; her likes are Stephanie, trying to be like Stephanie, and watching Stephanie beat up bad guys; and her role in the narrative is to admire Stephanie's every move, tell her what a good job she's doing, and occasionally be put in danger so that Stephanie can rescue her.

I find this recurring dynamic to be extremely off-putting. It doesn't help that this is neither the first nor the last time DC will give Stephanie a young black sycophant and... I dunno, it just hits a weird note.

That note is then amplified by the fact that Nell is present at Steph's first-ever civilian rescue in Issue 9, which ends like this:

...with a literal "and then everyone clapped" while the guy that Steph literally just finished beating up calls her "beautiful" and immediately develops a massive crush on. He's the one who winds up being the Gray Ghost, btw, and when he turns back up he starts addressing Steph exclusively as, "My Violet Avenger."

I'd forgotten that was a thing. Gross.

Also doesn't help that the only thoughts Steph has during the sequence (aside from mindless comedic set-up about her mundane evening checklist) come in this panel: 

Where she's literally preening and singing her own praises, with the people she saved boiled down to nothing but, "Zero collateral damage," which just as well might be referring to train.

Then the second rescue we see her do (Issue 10), ends like this:

While the third isn't actually a rescue, it's the big saving-the-world moment from the end of the first year's arc, which just happens to also involves Steph saving Barbara.

(This arc also ends with a still-shot of Steph while someone -- I think the Gray Ghost, but it's left deliberately vague in the panel -- declares, "She's amazing, isn't she?" Put a pin in both of these snapshots for later).

The fourth rescue is a team-up with Damian, which is also the third encounter with Nell Little in Issue 17. It's the closest thing Nell gets to character development, in that she ends the issue thinking that Robin is totally the coolest now, too, and also she's portrayed as sooooo pure that she can help Stephanie make Damian act more like A Real Boy.

Notably, she doesn't trip over herself to tell Damian what a great job he's doing. He just gets a goodbye.

And the last one -- if you stretch the definition of rescue -- comes in Issue 18, the Valentine's story where Steph helps return Teekl, and that instantly wins Klarion over as her best buddy. He ends off that story telling her how unique she is -- sincerely, while the context and the pause in her line makes it read as a backhanded compliment, like she was stopping herself from saying, "Weird."

And that's it for rescues, but Steph does have one more interaction with the public, in the very last issue. It's just.... ugh.

If you read a lot of superhero comics, I kind of hope you see the trend here that makes me so uncomfortable. This isn’t even including all the times she runs into Detective St. Nick, who ends every single one of their interactions (and half of his interactions with Barbara) singing Stephanie's praises, right up until he has to shade in his Tragic Backstory.

Or all the encounters with the aforementioned Gray Ghost, who cannot shut up about “My Violet Avenger” and how gorgeously wonderful she is.

Or how Barbara, Dick, and Wendy are all made, at varying times, to say something to the extent of: “Golly! Stephanie is so amazing!” while the closest Steph gets to returning the sentiment is the moment linked above when she calls Babs, “The only person who’s ever really given a crap about me.”

Rescuing people… it’s a standard trope. The exact frequency varies a lot depending on the era, but if you pick up a random issue of a superhero comic there’s a fairly decent chance that you’ll see your hero(es) dejour saving a random civilian, or even multiple if there’s a disaster situation. I’ve probably read thousands of rescues from hundreds of heroes over the years.

Yet, off the top of my head, I can’t remember a single other rescue that ends with the recuee(s) tripping over themselves to tell the hero how great they are. I’m sure they’re out there, I’m sure plenty of heroes get a big, triumphant, "You're our hero and we love you!" moment at some point in their career. But to make that the default, universal response every single time she saves someone, or even just speaks to the public, for an entire series? That’s weird, right? 

In other series, majority of the time the rescuee doesn’t do anything at all, they just get swooped off-panel. If the hero’s lucky they might get a thank-you and a chance to give a heroic one-liner. Because y’know, the act of rescuing is supposed to be enough to establish that our heroes are heroic. That they only sometimes get thanked—or heck, that people might even lash out or turn against them—helps to reinforce that the heroes aren’t just doing this for praise and affection, but because of some other, more powerful motivation. 

So for Steph to only be showered with adoration at every turn, while her internal monologue focuses exclusively on how good it all makes her feel? That only reinforces the opposite feeling, that Steph's primary motivation is her own reputation and feelings, not a drive to defend other people. That these rescues are far outnumbered by big, showy spectacles where Steph can fight something and look awesome while doing it really doesn't help matters.

This is all exacerbated by two other factors, which come together with everything mentioned above to make it impossible to take her singular, isolated claim of being a hero "for the city" seriously.

The first is the way Steph reacts on the very rare occasion she feels her hero efforts aren't being appreciated. We only see this twice, once in her original meeting with Detective Nick: 

(Remember that this is literally her second night out as Batgirl, and she's pissy that he didn't know her on sight.) The second incident is the protest Jordanna organizes in Issue 16, which is only done to make Jordanna look bad.

The other exacerbating circumstance is how the series ends.

Again, there's two factors here. The first is the Black Mercy illusion that Steph is put under, where again, a huge deal is made of how special Stephanie is for being able to break herself out of the illusion, before going into an 8 page montage of Steph getting to be the main character of the entire universe forever, and everyone's favorite superhero, while people sing her praises.

I don't have space for it here because this post is already too long but one of these days I'm going to break down what that whole sequence says about Steph's character when you analyze it in-universe. But more pressing to this post is the conversation surrounding that montage, the last scene in the entire series.

Just for comparison—Tim ends both Robin and Red Robin thinking about his responsibility to Gotham. Cass's Batgirl series ends with her unhappily killing her mother at Shiva's request and walking dramatically off into the night. The contemporary Nightwing series ends with Dick taking Babs tandem skydiving, asking her to “let him do the flying.” Impulse ends with Bart bonding with his new guardians, and Superboy with Kon moving to Kansas and talking about making Clark proud.

Batgirl (2009) ends with Stephanie talking about herself, how many wonderful adventures she's been on, and how this moment is hers and that makes it special and also did we mention she likes purple? Babs is also there to tell her how special and wonderful she is for always being a happy widdle Pollyanna.

And that's really the central problem here.

I am not inclined to give Steph's actions the benefit of the doubt throughout this series because the series is utterly Stephanie-obsessed. Steph only saves people so they can tell her how wonderful she is. All the supporting cast, all the people in the entire city, are only there to stroke Stephanie's ego and tell her she's so amazing.

That line, waaaaaay back up there in the Red Robin crossover? Is the only time Stephanie ever spares so much as a second thought for the people of Gotham. And like I said, that comes across more as her trying to show Tim up, because she spends the entire issue trying desperately to convince him that she is "different now."

If Steph really was supposed to be "doing it for all of them," if her motivation was supposed to be for the sake of others, the writer utterly failed to communicate that because he was way too interested in sucking her dick.

So yeah. Long post but, again, thank you @avaraydrake, because I've been trying to put this sentiment into words for a couple of years now and for some reason your tags gave me the perfect starting point.

[mimisempai]

I will always find you

Summary:

End, continuation and fixing of the episode 6, Loki is facing Mobius who does not know who he is and Mobius does not know where to look for Loki. Will they manage to find each other?

Notes:

I had to fix it, it's done. End of The story of Loki and Mobius - Season 1 series on AO3 I'll begin soon a whole rewriting of the season 1. Follow my other series for more Lokius oneshot post-canon.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32584870

3008 words - rating G

He was back at the TVA.

Mobius!

He was about to rush to find him when he stopped abruptly.

Sylvie... the kiss...

Now that the adrenaline from the fight had worn off, thinking about the kiss gave him such a weird feeling.

He didn't know what had made her kiss him, if it was a desperate attempt to change his mind or if it had been to betray him.

He had not even answered the kiss, too shocked to react, and she had taken advantage of it to send him here, at the TVA through a Timedoor.

Mobius, he had to find Mobius. That was his only thought.

He ran through the hallways in a desperate manner. Everywhere there was turmoil.

He came to the archives, between the familiar shelves, and there he saw him, next to Hunter B-15, finally.

It was like coming home, the sight of the familiar face and stance giving him an unimaginable feeling of comfort, the impression that everything was going to be alright, that anything was possible despite the disaster.

Mobius seemed flustered and as Loki went on, he heard their conversation.

"That's, what, 63 new branches in this unit alone?"

"Does he want us to just let them all branch?"

"At this point, how are we gonna stop it?"

Loki shouted, "We can't!"

Mobius looked at him surprised, "What? What'd you say?"

Loki shouted back, "It's done, Mobius. We made a terrible mistake."

Loki wondered why Mobius didn't react, why he seemed so distant, as he asked him, "What's done?"

Loki answered hastily, "We freed the Timeline. We found him beyond the storm. A Citadel at the End of Time. He's terrifying. He planned everything. He's seen everything. He knows everything. It's complicated. Okay?"

Mobius replied, bewilderment on his face, "Right."

Loki continued, "But someone is coming. Countless different versions of a very dangerous person. And they're all set on war. We need to prepare."

Mobius tried to soothe him, but something wasn't right, "Take it easy. You're an analyst, right? What division are you from?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

It was Loki's turn not to understand as Mobius asked him, pressing, "Who are you?What's your name?" and that Hunter B-15 was calling for reinforcements, "Boots on the ground now. Archives."

To Loki's dismay, Mobius asked again, "Who are you?"

Loki felt the same pain break his heart as when Mobius had been disintegrated before his eyes. Panting, he slowly turned around and his eyes fell on the spot where the three timekeeper statues normally stood. Instead, there was a statue of the man, the demon, he didn't know what to call it, the one who was in the Void.

Loki understood.

It was not his TVA, it was not his Mobius. It wasn't him!

As the guards came towards him, he felt hope returning and the wheels of his brain turning at full speed, he had to find a way to get back to the TVA from the main timeline.

———————

Meanwhile, Mobius and Hunter B-15 watched the main timeline split into hundreds of timelines.

Mobius, more than a little worried, said aloud, "No turning back now."

Hunter B-15 replied, "Who said anything about turning back?"

"For all time."

"Always."

One sentence remained while the uncertainty was complete.

"Mobius! Mobius!"

Mobius turned at the call of his name. Casey was beckoning him over. He quickly rushed toward him.

"What?"

"You told me to tell you as soon as I had access to data about Loki! I found it! Because of the multiplication of timelines, we now have access to the Void's timeline. We can see what's going on there! Look at it! There he is! Loki is here!"

Mobius pulled up a chair and sat down next to Casey, his eyes focused on the screen, deaf to everything going on around him.

Sylvie and Loki seemed to be in a castle or building and across from them stood an unknown man who spoke, "Better hurry. Timeline's already branching."

Sylvie seemed to look surprisingly aggressive as she addressed him, "So, what are you suggesting? That we think about it. And what precisely is there to think about?"

Loki turned to her, looking almost imploring, "Weren't you listening to what he was saying? That's the gambit. Remove the dictator and what fills the void?"

The way the screen reflected the image, he couldn't see Sylvie's face, but he heard the animosity in her voice when she said, "Ah. You want the throne?"

Oh no...After all that Loki had done to become better, how could she say something like that?

Loki replied in an urging tone, "No, that's not it. No."

"I don't believe you." Sylvie's tone was unmistakable. Mobius, who knew Loki perfectly could read all the distress on his face as he tried to convince Sylvie.

"Sylvie, the universe is in the balance, everything we know to be true. Everything. I know the TVA has hurt us both. But what if by taking him out, we risk unleashing something even worse? All I'm suggesting is we just take a minute to think about it. I promise you from my heart this isn't about a throne."

Of course not! I always knew it. Only you didn't know it Loki, you thought that's all you could be, that that was your glorious purpose. I always knew you were capable of much greater things.

Sylvie insisted, " What was I thinking trusting you? Has this whole thing been a con?"

Mobius' heart broke for Loki who answered her, his voice clearly strained, "Really? That's what you think of me... after all this time? Sure. Why not? Evil Loki's master plan comes together. Well, you never trusted me, did you? What was the point? Can't you see? This is bigger than our experience."

Sylvie, completely unmoved by Loki's argument, answered him, "Why aren't we seeing this the same way?"

Loki replied, looking defeated, "Because you can't trust... and I can't be trusted."

Oh yes Loki. You can be trusted. I trust you with my life, without hesitation, without even thinking for a second. Don't you see that you are not the same as you were?

"Then I guess we're in a pickle."

After these words, Sylvie attacked him. On the screen it was impossible to follow the whole fight, but it was clear that Loki was only defending himself and refused to go on the offensive, until he magically placed himself between Sylvie and his target. Mobius saw with horror Sylvie's blade on Loki's throat. a.

"Stop. "I've been where you are. I've felt what you feel. Don't ask me how I know. All I know... is I don't wanna hurt you. I don't want a throne. I just…" Loki sighed deeply before continuing, "I just want you to be okay."

Sylvie lowered her arms and suddenly kissed him. Mobius' heart sank as the kiss dragged on and suddenly Sylvie stepped aside and said, softly, "But I'm not you." before pushing Loki through a Timedoor.

"Where is he? Casey, where is Loki now?"

Casey didn't have time to answer, as the screen blurred and Loki was back on the screen. This time the surroundings were much more familiar.

"It's the Time Theater!" shouted Hunter B-15.

Mobius started to run, arriving at the door, he opened it and called, "Loki!"

Nothing. The room was empty.

"Mobius! Mobius!" Hunter B-15 was coming running in, "You need to come back and see this! Right now!"

"What?!"

"Hurry up! Come on!"

He rushed up behind her and they reached Casey's office area again. Hunter B-15 showed him the screen.

Loki was walking the hallways of what appeared to be the TVA, the ones past the time theater, but Mobius knew that couldn't be the case, they had just passed through.

"Casey, are you sure this is happening now?"

"Yes, we're in real time!"

Loki was now in the archives, and seemed to be looking for someone, maybe him, Mobius, between the shelves.

"Mobius!"

Mobius gasped, in front of Loki a few shelves over were himself and Hunter B-15.

"What? How?!"

"Wait, wait, wait!"

On the screen, Loki continued to advance toward their duplicates, and they heard Mobius say, "That's, what, 63 new branches in this unit alone?"

Hunter B-15 answered, "Does he want us to just let them all branch?"

"At this point, how are we gonna stop it?"

Loki intervened, shouting, "We can't!"

Their two doubles looked at him in surprise.

As he watched Loki try to explain what was going on to the two stunned doubles, Mobius' brain began to race, trying to pick up clues from what he was hearing.

63 branches in this unit alone. 63 branches in this unit alone.

This unit alone. That means there are several. Think Mobius. Think!

He began to speak aloud, "The main timeline branched, that means there are a lot of timelines now, what if each timeline has now a TVA? Could it be that..."

On the screen he looked at Loki and asked, "Who are you?"

Loki, looking shocked, slowly turned around and began to breathe heavily before releasing a gasp, which Mobius and those around him in front of the screen repeated in echo.

Where the statues of the three timekeepers should be, there was a single statue, that of the man Loki and Sylvie were with before.

"Casey! keep looking, cross-reference the data, try to figure out what date it is, I need my Tempad!" Mobius ran to his office.

_____

Loki looked back at the one who was not his Mobius and did not answer, quickly assessing the danger, he had to find a way to find the TVA he knew, but first he had to escape since Hunter B-15 seemed to have called a squad to stop him. He concentrated, closed his eyes, and saw the room he wanted to teleport to, the one he had arrived in. He felt the suction, then reopened his eyes, he was there, the relief short lived, because it would not take them long to find him. Still, he summoned a spear to put across the door, to at least delay their arrival in the room.

Think about it Loki, you're not supposed to be here, but now that the timeline is branching, how can they find you? Everything is chaos...

Spinning around in the room, he sighed, wondering how the situation could have slipped away from them like that. In fact, he knew, they had never been in control of the situation, their enemy was ahead of them.

Sylvie... who had not hesitated to betray him while he for the first time had found a "glorious purpose" that was greater than him, in fact it had nothing more glorious, because he no longer needed glory, he had discovered that it was much more rewarding to fight for a cause greater than himself. But now...

Mobius... His Mobius, where was he? How to find him? Did he get through it? Had he been able to warn all the other agents? He missed him so much, his reassuring presence that had the power to calm him down. How he had developed such a strong bond in such a short time was something that still amazed Loki. In Mobius, he had found someone who had believed in him when he had only seen the worst Loki was capable of, who had seen beyond what Loki was showing the world.

He had told Sylvie that love was not real, but in the end...love had a name.

Mobius…

"Mobius...", lost in thought, he didn't realize he was saying his name out loud.

When suddenly the now familiar sound of a Timedoor opening made him turn around. Summoning his sword, he braced himself ready to attack.

The Timedoor was just forming, when he heard the door to the room trying to be forced open, as voices shouted at him to open it from the other side.

Suddenly a figure he knew well stepped through the time door, "Loki! It's me Mobius!"

Loki, suspicious, did not dare to let his guard down. What if it wasn't his Mobius? How could he be sure?

The man in front of him looked uncertain and did not move forward. He lowered his hands in surrender as the banging on the door grew louder and louder.

"Loki, it's me, Mobius, the real one."

"How can I be sure?"

"Ask me a question. Something only the two of us would know."

Loki began to think quickly, what question to ask? Then suddenly he knew.

Cheeks slightly flushed, he asked, "Where did our first kiss take place?"

Mobius shook his head and smiled fondly, "The elevator."

Refusing to give in to the relief that washed over him, Loki asked another question to be sure, "Why?"

Mobius sneered, "To shut you up."

"It is really you, my Mobius!" shouted Loki before rushing into his arms. Mobius closed them on him. In an instant they reconnected with the emotions and sensations of their last embrace. Once again Loki felt like he was home.

"Yes, it's me." The door rattled, interrupting them. Mobius let go of him, took his hand and pulling him behind him, he led him to the Timedoor saying, "Quick, let's get out of here first, the explanations will come later."

They rushed through the Time Door, which closed on them as the door to the room gave way to the guards.

It was odd because they ended up in the same room, but in the TVA that Loki knew, there was the table and chairs from the last interrogation before Mobius went to join Loki in the Timecell. It seemed like only yesterday that Mobius had refused to believe him, blinded by jealousy as he himself had said."

"You-"

" How-"

"You first," Loki told him.

"Come on, let's go sit down," Mobius told him. They did, but instead of being face to face, separated by the table as they had been every time they were in this room, Mobius slid his chair next to him.

After an awkward silence, Mobius began to speak, "So, you and Sylvie..." then he stopped, aware of what he had just said.

Loki raised his head, shocked. "You... you saw?" he didn't even give him time to answer, "Mobius! I swear I didn't mean to kiss her, I didn't even respond to the kiss, I don't even know why she kissed me, I've never felt that way about her, never, you know that, Mobius, it's you I love, I know we haven't really had time to talk about our relationship and I'm not the kind of person who can be trusted and I've lied in the past, but please, you have to believe me, I would never- Hmph"

Mobius had not let him finish and had crashed his lips against those of Loki. He kissed him in the same way as their first kiss in the elevator, the difference was that it was no longer their first kiss, it was a kiss of reunion, of familiar sensations, of shared intimacy.

When they separated to catch their breath, Mobius murmured, his lips against his, "This is really the best way to shut you up..." and laughed softly.

"Hey!" Loki pushed him gently. Then he got serious again, because he wanted to make sure Mobius believed him, "Mobius, I'm serious."

Mobius took his hand and replied, "I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that I didn't feel jealousy, I'm human after all, and seeing the man I love kiss another woman was pretty hard to watch. But I also chose to trust you, that means all the time and not just when it suits me. So if you tell me that kiss meant nothing to you, then I believe you."

This time it was Loki who barely let Mobius finish his sentence and who put his lips on his, settling astride Mobius' knees and putting his arms around his neck. This time, they took their time, the kiss was soft and slow, then they caught their breaths, their foreheads pressed one against the other, neither of them wanting to be separated more than by a few centimeters.

Suddenly Loki kissed Mobius again, this time forcefully, he was shaking, his hands clutching Mobius' back, holding him tightly. Mobius, feeling a wetness on his cheek, pushed him gently.

"Hey, hey easy Loki, it's okay, it's okay now."

Loki " I-I, I really thought I had lost you, when your double asked me who I was, I thought you had completely forgotten about me."

Mobius wiped away the tears with his thumbs, letting his hands linger on Loki's cheeks before kissing him gently. Then he cradled Loki's head on his chest, resting his chin on his head as he hugged him tightly, Loki's arms wrapping around him again.

"Never, you hear me, never will I forget you. And even if I did forget you, I'm sure you'd find a way to get my memory back."

They stayed like that for a few more moments, tasting the relief of having found each other again and of having once again overcome an obstacle. Together.

Then Loki came down from Mobius's lap and held out his hand to help him stand up.

"I guess there's a lot to do now that the timeline is branching out."

"Thanks for the reality check... but yes you're right, as nice as this interlude has been." replied Mobius, keeping Loki's hand in his.  Then he continued, walking towards the door, "Come on, it's time to introduce you as a member of the team."

At those words, Loki had a strange feeling, something like belonging, and asked with a smile, "What's the TVA's motto again, For all time...?"

"For all time. Always." answered Mobius.

Loki squeezed Mobius' hand as he continued to walk forward. When Mobius opened the door, he repeated softly, "For all time. Always. Together."

They didn't know what was going to happen, but one thing was certain now, they would face it. Together.

_____

Whole series : The story of Loki and Mobius

As always, bear with me as it is not beta'd I hope you enjoyed it 🥰

[emmys-grimoire]

Lesson 57 analysis + 58 predictions

It's less exciting than anticipated, probably.

tl;dr Summary

We start asleep, but overhearing Satan + Belphegor plotting to prank us. You can choose how to surprise and foil them. They're just here to tell you breakfast is ready. Belphegor finally rewards you with the star of diligence: MC is one star away from completing the exam and earning their sorcerer's license.

Lucifer is eager to make MC a full-fledged sorcerer because he could use them to ward off Solomon's advances, which apparently he's still making. Asmo tells us that Solomon is very picky, and driven, when he's choosing who to pact with.

And he's apparently very adamant about getting Lucifer.

The others note that Mammon and Leviathan are acting unusual, and they clearly are very distracted. We decide to ignore the strangeness for now and answer Barbatos's summons to Hotel Corvo.

And guess who is also being summoned!

We arrive, and Diavolo informs us that there's an evil phantom now haunting the hotel. Not just any ol' phantom, though: a bogeyman.

Apparently they're pretty tough and might have the upperhand against demons. They take the form of what their victims' fear most. They put several hotel guests in the hospital.

We find out that the reason why Mammon and Leviathan are being so weird is because they know they're responsible for the bogeyman being in Hotel Corvo: they went wild with Crowe upgrades and summoned it accidentally, then ordered Crowe to teleport it to Hotel Corvo after it transformed into Lucifer and scared them out of their wits.

Obviously, Lucifer's not happy! Barbatos assigns him to "fix" the problem. The brothers want to leave Mammon and Leviathan to do it on their own, but of course we can't have that.

Diavolo also seems keen on joining, but Barbatos turns on the scary fake smile and Diavolo relents.

Then the others show up! It sounds like it wasn't a planned get-together, but Solomon is eager to make the best of it. He wants to make our quest to banish the bogeyman MC's final trial.

Simeon is initially reluctant, but MC convinces him to join.

And then we're off down a creepy hallway in the hotel. The lesson ends on a cliffhanger as the creature at the end of the hallway suddenly attacks us.

Don't worry, Lucy will save us, probably.

This is the start of the trial of humility.

Analysis

Barbatos's Plan

Probably the most noteworthy thing about this lesson is how clearly Barbatos is setting all this up, even though he has no visibly obvious motivation to do so. He's summoned everyone to the same location under different auspices and he's making sure Diavolo isn't around. We still didn't get any insight on what he and Lucifer talked about, but I think Lucifer's being deliberately steered by him in this direction, too.

Since this doesn't seem to be something he's coordinating with Solomon, it leads me to believe he's either doing something to foil Michael's plan or he's setting up some kind of trap for the guy. For whatever reason, he doesn't want anyone else to catch on just yet.

Simeon's reluctance to stick around and help us is also noteworthy: he probably has Michael plans on the brain, and his intuition is probably trying to warn him. Alas, he can't say no to you.

Also, the BG being a bunch of doors and keys probably means something. Barbatos's room has multiple doors which lead to multiple places, I think: can't remember if they're just portals to different parts of the three realms or different points in time, but if I was a betting gal, I'd put my money on the latter. It doesn't look like his room (it looks like an old hotel), but I wouldn't be surprised if these doors lead to "flashbacks" similar to the ones we ran into back in the fake House of Lamentation.

The Bogeyman and Lucy's fears

It's implied that the bogeyman has powers that may make it difficult for demons in particular to cull. It sounds something an angel might be effective against, though, because Solomon insists Simeon accompany the group just in case "things go south". Though Simeon seems unsure if he can actually be effective against it.

Who do you think is stronger than Simeon, who is an archangel who was once a seraphim? He could just be downplaying his power, too: he's less threatening that way.

The bogeyman also has the ability to take the form of whoever or whatever his victim fears the most: we discover that Mammon and Leviathan fear Lucifer the most when they initially summon it.

This trial is 100% going to involve Lucifer facing what he fears the most. My guesses: it'll be either Father or Michael. They can do the former if MC doesn't necessarily see the same form Lucifer sees (they likely fear something different)... but if whatever form the bogeyman takes is noticeable to everyone observing it, then it's going to be Michael because I don't think the devs are going to give God a tangible form for reasons.

Why Lucifer could fear Michael? Simple: not only was Michael the one capable of bringing him low during the Great Celestial War, but he may know Lucifer better than anyone. All his strengths, but more importantly, all his weaknesses. Lucifer fears being exposed as flawed and imperfect, particularly by those he considers his lessers. It's also not the first time he's expressed something akin to fear re: Michael.

Another possibility is Lilith. He could fear facing her after failed to protect her. That'd be difficult to manage on-screen, though, for obvious reasons. They haven't given Lilith a canon appearance yet and it's in their best interest not to because they've been using MC as the Lilith expy in the Celestial Realm flashbacks.

Whoever or whatever it is, it'll be fun.

Solomon and his pacts

Another thing this lesson did was remind us that Solomon really, really wants a pact with Lucifer. We found out a couple lessons ago that his whole motivation behind forging a pact with Asmo was his interest in Lucifer.

Up until this point, Solomon has been pretty upfront with his desires and usually backs down when they deny his request to make a pact. He asked Belphegor back in Season 1, and he hasn't brought it up again after he was rejected.

This doesn't seem to be the case with Lucifer, though. His rejections have been ignored.

He's being unusually cavalier about this whole situation so maybe he would try to manipulate the current situation to wring a pact out of Lucifer, since he hasn't been deterred yet and something needs to change in order for him to get what he wants.

I don't know. Lucifer might be his blind spot, and something he wants badly enough to step over the line, so to speak. Why he wants Lucifer so bad is another head scratcher, but it could very well be because just because the guy is incredibly powerful.

Or this is just another red herring meant to make us suspicious of Solomon again. I guess we'll see.

Predictions

We have only three lessons left, and they set this lesson up as the lead into the climax, which is going to be later than where it was in season 2. But it can't afford to happen much later. 58 will give us the first half of the climax at least, and I won't be surprised if it wraps it up entirely in one lesson so we can have both 59 and 60 to say our goodbyes. It'll feel pretty rushed otherwise.

Michael's showing up in some capacity. I'm much more willing to bet on a face reveal now than I was at the beginning of the season: we haven't heard anything from him directly since the first flashback -- not even another chat -- and he hasn't even officially introduced himself yet. But we've been hearing all about him this season, and they've made it a point to let us know he's working on something behind the scenes. It feels like most of this season was softening the ground for his arrival, and he'll drop in to get us hyped for the next season.

I think we're headed back to the Celestial Realm, baby!

Luke's not with us at the haunted hotel, so he'll likely remain oblivious about what happened during the Great Celestial War until next season. Simeon's not gonna fall because he'll probably need to be our tour guide, and we have a bunch to explore about his background, too.

I was hoping we'd get some kind of conflict with the Sorcerer's Society as a part of the completion of the exam but I'm not sure if they can fit all that in now. Kind of disappointing: trying to smooth things over with them sounds much more interesting than Mammon + Levi just letting out a literal boogeyman. I don't think they're using their story themes as effectively as they could be. It's just Levi's tech going awry again, like it always does.

How I'll rate this season will depend entirely on what the climax actually turns out to be, but so far I'd rank it higher than season 2 but lower than season 1 because of the re-used tropes. Stop teasing us and just give us meaty conflict already.

[rikumorimachisgirl]

Title: Eyes on you

Pairing: Shaw x You

Genre: Fluff

Word count: 2,901

A/N: You (Y/N) are not the MC in MLQC. This is a plunny that's been bugging me for quite a while, I had to write it. I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I do not own MLQC or its characters, but I do own the concept of this fic.

There were a few mysteries in this world that the esteemed Archeology Graduate Professors at Loveland University can't explain - for instance, the formation of the Stonehenge, the exact location of the lost city of Atlantis, the origin of the Nazca lines… and your presence at the Metro Art Gala dressed to the nines, positively gleaming as you strode arm in arm with your classmate and Thesis partner Shaw, who seemed like the perfect gentleman that evening. Thanks to your work at the Loveland Museum, you scored two invites to the gala featuring the recently discovered works of a well-known artist - an event any Archeology fanatic wouldn't let pass. The two of you walked along with LFG's Exhibition Hall, pausing occasionally to admire one of the recently discovered sculptures by the Renaissance artist D'Romani. As you both looked at the intricacies of the artwork in front of you, your charming companion would lean in slightly and whisper something in your ear, causing you to roll your eyes or stifle a giggle. 

To the guests in the prestigious gala, the two of you looked like two young people at the cusp of falling in love, but the members of the Faculty of the Graduate School of Archeology saw it differently - this was a real-life mystery if they'd seen one. 

As your eyes swiftly swept through the entire room, you could see that your professors only had one question in mind - how'd this happen? How did two people as different as day and night, who argued with each other throughout Graduate studies, end up amiably enjoying each other's company tonight? 

You drew a sharp breath and sighed. The answer was simple: Your Thesis defense was right around the corner. You needed him to cooperate, you were willing to go to great lengths to make it happen. And your Thesis partner (unfortunately) was ready to take full advantage of the situation. 

***

"Tell me why we're doing this again, " you said through the door that separated you and your date, as you were putting on the dress you bought (or invested on, as he casually stated) for tonight's gala, which he insisted on attending with you. It was six in the evening on a Friday, and you had just arrived home after cramming your workload at the Loveland Museum and foregoing your meal breaks just so you could leave work at exactly five-thirty. 

"I already told you a couple of times - you want me to cooperate with you so you can pass our Thesis, and I need a reason to be around her," the purple-haired man waiting at the other side of your bedroom door called out nonchalantly. "You can drop your fantasy about me asking you out because I'm attracted to you."

You hissed silently at his snarky remark and counted to ten. You haven't even left your apartment yet you already wanted this night to be over. "How do you even know she's gonna be there?"

She - the Miracle Finder Producer, the object of your Thesis Partner's fantasies, and as fate would have it, his brother's girlfriend. 

"They're doing a show featuring our Thesis adviser. Didn't he tell us about it during our last consultation?" He asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"I wasn't listening," you shot back, as you took off your ponytail and started styling your hair with your curling iron. You chose a one-shoulder fitted black dress that stops right above your knees, so you thought of wearing your hair down for a change. 

"Ah, yes. You were too busy looking at your notes, trying to prove me wrong as always."

You closed your eyes, as you continued to make big beach waves and prayed to the gods you wouldn't commit murder tonight. 

"How much longer are you gonna take?"

"Excited much?" You asked, smirking while you now removed your glasses and put on your contacts. "You sound like a teenager excited to see his crush in a school fair!"

"Don't compare me to you!" 

"I don't have designs on anyone in the party," you called back. "Unless your brother's attending the event, that is. From what you've been telling me, he seems like a great guy."

Silence. You arched an eyebrow as you strained your ear to listen for any sign of life outside your bedroom door. What must your grunge-rock skater boy-turned-date-for-the-evening be thinking? 

"Do you want to pass our Thesis or not?"

You struck a victory pose at his remark. Finally, one point - you, Shaw - about twenty. 

"Are you done yet? This suit is really uncomfortable. Damn, why do people even wear these?"

"Because they're decent?" You shot back. "You know, you can always go home if you're not comfortable in your attire because when we get there, you need to act decent, too. Can't have your usual swagger in a formal affair."

"Just hurry it up already!"

You rolled your eyes as you applied your nude-colored lipstick to finish off your look before putting on your black stilettos, and stuffing your phone, wallet, and your makeup in your purse. 

"All done," you replied, as you finally emerged from your room. 

***

A part of you wished that the dynamics between you and Shaw were different. While he was a pain in the neck, and too carefree for his own good, you also thought he made for a good intellectual sparring partner, quite attractive, and it was hard to deny that he's got your heart beating double-time whenever he got too close for comfort like he was at that very moment. 

"My, you two kids seem to be having fun tonight."

You gasped, at the sound of the voice behind you, and you felt your date nudge you ever-so-subtly while straightening.

"Hey, Professor Adler," he said in his usual unruffled tone, his lips stretched into a smirk as he held his hand out to your Anthropology professor and Thesis adviser, who watched you both amusedly. His gesture made your eyes shot wide open, you thought they'd fall right off. Shaw shaking someone's hand? That's one for the books. 

"Shaw. Fancy seeing you here," the stout middle-aged man greeted while shaking your date's hand. "This isn't your usual scene though."

"Yeah, I know, but I can't exactly turn a pretty lady down, can I?" 

"I can see that," your professor said as he looked at you appraisingly. "Well, well, you clean up well, Miss (y/n)."

You fought the urge to squirm at the older man's words when you heard your date cluck his cheeks with his tongue and suddenly felt his arm around your shoulders, pressing you protectively close to his side. 

***

"All done!" You happily announced as you stepped into the living room of your small apartment where your date was impatiently waiting for you. 

You could've sworn he was stunned for a second or two before he shook his head and tried to regain his usual impassive expression. Finally, he stood and walked closer to assess you better. 

"You're not wearing your glasses. I thought you said you're practically blind without them?" 

You cocked your head to one side. Out of all the things he could've complimented or called out, that's the first thing he noticed? 

"Wouldn't it look awkward if I wore glasses to a formal event?"

"Your hair is all curly," he continued as if you didn't say anything. "And your shoes are so tall, won't you trip? Also, surely you have a jacket to go with that dress, right?" 

You stared at him in disbelief. Why did this carefree, bass-playing skater boy turn into your dad all of a sudden? 

"Uh…"

"Well, at least you're not wearing red lipstick. You don't have to try too hard to look sexy. Geez! I've got plans of my own this evening, so don't expect me to be your bodyguard," he continued to mumble as he circled around you. Before long, you felt something warm and heavy on your shoulder. His coat?

"It's just until we get to the venue," he shrugged as he led you to the car he borrowed for tonight. "I don't want people seeing you freeze to death."

You sighed, your shoulders slumped as you followed your date to the car. You already expected he wouldn't throw you a compliment for looking like a proper human tonight, and you cursed yourself for feeling gutted over it anyway. 

 ***

"So, which one of these sculptures did you like best, Professor?" You sighed in relief as Shaw changed the subject, his arm still wrapped around you, making you blush furiously. 

"Oh, I have to say I liked Eros and Psyche best. In case you haven't seen it yet, it's located a little further down the hall near the bar area," the older man was starting to explain when someone tapped his shoulder from behind. 

"Excuse me, Professor Adler," a gentle voice called out, making both the professor and Shaw jump. From behind the old man, a pretty petite with brown hair and big brown eyes, and the biggest smile on her face stepped up. "My name is MC from Miracle Finder."

Almost immediately, Shaw withdrew his arm around you, almost causing you to stagger backward. He straightened up and feigned disinterest. 

"Hey. It's a little rude how you stepped in while I was talking to the Professor," he said, his tone teasing. 

"Oh, I didn't notice you here. Do you mind if I talk to your Professor? We've invited him for an interview about the exhibit," the girl said sweetly. 

Based on how unconsciously coy she acted around Shaw, and the way he kept egging her, there was no doubt that this was the girl he was crushing on. You felt like the odd person out all of a sudden and needed to step away. 

You backed away slowly, careful not to rouse their attention because it would probably suck if you knew how Shaw would introduce you to his little crush. As soon as you were in a safe distance, you turned and walked aimlessly down the hall, pausing briefly at paintings or sculptures that caught your fancy, looking at its intricacies as you did so earlier. But somehow, it wasn't as fun as it was before, so you moved on quickly, to give way to the other guests who also wanted to view the artwork.

Finally, you came upon the bar and decided to rest your tired feet at the far corner, hidden from the rest of the world. Sighing, you slipped your feet off your stilettos and quietly watched as the guests around you - mostly couples - happily chatting away as they enjoyed the beauty of the art around them and the wonderful music that filled the air. You knew somewhere in the crowd, your date was fawning over his lady love, probably getting in the way of her filming your professor. 

Tch. 

You knew he liked her - he always told you he did. And why wouldn't he? MC was pretty, seemingly sweet, and dainty - the kind of girl any guy would like to protect. And you. You were the opposite. You lived for your work, were 'one of the boys', and didn't need anyone to protect you - that's just how you were - and now you started to realize that maybe guys don't exactly like that. At least not Shaw. 

Wait, what were you thinking? You scolded yourself as you shook your head. Why were you even thinking of what he liked when you don't even like him to start with. Or did you? 

"Ugh. What the hell is wrong with me?" You groaned when a cold bottle of beer and a frozen glass was placed in front of you. 

"I was gonna ask you that myself." 

You straightened up in your seat and shot a look at the guy seated beside you. Dressed in a nice grey suit, he smiled as he raised his beer bottle in front of you. 

"You look like you needed a drink. I hope the beer is okay. They don't have fruit beer or soda," he said calmly, his amber-colored eyes never leaving yours. 

"Y-yeah. Beer is perfect," you replied while pouring the amber liquid into the glass. "Thanks," you muttered before raising the glass to your lips to gulp down some liquid courage. 

"I saw you with Shaw earlier -"

The name on his lips drove you to a coughing fit, as you choked on your drink. "Sorry, " you mumbled in between coughs. 

"No, I'm sorry," the brown-haired guy said, as he cautiously and politely patted your back. "I didn't mean to bring that up. I was just curious."

"It's fine," you replied when you finally regained your composure. "Yes, we're just classmates in Grad school who decided to check this exhibit out for the heck of it."

"Classmates, huh?"

"Yeah, that's what we are," you said, taking a sip off your glass. "Grad school classmates."

"Are you telling me or telling yourself?"

You looked up and saw him smiling. There was something about Dreamy McHandsome who was seated beside you that felt so familiar yet different at the same time, but you couldn't point a finger at what it was exactly. 

"We're classmates, and we're working on our thesis together. But we're not friends - far from it even. We hate each other's guts."

"Can't blame you for doing so," he shrugged as he drank his beer. 

"Yeah. He dragged me here so he can get with someone he's been crushing on for so long," you rambled on, frowning. 

"Oh? And who might that be?"

"The Miracle Finder Producer. You know, the pretty girl in a blue top and white skirt. He's been going on and on about her for weeks…"

"You mean my girlfriend?" 

His girlfriend. You choked on your drink once again. "Y-y-your girlfriend? You mean to say…" You gasped. Has the beer made you stupid? You've barely drunk half of it, you thought as you fought to regain your dignity. This was Shaw's brother you were talking to - and boy, we're they blessed with good genes…

… And the same social awkwardness, you noticed, judging by how he kept his hand at your back, but not exactly touching it, as if trying to assess if he had to pat you or not. 

When you finally calmed down, he cleared his throat and gave you a small smile. "Don't worry. She talks to me about their conversations. I know what that guy is playing at, and I most definitely know he's not after my girl," he said, his voice broke no room for doubt. "My name is Gavin..."

"Yeah, I know…"

"You - what?"

"Oh," you said, tapping on your glass nervously. "Shaw kinda mentioned it in passing before."

"I see."

"So, what were you saying earlier about Shaw?"

"Oh. From what my girlfriend tells me, he's got his sights set on…"

"Ahem," you heard someone say loud enough for you and Gavin to turn your heads around. And there, standing behind you, was an angry-looking Shaw. You sat up, your gaze shifting between the two brothers as the air started to thicken with tension. "I talk to someone for a minute and the next thing I knew, my date walks out on me and right into the one person I'd hate for her to meet."

"Well, if you were just honest with her as with a lot of other things in your life, maybe she wouldn't have left your side earlier," Gavin retorted flippantly. "Is she finally done with filming?"

Shaw simply grunted in reply as he watched his older brother finish his bottle of beer and stand. "Well, Miss, there's a lot I've heard about you. Seems somebody couldn't stop talking about you, but I'll leave it at that." 

With a wink and a mischievous smile upon his face, the brown-haired guy sauntered off to look for his better half, as you and Shaw watched in awkward silence. 

He cleared his throat and glanced at you. "Hey."

"Hey," you replied, shakily. 

"So, about what that jerk said -"

"Yes?" You asked, feeling your heart hammer against your chest by the second.

"Whatever he said is not true," he said dismissively, as he took his coat off and draped it over your shoulders. "I told you before, I don't find you the least bit attractive."

You felt tears starting to sting your eyes, as he continued with his harsh commentary. "You're tough, highly opinionated, and you always want to come out on top. I don't find those attractive at all," he said. "I prefer a damsel in distress. I want someone clingy… someone, needy."

"I know that -"

"Oh do you?" He teased, his amber eyes twinkling. "You seem to know a lot about me."

"We've been working together for months now," you said. "Of course, I'd know more about you."

"I see," he said, as he took a step closer to you and touched your cheek, rubbing the stray tear that had managed to slip down the side of your face. "So, you must know I'm also a good liar. After all, I've kept all these feelings to myself for quite some time."

He snickered when he saw your frown deepen and he bent down just as he had done so earlier, to whisper. "I made you think I liked someone else when in fact," his low voice made you shiver. "I've always eyes for you."

The End.