#go whole hog and let’s see how it goes

[a-fervent-revision]

I have an interesting thought. What if someone messaged me (or gave permission for me to message them) and we pretended that we were a long distance couple? No other conversation required, we just make assumptions that we are madly in love and desperately horny for eachother and then learn about eachother as we go during this emotionally charged improv that occurs over however long we both enjoy it.

Does that sound fun for anyone else? No? Just me? Cool cool cool

[tryingtofindava]

── 𝐂𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐁𝐆 𝐆𝐚𝐧𝐠*ೃ༄

: ̗̀➛Back to Source

THESE CAN BE READ AS PLATONIC OR ROMANTICALLY!!

╰┈➤𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐥𝐲𝐧

She can handle being all cuddly to a certain extent, before she rolls away to have her own space. Though, she’ll always have some sort of touch with you. That being a hand on your waist or thigh, or even her foot touching yours. (Red confirmed Ashlyn to have autism)

You better hope she doesn’t have any nightmares in her sleep time before transporting to the Phantom world, because if she does she jolts so fast her hair is gonna literally whip you.

This girl is skin and bones, so she’s probably not the warmest to snuggle up to. But she makes that up with wearing nice and soft things, like hoodies, PJ bottoms, and fuzzy socks.

When she’s in a comfortable position with you, she probs drools.

╰┈➤ 𝐀𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧

Sleeping/cuddling with Aiden is a very humbling experience.

He watches tiktoks with you because he thinks it’s a bonding experience while you guys snuggle. (just ignore his fyp it’s cursed…)

Before you guys cuddle, you have to force him to take his contacts out because every cuddle sesh ends up with the two of you falling asleep.

But when he sleeps with them in his eyes become all dried when he wakes up.

(Red also confirmed Aiden to have contacts, because he’s blinder than a bat, and it’s also why his eyes are red because his contacts are coloured.)

Like Ashlyn, he drools… but not just a small bit like the ginger. He’s drooling fucking RIVERS.

He moves about in his sleep, like a lot. And when he settles, it’s only for like a maximum of 4 mins before he’s squirming around like a worm again.

BLANKET HOG ALERT!! WEE WOO WEE WOO. If you ever wake up cold, you’re gonna turn to see Aiden with YOUR OWN blanket cuddling up with the whole damn blanket cuz he srsly subconsciously wrapped himself a cocoon.

When you guys are cozying up together, he’s literally in top of you like the human version of a weighted comforter.

And if you feel suffocated with him on top of you, he’s pressed up to your like a leech looking for affection. I’m talking limbs tangled together and every thing.

╰┈➤ 𝐁𝐞𝐧

He’s such a teddy bear!! ^_^

AND HE’S SO WARM OMFG, ITS CRIMINALLY INSANE HOW COZY THIS GUY IS. A literal damn furnace.

For being such a big guy, you’d automatically think he liked being big spoon. BUT THAT IS FALSE INFORMATION HE LIKES BEING LITTLE SPOON!!

If you knew him before the accident, he used to hum you to sleep as you guys snuggled!!

And when he eventually does fall asleep while cuddling he goes so still like he turned into a rock.

It feels like sleeping next to a dead body…

Except the dead body is incredibly warm instead of being all cold. And if the deceased body had a vice grip on you like I’d be let go you’d disappear.

╰┈➤ 𝐓𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐨𝐫

THIS CUTIE IS SUCH A SNUGGLE BUG!!

This girl is full of sm love and affection, she loves to show her appreciation for someone through physical touch!

She makes sure that not only she’s comfy, but you are too! Like you guys could be snuggling on a Rocky Mountain and she’d still make it comfortable.

Like Ashlyn she’ll always make sure to have a hand on you, even if you guys are firmly pressed aging eachother like sardines in a can.

╰┈➤ 𝐓𝐲𝐥𝐞𝐫

Whines that he hates cuddling, saying it’s sappy and cringy… But then whines again when you aren’t cuddling up…

He likes to keep his ‘I’m a tough guy’ act on, so he’ll not initiate a cuddle sesh. It’s either gonna have to be you start it, or he’s sick and doesn’t give af.

Unlike Ben, he prefers being big spoon, since he just likes holding you closely to his chest while you guys spoon. Thinks it’s very intimate.

If you tease him about how he comes like putty when you guys cuddle, he’ll get all pouty and push you away. (Only to be back in your arms in 3 minutes time…)

╰┈➤ 𝐋𝐨𝐠𝐚𝐧

ANOTHER ONE WHOS A TOTAL CUTIE PATOOTIE ‘BOUT IT!!

But so, so, so painfully awkward…

BUT!! He’s cozy, and has the COMFIEST pillows and blankets lying around it’s insane.

He deffo had one of them cool star projectors that make the room look like space. It’s the coolest.

When you guys start cuddling his glasses stay on, but if it turns into a small snooze they get lost and you guys have to dig through the blankets to find them to he can see, cause without them this bitch turns into Velma from Scooby Doo.

[russellsppttemplates]

Lando being obsessed with poking your baby bump cause he just loves how matilda always kicks his hand when he does it🫠

Cw: reader's pregnant

"I had to spend the whole meeting standing up because she kept kicking if I sat down", you groaned as Lando poked your baby bump, fingers tapping the skin as Matilda kicked back.

"She's a very excited little lady, aren't you?", he spoke just above your belly button, kissing the skin as she kicked everytime he touched you somewhere, "but you have to behave for mummy, okay? She's doing such a great job at making sure you're growing well and she's keeping you safe. So no kicking, okay? At least no kicking unless daddy is near", he said as she kicked into his palm that settled near your hip.

.

"Enough of hogging my wife, please!", Lando said to his mother, who as soon as she walked into your living room proceeded to hug you and ask you all the questions.

"We're not hogging", Flo defended them, "we just want to know how our two favourite Norris are doing", she teased him, sitting next to you.

"Me and baby girl haven't even had our greeting today", Lando recalled. Because he had picked them up from the airport, he left you asleep on the bed, not touching the baby bump because he knew it would cause you to wake up, and right now, you should get all the rest you could get.

Landing his palm soflty by your belly button, the baby was quick to kick, wiggling around at the voices around her, "Oh, look at that!", Cisca cooed, noticing the movements since the strappy top your were was thin enough for them to see the movements, "Hi, Matilda, good morning, beautiful girl", Lando cooed.

.

Lando made sure that you were as comfortable as you could be in the garage so you could watch the race from there. The chair had padding everywhere you needed, a cup holder for your bottle of water and strategically placed so the fan would keep you cool but not cause you to get a sore throat or chills.

"LANDO!", one of the mechanics called, "we need you in the car in two minutes!". It was enough for him to approach you, letting you kiss his lips good luck along with him kissing your left ring finger, a little pre race tradition you started on the first race you watched on the paddock.

"And you, little one, one last kick and wiggle before daddy goes and wins this race for you and mummy, okay?", he said as he poked your baby bump, Matilda kicking back immediately, "daddy loves you so much, Tilly", he cooed, kissing the top of your head one last time.

"Is she having a dance party of her own again?", Adam asked you as he replaced your bottle of water with a new one, "thank you, and yes, yes, she is. She actually slows down a little when the cars start going on the track, but until then it's Matilda Norris' dancing and kicking party, isn't it, my love?", you poked your bump back.

(Thank you for your submission ✨️)

[lets-try-some-writing]

i love it when people apply the whole “humans are space orcs” idea to transformer humans.

jack, miko and raf just doing regular, average day things that make the bots both extremely worried and unsettled gives me so much brainrot.

I got you here. I love this kind of lore/reaction ask.

Each of the children have a particular habit that bothers the team more than anything else. Can it be explained? Not really. All humans do the things they do. But for the bots, it is strange and out of sorts all the same.

Miko always carries around a bottle of sparkling water. She adores the stuff. The team, despite knowing it is not what the name implies, are still horrified with her drinking habits. Not to mention, they can't help but wonder where all the liquid goes. She drinks up to three whole bottles of water a day. In her own words "Hydrate or die." That in it of itself is concerning since the team, while well aware that humans need water, do not know how much they need exactly. The team are down right terrified of her ability to down water like a dry sponge. How can such a small fleshy even consume that much? They aren't entirely sure. Not only that, but if she drinks that much, then are Jack and Rafael getting enough? They can't be.

Not only does Miko down water like a bone dry houseplant, she also drinks just about anything else too. The team have seen her chug sodas which contain Primus knows how many strange chemicals and compounds. They've observed her willingly drink things that no other would on bets, including food that has been blended and watered down just because Jack wanted to see if it was possible for her to down hotdog cafeteria milk cheeto apple slurry.

Yes the team are terrified of humans and their ability to put anything inside themselves and walk it off. But more than any other, they fear Miko. Who knows what she's consumed.

All the kids do it, but Jack is the most notable since when he needs to go to the restroom, he makes it loud and clear mainly so that someone knows to keep an eye on Miko. The team are aware that organics have a need to manually handle removing waste since their systems are rather inefficient, however there is a certain level of mysteriousness surrounding the restrooms. The bots don't want to watch or even know HOW the humans get rid of waste, but they do know that THINGS happen in the restroom that seem to either be painful, emotional, refreshing, or aggravating. No one can really be sure what reaction will follow those who enter the space. Sometimes Jack or one of the other kids will go in there seemingly to just be alone.

It is a strange and almost sacred location where strange happenings occur. Miko went in once with bloody clothes and emerged with a fresh set before Ratchet could figure out what was wrong in the first place. Jack went in once and came out an hour later looking like he'd gone to war after he convinced Arcee to let him stop and get takeout the night before. Rafael took his charger and computer in there and hogged the space for a while to get away from the others once. The team does not know what happens in there, but it is mildly concerning since it either repairs or breaks a person.

Bulkhead theorizes that its a pocket dimension like the shadow zone. Ratchet refuses to think about it. Optimus will say nothing about whatever he knows. Arcee and Bee assume its a safe haven or sorts and Wheeljack is almost certain they keep weapons in there. Ultra Magnus and Smokescreen both agree that the restroom is simply a quiet space where a human can deal with personal issues in peace.

No bot is willing to try and confirm anything since humans flip out at any attempts to view the supposedly sacred ground.

Rafael is generally pretty good about flying under the radar most of the time, but he has a habit that has caught the team's attention. Humans have been noted doing what they can to clean themselves on their own. Its rather ineffective to clean one's own venting openings with digits considering the sheer amount of germs involved, but it is not out of the question to do so when a cleaning cloth is not available. Rafael occasionally and quietly trying to clean his nose is not what bothers the team.

No what horrifies them is the goop that he pulls out after his attempt at cleaning. What Ratchet has studied states that the goop is referred to by a number names, but is commonly called snot. Its the natural germ catcher humans have, but it still unsettles the team whenever Rafael quietly blows a few or when one of the others grabs a tissue and makes a rather disgusting sound as they try to clear their airways.

The goop reminds the team of any number of horrible things. But the sheer amount of GROSS within a small amount of the stuff has left the team all gagging whenever they find the stuff around base. Rafael is usually good about being clean, but sometimes he gets lazy and will use his chair to hide his cleaning attempts. Bumblebee has almost purged a few times seeing the marks on the chair from where Rafael may or may not have wiped his fingers.

Is he twelve? Yes. Is he fully mature? No. That much is evident just by looking at his chair.

[its-not-a-pen]

[餘知傳] The 2nd Century Warlord (Part 1)

based on the story by @romanceyourdemons

art by @its-not-a-pen

first day as a second century warlord i have my men tie branches to their horses’ tails to stir up dust and make it look like there’s a lot of us but i forget it just rained so there isn’t any dust and the enemy can clearly see there’s like twenty of us all spread out in a line

second day as a second century warlord i bribe a bunch of kids to start singing a nursery rhyme i carefully crafted to spread misinformation and further my strategic ends but they change the lyrics to be about poop and the enemy isn’t misdirected at all

third day as a second century warlord i lure my enemy into a narrow valley and send a team of archers to shoot them from the high ground but there was a feral hog napping on the trail up to the overlook and they couldn’t decide whether to try and shoot it or just go around and by the time the hog woke up and left on its own the enemy had already passed safely below

fourth day as a second century warlord we attempt to join a battle on the side of the guy we want to ally with but he and the guy he’s fighting have really similar names and it’s finally dusty and i misread the standards and attack the wrong guy. so now we’re stuck with this total loser of a liege lord, because how the fuck do you explain that after a battle?

fifth day as a second century warlord and some sort of wizard wanders into camp, my loser liege lord wants to execute him for being a wizard but i convince him to let the wizard stay, because i want to do more weather-based strategies and i’m pretty sure having a camp wizard can help with that. after the welcome to the team banquet the wizard steals half the treasury and my liege lord’s wife and leaves

sixth day as a second century warlord my loser liege lord sends me to reinforce a city he’s taken, but in the confusion of leaving i forgot to take the token that would have gotten us into the city, so my men have to wait outside the city walls for like eight hours while i ride back to get it

seventh day as a second century warlord and my loser liege lord finally joins me in the city, it turns out he’s actually a pretty cool guy, and he isn’t even that mad at me for letting the wizard steal his wife. i decide to shoot my shot but i’m really nervous and keep on stalling because what if i mess up our relationship and by extension jeopardize the security of my men, and eventually he just says goodnight and goes back to his room, where an assassin is in the process of setting up to kill him

eighth day as a second century warlord and my loser liege lord tells me to fake defect to his rival warlord, the one i originally wanted to ally with, to find out if he was the one who sent the assassin and why. but my whole way over to the rival warlord i’m worried that this has something to do with the wizard thing or how awkward i made it last night

End of Part 1

part 2

This comic was made independently from the creator, I'm just a fan and these are my own interpretations.

Notes under the cut:

the title 餘知傳 [the Story of Yu Zhi], is the styled name of the Second Century Warlord. I translated 餘知 as [plentiful knowledge] since he's defined by a surplus of knowledge but a deficit in luck. It's also great for fish-based puns since it's a homophone. As a nice parallel, Loser Liege Lord's banner is a carp ;))). the art style was inspired by vintage Chinese comics.

The story is set during the Three Kingdoms period, (220 to 280 AD) natural disasters, infighting and civil unrest had dissolved the previous Han Dynasty, leading to a violent free-for-all. I based the clothes on the previous Eastern Han styles, mainly because there just weren't a lot of contemporary references from the 3K period (and it only lasted like, 60 years). I always strive for historical accuracy, however, the Han Dynasty was over 400 years long and some sources don't do a great job separating out the different fashions, so I apologise for any mistakes that occur.

2. there aren't a ton of drawings on what Han children looked like, but in general ancient kids hairstyles are pretty consistent. 9-15 yo boys had shaved heads with two little top knots, girls had natural hair in braids/buns.

3. the crossbow (back left) makes a cameo, it was associated with Zhuge Liang, famous real-life strategist from the 3K era.

4. the LLL and his wife thank the Warlord, (a noblewoman on a battlefield??? scandalous!). it shows the LLL enjoys the unconventional and the wife is not as timid as she appears. I thought it would be funny to make them look as Background Character (tm) as possible.

5. I based the wizard's design on sages from mythology. (Hey, he's not a total fraud, he invented gunpowder 800 years before the Tang dynasty!) Nice little character moment for the LLL who is shielding his wife.

6. What do soldiers do while they're waiting for 8 hours? (<-from the right) playing knucklebones with pebbles, whittling a little horse, feeding sparrows, gossiping with neighbour, drinking from his gourd, napping. A minor warlord can't afford to keep a professional army so they're most likely conscripted farmers who've had to buy their own weapons and armour, hence why they look so unimpressive.

7. LLL offers the Warlord a bitten peach. Inspired by the legend of Mizi Xia who bit into a delicious peach and gave it to the Emperor so he could taste it was well. "Bitten peach" was a byword for homosexuality in ancient China. I thought it would be SO funny if the LLL was actually smooth af and the Warlord was a like a teenaged girl crushing for the first time. He's desperate to taste that peach but is too timid to reach out >;))) man has zero game. negative game, even. truely the PS4 of homosexuals. RIP to the assassin in the back corner who was forced to watch the most awkward, cringe-fail attempt at flirting in the history of china play out.

8. this is what zero peach does to a mf. UnU

[thoughtsforsoob]

txt - how they propose

a/n: I got inspo to write this when dates dropped for the tour! i am not officialy in posession of a pre-sale code and im hoping to get some good tickets!! i will come back with an update (LA moa's lets talk :) anyways, please enjoy! this piece was meant to be really sweet and even silly at times so please let me know what you think of it! as always, inbox is open.

yeonjun

at a fancy dinner

yeonjun is really excited when it comes to fancy, romantic outings but this one was going to be the best one of all. Of course, that’s because of his proposal plans. He is definitely the kind of guy that sort of spoils it or gives hints because he tells you to go out and get your nails, hair, etc… done. especially emphasizes getting your nails done. He covers it up by saying he loves seeing you all pretty and pampered but deep down, you sort of know what he’s hinting at. Anyways, moving on to dinner. He takes you to a fancy new restaurant that just opened in the city. It was on the top floor of some fancy building. There was a view of the city from where you both were seated at a small booth. He was sitting right next to you and talking your ear off about the day he’d had at work. He didn;t even drink, opting to let you order a drink so he can drive home. He buys you whatever you want to eat and watches you enjoy your food with those adorable, lovesick eyes. You whine at him to stop watching you but he says he can’t help but watch the love of his life. Eventually, he takes you out onto the patio of this restaurant and it was pretty empty since there were only a few more couples around. He takes in the view with you and asks you to take a cute video with him. He sets up his phone at a good angle and presses the record. He goes back to you and kisses your cheek. He takes your distraction as an opportunity to pull the ring out of his pants pocket and when he pulls away, he gets down on one knee and proposes. “Will you do me the biggest favor ever and be my Mrs. Choi?” 

soobin 

at home

Soobin was never one for big romantic gestures and he was happy that you were okay with it. His ideal date was at home, snuggled up on the couch or in a pillow fort, watching movies or playing video games together. sure, he did take you on little outings once in a while but he preferred staying home. When it came to his proposal plans, his logic was to stay home, plan and cook a little dinner and use all the extra money to buy you the prettiest ring he could find. He loved the whole ring shopping process “i know this probably isn't from some of the members. anyways, he tells you of his date plans for the night and you were into it. He tells you to dress normally with one of his hoodies and your favorite sweatpants or leggings (soobin loves your legs in leggings btw. he said so). you come in and he is dressed relaxed as well in those gray sweats you liked and a t-shirt you gave him as part of his birthday gift. He serves your dinners and then he takes you to his bed, getting comfortable together. after one episode of that new anime the both of you had started, he turns over to get something from his nightstand. he shuffles to sit on his knees and reveals the box to you, opening it shortly after. "i know this probably isn't the best proposal but we’ve had such a nice night. I love spending time at home with you. can we be homebodies together, forever?'' You nod and hug him super tight and he returns the hog. He gives you a sweet kiss after putting the ring on your finger and you two go back to watching your show and cuddling.

beomgyu

theme / amusement park

This man is so cute when it comes to a proposal. Let’s just say for the sake of this story that he takes you on an LA trip and you both have a knotts berry farm day! You two decided to skip out on disney because you two have already been together on a previous trip. You both also really wanted to see all of the snoopy memorabilia. You both have an amazing day getting on rides, drinking boysenberry juice and talking to each other the whole time. He loves seeing you so happy so he never says no to you not once that whole day. He lets you drag him to all of the performances happening at the park and even lets you take a picture of him with Snoopy, making finger guns at one another. As the day starts to wind down, you both decided to go souvenir shopping. Huening specifically requested a snoopy t-shirt so you both went to find him one. Beomgyu asks you to pick the t-shirt and he stays behind to find a snoopy plush to include in his proposal. He finds one and pays for it, as well as the requested souvenir you picked. He takes you back out to the park and you both take a seat to rest for a while before leaving the park. You take out your phone and dont notice when he turns around. He takes the plush out of the store bag and the ring out of his bag. He puts it in the plushies hand and turns back around. He taps your shoulder and you are met with a snoopy with an engagement ring in his hand. “Will you marry me, pretty lady?” he says in a high pitched voice and you gasp so loud that people turn around to look. You are absolutely red but you nod and beomgyu makes the plush put the ring on your finger. You call him a dork but he doesn't mind. He's your dork, forever. 

taehyun

at the beach

you and taehyun went to the beach often. it was always so quiet, especially when you two visited at night. These outings were frequent, especially when you both went to travel somewhere different. In this case though, you were both home in Korean. Taehyun was on a small break during the summer time before their next tour and he decided that now was as good as ever to propose. He drove the both of you to your favorite beach at around 8pm. On the way there, you both made stops to get dinner and then to pick up some snacks to enjoy while hanging out at the beach. Once you both get there, Taehyun sets up your beach blanket and you both sit down, starting to snack on some grapes. Taehyun took about 30 minutes before he decided to ask you. He scoots close to you and pulls the little box out of his bag. you give him a confused look and he opens it, looking at your shocked reaction. He wanted to give a whole speech but his words got stuck in his throat when he saw your reaction. you say yes to him and he hugs you, slipping the ring on after.

huening kai

in your hometown / family dinner

I think kai is really big when it comes to family so having your family present for such a big event was important for him. Not only that, it was also really important for him to get along with your family and have their approval. So, during this trip to your hometown over a winter break, he sends you off to go shopping with your close cousin/sibling. He takes this opportunity to gather the rest of your family and ask for their approval to propose to you and of course they say yes! They even help him plan a whole thing. They were excited to see that he loved you a lot and cared enough to ask for their opinions and approval. This especially swayed your parents, who came up to him after and had a little chat with him about what they’d do if he ever hurt you. Moving on….you come back home from shopping and you show kai all your finds! Later on that night, your family is all gathered together in the backyard around a bonfire, having drinks and chatting. After a little while, your family gives kai strange looks and you’re sitting there absolutely confused. Kai looked over at you and smiled, “hey baby. I wanna ask you something. Will you do me a big honor and marry me?” he pulls out the ring and as soon as you say yes, he slips it on your finger and everyone cheers!

[buckychristwrites]

About You | Day 5 | j.t.

Summary: Your job? Pop culture journalist for The Independent. Your assignment? To write a profile on the cocky footballer that you're publicly feuding with.

Word Count: 3.7k

Warnings: Cussing. Enemies to lovers

A/N: Let me know what you think! :)

Masterlist | About You Masterlist | Main Blog

“Oh, sorry!”

Your face was contorted in guilt as you watched the lady who was just smacked with the front door of your apartment building scurry away, giving you one last glare before disappearing down a side street. Was it because you were rushing out the door? Was it just because she was an old bat? It was hard to say. But you knew that you’d continue to feel bad about it for the rest of the day.

Shaking off the negative feeling that incident left behind, you turned down the sidewalk and made your way down the sidewalk.

It was a beautiful day, the sun shining down for the first time in 3 days. It was welcome. As the rays kissed your skin, you closed your eyes as if soaking them in. Popping your headphones in, you shuffled your music and continued to walk. The sidewalk wasn’t as crowded today as it normally was, and it made the journey all the more pleasant. 

“Oi!”

You continued to walk with a slight sway in your step. The crosswalk sign changed to stop just as you approached. A dog on a leash walked by, stopping to smell your shoes. You watched with a smile as he and his owner walked off. 

Over the sound of your music, you thought you could hear your name being called. You began to glance around. Was your name actually being called? Or was it something in the song? The answer was confirmed when you heard it again, this time much louder than before. 

Turning, you spotted Jamie. He was quite a distance away, jogging with one drink in each hand. When you noticed you looking, he raised his hands up in the air. The smile he donned was so wide that you couldn’t help but return it. A man tried to sidestep him, but Jamie accidentally ran into him anyway.

“Sorry, mate,” He said, looking more annoyed than apologetic as he caught up to you. He deeply inhaled and exhaled sharply before meeting your eye once more.

“‘Mornin’.” 

You bit the inside of your cheek.

“Did you get tired of being a menace to other drivers and decide to torture the pedestrians?” He let out a faux laugh.

“Hilarious, you are.” You glanced around, still in disbelief.

“How do you remember where I live?” You asked in astonishment. He shrugged, as if this was a completely normal thing to occur. 

“Just followed the way I drive to the pitch,” He said. “I always see ya walkin’.” He lifted up one of the cups. “I got you a… coffee?” It was more of a question, as if he took a wild guess at what you would want. 

“I’m more of a tea drinker…” Quickly, he handed you the cup in the opposite hand. You were awestruck as you stared at the cup before taking it from him. He really bought one of each because he would rather buy two drinks than buy you nothing. You accepted the cup and brought it to your mouth.

“I picked one that I like,” He admitted, sounding sheepish. “Hope it’s alright.” 

“It’s great.” And it really was. You smiled at him. “You really didn’t have to do this.” He shrugged.

“‘S what mates are for, innit?” 

You bit your lip, but the smile still broke through. 

“So we’re mates then?” 

This question seemed to catch him off guard, and he slowly began to walk in the direction of the pitch. 

“Well, yeah,” He answered. “Ya know too much about me now. Have to keep an eye on ya to make sure you don’t go blabbin’ to everyone.” You caught up so you were walking next to him, the two of you hogging the whole sidewalk. 

“Well, there goes my whole plan.” 

It was a nice invasion of your morning. The tea was excellent, and it made you want to ask Jamie what shop he bought it from. He had his hood up in hopes to not be recognized as he drank his coffee. You wondered what that was like, to always be in hiding. Being a journalist gave you the privilege of being forever unrecognised. While your picture was published along with the article, people rarely paid any attention to it. In return, you didn’t have to worry about people bothering you in the streets or having to walk around in disguise. 

Your train of thought was interrupted when a hand was pressed into your side, pulling you over.

“Watch it.” 

Suddenly, you were standing in front of Jamie, and when you looked over, a bicyclist sped passed, a glare sent your way in his wake. Jamie’s hand was still holding you as you gathered yourself, his fingers brushing a patch of bare skin that was exposed from your riding up shirt.

“Where’d your head go?” He asked. “Almost killed ya.” You shook your head quickly before taking a step away from him.

“Sorry, I just… lost myself in thought, I guess.” You started walking again, and though his hand was back at his own side, the ghost of his touch long lingered. 

Silence fell over the two of you again as the journey to Nelson Road continued. You were taking care to put some extra distance between yourself and Jamie. You couldn’t explain it. Just because you and him were friends now, that wasn’t an open invitation to get all handsy. If fate calls for a bike to kill you, who is he to stop it? No, he should keep his hands to himself. 

Rounding the corner in front of you came a small child who was hand in hand with his father. The hoodie was not enough to fool him, for the small boy began jumping up and down and pointing to Jamie. His father froze as his cheeks turned a deep shade of crimson. He pulled his son over to the side and kneeled down to calm him, at least that’s what you assumed was happening. It clearly didn't work, because the boy broke free of his father’s grip and ran up to Jamie. 

“You’re Jamie Tartt!” He exclaimed, still bouncing up and down. “Legend! You’re my favourite footballer!”

The father ran over at top speed and had an obvious apology being loaded up. But with a raised hand and a gentle smile, Jamie stopped him before lowering down to one knee so he was eye level with the boy. 

“You wanna be a footballer?” He asked in the friendliest tone you’d ever heard from him. The kid frantically shook his head, more star struck than he had been before. It was at this moment, as Jamie pulled a marker from his pocket, that you noticed the boys Richmond jersey. “What position do you play?” 

“A striker! Just like you!” The child didn’t miss a beat. Jamie laughed as he signed his shirt without even being asked. You glanced over at the father, who also looked just as in awe as his son. 

“You keep practicin’ and you’ll be better than me,” Jamie told him, giving his hair a shake before standing up and holding his hand out for the father. “Take care, mate.” The man stared at the hand for just a second too long, but still managed to reach up and grab it, profusely thanking Jamie for his kindness.

“Bye, Jamie Tartt!” The boy shouted as they walked off. In the distance, you could hear him singing Jamie’s chant. Plastered to the back of his little jersey was the number 9 with the name Tartt across the top. 

It wasn’t until another thirty seconds had passed and Jamie looked over at you that you realized you had been staring at him.

“What?”

You whipped your head forward, giving him a terse smile before continuing the walk to work.

“Nothing.”

Keeley Jones stood in the car park of the stadium, scrolling on her phone when the both of you arrived. When she caught sight of you and Jamie approaching, her expression lit up.

“Hiya!” She exclaimed, skipping over. “How’s the profile going?”

“It’s been going rather well, actually,” You said as you looked at Jamie for validation. He met your eye and nodded. 

“Very good.”

This made her look incredibly pleased, and you wondered how such a small person could contain so much positivity. Every time you saw her, she looked like she was ready to burst with love and happiness.

She turned to you briskly. “You’re coming to the Gala next week, yeah?” 

You nodded.

“I have a press pass,” You told her. Jamie turned towards you, eyebrows raised. 

“I didn’t know you were comin’,” He said. You scrunched up your face slightly in disbelief at his remark.

“They can’t have me doing a profile on one of Richmond’s players and not have me go to Richmond’s Gala.”

Richmond’s first ever Charity Gala was a new event that was Keeley’s idea, but was pushed by Rebecca. The point was for all of the club’s shareholders and sponsors to show up for an evening of dancing, food, entertainment, and most importantly, donating to the charity of choice. This year, the money would benefit homeless youth, although you couldn’t for the life of you remember the name of the organization. From your understanding, the event was being held at the Nelson Road stadium, but what you couldn’t figure out was where exactly they could possibly hold it. It was tempting to ask Keeley, since she brought it up, but the surprise of it all was also quite exciting.

“Don’t you think it’s a weird idea to have a Gala with lots of drinking the night before a match?” You asked the two of them. Keeley waved you off.

“They’ll play better after a relaxing night, in my opinion,” She informed you. Did you think that was a good strategy? By absolutely no means. But her and Rebecca worked very hard, so you didn’t say anything more.

“Well, I’ve got to go,” She said. “Rebecca and I have a lot of details to iron out before then. See you guys later!” She flashed one more smile before scurrying off inside. You and Jamie followed in the same direction at a considerably lower speed.

“You bringin’ anyone to the Gala?” He asked. The question caught you off guard. Why are you feeling so bashful all of a sudden?

“Oh, erm, no,” You told him. “Press passes don’t allow for a plus one.” Pause. “Not that I’d have anyone to bring if it did.” He nodded in understanding. He reached the door first, holding it open for you before following you in. You glanced at him before quickly looking forward again. “You?”

“Me what?”

“Are you bringing anyone?”

He scoffed. “No. Definitely not.” 

His answer, both the answer itself and the way he said it, surprised you.

“Why not?” 

“Don’t have anyone to ask,” He said. “Not anyone I’d want to spend a whole evenin’ with.” Now it was your turn to scoff.

“I’m sure there’s plenty of great ladies that you could ask and have an amazing time with.” 

When you looked over, the goofy smile on your face was instantly wiped away. He was staring at the floor, his expression unreadable. Before you could ask him about the change, he crossed into the changing room, which was as loud as ever with voices and laughter. Like the flip of a switch, Jamie plastered a smile on his face and enthusiastically greeted his teammates, who greeted him with the same vigour. Sinking onto the bench in front of his locker, you pulled out your notepad.

The Richmond team brings out a sort of happiness in Tartt that you don’t see anywhere else.

“How can ya already have notes to write? We just got here!” Jamie said as he flopped down next to you, pulling his hoodie over his head. 

“I’m clearly taking notes about all the naked men in here.” He looked aghast, pressing a hand to his chest..

“The only naked man you should be takin’ notes on is me. Look at all this.” He pulled the undershirt off to reveal his bare torso.

“Oh yes,” You said mockingly as you pretended to study him and take more notes. “‘Jamie Tartt’s biceps are bigger than a teenager’s head and could easily crack a watermelon.’” You came off as coy, but all of this was to distract from the fire that was roasting in your cheeks.

“There ya go,” He said with a playful smile. “Give the people what they want.” You continued with the game.

“‘Tartt’s abs are sculpted with the same look of bread buns, fresh out of the oven, and every woman in a 150 metre radius wishes they had kneaded them.’”

“Change it to 300 metres and you got it.” You rolled your eyes. 

“Shall we make it an even 500 metres, just to be sure?” 

He snapped his fingers and pointed at you.

“Now you’re thinkin’ like a real writer.” 

The whiplash you got when you thought of how quickly things turned around with Jamie was indescribable. If someone had told the you from a week ago, hell even 4 days ago, that you would be sitting around with Jamie Tartt, laughing and making jokes, you would’ve probably spit in their face. But here you were, laughing with him as if you had known him for years. 

When the coaches entered, you flipped to a blank sheet of paper. Jamie pulled a hoodie over his head. When you looked around, you noticed that the whole team seemed to be wearing the same one.

“Match against Chelsea is in two days' time,” Roy reminded everyone. “We’ll have one more practise today, and then tomorrow will be to rest and prepare.” You leaned towards Jamie.

“You guys don’t practise right before a match?” He shook his head, speaking in a low voice.

“It's a new strategy. Game day eves are for relaxin’ and restin’.”

It didn’t really clarify anything, but you didn’t want to get yelled at again, so you straightened back up and let it go. 

Practice was pretty straightforward. They ran drills. They ran plays. Roy Kent yelled. Coach Beard shrieked. Nate Shelley stayed (mostly) silent. When late afternoon hit, they decided it was time to throw in the towel. The team filed into the changing room.

“Remember,” Roy Kent said in a warning tone. “You all better fuckin’ rest tomorrow or I’ll rip your testicles out through your mouth.” Even when the coaches had disappeared into their office, you continued to stare in the direction of the door.

“I would love to spend a day with Roy and a therapist, just to hear what goes on in that brain of his,” You said to Jamie, shaking your head. Jamie patted your shoulder.

“You and me both, darlin’.”

You didn’t even dignify that with a response.

The team all walked out together, making jokes and laughing as they always did. As they parted in the car park, there was a chorus of See you laters and Have a good day offs.

“Make sure to relax, lads,” Isaac’s voice echoed over the crowd. Everyone agreed before breaking to head to their cars. 

“Can I walk ya home?”

You turned to Jamie, whose body was already turned towards the direction that you’d go to head home. A smile crept onto your face, filling your cheeks.

“You don’t have to do that,” You said as you approached him. He raised his hands up, giving you a look.

“I don’t have to do anythin’.” His hands dropped back to his sides. “I offered ‘cos I want to.” You nodded. 

“I know.”

The sun was low in the sky, surrounded by orange and purple hues. You stared at the colours that painted the world above you, your heart at ease. Jamie looked over at you, his eyes following your gaze towards the sky.

“You never told me your favourite time of day,” He pointed out. You glanced at him before looking upwards once more.

“This,” You said, gesturing around you. “The sunset.” 

“What makes it any different than a sunrise?” 

“The colours are different, obviously.” Which was true. In your opinion, the colours of a sunset were deeper, while sunrises were more pastel. You took a beat to give it more thought. “It’s a beautiful ending, no matter how wonderful or horrific a day is. You always get a beautiful ending. Even when the clouds cover them, you know the colours are there above them.” Pause. “It’s like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.”

The feeling of him staring at you made you nervous, but you didn’t look at him at all. 

“So what’s a sunrise then?” He asked you. 

“Seeing the positive in every single day. Knowing it has the potential to be good, even if you have no way of knowing.” 

He smiled, eyebrows furrowed together.

“Now you’re just makin’ things up.” 

“You’re just not using your imagination,” You told him, laughing despite it. He was laughing too. 

“I’d love to see the good in every single day,” He admitted as the two of you stopped at a crosswalk. “But on a day when we lost a game, or I feel a wee bit off, it’s hard to come back from that.” 

The light changed, and the two of you began to cross.

“What happens in your head when bad things happen?” You asked him. A blush filled his cheeks as he opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before answering.

“I… erm.” He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “I guess I hear me dad’s voice, tellin’ me I’m a failure. Or that I don’t deserve to have a good day anyway. Stuff like that.” The pain in his expression was apparent. It was heartbreaking that his father’s abuse haunted him so much.

“Where is he?” You asked him. “Your dad.”

“He’s sober now, still livin’ in Manchester. I see ‘im sometimes.” He sighed. “I’m happy he’s not a drunk anymore. But it’s still hard to forget everythin’ he did to me.” 

A car driving in the opposite direction of the pair of you blared its horn, the passengers hanging out of the windows to give Jamie a wave and to yell encouraging words about the upcoming match. Jamie gave them a wave before tiredly dropping his arm back down, the smile instantly disappearing from his face.

“You being happy for and loving your dad while also being angry with him for what he’s done to you are two things that can both be true,” You reminded him. He shook his head.

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“It does,” You argued. “Him being sober now doesn’t erase the pain he caused in the past and the trauma you still have ingrained in you. But you obviously still have love for him, despite all that.” He was pulling at his fingers in anxiety. You watched him.

“Have you ever gone to therapy about this?” He laughed, though it didn’t have much humour in it. 

“I saw Dr. Sharon for a few sessions before she left,” He admitted. “But I haven’t talked to anyone since.” 

“You should consider finding a new one.”

He eyed you.

“And what will ya do when I can’t talk to you about this stuff anymore ‘cos I talked it all out with a professional?” 

You were about to respond with something along the lines that then he’d be a normal person to talk to, but you stopped, your chest filled with melancholy. 

“It won’t matter in a few days, will it?” 

He froze, the smile slowly slipping away from his face until it was replaced with a frown. Fingers running through his hair, his eyes dropped to the ground as if he couldn’t look at you anymore. As if it was painful to do so.

“I guess it won’t.”

The building was suddenly in front of you, and you turned to him with your hands behind your back. 

“This is me.” 

He nodded.

“How ya gonna spend your day off?” He asked. You shrugged. 

“I’ll probably get started on writing this article,” You said with a sigh. “The best and worst part of my job is the part where I have to write.” He gave you a half grin.

“Isn’t that the majority of your job?” 

“Yes,” You said with a fake sad tone. “Yes, indeed it is.” He shook his head as he smiled, looking around at the buildings surrounding. You did the same. 

“I guess I’ll see you at the match, then,” You said. He nodded, almost looking sad. He gave you a quick salute, which you returned, before turning and heading off down the sidewalk. Suddenly, you took a step forward.

“Jamie!” 

He spun around so quickly, you were surprised he didn’t fall. You didn’t really have anything to say, honestly. You just really weren’t ready for him to leave. When you were quiet after a few seconds, he took a step towards you.

“Yeah?”

“What is your go-to karaoke song?” His expression fell into deep thought as his fingers gripped his chin. After a few seconds, the lightbulb seemed to go off in his brain. 

“Probably somethin’ by Robbie Williams.” He lifted a finger, pointing at you. “But nothin’ by Take That. Solo Robbie Williams only.” You laughed, shaking your head as you began to turn towards your building. 

“Noted.” You smiled at him once more. “Goodnight, Jamie.” He smiled back, one of the widest you’d ever seen from him.

“G’night.”

Letting yourself into the building, you pressed your back against the wall, taking a deep breath before pulling out your phone. The goofy smile was still plastered to your face as you typed out a text and hit send, feeling deeply satisfied and elated when the message said Delivered.

When you got back upstairs, you dropped your phone and purse onto the couch before heading to the bathroom. 

Your phone was still open, displaying the text you had just sent to your boss.

I’ll be taking another week at Richmond. x

[tmntheadcanons]

tmnt 2003 headcanons: sleeping

Leo:

The room needs to be pitch black, dead silent and ice cold for him to fall asleep.

And he is a very light sleeper. I feel like he was always a bit like this but also trained himself to wake up quickly and easily when he hears something.

And he sleeps straight on his back like he is in a coffin.

And he sleeps with one pillow and it's the same, flat pillow he has been using for the last 10 years.

He won't go to sleep unless he knows everyone is home.

I think the difference between him and Donnie would be that Donnie doesn't let himself sleep but Leo actually can't sleep. I feel like he's naturally a bit of an insomniac but when he tries to sleep he kinda spirals in his own thoughts and stresses himself out.

But it's not always stress that keeps him up it'll be like the song Mikey was singing the same four lines of all day is now violently stuck in his head keeping him awake and he's thinking about how he is going to murder his brother in the morning.

Mikey:

Sleeps with a minimum of 5 pillows. One for spooning, two for his head, one for his feet and one to violently throw off the bed while half asleep at 3 am.

He can really sleep anywhere though. (And he will)

He talks in his sleep. He'll mutter a lot of non-sensical stuff and also he'll sometimes just straight up laugh in his sleep. And he rolls around a lot during the night.

I think Mikey has the wackiest dreams. His dreams are very vivid and if someone shows up in his dream he will go out of his way to tell them about their guest star appearance in his absolutely off the wall bonkers dream.

Also he is the one who has the most nightmares

He likes to sleep with a little bit of noise. He likes the tv playing or music playing while he's falling asleep and if it's dead silent he'll find it a little unsettling.

Same with lights, he likes to have a lava lamp or some sort of soft light on in the room.

I think he would go absolutely feral for one of those galaxy project lights.

Also he's totally a blanket hog.

Raph:

The second his head hits the pillow he is out.

He could be mid conversation and just pass out. But it's only ever when he knows he can. He's good at staying awake if he needs to keep watch but if he's relaxed he can fall asleep in like 30 seconds.

And he sprawls out when he sleeps. He will starfish.

Or be half hanging off the bed.

And he violently snores.

And talks a little bit in his sleep too but not as much as Mikey, just every once in a while.

His dreams are super mundane. He'll come back from an absolutely wild experience, fall asleep and then dream about like doing the dishes.

But every once in a while he'll get a bad stress dream. I could see it being something social related like humans finding out about them and freaking out, or his whole family being upset with him because of something he did.

I feel like Raph would like a bit of white noise when he sleeps, like a fan or something. He doesn't need it to fall asleep, but he likes it.

Like Leo, he is also a bit of a light sleeper, but he falls asleep again pretty quickly after he wakes up.

Donnie:

He's good at staying awake for long periods of time but once he's out, he's OUT.

Must be physically shaken to wake him up.

He is frequently sleep deprived so every once in a while he will crash and sleep for like 14 hours. Most nights he goes to bed way too late especially when he's working on something but usually when he's finished he'll have a recovery day.

Like I said with Leo, his issue is that he doesn't let himself sleep. He won't actually go to bed he will just suck back coffee and keep doing what he's doing. However, I could see him having similar issues as Leo after Good Genes or SAINW, where he overworks himself at night to avoid spiraling thoughts while he's trying to fall asleep.

I feel like he's bad for being like "Okay I'm going to stop working and actually go to bed" and then instead of sleeping he sits in the dark on his computer on the internet until 4 in the morning.

He curls up when he sleeps he never sleeps just flat on his back.

But he'll always wakes up in a weird position he'll be like upside town on his bed in what looks like a yoga position and be like "How did I get here?"

[thebigstar-abouttofall]

Wolfstar Microfic Day 6: Time-Turner

@wolfstarmicrofic

Rating: PG (Angst/Fluff/Grief)

Summary: Remus gets his hands on a black market Time-Turner five years after Sirius ends up in Azkaban and knows exactly what to do with it.

Word count: 645

His fingers are whitening, his grip around the Time-Turner is so tight. And his whole body shakes. When he opens his eyes, he knows that he’s done it. The air is warm and heavy with the smells of dinner cooking in the kitchens below, and it rings out with the laughter and chatter of nearby students. Familiar stone brick surrounds. Five hours. The guy in The Hog’s Head had said he had five hours. And he’d known - as soon as the man mentioned the Time-Turner he’d “somehow” gotten his hands on - that this is what he would do with it.

And, in a moment of pure serendipity, the kind of luck that Remus hasn’t had in a long time, he can hear a distant gleeful rabble, instantly recognisable. He shoves himself into a nearby cupboard, leaving the door open a crack, watching the scene unfold. First, two voices which make his stomach clench.

“Right guys. We’ll see you later. I’m gonna go to the library, you still coming Pete?” It’s James. Lovely, lovely Seventh Year James. He feels nausea rising in his throat. This was such an idiotic idea.

And then: “Yeah, ‘course! Let’s go. See you guys at dinner! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, Moony. I hope you have honourable intentions for my Padfoot.” It’s Peter. Another squeeze of his heart. This is too much. He suddenly feels claustrophobic and his mouth dries up. He makes to leave the cupboard as he hears young Remus clap back: “Only the best for your daughter, Wormy!”

But the sound of James dissolving into laughter stills him. And the scene unfolding next is one that replays over and over in his dreams. He knows he shouldn’t be dreaming of him. The one who brought death and betrayal in his wake. But Remus is haunted by doubt. Growing around his heart like deadly mould. A fear that their love was one great conspiracy. A lie. An exaggeration. A fairy tale.

As if in response, peering out of the slit in the door, he can see himself, looking awkward and gangly as ever but alive. He feels oddly jealous.

And then Sirius walks into view and it’s like standing under a waterfall, being pummelled by feelings that he’s long been trying to ignore.

He looks beautiful. He always did. Angelic. With his sharp cheek bones, his porcelain skin. His silvery eyes, guiding orbs lighting up his face. His black hair long and shaggy, just how he liked it and Walburga hated it.

He’s rummaging in his pocket. And it’s exactly how he’d remembered it.

“Hey, Moons. I have something for you.” Young Sirius is whispering, his eyes trembling with something so pure. Anticipation on his lips. He continues to retrieve the present from inside of his robes.

“What?” Young Remus looks put out momentarily. “Is it Valentine’s Day? Or my birthday? Or Christmas? Or the anniversary of that time we glued Snivellus’ mouth together just before he had to get up to give a presentation in Charms?”

Sirius is cackling. He catches his breath. “No but god, we should make that an annual festival! No, it’s nothing like that I-... well I’ve just been planning this for a while. And finally decided to…”

He trails off, looking down at the box in front of him. Young Remus is visibly trembling, a grin sticking to his cheeks. Sirius tenderly lifts off the lid, revealing two aged silver chains. One adorned with a small moon charm and the other with a star.

Older Remus can’t even watch anymore because he knows how this goes. He knows that Young Remus chokes up and pulls Sirius into a soft, grateful kiss, cradling his face in his hands. Under his shirt, Older Remus touches his hand to the star charm still dangling from his neck, shudders. And tears fall down his cheeks again.

[almacambiondaughterofsaleos]

Why Helluva Boss Failed With Stella When Villainous Succeeded With Sunblast

I would like to describe them as first impression hate sinks/assholes. In their first appearance they are supposed to be hated in order for you to cheer for the protagonists they opposed. They are also shown to be abusive towards the people they targeted in the past and make their lives a living hell.

For Sunblast, he in the pilot is shown to be a bully who uses his status as a hero beat up Penumbra who is trying to plot out the sun because of a condition she and several people in her homecity have. Despite this, it is shown he doesn't really care and just wants the fame and recognition of being a hero. You then cheer when the Villainous trio shrinks him and hands him to Penumbra for her prisoner.

For Stella, our real first impression in the actual series is of her having a strained marriage with her husband. She in the episode is shown to be a rather awful parent by making Stolas go to Octavia alone while hogging the covers. She isn't any better in the present where she throws things at Stolas and yells about him sleeping with an imp which emphasizes how much of a classist she is. From what we are hinted in this episode, she has been a toxic presence to her husband but from her daughter's perspective it's only got started recently when Stolas hints it's never been sunshine and happiness between them. As a result, we are left with strong hints of why Stolas had no hesitation of cheating on her.

Now let's see how they develop over the series in contrast with one another. In episode 6 of Season 1, we see Stella is revealed to have hired Striker to put a hit on her husband regardless of what their daughter would feel. It does show how despicable and petty Stella it also kind of contradicts how the episode of "Murder Family" where it was the same premise for imp to kill a family due to the mother sleeping with a client's husband. As a result, it feels like a confused mix of morals and a case of protagonist centered morality where it's bad if other characters do it but not the main ones. One could say at this point this should have been an indication where Stella goes downhill as a character since they will just vilify her and just make her into the bitter ex-wife who was scorned.

However, one thing that no one expected with Sunblast that he actually would change from being held captive by Penumbra. From here he doesn't stick to being a hate sink like Stella does but instead he gets a new perspective and we get more development as a character. He stops thinking only about himself but also sees how he actually has been hurting a whole community by just pounding on a woman trying to fix a mistake that affected them all. From there on out, we see Sunblast focusing on the journey to become a true hero which is someone who does things because they care for others not because they get a reward for it.

I do think these above images sums up the cemented direction both characters were intended to go in by their creators. Stella's childhood picture is meant to cement she was always bad from the beginning and she wouldn't be given any sort of depth to her as a character except as a one dimensional hate sink who lives to make Stolas miserable. Sunblast's image after Penumbra was kidnapped by Miss Heed is that of someone who has grown to see someone he used to torment as the person he wants to protect the most. It's a case of someone who has the ability to change and also is someone who isn't just a carboard box, but someone who can see the errors of his way and has become a better person. This isn't the case with Stella nothing about her shows she is capable of it and she only gets worse from there, while Sunblast gets better.

This one statement cements what she is all about which is being an obstacle of torment for Stolas. She is not Octavia's mother or anything else, but just Stolas' chain and ball. She can or cannot change because the writer's refuse to give anything but be a horrible spouse to Stolas. As a result, it blatantly show how the attempts at grey morality is more bs and that favored characters only get that view, while also not making sense at all. Stella could have been explored more on her side of being forced to marry someone she doesn't love, but that would mean caring about stuff other than Stolas rather than treat him as a cant do no wrong sad bird. And in an attempt to try address female on male domestic abuse it comes off flat, because of the fact that Stolas had more resources to get away from her and how he could always have her sent away. There is also the factor of domestic abuse being treated by comedy the protagonists which makes this also fall flat. It doesn't jive up when you don't give a reason why she would be able to hold such power over him. It just makes less like a way to depict abuse but more of a reason why we want to hate a character.

Their different developments are a showcase of how both shows actually tackle the themes of grey morality in a setting that seemingly should skew black/white. Helluva Boss has been stated it wants to show grey characters out of hell, but fails when the scorned wife is written to just revolve around tormenting her husband and not given any other expansion on her character and no interaction with her own freaking daughter which could given more insight into her personality besides being a scorned wife. While I was ready for Stella to be bad, when it comes down to it there is nothing you can mine from her character except she fits in those ron the death eater fanfictions you find which derails a canon love interest of a pairing the writer likes.

However, Villainous goes into the grey territory by not just making things black and white by portraying one side as totally good and the other side as devils. It is instead showing how grey the world of Villainous is by sometimes good people forced to become villains due to circumstances in life or at least have redeemable qualities that prevent them from being totally evil. However, even the show admits a lot are still villains and deserve to be stopped. While the heroes have many who are less than good people, those like Sunblast truly have the ability to really become true heroes if they let go of their selfishness and protect those they care about like what happened in "Shrunken Rescue".

That panel right there sums up what development that Sunblast went through in order to come to the realization he hates his past self for hurting Penumbra due to basically using his status as a hero to be a bully. He is shown to regret it and wants to show it by not fighting her directly. Again that is how you get a grey character someone who realizes that they have done wrong in the past and wants to correct it. Sunblast unlike Stella was allowed to reflect and grow, while also going out of their way to see to it that their former victim turned friend is not used by someone who only seeks to abuse them in a different way. Sunblast's developments as a whole shows that an asshole doesn't have to stay static and that they can grow when they either learn of circumstances or learn that their actions have consequences on people. As a result, it really is a heartwrenching scene where you really see how far he has come and understand he deserves now being a hero where no one else would know it because he only cares now she is free and doesn't no longer wish to see her in pain like she was before.

All in all Stella and Sunblast are a great example of demonstrating of how to portray a first glance jerkass character the right and wrong way. Since Western Energy, Stella is just going downhill especially with the fact that the narrative wants to portray her as dumb while her brother is the real brains which again emphasizes the fact that there is nothing more to her character but a device of torment for Stolas. Meanwhile, everything after the pilot shows Sunblast strives as a character who goes to a journey of self-reflection and discovery while understanding the meaning of a true hero. The former comes off as a character who has little to no substance, while the other you see happy he goes from one point to another. As a result, it shows what good/bad writing does for a character like both of them.

[dearabby1990]

Chapter 34: Early mornings & new beginnings

You managed to slip out of bed without waking the beautiful man next to you. Throwing on a pair of his boxers and an oversized Bowie t shirt slipped your slippers on & headed towards the kitchen to turn on the coffee pot & start breakfast for the house full of men who you know will surely wake up hungry. You flick on the radio & start pulling out your supplies & heating the waffle iron swaying to the instrumentals to Guns & Roses Patience. You decide on making mixed berry waffles & a strawberry sauce over the stovetop as the bacon cooks & you start humming & singing to yourself 🎼”I’ve been walking the streets at night just tryin to get it right, it’s so hard to see you with so many around, You know I don’t like being stuck in the crowd, And the streets don’t change but maybe the names I ain’t got time for the game cus I need you yeah yeah but I need you!”🎼 in your own little world belting out lyrics not noticing the boys peeking at you through the doorway as Eddie stands there in complete awe of you. Your voice the way you so effortlessly move across the room totally captivated by all things you Jeff whispers to the group “I think we found corroded coffins new addition only if she played an instrument” you turn them not knowing you heard Jeff “who says I don’t” as you set down plates full of food for them all “okay boys eat up help yourselves there’s plenty Eddie give them a pork roll rundown” you wink and leave the room with your coffee. “Ew Eddie it sounds dirty so if it is I don’t wanna know” Eddie laughs “it’s food spazoid” he slides each boy a plate full it takes about a minute before they all start scarfing everything down “I don’t know what this is made of but it’s so good! Ed why you hogging her man we don’t get to eat home cooked food like that either moms so busy I’m lucky if there’s a can of spaghetti o’s or a box of Kraft in the cabinet” you overheard them “boys how about this.. I know you’re all graduating really soon & some of you will be moving to campus for college after the summer so why don’t we have a family night once a week until then not including hellfire night okay? We’ll do the whole nine yards I’ll cook dinner we’ll have a movie marathon & everything then the week or two before break is over we can plan a trip just us & you all have to promise we’ll see you on the holidays I’ll be heartbroken if I don’t get a table full of my favorite people for thanksgiving & Christmas” they all stare at you with glossy eyes never feeling cared about by anyone but the boy group & their parents they aren’t very used to being around someone so caring & warm they all run & wrap you into a large group hug “you’ve always been one of us & we wouldn’t have it any other way” gareth says as the boys nod in agreement. You snatch up your favorite mug gifted to you by Wayne knowing it’s your favorite flower plastered all over it you’ve always had a soft spot for Lily’s they’re so beautiful. Heading to the shower to wake yourself up more as the boys finish breakfast. Gareth going for seconds scoots in the bar stool at the breakfast bar next to Eddie taking a large bite of waffles before nudging his friends shoulder “so…. What’s the plan man? Let us know what you need us to do you know she’s special to all of us in each owns way we wanna help make it special she deserves it more then anybody” Eddie laughs “I know dude I’m just trying to figure out how to get her out there without her getting suspicious maybe you can tell her me & the others went shopping or something & you take her to lunch & the record store by the time you guys are done & you bring her over we should have everything set by then I already called Robin she’s gonna tell Jamie she’s busy & so is Steve hopefully this goes smoothly” he says huffing his bangs out of his face. “You guys wanna see it real quick before she’s out of the shower?” They all jump out of their seats as Eddie pulls it out of his pocket to show all his best friends “wow Ed she’s gonna love that” Jeff stares in awe “yeah man what the hell did you do rob a bank look at that thing?!”

[cameronspecial]

Before The Last Petal Falls (Part 5)

Pairing: Rafe Cameron x Reader

Warnings: Spoilers for The Inheritance Games series, mention of drug use, swearing and toxic relationship features.

Pronouns: She/Her

Word Count: 2.3K

Summary: Y/N thinks her one is someone entirely different than who she thought and Rafe can't seem to not argue with his supposed love.

Masterlist

“She should’ve ended up with Grayson,” Cole insists, painting Y/N’s nail the sage green she picked out. Y/N shakes her head, needing to have her hand steadied by Cole, “Nooo, Cole. Come on. For one, Grayson is in serious need of some healing time after Emily. And for two, Jameson is just so much hotter. He’s a badass.” Cole chuckles at her words and goes back to focusing on her nails. “I think I’m going to have to take offence to that because I am much more like Grayson than Jameson. Are you trying to tell me something?” 

“Don’t worry, you have nothing to worry about. I think you’re a mixture of both. You have Grayson’s need to be the one to take care of people and Jameson’s hunger. You just are hungry for books, like me. It’s one of the reasons why I think we get along so well.” 

“So you’re saying I’m the Jameson/Grayson to your Avery.”

“Maybe… Hey, why are you so good at painting nails? It’s not fair.” 

“I have five younger sisters. They love mani-pedi night and I can’t say no to them.”

“That’s cute. I hope I can meet them one day. Mason would let me paint his nails but he never had the patience to wait for me to finish them or do mine. Ra- I always finished Rafe’s nails but he would run off with Mason before I could ask him to paint mine.” 

“I would absolutely love for you to meet them. And it’s a shame that they never did your nails because I find that the ladies love it when their man does their nails.” 

“Oh, and that’s who you are to me? My man?” 

“Well, if you want me to be.” 

“Yeah, I would really, really like it if you were.” 

She leans down to his face, which is angled towards her nails, and gives him a kiss on his lips. He pauses what he is doing and starts to move his lips against hers. She takes her hands out of his, wrapping her arms around his neck to deepen the kiss. He pulls away from her, “As much as I loved that, can we wait for me to finish your nails and for them to dry? I know you are a little bit of a perfectionist when it comes to your nails.” Y/N nods and unwraps her arms to check her nails. When she sees that they smudged a little, she gives a little pout. Cole shakes his head with a massive smile on his face, gently taking her hands into his, “Don’t fret. I have all the time in the world to fix your nails till they are as perfect as you want them to be.” He places another kiss on her lips before taking the nail polish remover into his hand and taking off the smudged polish. 

Thirty minutes later, Cole finalizes Y/N's nails and they decide to have a movie night in the theatre room. After watching the whole How To Train Your Dragon series, Cole heads back to his hotel room and Y/N heads to hers. She goes to sleep that night with a massive smile on her face. 

——

Mason comes into the kitchen and sees the massive smile his sister has on her face as she eats her cereal. “Given that Cole left pretty late last night and the big smile on your face, I am going to guess you had a good night with him,” Mason deduces, getting himself a bowl of cereal and sitting down beside his sister. Y/N looks at him with a dopey look, “It was a very good night. And don’t give me that face, it’s not for that reason you dirty-minded hog.” Mason laughs and shakes his head.  “Ew, I wasn’t thinking about my sister doing that stuff. Plus, I can see your nails are done so it gives me a pretty good idea of what you guys did last night.”

“Yeah, he painted my nails then we watched some movies. You know I value my nights at home like they are gold so it was a perfect date.”

“Oh, so it was a date, was it? You guys are official, now?” 

“We are. I am no longer looking for a boyfriend. Can I be honest with you?”

“It’s what brothers are for.”

“When Rafe and I were dating, I thought that he was the one. That we were endgame. After we broke up, I still held on to that thought. I thought maybe sometime in the future, we would get back together and have our happily ever after. However, now that he is getting married and Cole and I are giving us another chance, I think I was so wrong.”

Mason gives his sister a spiritless smile, “What do you mean?”

“Well, I think that maybe I was wrong about Rafe and I being soulmates. I think I am meant to marry Cole.” This time, Mason drops his spoon so it clatters against the rim of the bowl. He didn’t want to get in between his sister and best friend; it was the whole reason why he didn’t keep them updated on each other. But hearing what his sister just said, he starts to panic at the thought that they weren’t going to get back together. Mason gives his full attention to his sister, “Maybe, but do you really think there isn’t any other chance of you and Rafe?”

“I mean, Mace, how could there be? He’s getting married and he also hasn’t even forgiven me yet. Honestly, I haven’t even forgiven myself yet. But I need to move on with my life. I can’t keep holding on to my high school sweetheart in hopes that something happens.”

“You’re right. I just think you shouldn’t remove the possibility of it until he actually walks down the aisle. You have until before the last petal falls from the flower girl’s hand to still be with him.’ 

“Um, okay. A little weird that you say that about your best friend’s engagement, but I know you just care.”

“I do. And he may be my best friend but a small part of me will always be team Y/N and Rafe. He’d be a pretty cool brother-in-law.” 

——

The last person Y/N expects to run into at the bookstore is her ex-boyfriend, especially since she hasn’t thought about him in five years. Although, she really shouldn’t be surprised given that he wanted to be an author just as much as she did. Standing before her is Wilson Porter, an all-around horrible person and a terrible boyfriend. She is about to pretend she doesn’t see him and go back outside, but Wilson speaks up before she can. “Well, if it isn’t the best-selling author, who broke up with me.” She turns at him and gives him a glare, “And it’s the boy, who used me for a book offer.” He holds his hands up like he’s been caught. “Really thought you would be over it by now. How are you?”

“So are we really going to be faking pleasantries?”

“No, I guess not. It’s just the last that I heard, Rafe is getting married to a New Yorker turned OBX resident. Must be lonely all by yourself.” 

“Actually, I’m dating a publisher, so it doesn’t bother me. But it must be lonely for you without any offers to publish your book.”

“Haha, very funny. But, in all seriousness, I just thought it was always going to be Rafe for you.” 

“Why?”

Wilson gives her an Are you serious look? and motions for her to sit down on the bench. He sits beside her once she does, making sure to keep their distance. “Besides the fact that every guy on the island knew that Rafe was head of heels for you, I could see the way that you looked at him when we were dating. It was clear you guys had a bond that no one else could understand.” 

“No, that’s wrong. Rafe would always be a jerk to me. How could he have been head over heels for me? And I never really paid attention to him until we started dating.”

“Oh, okay. If you want to be in denial, then fine. I’m just telling you what I felt during our relationship. I bet you that even if I did have true feelings for you, you would still be drawn to him.”

“You’re wrong,” she persists. She doesn’t want to listen to anything else he has to say, so she storms out of the store and towards Mason’s car that she is borrowing. She can’t get what he said out of her head. It reminds her too much of what Cole said to her in their first year of university after they went on a date. He had told her that he had a great time and that he really liked her, but he could see that her heart was in another place. That she was being drawn to someone else. It couldn’t be true. She couldn’t let it be true, at least not anymore. She has to move on. She is beginning to feel like that is her new mantra. 

——

Rafe Cameron begins to feel like he moved into Barry’s trailer. In the last week, he has spent most of his time after work at the dealer’s house, doing drugs to make himself feel better. Since she has come back home, everywhere he turns is a reminder of her. Right now is one of the rare occasions he decides to head back home for the night. He angrily gets into his room and doesn’t bother to greet his fiancée, who is waiting for him on their bed. “Look who finally came home,” she quips with her arms crossed over her chest and a serious look on her face. Rafe jerks his head back and forward with an annoyed look on his face, “You’re angry when I’m not home. You’re angry when I am home. I don’t know what you want from me.”

“Don’t start with me right now, Rafe. This is the first time you’ve been home in a week and like the third time we’ve talked… wait no argued is a much better word for what we’ve been doing.”

“I’m not the one picking fights and being an annoying ass bitch.” 

“No, you do not get to talk to me that way. I don’t know what has gotten into you or what is bothering you, but I can’t take your change in behaviour. I’ve tried to give you time to cool down and to come to me when you are ready, but you don’t seem to want to do that. I don’t know what you want me to do.”

“I want you to let me live my life without your constant questioning on what I am doing. God, it’s like you’re trying to be my mother.”

“I’m sorry you don’t want me to care for you, but it’s what you signed up for when you let me into your life and asked me to marry you. You knew I was a bubbly and caring person.”

“Yeah, well, I underestimated how annoying you could be.”

“That’s enough. I’m not going to just stay here and be your perfect little fiancée while you are out and about being anything but my fiancé. I’m going to stay at a hotel. When you start to remember who you are, you can come get me.”

Rafe watches as Blythe packs her bags and leaves the room without waiting for him. He angrily slams his hands down on his desk then rubs his face with them. Wheezie’s knock on his door snaps him out of his anger. “I heard your argument with Blythe again. I know you’ve been going out to get high,” she says calmly, walking into his room and sitting on his bed. Over the last five years, Wheezie has become the only person other than Y/N that he lets have a true look into what he is feeling. “Have you been doing drugs because Y/N is back?” He sighs and sits beside her on the bed. She brings his head to rest on her shoulder to try to comfort him. 

“I just want to stop thinking about her. I want to stop seeing her having the time of her life on a date with someone who isn’t mean.”

“Is that why you punched holes in the walls? Did you do it while you were high?”

“Yes and no. I was high when I made the holes and it was partially because I saw her on the date. I mean it was the reason why I got high in the first place. But I also got angry because she caught me doing drugs at Kelce’s party. She was so angry at first and then all of a sudden she was worried about me. It was like she could see into my soul and she shouldn’t be allowed to do that anymore. She doesn’t care about me.”

“That’s not true you know, she still does, Rafe. I can see it in her eyes. She isn’t the type of person to stop caring and you know it. You just keep saying it because it hurts you more that she still cares but broke up with you anyway. And it’s okay to be hurt by that, but you can’t keep getting into arguments with Blythe because of her and you probably shouldn’t be marrying Blythe either.”

“You’re probably right. And I thought I was the oldest. When did you get so wise?”

“It must come with my driving abilities. Plus, I like to talk to a certain bookworm, who also happens to be wise.”

For once in weeks, Rafe let himself give a genuine happy laugh at the mention of Y/N and it felt good. Now, he just needs to figure out how he is going to fix his life so he always feels this good.

Taglist: @sublimepenguinpeach-blog @gillybear17 @f4ll-for-you @winterrrnight @maggiecc @magicwithaknife @loves0phelia @jiarapamuk @blisslove @baby19sthings

[soulandunconscious]

dead poets in efteling

a/n: first hc post yippieeee!! i know this is soo niche and there are about three people who understand this but its been in my head for weeks and it needs out. if you're unfamiliar, efteling is this really cool theme park in the netherlands with a kind of dark fantasy theme. i was there yesterday and if you saw someone eating shit at the baron 1898 that was UHHHH NOT ME GUYS

first of all, cameron is extremely stressed out about wasting time/money so he wants to be there the second the gates open. If they’re staying in a hotel or bosrijk, he’s insanely anal about getting the extra half hour but they never end up getting it bc half the guys are still asleep

they go with mr keating (who had to pester the board for months about why it’d be beneficial for their education) and thank god because every single one of the guys is directionally challenged. if it werent for him they’d criss cross through the park all day

keating makes them sit at the fabula restaurant for like 20 minutes so he can drink coffee and plan out their walking route. cameron nearly has an aneurysm

everyone but cameron is running around that restaurant like children

charlie is hogging the slide, meeks and pitts are at the climbing section, knox is locked in on feeling the textures and the game where you merge your face with a penguin. spends five minutes trying to type in his email

neil and todd are mainly walking around trying to see everything, until todd gets jumpscared by the jumping snake. from then on he’s staying 10 feet away from any kind of structure in this building

cameron is sitting at a table with keating trying to explode him with his mind. keating is unfazed

when they finally go on a ride they go on fata morgana first

pitts is so insanely in tune with the present and his inner child that he fully locks in during every dark ride. EVERYTHING GETS HIM during the fata morgana. the negative energy makes him so on edge that he screams at everything 

everyone else is fine for the entirety of the ride except for the dentist scene where they all go ‘eugghhh’ in unison

they go on the baron 1898 next and knox is like eughhh i dont know guys cuz hes fucking terrified of heights but he won't actually come out and say it. they manage to convince him to get on cuz he's extremely sensitive to peer pressure

meeks and pitts are constantly playing no one knows (efteling heads up) in the line (in every line tbh) but they can’t control their volume. they’re always screaming when they get an answer right and it stresses cameron out

charlie wants to play with them but he's horrible at it cuz he keeps asking subjective questions

when they get on the coaster, knox is already having heart palpitations from the sight of the witte wieven. he then sees 1. how insanely high it is and 2. how theres a whole crowd of people on the ground staring up at them. right when the cart tips a little over the edge and hangs there, charlie (in the most sincere voice) says 'omg i think my seatbelt is undone!' n knox fully faints for a second

they don't let him go on rollercoasters anymore after that. he mainly rides the train and waves at every passerby

they go on sirocco (teacups ride). keating has mostly been keeping a neutral face and sharing history/poetry tidbits so he can argue that they have, in fact, learned somethng here. but on sirocco this guy goes HAM

hes 1. really strong and 2. obsessed with this ride so he's spinning it like crazy. he's in there with meeks and pitts who are having a grand old time

neil and todd are in a boat together and todd has this really blank expression. neil is extremely worried he's getting motion sick so he's constantly like 'are you good? should i stop spinning it???' and todds like 'yeah im good :)'. neil does not believe him and refuses to keep spinning it

the people who ARE getting motion sick are cameron and charlie, who somehow ended up in a boat together. neither of them are willing to admit it so they're both turning green and staring at each other to see if one of them will cave

they both end up puking

they go on droomvlucht and decide to test out the virtual line. when they get the notification that they can get on cameron freaks the fuck out cuz hes scared they'll miss their slot even tho its fifteen minutes. hyperventilating all like 'WE HAVE TO GO NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW'

while they wait for their time slot they go to the volk van laaf

neil and todd and meeks and pitts both go on the monorail. theyre on the monorail when their slot opens so they look down and just see a tiny little cameron waving his arms and screaming 'WE NEED TO GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO'

todd runs over the second they're off the ride cuz he's stressed, but the rest REFUSE to be rushed

knox has found the loof and eerhuys and nearly jumps out of his skin when vader laaf starts moaning and moving his feet

charlie would think this is very funny and start calling him freaky laaf if he werent stuck at the stairs that make noise, spamming the steps

when they're actually on droomvlucht, neil is constantly talking about a midsummer nights dream. pointing and pogging like 'OMG ITS OBERON'

neil in general chronically talks through rides. todd's content to listen

meeks gets jumpscared by the troll at the end and still has a horrified expression at the photo op

fairytale forest!!!

charlie is obsessed with everything that's interactive, specifically the troll king and the parrot. makes it say all sort of horrific things

obviously he's pogging at the mermaid boobs

also will not stop thirsting over the wolf. he is FRONT ROW at an evening with wolf even though he doesn't understand a word

the interactive bit pitts likes is the gnome that opens the door and just like. mutters at everyone. he thinks it's the funniest shit EVER.

todd is LOCKED IN at the fairytale tree. looks up at keating with these huge eyes as if to say 'thats u'

meeks has figured out how the app works and how to make kniesoor say ur name. knox is convinced it's witchcraft and then BEGS steven to show him how it works

i actually don't believe kniesoor knows the name knox but who knows!

they go on the halve maen (swinging ship) and cameron, still traumatized from the sirocco endeavor that he insists on sitting in the middle

everyone else refuses and since keating doesn't want anyone to be alone, he sits next to cameron

what cameron didnt really consider is that since the movement in the middle is a lot more subtle, it's likely to make you even more sick

keating's looking at him the entire time and going 'are you okay?' meanwhile camerons there like ._.

in the tips, a screaming contest breaks out between the two halves. charlie and knox start it and everyone joins in. ppl gets tired and kinda stops putting any effort into it at some point. as a joke, at the very end when it slows down, charlie says ‘imagine someone just fully yawps right now’ and todd just. does it

knox is mortified. charlie gives todd five dollars for the effort

in the vliegende hollander all of them are kind of tired and the line is stressing them out. they don't fully understand what the ride even is so when the dark ride portion starts everyone is kind of tense. to diffuse tension, during the fog portion, meeks yells 'OMG CHARLIE PUT UR VAPE AWAY'

they eat at polles keuken and neil gets the magic water

charlie is inspired and gets it too. nearly knocks over a waiter with how excited he is

of course they go on symbolica after

oj punctuel is camerons spirit animal. everyone wakling through the opening steps and he's like yuo guys... poor oj...

charlie DEMANDS to sit in the front row so he can press the buttons

todd gets terrified at the whale/fabelvis part. he just doesnt like things that are underwater

when they see polle they're like omg that's our guy!!

at the end knox spends all his money in the gift shop

meeks buys those cards with seeds in them but refuses to ever plant them

pitts buys a raveleijn sword

charlie buys a stuffed animal of the wolf

cameron buys a magnet

todd buys the book of fairytales and buys keating a pen

neil buys a droomvlucht puzzle

i have a thousand more ideas but i feel like this post is already WAY long so if anyone is interested in a part two lmk x

[quillyfied]

HELLO, my fellow feral girlies (GN)! How about that episode, huh? Gosh I sure hope nobody was too comfortable with that ending, because as much as I have now built my house inside of the way Blitzo’s fingertips linger on Stolas’ cheek, this episode was as much setup as it was payoff and we have SO MUCH GROUND TO COVER. Buckle up, buttercups, time to dissect Mastermind! In over six thousand words!!

I CALLED IT, BITCHES, BOTH STOLAS AND IMP WERE ALWAYS GONNA BE IN DEEP LEGAL SHIT. I CALLED THAT. I ALSO CALLED BEE AND OZZIE STANDING UP FOR BLITZO. I was NOT EXPECTING this vision to come true so soon, nor for it to be covered in a single episode, but pacing issues aside…holy shit. We have FEASTED. And to be honest, even the pacing issue isn’t so much an issue for me; when Our Flag Means Death was airing its second season, they released the episodes in batches but left the finale to air on its own, and that…woof. It made the finale feel breakneck in a way that was already upsetting, given the budget and episode number cuts and then the subsequent cancellation. However, watching all of season 2 in one shot somehow fixed that issue; the finale no longer felt so fast-paced and sudden when watched in context. I do have to wonder if Mastermind is going to feel the same way upon future rewatches. Obviously I haven’t had the time to test this theory yet. Okay. Initial thoughts out of the way, now for an attempt at more chronology:

Do y’all wonder if Andrealphus’ butler has white fingertips from frostbite after years of working for this ice bitch? Because all of the imp’s extremities being white is kind of really upsetting actually.

Andrealphus is…SUCH a bitch. Like. Dramatic, evil, campy bitch. I would love to know his backstory, like how old he actually is and how much of a hand in Stella’s raising and arranged marriage he had. (There will of course be a Stella introspective later, but let’s focus on the brother for now, since he’s hogging the spotlight.) It’s interesting to me to see this episode just how entitled Andrealphus feels…to Stolas’ power and assets. And how so very carefully he lays his trap for Stolas after learning the crucial information needed to orchestrate Stolas’ downfall. It’s exquisite, actually.

(Don’t start humming Bo Burnham’s Unpaid Intern song under your breath during the intern scene. Don’t do it.)

…do we need to have a discussion about how the photos the Hell Cops use are what seems like a candid shot of Loona at a party, Blitzo and Moxxie’s mug shots, and possibly a wanted poster or another candid of Millie during her solo days? Do we need to pick that apart? We probably don’t but it seems very likely to me that the picture of Loona is a snapshot of Bee’s party, possibly with Bee’s hands on her shoulders (and if not Bee, maybe Tex? It’s been a bit, I can’t quite remember), which…yikes. Feels like a paparazzi shot.

This whole sequence of trying to HIDE EVERYTHING (see: DESTROY EVERYTHING) is so deeply funny and also so…so very dark. Loona grabbing the picture of their first mission together as IMP. Blitzo doing his usual of bullying Moxxie but taking him along as Blitzo goes to get the others. Blitzo doing his best to protect his family from the Hell Cops and ultimately failing. The speed of all of this is disconcerting and it does feel very fast, but consider from a story perspective how deliberate that is. Blitzo can’t schedule a yearly shot for Loona more frequently than every five years, but Andrealphus apparently just needs a brunch hour to pull together an entire ass trial in front of every available Goetia and Sin in Hell. We also don’t actually know when Andrealphus and Stella’s conversation happened, so it’s possible this has been months in the making, but it feels like we would have some indication if that was the case. It’s so much darker and bleaker to realize that all Andrealphus needs to ruin an imp’s life is more or less just a phone call.

Muzzling Loona was just a low blow, though. Like. From a safety standpoint, she has the most natural weaponry there, so it makes sense, but it’s just cruel. I get it, Hell, but still. Yikes.

(CAN WE TALK ABOUT WHY LUCIFER’S SIGIL IS CRACKED??)

And here he is…Satan. Not disappointed by him, especially not by his little relaxation guru (Yogirt omgf), but I do see what Viv meant by his design maybe being less creative or out there compared to, like, Ozzie. And, uh, holy shit, can we talk about the background politics of all of this? There’s just so much, wow, my brain is going absolutely a mile a minute, like—look at the size differentials between the Sins. Lucifer is the smallest, obvi, we stan a short king, but we know that all of the Sins we’ve seen so far have a much larger, more aggressive form. Satan is SO MUCH BIGGER than the rest of them. And he’s presumably in his CASUAL FORM. Size is not an indicator of power but you don’t give a character that size and THAT VOICE and not expect him to be an absolute unit. Likely the strongest Sin present, the one that the other Sins seem to defer to, the self-proclaimed ruler of the dark (and yeah, it was a bit too ambiguous an acting choice to hint that Satan is lying about ruling the dark before Lucifer’s Fall just by Oz and Bee looking grimly up at Lucifer’s empty chair, but with everything going on in this episode, I don’t blame them for not taking the time to make that more clear tbh. There’s always a future episode or short. Or Hazbin Hotel). Crimson would shit himself before ever daring to blackmail Satan. Satan’s name is used in place of God’s in most of the blasphemous swears in this show, except for two very interesting key moments in this very episode. Most interestingly of all, Satan himself is the one who invokes Lucifer’s name on one of these occasions (“What in Lucifer’s Hell is this?” when Stolas hops in to save Blitzo). The other, tellingly, is Stolas, a royal demon who resides in Pride. Y’know, Pride. Lucifer’s ring. Lucifer isn’t the one running the courtroom about to execute Stolas’ beloved, but Lucifer would absolutely be one of the few Sins in that room who could maybe see through what Stolas is doing in trying to take the blame, who MIGHT be even a little bit sympathetic to an impossible love like Stolas and Blitzo’s (to say nothing of Ozzie and Bee), and the ONLY Sin who could interfere with Satan’s judgement. Like. Copyright reasons aside, there is a very real story reason for why Lucifer being in that courtroom might not be a good idea, and I will live with that delusion happily, thank you.

Cannot believe Andrealphus went the rapist angle with Blitzo. It’s so cleverly evil. It’s a multi-purpose motive: first, explain why Stolas isn’t present (didn’t want to make him face his abuser, THE IRONY); second, draw out Blitzo’s fury, bc the madder he is, the less he’s going to be able to articulate (see the “I’d just kill him myself” debacle) and thus less chance of anyone there listening to him; third, to draw Stolas out and make him admit the truth, or at least assume blame. And the ways Andrealphus still just belittles and mocks Stolas even as he’s assuming a concerned brother in law role, the VICTIM BLAMING of it all (“too weak and ashamed to come forward about it” BITCH, also say it louder for every single person who’s been railing about how Stolitz is toxic because one or the other is a rapist, you are literally agreeing with the peacock so far in the closet he thinks pointing out how hot his sister is is what straight people do and he is blending in with the Straights so well by continuing to do that, and on top of that, THE PEACOCK KNOWS HE’S LYING, congrats and maybe consider that more closely). Accusing Blitzo of sexual assault also allows Andrealphus to enforce the class divides, because Blitzo is aberrant in every way an imp isn’t supposed to be: he dares to assault his betters, he dares to run his own business, he dares to steal royal artifacts to access the mortal realm without supervision or restraint, he dares to talk back when accused. He has to paint Blitzo as dangerous, both for Stolas to come to the courtroom and to enforce to the lower classes forced to watch this tripe that this is what happens when an imp steps out of line.

And if Blitzo stepping out of line is the set dressing, then let’s all remember the real reason behind this, the catalyst to Andrealphus’ much-schemed power grab: this is all happening because Stolas slept with an imp. An IMP. Stella called him a treasonous embarrassment over it, raged over it the way she likely would not have had he chosen a more suitable bedwarmer; Andrealphus calls him a deviant freak. The fact that lending out Stolas’ grimoire is a crime on par with sleeping with the lower class really paints what a farce this whole thing is. Because lending out the grimoire? Bad, but if Stolas is being victimized here then at least it makes sense and can be forgiven. Willingly sleeping with an imp? Loving an imp? Unconscionable. Deviant. Unwholesome. Unfit for duties.

Even Oz and Bee catching flak from Mammon about slumming it with the lower classes and getting NO SUPPORT from anyone in the room over it besides each other is so much more than I ever expected Helluva Boss to give us on the class divide front. I worry for this show, because tackling such a heavy and complex topic like that can be really make or break (too little and it’s pandering, too much and it’s not a comedy anymore and we are already straddling that line too hard), but in a lot of ways, pointing out the hypocrisy and the flaws is such a huge part of the battle anyway. Fixing it should be the goal, but…I mean, we can simplify a lot in fiction. Have happy endings and redemptions in fiction that couldn’t ever happen in real life. Fandom and fiction are not activism, but they are important staging grounds for discussion, and I’m so curious about where the discussion is going to go in this show, when the emphasis is so much upon the characters and less the plot and setting (though neither of those are slacking much either).

ALRIGHT TIME TO THROW PHILOSOPHY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE OUT THE WINDOW, VASSAGO IS HERE. I love him. I love his boots. I love him cussing Andrealphus out in Spanish. I love the Harvey Guillen of him. I love how his very existence proves that Stolas isn’t alone, that there are other Goetia—and likely established Goetia—who aren’t blinded by their own importance. I want to know how long he’s been around too, tbh. I want him and Stolas to become wonderful besties. Stolas needs a friend SO BADLY.

Tiny RIP for how the amount of story and character bits that have to be given priority and thus making it so we don’t get to see Asmodeus realizing he’s in the same room as the guy who kidnapped and tried to murder Fizzarolli. We don’t get to see Fizz realizing that the cowboy fuckface who kidnapped him is testifying against his best friend. We don’t get to see Striker taking Bombproof to the vet. Tragic. (Also, is it just me, or is the scar on the wrong eye? It might just be me.)

“We don’t know who wanted Stolas dead” riiiiight, right, right, right, the only people who know that are Stolas, Striker, Stella, and Andrealphus. Right. RIGHT. RIGHT. RIIIIGHT.

OCTAVIA AT LEAST SHOULD FIND OUT SOMEDAY OKAY. LIKE. OUT OF EVERYONE, SHE DESERVES TO KNOW WHAT HER MOTHER DID.

The many ways this trial is so not about justice at all is infuriating, and rightfully so, but the way NO ONE CARES that Striker literally asked for his line and Andrealphus fed it to him is just—it’s so—AAAAUGH.

Also, I love that Satan just…lets them argue. Just straight up lets the other Sins call each other names until he finally gets bored. Because letting Sins do that is a better use of time than letting Blitzo defend himself at all. Because this was all just a show of power, a pageant for the upper class to pat itself on the back over. (Vassago’s thoughtful looks, though. This fight is only just beginning, I can feel it. Satan had the balls to call Stolas out on his hubris, when really it’s his own and absolutely Andrealphus’ that might be about to bring their own castles down around their ears?? NICE.)

SATAN SAYING THIS WILL BE BROADCASTED TO REMIND IMPKIND THAT THE SINS’ POWER CANT BE CHALLENGED AGAIN. FUCKING AGAIN. WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN AGAIN. And, specifically, IMPkind. Just the imps. Not all the demons. Just imps. Only imps. Is he saying this because Blitzo’s existence is really that much of a threat to them in this moment, that his alleged actions are that much of a challenge to Hellish authority? Or is there some hidden lore in that proclamation that we’re gonna get in the future? Gosh I hope it’s hidden lore, I would love to know about how much a pain in the ass imps are despite Satan “creating them to be obedient” what the FUCK, Sin of Wrath?? How does that make any sense?

(Moment of silence for how Oz’s hands are tied; he doesn’t have the power to go against Satan’s sentencing, not even for Fizz, and we all know he’d do almost anything for Fizz. But this is the hierarchy of Hell that Ozzie would be challenging, and as high up as he is…I genuinely don’t know if it’s a CAN’T, or a WON’T. It might be both.)

Hang on have to sob about Blitzo telling his family that he loves them before he’s publicly executed on hellwide television.

ONLY TO BE SAVED BY STOLAS OF THE ARS GOETIA, PLAYING THE HERO AND PROTECTING AN IMP. We don’t know how much Stolas knows up until this point, but it’s very likely nothing. He just sees Blitzo about to be executed while channel flipping; if he saw the part where Andrealphus accuses Blitzo of assault, he would have been there so much sooner. Which is why that bit of pageantry was as much for the royals’ benefit as for Stolas’, had he managed to see it.

Now. The Song. The thing giving me goosebumps this very second. Because Stolas is still catching up to the situation, he can’t address the actual concerns regarding himself that Andrealphus laid on the table, but he sure can lay down a total cover to protect Blitzo and negate anything that might possibly have been said. He doesn’t need to know the specifics. Blitzo is about to be executed and the only thing he’s done that would warrant that sort of response is using the grimoire, something Stolas knew was going to get them both into trouble from the beginning. Might as well go whole hog, then, and claim total responsibility. Not only that, but package it to the court in a way that they can understand: Stolas was using the imp for undisclosed nefarious deeds, very evil, very cunning, isn’t he just a mastermind? All of that was public. Everything else in this song that happens under the reversed color palette? That’s inner thoughts, baybee. And I highly doubt that Blitzo and Stolas can hear each other during their duet, what with Stolas keeping his back turned for most of it, and certainly no one else could hear it, but I do think that people in the know about Blitzo and Stolas and their entire messy situation could probably infer it. AND BLITZO SANG. ACTUALLY SANG. HE IS READY TO COMMUNICATE ON THAT EMOTIONAL LEVEL. SO HUGE. Like. Blitzo doesn’t sing. He doesn’t meet the people around him on that level. But he’s been trying lately. He’s been wanting to change, wanting to meet his loved ones at that level, to meet Stolas at that level. Of COURSE it takes staring death in the face for Blitzo to realize that; nobody else in this show can ever have an emotional epiphany under normal circumstances, so why would this be any different? XD But back to my point: Stolas and Blitzo have admitted now to loving each other, but. BUT. I strongly doubt that they admitted it out loud TO each other yet. I could be wrong. But I don’t think I am. I have to gush about how this inner thoughts part of the song visually mirrors both Look My Way and the Truth Seekers hallucination, what with the golden feathers and the water and the cosmos.

“You’re my light.” “You’re my heart.” “And only death can rend our love apart.” FUCK. FUUUUUUUCK. EXCUSE ME, NEED TO GRIND MY FACE INTO SOME DIRT AND WEEP. (Because, again, I do not believe that they heard each other here. They’re in sync, but not together, not yet. But, oh, the beauty of it—Blitzo is the light, the guide, the one who showed Stolas he didn’t have to live in an eternal twilight of misery; Stolas is the heart, the lifeblood, the keeper of Blitzo’s tender emotional side that’s been hurt so much but keeps persisting because protecting the heart is what keeps him alive. And they’ve always known that choosing each other would be dangerous, social and physical death in the worst ways, but living without each other is worse, these BEAUTIFUL MORONS.)

If y’all needed more proof that the emotional aside was not sung for all of Hell to hear: Satan is directly replying to Stolas’ claim of being the mastermind, reminding him and all of Hell that breaking demon law means consequences from the keeper of that law. (All the Sins, even the sympathetic ones, standing up and agreeing that Satan is the Law, I have CHILLS.) If anyone in that room had heard the emotional aside, there’s no doubt in my mind that Blitzo would have been executed simply for the crime of being beloved by a Goetia, to teach Stolas a lesson about his place in the hierarchy and what that means for him to step outside of his box as well. It would have undone all of Stolas’ work to protect Blitzo through belittling and undermining him to the rest of the court. So that devastating emotional aside is just for them, just for Stolas and Blitzo, perhaps passing in a mere moment of eye contact—enough to see each other, to have personal realizations in sync with each other, but not enough time to SAY anything to each other.

Credit where it’s due, Stolas faces death and the begging of his beloved with impeccable poise. Something that I have loved about the Hellaverse is their understated portrayal of suicidal ideation, particularly in Stolas. From his very first musical number assuring his daughter that even if he is gone, SHE will be okay, it’s been a part of his character. He’s been ready to die from a young age. And to die for his beloved? Protecting him? I’m sure Stolas could think of fewer more fitting ends for himself. Because Octavia will be okay. And so will Blitzo. They’ll be okay without him.

BUT TELL THAT TO BLITZO AND HIS TEARS, OKAY, because even as he reunites with his family, he’s vacant-eyed staring into the distance with tears falling down his face because HIS HEART IS ABOUT TO BE EXECUTED. HIS HEART.

Okay in Stolas’ defense, the executioner should not be lifting his axe like that if they aren’t planning to execute him. Ugh I just need to gush about how Stolas truly did not realize that the punishment for him would be different than for Blitzo. He has a lot to work through. A LOT. But. Like. Can we at least give him that his heart is in the right place? That he was willing to die for Blitzo, fully expected nothing less than to take on this burden for his beloved, only to get slapped with banishment instead? HOLY SHIT CAN WE TALK ABOUT RECKLESSNESS AND CONSEQUENCES? Because Andrealphus said all the way back in Western Energy that KILLING STOLAS SHOULD NOT BE THE GOAL. He knew damn well that Stolas was never in any danger of dying here. Stolas isn’t useful to them dead. But STOLAS doesn’t realize this. He has no idea he’s played directly into Andrealphus’ hands until it’s too late. And his own recklessness, his choice of love over duty, comes with a consequence: Octavia. If he had been given time to consider the choice he was really making, I’m not sure Stolas could do it. Blitzo is his light and Octavia is his Starfire. Blitzo reignited his passion for life, but Octavia kept him going when it was darkest. Blitzo is the love he chose against all expectations and rules. Octavia is the love he found in the midst of his duty, and she is inextricably tied to it, at least for now. His love for her sort of blinded him to how sheltered and naïve she is. Fairness to them both, Stella made it a difficult situation, much more difficult than it had to be, and this family situation is messy even without the power grabs and responsibilities and expectations surrounding it all. But to choose love, only to lose family? Gutting. And all too real for many in the audience, I’m sure.

I haven’t listened to Hadestown, but I wish to express my absolute delight at Patrick Page’s gigglefest as Satan. It’s adorable. He’s having fun. You can hear the fun he’s having. I love this show.

Okay okay okay OKAY OKAY OKAY. Ice Princess Andrealphus…uses FIRE…to get rid of Stolas’ chains. I don’t fully understand the implications of that but I would like to circle this scene several times with a red marker and leave at least four post-it notes for future reference. Is he actually using fire magic? Do the chains just react that way when a Goetia touches them to be rid of them? WHAT DOES IT MEAN??? (Also the silly bird expressions Andrealphus has this entire scene is just. Chef’s kiss, no notes, strip the coat off again bc it’s hilarious.)

I notice that despite this all happening according to Andrealphus’ plan…it still doesn’t happen according to plan. Stolas is stripped of his powers, but only temporarily; the rings never converge onto Andrealphus to give him Stolas’ power and legions and resources. It’s like Satan is just storing them for safekeeping (which makes Andrealphus’ wasted coat-ripping all the funnier, holy fuck I love it). Stolas is about to be way more vulnerable than he ever was before, still immortal but not powerful; I wonder what stipulations are in place for if Stolas dies before his sentence is finished, and before Octavia is of age to take on her father’s place? Prediction: Andrealphus now has Stolas in a place where his death would be beneficial. Despite not getting the exact verdict he wanted, Andrealphus still has the upper hand.

Gotta give it to Hell; they don’t waste any time showing Stolas how they feel. I have SO MANY MANY more thoughts about this situation and what it means and what it WILL mean, but let’s get through the rest of this chronology first before I go off the rails. I admit, I saw a thousand fanfics come true in the last ten minutes of this episode, but Stolas getting a Glee Slushy treatment from every other lowborn demon in Hell was not on my bingo card. Stolas, dear thing, once again didn’t think through consequences, because he didn’t expect to have to live through them. This is a very unexpected one, imo. Stolas painted himself the villain. Now he’s touchable and vulnerable and has to live with that. Wow.

The way the rest of IMP seems very spent but also awkward…I cannot wait to dig into that. Because they were the people picking Blitzo up after the fallout, so I can’t imagine they have some warm and fuzzy feelings towards Stolas. Especially not Loona. Though her giving Stolas her own sweater to wear speaks to me that she’s gonna try, because he did save her dad’s life. AND LOONA SAID I LOVE YOU DAD. THE ONLY I LOVE YOU THAT MATTERS RIGHT NOW. And the LOOK on Stolas’ face after it happens?? The realizations, the implications, everything hitting him right now? Like LOL birdy babe you are IN IT now.

Blitzo throwing some casual Spanish words in this episode after the appearance of Vassago. Idk why that’s so funny to me.

And the FUCKING FIREWORKS FOR BLITZO NOT BEING EXECUTED. There’s about to be some class warfare up in here, huh? BRING IT ON, HELLUVA BOSS. I’M EXCITED.

Hang on, obligatory moment to pause and reflect at how pretty Stolas is while he’s devastated, and how sweet Blitzo’s affection towards him is, and ignoring my own uneasiness and sense of impending doom, loving the canon couch fanfics, daydreaming about Secretary Stolas, hold it, hold it—

Got it. Time to ruin my own parade.

Feeling very nervous about the future of Stolas and Blitzo and their relationship right now (they’re endgame but it ain’t the endgame yet lol), because I feel we are just beginning a new phase of shit: Stolas just had his circus fire moment. He doesn’t realize yet just how damaged his relationship with his daughter is, he hasn’t gone through the “slapped in the face by his father and banned from seeing his mutilated best friend” part yet. But he’s in shock, shown best by his pupils not disappearing yet. He’s processing. He’s floating. He’s numb. There will come a break here soon where he has to expel all the venom inside of him, the unfairness of what just occurred, how much he hurts. And a lot of that is going to be him regurgitating some classist internalized shit, some clueless woe-is-me-ness that tbh…at least he isn’t dead. At least that was never on the table. Unlike for CERTAIN BELOVED IMPS. However. To give Stolas grace and put the crock of shit that Stolas has landed in into perspective: Stolas is only to live like a commoner for a century, but he’s a young Goetia with a young daughter to think about. This is destroying him mentally to contemplate. He already thought he had no more stories to be told at the tender age of twenty-three at most; a century is nothing to the immortal royals but it’s everything to an immortal royal who hasn’t even cleared his first half of a century yet. Who hasn’t even hit FORTY yet. No WONDER he’s so shellshocked and listless. One hundred years without Octavia? When they’re both still so young, feel the passage of time so keenly?? You know how to you, an adult, a year passes in a blink, but to a kid, five minutes is an interminable hell? YOU KNOW HOW THE PASSING OF TIME IS WORSE WHEN YOU’VE EXPERIENCED LESS OF IT??

Like again holy shit he isn’t okay at all, and he still doesn’t realize how bad things are still going to get, because the bird had further to fall in this arrangement always. Blitzo gets the raw end of the deal and he dies, like he always expected to (maybe not in a televised public execution holy shit), but his reputation and social worth was always pretty low. Stolas is a prince. Stolas lives on a golden perch. That is a steep fall, baby bird. And now that he’s willingly sacrificed his image for Blitzo, become the bad guy, only to get thrown to the wolves? Andrealphus knew what he was doing and I am positive is going to try to kill him again. He is without powers and without resources. He’s vulnerable as shit.

And the thing which causes me more unease about all of this: their positions are reversed. Socially, Stolas is now the most hated being in Hell while Blitzo has just moved up to most beloved, and that success is more than likely about to affect his tax bracket (or at least what kind of apartment he can afford). Blitzo is soft and caring and protective while Stolas is unresponsive and numb. Blitzo’s relationship with his daughter is thriving while Stolas’ is falling apart. It would be so easy to enter a period of total reversal, where Stolas is rejecting Blitzo’s advances on the grounds that Stolas feels he doesn’t deserve them and Blitzo is somehow lying to him. However. I hope that there is movement forward, instead of reversal and regression (and not just because a full regression would be boring as hell). Blitzo took some important steps; admitting in song that he loves Stolas is HUGE. And nobody changes overnight. This episode likely feels too fast paced and too unearned for many, as it did at first for me, but remember that we don’t know if Stolas and Blitzo could hear each other during their duet; I think not, for reasons I’ve already stated. So no explicit declarations of love have actually happened yet. Blitzo and Stolas aren’t together. They haven’t talked. They are not there yet. They don’t know that they’re emotionally on the same page, because the rest of Stolas’ book just got ripped to shreds before his eyes. Once again, the timing just isn’t right. Blitzo kisses Stolas’ cheek as he sleeps (and kills me dead in my own home), but it’s just another selfie for Blitzo to hoard and look at privately. Blitzo is learning to deal with his shit. Stolas now needs to learn how to deal with his—once the final blow of losing Octavia properly lands. This episode is not an END of their journey; it’s the BEGINNING of the next leg, the next set of circumstances they’re going to have to grow through in order to not just be together, but to BE THEMSELVES.

Blitzo at the beginning of the show could not handle Stolas as he is right now. Blitzo as of Full Moon and Apology Tour couldn’t handle Stolas as he is now. Blitzo had to face losing everything on multiple fronts, then losing Stolas emotionally, then almost losing Stolas physically, before he finally realized not just what he wants, but how he wants to react and treat his loved ones. He loves his family. Stolas is his heart. I think some very cruel and entitled things are going to come out of Stolas’ beak as he adjusts and truly comes to process and realize what being a lower class demon means; I think Blitzo is in a better place to cut through the bullshit and hear the pain and cry for help in the middle of all of that. And I hope to high holy hell that Vassago is going to be a friend to Stolas because there are some revelations Stolas needs to talk himself through without Blitzo taking the brunt of it. Unlearning shit sometimes comes with vomiting up the internalized bigotry and examining it; the would-be victims of that bigotry don’t need to be in the room for that. (And also, I think Vassago is exactly the ally that Stolas needs with the Goetia, and also I love him and want to see him in more scenes and want him to sing and everything.)

Pivoting to Octavia and Stella for a moment: Octavia is a child with a mother who hates her husband more than she loves her daughter and who was prepped and ready to both stop Octavia from running to him and to comfort her when Octavia thought she was losing him for good on live fucking television, no less; the Mother Gothel vibes are off the charts, but Octavia does love her mother. She trusts her mother. She certainly didn’t want her father to die trying to save some weird red dickhead and instead get banished, leaving her behind somewhere Octavia couldn’t follow. She’s vulnerable and about to be manipulated to heck and back by a mother who just wants her ex-husband to suffer and an uncle who wants all of her father’s power for himself. Stella is a shit mother for this manipulation. She can be a shit mother and still love Octavia in her own way. It’s messier and more complicated and realistic than if she didn’t care for her daughter at all tbh.

Obligatory Stella Introspective: Moment of silence for Stella as a character doing everything she can to ruin the man she’s been tied to her literal entire life. Her fucking name is STELLA. She was marked as Stolas’ property from BIRTH. This does not excuse or justify anything she does. I just find it tragic in the way that throwaway character details in a comedy take on a different light when the genre changes to something more serious. Like Davenport in The Adventure Zone: Balance; if you know you know. Also the fact that Andrealphus loosing a pretty impressive show of power right in her face results in her just screaming him back down; she’s a miserable selfish creature who nevertheless found her power in a world pretty set on denying her any and uses it liberally. Of course her own daughter is just another avenue for hurting Stolas. Octavia was only ever a means to an end, a failsafe in case something happened to Stolas. But she’s still Stella’s daughter, and that has meaning, even if it isn’t a healthy or good meaning.

Can we also talk about the fact that it’s entirely likely that Stella’s looks are the only positive trait that Andrealphus can attribute to her because the rest of her personality is so well-known? What’s he gonna do, call her sweet or delicate or kind? He’d be laughed out of the courtroom. Everyone there knows that Stella is none of those things. She never tries to be anything but what she is. The fact that she punishes Stolas for trying so hard when she doesn’t have to try at all is just. It’s so twisted and juicy a dynamic. Yknow? They could have been friends. Two people trapped by social convention in a marriage and forced consummation to produce an heir, likely arranged from birth, or Stella’s birth at least, because again SHE IS LITERALLY NAMED AFTER HIM, or named after something deeply related to him (the stars, in case I’m being too opaque). Instead, she’s cruel and demanding and degrading and the personification of everything Stolas struggles against in royal society. This sweet bird bowed to imps as a child; someone with so egalitarian a view was never going to have Stella’s respect. She is the embodiment too of his own self-hatred and the disapproval of his own family; the tragedy of it all. I hope we get more details about her one day entirely separate from Stolas, but she is explicitly a plot device to challenge and hurt Stolas. Plot devices don’t often get their own stories. She’s literally only ever worth her pretty face and the hurt she causes. This too is tragic. I pity her. I’d pity her more if she wasn’t using her daughter as ammo against her ex-husband.

Anyway. Stella introspective over. I wonder how complicated it’s going to be for Stolas to try and be the IMP secretary when he can’t go four feet without someone throwing goo at him. I wonder how badly it’s going to hurt me when Octavia refuses to see Stolas and he finally hits absolute rock bottom. I wonder if this show is going to go the route of “can’t be together until they’re finished growing” or the route of “they love each other, let them grow into themselves and their relationship together.” I wonder how the cosplayers are going to get them Vassago boots high enough. I wonder how many Andrealphus cosplayers and artists are going to be making the “Grandmama, it’s me, Anastasia” joke. I wonder if I’m ever going to stop clutching my Blitzo and Stolas plushies to my chest.

One more episode in December, gang! Can’t wait to ugly cry with you all!!

[marriiemeii]

03. coworker dinner

summary: after work dinner with coworkers

previous || next

"mai!"

the it team lead turns her head back and looks over at who was calling out her name. she stops walking with her small team and soojin to let jeonghan, the hr lead catch up.

"what is it, jeonghan?" she asks him, impatient since she had to sit through the meeting led by him in the last 30 minutes.

"i heard you guys are going to kbbq after work," he smiles at her. mai sighs the moment the words leave his mouth. "can yeri and i join you guys?"

"you mean can you, yeri, joshua, and seungcheol go?" mai retorts. "when one of you goes somewhere all of you go somewhere."

jeonghan smiles innocently, you could almost see a halo floating above his head, but the look in his eyes showed mischief.

"ehhh, it's not my fault those 2 like to follow yeri and i around."

"if i let you guys go, more people are going to want to go," mai frowns. she wanted a small quiet dinner with her team and her best friend so they can get to know each other. also, it would help soojin with getting to know the two people she thinks of as her little kids.

mai sighs knowing jeonghan wasn't going to give up until he gets an invite and nods her head at him.

"you guys are finding your own rides tho, and pay for yourselves."

****

she should've just said no. the dinner of 4 had turned into a dinner of 12. she might as well ask the whole company to come with for a company dinner. in addition to the original party of 4, jeonghan, yeri, seungcheol, joshua, soonyoung seungkwan, seokmin, and hayoon had joined them.

they were lucky they were able to get a private room with a long table that fit all of them. there were 6 chairs on two sides of the table.

on oneside was mai, soojin, jun, wonwoo, soonyoung, and hayoon. on the other side was jeonghan, yeri, joshua, seokmin, seungkwan, and seungcheol.

on the bright side, the rest of financing and editorial didn't want to go to the dinner.

"hayoon, stop hogging all the kimchi," seungcheol says trying to grab some kimchi.

"you were hogging all the fish cake just earlier??" hayoon exclaims. soonyoung pats hayoons shoulder.

"you are kind of hogging the kimchi. you know how much i love kimchi," soonyoung pouts.

"you both can literally order some more kimchi and it's not going to cost extra. stop trying to take my food," hayoon complains.

it was very chaotic with all the different workers from different departments all in one room. soojin definitely thought it was fun and lively.

"jeonghan, joshua, please stop piling my plate with food. i literally cannot eat all of this," yeri stares down at the food before looking at the two males next to her. the two look at her upset.

"yeri, you need to eat more so you can grow," jeonghan argues with joshua nodding his head in agreement.

"yeah, you're smaller than all of us here so you need to eat a lot and grow well," joshua says. yeri glares at them.

"i'm not growing anymore! i'm already 24 my growth has stopped for like 8 years," yeri pouts. the jeonghan pats her head while joshua was biting his lips to keep himself from laughing at her.

"i guess you'll just always be a mini me," jeonghan says. yeri shoves her elbow into his side. he yelps and holds his slowly bruising side. "i'm going to report you to hr."

"we are hr!" yeri snarks back.

"our hr is such a mess," joshua mutters, causing the two to look at him with a dark look on their faces. "who said that?"

"reported."

"cancelled."

yeri and jeonghan say staring at joshua, who looks at them offended.

"this is an abuse of power."

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liked by minguy, seokminie, mymai, and others

seokminie what else do u shove in ur mouth? @.horangi

horangi do u hate me or something??

seungkween @.horangi u should be happy someone liked it tho

seokminie ur welcome soonyoung 😎

yayri 😗 i spy with my little eye a crush

jisoju so u admit ur little

hannie @.jisoju 💯💯

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[the-cat-and-the-birdie]

I rant and rave about DiscoPunk performing and making albums and voguing together - but let the record show,

DiscoPunk goes fucking NUTS on Dance Dance Revolution

Pavitr and Gayatri are casuals that have a go on it at the arcade during their date nights 😊

For Miles and Gwen, it's a cute way to bond and tease each other, getting to know each other better and tripping over their collective four left-feet (You'd think Gwen would have the rhythm considering she's a dancer AND a drummer - but fam, Ballet is NOT the same as DDR)

But to DiscoPunk, this shit is NOT a game. To them DDR is a goddamn lifestyle.

Keep them away from that arcade cabinet because by God, they're here to wreck that shit. Bout to shake the whole place with it.

They're DDR Champions.

And that's ON TOP of Hobie's numerous Pac-Mac Champion wins, and his Space Invaders High-Score at the top of the credits list.

If you ever see the initials 'DSC0PNK' on a DRR machine? THAT'S THEM.

They play on EXPERT. They're not half-assing it. They're doing the arm motions and all

They're the couple that dance facing away from the screen, just to stunt on everyone there.

The ones that hop and switch dancepads with each other mid-song for fun.

Hobie's in his big-ass boots meanwhile Diane has on flip-flops. Neither are proper footwear for the intense athleticism they are engaging in. They do not care.

They only way they get away with it is telling Miguel they're 'Training'.

Of course Miguel knew that had to be a crock of bullshit. One afternoon that use that excuse.

Miguel lets them off the hook, but as soon as they leave, he asks Lyla - "They're making out or something, aren't they?"

And Lyla has to be the one to tell him. '....No, they're actually 'training'...'

Miguel raises an eyebrow. "For some reason, I'm not sure I believe you."

Lyla sighs. She pulls up the surveillance footage on Miguel's screen to show him that no, they are not making out, they're just hogging the fucking arcade machine in some Camden arcade going fucking nuts on a Dance Dance Revolution machine.

Miguel takes one look at them and thinks 'Fucking Boomers'

They take it so seriously. TOO seriously.

They'll fist-fight with any couple and even THINKS about clearing their high-score. Seriously, they're about to brawl with Felicia and Flash Thompson of Earth-1294 cause they topped their record-breaking High Score on Aqua's 'Barbie Girl'

- and now Diane and Hobie are training to beat their high score in Smile.dk's 'Butterfly'.

That's their together time.

Hobie can't dance for the fucking life of him but he CAN hit every single arrow on that screen eyes closed. And Diane has never touched a video game in her life - not even Tetris - but this ISN'T a game it's a COMPETITION goddamnit.

They just love being completely in synced with each other, they have full conversations while playing levels.

Hobie even learned how to hack it, so he could upload all kinda songs to the thing.

And when they play AGAINST each other, EVEN BETTER.

Jesus Christ almighty. The TRASH TALK.

Swinging limbs are each other to throw them off, sticking out their hands to cover the other one's screen.

DEATH GLARING at each other because yes Diane loves Hobie but she's not about to let him embarrass her up on this arcade, are you kidding me???

She's like "Think you can keep up with me, toothpicks?" (He has toothpicks for legs 😭😐)

"Who'd of thought the 'Disco Diva' would be 200 points behind, yeah?"

Do you understand? Do you see it???

DISCOPUNK Dance Dance Revolution

Miles and Gwen staring at them like 'Why are they so cute at everything!!!!! Why do our friends keep out-cute-ing us!!!'

Meanwhile Pavitr and Gayatri are secretly planning to take their title.

For three weeks straight, all you'll hear is Hobie and Diane yelling about the mysterious 'GP4E' duo that took down their score.

Little do they know that stands for 'Gayatri + Pavi 4Ever' (Pavi's idea, of course)

Now.. They must train.

There's an anomaly in 234? Who the hell cares!!! The arcade machine just got Cascada 'Everytime We Touch'!!!! THEY'RE BUSY!!!!!