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maxwell-grant · 2 months ago

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The Penguin: Episode 8 "Great or Little Thing" Series Finale Breakdown

So first and foremost I need to give a shout-out to everyone who's been following this with me and helped me week after week process and articulate this show, this brilliant Penguin Braintrust without which I would be incredibly lost on how to even begin breaking this thing down this way: @davidmann95, @wil4x, @book--wyrm and my friend Lucas who is not on Tumblr.

And so we're here at last, in the end of the show. This took forever. I need a goddamn break. This isn't enough and will never be enough but it'll have to do. So let's get to the episode that has had the world joining hands in the unanimous urge to see the absolute shit kicked out of Oswald, and has made the character at last earn this:

(Episode 1) (Episode 2) (Episode 3) (Episode 4) (Episode 5) (Episode 6) (Episode 7)

So who would have guessed that cartoon dirtbag Rex Calabrese was still gonna turn out to be less of a cartoon dirtbag than Oz the moment we stop seeing him through Oz's eyes. Still a terrible person by every metric, but terrible in the same way a lot of Sopranos characters are terrible: this is, at the end of the day, a job, and you can talk to them, you can sit at a table to get down to business with them, and you probably know people in your life like them, and maybe you can even count of them to get real and even help you when the chips are down, even if it doesn't mitigate everything else that they are or do. At the very end, he was neither the benevolent god-king that Oz saw him as, nor was he the absurd dirtbag gangster we had him pegged as - there was never anything exceptional about Rex Calabrese, he's just a real criminal. Maybe the realest in the show.

I said in the last post that Francis burned with hate at everyone in the world except the person who most ruined her life and haha WOW was I wrong, because it turns she's known the entire goddamn time, and quite possibly no one has ever hated him more than Francis.

Most people in the show who hate Oz do so because he's a destructive bastard who craps on their lives directly, or because he's a lying sneaky fuck who does nothing while their lives are ruined, and Francis has had to deal with both longer than anyone else. I can't possibly count every single way this wildly recontextualizes every single interaction, every moment, everything that Francis has shown us and done since the first episode, because I'd have to recap EVERY scene and line of dialogue she has and we still have so much else to get through.

Why was Francis was so effectively able to withhold affection and hold his feet to the fire and give him that bottomless pit of yearning in his stomach that's driven him to move mountains in pursuit of it? Because Francis wouldn't have loved him even if he gave her the entire world at age 12. She never had any affection or love left for him. Oz was always chasing nothing.

And all along it was Rex who shaped the entire course of Oswald's life, as well as prefiguring his dynamic with Victor, with a single conversation. Oswald spend his childhood wanting for Rex Calabrese to notice and like him and be his friend, and he has no idea how much Rex actually affected his life.

That fateful night at Monroe's was never the feel-good story about his Ma summoning the willpower to live by dancing away the grief, and it was never even just the night of the eternal promise that Oz thinks back to, it was a fucking trap to kill Oz. Nothing he has in his life is real, nothing he says is true, he has never not lived in complete total delusion.

The sheer disgust in Deirdre O'Connell's face at the "I do too". How much of her personality we completely understand was born from this absolute resentment she's nursed for decades towards Oz.

And this rotten little turd comes at her with a perfect speech that hits her every insecurity and bitterness and spite and situation and convinces her to give him another chance. The nature versus nurture thing again - Oswald was shaped by hardship, by decades of hard work and neglect, by the total absence of his mother's love while in turn being forced to live in stunted childhood dedicating himself to always taking care of her, and maybe what we're seeing here is heavily distorted by Francis's POV - or maybe he was always a little monster, because this guy talking to her is The Penguin, the same guy doing the same things in the same way, either way it doesn't matter. Again, born fucking ready.

So now we see our three major supporting characters - Sofia, Victor and Francis - all of them have shown that they had a chance to walk away from Oz, to not let him ruin their lives further. All of them could have left Oswald behind, and all of them should have left Oswald behind, but they had to come back and justify the choice to do so, they had to get satisfaction, it couldn't have been for nothing. Victor had his car and a girlfriend in a bus waiting for him, Sofia had a jet to take her to Italy, and Francis had Rex Calabrese ready and waiting to put him down without a word. All of them had a chance to get out of the show and never look back, but like Oz, they had to rectify and overcorrect for an insult.

Sofia can't walk away from Gotham without punishing Oz for turning her in, for killing Alberto and further lying to her, she can't accept that this man, this embodiment of Carmine's legacy and hold over her, is still out there unpunished getting away with what he's done. Victor can't walk away from Gotham knowing that his parents did everything right and still died for nothing, that every hurtful thing Oz said was right, he can't let "They don't give out awards for dying in the projects" be the last word in his and their lives. And Francis can't walk away from Oz, who killed her two sons and keeps lying about it, who ruined her life and now keeps promising he will take care of her and acting like everything will be fine, she can't let this pass even if she can't kill him either, and so she'll make him give her the world and die trying.

The tragedy of what happened is what hurt/broke them - the added insult of what Oz said or did is what they just can't live with. It can't be for nothing.

Goddamnit it, it was really just too telegraphed for it to not happen the way it did.

I fucking knew it the moment the episode started and we got the grungy boss orchestral take on the funny Penguin chords that we were in for some calamitous shit.

We see at first that, in spite of seemingly failing, Vic has graduated to the point he can give his own speeches, gain his own allies, run his own cons - he's not just Oz's proxy, but will manage to convince the others to become such as well, and he's coming at this from a place of complete sincere belief in everything that Oz says, all of the man of the people rhetoric he will so thoroughly pervert and then sell to the people actually responsible for everything he told Victor he was fighting against.

Zeke walks up to him nearly crying about how Sofia blew it all up and Vic instantly asks back where's Oz - not because he doesn't care about Crown Point, but he's already processed it and has already learned with Oz how to just barrel forward regardless, now it's time to get to work. Victor who so readily throws himself into rescuing Oz again and again. Victor who's lost everything - he doesn't have his family, he doesn't have Graciela, he doesn't have the other mobs backing him up, and right now he doesn't even have Crown Point anymore, all he has is Oz.

The man in red who reads the Law Gave him three weeks of life, Three little weeks in which to heal His soul of his soul's strife, And cleanse from every blot of blood The hand that held the knife - The Ballad of Reading Gaol

Sofia dressed in two thematically appropriate outfits - the red scarf echoing both the first outfit we see her in, back to covering her neck but in control of her own collar, and the outfit we see her the farthest back in time with at the start of Episode 4, and with her final crimson fur coat outfit accompanying her final greatest triumph and ultimate defeat in the show. Not only that, but in this episode she also gets to perform characteristically appropriate stylized torture - holding a family intervention and therapy session with mafioso torture tactics to try and wrench the truth out of her victimizer, enacting calculated sadistic yet righteous justice via psychological breakdown, and ultimately allowing the woman he victimized and wronged to take her killshot at him.

See, it's not just that Sofia Gigante is a Batman Villain, or that she's well passed the threshold of supervillain. Cristin Milioti doesn't play Sofia like she's a new character, which she basically is, and she isn't just playing a tortured gangster lady protagonist dipping into camp villain territory, which she also is - she plays Sofia Gigante like she's been a Batman Rogues headliner for decades now stepping into the spotlight once again, like she's the dark modern revamp of someone Adam West would have thought and she's just always been around showing up in stuff along with The Penguin, like she's only not fighting or teaming up with Two-Face in this because he's not here yet. It is crucially important that Sofia passes every standard of Batman Villain imaginable with flying colors, in part because it helps to reinforce that The Penguin is a monster all his own.

Even here, with as much power as she's ever possibly held over him, reduced him to a whimpering begging mess to be killed off in a second, she is so shocked at the sheer brazen selfishness and delusion and level of bullshit on display, that even now he won't break character and think about his actions and admit to what he's done not even to save his own mother from mutilation, that she just loses the script entirely. Her entire show of power collapses and she physically recoils from sheer disgust at just how low Oswald is, at just how much he lacks the ability to even suffer for what he's done. Realizing that there is simply not enough of a soul in this filthy beast to even torture, and that however much she hates Oswald for ruining her life, someone had a prior claim all along.

Eve - Sofia - Francis in the end united in, however much they may dislike each other, however different their circumstances may be, there is nothing they could possibly do to each other that would be worse than what Oswald has done to all of them, joined in silent agreement that their rage ultimately belongs in a bullet fired at Oz's head and that they deserve their kill shot at this man.

"I had enough to give, Oswald".

This really is gonna be the high point of Francis's life from this point on.

Aw man, I liked Sofia's scruffy dirtbag detective, I wanted him to stick around as one of the reocurring characters like the movie cops

Oh Victor, sweet kind Victor, you couldn't possibly ask for anything worse in the entire world.

Oz feebly already beginning to lie and spin his new version of the events, that Sofia stabbed him and fucked up with Ma, and here comes Victor with the reversal of their dynamic, seeing this guy who's been brought low by the oppressive force looming over his life that he must defeat (because all that Victor knows about Sofia at this point is that she used to be Oz's boss and is now out to kill them, that she is scary as hell, and regardless of whether or not she was the Hangman, she just bombed his fucking neighborhood) and reaching out to him with a speech about solidarity and dignity and self-worth and picking yourself up by your fucking bootstraps to save the day. And Oz responds by coaching him on how to be a better bullshitter. Because to Oz, he knows the playbook by heart, but Victor meant it all.

Victor rebuilds Oz from basically nothing by providing him with the validation that he so desperately always craved and never got, saying all the things he always wanted to hear, poised so they can finish this together, poised to give him not only the army he asked for, but a full-blown revolution, and he never once asks for anything in return. Just, goddamnit this isn't hurting any less.

"She, sh-she'll never look at me again, all right?....unless I get this done. Got a promise to keep." Maybe the one and only time his mask ever fully cracks. For a second. He rebuilds it right back up and gets to work, but it cracked. He knows what he's doing, up until the moment he doesn't. It's that simple.

A lot of what drives Oz is acceptance, and a lot of what drives him is his desire to be accepted in worlds that have been declared, by how they run themselves and by the people that inhabit these worlds, as worlds that he was never going to be included in. And one of those worlds is the hierarchy and the hoi polloi of the political realm and the power within the political realm because he understands that all politics are corrupt essentially, and the damage that he could do then in being part of a political infrastructure of Gotham interests him. I thought it would be nice if, in that time jump, he had been invited to maybe a gala or two, you know what I mean? It'd be awkward. He'd be slurping out of the fucking teacup, there'd be stains on the table, he wouldn't really fit in, but he’d fucking love being there. - Colin Farrell

Mirroring the scene in Episode 01 where he adjusts himself next to the car, scuffing himself up to look like the sleazy funnyman the Falcones keep around for kicks, now he's dressing up as much as he can and asking Victor for input, because he truly values what the kid thinks and, goddamnit.

"C'mahn, I don't bite", pfft yeah, not in this movie universe anyway. And to the same guy you did the nose-gushing-blood bit to, even.

Minutes inside of City Hall and he already parks his ass right on Bella Real's seat - not as any kind of intentional slight against her, it's just naturally where he goes to, even before the scene ends and we see his new plans start to come to fruition.

Guy who takes offense at Viti calling Sofia a psycho and then goes up to Councilman Hady talking about the unhinged loony bin broad who went "full psycho" that he's handing to him on a platter, pointedly calling her Falcone.

At first I thought it was funny that Sal Maroni was getting blamed here for Bliss and the underground lab, but then I remembered that he was actually the one who introduced Drops to Gotham and the whole epidemic that became, so if anything it is an extremely easy part of the story to sell, even without his body being down there and all.

"You're gonna have some trouble, Oz" - pointedly smiling and calling him Oz instead of Oswald as he had up to this point, because by that point he's already a crony and already willing to work with this guy handing him all these miracles.

"You wanna be welcome? You gotta look, clean" Yes Father Pal, I Shall Become A Capitalist Caricature

You can see in the walk around, in his look at Bella Real and the mayor's office high up above and the steps, how little Ozzie's gears turn once again and rebuild his life after losing the streets and everything that happened with Ma - This is the next nest, this is the next throne, this is next schmuck I gotta cozy up to, this is the next boss looking down on me that I gotta destroy, there's the reward waiting for me if I do. This is the one that matters, I did everything in the shit and now I'm gonna get me sum goddamn respeck, Feh Ma of course.

And before all of this we see Sofia's next move, showing the ways in which she is good at this, the ways in which she truly is something outside of the worldview of what these gangsters are used to, and why she is going to lose. "Because I can". She is good at commanding a room and promising rewards beyond the wildest dreams of these street crimelords because she can offer everything they want and lose nothing she cares about for it, she will hand them everything and dip because she can, and she is going to lose because she can lose. Because she still thinks there is an end in sight for her, she thinks she will get to walk away from this universe and go meet a happy ending at a cafe in Florence.

It's not just that Sofia was born into privilege and never really lived in Gotham and could just hop onto a plane out of here anytime, it's also that she has room in her life for introspection, self-awareness, consideration towards others, and all those things that come easier when you're "born full", and not when you're the starving hustler for whom leaving the city was never an option even if he had all the money in the world, the hungry animal who wants this, wants everything, harder than anyone has ever wanted anything. The guy who has no room for anything else in his brain other than a perpetual bullshit generator set to a 24/7 chorus of "I GOTTA WIIIIIIN"

Another element to her that I really love is, she's good at this. She knows she's good at this, she was supposed to take over the family. She may not know the ins and outs of the game as it currently stands, but she is good at this. Some of it is, I think that's the only world she knows, and some of it is there's something in there, that's always been there, and she believes it is rightfully hers. There's an element of, "I need to have made it worth it for something", and if that means power, then okay. - Cristin Milioti

There’s a level for both of them that they enjoy each other’s suffering, and that sort of leads to Sofia’s downfall. If she didn’t need to see Oz suffer she might have been free. And she really gets in her own way in that regard and largely because Oz is this crutch that she just cannot let go of. - Lauren LeFranc

And here we get to the end of season 1 of HBO's The Sofia Show, the bittersweet in hindsight but extremely cathartic torching of the set as a last hard-earned spiritual victory by our hard-done-by lady protagonist. All of her family is dead, the city is out for her blood, she gathered all the remaining criminals for One Last Job with everything on the line, and she is having a very fun time with her montage destroying her home and family name beyond recovery. She is going to finish her character arc, get to finally kill her former comedy sidekick turned mortal nemesis, and hop on a plane to The White Lotus resort straight away into greener (if only marginally less fucked up) genre territory away from this ugly nightmare city. Alas, this is not The Sofia Show, and it's time for her theme suite to catch up to her once again and tell us of how very badly this is all going to go for her.

And she can't even be that shocked, when the high of burning it all down goes away, when she sees that old Ozzie Cobb wriggled his way out of this jam regardless and is now coming at her with a speech, she can't even react to it. Deep down she knows how the rest of the night is going to go. She may not have expected Arkham outright, but she was braced for a loathsome fate.

It rules so much they give him a big fat fight the power speech with a bloody revolution montage, and we can only sit there aghast with Sofia at the sheer audacity of him to act like this, like a man of the people, thinking he truly has the right to be talking like this and to her of all people.

And now we see how Oz won the gang war, and the next domino to fall on the downfall of Gotham City, and the first effect of his own rise to power: like The Riddler, he has toppled the order of things and he has turned people into extensions of himself, Victor being the first and the one who gave him this revolution, of all the little mini Penguins out there devouring the social structure of Gotham crime forever. You kill the boss, you become the boss now. Everyone can bleed and everyone can be killed and everyone must be killed in the quest to the top, no handrails or codes, they wouldn't invite him and so he crashed. After he unified the criminal underdogs, Victor rallied the underdogs beneath the underdogs, and now the streets are a jungle where there will never be an end to the wars over who gets to be atop the food chain, because they are all fighting to see who gets to be the next Penguin.

For decades people have written Oswald Cobblepot as a creep and a sleaze and an incel who hurts/kills women for rejecting him, or who is chronically insecure about them and I can very confidently say nobody ever did anything half as horrible and half as truthful and half as meaningful as LeFranc did here. We see the other reason why it was so imperative to her that Oswald not be a misogynist, and it has nothing to do with just making him more likeable or sympathetic or honorable. We get in this episode the pay off to the thoughtline: okay, he's actually a gangster who respects women, he does not act like every other prestige drama gangster who ever lived, we are going to center women in this show and he will treat them with respect - now let's watch how he HORRIBLY screws them over in the name of this respectful gentleman persona he lives by, let's watch how he betrays them in the ways that matter most, how he even makes them wish they were dead without personally ever lifting a finger to harm them, let's do some grown-up feminist commentary in Batman for a change and highlight the ways in which men profit from belittling and oppressing and destroying women even when they're pointedly not misogynistic and even self-professed genuine allies to them.

And so it is that the only Falcone mobster who isn't misogynistic towards Sofia is the one who screws her the most horribly. He will murder every man he comes across, he will murder every man he could have been and every man who is even marginally better than him in any way, he will push all of his brothers out of the nest and not tolerate any other big shot in town bigger than him and not even the only man, the only person, in town who loves him will be spared. But he is a gentleman, so he leaves the women alive (well, except for Nadia Maroni, but she was a rival big shot and worse, his boss for a day or two, so she obviously had to go eventually).

I thought about his greatest fear, and it made a lot of sense to me that his greatest fear would be that love is transactional. That if he does not achieve a level of power and give Francis certain types of things that he’s promised her she might not love him. And that informs every relationship he has on the show It was always important to me, and this was always part of my initial pitch, that if Oz was to achieve a level of power—and that is something that was not up for discussion, that was my job that I was tasked with for the season—that he has to lose something emotionally. It can’t come without a cost. - Lauren LeFranc

"the crooked politics that have allowed wealthy elites like Sofia Falcone to wreak havoc". Oz has weaponized the status quo against her so throughly that she is going away under the exact same image that she did it the first time, as a privileged serial killer and Falcone. She doesn't even get to have her new name anymore, and the rest of Gotham does not see her as the new and strange and horrific new threat that she embodied in Oz's life - she is going away as just another upper-class monster like her dad.

The triumph that Oswald has fought his entire life for, the Big One that he's scraped and fought and hoped his entire life would happen and he'd get to show his Ma at the end, the thing that he's going to throw a party for at this moment, is just a politician on tv saying things that Oswald claims he told him to say.

All of our 3 major supporting characters will thus reach the high point of their lives, on the moment before it is ripped away and they are destroyed forever. Francis gets to finally spit all of her hatred back to Oz and take her revenge on him, and her babies appear before her alive and unharmed. Sofia gets to burn down her father and his legacy once and for all, and is on her way to kill her nemesis and finally be free of it all. Victor succeeds in helping Oz win, they have revolutionized the gangs and defeated the big bad Falcone and he's done right by his new family what he couldn't do with his old one.

And of course, Oswald finally wins - he is the last man standing, he's defeated his greatest enemy, he is the big shot of Gotham and his victory is, so he claims, right there on the tv for his Ma to see, he can finally get what he's always wanted now - and then he doesn't, and then his soul crumbles, before he finishes the job by murdering his heart.

Oz didn’t need to do that, like it wasn’t actually necessary. In that moment, Victor did not betray him. He did nothing wrong. In fact, the thing that he did “wrong” in Oz’s eyes is that he loves him and that he cares about him and Oz actually cares about Victor. I think by the end Oz sees that as a really big problem because he loves his mother so deeply and Sofia took advantage of that love, and then it became sort of a weakness in his eyes. Victor saw him at his most vulnerable and for Oz to achieve the power that he thinks he needs, he can’t have that level of humanity. He can’t have that heart with him anymore. So he stifles his own heart. He kills it. - Lauren LeFranc

When he said to Vic in the sewer, “They'll tell stories about us one day, kid,” he meant it. At that stage, he actually saw that he could rise and Vic could come with him. It's only when the vulnerability and the shock of his mother being taken from him, and the place of vulnerability and danger that puts him in, that he realizes there's no more love, there's no more affection, there's no one else I'm going to have in my life that can lead me to such vulnerability as my mother has led me to or as this kid could potentially lead me to. - Colin Farrell

He's not relishing being horrible. When he realizes, "Oh God, Victor makes me vulnerable. I can't have that shit anymore." The way that Lauren wrote it, and the way Colin played, there's such sadness under the horror. You're like, oh my God, how fucked up do you have to be that the one person who you feel you have any connection with now, you have to snuff out because it makes you weak. What happened to you? - Matt Reeves

"You think she forgives me?" Once again, the mask cracks. Only around Victor. Only because of Victor. And he can't have that again.

And thus we get to the final parallel between our 3 side characters - that in the end, all they did was serve Oz's own rise to power, and hand him the world in exchange for their lives. All they were to him were additional steps in the ladder that began with his brothers. Francis gave him his life, his drive, his motivation and eternal justification, the insatiable pit in his gut driving him to do this forever. Sofia got him his promotion to Falcone lackey, and then she got him another promotion by handing him the tools with which he could become an underground boss and rally them, and then she got him another promotion by handing him the keys to his political career on a silver platter. And Victor saved his life, more than once. He helped him, provided the justification he has craved for a lifetime, rebuilt him, gave him his revolution, gave him the streets, and showed him the last thing he needed to kill to make it to the top.

Wow man let me tell my good friend, The Family Butcherer, who butchers every family he gets his hands on whether a crime family or a literal one, how much I think of him as family.

"They don't give out awards for dying in the projects"

Just like with Squid, Vic's emotional intelligence dooms him. He sees this man whom is like family to him brought to his lowest point, crushed beyond measure, in what he assumes was just a phenomenally terrible stroke of fate and not something he had any blame whatsoever for, and reaches out to pat him in the back, emotionally reassure him that it wasn't all for nothing, that his family would surely be proud of him, and that there's things to look forward to.

Vic threw away his chance to walk away into the sunset with Graciela and he just had to come back to save Oz (AND Sofia, the one who'd bomb his neighborhood) from the Maronis, the least of all possible evils in his life and his city and who never even noticed him. Victor only narrowly missed out in 2 situations that Oz would have absolutely left him to die in, so there just had to be a third where he'd die in the absolute worst way possible. Not with Sofia's gunshot to the head, not bombed to rubble along with his neighborhood, no, Mr. Carmine 2 had to make it as painful and intimate as possible.

Vic the only Number Two in town who couldn't kill his boss and in fact never even considered doing so, and so he dies - there is just no room for him anymore, not in Oz's life, nor in the new Gotham that the two built together.

LEFRANC: "You see Oz become this next level monster, I remember the take too. Jennifer and I look at each other, Colin transforms his face in this really remarkable way, that I don't think any of us fully anticipated could be achieved in that way." - The Penguin Podcast Episode 8

I knew that the general sentiment was that, by the end, they kind of wanted to, in a way, kill the Oz that we met in the film. I felt that there was a sense of creative responsibility that leaned towards, “We cannot have this man as a likable character,” which is hard I think they wanted that in the earth by the end of the eight hours. They wanted that RIP. That's gone. I hated that scene. I really did. I was fucking so pissed off. It felt in performing it as — guess what? — you would like it to feel in viewing it. It felt gross, it felt cruel, it felt absolutely insane, and it felt like Oz was reaching a point of no return. - Colin Farrell

So the day after I watched this episode, my friend Lucas messaged me in the afternoon sending me audio messages, "Son of a bitch! Son of a bitch! He stole his identity, he didn't even die with his fucking name! They'll never find him! Fuck, goddamnit!" "ELE MORREU COMO INDIGENTE, PORRA" and, yeah. Yeah. That gets to the heart of it.

If Vic was just a guy taking his money, if Vic was purely transactional, if he was just another Link, he'd have made it. Oz wouldn't have given a shit about him, Oz would have died on the sidewalk when the Maronis hit at minimum. All this piece of shit wants is love, and when he gets it, when it's finally non-transactional, from the ONLY person in the entire show who loved him, he has to kill it, he doesn't know how to deal with it, he has to smother his heart.

He has to become Carmine Falcone 2, strangling the poor and vulnerable of Gotham while pinning all of his crimes on Sofia.

Vic just wanted his family back, man. He just wanted a family again, to at least show his family that they didn't die for nothing. The thing that Oz spits in his face as he dies. It wasn't for nothin.

This show has so many dozen little variations of Penguin getting his heart broken and retaliating cruelly, but this one hurts the most partially because it has no basis whatsoever on any pre-existing insult or cruelty, there was nothing that warranted this, and you still get why Oz felt that he had to do it. The lowest, weakest moment of his life, and he can never permit anything like it ever again.

Victor was his heart, and The Penguin remembered that his heart only exists to be broken.

Victor punctures the illusion, and he cannot have that. Everything about The Penguin hinges on that singular fact of his life: he cannot and will not break character. He cannot break character, otherwise he dies, otherwise Gotham City will eat him alive, otherwise he has done it all for nothing. That is the ultimate threat Sofia posed to him, and why his ultimate victory comes only from creating a perfect delusion and spinning everything that happened in service of it. Because all those things said at Monroe's? They weren't true - his Ma, y'know, it was just her disease acting up, that psycho did something to her, she wasn't thinkin straight, and it was really Sofia that stabbed him and did all that fucked up shit, and his Ma is really happy that she got the penthouse in the end and that he didn't put her down, look, she's crying tears of joy even, I gotta keep doing everything for her.

Everything and everyone in his life, he can spin in service of the delusion, they can all play dress-up with him forever, except Victor. Victor may not have the slightest clue as to what Oz actually did, but he's seen too much, he knows he has vulnerabilities, he knows the thing that Oz needs to bury far, far more than all the horrible things he's done. Killing Victor is maybe the one thing that he absolutely cannot in the slightest spin a decent delusion out of, that he did it for him or did it for noble reasons or anything other than out of disgusting self-serving weakness.

But who's Victor? Some kid who died in the projects and didn't even have a name? Someone with nobody left to mourn him, not even a street to get back to, nothing but a guy who's already forgot him?

That Victor Aguilar? Never heard of him

“I will never think my mother doesn't love me. She was having a bad day when she stuck that bottle in me. She was under a lot of pressure. She nearly lost her finger. She stuck a bottle in my belly. It was a bad day. She didn't get a good night's sleep the night before.” It's that kind of thing. He'll make up fucking whatever. He's already lying when he goes, and he's stitching up his belly, and Vic says, “What happened?” And he says, “Sofia, she stuck me with a bottle.” He's already beginning to bury the truth. - Colin Farrell

He needed your love, and then you didn't give it to him, and you didn't obey, and you didn't do those things that he needed, and then you mentally aren't there for him in the way that he needs, but he's got to physically keep you around because he's too weak to not do that. He can't give you the gift that he promised you in Episode Six, he's too weak of a man to do that. And so he needs to hold onto you, but under his terms. - Lauren LeFranc

There's a thing that happened on that last day that made my blood run cold, which was I felt Oz not love me anymore. I felt his coldness, and I think that Francis felt it too, and she always had so much of his attention and so much of his love. I don't even think she realized how much she had until he withdrew it. And when he withdrew it, it was utter and… slightly terrified. I was just lying in that bed, I just felt the love leave the room. It's a real thing, and it's gone, yeah, and I think Francis feels it, too. - Deirdre O'Connell

He's this man who is clawing his way to the top, and I knew he wanted power, but what what does that mean for him? That's where I started to conceive of like, he wants his mother's love, and he wants people's affection. He wants to be revered. That was like the main thrust for me of what defines power for Oz, and then by the end you realize that, when he doesn't get those things, he doesn't get his mother's acceptance, he still gets it. He makes sure he gets it. - Lauren LeFranc

So bowled over and miserable I was that I didn't even notice until later that he was wearing a version of the classic Bronze Age/Triumphant get-up.

If the pattern of his life is unjustifiably cruel retribution for slights and insults, perceived or not, by the end Francis had done it to him as well. That she never loved him and in fact always hated him more than anything and anyone else is the biggest insult of all, and so he punishes her the most cruelly, knowingly or not.

"You are who you are, and you couldn't change if you tried."

He will never stop telling Rex Calabrese stories, he will never stop bringing up his brothers and mom as a sympathy ploy, and even if he will never truly love her again, he will never stop ruining the world in her name, he will never stop, he will never stop, he will never stop.

You had to sit through 8 hours chipping away at all of his fun and charm and wacko comedy antics and motivations and all the scruples and principles that he turns out to have less and less of, until he butchers them all in the very end along with the heart of the show. Penguin burning through all of his lovable quirks and charm, everything that we loved about him in the movie, until he comes through as a black-hearted bastard of unlimited malice who will never stop growing and getting worse and putting more lives in danger. Not only as much of a lowlife backstabber as we initially assumed him to be in the movie, but far worse than what we could have imagined.

I said as much that the first episode marks the transition from The Batman to The Penguin with the titlecard, and this brings it back around. The show dies with Victor, we get Sofia's post-credits Nick Fury Tease with Selina's letter and with Selina's theme playing and a final grace note of hope for Sofia, and thus the only character in the show to end with anything resembling positive, and then we get the first scene of The Batman Part 2. showing us the horrible thing in this world that Batman will have to defeat for us.

RIP Bella Real, we all know this asshole is gonna become mayor, and he's not waiting for the next election.

Credit to @book--wyrm for pointing out one more horrible fucking thing, that at the final dance, his hands are covered in scratches, much like the hands of Carmine Falcone when he comforted Sofia.

“One of the very early things that Lauren pitched was that ending with Eve where she looks like Francis,” said Reeves. “He can’t get what he needed from his mother because she’s no longer in that state because of the dark events and what he’s done, so he recreates it in this other way with Eve, and it’s very disturbing,” said Reeves. “That was something we thought was a great idea and was so emblematic of this guy’s internal state. It’s like, even as he now seems to have gotten that first major step toward being the kingpin, you know that some part of him will never be filled. - Matt Reeves

When I read that, I was like, “Oh my god, we're going full Bates Motel here.” But again, it speaks to what has become a pathological inability to accept the world that he has played such a heavy hand in creating. As far as he's concerned, he's just doing what he needs to do to live the life of a good son. And look, his mother can't talk anymore, so he needs a surrogate. I mean, it would be kept out of the sexual realm — it wasn't about that. It was about the intimacy and the tenderness and the pride that Oz always so deeply needed to feel his mother had for him, and pride in him, that he never really got from her. The one time when he finally can say to her, can go to her bedside and say, “It's done. Everything you said that I was capable of, everything you said that I should aspire to, it's done. I am now the boss. I took it from everyone else.” And he gets nothing back. His mother's already gone. That's just too horrific for him, so he needs a surrogate. He would say to Eve, “Look, I'm grieving. I'm finding it hard to deal with the fact that my mother's alive, but she's not here. She's gone, but she's fully present at the same time, physically, but she's nowhere there. She doesn't recognize me. I don't recognize the woman she's become. Do me a favor. We used to dance together and talk at the end of the night. Would you put on her dress and just let me pretend?” But it was twisted. It was twisted, but I dug it. He needs it from his mom so much. And again, his imagination is so potent that he just cast her as that figure, that most prominent and most powerful figurehead in his life, which has always been his mother. She's got to stay alive. He's got to hear that he did well from her. He's got to hear that she's proud. Look, by the end, he's bananas, as they say in the film. Good cop, batshit cop. At the end, he's batshit. - Colin Farrell

Remember when this show had fun Dolly Parton end credits, remember when this almost looked like it was gonna be fun and light-hearted compared to the movie and The Riddler: Year One

So turns out all along they actually had something real twisted planned with the name Karlo, and the Clayface concept that evokes. Asking his prostitute girlfriend to shapeshift into his crying comatose mom in the room upstairs so he can finally get the dance with her atop the world that he craved his entire life and have her tell him how proud she is that he ruined everything forever.

It is not a good ending, but it is his happy ending. He achieved everything he wanted in the smallest possible amount and at the highest cost imaginable, and thus he burns more than ever to take more and more in the name of a satisfaction he will never, ever have. He ended his arch-nemesis, and he didn't have to kill her, that's not what a gentleman does. He got the streets, and he's poised to take political power, and there is nobody left to care about, nobody except the only person who's ever mattered. He can still keep taking care of Ma as a justification for all the shit he will do now and forever, but he doesn't actually have to take care of her anymore, he doesn't even have to love her or grovel her for validation anymore: He has a Ma who will tell him everything he wants to hear, forever.

Of course, he may not have his three dance partners anymore - his Ma is in a vegetative state, Sofia has been locked away once again, and that kid, what was his name again, ain't around. But then, he will simply move on to new ones: He didn't actually lose his first dance partner, his Ma is fine, look at her telling him how proud she is of him and everything he's done and how unstoppable he is now. And he has a new partner in City Hall who is all too eager to play along to everything he says and does, who will receive and spit back his rhetoric just as Vic did to the streets of Gotham. And if he's defeated his nemesis and dance partner, well, not for long. There's a new one waiting for him. He never wins without losing. He will never again live without his next dance partner there to hound and foil him at every turn. There will always be something in the way.

It was exciting to me, the idea that we’re going to meet Oz as a mobster, and to play him as just a man. There’s nothing fantastical about him. There’s so many people like Oz in our world who hold a lot of power, who also connect with people because they speak, on some level, the truth. They can be charming and engaging, but also really terrifying and calculated, and not necessarily doing what they say that they will do or caring for people in the way that they say that they will. It felt so timely and so important to really engage with a guy like Oz and not turn away from him, but actually turn towards him so we can start to unpack, in our own society, what makes a man like Oz so appealing, and what makes him equally appalling. - Lauren LeFranc

I think Oz has always been someone who believes that everything he’s saying in the moment is true, and he creates worlds and illusions for himself to merit his actions. He does it sometimes very briefly in impulsive moments, and then sometimes more methodically, and in the end the fact that he didn’t get from his mother what he’s always desired isn’t good enough for him. So he has to create this strange fantasy live in this delusion of his own making, and pay Eve to dress as his mother and force her to tell him he she’s proud of him. So mentally, emotionally, Oz is embracing his own delusion. I think, for the audience, I hope they more deeply understand him psychologically and realize that there is a deeply broken man inside. He is violent and problematic and and very emotional. And that’s really the man that will carry into the next film. - Lauren LeFranc

And it has to end in a total reversal of the movie ending - The Batman ends with showing there is a light in the darkness, that this tortured broken man can fix his mistakes and lead us into something better. The Penguin ends by grabbing your face and desperately yelling at you SOMEBODY FUCKING SAVE US, HE WILL ONLY GET WORSE. The Batman ends with telling us Batman can save us all, and The Penguin ends with telling us Penguin will kill every last one of us in real life if he hasn't already, if nobody stops him.

And so I'll leave these last partings words to the Penguin Braintrust as we close off this series - see you all in therapy and in theaters when The Batman: Part 2 drives us all completely insane once more.

@wil4x

I don't think this Penguin is someone Batman can tolerate, I don't think Bruce can ever save Gotham's soul with a force of corruption as big as Penguin taking root in the seats of power. No amount of informant work can justify letting a monster like Penguin stay "King of Gotham". I think there's an argument to be made that Oz is a bigger threat to Batman's overall long-term mission than guys like Joker or Riddler. Those are huge immediate threats, but Penguin does a lot more long-term damage to the very soul of Gotham and its people. As long as The Penguin is on top, there's no hope, Gotham will never not be the most corrupt and nightmarish place on earth with him in charge

@book--wyrm

He will truly climb anything no loss so great it can't be flipped into an asseet A nuke Francis armed out of pain and grief and desperation and despair And poor vic Only wanting to do good And instead he saves gotham’s own typhoid mary of misery

@davidmann95

so the thing is Oz kills hope for Gotham forever in this

he's replacing the mayor who stands for hope at the end of The Batman with a corrupt comics rando built on a lie so he can install himself as the power behind the power forever Batman can't be alluded to in the slightest until the very end because it can't be until there's no lingering 'aw, I don't want my boy to get Batman'ed' it can't be until we understand truly and completely why this man proves the necessity of someone out there to stop him

The other stabs at this with Oswald, from what I’ve seen, are trying to make him low-down and dirty and vile enough to be a ‘proper’ Batman villain. But this already made him low-down and dirty and vile. And made us love him for it. This isn’t about ‘fixing him’, this is about taking him all the way to the top He’d accept no less

This is about making him operatically nightmarish enough to be a guy Batman is going to fight forever

Lucas

VENGEANCE, GET OUT RIGHT FUCKING NOW.

#dc comics #the penguin #the penguin hbo #hbo max #max #oswald cobb #oswald cobblepot #sofia falcone #sofia gigante #victor aguilar #francis cobb #colin farrell #cristin milioti #rhenzy feliz #deirdre o'connell #matt reeves #lauren lefranc

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mychlapci · 2 months ago

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So after chatting with my fren, the witch AU thing became uh. Idk.

Prowl is this tiny little solitary witch living in this little cottage in the crystal forest with a cat beastformer, whom he is FWB with. And he has just about everything a hermit could want. A simple life, a home to live in, a son he's proud of, his best friend, a steady supply of transfluid he can milk from the mecha in his basement... Except for one thing. Sex with his one and only crush.

Every month or so, the Paladin of the land would for some inexplicable reason, wander through (get separated from his party, injured and lost more like) the forest. Every time Optimus trips his wards, Prowl immediately magics his slutty black dress away into a much more modest floral dress, throws illusion veils over all of the gothic decor, stashes his workstation and materials away, and tosses the giggling little bastard of a cheshire cat in the basement. Acting all sweet and innocent when Optimus comes knocking, usually covered in injuries.

But every time Prowl almost manages to seduce OP into fucking him, he tends to get cockblocked by the assortment of shitheads in his orbit forcing him to eject OP early lest he blows his cover every time. It's usually either because of the suspicious noises coming from the basement, his half dryad son Springer barging in (on purpose), or something outside causing a ruckus.

Not this time though. This time, Prowl is definitely getting that Paladin cock inside his pussy, and he's going to milk it for all its worth. Definitely for potion ingredients and ritual spell purposes and not because he wants OP to put a bitlet in him, no, shut up Jazz. He's locked everything (and everyone) down for real this time, has filled his doors and walls to keep his meddling son out of his room, and has planted a bunch of warding plants and rocks around the cottage. They're literally on his bed now, and his spellwork tells him that Optimus' party is still a day away from finding him, so there is absolutely nothing that can go wrong now-

"Optimus, you didn't tell me that you had a fertility sigil."

They both looked at the glowing womb tattoo that had suddenly appeared on Optimus' abdomen after he stuffed his spike inside Prowl's aching pussy.

"Huh. When did that get there?" He can't be serious.

It was a call sign. One that activates when the mech who bore it was aroused. Placed there as a challenge by the very reason Optimus and co. had been travelling into the forest, in fact. And since Optimus hadn't sucked and fucked anyone else in so long, he'd completely forgotten that it was there at all. Prowl wanted to scream, because he knows exactly who that sigil belongs to. By the Unmaker-

"Please, don't stop on my behalf. You two look cute together." The fragger's low baritone rang out behind Optimus. Yep, that's the stupid fucking king of the Unseelie court right there.

"You were fragging Megatron." Prowl states blandly. Because of course he was. How silly of him to think that the fucking Paladin, the holy champion of mechkind, servant of Primus, wouldn't be intimately involve with the one being that could punch a hole right through his wards at the most inconvenient of times.

"Correction, he fragged me only once. Why do you think I put the beacon there?" Of course, the petty fragger wanted in on whatever action Optimus got into. Well, he doesn't care, his mood was ruined (well not really, but keeping his cover toom precedence!).

"Ugh. Just, get out, both of you." Before his veils collapse and oust him as a witch to the one being he does not want it revealed to, goddamnit. "Shoo!"

Buckethead just smirked and walked over to the bed instead. "Don't be a spoilsport now, Prowl. This is what you've been waiting for, haven't you? I'm sure the... others... will behave themselves for a little longer." Not with you here, he thought vehemently as he glared at Megatron.

Without waiting for a response, Megatron just pushed Optimus down, pinning both of them into the soft mattress. He gropes the Prime's valve cover as he grinds his own hips against that fat aft. Optimus groans and pops the coverz welcoming those large, tapered clawtips into his pussy to ply them apart.

Prowl knows that he should really, really kick both of them off and evict them (the fae king would take some work, but the Paladin needs to go first) before someone downstairs gets any funny ideas. But holy fuck, Megatron was right, he has been waiting for this for a long time, he thinks to himself as Optimus' thick spike stretched his drooling valve so deliciously.

Deemed adequately prepared, Megatron withdrew his fingers, and lined his hips just at the right angle to pressurise his spike directly into Optimus' valve. And damn if the fae king's spike wasn't as big as his ego, because frag, Prowl could feel the bulge of Optimus' tummy rubbing against his own as he pressed down. The rest is then a blur as the two larger mechs fucked the weights of their frames into him. Which very quickly became his undoing, in more ways than one.

Prowl cums hard around Optimus' spike, and the other two follow soon after. Which had the unfortunate consequence of releasing a large, concentrated pulse of magic that shattered and dissolved almost all of the temporary wards Prowl was actively holding that night. Fuck. As they catch their breaths, Prowl just stares at the ceiling in post nut clarity, outfit having changed back into his usual slutty little black widow garb mid orgasm. Optimus also looks down, and then around the bed room, in post nut clarity, noting the very sudden change in aesthetics. Megatron, the fragger, just looked smug.

But before Optimus even pulls out, Springer slams the door open, probably having detected the masking spells around the house breaking from the overload. "Carrier!? Are you alright!?" Yep, the wards are definitely down.

The half dryad takes one look at the three of them on the bed, then another at the state of the room, and just sighs, and walks out. Optimus was just about to ask Prowl what's the deal with the gothic interiors, and why the masking spells, before someone calls out from the cellar vent below.

"Everything alright up there? I heard Springer storming off~!"

"...is there someone in the cellar, Prowl?" The Paladin asks uneasily. The spooky interiors weren't helping the impression. Megatron just scoffs and remarks "You should be asking just how many 'someones' are in the cellar, Prime."

The fae king snaps his fingers, and the three of them are teleported to the large velvet bed in the basement("why do you have a bed in your cellar Prowl-"), spikes still sheathed in respective valves. And that's when the Paladin sees:

-an acclaimed witch hunter that went missing ages ago (Barricade)(Look, fighting off the bastard got old after the 20th time, okay?) -a fallen angel, who was now apparently a demon, that Optimus recognizes (Sentinel)(He tried to shortchange him on a deal, so fuck him, he's imprisoned until further notice.) -a large spider (Tarantulas)(He recognises a brilliant scientist when he sees one, alright. He's a colleague!) -six green fae, in palm size instead of full size (Constructicons)(Prowl didn't actually imprison them; they just wouldn't fucking leave.) -and a grinning cat who shifts into bipedal form upon seeing them (Jazz)(He's only down here because of Optimus' visit, not that it matters anymore, but he's usually free to run around.)

They were playing poker in a circle through the cage bars (Barricade's and Sentinel's). There were cells made of iron and steel in one corner, covered in a bunch of etched and painted symbols. Another corner contained potion ingredients, food stuffs, and equipment (and a fishtank filled with shrunken scientific instruments?) The other corner on the other hand was a wall rack full off what could only be described as devious torture devices of sexual nature.

The bed was in the final corner, and was surrounded by unlit candles and magic circles. There were cuffs riveted to the bed posts, and hooks on the wall and ceiling. The rows of suspicious ritual supplies (cum jars) lining the headboard weren't helping. After perusing the room, Optimus clears his throat, unsure of what to say (his spike was hard though). Prowl wants to sink into the bed and never come back out.

Jazz, the motherfucker, just waves at them. "Hiya, OP! Having fun?" Megatron, ever the dickhead, replies with a jolly tone.

"Oh yes, immeasurably. Would you like to join us?" The Constructicons drop their cards and let out delightful cheers.

And that's how Prowl got ousted as a witch to his crush. His valbe ached for days after that.

(not pictured: centaur Impactor who's the on-and-off boyfriend Prowl threatens to build a stable to trap him in all the time, mercenary trader Lockdown that stops by from time to time with ingredients that Prowl also threatens to throw into the sex basement for being a dick, and fire elemental Rodimus that he chases off with a spray bottle every time the little shit sneaks in to fuck Springer)-🔌

this is so funny i'm honestly in love with your brain. no notes. love that Optimus just goes along with his magical creature sandwich.

#valveplug #texty #so much texty #dubcon #i suppose #oh boy #pregnancy mention

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sun-of-4-gun · 3 months ago

Note

reeding your Six ear backstory I'm curious on what the jttw gang thought of him? where they like:

"that monkey looks a lot like you"

SWK: yeeAhh how much of a coincidence O﹏o

hahah essentially!

Tang: Why did he look like you?!??

Monkey: No idea (lie), but I am flattered! Not happy about everything else though.

it was a very "Fuck You. Random Chimp Event 🫵" moment because to the pilgrims, Six seemingly came out of nowhere and took Monkey's place after he was banished. later on they thought they had him back but it was an imposter! I'd imagine it was Sandy & Horsie who were suspicious of "Monkey", because Pigsy & Tripitaka were thinking of him as being much better than before, except it isn't really Monkey or Stick and neither were being aggravatingly annoying or frustratingly aggressive!!

Monkey only realised what Six was when he was just about to destroy him. with the No Killing Rule by Tripitaka, and Buddha & Lin's sympathy for him 500 years ago, he gives it a second thought to not kill this guy, who to his understanding is basically just a younger version of himself under different circumstances. in a way maybe it would've been like killing himself, or at least these negative aspects within that manifested to ruin his own life, metaphorical &/ literal self-sabotaging & harm if you will. because "Six" was initially pushed away & buried to the back of his mind, but bottling up ruins you, and that's exactly what almost came to be

so he does it again, but this time with a positive outlook and hope this six-eared macaque will understand that what he did was wrong during timeout. just as Buddha did for him once!

there isn't much to think of for the others since it was all so chaotic & confusing. one moment Monkey killed a bunch of guys and claims he didn't, and after being banished by Tripitaka for "lying & murder", he came back to apologise because apparently he did kill people! but it turns out no, he didn't, because that was the six-eared macaque who framed him, stole his identity, & almost got away with their luggage if it weren't for the real Sun Wukong! I don't think Monkey even tells/confirms to anyone about the fact that technically he created Six, so this is all his fault for not talking about his feelings 5 years ago, and he's still not going to talk about this maybe after 1,000 years because it's just so out of the blue!

Pigsy assumes that was just a rogue hair clone, he teases how more pleasant & tolerable Six was compared to the original, and prefers a quiet Stick. this earns him a bonk in the head

Tripitaka hopes that Monkey keeps his promise to free Six in 500 years & give a chance to redeem himself like he has for him. he's glad his youngest disciple didn't kill the specious macaque & is being considerate of other's feelings

Sandy was absolutely furious about fighting his own shadow, as Six borrowed it to match his prowess when they battled. I'd think he has ideas of his origin but it remains a quiet understanding and unspoken secret between him & Monkey

Horsie prefers the original and did not like Six even when he was in disguise. I imagine he instantly sensed it wasn't his friend but couldn't understand what was different. the vibes were just off but again, didn't say anything

and so after that kerfuffle, they'll carry on their journey like nothing happened to the next episode!

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orpheusluvr · 4 months ago

Text

Kissing away his insecurities (Matthias x Female Reader)

NSFW WARNING

Your boyfriend is feeling quite down today after paying more attention to his appearance, but you reassure him that he’s still perfect in every way.

(This beautiful man deserves all the love in the world </3 )

It had been 6 months since you and Matthias started dating, and today he questioned himself more than he ever has.

“We’ve been together for half a year…why does she still love me?” He whispered to himself, looking in the mirror and examining his features.

“These hideous scars…these unappealing burn marks…the missing eye…how is she able to see past them?” He glared at his reflection.

He then noticed your reflection standing in the doorway, and he panicked ever so slightly. He was worried that you heard what he said. And you did.

“Oh hey Y/N.” Matthias said, trying not to look at you.

“Matthias. I heard everything.” You said, walking over to him. He refused to turn around.

“I always fear that you’ll look past my personality one day and decide to leave me.” He said, a hint of sadness lingering in his tone.

You went over and stood in front of him. His face was almost lifeless, the glimmer that he once had in his eye had suddenly faded away. Seeing him in this sudden state tugged at your heart.

You gently held his face.

“I’ll never leave you, no matter what.” You said.

“Really?” He said.

You nodded.

“You’re perfect. I don’t need anyone else in my life except for you, because I only love you and I always will.”

Those exact words were enough to make Matthias suddenly embrace you into a tight hug.

“I love you too Y/N. But I don’t deserve you at all.” He said, his voice muffled as he buried himself into your shoulder.

“You deserve every part of me.” You whispered, stroking his brown hair.

Matthias pulled away from you, his cheeks reddening.

Despite it being such a serious moment, your words kept playing with his emotions. He wanted you so bad. But he didn’t want to ruin the feeling, so he tried his absolute best to stay quiet.

You gently stroked the side of his face where his burn marks were. He flinched at first, but then after feeling the gentle warmth of your touch against his least favourite spot, it made him feel calm. You then leaned forward and placed soft kisses on every part of his face.

“Baby…I-I…

Matthias pulled you away from him.

…I want you.” He said, looking into your eyes while his face was a deep red colour.

You paused for a moment, a blush also forming on your face as you put together his words and realised what he meant.

Despite both of you being together for 6 months, you never had sex. Both of you were too shy to ask. But Matthias finally decided to be the one to bring it up today, after how you were making him feel.

He was also extremely self conscious about himself, which was one of the reasons why he was so scared to ask.

You gently held his hands.

“You can have me.” You smiled.

He felt as though all of the negativity from today had suddenly disappeared, as a small smile appeared on his face.

“O-okay…follow me.” He said, walking over to the bed.

You both began undressing each other, while Matthias constantly asked if you were still okay with this. And each time you’d laugh and nod your head, reassuring him that he didn’t need to keep asking.

And a few moments after, you both stood there with nothing on at all. He admired your body, from top to bottom while you did the same with his. Both of you blushing after seeing yourselves in this state for the first time ever.

“Y-you have a beautiful body.” Matthias said.

“So do you.” You smiled at him.

You kissed every part of his body, paying most attention to the places where he was most insecure about. His breathing hitched as you moved closer to his intimate area.

“I-I know it’s not that big…I’m sorry…” his voice was barely audible.

That was the biggest lie you heard until today. He was easily 5-6 inches. That was MORE than enough for you.

You smiled as you shook your head, planting a soft kiss on his tip. He slightly whimpered, goosebumps running through his body.

“Come on Matthias, you shouldn’t be lying to me like that!” You said, looking at him then immediately shoving his load into your mouth.

“Ah-” Matthias let out a groan, grabbing onto your hair.

You moved back and forth at a slow pace, slowly increasing your speed as you got used to this new feeling in your mouth. His breathing became faster, throwing his head back for dear life while sweat dripped down his forehead.

“S-slow down…baby…I’m gonna…” he whimpered, feeling as though he was about to release.

He tried pulling you off him, but you gently held onto his hand and shook your head, looking directly at him.

Seeing you like this with his cock in your mouth made him waste no time in releasing, his juices filling up your mouth. His eyes widened as he saw how you swallowed, some of it dripped down the sides of your mouth and fell onto your chest. You slowly pulled his cock out of your mouth, the sides of your lips dripping with his cum. You looked at him lovingly, lust dancing in your eyes.

“Y-you didn’t need to swallow it.” Matthias panicked, hurriedly finding something to wipe you both off.

“Why wouldn’t I? I didn’t want to waste such a valuable thing.” You said.

He couldn’t hide the embarrassment on his face.

“But it’s not-”

“Shh.” You held him in your arms, his face pressing against your chest. He welcomed your warm embrace.

“Matthias, I’m so lucky to have an amazing boyfriend like you. I’m forever grateful.” You whispered, planting kisses on his cheek.

“I’m the one that’s lucky.” He said, holding you tighter.

“I want to get married to you someday.” You said.

He looked at you, a shocked expression was visible on his face.

“Then, in that case…”

He lovingly held your face.

“…I know I don’t have a wedding ring yet…

…but will you marry me?”

#identity v fanfic #identity v x you #idv x reader #idv x you #identity v x reader #idv smut #idv fanfic #identity v matthias #idv matthias #matthias czernin #identity v puppeteer #idv puppeteer

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captainamericasmotercycle · 1 year ago

Note

A james potter x fem!reader request <3

James is in love with Lily. He always has been, right? Ever since the first year of attending Hogwarts he has been chasing after her affection. It’s all anyone thinks of when they think of him. “The boy who chases the unattainable.” Through all of his failed attempts, Reader has stood next to him, supporting him through everything despite the raging love she feels for him.

James does something bad while trying to attain the affection of Lily… again. While his attempts work and he gets the girl, he ends up losing his best friend in the process.

Please have it end with a happy ending where they end up togetherrrr!! Thank youu!!

(If you want to of course, if you don’t mo worries. You can also add smut if you want 👀)

Lacy

smart, sexy lacy, i’m losing it lately

pairing: james porter x reader

warnings: cursing, jealously, james being stupid, insecurity, confessions, lowkey toxic!james, rosekiller and dorlene my babies, hurt/comfort, ANGST, twin evan and pandora 💘, james being shit on for being a douche, happy ending

wc: 2.5k

a/n: ok i absolutely love this idea but i’m not sure if i executed it very well, however i did have so much fun doing it :)))

It was no secret that James Potter was in love with Lily Evans. He always has been, it was just a part of Hogwarts life now - a wild shenanigan to gain the affection of the woman he wanted.

It was also no secret that you stood by his side and picked up the pieces for 6 years every time his schemes got shut down by Lily.

You and James had grown up together, your families running in the same social circle. So you were well aware of his antics and escapades. But in these 17 years of being by James’s side as a friend, you wanted more.

You have wanted more since the two of you escaped from one of your family’s parties when you were 12. He led you out to the garden where the two of you stargazed for the remainder of the boring, high-class party.

But you could never let James know the love you had for him. You were his highest confidante and his best friend, you didn’t want that to be ruined. You’d rather keep James as friend than not have him at all.

You love James, however, you hate Lily Evans. You hate everything about her. Her stupid beautiful smile, her perfectly kept hair, her sweet personality, her Outstanding test scores, and of course the undeniable love and admiration from James Potter. She is just perfect, and you hate her for it. Except you can’t really hate her. You hate the envy you’ve curated towards her. She is so admirable it’s annoying as hell.

You sat in the Marauders’ room, helping James plan out his next gesture for Lily. The rest of the Marauders were spread around the room doing various things, reading, drumming, smoking.

You were getting annoyed at him now, you just wanted him to notice you. Of course you were there but you wanted him to see you, not see through you. Tension had been thick between the two of you for weeks.

“Alright so pink flowers or blue flowers? Or both?”

“Is this a baby shower?”

James frowned at your harsh tone, “Okay…”

You held your hand at the bridge of your nose and closed your eyes, “Just get her Calla Lillies or something. Simple flower and her name is Lily,”

“Oh that’s an amazing idea! You’re a genius, what would I do without you?”

You rolled your eyes, probably get yourself killed, you thought.

James noticed your slumped demeanor, and so did Remus as he perked up from behind his book to listen in on your conversation.

“What is wrong with you?”

“I beg your pardon?” you snapped at him.

“What. Is. Wrong. With. You.?” he annunciated every word archly, like you were a small child.

Remus stepped in like a parent, “James don’t talk to her like that,”

“No, I want to know what’s wrong with her attitude,”

“There’s nothing wrong,”

“You know what, fuck you, I don’t even care,” he turned around to put his parchment down.

“Yeah, you never do,” you got up to leave when James grabbed your wrist.

“You’re just fucking mad that no one cares about you like I care about Lily,” this brought the rest of the people in the room to the conversation.

“James!” Peter and Remus shouted at him simultaneously. Peter was always on your side, he had grown up with you, Marlene, and James as kids. And he knows about your crush on James.

“James, what the hell?” Even Sirius was shocked he could say such a thing to you.

Your expression hardened as you tried to hold in tears, you pulled your hand away from him and mustered up as much strength as you could to speak back to him, you looked at him with glassed over eyes, “Fuck you, James, I never want to see you again.”

You ran out of their dorm, Remus and Peter in tow, and into your dorm, slamming the door in their faces.

Falling flat on the bed, face first, screaming into your pillow, you wanted to die. Actually. This was actually the end of your life because there was no coming back from this.

Soft knocks on the door pulled you from your trance. You stood up and opened the door meeting Lily’s soft face, “Are you alright, I could hear you screaming from outside?”

You wanted to throat punch her.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Just stressed,”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, 100%,”

“Okay. Well Mary, Marlene, and I are going down to the greenhouse if you’d like to join?”

“I think I’m going to stay… and study,”

“Alright, well we’ll see you later then,” Lily left the dorm doorway with a smile and you went back to you bed and flopped down. Does she have to be so perfect?

You were never getting over this.

Back in the Marauders dorm, James was being berated by his friends.

“How could you say that to her?”

“James, you’re so fucking dense,”

“Do you ever think before you speak?”

“You’re an actual idiot, genuinely,”

“You clearly need time to think, so we’ll give you some time alone to reflect on your relationship with her,” Remus and Sirius stormed out, Peter following.

At the doorway he hesitated and turned to James sitting slumped on his bed, “James, have you ever thought you’re not in love with Lily and she’s just a distraction for you?”

A distraction? What? From what? From who?

Peter left shortly after sticking James with the question of a life time. Was he talking about you?

It didn’t matter. He loves Lily. Right?

The next day he expected everything to go back to normal, you would be back by his side and his friends would be alright. Except this wasn’t the case. His friends were still wary of him and you were no where to be found.

At breakfast his friends only talked about school work and he noticed you weren’t at the table with them. He had also noticed that Marlene gave him an upturned look every time he looked in her direction. You must’ve told her what happened.

At lunch he noticed you still weren’t in the Great Hall. He hoped you were eating something, he knew how easy it was for you to accidentally skip meals. He left lunch early to look for you after his friends wouldn’t talk to him and he kept getting dirty looks from the rest of the girls at the Gryffindor table.

He took a couple laps around the school until he remembered that you loved the library and you had to be there! When he got there he beelined for the spot you and him always shared and as he approached he heard hushed voices and giggles.

He peeked around the corner of a bookshelf and saw you sitting way too close to Evan Rosier.

What the fuck were you doing with Rosier? How do you even know Rosier? Why are you talking to him? Since when did you even become friends?

Evan was one of your closest friend’s twin brother, you’d grown up next to Pandora and Evan just as you had with James, Peter, and Marlene.

You were quite well-known in the wizarding world because of your parents' social lives; always throwing lavish parties and social events.

Evan had been a confidante of yours for a couple of years now, especially since the two of you exchanged advice and stories about the guys you’ve been pining over for years.

But what were you doing with him, of course? Debriefing.

James suddenly felt like he was going to throw up everywhere. How dare you fucking bring Evan fucking Rosier to your spot.

He stormed out of the library and into his next class. He couldn’t even focus on transfiguration. Everything he touched just blew up, which was quite the parallel to his social life.

At dinner he noticed that you still weren’t at the table. There was no way you were going to skip all three meals just because you were avoiding him. That’s when he saw you across the Great Hall sitting at the Slytherin table, in between Rosier and Crouch, laughing at something that probably wasn’t even that funny.

His appetite was suddenly gone. Not to mention he was getting looks from almost everyone at the Gryffindor table. Alice Fortescue, Marlene, Mary, and even Lily were all avoiding his pleading gazes.

Emmeline Vance, Dorcas Meadows, and Emma Vanity would occasionally catch his attention with their hard and disgusted stares.

Fuck. How many people had you told about what happened?

Tomorrow will be better. Everyone is just tense today.

Tomorrow was not in fact better. It was quite possible that it was almost worse than before.

James felt alone. If you were still here with him, he would wrap himself in your arms and cry into your shoulder. But you weren’t here because he pushed you away, quite harshly he may add.

In the morning you sat with the Slytherins, at lunch you sat with the Slytherins, and at dinner you sat with the Slytherins. You may as well be one by now.

The next day came and everything was the same, except for the fact that his friends were a little more talkative. But he didn’t have you.

You were gone, Lily wouldn’t even look at him, which at this point he didn’t even care. He just wants you back.

On the third day of losing you, you still weren’t around and it was really affecting James. You’ve never gone this long without something as simple as a check-in.

He thinks by now all of Hogwarts has known what he had said to you and for the past two nights he’s laid awake thinking about it, wishing he could take it back.

You hadn’t really told anyone except Dorcas, Pandora, and Evan. Dorcas told Marlene, Marlene told Mary, Lily, and Alice. Pandora told Barty who told Regulus and Mulciber. Regulus told Emmaline and Emma. And from there it spread like wildfire.

A week passed and you got closer to the Slytherins and he increasingly got worse. He lost the quidditch game to Ravenclaw. He failed his Defense Against the Dark Arts paper. And most of all, he was losing it, snapping at everyone and constantly drunk or high.

His friends cornered him in his dorm one afternoon, “Have you thought maybe you’re like this because you love her?”

“Of course I bloody love her! I fucking messed up,”

Merlin. He’s had so much time to think about you and he realized that Peter was right. Lily was just a distraction from you.

He hated how long it took him to figure out his feelings for you. You were just perfect in his eyes — your hair, your teeth, your eyes, your smile, your kindness, your humor, he wanted every single part of you and he irrevocably fucked it up.

“Talk to her, that’s the best you can do.”

He found you in the library, alone this time. Calling your name hesitantly, you looked up from your book with an arched brow.

“Can we talk?”

”No,” you said archly. James was taken aback, not expecting you to say that. You packed your things and James watched as you left the library. What the fuck just happened?

He stormed back into his dorm where the group had added Marlene to the mix. James came in and slammed the door.

“I take it the talk went well,” Marlene added sarcastically.

“Fuck off, Mckinnon,” Marlene hated that. Standing from her place next to Sirius’s bed she walked towards James aggressively.

“No, fuck you, Potter. Dorcas told me what you said. Dorcas! Not even my own best friend told me what happened, I had to hear it from my girlfriend!”

“Ok,”

“You’re so fucking dense it’s actually painful,”

“Please can you just help me talk to her,”

“Go to our dorm, she’s in there, I’ll stand at the door to keep her in,”

“Thank you, Marlene, I’m so serious, I owe you big for this one,”

“Yeah, okay, just go fix it, you’re getting really horrible to be around.”

James raced to your dorm and knocked on the door, which was the mistake. He knew you weren’t going to answer. He opened the door, seeing you laying on your bed with a book.

“We’re talking. Right now,” you looked up at him and rolled your eyes.

“Please, please hear me out,”

“James-“

“No, please,” you let out a breath and nodded your head at him, curtly, egging him to go on.

“I cannot even express how horrible I feel for shouting at you and saying some horrid things. I want you back more than ever, I love you so much and I am so fucking daft for not seeing it sooner,” your gaze softened but you were still skeptical.

“Listen, what you said isn’t what totally bothered me, it was the way you said it. James, I have stood by your side for years while you pinned over Lily, and when you said that I wished I had someone to love me like that, I was hoping it would be you,”

“And it is me, I love you, so much, and I can’t even comprehend my love for you because it’s absolutely wild,”

“How can I even trust what you’re saying right now? How can I know everything isn’t going to revert back to the way it was?”

He moved closer to your bed, his knees against the mattress, standing above you.

"Because I promise to give you everything in my entire being. I want to give you my all - my heart, my mind, my soul,” he sat beside you, taking your face in his hand, brushing away stray hair with his other hand.

“I want you James, but I can’t trust you anymore,”

“We can build on it,” you want him so bad. You need him so bad.

“Do you promise?”

“I swear on my life.”

You lean in and softly press your lips to his. Your lips move rhythmically against his, as if they were meant to be together.

The kiss was more than electric, it was as if everything in the world went silent and the stars had aligned in your favor. The short time you were together you felt a need and an urgency to be with him.

There was nothing you loved more in the world than James Potter.

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sleep-drunk-kitten · 8 months ago

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pairing: Husband!Jake x gn!reader

genre: sickening fluff, drabble

content warnings: could give u toothache idk

summary: some fluffy thoughts about husband Jake, that is all

notes: just a lil sumin inspired by yet another delulu conversation with the one and only @nar-nia

Everything below the cut is NOT proofread

₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊

♡ I am fully convinced that Jake would be the type of lover who doesn't compute what shyness is when it comes to expressing how much he loves you

♡ and that would be fine, welcomed even

♡ except he's so corny about it 😭

♡ even when you're married and living together, he'll continue to use the most clichéd pickup lines on you, at the most random times

♡ "hey, my name’s Microsoft. Can I crash at your place tonight?"

♡ "we live together Jake"

♡ "if I could rearrange the alphabet, I’d put ‘U’ and ‘I’ together."

♡ "it's a whole bowl of alphabet pasta, good luck"

♡ "I'd say God bless you, but it seems like he already did!"

♡ you don't respond, you have a cold and it's difficult to not smile and continue pretending to be grumpy after he made you take that god awful medicine

♡ your snarky replies and feigned annoyance never does much tho, he thinks it's cute when you scrunch up your nose in mock disgust, you're incredibly sexy when you remind him how smart and quick witted you are, and he loves to hear you laugh knowing he's the reason behind it

♡ there's no winning, but you wouldn't trade what you have with him for anything

♡ you'll be standing in the kitchen late one night, tiredly waiting for the light on the kettle to indicate that your water's ready and you can make yourself that cup of coffee you so desperately need

♡ when a pair of arms wrap round your middle, a warm body resting against your back

♡ Jake doesn't need to say anything for you to know it's him

♡ after all, nobody else fits against you so perfectly, no one could possibly know how to hold you in a way that makes you feel so safe and secure

♡ naturally, your frame melts into his

♡ you can feel Jake smiling into your neck as he presses soft kisses against your skin, knowing you're very ticklish

♡ you try to shove him off, but to no avail. It just makes him more determined. He'd dig his fingers into your sides, relishing your yelp of surprise and the high pitched giggles that follow

♡ he doesn't let up till you manage to twist yourself round, grabbing his wrists and resting your forehead against his

♡ you're both out of breath, grinning like idiots as you lightly kick his shin, informing him that he's absolutely evil

♡ he just snickers, kissing your nose and telling you he loves you too

♡ "life without you would be like a broken pencil... totally pointless"

♡ you groan, kicking him again, resting your head on his shoulder now, and whining about how he ruined the moment

♡ Jake just laughs softly, wriggling his wrists out of your slackened hold to weave his fingers through your own

♡ pressing a kiss to the side of your head, he says nothing, just starts humming a song you recognise as the one you both listened to together on your first date, when the movie you'd wanted to see was suddenly cancelled and Jake had dragged you to a park in all your sulky disappointment

♡ pulling you down to snuggle against his chest while you both sat on the edge of a slide, he'd passed you his phone and an earbud so you could both trade songs back and forth while telling each other what you loved about each one

♡ with his arms around your waist, your back tucked into his warm chest, his voice filling the quiet space, you were suddenly grateful for the "failed" movie date

♡ and you were grateful for Jake now, as he slow danced with you to music only the two of you could hear in your dimly lit kitchen

♡ with your cheek pressed into his shoulder, you tell him that you love him, and that

♡ "if I were a cat... I'd spend all nine of my lives with you..."

♡ Jake didn't know his heart could feel any bigger in his chest, but he swears it's almost suffocating, how much he loves you too

#kiki writes things ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡#enhypen #enhypen x reader #jake x reader #enhypen jake #jake fluff #sim jaeyun #sim jaehyun x reader #enhypen fanfiction #enhypen fluff #fluff #domestic fluff #jake

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just-thoughts-no-vibes · 1 month ago

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Hello everyone and welcome back to random Stardew Valley headcanons! In todays episode we have: "Can bachelors and bachelorettes fight." It was funny to me that some weapons in the game belong to them and made me think about characters' fighting skills, so here we are. They are ranked from best to worst. Enjoy!

Bachelors:

Alex: Canonically shredded. Works out every day. Doesn't have much experience but has beaten a few guys in high school. If something happens to Evelyn and George he will never forgive himself so he needs to be ready to throw hands in case someone attacks them.

Sam: Not as strong as Alex but definitely fast. Has to be strong so he can beat anyone who picks on Vincent. He wants his brother to see him as cool so he has to show off sometimes. Took "the man of the house" very seriously after Kent left.

Shane: Was strong as hell in his youth and picked fights left and right, but over the years it changed. He can still throw a good punch and has experience with bar fights. After he gets sober, he tries to get back in shape so he can take care of Jass and his chicken.

Sebastian: Weak and skinny. Spends his days in his room, moving only when necessary. Smokes, probably doesn't eat healthily. Haven't worked out once in his life. He was never interested in fighting but can throw a surprisingly decent punch and run really fast after that.

Harvey: Can not fight to save his life. Will try to de-escalate the situation, will fail, and then try to run. But in my head, he is so clumsy and would trip over nothing. At least he can treat himself after.

Elliot: Absolutely useless in any kind of physical activity. He doesn't like to sweat so he doesn't work out. He sees fighting as barbaric and won't participate. But even if he tried he would fail miserably. He just has to be over the top in everything and would make a show with exaggerated moves, which will lead to him getting hurt by others or even himself.

Bachelorettes:

Leah: Shredded. Works with wood on a daily basis, cutting trees down, modeling them, or carrying her materials around. She is also smart enough not to move into the cottage in the woods with no knowledge of self-defense. Probably protected weaker kids in middle and high school from bullies.

Abigail: Much worse than she thinks but still okay. Doesn't have the discipline to put in the real work but likes training with the sword. Would learn to fight just to piss Pierre. Was always naturally strong. Zero experience tho.

Emily: Older sibling with neglectful/absent parents who has to take care of their younger sibling = knows how to fight, I don't make the rules. Although I don't think Emily is happy about that. She is a pacifist and tries to resolve everything with good talk and positive energy. She curses people when they make her mad and would restore to violence only in exceptional situations.

Haley: She. Fights. Dirty. She doesn't like sweating so she doesn't work out and she also doesn't want to break her nails or ruin her hair, but she has the rage and would hurt someone who insults her or her sister. The moment you attack her she is pulling your hair, biting you, scratching, and going for the eyes. She is also a pro at using her bag to beat someone up.

Maru: Not really into fighting and prefers to destroy her enemies with her gadgets. I also picture her as fairly short. She also never gets in situations where she needs to fight so she has zero experience. The closest she got into a fight was when someone made fun of Penny. But she does have an older brother with whom she doesn't get along so she is familiar with younger sibling fighting techniques.

Penny: Can not fight. Zero skill and zero will to do so. She condemns every form of violence and avoids it at any cost. She is the type of person who would feel bad because she pushed a person who was beating her up. But she is likable and quiet so she doesn't end up in situations where she needs to fight.

#stardew valley #stardew headcanon #stardew alex #stardew sam #stardew shane #sdv #sdv hcs #sdv headcanons #stardew valley bachelors #stardew valley bachelorettes #stardew sebastian #stardew harvey #stardew elliott #stardew abigail #stardew leah #stardew emily #stardew haley #stardew maru #stardew penny

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theglassofmiddleearth · 3 months ago

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Imagine riding with Mithrandir to fight off the Nazgul and escort Faramir back to Minas Tirith.

Faramir: 'Mithrandir, Pethryn, they broke though our defences. They've taken the bridge and the west bank.'

Y/N: 'Battalions of Orcs will be crossing the river as we speak.'

Iorlas: 'It is as the Lord Denethor predicted.'

Y/N snaps towards the voice, eyes hard and angry.

Y/N: 'That old weasel didn't predict anything. He is a coward.

Iorlas: 'Long has he foreseen this doom.'

Y/N gathers her reigns to turn to Iorlas.

Y/N: 'Foreseen and done NOTHING.'

Gandalf gives a short nod of agreement whilst Faramir notices Pippin Took.

Gandalf: 'Faramir?'

Faramir continue to stare.

Gandalf : 'This is not the first Halfling to have crossed your path.'

Faramir shakes his head.

Faramir: 'No.'

Pippin: 'You've seen Frodo and Sam?'

Gandalf: 'Where?!'

Y/N: 'When?!'

Faramir: 'In ithilien. Not two days ago.

Y/N breathes out a sigh of relief, turning to smile at Gandalf and Pippin.

Faramir: 'Gandalf, they're taking the road to the Morgul Vale.'

Y/N: 'But that would lead them...'

Gandalf: 'To the pass of Cirith Ungol.

Faramir nods.

Pippin: 'What does that mean?'

Pippin turns to Y/N.

Pippin: 'Whats wrong?'

Gandalf: 'Faramir, tell me everything. Tell me all you know.'

Y/N and Faramir enter the throne room of Minas Tirith.

Denethor: 'This is how you would serve your city? You would risk it's utter ruin?'

Y/N steps forward but Faramir shoves his arm infront of her.

Faramir: 'I did what I judge to be right.'

Denethor: 'What you judged to be right.'

He snarls.

Denethor: 'You sent the Ring of Power into Mordor in the hands of a witless Halfing.'

Y/N grits their teeth, deciding if it's worth keeping the old man alive.

Denethor: It would have been brought back to the Citadel to be kept safe. Hidden, dark and deep in the vaults... Not to be used. Unless at the uttermost end of need.

Faramir: I would not use the ring. Not if Minas Tirith were falling in ruin and I alone could save her.

Denethor: 'Ever you desire to appear lordly and gracious. As a king of old.'

Denethor sneers.

Denethor: Boromir would have remembered his father's need. He would have brought me a kingly gift.

Y/N grips the handle of their sword tightly.

Y/N: Boromir is dead. And You are no king.

Faramir: 'Boromir would not have brought the Ring. He would have stretched out his hand to this thing and taken it. He would have fallen.'

Denethor: 'You know nothing of this matter.'

Faramir: 'He would have kept it for his own. And when he returned, you would not have known your son.'

Denethor stands up, gesturing wildly.

Denethor: Boromir was loyal to me! Not some wizards pupil!

Y/N: You-

Y/N draws their sword and Denethor falls against his seat, whimpering.

Faramir walks towards his father to help him up.

Faramir: 'Father?'

Denethor hallucinates seeing Boromir behind Faramir.

Denethor: 'My son!'

Faramir realises this and looks away from his father. Denethor's face crumbles and he flares at Faramir.

Denethor: 'Leave me.'

Y/N draws her sword, taking strides towards Denethor.

Y/N: 'You absolute scum. You bastard! You have a son and yet you do not see him! You miserable coward!'

Y/N is dragged back by Faramir as he struggles to keep Y/N from charging at Denethor.

They move outside and see Pippin.

Pippin: 'What were you thinking, Peregrin Took? What service could a Hobbit offer such a great lord of men?'

Y/N: 'He is neither great, or a man. He is a sniveling snake.'

Faramir: 'It was well done. A generous deed should not be checked with cold counsel. You are to join the tower guard.'

Pippin: 'I did not think they would find any livery that would fit me.'

Y/N: 'It once belonged to a young boy of the city. A very foolish one. Even now. He wasted many hours slaying dragons instead of attending to his studies.'

Y/N grins.

Pippin: 'This was Faramir's?'

Faramir: 'Yes it was mine. My father had it made for me.'

Pippin: 'Well, I'm taller than you were then! Though, I'm not likely to grow anymore, except sideways.'

Y/N and Faramir chuckles.

Faramir: 'It never fitted me either. Boromir was always the soldier.'

Y/N shakes her head.

Faramir: They were so alike, he and my father. Proud. Stubborn even. But strong.

Pippin: I think you have strength, of a different kind. And one day your father will see it.

They enter the throne room again, Y/N flowers at Denethor and he tries to ignore Y/N's eyes. Pippin pledges his allegiance and Denethor takes a seat, putting food onto his plate.

Denethor: 'I do not think we should so lightly abandon the outer defences.... Defences that your brother long held intact.'

Faramir: 'What would you have me do?'

Denethor: 'I will not yield the river in Pelennor unfought. Osgiliath must be taken.'

Faramir: 'My lord, Osgiliath is overrun.'

Denethor: 'Much must be risked in war.'

Y/N: 'And I suppose you think your son's life and the lives of your people are worth the risk?'

Denethor: 'Is there a captain here who still had the courage to do his Lord's will?'

Y/N steps forward before being interrupted by Faramir.

Faramir: 'You wish now that our places had been exchanged. That I had died and Boromir had lived.'

Denethor: 'Yes, I wish that.'

Faramir: 'Since you were robbed of Boromir. I will do what I can in his stead. If I should return I hope you would think better of me father.'

Denethor: 'That would depend on the manner of which you return.'

Y/N points at Denethor as Faramir turns to leave.

Y/N: 'You shame Boromir's death with your ignorance. Your line may continue and you shall be henceforth be stripped of your title. Your vile attempts at power will reward you no longer. This, I swear unto you.'

As Faramir begins to leave Y/N and Gandalf chase him.

Gandalf: 'Faramir! Your father's will has turned to madness.'

Y/N: 'Do not throw away your life so rashly.'

Faramir: 'Where does my allegiance lie if not here? This is the city of the Men of Númenor. I will gladly give my life to defend her beauty, her memory, her wisdom.'

Gandalf: 'Your father loves you Faramir. He will remember it before the end.'

Gandalf turns to Y/N and they nod.

Y/N: 'I must meet Aragorn and the others. When the time comes, Mithrandir. Do not let him burn.'

Y/N hoists themselves up onto their horse and rides out with the troops before turning away, heading for Dunharrow.

Hello! I have returned with another installment of the Pethryn Series! As always Pethryn means Narrator (I think) in elvish! ENJOY!

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theflagscene · 2 months ago

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Let’s talk Jack and Joke’s perceived parental roles -

It’s laid out in plain words in episode ten so that there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever, Jack and Joke have taken Toi Ting in and have no plans on returning her to her deadbeat abusive bio-dad. I believe that it going to stay that way, so we’re going to keep to that assumption of her being adopted or fostered by them legally once everything is sorted.

Note: not looking for arguments about the legitimacy of blood relations verses found/chosen family. An adopted child is that person’s child, you do not need to have carried them in your body for them to be yours.

I adore that YinWar have been pushing back against the stereotypes around gay men and queer media in general about what roles a person takes in the relationship, they’ve mostly been focusing on the sexual aspect because that is the part that people tend to get the most hung up on.

Yet I find it wildly interesting how easily Jack and Joke fall into what would be considered the ‘heteronormative parental roles’ when it comes to Toi Ting. It’s not a bad thing! No, it’s actually quite nice to see. They’re not forcing any ‘husband/wife’ ideals into their relationship, they just naturally fall into the roles that are appropriate for them as a couple and a family unit.

Jack is very much in the ‘father’ role, remember, father does not instantly mean masculine or emotionally stunted. He is the protector, he is a trained martial artist and debt collector, he is physically intimidating. He is firm and chastising but also patient and forgiving, he is the one Toi Ting feels physically safe with the most, she runs to him for help, she learns her bravery and defiance from him. He absolutely will pat her back, smooth down her hair and allow himself be to dragged away by the hand to get ice cream. He is playing the role of not just a father figure, but a daddy. (stop giggling at that word, the internet has ruined us all 😝)

Meanwhile, Joke has one hundred percent filled the ‘mother’ role for Toi Ting. Again, not because he’s femme or whatever - side note, there’s nothing wrong with being femme! Joke is a natural carer, he wears his emotions on his sleeve because he never had anyone care about him before. He is gentle and a listener, both things that serve him well as a thief. When Toi Ting comes running to Jack for physical protection, it is Joke that offers emotional protection. He is the one that takes her into his arms and calms her down, he hugs her, reassures her and speaks with clam and loving words to bring her big scary emotions back down to a more manageable level. Joke can redirect her attention and is the one that sits and paints with her, Jack just ‘supervises’, aka is a big dope that’ll ruin the painting lol. But together Jack and Joke are able to offer Toi Ting what she needs, both a mother figure and a father figure, regardless of their genders.

Which leads me into the absolute heartbreak of a scene at the end of episode ten, where Jack and Joke find themselves in the one place no parent ever wants to find themselves. Stuck on the other side of those damnable white doors, unable to get to your child.

Joke has an emotional response, very much a mother’s response. Again, mothers tend to be the ‘emotional nurturers’ so them being more giving with their emotions is to be expected. And I would just like to point out how exceptional War plays that role, he is a mother waiting in terror to find out if his baby is dying or dead.

The blank horrified stare, the shaking hands and quivering movements, the fact that his legs fail him and he ends up curled up on the floor. Covering his mouth to keep the sobs in, yet unable to stop the silent flow of tears, barely even noticing when Hoy tries to comfort him. Joke doesn’t snap out of his shock until Jack shows up.

Jack on the other hand has a very ‘fatherly’ response, the pacing, the pinched expression, the heavy breathing and muttering before just exploding with anger, swearing loudly and looking for someone to blame. He can’t break down just yet, he’s too angry, too scared, he’s not the emotional support. He’s the protector, the provider and he hates himself for failing. Yin played that so well, how he kept moving to touch his head, putting his hands on his hips, fidgeting as he paced, forcing the camera to keep up with his near frantic movements.

Where Joke froze, Jack found movement.

Where Joke was quiet, Jack exclaimed loudly.

Where Joke allowed tears to flow, Jack held his pain tightly in.

Joke and Jack are Toi Ting’s mother and father, and that final hospital scene just proved it.

#jack and joker #toi ting #jack and joker u steal my heart #yinwar #I’ve spoken before - back when DFF was airing #how I focus on parental characters and their reactions to their child being injuried or dead #I watch the actors closely to see how well they portray an emotion that most actors have no real world experience with #especially younger actors who don’t even have children irl #finding that kind of emotional reaction isn’t easy because it’s not one emotion #it’s all emotions #and yes mothers react differently than fathers #so it was really amazing to watch how well YinWar embodied those emotions

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pluckyredhead · 10 months ago

Note

Can you please say more about the Lanterns' politics?

I am so glad you asked me about this because I've been thinking about it since I reblogged that post but also I'm definitely about to get yelled at lol. ANYWAY THIS IS GOING TO BE LONG.

Tl;dr: John is the only one with a coherent political position or an up-to-date voter registration.

Hal:

So something interesting about Hal is that his stories are often very political but his character is not. With one extremely obvious exception, he rarely talks about politics; rather, he serves as a means through which to tell political stories, usually unintentionally.

What do I mean by that? Well, for example, in the Silver Age, his love interest would occasionally be possessed by a misandrist space jewel that would force her to attack him, but always lose because women are inherently inferior to men and prefer to be subjugated by them anyway. That's the original Star Sapphire concept. It's wildly misogynistic, but it doesn't mean Hal the character is misogynistic. But it's also a very political story, even if I don't think the writer was deliberately trying to make a point so much as...being an average, thoughtlessly sexist guy living in the 60s. (Carol continues to be the subject of mindbogglingly sexist writing and art well into the 2000s. Fucking comics.)

And so you have Hal Jordan, whose love life was ruined by his girlfriend getting promoted above him and who called his best friend by a racist nickname for decades; Hal Jordan, poster boy for chest-thumping post-9/11 kneejerk patriotism; Hal Jordan, lightning rod for a certain kind of regressive bigoted fanboyism. Choosing Hal as the Lantern for a particular story over John or Kyle has come to signify something very specific, but none of that is necessarily reflective of what Hal himself believes.

So what about Hal himself? Well, when we first meet him, he's the epitome of privilege: a white, straight, cis, Christian (I know he's canonically half-Jewish now but that's only as of the past decade or so), ablebodied, upper middle class (Geoff Johns retconned him to have a working class background, but in the Silver Age, he had one uncle who was a millionaire, another who was a judge, and a successful politician brother) man with a flashy job. Privilege tends to lean Republican; even if he is from California, I suspect Hal voted for Eisenhower in 1956.

In GL/GA, the word "Republican" isn't used to my recollection, but Hal is definitely presented as...I'm going to say conservative by I mean lower-case C. He doesn't have deeply held political beliefs, but he's traditional. He doesn't question the system, because he's never had to. He resists things that challenge the way he's always understood the world works, and that's very relatable - most people do! And he will absolutely argue with Ollie, who certainly isn't always right about everything. But he's also willing to listen, and have his mind changed, and certainly reachable via appeals to compassion and fairness.

Once the "relevance" trend of the late 60s-early 70s was over, Hal's stories default back to ostensibly politically neutral, although obviously nothing is actually politically neutral. In the late 80s and early 90s he's the most unpleasant version of himself, and that has political manifestations, like when he allows John to be imprisoned in apartheid South Africa for a ridiculous and unnecessary crime Hal himself committed. It's extremely fucked up, but again, it's less because of Hal's actual opinions and more because Christopher Priest wanted to write about apartheid, even if it does make Hal look incredibly, horrifically racist.

Then jump to the mid-2000s and Green Lantern: Rebirth, and you might imagine that losing his hometown, getting possessed by a giant space bug, becoming a supervillain, dying, and becoming the embodiment of God's vengeance might have some effect on Hal's politics, but that is not what Geoff Johns is here to write. Johns is writing a Hal who teleported in from, like, 1967 - no nuance allowed. He's a summer blockbuster that walks like a man. He's a Baja Blast. He's never had a coherent political thought in his life. In his defense, he has had more and goofier concussions than any superhero I can think of and his brain is smooth like an egg. Still.

Anyway, all of this is to say that I think Hal tends to default to center right positions but can be easily coaxed over to center left. That said, he has never not once in his life had his shit together enough to vote in a single election, not even for his own brother.

Guy:

So Guy's deal is a little bit complicated because his most vocally political era was also in part due to severe and personality-altering brain damage.

When Guy was originally introduced in the 1960s, he had the pleasantly bland personality of all superheroes. Many years later, he suffered a series of major injuries, torture, and a lengthy coma, and he emerged from the coma in 1985 with the aggressive, abrasive personality he's best known for today. Justice League International took that even further, using him to parody the jingoistic, red-blooded American action hero of the 80s.

This version of Guy is a vocal fan of Ronald Reagan and despises the USSR. He's pro-war, proudly xenophobic, and treats women badly enough that it crosses the line into repeated sexual harassment, both physical and verbal. (To be fair...ish, this last also applies to Wally West and arguably a number of other men, and was always played for laughs. It was gross all around.)

Again, this is partially a manifestation of his brain damage. There's also a running gag in JLI where if he gets hit on the head, his personality changes to this cloying, timid, gentle one, sort of halfway between a child and a flamboyant gay stereotype. Hit him again and he goes back to Asshole Guy. I'm not going to pretend I don't find some of the gags funny, but it's obviously all highly problematic, and not just from a medical standpoint.

That said, I don't think we can dismiss Guy's politics or his usual personality as simply a manifestation of brain damage. We see in later flashbacks that he developed the abrasiveness as a defense mechanism from growing up in an abusive home, and as he matures through the 90s, he doesn't actually become a significantly different person, even after his Vuldarian healing factor kicks in and heals his brain. (It's a thing.) I think it's more accurate to say that the brain damage probably affected his impulse control, his filter, and arguably even his paranoia levels.

All of which is to say that as much as I would love to go "Guy's better now, so he's not a Republican!"...that dog won't hunt. I think a really good canon writer could make the case that Guy is pro-union-style working class and also a former teacher so he's at least center left, but as of now canon evidence is pretty firmly on the red side. It doesn't help that the GLC has been written as fetishistically pro-cop and pro-military since Johns got his grubby hands all over it. I will happily ignore the New 52 retcon that Guy was a cop, and you could even try to argue that he dislikes cops because his brother was a corrupt cop who became a supervillain, but I think it's much more likely that he identifies with cops as a Corps member. Although I don't think he would have any patience for killer cops. ("You were afraid for your life even though you were the only one with a weapon? Then fucking quit, coward.")

All of that said, I think Guy is similar to Hal: defaults to center right, can be talked into center left on certain issues but he's more stubborn about it. (They would also both be enraged by Jan 6 and disgusted by the current Republican party - I can't quite argue that Guy Gardner is a Democrat but Green Lanterns don't have any patience for traitors or cowards.) It's also kind of a moot point because he never knows what is happening on Earth and hasn't voted since his pre-coma days.

John:

Oh John Stewart, thank god for you.

John was introduced as an explicitly political character in an explicitly political story. The first time we see him, he's stepping in to defend Black men from a white cop, citing his own knowledge of the law to do so. He shows a much more perceptive and informed perspective on the issue's main plot (a racist senator running for president) than Hal does. Even in the little moment above, we see that he's sensitive to exactly what it means for him, a Black man, to be taking on this role.

None of this is a surprise, since we'll later learn that John's parents were civil rights activists. Not only would he not have had the privilege Hal and Guy did to assume his existence was politically neutral, he was explicitly educated about political realities and progressive advocacy from childhood. He's well-informed, he's passionate, and he's going to tell you when you are being fucking stupid.

John isn't immune from the GL cop/military...thing, although I can't blame Johns for that - it was the cartoon that made him a Marine, and the comics followed suit. But that's never outweighed his origin or his upbringing. Like, he's friends with the DCU's fictional version of Nelson Mandela.

This one is straightforward: John is a staunch progressive. He is, however, in outer space 90% of the time, so he's always at least a little bit out of date. I imagine every time he comes back to Earth he spends the first 24 hours watching the news in abject horror.

Kyle:

Kyle doesn't talk about politics a lot, but when he does, he lands pretty much where you'd expect a young California-born artist living in New York City to land: to the left. My read on Kyle is that he hasn't really thought any of his politics through, which makes sense - he's a character who is led by emotion over reason every time. He doesn't have John's carefully thought-through arguments or knowledge of the law behind him. I feel like when something political upsets him, he's more likely to splutter angrily than make a coherent argument (which: same). When he's given the time to think things through and speak from the heart, though, he can be very eloquent, like in his speech to Terry after Terry accidentally comes out to him.

It's also worth pointing out that his solo appearances were mostly in the 90s, which were prone to avoiding politics or only addressing them in a halfhearted both sides-y way like the story above.

That said, I don't think he ever actually does anything about his political opinions. He never votes in midterm or primary elections, and probably only voted in a presidential one because Alex dragged him along one time. I feel like Donna tried to do the same when they were dating and that was when Kyle realized he'd forgotten to change his voter registration from California to New York. Jennie wasn't responsible enough to Mom him into doing his civic duty, and he's been in space pretty much nonstop ever since, so...

Simon:

In that other post, I said Simon's experiences should have radicalized him, but instead he was created by Geoff Johns. Simon is a Muslim, Lebanese-American man who came of age in the post-9/11 era, and was wrongfully convicted of terrorism and waterboarded at Guantanamo Bay. His reaction to this was...to put on a ski mask and wave a gun around. Like, it's been a while since I've read these issues, but aside from the "ripped from the headlines!!!" of it all, I feel like Simon's experiences largely don't inform his actions or perspective except that he's super angry (fair enough).

The thing about Simon (and Jessica) is that he hasn't been around very long, and most comics don't have characters directly expressing political opinions. It's not a coincidence that these characters are in chronological order and each write-up is shorter than the last. I can think of about three times where Kyle has ever said anything I can interpret as political, and he's been around for 30 years. Simon only has a third of that history. So while one could certainly extrapolate what Simon's opinions are likely to be, I can't think of any canon where he actually says them.

Jessica:

Jessica has even less to go on in terms of explicitly political comics. You'd think she wouldn't like guns because of what happened to her friends, but she has one of her own and doesn't seem bothered by Simon's. I'd imagine she has opinions on immigration as someone whose family is from Mexico and Honduras, but it never comes up. If I were writing for DC, I'd make both Simon and Jess leftists, but as for actual canon proof? I got nothing.

I will say that she probably avoids political discussions because anxiety, and I bet she got really good at voting by mail during her years not leaving the house. She probably votes by mail from space. Maybe John's not the only one with an up-to-date voter registration.

Kilowog:

#green lantern #hal jordan #guy gardner #john stewart #kyle rayner #simon baz #jessica cruz #meta

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bower-quinn · 5 months ago

Text

My sweet summerchild

"You and Eddie have been best friends for years, and nothing and no one can tear you apart. But somehow, something has changed. [cw: vomiting] [fluffy, feelings, friends to lovers]"

Chapter 1: The Secret

It’s a Friday like any other in rainy Hawkins. The day drags on like chewing gum, but Eddie Munson knows that the wait will be worth it. Every Friday afternoon, when the bell rings for the last period, Eddie, Steve, Dustin, Robin, and you gather in the old, dusty clubroom of the school, which serves as the headquarters for the Hellfire Club. Here, amid the smell of old books and the flickering light of candles, you dive into the world of Dungeons & Dragons, where heroes and monsters collide and imagination knows no bounds. The latest campaign isn’t going as smoothly as Eddie would like, since Steve, the newcomer to the group, has absolutely no idea what he’s supposed to do.

„So, can I decapitate the ogre with my sword now?” he asks, and almost everyone groans in annoyance. Except for you, you just laugh softly and respond with angelic patience, „I have the sword, Steve; you have a broad axe.”

„So I decapitate him with my broad axe!”

More groans.

„Harrington,” Eddie leans forward and stares intensely at his best friend, „if you say ‘decapitate’ one more time, I’ll kick you out of the campaign.”

Steve looks him straight in the eye.

„Decapitate.”

„This kid is driving me crazy,” Eddie sighs and sinks back into his chair.

„Just roll for how much damage your initial attack does!” you suggest, pointing to Steve’s dice.

„My sweet summerchild has much more patience with you than is warranted,” Eddie grumbles. The way he says your nickname makes everything inside you melt.

Steve picks up a die, rolls it, and stares at it for a long time.

„And? Did you roll a one?” Dustin asks, clenching his teeth.

„A twenty!” Steve looks around the table, „is that good?”

„That can’t be true!” Eddie jumps up, stands behind Steve, and stares at the dice.

„The bastard actually rolled a dirty twenty!”

„Who’s the bastard here?” Steve mumbles, but Eddie just chuckles and winks at you.

Those stupid butterflies that have been fluttering around lately are flapping around in a panic. You don’t know exactly when it happened, but recently you’ve felt your feelings for Eddie change. You’ve been friends for what feels like centuries. Best friends, even. Just for that reason, you would never dare to bring up these feelings. Sure, you and Eddie talk about everything—except the fact that you suddenly find his lips attractive. That would ruin everything.

„Well,” Eddie says loudly, pulling you out of your thoughts, „Sir Harrington raises his broad axe with a shout, hurls it at the ogre, AND,” he makes a dramatic pause, „hits it right between the eyes.”

You all cheer, and Steve looks prouder than he wants to admit.

„Robin,” Eddie points to her, „what are you doing?”

„My sorceress casts Fireball!” she rolls, „a six.”

„Although a lot of flames go astray,” Eddie says, „you still burn the ogre pretty well. He dies before he hits the ground.”

„FINALLY!” Dustin roars.

„Kamala approaches the ogre,” you say softly, and Dustin falls silent, „she pulls out a bottle of holy water and anoints the ogre’s head. She says a small prayer for his soul and then returns Sir Harrington his sword.”

„Heaven,” Dustin says, „it’s an ogre!”

„Every creature deserves an anointing!” you say, and the sparkle in your eyes makes Eddie smile. What you don’t know is that he had to keep himself from staring at you throughout the session. How the candlelight reflects in your hair, how you laugh at his jokes, how you patiently explain everything to Steve. All of it nearly drives him to despair. He yearns so strongly for you. For your physical and emotional closeness. He’s never wanted anything more. But for the sake of your friendship, he does nothing in that direction. Everything remains in his imagination.

„I think,” he says, looking away from you, „that’s enough for today.”

„But it’s only been two hours!” Dustin sighs in disappointment.

„Already two hours!” Robin exclaims in surprise, „Heaven, no wonder it smells like farts in here.”

„That was Dustin,” Steve says, and Eddie chuckles as Dustin makes a horrified face.

You look at your watch and realize Eddie is right.

„Shit, I have to go!,” you say, grabbing your bag, „I promised to be home on time. Otherwise, I’ll get a broad axe to the forehead.”

Eddie stands up, spreads his arms, waiting for a goodbye hug, but you just wave quickly and disappear. Eddie stands there with his arms raised like an idiot.

„She’s gone,” Dustin says, and Eddie’s head snaps toward him.

„Oh, shut up, dumbass.”

„I’m just saying,” he shrugs, „you can put your arms down.”

„Seriously,” Steve says quietly as he gathers the figures, „you’re acting like a little kid.”

„Do you have something to say, Harrington?” Steve asks.

He just shakes his head. Robin looks at him and rolls her eyes.

„I thought you were going to talk to him!”

„Not now,” Steve hisses back.

„About what?”

Eddie crosses his arms in front of his chest and stares at his friends.

„About,” Steve says, „how you’ve been in love with [y/n] for months.”

Eddie bursts out laughing, but his friends can tell it’s a fake laugh.

„Me? In love? Nonsense.”

„Seriously?” Dustin looks at Steve, „do you mean that?”

„Yes?” Steve looks at him confused, „I thought even you, dimwit, would have figured that out by now!”

„No?”

„Hello!” Eddie waves his hands to get their attention again, „She’s my best friend! Nothing more! I don’t know where you guys get the audacity—”

Steve, Robin, and Dustin look at Eddie but say nothing.

„Okay, fine,” his feigned indignation collapses, „I’ll admit it. How long have you known?”

„Six months,” Robin says.

„Five months,” Steve says.

„I told him,” Robin says, and Steve nods.

„Eh, and why didn’t you tell me?” Dustin asks Robin.

„Because,” Steve answers instead, „you’re just an immature kid.”

„Let me remind you,” Dustin glares at both of them, „that unlike you two, I have a girlfriend.”

Robin looks at Steve.

„There’s something to that.”

„I really hate to interrupt your coffee clatch,” Eddie says in a deep voice, „but this isn’t about you.”

„When is it ever,” Steve mutters.

„You have to swear to me,” Eddie points his finger at each of his friends, „that you won’t say a word about this. Swear it, or I’ll haunt you in your dreams!”

„What a terrible thought,” Robin murmurs, „but I and the two fart-heads here swear it!”

Eddie nods curtly and tries to hide his red face behind his curls. Apparently, he isn’t as mysterious as he always thought he was.

Chapter 2: A New Hope

You notice that Eddie is unusually nervous in the following days. Whenever you touch him, he flinches and laughs oddly. Even your hugs seem to be avoided, kept to a minimum. Even these small touches on your arm have been turned off.

Maybe, you think in fear, he’s realized that you have feelings for him. It’s uncomfortable for him, so he’s keeping his distance. That’s the only explanation that makes sense to you. Shit, you think, when did he figure it out?

It’s infinitely embarrassing for you because the tiny hope that he might feel the same has now died. Dead, buried, and decayed.

You try to act normally around him, not showing any signs of your feelings. But every smile, every word, even when he just says your name, makes something inside you wither.

Steve, Robin, and now Dustin watch Eddie as he helplessly tries to flirt with you without actually flirting with you. More than once, Robin has to kick Steve hard in the shin to keep him quiet. But you don’t notice. You’re too absorbed in your own confusing feelings and thoughts.

When Eddie laughs a little too loudly at one of your jokes and then accidentally spills his peas, Dustin whispers to Steve, „Does she really not notice?”

Steve shakes his head almost imperceptibly.

„You didn’t notice either.”

„I just thought Eddie was acting weird.”

„Hey, you idiots,” Robin hisses angrily, „can you talk any louder?”

„Someone has to tell her!”

„Over my dead body!”

Eddie, you, and Robin look at Steve, who is staring at Dustin. Apparently, he hasn’t noticed that he’s speaking loudly.

„Is there a problem?” Eddie asks with a threatening tone, giving the two of them a meaningful look.

„No,” Steve says, still staring at Dustin, „Dustin just realized that his D&D character has the gift of silence.”

„Hm,” Dustin says and looks at his food.

Everything seems strange to you. Your friends constantly whisper and stop immediately when you approach. Your heart grows cold. Do they all know about your crush? Are they all making fun of you behind your back? Sadly, you look down at your food, not noticing how longingly Eddie is looking at you. When Steve sees Eddie’s gaze, he rolls his eyes and opens his mouth, but Robin kicks him painfully in the shin again.

Even days later, Dustin finds it hard to keep Eddie's secret. Although the others don’t believe he’s capable, he has a strong intuition. He senses that something is different about you. That you seem sad, more closed off, and thoughtful. Even though he can’t be sure, he suspects it has something to do with Eddie’s behavior toward you.

The others, especially Eddie, don’t notice it. Eddie is far too busy acting like the biggest idiot on the planet in your presence. The more you pull away, the louder he becomes. What a fool.

It makes Dustin thoughtful, and he wishes he could do something to change the situation but doesn’t know what.

„Ouch,” he says as he bumps into you after school.

„Oh, I’m sorry,” you immediately reply, „I didn’t see you!”

„I was lost in thought,” Dustin apologizes.

„So was I,” you respond.

„What were you thinking about?”

A quiet sigh escapes your lips.

„Oh, just complicated stuff. You know, feelings.”

Dustin takes your hand and leads you to a bench in front of the school building.

„I’m pretty sharp,” he says, his grin disarming, „and I know a thing or two about complicated. Wait, you look different than usual.”

You smile slightly, feeling a gentle blush creep onto your cheeks.Top of FormBottom of Form

„You look nice,” he comments.

„Thanks, I hope he likes it too.”

„He?” Dustin’s eyes widen. „You have a date? With whom?”

„With Jason,” you answer.

„Jason,” he repeats tonelessly.

„Jason,” you roll your eyes, „you know, tall, blonde, basketball player.”

„Basketball player,” Dustin repeats again tonelessly.

„Dustin, are you okay?” you ask, noticing how pale he’s become.

„Not okay,” he says. What you don’t know is that he’s already stopped listening to you. In his mind, he sees Eddie’s sad face.

„Should I walk you home?”

Your concerned tone snaps him out of his thoughts.

„No,” he laughs awkwardly, „it’s fine, just a shock that you have a date.”

When you raise your eyebrows in offense, he adds, „A date with Jason, I mean. I didn’t know you were into guys like that.”

„I’m not,” you sigh softly, „but I have to move on, you know?”

Dustin blinks in surprise. „Move on? What do you mean?”

„Well, you know,” you groan in frustration, „when you’re into someone who isn’t into you. You have to move on.”

„So,” Dustin asks hesitantly, „are you into someone else?”

„That’s right, Sherlock,” you grin, but Dustin immediately sees the sadness in your eyes.

„And who is it?”

His inquiry is so sincere and non-intrusive that it makes you laugh.

„That’s private!”

„Come on!” he wiggles his eyebrows, „if it’s Steve—”

„Oh my God,” you almost scream with laughter, „Harrington? Jesus, he takes longer in the bathroom than I do!”

„Then who is it?”

Your laughter dies down and you look at Dustin. Actually, if you’re moving on anyway.

„Okay,” you clear your throat and lower your voice, „it’s Eddie.”

„Eddie,” the toneless repetition again.

„Yes, Eddie. You know him. Dark curls, dark eyes, makes us suffer in DnD.”

„So,” Dustin summarizes, „you’re going out with this dimwit Jason because you’re actually in love with Eddie.”

Hearing it put that way makes you blush.

„Yes. He clearly isn’t interested, and I can’t keep running after him. But,” you look at him seriously, „you have to swear you won’t tell anyone.”

„But—” he starts, but you interrupt him.

„Swear on Suzie’s life.”

„I swear,” he says curtly. He wrestles with himself about whether to tell you about Eddie’s feelings. But he too has promised not to say anything.

„But—” Dustin starts again, but he doesn’t know how to continue without revealing Eddie’s secret. „Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean—what if—what if Eddie does have feelings for you?”

You laugh softly, but it’s a sad laugh.

„Dustin, Eddie is—well, Eddie. He’s my best friend, and I’m sure that’s all we’ll ever be. And that’s okay. I don’t want to risk our friendship.”

Dustin wants to argue, wants to tell you that you’re wrong, but he knows he promised Eddie to keep his secret. But now the situation is more serious than he ever expected.

„I know you think you’re doing the right thing, but—”

You interrupt him with a gentle smile.

„It’s okay, Dustin. Really. I appreciate your concern, but I need to do this. Maybe it will help me gain a bit of clarity.”

You check your watch.

„Sorry, I have to go. Jason and I are meeting in half an hour in front of the movie theater. See you then.”

You stand up and walk away, not seeing how Dustin watches you go and then starts running.

Chapter 3: Run Boy Run

Dustin isn’t running for his life, but for the happiness of his friends. Eddie’s trailer isn’t far, but far enough to push the not-so-athletic Dustin to his limits. Over and over, his body cries out for a break, but he keeps running.Eddie has to know… he has to know now… Dustin repeats in his head as he races through the streets of Hawkins. When he sees the rundown trailer in the distance, he speeds up even more. He can’t let you end up in someone else’s arms when Eddie loves you.With stitches in his side and a painful chest, he finally arrives at Eddie’s place.

„Eddie!” he pounds frantically on the trailer, „For heaven’s sake, Eddie!”

Eddie opens the door with a cigarette in his mouth.

„Jesus, Henderson,” he says, looking at him, „are you okay?”

„No,” Dustin gasps, clutching his chest, „but… that’s… irrelevant.”

He gasps for breath, leaning on his knees.

„Kid,” Eddie comes outside and stares at Dustin, „do you want a drink?”

„NO!” Dustin shouts, having to cough once.„It’s… about… [y/n],” the coughing turns into gagging.

„Is something wrong?” Eddie grabs Dustin’s shoulders in a panic, „Is she hurt?”

„No… date.”

„She has a date?” Eddie asks wearily, releasing Dustin, then grins maniacally, „Good for her. With whom?”

„Jason,” Dustin gasps.

„JASON!” Eddie yells and bursts into loud laughter. If Dustin weren’t on the verge of passing out, he might feel fear. „That’s wonderful! Jason is gorgeous and everyone loves him!”

He slams his fist against the trailer with full force.

„Jason,“ he repeats. His voice is deep, almost a growl, and his eyes are dark with anger.

„Eddie,” Dustin gasps, turning left once and vomiting loudly.

„Heaven, Henderson!” Eddie’s manic state is shattered by the vomiting. „That’s disgusting.”

„That doesn’t matter right now!” Dustin turns back to Eddie and stares at him.

„Listen to me, Eddie. You have to go there and stop it!”

„Why should I?” a sad expression crosses Eddie’s face. „She obviously knows what she wants. And it’s not me.”

„Eddie,” he grabs his friend by the shoulders, „listen to me carefully. You need to run there now. You have to!”

He tries to burn the information into Eddie’s brain without speaking the entrusted secret. He would never put Suzie’s life at risk.

„Dustin,” Eddie starts again, but Dustin interrupts him through clenched teeth.

„Eddie, I know you’re not the brightest bulb in the lamp, but please, for God’s sake, JESUS, Eddie. I’m trying to tell you something, put two and two together.”

You can clearly read in Eddie’s face how his brain is ticking. And then it seems to click.

Without another word, Eddie wriggles out of Dustin’s grip and takes off running.

„You have to go to the theater!” Dustin shouts after him, and Eddie gives a thumbs-up over his shoulder.

Dustin laughs loudly, cheers, and watches until Eddie’s figure disappears on the horizon. Slowly, with a sore hip, Dustin makes his way home.

Eddie runs. Faster than Dustin, and it feels to him as if he is actually running for his life.

You stand at the movie theater, looking around and waiting for Jason. By now, he’s five minutes late and you wonder if he will even show up. But then you see a figure running towards you in the distance. You raise your hand and smile slightly. Strange, you think, it almost looks like Eddie. The wild, flailing hair and the strange way of running, a bit like a duck. And then you see that it is indeed Eddie.

„Eddie!” you call out in surprise as he reaches you. „What are you doing here?”

„Henderson,” he gasps, „said—”

„WHAT did that little stinker say,” you snap, „Eddie, everything he said—”

He interrupts you by placing his hands on your face and gently kissing you. You feel his rapid breath, but yours is just as fast. And you haven’t even been running.

He moves his lips softly against yours, and your hands find their way to his neck, playing with the curls there. When he pulls away from the kiss, you stare at him dazed.

„If Henderson lied, I’ll kill him,” Eddie murmurs.

„Who’s Henderson?” you ask. Your mind has no room for any more thoughts. It is completely occupied with Eddie’s eyes, his lips, his scent.

„Small, curly hair, very good at keeping secrets,” Eddie smiles lovingly at you, „so he didn’t tell you anything?”

„Telling me what?” you ask.

Eddie grins wider and kisses you again. You don’t even notice that Jason has stood you up. You’ve completely forgotten about the movie theater. The evening will end in Eddie’s trailer.

#Eddie Munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #Eddie Munson fic #Stranger things #dustin henderson #steve harrington

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