#he might actually let them depending on the day and how pathetic they looked

[dark-elf-writes]

The reason kakashi didn’t teach team seven water walking is because it would have devolved into a full out water war with Sakura trying to drown Naruto between him jumping off increasingly high surfaces (or towers of clones) to make the biggest splash while Sasuke looked more and more like a pissed wet cat and eventually the three of them would have teamed up to try and get Kakashi just as soaked as they were.

[kurosagi-h8r]

My headcanon on the ghouls in bed 🔞

Idk if anyone talked abt this already but as always you can put them in any place, it's just how i imagined them in my head. This is for funsies ☆

Detailed explanation below. Minor DNI!

Jin would almost say no to bottoming unless he's too lazy and you're too needy. But i feel like he's too prideful to go that way so he'll probably force you to nap with him instead. It's likely that you'd wake up to him taking the initiative first. "Didn't you ask for it?" And he doesn't care if you're still in the mood or not. He is now and it's your responsibility too.

TOHMA SKDJFHSKHD definitely a service top when you're good but becomes a sadist when you deserve to be punished. Either way he enjoys playing both roles and is good at them.

I feel like Luca is one of the best when it comes to aftercare. From the beginning to the end he priorities your need above his and will switch depending on your preference. Guy probably takes it like a study when it comes to please you– excited to learn about your body and all.

Kaito is a pathetic bottom. A perfect subject for mindbreaking. Will cry upon first orgasm and a whimpering mess if you're not stopping (yay overstimulation). So much thank you and sorry despite forgetting his name during the whole thing.

To me Alan is more of a service top but would bottom at first bcs Alan is Alan– he would need guidance on what you like and what you don't like and also reassurance that you're enjoying everything. A submissive top, perhaps. The type to put your needs above his. Probably would take too long fingering you bcs he's afraid he wouldn't fit.

Leo mayyyybee secretly wants to film you going down on him. Will act all sadist at first but really he just wants to see how much it'd take to trigger you. If you give in and be submissive he'd lose interest in an instant because you're too easy. I mean come on do you actually believe people who like spicy food is not into pain? If you want him so bad then take him. The fact that he might resist at first shouldn't be an obstacle to you. He's a brat bottom at its finest.

Sho is pretty simple i guess. Top leaning and would take some convincing to let you overpower him. He'd secretly be addicted to it after the first time but it's because you look hot doing it.

Depending on how his day went Haru would either top the entire session or bottom. A service top most days but would say no to a blowjob or handjob when he has no energy left. I hc him being softer with it when he's drunk bc when the two of you do it sober he'd tease you here and there. But at the same time Haru is still Haru, he has some pent up stress and could let it out through you. So please push him as hard as you can– slap the shit out of him if you need to when it gets uncomfortable.

Should I explain about Towa 😩? He seems sweet at first but the second you show no signs of going along with his tune... also he's probably into roleplay. "Let’s reenact those love stories you've told me before, Dandelion ♡~ You'll say yes, won't you?"

Ren would absolutely refuse being the bottom. Even if he's positioned under you his hands would be on your hips controlling all of your movements. Surprisingly can hold himself being cockwarmed– gotta push rank a bit if he doesn't want to get kicked out of the guild. A bit of a masochist, would force you to be quiet as he destroy you from the inside despite knowing that's what gets you being too loud. Pretending to bottom only to tease you and make you realize how pathetic your attempts were.

Taiga is Taiga.

Romeo is meticulous with everything but everything has to be romantic and worth his while. He's secretly kinky and needs to have all the power on his hand but if you play your cards right, you might just see that side of him that he will never show anyone else. Hot top, pretty bottom.

It's tempting to put Ed in each square. Who knows he's probably the creator of this top switch bottom thingy MAYBE HE INVENTED S3X IDK. Like, he's probably had his fair share of doing everything in the bed. Want him to top? He'd love to! Just surrender your whole being and let him become your God. Want him bottom? Sure. Just be careful and don't get too rough, his joints can only take so much (lol). Either way things will likely be memorable with him.

Ritsu is a top if it's for duty and bottom if you provoke him enough. Bully him; call him a momma's boy and he'll lose his mind soon enough. He would take some time to tame but it won’t be an issue if you like the process.

I imagine even when stripping Subaru would want you to look away and when it's your turn he would be too bashful to look at you. Keeping eye contact is important for him, let him know that he is the center of your world and you'll gladly accept him with open arms. Yes, he couldn’t help but look away everytime, but as long as you distract him with your lips on his he'll ease up bit by bit. He'd probably feel bad not taking the lead but his skill lies on the aftercare (despite him being the one that needed it more sometimes) so please let him take care of you as you did for him.

Haku (lord help me again with this man) will become a greedy bastard if you keep indulging him. "No more round? What a shame. I love hearing my name on your lips." To him being with you feels like a guilty pleasure that's far more dangerous than being addicted to nicotine. He tends to be lazy with other things but will gladly take on the invitation to do it with you whenever you want. "You're tired? It's fine princess. Let me get you some water, ok? Stay right here." And if you think he's stopping after that you're dead wrong. He'll do all the work while you just lay there being pretty. Let him take care of you, ok?

Feminist king. Words of affirmation in the air every five seconds. KING OF PRAISE KINK! Everything you do is beautiful; you are simply an art sent from heaven for Zenji to witness, feel, and devour to his hearts content. I feel like he's secretly a pervert but only to the right person... You are an exclusive muse for his creations that he will never share to others. Everything you want to do to him, he'll agree with no questions asked.

Rui despite being flirty and wanting you to think he's kinky, he preferred to be a gentleman on bed. Don't know how he did it back then with the casual flings but after he's no longer cursed he would cherish every second and every inch of you. Worshipping your body with everything he has until you're sick of it. Mouth, hands, whatever and however you want he'll grant it. Just keep using him as you please; make a toy out of him, he doesn't care as long as your eyes and attention stays on him.

A bundle of nerves in the beginning but if it's driven by instinct Lyca won't even stop when you want him to. He would have his way with you bcs he's too impatient, so you have to really bare your fangs if you want to put him in place.

Yuri is a mess of a bottom. Similar to Kaito but unlike him Yuri's mind will resist before fully submitting. How will he finally submit? When you deny him of his own orgasm. The longer you edge him the more he's losing his mind. He would never admit it but he's grateful that you know when to not go all out, especially when he's tired. Even better when you simply go down on him to be his stress reliever in such state.

Doing it with Jiro is a bit embarrassing at first bc he need you to go verbal with how you want him to do things 90% of the time. Don't get him wrong his mind could break at any moment too (or pass out from exhaustion) so if you make it known to him that he can do whatever he wants... oh boy you're in for a ride. He's looking forward to all the expressions you can make with all the positions he'll try with you, and he'll only stop when he pass out.

[daytaker]

The Gang React to You Saying You Hate Them

As a disclaimer, I'm going to say that these are reactions to you saying it and meaning it, not just being silly or dramatic. However, I'm also kind of assuming in most cases that this is NOT you saying "I am terminating our relationship entirely and this hate thing is a permanent situation."

The rest of the characters are below the cut.

Lucifer

"Very well. You're entitled to your opinion."

Depending on the situation, he might just shrug it off. It isn't like he hasn't dealt with his fair share of unfair whining from people who are upset with him. It would probably take a pretty emotionally charged situation for him to actually take you seriously.

In that case, he probably wouldn't quite know what would be best to do. He'd give you your space, but generally speaking, his demeanor wouldn't be significantly different. If things remain tense for more than a few days, he'll probably attempt to do the mature thing and sit down with you for a conversation to talk through your differences.

Mammon

"Pfft! No ya don't!"

Stage 1. Denial. You're so full of it. You couldn't possibly hate him, the Great Mammon, the first demon you ever made a pact with. You're just blowing off some steam. You'll get over it in a minute or two.

Stage 2. Anger. It's been a minute or two. You aren't backing down. Well, whatever! He isn't gonna sit around and let some whiny human talk shit about him! So he's going to maturely stomp to his room and maturely slam the door and maturely turn up some music obnoxiously loud.

Stage 3. Bargaining. Brooding has done whatever good it might have done, so he'll start to think of ways to change your mind about hating him. He's really an awesome guy, so it shouldn't be that hard. Obviously, the best way to let someone know you care is by spending money on them. So he'll go out on the town with a credit card and max it out on objects that are very pretty and shiny but really aren't your taste. (The fact that Mammon's taste is not the same as everyone else's taste mystifies him.)

Stage 4. Depression. The shopping trip having earned him nothing but abuse from Lucifer, he'll spend some time cooped up in his room and mope and sulk but definitely not cry, because how pathetic do you think he is? He ain't cryin' over one puny human!

Stage 5. Acceptance? Wait just a minute. You're so full of it. You couldn't possibly hate him, the Great Mammon, the first demon you ever made a pact with. He should stop sulking and go talk to you. Definitely not to beg you to forgive him or anything, but maybe if you squinted, it might look like that. Please don't hate him. Please?

Leviathan

"...I guess I should have known."

This is one of the choices that leads you straight to a bad ending. Ignoring him is one thing. Teasing him is another thing. Snapping at him when you're annoyed hurts, but he can justify it. But if you tell Levi you hate him, it will take a monumental amount of effort to undo that damage.

He'll probably assume you've always hated him, and that your friendliness was all an act. He won't be willing to take you at your word if you if you try and tell him that you didn't mean it, because how is he supposed to know that you aren't lying this time?

Satan

If he's (relatively) calm:

"You don't actually mean that. You sound like a child."

His reaction is a little bit like Lucifer's in this case; he'll leave you alone for awhile and not try to keep up the conversation. He won't really believe you actually hate him either. But he is a lot more insecure than Lucifer, so there's a part of him that nags at him... What if they actually hate you? He'll probably be irritable and difficult to approach when those thoughts are especially prevalent. Unfortunately, this is the sort of situation where Satan is immobilized by conflicting thoughts on what's going on, so it will probably be up to you to start a conversation and talk about whatever happened.

If he's very angry:

"Get out of here if you don't want to get hurt."

Whether that's a threat or a warning can be up to interpretation. I imagine that, as the Avatar of Wrath, there's a part of him that feeds on hate, so if Satan was a different sort of character, he'd say something like 'You fool! You're only increasing my power level!' But Satan being Satan, he'll spend some time in whatever room you've left him in and trash it before he calms down, feels extremely ashamed, sulks and/or broods for awhile at a complete loss for how to fix things without rolling over and looking completely pathetic, and, quite possibly, works himself up into another burst of rage from sheer frustration.

Ultimately, he'll probably be more comfortable talking things out through texts than in person (or starting the conversation with a text, then speaking face to face).

Asmodeus

"Hahaha... What...?"

He won't believe you for a second! Partly because, silly, of course you don't hate him, but also because his worldview does not allow for the possibility that someone he cares about might hate him. If he even considers the possibility that you might possibly, hypothetically mean it, he's in for an entire, earth-shattering identity crisis.

If you don't apologize pretty quickly or at least amend the statement to something he can accept, Asmo will head up to his room and hole up in there for awhile, obsessively tracking his social media accounts and pampering himself in the bathroom. You're lying, though. Look at this face! It's impossible to truly hate a face as beautiful as his.

Beelzebub

"Oh... Sorry..."

First he'll look like a deer in the headlights, and then he'll look like a kicked puppy. If he understands what led you to say this, he'll try and fix it, but if he doesn't, he will... (Select an answer below.)

A) Play video games with Levi. B) Go clubbing with Asmo. C) Eat. D) Learn to break dance.

If you guessed C) Eat, then you've been paying attention during your Obey Me! lessons.

And honestly. Honestly! Why would you say something like that? Maybe he's not your favorite brother, but we all know it's simply not possible to actually hate Beel. We all know you're full of it. So knock it off.

Belphie

"...Beel, did you hear something?"

Yep, Belphie is going to pull out all the pettiness he can scrounge up. He believes that the best defense is a good offense, and he's a pro. He'll act haughty and unbothered, ignoring you and looking entirely unbothered between sulking sessions under the covers.

Pettiness aside, you have, knowingly or otherwise, tapped into a source of deep anxiety in your relationship with Belphie. He has not forgotten the whole...incident that took place when you freed him from the attic. He knows that, reasonably, you probably should hate him, and it's amazing to him that you don't seem like you do.

Once tempers have cooled, it might be worthwhile to talk over what happened back then, just the two of you. It was pushed aside too quickly, and you both probably have things you wish you'd said.

Diavolo

"It seems I've upset you. Please know that I never meant to offend you."

He'll see that you're angry with him and give you your space, but he won't be as torn up about this as some of the others. Why? He simply won't believe you.

He has seen your soul, and it is not the soul of a hater.

Barbatos

"Oh?"

Yeah, get in line. Considering the amount of time travel shenanigans this guy has probably pulled, I have no doubt he has amassed more than his fair share of enemies. More than that, he already knows this is just you blowing off steam. Like Diavolo and Lucifer, this is just water off a duck's back.

Although, depending on how irritated he's feeling at the time of the incident, he may or may not wear a smirk as he gives his noncommittal response. Barbatos might be the man with the multiverse in the palm of his hand, but he is not above being petty. Watch your back for a few days.

Solomon

"Ah... It seems I've hit a nerve! I think I'll give you some time to cool down."

He'll back off and leave you to manage your anger in peace. Then he'll settle in to focus on some project or another that requires his undivided attention. He doesn't want to deal with all the unpleasantness that your words stirred up. Honestly, didn't he get past this sort of thing a few centuries ago? What's a little spat between friends? You don't actually hate him; not after all he's done for you. He can't possibly be feeling insecure...?

Nope, all he's feeling is itchy because of the toxic gas that's starting to pour out of his cauldron. He should open a window.

The Angels

I can't even do Simeon and Luke, because they'd both just be so confused and sad that I'm not sure where I'd go with it besides scolding you for being a bully. You don't just say "I hate you" to angels who are either extremely sweet and attractive or actual children.

[darkpoisonouslove]

HotD S02E04

I watched this at 6 in the morning and I have to say that I'm glad I took the risk of ruining my entire day because I loved this episode. It flew by so fast and had me chanting the dragons' names several times. That is not to say that some things weren't questionable or just plain irritating despite actually making sense so lets review:

Daemon was tripping so. hard. These hallucinations are fucking him up real bad and I love it. He's sososososo pathetic. The fucking nerve to just go "Hey, won't you kill your grandfather? It would really help me out." Have fun losing your mind, asshole!

So Alyn and his brother are Corlys' bastards. Corlys gets so little screen time, especially in this second season, and he's still so hateable. At least Otto is funny and a great politician. What does Corlys have? A stubborn refusal to acknowledge his granddaughters despite his wife being denied her inheritance? Anyway, he should have been the one to die instead of Rhaenys.

Alicent, bestie, what the fuck? Not her going around and trying to assuage her guilt by still clinging to the delusion that Viserys might have wanted Aegon to be king. What even is this behavior at this point? Her grandson's death should have confirmed what Otto told her so many years ago - that Rhaenyra pursuing her claim to the throne would kill her children in one way or another. We should be past this by now, my god!

The disrespect to Baela is so unreal. I love that she snapped back. "We StIlL kNoW vErY lItTlE" And without Baela you'd know fucking nothing! The fact that even Rhaenys has to deal with this bullshit and Corlys had to come in after her for everyone to remember their place is just an insult.

Criston haters must be so mad at how he's succeeding despite everyone thinking the odds are against him.

Larys not giving a fuck about Harrenhal is so funny. If he thinks it's useless to them outside of the possibility of it driving Daemon mad, then you know it really is. (I am curious about Larys' feelings on Alys, however.) And the way he bragged about controlling all the finances of Harrenhal. He really drained it and the whole situation back in 1x06 to the fullest, got everything he could and then left the castle and everyone in it to rot.

Aegon at that Small Council meeting, the poor soul! No one gives a shit about him, only enough so to steer him away from messing up their plans. And his brother bullying him back (deservedly so tbh) but I have big question marks about that part. Why would Aegon not know how to speak High Valyrian? This doesn't make sense considering how they later show him being so close and affectionate with Sunfyre. High Valyrian is the only way to control the dragons. Unless Aegon and Sunfyre's bond is so strong that he doesn't even need words to direct his dragon, which is actually such a great implication that I could relinquish my anger about this choice otherwise. For the umpteenth time the writers make choices to make Aegon look bad but the implications just decimate the effect.

Alicent has certainly grown less bothered by Larys or at least learned to hide it better. To be fair it seemed like he'd lost interest in her lately but at the same time, she has been evading him pretty successfully for the last few episodes. Not to the point where he doesn't know everything that's been going on with her but at least enough so that she hasn't had to deal with him. And this conversation was more a veiled communication of the truths they've uncovered rather than her depending on him. I am enthralled with how their dynamic evolves and hope we see a lot more from it. He did run to her first chance he had, though I find it interesting that this conversation is only happening now with Criston out of the way. Alicent's relationship with him is certainly reflecting on the dynamic she has with Larys, much to his chagrin, I'm sure. His behavior towards Alicent is fascinating. He was certainly attacking her, digging into every weakness he noticed, and yet, he validated her "indulgence" and seemed pleased with the conclusions she's reached. It's so obvious he wants to wrest her from her faith and conscience because he identifies with the woman he believes she would be without them. And for the purpose of accomplishing that he's not moving in to decimate her relationship with Criston (tbh they're doing that well enough on their own). He said "It's important that she has sex. Doesn't have to be with me. It just needs to happen to draw her away from clinging to her morals." His obsession with her is so insane and deeply twisted. I can only watch mesmerized. Next they should make him run around trying to fix Alicole, make sure that they're having all the sex. That would be the funniest direction to take this love triangle.

I love how Alys is just toying with Daemon like he's her food. Harrenhal is really not agreeing with him. He is haunted as fuck and it's so funny. Him seeing himself as Aemond especially was 10/10. The implications! Aemond is a kinslayer, who's hurt Rhaenyra the most by taking her child away and the fact that Daemon sees himself as a reflection of that says so much!

Aegon is also having the worst time. The fact that Alicent instantly assumed he's destroyed the books says how much faith she has in his ability to actually consider the consequences of his actions. Unfortunately, I can't defend him because he instantly proved her right about that. However, I believe we're seeing the alternate version of that scene where Alicent found him crying and left play out. This is what would have happened if she'd tried to comfort him back then. She's been angry with him her whole life and it's really been brought to the forefront now when his rash actions have hurt them and she has to face the guilt over her own actions. She's not capable of comforting when she's so angry but while in 2x02 she was looking to avoid hurting him, here she just doesn't care after the realizations of last episode. She's viewing Aegon and his impulsiveness as obstacles (and his temper and recklessness certainly are) but she doesn't care about approaching with care to cultivate the behavior she wants. And I doubt that would work regardless when Aegon has his whole life as proof that whatever he does will never be enough for her but he can't understand the why. He just wants her to love him and he doesn't have all the context of how he - most of all her children - is the embodiment of her pain and suffering. They really are a tragedy and it's heartbreaking. Though, this scene wasn't as bad as I feared. It makes sense for Alicent to act this way despite how frustrating her refusal to deal with her own feelings is. Not to mention the fact that she brought up her own reign with pride and self-confidence. That was more than I could have hoped for!

Jace being so angry with Rhaenyra is the first interesting thing he's ever done but, of course, they refuse to linger more on these feelings and instead give us a bonding moment where Rhaenyra passes down her father's legacy on to Jace. They could have focused a little more on why she waited so long and why he was so angry but I guess we can't have even a little trouble in paradise. I mean, for someone who wasn't sure she believed the prophecy, she sure made it out to be her whole reason to fight for her claim. It's almost like she's in denial about the fact that she's not doing this out of noble intent but because she wants the crown and the vindication of being queen when so many are against it (which doesn't at all mesh with the sense and wisdom they've tried to imbue her with). Her and Alicent are such mirrors when it comes to that.

Rhaenyra wanting to go into battle herself is legit on the same level of bullshit that Aegon is pulling, regardless of motivations. It's almost like she was hoping to get killed so she won't have to bear the consequences of engaging in this war. Again, I know what they intended for this scene to accomplish but it doesn't really do her any favors. If anything, she should have sent more than one dragon to ensure victory. You know Aemond has Vhagar and you're willing to walk into that alone and later send someone else alone? Girl, be serious! It's just bad strategy.

Sunfyre being so playful with Aegon is the cutest thing we've seen on this show. He's like a big puppy. I was, however, literally yelling at Aegon to stop drinking and he did... only to go driving while fucking wasted. What was he thinking? (I know what he was thinking but, god, he's never beating those reckless fool allegations.)

Aegon being grounded both figuratively and literally so fast was just painful to watch. The way that Sunfyre was screaming in pain hurt me personally and Aegon's attitude changed from "I'll show them all. Fuck Aemond in particular!" to "Thank the Seven, my bro is here to bail my ass out of trouble" to "Fuck, I'm cooked!" so swiftly that you know he was regretting probably all of his life choices. He really doesn't use High Valyrian to communicate with Sunfyre, though. The only word in High Valyrian he used was "dracarys". His part in the battle wasn't long but I sure am living for these implications like I said above.

I do hate what they've done with Aemond. If he'd joined sooner, Aegon probably wouldn't have gotten so badly injured. He certainly had it coming but that makes it practically three times Aemond was looking to have him killed in the span of about as many minutes. But the last scene in the woods with his sword drawn? Wow, okay! They decided to really go in full force on that kinslayer title and I just don't think it makes sense. Not after the way Aemond felt guilty even for killing Luke. Aegon bullying him for a minute surely wouldn't have set him off that badly if he felt regret over killing the boy that slashed out his eye. They're just trying to make you hate Aegon by making everyone around him hate him.

Criston scrambling to do PR and fix their image was so funny, though. You know his inner monologue is just "Shit shit fuck shit" but externally he's giving a motivational speech. XD This is what I wanted to see from him being Hand - having to deal with Aegon's whims. While I'd say he failed there, it wasn't like he could do anything once Aegon was on his dragon, and otherwise his plan was pretty good so... Criston keeps winning, I guess.

I love the way that it was shown how Rhaenys is more experienced than both Aegon and Aemond. Vhagar also took some damage in that fight that would have been more fatal if she just wasn't a whole, entire mountain. But at the same time, it wasn't just Vhagar's size that won this for Aemond (though that certainly did most of the heavy lifting). This man rides the largest dragon in the world and he managed to hide it in the midst of battle and ambush his opponent. That certainly took a little strategical thought if nothing else. And then Vhagar's size did all the rest. The boys certainly are not experts in dragon battle and it will be interesting to see them proceed from here on out, see if they've learned anything from this or not. I'm sad to see Rhaenys go so soon. She should have gone back to Dragonstone when she could. Rhaenyra certainly took a big loss with that.

The way I just knew Criston would get knocked out. I was yelling at him to watch where he's going... and he didn't. He survived AND won the battle but at what cost? The way that soldier crumbled to dust under his touch was bloodcurdling. And Criston's prominent worry for Aegon might be the first time it occurred to him that this war could take away the people he loves.

P.S. Why was Aegon wearing his crown on top of his helm? Unless that's another crown that's specifically designed to go with the armor, it shouldn't fit him both with and without the helm.

[theladycarpathia]

Too soft for all of it

Harringroveweek prompt:  apocalypse one night stand

“This is just a one off, do you hear me, Harrington?” Billy says, tugging off his shirt. Steve hungrily tracks every inch of bare skin with his eyes. End of the world hookups can be lethal, filthy and downright disgusting, depending on who you do it with. And Hargrove may be an ass but he’s got form. A really, really nice one.

“I hear you,” Steve says, not really listening. Because he knows something that Billy doesn’t and it’s this - that once they’ve given into this constant, burning heat between them, they won’t be able to stop it from happening again. 

And Steve sure as hell doesn’t want to stop it. He’s probably fucking up by breaking the number one rule of apocalypse hook ups (aside from always use condoms and don’t have sex outdoors) and he’s breaking it hard. Don’t fool around with someone who can break your heart.

“Yeah, you’ve got that ‘I’m really taking it all in’ look,” Billy snorts. He begins unbuttoning his jeans, watching Steve’s slack jaw with pleasure. “Does Princess Nancy know that’s the look you get when she starts talking?” 

Okay, Steve really doesn’t want any images of Nancy right now. He drags his eyes up to Billy’s, pretending that he can’t hear the teeth of a zipper being dragged down. 

“Well, her battle strategy meetings are long,” Steve says defensively. Billy shrugs and lets his hands fall away, leaving just a glimpse of his boxers from behind the denim. Steve scowls.

“You’re still dressed,” Billy points out cheekily, tugging at the fabric of Steve’s shirt. “Thought you might want to catch up.” Steve grabs the hem of his shirt and yanks it over his head. It’s worth it to see Billy’s eyes go dark.

“Not bad, Harrington,” Billy says in a low voice and Steve reaches a hand around the back of his neck to pull him down. Billy’s bare flesh on his is like every dream come true and Steve slides his hand into the back of Billy’s jean pocket, desperate to pull Billy’s straining erection against his own. When their bodies align, Steve can’t help his moan into Billy’s mouth. If he’s not careful, he’ll come just like this.

“So, ‘fess up,” Billy says, pressing his mouth against Steve’s bare throat. “How long have you wanted this?”

“Who says I have?” Steve retorts, although any bravado is lost in a helpless pant as Billy drags his teeth along the delicate curve of Steve’s neck. 

“I think you have,” Billy purrs and Steve wonders if Billy can hear the furious pounding of Steve’s heart. Maybe he can feel it when they’re pressed so tightly together.

But Billy will have to earn any admission from Steve. He’s not that pathetic.

Oh, but he knows he is. He’s weak with love, has been ever since the day that Billy and his group of survivors arrived at their camp. Hopper had been a little less than thrilled initially with the van of assorted teens from California. He’d been a little more thrilled with Joyce Byers arriving with them though. 

Their camp is pretty small, walls surrounding what had been the small cul-de-sac built out of whatever they could find. Chicken wire, old bits of fencing, metal sheeting. They’d closed everything off and shut down the road. No one got in or out.

And for a while things had been rough. They didn’t quite know what they do now about infection, supplies, and how to travel safely. They lost a few along the way, but they learned. 

What they did learn was not to trust strangers. Strangers could be infected, they can lie, they can shoot you in the back over your supplies if they want to. Benny had learnt that one the hard way and he’d been a good man. They hadn’t even been able to bury him. 

So when a convoy was spotted a few streets over, tensions had been high. People don’t come into Hawkins, not when it’s too small to be of any use. The woods and farms surrounding the more urban areas are prime space for the undead. No one risks coming through that if they don’t have to.

But this group had. Joyce Byers had been born here, actually went to school with Hopper way back when. Hopper had nearly been ready to turn them all away until he’d seen her. Apparently she’d left her scumbag ex when her kids were young and never looked back. And while they were in California, they picked up a few extras. Alone with so many kids, Joyce had taken the risk to return to where she knew.

Billy had pulled himself out of the driving seat, cigarette tucked behind his ear, gun strapped against his leg and Steve had been ruined right then and there. 

And now finally, six months later, Billy had finally noticed. Or maybe he’d finally stopped pretending he hadn’t noticed.

“You’re a little obvious about it,” Billy says, sitting back on his haunches to work at Steve’s jeans, his long, clever fingers easily undoing the assorted buttons. Steve flushes. Fuck. Robin’s been telling him for weeks that he’s too open about how he stares at Billy. People occasionally make the odd comment about Murray and Alexei spending too much time together but this isn’t high school. The normal rules seem to go out of the window when every day is about just surviving.

Even so, Robin had warned him about people talking. It couldn’t lead to anything good, in a community this small. 

“It’s alright,” Billy says, and the press of his palm against Steve’s dick is enough to set his skin on fire. “I liked it.”

Steve jerks his head up, half expecting Billy to be giving him that annoying grin, the one that’s full of cockiness and teeth. But instead, Billy’s eyes are soft and a little hopeful. 

“In fact,” Billy continues, shifting so he can pull Steve’s jeans down his legs and tug them right off. Steve’s still in his boxers, but he’s never felt more vulnerable. There’s something about the warm tilt of Billy’s mouth, the way he’s looking at Steve from under his eyelashes. Billy had swaggered up this evening, like he owned the place, like all he had to do was snap his fingers and have Steve fall into his bed. Now Steve wonders how much of that was just for show, because this Billy is one he’s never seen.

Steve’s possibly not the only one who’s been looking. 

“I like it a lot,” Billy continues, shimmying out of his own jeans. He kicks them aside and crawls back up Steve’s body, curling his fingers into Steve’s hair like they belong there.

“Ass,” Steve mutters, even as he tries to roll his hips against Billy’s. Billy just grins. There’s an attractive flush to his skin, a haze over his eyes. Steve kind of wants to see that look on Billy’s face tomorrow morning too.

“It’s a great ass,” Billy says helpfully. “I don’t blame you for looking.”

“I wasn’t looking that much,” Steve grumbles, annoyed at being caught out. It’s a risk caring about someone but people seem to manage it. Steve thinks about how very human it is to find love in a world of blood and teeth and death. Hopper and Joyce. Murray and Alexei. Nancy and Jonathan. 

“Sure, pervert,” Billy rumbles, mouth trailing against Steve’s bare skin. For someone who insisted that this was just fucking, just something to take the edge off, he’s being too soft. He’s treating Steve like glass and it’s something Steve could all too easily get addicted to.

“Just this once, huh?” Steve says, glad that he’s this close to Billy’s bright blue eyes. He can count every lash, see the pale scar across his right eyebrow. He’s still not sure how Billy got it - the story changes every time. Somehow, Steve doubts that Billy got it in a one-on-one tussle with a zombie.

There’s a flicker in Billy’s eyes, ever so briefly uncertain. Like he’s taking Steve’s words at face value. Steve slides his hands around the curve of Billy’s back, feeling along every nub of his spine. Waiting. Hoping.

“Yeah,” Billy breathes finally, sliding his fingers beneath Steve’s waistband. Steve decides then and there that he doesn’t mind this strange mutual lie they have going so long as Billy’s fingers are just rubbing against his hip bones like that. It feels like a long night of aching muscles and sweat along his spine and bruises sucked into his collarbone ahead of them. “Yeah, just this once.”

[l-in-the-light]

When Law is in a relationship how long would it take for him to have sex? I see him taking many weeks until going that far. After a decade of holding hands follows the first shy kiss... all are difficult steps for him to take. Maybe he's even a virgin.

I decided to keep answering asks about Law's love life in bundled posts from time to time. So this will be another post containing multiple asks :D I think it will also make it easier to find them this way.

How long would it take him? Depends on his own recklessness, I suppose. He's smart, but he's also very petty, it's not that difficult to provoke him, and he hates being seen as a weakling. So he might actually try to force himself to be ready before he's actually ready to venture into that territory. And then he would deeply regret, think of himself as pathetic fool, because whatever he tried to do just deepened his trauma for him. Yeah, he's that kinda guy. It would be constant up and downs with him on this journey, many of which would be his own fault for not taking things slow enough.

But once he learns his own lesson with it, he would try to be better and take it more seriously, mostly because his partner would worry for him and scold him on many occassions already, once they realized what's going on. Don't expect him though to suddenly stop thinking of getting some petty paybacks, he just wouldn't let it slide.

How long would it take for him to actually feel good and comfortable about sex? There's no easy answer for that anywhere. People deal with traumas differently, they have different issues to deal with (even if two people have a touch-related trauma, their triggers might differ and their experiences as well). For some it will take many months, but I would say realistically speaking: years. And trauma is a bitch so it loves to resurface because of flashbacks, nightmares, and it also tortures you by putting you in an endless cycle of progress-regress. You might think you're having fun and enjoying yourself and then suddenly your brain thinks of a traumatic experience instead and everything starts to feel wrong. One day you might be fine, the next day you can't even look at other people or stand too close to them.

If trauma was a video game then the progress wouldn't be linear, it would be like being stuck in the neverending PT hallway, and unlocked skills can get locked back again and won't let you progress so you need to restart your game from the very beginning, multiple times. And even after you complete the game (as in: you reached the stage in which you're finally more fine than not fine), the game will sometimes open up by itself and take your console/pc hostage, even decades after you cleared it. Traumas don't just go away, they stay with you, you just gain more positive experiences, learn to know yourself better and work through your healing process to avoid them hijacking your life completely. Also please don't think of it as someone being broken forever, but instead as different needs for different folks. Not trying to downplay it right now, but we all have our own issues, no matter if they're trauma-related or not.

And then there's that other bitch called depersonalization and dissociation, which I'm pretty sure would be part of Law's issues, considering the fact he would have to rely on it to take care of his patients, as a doctor. Which means it might be his first instinct in approaching sex as well: try to dissociate himself from his own trauma. The result wouldn't be nice and he would find himself not enjoying sex at all as the result, because he won't really be into it, instead feeling like something is happening to his body and he just observes it from the side. And if he ends up freezing up and too stubborn to actually say that it's happening... the result would be catastrophic.

Okay, enough about trauma, it's getting depressing. Anyway, what he could do instead, is take it slow indeed. Getting used to hand holding would be a great place to start (it might take him a decade though). Maybe kissing as well, because I don't think he has any kiss-related trauma, so it might be easier on him, he won't have to work through the bad memories of it first. Indirect touches would be probably the main activity for a long, long time. Some voyeuristic fun as well. Just lying down next to each other in one bed or falling asleep would be a huge step in intimacy department as well. Things like trauma and healing take a lot of work, effort and time, and every success should be a celebrated victory (Law would hate to celebrate it though, too dramatic for him).

And who knows? Maybe he will never reach the last base. Maybe he's not even interested in it. Any sexual activity is sex anyway, not just penetrative sex alone. And I think what would matter the most to him is understanding that touch is okay (him being touched and him touching the other person), being close is okay, forgiving himself if he clams up or freezes up, accepting it's not because he doesn't trust enough, realizing that forcing himself to open up won't work. Let's say his partner is a positive person and doesn't mind constant breaks or sudden ends, or blueballing, and instead treats it all like a fun adventure and is quick to change to doing something else, completely sex/touch unrelated. I would say this is already achieving intimacy and getting acceptance (all while not making a huge deal out of it!) and I'm sure Law would appreciate it the most and definitely try to return the favour in any way he can.

So I guess my answer isn't exactly the "shy kiss, chastily holding hands for a decade" kind you probably expected to read. But it's okay, I think your idea also fits, anon, as long as Law can stand that level of sugar.

All things considered, yeah, I believe he would be a virgin. But honestly I think that would be the least important problem here, if at all. Let me preach for a moment here (or just ignore the rest). But does that even matter? The stigma around virginity is honestly stupid and there's nothing shameful in having first experiences late or even not at all. Thinking that sex is all about skills is wrong, it's about passion and learning about new partner from scratch: each person likes different things, and just because you're a master at french kissing doesn't mean your next partner would even like french kissing (or likes it done completely differently). Law is adaptable, fast learner and definitely attentive, so whether it's his first time or not doesn't matter; he would be a good partner, because that's what matters the most: that he listens to his partner. Would it be awkward? Sure. But you know what, sex is a funny thing that often is awkward anyway, so it's okay. It's not a performance in a national dance competition.

I mean, we see him crossing his arms, putting hands on his legs when he's sitting, connecting his own fingers together, he also really seems to like the weight of Kikoku leaning on his shoulder. I wouldn't say he's afraid to touch himself, from what we saw so far. But he's also not using every occassion there is to feel his own touch, I guess his comfy clothes and Kikoku serve as a substitute for that.

What about his libido? He's not exactly a teen anymore, I don't think he's that horny anymore. Besides he likes to keep himself busy so he's probably not thinking much about it in general. But let's assume one of the nights he spends talking with Shachi, Penguin and Bepo, and they talk about dirty stuff. I think he wouldn't really take part much in it, maybe he would even lie a bit (because even Law can feel insecure if that topic constantly comes up and he thinks that if he lies they will finally give him some peace), and maybe he would ask himself the question in his mind: shouldn't he be more interested? Maybe he would want to try out some things. It's not like he never wanted to. But then he knows that would mean approaching other people and he is self-aware, it would be an impossible obstacle (he had enough experience with normal people interactions after all). He might simply do stuff on his own, maybe he would find it nice, but I doubt he would find special interest in it, maybe he would even think it's a bit silly.

But on those nights when he feels especially lonely, can't fall asleep, and all the bad thoughts intrude his mind, he might succumb to self-comfort and feel sort of pathetic as the result. Low self-esteem tends to lead to that. It might become his go-to self-comfort, especially when he's a teen, and not just for sexual satisfaction, but simply touching his skin because it's comforting, the same way you would hug a plushie (but he wouldn't go that far, because he has Bepo and he likes to lean on him. Too bad, there's no shame in hugging plushies, Law!). He doesn't seem like a guy with big libido, but I can picture him compensating with self-touching. In healing process, that's definitely a better step than dissociative hypersexuality ;)

He would definitely take care of his own needs though, it would become his natural instinct, and a logical consequence of avoiding contact with others. Maybe after initial shame and self-issues subside a bit as he grows up and gains confidence at least in his fighting skills, he would remember he learned from medical books that touching himself is just a natural and healthy development in life and he would actively try to remind himself of that, till he finally stops judging himself. Trauma might have stolen him intimacy from others, but at least he can reclaim his own intimacy, right?

Well, that trust would need to happen before any sex happens, obviously. But losing control? I think that would be the trigger in itself for Law. Good news is, he doesn't need to "lose control" to receive a bj. There's so many different ways of doing it, at least one of them would feel comfortable for him. And he doesn't even have to go all the way with it and it still counts as bj. Of course if he ever reaches that stage after years of touch-related trauma. Do you think he could do it by himself with his devil fruit powers? Because I think that's in the realm of possibility.

But if he does reach that stage with a partner, finds a way that it feels comfortable for him without feeling triggering (or least likely to trigger him), then I think it has potential to become one of his fav sexual activities, simply because it doesn't have to involve hands (a bit challenging, but what's wrong with creativity?). Kissing as an activity, even if it is technically touch-related, doesn't carry bad memories in itself for him. Tbh though he is probably so touch-starved that it wouldn't take much for him to reach satisfaction, especially since he might be hyper-sensitive to touch as the result and find it difficult to calm down, his emotions overpowering him. Just saying. I bet he would hate that and feel (again) pathetic about himself, but his partner for sure would be accepting and wouldn't mind. Because why anyone would actually mind? It's not about the length, but quality, and quality would be definitely there if they even manage bj to work out in the first place. It's all really just a matter of perspective, trust and caring for each other's needs and limits. That being said, Law's partner would have to be understanding and willing to put his own needs on a shelf. There's a careful balance to work on here (needs met, no one getting ignored, not feeling like trauma is the centre of the relationship etc.) and lots of potential for exploration of a complex relationship.

Why imagine him in a typical copy-paste bj scenario if you can instead tailor it to his needs, fears, limitations and carefully sidestepping his triggers? Sex is supposed to be very a personal experience between two or more people, not just doing the same thing in different positions, rinse and repeat but with different faces and body parts, you know. It's okay to let your imagination roam free!

Glad you enjoy reading my posts! <3 He's definitely not a super lover and imo smut fics with super lovers are the most boring smut ever. Make them awkward and full of emotions, even clumsy or causing some sort of blunder, it's fun to read, I promise! And it just feels more real and interesting this way. It can still get decently steamy too, one doesn't exclude the other!

Haha, sure, I don't really care about anatomy itself, but the common fanfic fantasies of huge dicks are kinda ridiculous to me. Especially in the world of One Piece, Luffy can inflate his own arm so it turns into an arm of a giant, he can for sure do that to his peen if he wanted to. Sizes doesn't matter anyway, all sizes and shapes are a-okay. And it's okay to imagine Luffy and Law as twinks as well, if that's your thing!

That being said, size comparisons never get old in bl fics. That should always happen just for the hilarity and second-hand embarrassment of it :D

Yeah, I agree, he probably had a few sexual experiences... with himself. *runs away*

I believe in "no sex or sexual relationships on Polar Tang" ironclad rule that Trafalgar Law definitely set up. Why? Because this is noncon territory right here, you can't escape the forced power dynamics. Who would actually say "no" to their captain if it can result in being kicked out of their literal home that is Heart Pirates crew and the submarine? Do you really like to imagine Law this way, because I don't. That's why I'm pretty sure he has the rule of "no romance on the crew".

Heart Pirates by themselves though could get it on if they wanted to. I sincerely believe Shachi and Penguin have a casual thing going on that they think no one knows about (everyone knows though). Of course they only like girls though, uhum, and they do some dirty things together just because they feel a bit lonely (that's the official version). I bet one day they asked Law (just for science!) if he could perhaps turn a guy into a female with his devil fruit powers. Law didn't even honour them with an answer though, lol.

Also what cold nights? Apparently submarines are like heaters constantly working on highest setting. It has something to do with lack of proper ventilation when the ship is submerged. You could even see that in filler after Marineford when Bepo was literally sweating buckets and begging for them to get back to surface so he can get some fresh air. Also Law was leaving Wano wearing a freaking tanktop and in his fight against Blackbeard while they tried to escape in the submarine he was sweating buckets. Heart Pirates come from North Blue, I think they would actually prefer the cool nights over the heat they have to regularly deal with. Even Law's favourite season seems to be "spring on a winter island". Those guys like it cold :D

[maskedteaser]

Hi! I love matchups! Can I have a rdr2 matchup? :3 if you would like a matchup too let me know! (It can take me some time tho)

I am pretty social, however I prefer to spend time alone! I care about others a lot… To an unhealthy amount honestly but I'm working on it! I love to help others and make them smile, but I do wish I would get something for being so nice in return, yeah it might sound greedy but I want to be appreciated! And get something nice haha, like just a compliment or something, when my helping and kindness gets unnoticed I might get upset because of how tired I am and I just want to be appreciated like I said before 😭 I wanted to be noticed and not ignored! I care too much about what others feel and think and it's tiring, I just want to be selfish sometimes and care about myself even if it sounds mean. I also love being mentioned/involved in things, it makes me feel liked <3

My humor is definitely not for everyone, it's mostly the humor of a 12 y/o kid which can be annoying to some people lmao (sometimes it's funny how people are annoyed by it) and some other things depending on how I feel. When it comes to annoyance I also like to annoy people <3 it's so fun! But I never want to make them really feel bad! Often I act like an asshole but this is just for jokes! (but sometimes I wanna be a real asshole lmao) Like I said I don't want them to actually feel bad, if I do, I will feel very guilty! When it comes to it I apologize A LOT, I apologize so much that it might too annoying but I always feel a sense of guilt inside of me. I'm also VERY sensitive and worry about everything. Ah and I'm pretty dumb and I am not trying to insult myself I am just silly hehe and I'm okay with that. Oh and Im clumsy 😭😭 I have a low self esteem :((

I LOVE LOVE horror and scary things, I can't imagine my life without it, its just a such interesting genre that makes me happy and intrigued! I adore horror games and I'm mostly interested in them, however most of the time I am scared of playing them so I just watch gameplays and stuff like that haha. You can say I am obssesed with horror! (its funny because its easy to scare me haha)

I love to eat food <3 especially sweet things

I also love cute things! Plushies, pink, lolita clothes and other cute things! I just love it so much <3

I love pathetic men! 😍 I am not the smartest and I find high inteligence hot however I also love goofy guys! They are adorable!

I dislike cooking (I love when someone knows to cook however I suck at it)

When it comes to looks I am a chubby girl :"D chin lenght hair with bangs and glasses, my best friend says I have a "puppy face" ❤️

Ahh sorry if its too much! Have a wonderful day/night!

I was actually not expecting anyone to react in any way and request a matchup, but I am so glad you send your note! Thank you for reaching out! Let's get to it! More under "keep reading" :) [@karusenka - tagging you so you won't miss it!]

before I tell you who I match you up with, let me tell you why I decided not to pick other characters!

❝ yeah it might sound greedy but I want to be appreciated! ❞

DUTCH would probably not put you over his plans and his ambitions. No matter how pretty or nice are you, you would probably always be the second option. That's why - DUTCH IS OUT!

❝ I also love being mentioned/involved in things, it makes me feel liked ❞

I have a strong feeling that JAVIER might be too overprotective of you. He'd be simply scared of loosing you, always keeping an eye on you, not letting you go anywhere out of the camp. I feel like he could just go on missions and never involve you in anything except simple camp chores/activities. That's why - JAVIER IS OUT!

❝ Oh and Im clumsy 😭😭 I have a low self esteem :(( ❞ ❝ I'm also VERY sensitive and worry about everything❞

I kinda think that JOHN would be a really bad match for you. Sometimes the words he say can be really insensitive (I remember the things he said to Abigail when they were arguing in the camp...). I feel like he could hurt you by saying something about your clumsyness and he'd never actually notice that you're mad or WHY you are mad. That's why - JOHN IS OUT!

OKAY, SO NOW THE FINAL RESULT...I MATCH YOU WITH...DUM DUM DUM...

SEAN MACGUIRE

Seems like a great option for you! He might not be the best cook, but I'm sure he'd love to involve you in everything he does! Sean would probably care about you, always thinking about you and taking your opinion into account! You'd never get bored since this young man is full of surprises! You said you loved goofy guys, and if I had to be honest - I don't think there is anyone goofier than him! And your love for pathetic man? I'm pretty sure that he could get desperate for you pretty fast, just show him one of your cute dresses and he is on his knees, baby! I am also pretty sure that he'd love to listen to you talking about horror! He'd probably look it up/read about it (at least try to read about it...) so he could discuss with you about it :) Since he has so many people that he treats like family, he'd always go for advice from them after seeing you sad/mad and he was being unsure of what to do. Always trying his best to comfort you and apologize for any harsh words he possibly said. [He'd go to Arthur and be like "oh Arthur :( I fucked up again...! I love her so bad but I think I said something mean, what should I do now?" with sad eyes and lost puppy face.] He'd probably notice little things you do for him. And if you give him any handmade gift (like bracelet or something) he'd wear it 24/7 :]

Thank you for requesting! Hope you are okay with my matchup...Sorry if i disappointed you because you wished for someone else- signed Teaser 👽

[zot3-flopped]

I have a lot to say on the subject of why Harry was behaving as he was in the last two or three years of 1D. (That Letdown blog is so biased, obviously, she’s ignoring so much.) It all depends on how you really, truly view all of the people in the band, maybe excluding Niall, who seemed miraculously exempt from all rancour but also interest.

I see Louis as a disruptor, a nasty little man whose idea of fun is to harm people and laugh about it. Lazy and untalented. Louis fans see him as a soft and vulnerable sweetheart with a vast intellect and sense of integrity (literally incredible to me). I see Liam as his sidekick, a young man who’s said openly he doesn’t know who he is, who followed Louis in his antics, but who worked hard on stage. I see Zayn as a person who isn’t temperamentally suited to being famous, talented up to a point, but not a giver in any sense. Fans of Zayn want him to be a musical genius with an off-the-scale talent but the fact is he’s just a somewhat good singer who unrealistically joined a boy band that got bigger than he could cope with, and anyway ended up sour because they weren’t going to be able to do r’n’b (can you imagine how pathetic it would have been for them to try).

Then I look at Harry, who must have been seeing everywhere, day after day, that he was the one with ‘it’, that he was the beating heart of the band - and he was looking round at these young men who were fucking about, disrupting stuff, taking advantage, staying unrealistic. So of course he planned to get out of 1D, which let’s face it wasn’t going to last because boybands don’t. But he never hid it, he did a lot in plain sight: building his relationship with Jeff, learning to write songs with others, changing his style, never socialising with the others, and of course being up front about not wanting to sign another contract. His fans were aware so the band was aware.

I just don’t see how any of that means he was underhanded about it. It could not have been more clear. That’s just the stuff we know about. If you think Louis is a little baby boy who deserves the world, then you must think Harry was being cruel - but to accuse him of being devious is to misuse that word. If you think Liam and Zayn deserved the most because they’re good singers, then it looks unfair that Harry wins all the time, but it’s a misunderstanding about what makes entertainment.

It’s my opinion that Harry took everything in, got the piss taken regularly by his bandmates, hated how they didn’t nurture themselves personally or professionally, wanted more for himself, knew he could deliver it. He wasn’t going to sacrifice that opportunity for the sake of a few people who would never, ever thank him for it. He worked out his contract and is only ever complimentary about his time in 1D. He made a couple of jokes/comments about Zayn but never about the others, and is on the record as saying multiple times that he enjoyed his time in the band, that there’s a strong bond between them, that they are in touch still (not sure I believe that actually but we do not know). Letdown mod seems fixated on him saying that he felt some shame and anxiety about contracts, but that doesn’t negate anything he’s also said. We are all capable of negative feelings whilst also appreciating the good in something: if we are emotionally mature, that is. In any case those aren’t the words of someone who is shitting all over his time in the band or slagging off his bandmates.

TL;DR if you are unrealistic about who 1D were as people, you might also be unrealistic about why at least 3 of them were not good to work with. It’s been years now, it’s been established that everyone knew what Harry was doing if they only had eyes to see: he wasn’t hiding it, and he was actually allowed to not sign another contract, people do that all the time if they don’t like their job.

👏👏👏👏 Agree with every word.

[danieyells]

Romeo is so pathetic (affectionately) I can't take any of his threats seriously lmao.

He is just so... all bark, no bite, it makes me wanna be mean to him sooo bad. He will try to make money from almost anything, Taiga suggest butchering and selling Ritsu and he backs off. He chases Kaito with his shotgun... filled with nothing but smoke bombs, nothing (ghoul)damaging. His underlings dont care when he threatents to shove one of them under a truck for insurance.

Now, the nsfw thoughts. He is sounds just so whiny, it brings the sadist in me out. Like, he gives me the vibes that he would complain endlessly in bed. That its too slow, too fast, too little, too much... Tying him up and overstimulating him until he stops complaining and cries... He feels too prideful to beg, but one can dream.

Like, I get why Taiga likes him so much, he is just so biteable, probably sobs so prettily too.

I GET WHY YOU WOULD THINK THAT HIS THREATS ARE EMPTY maybe it's just my wishful thinking but i'd like him to be a threat lol. Like we know he has no problem locking up Kaito, so we know the 'strip you and put you in a cage' threat is legitimate. And surely people wouldn't be so loyal to him if he was all talk--although they may also be loyal because he runs the casino. And he can't really shoot you close range because his sniper is a glorified grenade launcher because, in his own words, he shoots bombs, not bullets. Like yeah he only brought smoke bombs that day--he wasn't going on a mission so why bring actual explosive rounds or something useful? And according to Taiga he does actually fire off his gun all the time, and it can't possibly only ever have smoke bombs in it.

Although since he ains to capture his targets alive they presumably aren't explosives that'll kill you. . .or at least they won't kill anomalies. Humans, however, are fragile.

"I shoot bombs, not bullets!" I think that is genuinely worse and more dangerous depending on the nature of the bomb, Romeo

But he hates getting his hands dirty--Taiga and their underlings are responsible for the hardcore messy stuff, he's content to snipe from the back and lead from the shadows. And even then he cringes away from when something bloody has to be done--just seeing Taiga kill and eat an anomaly made him cringe. On the other hand, there's a chance he doesn't want Taiga to go gutting anybody because they're already on probation and he knows about Article 78. The last thing he needs is for Taiga(or both of them!) to get imprisoned to make them money--there are other ways. No need to go to extremes before they have to.

And I think the Sinostra students did care about the threat! That's why the pc said they figured the casino would be open as usual--because everyone started working harder lol

BUT YEAH NO HE IS ABSOLUTELY A BITCHY PILLOW PRINCESS. I think he has the capacity to dom, he'd have to really like someone to let them be in control, but when he lets someone else on be in charge he is such a fuckin bitchy perfectionist. Complains so much you just wanna gag him or choke him til he shuts up. He'll complain about that too of course, but he might enjoy being put in his place. Taiga certainly doesn't bother with it.

Just a demanding brat. I don't think he'd cry easily but he'd definitely cry sooner than he begs unless he really, REALLY trusts you. And even then the natural response of tears might come first. Curse the absolute shit out of you, threaten you(mostly empty this time), but that means you're doing a good job. I bet he looks pretty when he cries too. Looks pretty, sounds pretty, and if you tell him how pretty he is even like that he gets all proud of himself because of course he's pretty. Do you know how hard it is to look pretty when you're getting choked and fucked raw? Not that he's putting on an act, he is just naturally pretty under all circumstances.

He is an absolute perfectionist and he wants things just how he wants them. And he will complain all throughout unless it's perfect. Ignore him, defy him, keep his mouth busy however you want, mock him--he'll complain when it's over too. About your performance, about being in pain or discomfort, about marks and mess. You really can't escape hearing him bitch and moan unless you've completely worn him out. And even then he might still have a few gasps and whines for you unless he is totally drained.

Unlike Taiga I don't think he's particularly masochistic but. . .I think he could get into it. As long as you have anomalous medicine on hand to clear up any bruises and aches you give him. Every single time he says "just this once" but he still lets you do it again and again. . . .

[librathefangirl]

You said this was after Mel broke the curse and killed his father. When the Supreme deity got revived, she mocked the sins, especially her daughter, how they were unable to save Mel and how pathetic and ironic it is that Mel got killed by the person he loves the most.

Ohhh~ I want Tristan (maybe with the event of 4koa?) to add on the pile. When Tristan was born, everyone was protective of him because he reminded them of Mel and mostly because he was the last piece of Mel.

Tristan grew up hearing Mel's adventures with the remaining sins, but no one told him how he died because the kingdom thinks if they told him that his mother killed his father, he would grew to despise her.

Zeldris tries to visit Tristan as much as possible because his brother's son needs to know he has an uncle, and like everyone else, he was the last piece of Mel. He didn't like Eli at all, he avoids or hiss at her everytime he sees her. He still holds a grudge of her for killing his brother despite Tristan's confusion of his uncle and mother's relationship. Zeldris didn't like talking about his brother and tired to avoid the topic everytime Tristan asked because he never got to hang out nor get to know him.

I leave the rest to you because I love how you rambled with ideas, and I love them!!!

You know what even more sadder in this au?

Is that Mel never got peace after the curse broke after killing his father, he never got to live in peace with Eli and his family :(((

saharthings asked: Gowther would be giving Tristan the story of the seven deadly sins, mainly his parents. He would see how much suffering his parents have went through especially his father. Although, it never shown his death because like everyone else, Gowther doesn't want Tristan to hate his mother.

(In reference to/continuation of this and this post)

Oh, you want rambling? Well then, let's see what I can do.

First of, yes, this is after the breaking of the curse and the death of the Demon King. That is, in a way, what creates the whole heartbreak of it all - the curse being broken means Meliodas is really dead-dead with no resurrection.

(Oh damn. When I think about it, it would be interesting to explore an AU to this AU, I guess you could call it, where the events in My Love, It Burns (bad ending) happens BEFORE the curse is broken. This would present a whole different kind of angst, because we all know Meliodas would brush it off because it's not like he can actually die and they've got a curse to break, but Elizabeth would be completely wrecked with the guilt and - Yeah, I might actually write this some day. Maybe?)

Okay, I got a little sidetracked. But! The curse is broken, Meliodas is dead. This would of course change everything about the fight against the Supreme Deity. There are so many things in Cursed by Light that depend on Meliodas and his relationships. He and Elizabeth are out on their honeymoon trip when they meet Zeldris and Gelda, he "convinces" Zeldris to let them come along to the Demon Realm, they all fight together against Dahlia and Dubs and thereby learn about the Supreme Deity's involvement, then they get back to Liones in time for Meliodas and Zeldris to kill her. This story would look completely different without Meliodas. Elizabeth would have no reason to go on the trip and wouldn't run into Zeldris and Gelda, her relationship with Zeldris would be even worse off than Meliodas' is in canon, Zeldris and Gelda would be forced to face Dahlia and Dubs alone, and Zeldris and Gelda's roles in the actual fight with the Supreme Deity would look different as they would in that case come there to face her alone without any involvement from Meliodas.

It's interesting to think about (and now I kinda wanna make a fic out of that too - but I would have to figure out how to write actual fight scenes first lol). I can definitely see the Supreme Deity being absolutely cruel against the remaining Sins and even more against Elizabeth. After everything Elizabeth did, after going against the Supreme Deity and the goddesses' principles, after choosing Meliodas time and time again, she was the one to kill him. The Supreme Deity would no doubt appreciate the irony of it. And then the Seven Deadly Sins? The famed order of knights, responsible for defeating the demon threat, kill the Demon King himself and end the war, well, they couldn't even keep their own captain alive. Oh... I think her gloating about Meliodas' demise would be the cause of her own fall. Because like the Sins and Elizabeth, yeah they might accept her talking shit about themselves - hello guilt and self-blame - but not each other and absolutely not Meliodas. Elizabeth would make good of that threat she gives in canon, that if the Supreme Deity doesn't stop hurting her family and friends, she will fight her. And fight her she does! Alongside Zeldris, who came after there to confront her after everything that happened in the Demon Realm.

That would be what determined Elizabeth and Zeldris' relationship going forward. But before we step further into the future, there's one more character I wanna talk about: Gelda.

Gelda's place in this AU and the whole ordeal with Meliodas' death is another intriguing thing to think about. Because on one side, she sees firsthand the utter devastation Meliodas' death at the Elizabeth's hands causes Zeldris. On the other side, Meliodas and Elizabeth were the ones who freed her from her second seal and then saved Zeldris from the Demon King, not just when he possessed Zeldris body but also by killing the Demon King and releasing Zeldris from his influence and control. I also think she and Elizabeth have a deeper understanding for each other - she knows that Elizabeth would of course never willingly harm Meliodas, if she did that it was either an accident or because it was literally the only option she had. Gelda would be able to view the situation more objectively and not let her emotions cloud her ability to see it from Elizabeth or the Sins' perspective. I think she would push Zeldris to maintain a relationship with Elizabeth after Meliodas' death and especially after the news about baby Tristan.

Of course, Zeldris doesn't need much convincing to be a part of Tristan's life - but more about that later. First, let's talk a little about Tristan himself.

I don't know which alternative is worse: Elizabeth finding out she's pregnant with Meliodas' child after her magic kills him, or Elizabeth and Meliodas both already knowing she's pregnant when the attack happens. Ugh, so much angst, I love it. Or, third option, Bartra knew Elizabeth was pregnant because of his Vision but hadn't said anything yet because he wanted them to find out on their own and then Elizabeth had to find out alone because Meliodas' died before he could even find out he was going to be a father. So, so much angst potential in this AU.

Okay, but what about Tristan then? No matter how anyone finds out, Tristan is born and suddenly there's this last piece of Meliodas, completely free of all the pain and horror, in the world. So, Tristan grows up fiercely protected. Just like in canon, Tristan will constantly hear how much like his mother he looks. From outsiders. But when it comes to his family and even more his parents' family and friends, they look at him and they see Meliodas - which is not good for the guilt that none of them seem able to shake, and definitely makes their protectiveness of Tristan worse.

Tristan might never have gotten the chance to meet his father, but everyone around him certainly makes him feel alive. Tristan grows up surrounded by stories about his father; of how he saved the kingdom and the entirety of Britannia, of how he saved his family and friends in big and small ways, of how he was a demon and he was good, of how despite everything he went through he would always smile, of how his cooking could make even an immortal fear for his life. Tristan heard stories about the big things and the small things, the amazing things and the silly things. He heard stories about everything except how his father died. It was the one thing nobody would ever speak to him about - he was a hero, he died protecting this kingdom; never a how and never a who. Even when Gowther gifted him the story of his parents, that part was still missing.

As the years pass, Tristan gets even more stuck on that one missing story. Some might even say it turns into an obsession. But Tristan can't let it go; it's that one even that kept him from ever meeting his father. And he just doesn't get it. Why won't anyone tell him? There was definitely some horrible things that Gowther still showed him, so why not his father's death? Tristan is not stupid, with every avoided story, he realized that there's something more to it, there's something about how his father died that everyone is trying to keep from him.

(Okay, now I want to write THAT story too. Tristan's search for the truth about his father's death over the years, with a lot of focus on Zeldris' relationships with Tristan and Meliodas too. Because if anyone is going to stop treating him like a child it's Zeldris, if anyone is going to understand what it's like to never get to have a real relationship with Meliodas, it's Zeldris).

Now, about Zeldris. Like I said earlier, he doesn't need much convincing once the news about Tristan reaches them. He doesn't really want to be around Elizabeth (even if she did help him kill her own mother) or the remaining Seven Deadly Sins, but Tristan's his family. He's Meliodas' son. To Zeldris, as well, he's the last piece of Meliodas still alive in this world. And Zeldris needs him to know that he has an uncle, that his father had a family too. He wants Tristan to know about demons and see the beauty in those powers too. Most of all, he doesn't want Tristan to be ashed of his father's genes, he wants him to have the childhood and the family that both he and Meliodas were robbed of. That's what Meliodas would have wanted to. Zeldris might never have gotten to make up with his brother, to forgive him or even talk about everything they said or didn't say - he never got to have a relationship with his brother, but he can have one with his nephew. Zeldris visits Tristan as often as his own duties allow. As he grows older, Tristan sometimes visits him in the Demon Realm too. When Zeldris is in Liones he tries his best to avoid Elizabeth and anyone else of Meliodas' friends. Their relationship is still bad, but they all do their best to keep the bad blood hidden from Tristan - he still notices things. They all just want to make right by Meliodas.

At first, Zeldris is one of the only people who won't talk about Meliodas with Tristan. He will tell him about the Demon Realm and about demons, but never about Meliodas. Not even when Tristan asks him about him. It doesn't last. As Tristan grows older, the questions increases. Zeldris still tries to avoid the topic, even gets into arguments with Tristan about it, until eventually... Eventually Zeldris can't avoid it anymore. He's forced to confront his own relationship with Meliodas. Because Tristan actually thinks Zeldris hates how big brother, that he doesn't miss him. Zeldris has missed Meliodas since long before he actually died. After that, Zeldris starts telling Tristan about Meliodas as well. Not about his death and not about the Meliodas that Britannia knew. He tells him about the Meliodas before all that, about growing up in the Demon Realm together, about going dragon hunting. He tells him about the few moments they actually got to have as brothers, about the Meliodas that Zeldris grew up looking up to and admiring.

Yeah, Meliodas never getting the peace with Elizabeth is the most cruel part about this AU, and what I kinda wanted to focus on with the bad ending. "After all these years, their parents had won." Because that's what happened. All Meliodas ever wanted was to live in peace with Elizabeth, but he died and he wasn't coming back, and thereby it was a reality he never got. But not only that, with Tristan added to it all, it makes it worse. Because Meliodas never got to see the family he left behind and Tristan never got to meet him. Even if Tristan tried to get into the Necropolis/City of the Dead he couldn't, because he has no shared memories with Meliodas.

And with that I'm gonna shut up before I'm hit with even more fic ideas (I already have sooo many - I mean I love it, I love writing them, but also ahhh)

[lostusagis]

Kamui's mental state

( This is all headcanons I came up with based off how I saw his character while watching Gintama. I wanted to go more in depth about it.

Anyway, everyone already knows I headcanon him having depression and anxiety, recently decided I'm adding BPD to that too after doing research. If I made any errors regarding it just lmk :)

Depression is something he struggles with a lot. Having a good day, then waking up the next day and feeling absolutely miserable. He gets frustrated by it, but to help him deal with it he will be clingy with someone he's close with or bother his sister just so he won't have to think about anything. If he's alone, he'll spiral badly and have a whole mental breakdown. That's how bad his thoughts can be. He tries hard to ignore them, but sometimes they win.

His anxiety can kick in really badly if someone he cares about gets hurt or sick. Boy, I wonder why? Oh yeah, flashbacks to seeing his mother sick in bed. In general, whenever he's depressed, his anxiety can also be really bad as well. He'll look really jumpy, unable to stay still, fiddling with his hands etc, etc. It really depends on how bad it is, but when he's anxious, he also sometimes does things that can harm himself. Like punching something to the point that his hands and knuckles are bleeding, or even scratching up his face. He's really strong too so these injuries aren't any joke. But self harm usually happens during mental breakdowns and panic attacks. It really depends on the situation though.

But yeaah. a reason why I say he has BPD..... Well, for one he's really nonchalant about dying. He's not scared of it, and on those really bad days he even actively wants it to happen. It has a lot to do with the hatred he has towards himself. Believing he could've saved his mother if he was stronger. Believing it was his fault. Whenever he thinks about that, he wishes he was dead to be honest. He hates himself so much over that, despite the fact that he was a child at the time and nothing could be done anyway. His thoughts tend to be really unreasonable.

He's really strong, so him getting killed in a fight is unlikely but a lot of the time he'll have thoughts like ''Would be nice if this guy killed me actually.'' and stuff like that. Death feels like an escape from all the thoughts constantly consuming his mind. He wishes it would finally happen one day. What's worse is that he keeps all of this to himself, he doesn't like letting anyone know how much he's suffering internally. You might get him talking about his mom, but everything else it's extremely unlikely he'll mention it. Sometimes he'll even be extremely distant too. He handles everything in really unhealthy ways, which is why his emotions always end up being pent up.

Sometimes his emotions are soooo pent up he'll lash out in anger too. Especially if something reminds of the past, or if someone tries to force him to open up.

Also, regarding relationships. He's definitely super sweet when in love but...... he can become incredibly emotionally dependent on his partner. Meaning that he'll lose it if he's not around them. He'll also get suuuuuuuper anxious if they end up upset with him. More likely than not, his partner also helps him to not think about those bad thoughts. Another reason he'll feel a desperate need to constantly be around them. He doesn't want to think about it, he just wants to focus on the object of his affections. Nothing else.

It's a constant for his mind to yell things at him like:

'You're worthless.''

''It's your fault.''

''You can't do anything right.''

''You deserve to die.''

And he's just really tired, he doesn't want to hear it anymore. But it doesn't stop, all he could do is try to ignore it by having something to distract him. Otherwise he'll be drowning in the feelings of worthlessness he's carried since he was a kid.

The feelings of worthlessness only seem to get stronger every time he ends up crying, because he feels weak and pathetic. He tries really hard to be strong, all the Yatos that follow him see him as strong and respect him for that. But when he cries, he feels like he lost all that strength. He feels like that weak little boy who watched as his mother got sicker and sicker and it drives him insane.

He has a lot of intrusive thoughts too. Not much of a surprise they usually involve murder. Sometimes he DOES kill just to feel better, sometimes it doesn't help though. Sometimes these thoughts involve him just disappearing without a trace, or even just..... killing everyone around him, including those he cares about (this isn't one he's actually acted on but sometimes he's gotten close. He's managed to control the urge though. )

Sighs, but yeah he's a fucking mess <3 )

[frozenjokes]

Signing Back In, Apparently - 12

Prev/Next

“You’ll be okay on your own?”

“Yeah, Grian, I think I’d like a chance to walk around on my own for a bit anyway. Take it all in, you know? Catch me up later, will you?” Mumbo got to his feet, looking back in the direction of the dock. Or, what he thought was the direction of the dock; it was easy to get turned around. With the amount of landmarks around though, he probably wouldn’t have any trouble finding his way back.

“Of course. But if you miss out on something amazing, you better not blame me.”

“You’re going to be the one missing out. I’m going to play in the sand and dig a hole or something and it’s going to be great. You’ll be like, wow, I sure wish I had gone and made a little stick castle while I had the chance.”

“True, but I want to try one of these flight courses first. Maybe I’ll meet you later. I guess it all depends on when Scar decides he’s done. Not that he can leave without Cleo. Actually, I take it back, he would absolutely leave without Cleo,” Grian hopped up, joining Mumbo on his feet. He waved as he looked toward the distant noise, “See you in a bit.”

Mumbo nodded, smiling as he went. There was sudden joy in his newfound solitude, a childish excitement that he could do anything at all, and no one could see him. He welcomed every distraction on his way back to the dock, probably touching multiple things he shouldn’t, just to see what might happen. There were all sorts of little (and big) machines scattered through the shopping district, and he made sure to spend not-insignificant amounts of time trying to figure out what they did and how they worked. Maybe one of the more engineer-aligned ghosts could show him the next time he came back. Next time. Would there be a next time?

After getting lost about four or five times, Mumbo finally found his way back to the dock. It was perfectly lovely to explore every nook and cranny of the shopping district at his pace, but now he really was ready to sit and daydream about life here. Or maybe make a stick fort. He was still undecided on that point. Oh, look at that, someone had come and fixed the dock! Mumbo approached the boat, delighted to see he was still the only person here.

Well, at least until someone else groaned. A startled yelp escaped Mumbo’s throat, and he floated cautiously over the top to see Scar laying face down and shirtless in a bed of pillows, speckled with various injuries. Most prominent were the dark bandages wrapped across his back, contrasted heavily by the dozens of colorful bandaids dotting his arms. A small vase of flowers sat beside the pillows, a little note sticking out of the top that said ‘Thanks for the blood!’ in decorated print.

“Christ,” Mumbo laughed, “I take it you had a bad day?”

“I want to go home.” Scar’s voice was muffled from the pillows, and he made no effort to look up.

“I can see that. You know, I did think it was odd we weren’t being dragged back already, but I didn’t think it was because you physically couldn’t. I guess that should have been obvious.”

“Tell them to take me back.”

“Uh, no.”

“Please.”

“No.”

“I thought you didn’t like to see me this way.”

“I like it when my friends are having a great time. And they are. So I’ll probably just leave you here and, I don’t know, build a little fort or something? I can do anything.” Mumbo let himself touch the ground, circling Scar in a quick examination before heading in the opposite direction.

“Don’t leave me.”

Mumbo stopped. Oh, he hated that he stopped, but there was a certain desperation there that he just couldn’t ignore. Scar wanted him to stay, and damn it, Mumbo wanted to be wanted by him. When Mumbo turned around, Scar was looking up, his hair a complete mess over his battered face. God, it was so pathetic.

“You look stupid.”

Scar laughed, face planting back into his pillows, “They couldn’t pick a theme!”

Mumbo sighed, sitting down. He listened to Scar as he told a colorful tale of today’s adventure, first with Cub and the vex creature, and then later with Zedaph. He had thought Zed might have been there to help, but it took very little convincing on Cub’s part to get the other ghost on board. Scar spared no gruesome detail, but Mumbo was pretty sure he was also sprinkling in some flourishes of his own. If nothing else, it seemed like complaining about it was making him feel better. Mumbo enjoyed the outraged tone Scar’s voice would take when he said the word ‘ghosts’ as if the real reason he was so upset was because it shouldn’t have been able to happen.

“I feel like you’re less mad about the stolen blood and more upset that ghosts exist.”

“Well if I lost a fair fight then they can take all the blood they want, but nothing with ghosts is fair as far as I’m concerned. At the very least with Cub we had some sort of deal, I can respect that.”

“Ah, because you deal in fairness.”

“I like a nice illusion, sue me. Though, if I may be so bold, I think I’ve been getting the short end of the stick lately.”

“That is bold.”

“Well, you know me,” Scar sighed, adjusting his position. So relaxed, like his words hadn’t meant anything at all. They didn’t mean anything. But Mumbo couldn’t keep himself from freezing, shoulders tense. It was enough for the atmosphere to shift. Enough for Scar to notice. Scar turned to look up, just in time for Mumbo to speak.

“Do I?” A challenge. Scar was quick to recognize it, he always was. There was something infuriating about the casually pensive look that crossed his face, eyes unfocused as he considered. It was just an interesting thought. It was inconsequential. It didn’t matter.

“You’re upset,” Scar said. That was all he said; just an observation. A statement so obvious, made even more so by the splintering cracks in Mumbo’s back. Scar could feel them in his own. They were spreading.

“You didn’t answer me.”

“I didn’t realize you cared so much.”

Mumbo flinched back, regret crashing heavy on his shoulders, “I don’t care.” There was panic there, a sinking, desperation to wind back his words. To have never asked.

Scar smiled.

For the first time, Mumbo wanted him dead. To kneel over his weakened frame with his own hands on Scar’s neck, to squeeze , to feel him struggle, wheeze, and slowly fall. To be part of that last breath. If he wanted to, Mumbo could kill him. It would be easy. He could grab a rock from the shore and make a real mess of things. But he didn’t want blood. Blood wasn’t personal enough, not to him. If he was going to kill Scar, he would use only his hands.

“Haven’t seen that before,” Scar spoke lightly, tip-toeing on the thinnest ice, “Murder is a nice look on you. It’s frightening. Electric.”

Mumbo’s gaze refocused. But the moment had not passed. He did not speak.

“I wouldn’t mind if it was you,” Scar’s voice was so, so soft. Not meek. Not afraid. Gentle, almost. “You’re the type to feel bad, even with me. You don’t have to.”

Mumbo got to his feet. The boat did not quiver as his feet left the edge, stepping down to the dock. It did not miss him. It couldn’t, he had no weight to leave a mark. He had no real body. He left, back into the woods. Scar’s eye followed him the entire way. He did not come back.

[dreamingsushi]

Eternal Love - Overall Review

It took a few years in the making, but there we are and finally I finished my recaps of this series. It was somewhat challenging since I knew all of the major events to happen, yet I had to make sure not to include them in any of my recaps before it actually happened. My fingers might have slipped here and there, but I truly did my best.

Plot

It’s quite the feat to manage summarizing the story of this drama in a few lines without revealing everything. Let’s just say that this about a love story between two immortals, spanning on three different lives. There is a lot of trials, a lot of pain, but also a lot of magic, in any kind of way you can give to this word. Since elaborating on the plot line itself would risk giving away spoilers, which is not the point of this review, I will focus on the characters and their relationship.

We can all agree that Bai Qian/Si Yin/Susu is the main character of this story. She's there from the beginning to the end. I would like to mention the complexity of this character. At times she's quirky, at others she's an elder that no one would dare confront. What I liked about her is that she's very consistent in her character. She's a proud lady and she won't take being insulted, although she's actually a softy deep down inside and can't really hold a grudge for real, it's only to keep face. She's also extremely loyal. I loved that we got to have a strong lady as a main lead. A strong lady that hates to depend even on her partner, even though she relied maybe a little too much on her master, but that's a different story. She made sense, from A to Z. She wasn't perfect, no she had plenty of flaws, but that's what made her even more relatable and actually admirable. Her relationship with Yehua sometimes evolved weirdly, it felt maybe like we could have used a little more development, but at the same time... it wasn't illogical at all.

And I can't talk about Bai Qian without mentioning Yehua, right? Seriously, that character is everything. I loved how we portrayed his struggles, why he strives so much to please everyone and do the right thing, all the time. It was painful, yet blissful to see his growth, seeing him discover love and happiness along the hardships. The guy was obviously a little too powerful, but I liked the openness he had about his feelings towards Bai Qian, how he was set on one thing and wouldn't change his mind. He needs still to learn about communication, because that would have solved many issues and saved a lot of tears on my part, but he's still young. 70 000 something years old, that ain't that old right?

The one part of the storyline that I really didn't like is the one between Donghua and Fengjiu. My problem isn't that their love isn't fated to be fulfilled, but rather that it's pathetic. To me, Fengjiu liking Donghua doesn't make sense. It feels more like a fan who is mistaken between feelings of love and feelings of admiration. I'm also not a fan of people hanging on to others, even though it's not meant to be, it's just annoying. She kept clinging onto him and I just don't appreciate seeing women portrayed that way.

But let's talk about one my favourite pair of characters: Zhe Yan and Bai Zhen. Those two. Seriously. Who wouldn't like them? It's obvious that they are a little bit more than friends, even though it is never openly said in the drama. But they just fight like an old married couple all the time. I think one of my favourite moment is when Zheyan makes a new arm for Yehua, arguing that it would look bad on his wedding day with Bai Qian if he only had one, and that just totally made sense as an explanation to Bai Zhen, who also agrees. It's just lovely how they always think of each other, in every circumstances. Plus, even though most of the time they are rather carefree, they both are really powerful characters and I think without their help, our main characters would never have found each other.

Li Jing is also a character that has shown a lot of growth during the drama. Perhaps under the influence of Bai Qian. He really broke my heart, because he did try his best, even though that wasn't enough.

Now let's mention the two ladies antagonizing Bai Qian: Xuan Nü and Sujin. Whereas Xuan Nü is pitiful, Sujin is despicable. Both ladies got to grow up next to people who were important, but the first one was always remembered of her low status, while the other one felt entitled to everything. They both tried to take away the men from Bai Qian and both failed. And I must say, I really liked Xuan Nü's character. To be more correct I guess, I must say that I liked disliking her. She's ready to do anything to get whatever she wants and gets delusional in the end. Basically, she created her own hell herself, crafted it one piece at a time. Her downfall was slow, painful and led her to lose her mind. That was actually fabulous in way. On the other hand, Sujin character's didn't impress me as much. She's just a spoiled lying brat who's used to get what she wants, on the pretext that her family died for the celestial group. She has always coveted what doesn't belong to her so yeah. They just made her into an ugly character that didn't have much depth. I don't like female characters like that, because I think it puts woman in a bad light.

Over all, the plot was pretty decent. I remember though when I tried to explain it to my sisters, they thought I was crazy for watching something like this haha. I mean, stuff happens in Chinese dramas sometimes, it's okay. It wasn't perfect and some stuff were very frustrating, but it's an overall 8/10 for me.

Acting

Here, I would say I'm biased. I'm a huge Yang Mi's fan. She's just great. So to me, she did an awesome job, with all the little habits the character has. She keeps pushing them forward and it looks natural. I loved the subtle differences between Susu and Bai Qian, coming from her memory loss. Loved also when she was acting as Xuan Nü stealing Bai Qian's face. You can see that she's talented and polyvalent. There's not a time I didn't believe that what happened. was real.

And I can't say one thing wrong about Zhao Youting's acting either. He was beyond expectations, as Moyuan and Yehua. How much his gaze would mean a lot, you could know what he felt just through his eyes. Both Yehua and Moyuan weren't very expressive characters, mostly cold to anyone but Bai Qian (as they should), but it didn't feel like the usual "I'm trying to look like I'm cold so I'm just not acting". There were nuances all along, making it alive instead of zombie like. You could feel all the warmth those two characters had to offer once they started liking someone. Especially as Yehua, who was a character that grew up with so much pressure on him.

I'm not going to spend too much time on the other characters, because otherwise this review is going to be overly long. However, I still have a few actors to praise. Both Sujin and Xuan Nü did an amazing job, especially Xuan Nü towards the end, when she was on her downfall and getting crazier by the day. Those two ladies, albeit having a not so nice personna did a very good job. They made me feel exactly how I should towards them. Pity, hatred, resentment... All of that. The actor for Siming was also hilarious, while very good at the more serious occasions. Loved loved Alan Yu as Bai Zhen, but this guy is just so precious, I always want to pinch his cheeks in general, but even more so in this character. Do I have to mention baby Ali? That child is soooo adorable. Obviously, they were pretty young back then so it wasn't perfect, but it felt so naive and real, I loved it. Even though I am not a fan of Fengjiu, Dilraba Dilmurat did an awesome job. She's a master at pouting while still looking adorable. We could feel all the melancholy of her character from her unfulfilled romance. She did great also looking all feisty for her aunt when she felt she was being bullied.

The only character I wasn't so fond of his acting was... Gao Weiguang as Donghua. Whereas Zhao Youting portrays beautifully a cold character, it didn't make the cut for me in Donghua's case. It felt very awkward for me. Not to say he didn't do a good job, it's just that compared to Zhao Youting, it didn't stand a chance.

Overall, this drama gets a lot of point for the acting. I didn't even mention all of the wonderful characters, because there are just too many to talk about each of them. However I would say a majority did a stellar job. So this gets a 9/10, losing points for some of the side characters that were a little less enticing.

Soundtrack

I think it is no secret that I just looooove Eternal Love's soundtrack. Both the opening and the ending of the drama are on my playlist, I almost never skip it when it comes along and they both figure on my KTV must sing list. It's just beautiful, it pairs well with the drama and the story. What else can I say?

But it's not all about the opening and the ending. Whenever there was music in this drama, I couldn't help but be delighted. It always was most fitting to the actual action right at that moment. It was perfection. Whenever I heard the notes starting to play, I was right into the feels, it set the tone for whatever was happening. They did an awesome job in my opinion.

Overall, this is a 10/10, it was just perfect. I couldn't ask for anything better than that.

Aesthetic and costumes

So this being an older drama, it's going to lose a little bit of points here. Not because it's bad, it's just... old. If I did my review right when it first aired, the score might have been different, but how well.

Let's first talk about costumes. I would say I loved most of them? It wasn't all perfect, but the costumes really fitted each of the characters personality, and very well at that. I especially enjoyed Yehua's costume and his head pieces. Lexu and Sujin were also beautifully dressed all the time. I think they had the most intricate costumes of the drama. Perhaps alongside with Xuan Nü as she was queen of Yi. I wasn't such a fan of Bai Qian's clothes half of the time. I liked her monocolour clothing more than the multicolour ones. Sometimes the colours kind of didn't fit together and it bothered my eyes. I also couldn't help but think that her headpieces must have been very uncomfortable. But one thing I really liked was the consistency of the hairstyles for the Fox tribe people. Their hair were pulled back in a similar manner for all of them, except Fengjiu and Bai Zhen, for some mysterious reason. I also liked the general simplicity of the costumes for most characters. As much as I like beautiful clothing, I enjoyed that instead of focusing on what they were wearing, I would focus more on their facial expressions and their body language.

About the visuals... There were beautiful scenes (especially in Kunlunxu, Qingqiu and the Peach Blossom forest), but the unfortunate thing was that most of it were painting or pictures and we could see quite clearly the cut around the actors. It wasn't very seamless and kind of ruined part of the thing for me. Also, the beasts and creatures looked really cheap. Probably because they weren't as advanced in that field. But if I look back, it wasn't that much better in Till the End of the Moon which is much more recent. So overall, they really didn't do too bad, right?

So overall, this would be a 7/10, but mostly because it didn't age that well. It's pretty impressive for back then and this is actually a pretty good rating in my opinion.

Should you watch this drama?

I 100% recommend to watch Eternal Love. I think it belongs to the classics in terms of drama, even though it's not that old. It has everything a good story needs. The character development is super interesting. The acting is superior. The story is enticing and of course, there are some toxicity as to be expected of something a little older, but it's not overly present compared to other dramas. Actually, toxic traits during the relationship was something to work on. Seriously, this is a solid 9/10, I watched it twice and if I ever have some more time, I would rewatch without hesitation.

List of full recaps

All / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 21 / 22 / 23 / 24 / 25 / 26 / 27 / 28 / 29 / 30 / 31 / 32 / 33 / 34 / 35 / 36 / 37 / 38 / 39 / 40 / 41 / 42 / 43 / 44 / 45 / 46 / 47 / 48 / 49 / 50 / 51 / 52 / 53 / 54 / 55 / 56 / 57 / 58

[sorcerous-caress]

Honestly I think Bad ending Sean would use that time of being kidnapped to sleep because he doesn’t get much of it anymore. Some of the first times he’s caught is probably from him passing out from exhaustion. But to talk about Good Sean and Good Sol I think Sean would actually go out of his way to be friends with Sol after getting comfortable around them and that kinda goes with all the companions. He’d see the companions as a new family even if he was a bit awkward and shy at first. I mean he’s already got two other families this is just the only one where he doesn’t call one of them mom… but that’s dependent on if he’s romanced (that last part is a joke lmao)

Okay so i just wanna say I'm really enjoying this conversation and having fun omfg <3333 I love how much we're writing and bouncing ideas off of each other. We get to explore our OC and learn about the other person's OC too. Thanks for indulging me with this.

And good ending Sol wouldn't reject his attempts at friendship, but I don't think either of them would get enough time to actually be friends.

Because in their bad ending they are making time for each other without realising it, they are spending time together. And like how you said Sean would get rest during his kidnapping trips, Sol probably gets a chance to get out and use their power instead of having servents or other sorcerers bring them the people and the gold.

They are helping each other without realising it.

But in the good ending, both of their attention would be stretched too thin. Sol doesn't want a found family and would reject that notion. No matter how much Sean tries to inculde them, they make it clear they only prefer one on one hangouts.

They're a very high maintenence friend.

If they end up leaving with Lae'zel or Tav it would be harder too, they'd have to make do with letters. Honestly probably Sol would be too ashamed of their past and just ignore the companions attempts at reconnecting unless it's Lae'zel or Minthara.

Funny enough, they are still unwilling to talk to Halsin, some things neve change.

Sean has a lot of found familes by that point, plus his whole project with Jaheira and taking down the rich to give to the poor but doing it right this time instead of harming others.

Sol's morality didn't change, they still don't care for his cause, only admire his dedication to it. Hell even if his cause was to steal from the poor to give to the rich, they'd think it is a little strange but still support him and his ambition from afar.

Basically, anyone who didn't end up their friend in Act 2 won't make it to their good ending with them.

During the epilogue party they might meet Sean and catch up with him, give him a list of the rich people in the past cities they travelled to and say it's a gift to makeup for ignoring his letters.

They'd probably apologise over the fact they can't catch him anymore if he falls from heights, so he better start looking for a plan B. Dying in a splat is too pathetic and they expect better of someone with his potential.

If he offers them to join him, they'd probably decline. They're really looking for a mundane boring life, wasn't it for Lae'zel and the need to show her Faerun, they wouldn't have bothered to travel.

They'll tell him that maybe they'll meet him one day in a tavern and pretend not to know him from across the bar unless he buys them and Lae'zel a drink, of course.

Sol is struggling to be kind and it shows in their awkward attempts. There are too many questions in their head about him and the other companions but they rather not say it and let him live his life, they don't want to repeat the past.

If they don't end up leaving with Lae'zel. Then they'd probably find a grove or a small village to live at. They'd defend its people as a fighter whilst having their isolated small home. Oh, they'd definitely adopt so many pets that the village chef has to make an intervention meeting with them and get them to stop.

Maybe they'll send Sean a couple of these pets instead of releasing them back into the wild. Writing a note that says

"Hey, keep them or give them to Halsin. DO NOT mention my name. xoxo - your #1 hater"

That'd be the second letter they sent to him. The only other one would either be their wedding one or funeral preparation one. They're both the same letter, btw

"This is Sol.

I'm either dying/getting married.

Come over to find out, or don't, more cake for me/my funeral guests.

Formal dress code only.

P.s. Gale may only attend if he is accompanied by Tara, but she isn't required to bring him to attend."

-

I think the only time route where they end up as actual friends in the good end, is if he's Tav. Since he was nice to them in act 1 and their friend by act 2, they'd agree to follow him and fight for his cause but warn him that they won't be as strong or useful.

[creoterative]

Let’s play a Game then  Chapter 3 - Devil Trigger

Good evening you lovely people, or good morning, good afternoon, whatever the time is where you live!

Sonner than expected, I was able to finish the third chapter for my The Walking Dead Game fanstory, ‘Let’s play a Game then’. Chapter three is by far the longest now, well, until I write a longer one of course ^^

‘Devil Trigger’ will get the whole redemption train rolling, so I can start with building the kids relationships in the next chapter with the little party they have (ha, no spoiler since I’m going with the cannon as good as I can here :p)

Anyway, as always, I’ll leave a little little snippet here for you to take a peek, but the rest is on my AO3. To be honest, on that site it feels more like an actual book than simple posts and I like to think of it as a silly fan-dream put together in a... wayyy too long book, heh. 

Thank you for visiting of course, if you do, and feel free to leave a comment, critic or praise, I’m fine with all of it! Or if you have any ideas I might take a look on, don’t be shy!

Have a nice day and stay safe out there!

        https://archiveofourown.org/works/40118184/chapters/114616408

It is well known that the relationship to a place changes depending on what has happened in that place. One may have lived, slept and eaten in a comfortably warm cabin for years, calling it home. But the day the sweet smell of huckleberry jam attracts the first bear out of the woods will be the day the cabin turns into a trap.

The former principal's office never seemed particularly inviting to Marlon. It smelled musty, of old books (and special magazines...), in addition the walls were meanwhile completely yellowed and in some places ivy broke through already, which wanted to make itself a place under the wallpaper. The large, dark red carpets on the floor, which reminded Marlon of his grandparents' apartment, had certainly not always been this dark. If he bothered to knock them out, a whole army of insects would surely crawl out. He would gladly spare himself that.

Despite the signs of decay in the room, in the whole building in general, it had become his own little kingdom over the years. He had chosen this room in the first place because he could have his peace and quiet here. Marlon had never liked sleeping in the same room with other people, not even Louis, so this had been his first order of business after taking the lead. Out of the shared dorms, into his own world.

The older he got, the more he had liked the idea of making the room a real office again. It had felt cool to have some kind of job, even though under no circumstances did he want to turn in such bad work as most of the adults had done. In fact, Marlon and his... former friends didn't really see themselves as adults. And that was despite the fact that some would already be considered as such.

Louis had been right in what he had said to him. The adults had acted as pathetically as Marlon had done that fateful night. None of them wanted to see them give up their humanity for fear of being killed. Well, Marlon had obviously made the perfect leap into adulthood. Now he was one of those disgusting monsters himself, had let himself be guided by fear, and had thus deeply hurt his friends.

Strange how things could turn around after all.

Just as strange as his back felt right now. Marlon was lying on his side, finally back on his own mattress on the floor of the office, and felt a sharp pain in his upper back. Shit, what was that?

Grumbling softly, he turned to his other side, hoping it might be better lying there, but no such luck. So he rolled onto his back and contorted his face in pain as the twinge slowly trailed down his spine. Impossible, was the mattress too soft? That couldn't be possible. Or maybe after all these years his weight had simply made it sink in and it had adapted to his body. Had he had such tensions lately?

Well... he hadn't been on that mattress for three weeks. He had spent the last time in the basement, just lying there on an old carpet, a thin blanket over his body. But he had to honestly admit that he had been offered something better. Marlon himself had refused. He wanted to endure this cold. Something told him that he simply had to. After all he had done, he actually deserved a much worse treatment. That's why he had made his time in the cellar as unbearable as possible for himself.

And how unbearable it was. He had only exchanged a few words with Louis from time to time, when he had brought him a bowl of soup or allowed him to move around in the yard for an hour. Otherwise, Marlon had had no contact with the students at Ericson's Boarding School for a full three weeks. He had been doing laps in his little cell, keeping himself reasonably sane with workouts, as usual, but most of the time he had just stood in the corner and thought. Yes, stood, because sitting on the cold floor would have made him sick for sure, even if lying on it at night wasn't necessarily any better.

Then came Clementine. He was still terribly sorry that he had attacked her like that yesterday, even though she only wanted to help him. But in the end, it had helped to clear his head. As if the training would pull the dark cobwebs out of his brain and let light in again.

The light of the morning sun was still a long time coming, however, which was only natural at this time of year. It was getting colder and colder, frost was on the trees and the meadows, even on the railing of the balcony where one could step out through the two large doors. Marlon had taken pains to cover the broken panes in the individual tiles of the doors with wood or at least a cloth so that there was no constant draught, which worked for the most part, but he was still always cold as the end of the year approached.

Was perhaps also due to the fact that he could not sleep with a T-shirt and tried every time to curl up in the blanket like a caterpillar, only to throw everything around in deep sleep anyway. He had never really gotten out of that phase. He slept like a rock, lay very still for most of the night, but then there was an hour when he just rolled around. In the morning he woke up in the same position as when he fell asleep. Therefore, he had only found out about it through Louis, when they had still slept together in the same room.

Now lying on his stomach, he tried to close his eyes again and maybe doze a little, but at the latest when he now noticed the first wind, it was over with that too. Sighing and grumbling softly to himself, he pulled the blanket up over his shoulders and rested his head on his arms.

His blue eyes wandered to Rosie, who was lying right next to him on her own cozy sleeping spot. She made no sound, which surprised him at first, until he realized that the pit bull lady had long been awake. Her golden eyes were fixed on the door, as they always were when she was awake earlier than her master.

This was due to her trauma, which had occurred a few years ago. Marlon had been nestled in the office for some time, and Rosie had finally gotten used to sleeping quietly next to him and not having her head constantly tucked under his arm. One night, however, a walker had managed to make its way upstairs. To this day, Marlon couldn't explain how he'd managed it, but the walker had grinded its way up the stairs and tampered with his door.

And once Marlon was in a deep sleep, even a walker couldn't wake him. Fortunately, Rosie was more alert than he was. She immediately sensed danger and hunted down the walker, jolting him out of sleep and ensuring that all he could do in the end was watch the carnage.

The walker had been Joey. A young boy about five years younger than Marlon, he was just nine at the time. It was later clear that Joey had fatally injured himself during his shift for the guard at night, when he tried to climb down the makeshift guard tower, which was very unstable at the time. Why he had run to Marlon's office first was a mystery to them all. Probably most of the noise had come from that room, since Marlon usually stayed up late and also had Rosie, whose claws scratched across the floor.

All in all, this incident resulted in another death that everyone had to deal with first. It also ensured that Rosie automatically kept an eye on the door every time she was awake before Marlon, and continued to do so until he fell asleep at night. After that, Ms. Martin had arranged that no child was allowed to do night watch alone. A rule that had actually made a difference.

Marlon rubbed the palm of his hand over his right eye in an attempt to distract himself from the memories that once again haunted him like crazy ghosts. His eyes, dry from sleep, began to water a little, but that subsided after he wiped them with his hands and he was able to gradually look around the office more closely. Nothing had changed in the three weeks of his absence, that reassured him - at least one constant in his life, besides Rosie of course.

She now noticed he was awake and blinked at him kindly, causing him to smile a little. Her short stubby tail wagged back and forth for a moment, then she calmed down again and turned her eyes to the door. Marlon yawned softly and a moment later propped himself up on his arms to sit on his knees.

His left shoulder still hurt a lot, so he instinctively put a hand on the stitch and looked at the thread. Nothing was torn, thankfully, but the freshly healing wound was fiery red. Clementine had given him a good beating during training yesterday, and it would certainly have to heal for some time longer than it would normally have to, although Marlon knew, that this hadn't been her intention.

What the heck, now he had to deal with the pain. After he had straightened his tense back halfway, he stood up and reached for his washed-out, pretty worn, red-striped T-shirt that he wore so often. It was the only one besides the black one with the skulls on the back that still halfway fit; the others had grown too small. At least his beloved letterman jacket still fit, even if it was already half falling apart. Marlon had reached the end of his growth phase anyway, at least that's what he believed, so it was unlikely that he would grow out of this jacket.

On the balcony, as usual, he had a bucket of rainwater, which by now was pretty much always full to the brim. Either it rained or there was very thin snow for an hour, which then disappeared immediately, so the forests were also pretty wet at the moment. Or frosted, as this morning also. The trees glistened white, just like the entire balcony, and Marlon could imagine that the wooden benches below didn't look any better.

He squatted in front of the water bucket, dipped his hands in the shape of a bowl, and slapped a whole load of the ice-cold water on his face. Soon the bucket would no longer carry water, but ice, so he would take it inside with him, keep what was already stored.

The cold that abruptly spread across his face woke him up and immediately sent a shiver down his spine. A few drops ran from his chin and neck, making his jeans wet as well, but he didn't care at all. He would get dry when he sat downstairs in front of the stove, if it was already on, but he simply needed the cold water in the morning to wake up properly.

With one hand he took out some water again, but this time much less, and stroked through his tousled hair to straighten it a bit, which worked semi well. Well, the others always found fault with his hair anyway, so it didn't make up for it now.

Rosie had gotten up and was scratching at the door, so Marlon opened it for her and made his own way downstairs. His return to the main building had been... surprisingly quietly, even if there had been some voices against it. He himself had managed to avoid any conversations, something he regretted somewhat in retrospect. Those conversations would inevitably come about today and he dreaded that.

Louis, especially, would surely... he wouldn't believe a word he said, ever, just like Aasim and Mitch. He was also afraid of Brody's reaction. Either she was angry and, thanks to Clem, now had the courage to make that clear to him, or she was afraid of him and he would take that very differently now than he had three weeks ago. The fact that people were afraid of him had brought him here in the first place, to this school. Not that he had wanted that.

But it was no use thinking about it all the time, even though he had done almost nothing else all night. Maybe that was why his back ached so much. The large staircase in the main hallway seemed eerie to him because of the darkness surrounding him, which was only intensified by the hanging cobwebs. But Rosie's presence put him in a slightly better mood.

His footsteps were quiet on the dark carpet that clothed the old steps, so Ruby didn't notice him right away. She was carrying a couple of boxes, which he recognized by the number carved on the side of the largest of them. C-14-F. That had been the number of the year under Marlon, so these had to be some of the old files the teachers had created for the students.

Ruby raised her head attentively when Rosie greeted her with a soft but friendly bark, but her initial delight quickly turned to suspicion and uncertainty. Marlon tentatively raised a hand in greeting, trying not to appear threatening in any way. So casual gait, no frantic movements, staying in the field of vision.

"Morning." Morning, yeah sure, it still felt like the middle of the night. "Can I help you with that?" Ruby kept her eyes on him, as expected, and was about to take all three boxes without saying anything back, but her arms just didn't reach the bottom one. "Wait, I'll do it.",Marlon offered and walked towards her, taking the top box. It was heavy, and although he was taller, even Marlon couldn't have carried all three boxes at once. So Ruby had only refused because he was the one who had asked, but that was to be expected. After all, he had betrayed her just like everyone else.

Her blue eyes met his and he could clearly see the reluctance, but also the distrust that was coupled with uncertainty. He was uncomfortable with that look, especially not wanting to upset Ruby in particular. He would trust her to stab him with the next best fork, so he immediately took a step back with the box in his hands.

"To the common room with it.",the red-haired girl ordered and Marlon nodded immediately before following her with some distance. He ventured a look into the box he was carrying and was able to confirm his assumption with it - they were files. What was Ruby going to do with them?

But instead of asking, Marlon remained silent and trotted slowly after her. He noticed that Ruby occasionally watched him out of the corner of her eye. She didn't feel safe in his presence, which was now even more obvious. On the one hand, it gave him an uneasy feeling in his stomach, but on the other hand, he knew that it was bound to happen. The girl in front of him even seemed to treat him relatively normal, considering what he had done.

The common room was one of the rooms that had been most seized by vegetation. Ivy had broken through the windows, moss was spreading along the walls and eating through the walls. In the summer, you could watch golden flowers grow here, also trying to sneak in through the windows. Yet little else had changed over the years.

There was still an old piano here, which was smaller than the one in the large meeting room, but this one still worked well. Louis had hardly played on this one, it was almost like new, which is probably why it still made the right sounds. Similar to the eternally old record player that the director had dragged in. Marlon had sometimes listened to swing music on it. He liked the fast rhythm and besides, it was the only thing he could listen to in the available selection. Jazz was still good, he liked that as well, but country and classical music were really not his thing.

It was a pity that metal and rock were not something you listened to when you were the director of a school. Marlon would have given his left arm for a record of Metallica or Man 'o War, but nooooo.... You didn't hear anything like that at a school. Instead, you had to endure Mozart and Beethoven.

Ruby put the two boxes down on the floor and watched Marlon do the same. "...Thank you.", she said hesitantly, but he could clearly hear the stern undertone that was probably meant to make him realize that she certainly didn't trust him just because he was carrying a box. But Marlon didn't let this upset him, which even surprised him a little. Just stay calm, don't do anything wrong.... "No problem. What are you going to do with the files?"

He put his hands on his hips, as he always did, but this made Ruby cross her arms. Marlon slowly lost the slight smile he had put on and carefully lowered his hands again after a few seconds of awkward silence. Yes, maybe he shouldn't pretend that nothing had happened....

When he avoided her gaze and scratched the back of his neck nervously, Ruby actually seemed to feel a little sorry for him. She had always been emotional, and Ruby was actually the one who could most understand what he was going through. Not in terms of the Brody thing or the twins, but the anger. She had struggled with that anger as well, even though both of them had improved a lot over the years. Well, Ruby had.

She shook her head slightly, then averted her eyes from him and looked at the files. "I thought this might be interesting to Clementine and AJ. If she knows who she's leading into battle, it might make it easier. And I think after all she's done for us, she deserves to know who's actually fighting alongside her."

Marlon managed to look at Ruby again and his blue eyes showed understanding. Even if he didn't like it. He didn't want anyone snooping around in his file, there were some.... some unpleasant things in it. But some of the other kids had even worse files, so he couldn't complain.

Again, some silence fell, and Marlon wasn't sure how much he was allowed to talk before it seemed like he was trying to force himself on someone, or to push himself back to his old position in the group, so he preferred to keep quiet altogether. Ruby turned back to him after a while and eased her shoulders. He felt cold at the sight of her free arms. How could she walk around with her sleeves rolled up like that? If he allowed himself, he would immediately get the big coat the principal had left behind, it was stuffed inside with thick fur.

"You know, you don't get a free pass with me just because you helped me carry boxes." Oh, he hadn't expected that at all. Hoped, maybe, but he was aware that he was going to have to work slowly to regain the trust of the others. "I know. I also don't want you guys to run after me right away and act like nothing happened. I just... I just have to start somewhere, right?"

To his relief, she probably agreed with him there and nodded thoughtfully, her sky-blue eyes meeting his ice-blue ones. "True enough. Still. Just be careful what you do and say. We're certainly not going to forgive you for everything just because you're pitching in, now that you've been released from prison again."

Ruby made her way past him and Marlon stood in the common room for a moment, looking at the boxes of files. No, it really wasn't going to be that easy. As mentioned before, however, he was aware of that, even though he might not have necessarily accepted it yet.

Slowly, he turned and followed Ruby out of the room. She trotted toward the large doors that led outside, causing Marlon to swallow hard. If Ruby could halfway converse with him, even if she was rather threatening, surely he could talk reasonably with the others, right?

Rosie stepped up to his side again, which he didn't notice until he was already on the stairs. She had waited patiently for them to come outside and finally positioned herself next to him again, giving Marlon a little more security. He felt like a convicted felon, which in a sense he was now, though not by old world standards.

Court, judge, executioner.

Just different forms.

[getmemymicroscope]

What is the fuckity fuck fuck? Somehow, it took less than 2 days to find a movie that might actually, somehow, be worse than Wafaa (it's at least equal, for sure).

Every single character is fucking annoying. Also, in very typical "everything happens at night" movie style, you can't see 90% of things because they refuse to allow any sort of lighting. So you're just seeing vague movement in a dark screen.

What they don't shy away from here, unfortunately, is very loud, high-pitched, unnecessary, and out-of-place screams (which I guess amount to the 'background music' in this movie). Like, I guess trying for the horror film-type 'music,' but it just randomly shows up and doesn't even correlate to like scare scenes. Literally I think the first one comes when Teesta is like pouring a drink or something. And then some evil-sounding laugh as Pratyush leaves. What?

The plot, apparently taken from James Hadley Chase's 'Tiger By the Tail,' has some potential, but it completely destroyed by some horrific acting, horrible sound and film decisions, and bad lighting. It's not the first Bollywood attempt at adapting a Chase story, and while I haven't seen all of the others, this one is almost certainly near the bottom.

Atul Kulkarni, normally so dependable, is absolutely laughable as a 'scared for his life, accused of murder' protagonist (well, laughable once you get past the never-ending frustration of how dumb everything is). Hell, even the 'accusation' doesn't happen until the very end, and is only made by a secondary officer as a veiled threat over a phone; the officer is promptly vocally disciplined by our lead investigator, who listen to this fucking annoying yelling and then is like "the case is solved" before walking out. I understand Pratyush's beginning reason for going to meet Teesta - but his sticking around upon figuring out it was a lie is just dumb. And then, after that pointless nonsense at the club, after she ends up murdered, he stupidly answers her phone. Which, fine - maybe nerves got to him (even though he had the wherewithal to wipe his prints away BEFORE the phone rang; why didn't he just let it ring and leave?). But then, on the way out, he runs into literally every possible thing in the hallway. Like, looking forward you fucking idiot, especially after the first thing you run into.

Later, near the end, he has this stupid scene at the phone - after the accusation by the cop - where he may or may not be trying to call his wife (versus, honestly, it looks like he's just randomly standing at the phone, number half dialed, crying her name). It's an absolute disaster of a scene, and I literally almost punched my wall (and I did yell out a "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?"). And the, at the very end, his wife find's Teesta card and asks him about it, and suddenly he's all tongue-tied. (Also, her coming back and saying "it's my fault" - what the fuck? No, it most definitely isn't.)

Speaking of crying, and disaster - the scene with Sonali and KK, where Sonali is crying about her love for her brother is also a shit-show of horrible (and fake appearing) crying. Not only does it sound fake (maybe it is supposed to be fake?), but it also makes it impossible to hear half of what she is saying.

Prashant, after being shot, has Pratyush come to try and save him - and instead, he start acting like an idiot, runs closer to the edge of the building (and obviously falls and has to be dragged up - this is clearly done as a way to build tension and allow the baddie to reach them, but it makes absolutely no sense of a just shot, near-death character to have someone try to save him and respond by moving closer to a ledge). Plus, like literally every other character in this movie (except maybe Rahul Dev?!, but he's wasted by this pathetic attempt, and Suchitra Pillai, in a very small role as Pratyush's understandably distraught wife), he's a total ass in the limited time we get to see/know him.

KK's random-ass monologue to Prashant is also out-of-place, dumb, and just like "why the fuck are you saying any of this?" Everything with the serial blackmailer is also fucking annoying. Teesta's actions, when she's alive, are also a mess. And why the fuck did she have his keys (hell, he left her place - how did they end up at the bar together)? His friend Aslam is also obviously a horrible person, and it's crazy that Aslam is the one who is like "we aren't friends anymore" when clearly Pratyush should've been the one saying that - I mean, fucking hell, Aslam pretended he was dying to get Pratyush, a married man who had just fought with his wife but was already regretting it, to go see an exotic dancer (or whatever). It almost feels like Pratyush is typically a complete pushover (except with his wife, of course, who he slaps ON THEIR ANNIVERSARY because she's questioning why he went and spent 3 hours with his friend - a girl he has had a crush on - when she was waiting for him; again, this is ON THEIR ANNIVERSARY) - how else can you explain why he thinks of Aslam as a friend for even one second after he first suggests the exotic dancer (and doesn't take no for an answer).

On top of the random-ass yelling 'music,' there are also a couple of completely random, disorienting scenes where the pictures like get all blurry/weird (not the correct words, I don't think - but essentially, the sort of disorientation that movies try to do when showing up that the characters are high or otherwise drugged). Except, you know, our characters aren't drugged at the time. They're just fucking around with the picture/imaging for no real reason than to give you a headache. There's even one scene where it literally feels like they just used a 2D filter and make everything super flat, simply because they could. It's not at all clever or well-done or a feather in the cap for this movie - it's just another addition to a very long list of "things wrong with this movie."

The biggest problem, of course, is that the opposite list - "things right with this movie" - has absolutely nothing on it. Like Wafaa before it, this movie has absolutely nothing going for it.