#he was literally one of the most amazing people to ever exist i miss him a lot even 8 years

[pressureplus]

hello!! can i pls ask for headcanons or a lil story abt sebastian coping with the loss of expendable reader he had relationship with? like they knew eachother long enough and had a lil sum going, and out of the blue reader gets really hurt and dies in sebs arms (doesn’t come back either like how u would in the game, ik some stories follow that) need that angst !!!

(keep up the amazing work also!! i love ur guys stories and hc :3)

Thank you, all of your support means so much to us, we're so happy you guys like our work!

Anyway, here, have a little angst in the form of some Headcannons! I turned the angst on this one aaaall the way up for you by making you not only a lover, but literally the centerpiece of this man's life, he was OBSESSED and COMPLETELY IN LOVE with you to a crippling extent ❤️

Sebastian Solace Grieving Headcannons

Warnings: Death, Grief, a mention of injury as a metaphor, and the light implications of Suicide

◞꒷◟ ͜ ͜ ◞ྀི◟୨୧◞ྀི◟ ͜ ͜ ◞꒷◟◞꒷◟ ͜ ͜ ◞ྀི◟୨୧◞ྀི◟ ͜ ͜ ◞꒷◟

• When you passed, it didn't feel real to him... It still doesn't.

• You'd been in his arms when it happened, his large, clawed hands clutching you like you were slipping away from him- and you were.

• He had begged you not to leave him here, pleading and bargaining like it might keep the light in your beautiful eyes for a while longer

• But it was to no avail. Now, he is alone.

• He doesn't talk to the expendables anymore, shutting everyone out was the very first thing that he did when he had to wake up in your shared bed by himself that first morning after what had happened

• He knows you wanted him out of here, and it's the only thing that keeps him alive most days

• That and the need to put an end to HADAL the way that it put an end to you.

• He blames the company, yes, and he definitely blames what or who actually killed you, but the rest of that guilt rests on his own shoulders

• "I should have been there... I should have done something to stop it."

• "Why is it I could only cry?"

• "I don't even know what I'm going to do now that you're gone, Y/N..."

• "Please... Please come back?"

• Doesn't see a future for himself anymore, now that he knows what it is to have you in his life, he just doesn't want anything else

• His existence is solely for spite and for vengeance, now, no point in attempting to move on

• Is more aggressive, generally, to an extent he will get hostile with people more often and even become an active threat to anyone that enters the shop without actively purchasing something from him

• The thought he may grow attached to someone again is one that haunts him, he will be having absolutely NONE of that ever again

• He's a broken man

• Sometimes, he dreams that he can hold you the way that he knows you used to like, and he gets to lay in bed when he wakes up remembering how sweet it was to kiss you and how wonderful your laugh used to be

• He'll lay awake and miss you... But the reminiscing is the only time he's even close to happy anymore

• It's an abstract sort of closeness, the comfort he finds in allowing himself to linger in your memory the only real ease that he takes anymore

• It's a fresh wound that he seems to genuinely enjoy leaving to bleed, definitely not a healthy way to brew in his ever growing sorrow

• The long, long months he spends in the Blacksite alone are empty and void of what little life they'd managed to have before. The color in everything is drained out like the hope that he'd managed to hold onto for so long

• When he eventually leaves and leaks the information that actually DOES end up avenging you, he watches HADAL fall to ruin, unable to get their prisoners anymore and unable to continuing to stay upright for it

• Watching that place burn brought him some peace, honestly, but it just wasn't enough. Nothing was ever going to be enough without you

• He only has one thing left to do. He knows there's really only one thing left he can do for you.

• The public will find his body strung over a gravesite with your name on it the very next morning after everything came to it's close on his plans, a bouquet of your favorite flowers, a newspaper with an article on HADAL's corruption on the cover, and whatever little treasures you'd given him over the years in his still, clawed hands

• And for the first time since you left him:

• Sebastian is smiling.

[leclerc-s]

the blue - part two

masterlist previous next

ameliaholland eras tour you’ve been absolutely wonderful! kansas city, you’re up next!

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tomholland2013 WOO! THAT’S MY FAVORITE SISTER!!

↳ ameliaholland i'm your only sister dumbass

↳ tomholland2013 well that's not true, harry and sam exist you know

↳ samholland1999 i'm telling mum.

↳ tomholland2013 that doesn't work anymore, she can't ground me

↳ username forget keeping up with kardashians i want keeping up with the hollands

landonorris THAT’S MY BEST FRIEND!

↳ ameliaholland GOOD LUCK AT SILVERSTONE BESTIE!!

↳ username a pair of best friends that we never saw coming

↳ username i love their friendship.

oscarpiastri ‘you’re doing amazing sweetie!’

↳ ameliaholland aw shucks, you're making me blush pastry boy.

↳ oscarpiastri 🙄 i won't even bother to correct you because i know you'll just keep doing it.

↳ username icons supporting icons. we love to see it.

hazosterfield you're killing it! so proud of you!

tuwaine yeah! you go baby holland!

↳ ameliaholland do i look like paddy?

↳ tuwaine a little bit, you are siblings.

↳ ameliaholland he's adopted.

↳ paddyholland2004 we look alike, if i'm adopted, so are you. HA!

↳ username peak sibling behavior right here

zendaya little rockstar 🩷

↳ ameliaholland dump my brother. date me.

↳ username she's so real for that. i too would ask zendaya to dump my brother and date me instead.

alex_albon i see we’ve been replaced by a pop star.

↳ georgerussell63 i agree alex. charles_leclerc thoughts on being replaced?

↳ charles_leclerc the twitch quartet was supposed to be forever lando! (i love your music)

↳ ameliaholland thank you! lando talks about you guys and both maxs all the time!

↳ landonorris i do not!

↳ oscarpiastri you do

maybe amelia hadn’t been too on the nose with her last song. she needed him to understand that she was done with him, for good. she wasn’t going to go back to him, not that they had ever been anything for her to go back too. amelia’s schoolgirl crush had been crushed when had drunkenly exclaimed ‘you’re an idiot if you ever think i’m going to love you back. you’re my best mate’s sister, that’s all you’ll ever be to me.’ what was it that they said of drunken words? they were sober thoughts, and as much as it hurt to admit it, she was an idiot for falling for him. but there was no reason for him to be so cruel.

perhaps the part that hurt the most was that he remembered none of his cruel words. to him everything between them was fine, and it pained her that he couldn’t take a hint, he just couldn’t take a hint that she wanted nothing to with him. it also didn’t help that right after that day he announced he had a girlfriend he had been seeing for over 6 months. she had been the other woman, not physically but emotionally, and that was just as bad.

she jumped as her phone rang, the familiar facetime tune breaking her out of her trance. lando’s joyful face stared back at her and she felt horrible for having missed the race. but in her defense she had been too tired to wake up early enough to watch it. she felt horrible but she hoped lando would understand, it’s not like she was breaking a promise.

slowly she reached for her phone to answer, and lando began screaming in joy. amelia flinched at his volume and noticed he was surrounded by other people, oscar being one of them, she could’ve sworn she saw lewis hamilton there too.

“p2!” lando shouted, “i got p2!”

amelia squealed, “congrats! that’s amazing!”

“oscar got p4! we’re literally on top of the world right now!”

“and congrats to koala too,” she smiled. oscar waved at her before someone snatched the phone from lando’s grip. amelia stopped herself from gasping at the sight of daniel ricciardo.

daniel smiled brightly at her, “you must be amelia, i’m daniel. anyways, we’re all dying to know is taylor dating fernando? have you heard anything?”

amelia laughed, “no, i haven’t heard anything. you'll be the first to know if i learn anything."

"sick," daniel claimed, "i like you baby holland."

daniel flipped the camera around to lando, the boy was laid on the floor, being crushed by alex albon and george russell who were cheering him on loudly. daniel turned the camera back around to him, "is that you're new best friend?"

"sadly, he is," amelia said.

"well baby holland, i'll let you go. i'm sure you're a very busy woman."

"i am," amelia agreed, "i'm currently in the studio."

"STUDIO?!" lando exclaimed, "new music? when? get off alex!" lando pushed alex off him as the brunette laughed loudly. lando took his phone from daniel, "when? tell me amelia!"

amelia simply smiled mischievously at him, "oh look, i have to go walk my fish!"

"amelia!" lando shouted as daniel's laughter could be heard as she hung up. her heart warmed knowing lando supported whole-heartedly. his friendship meant so much to her, and she was glad she had dragged herself out of bed the day before

lando norris amelia holland! how dare you do this to me.

oscar piastri who broke your heart? seriously.

lando norris AMELIA! ANSWER THE TEXTS!

oscar piastri please answer, he's been screaming the grudge. i have no clue how he even memorized the lyrics already.

lando norris added one person

lando norris DANIEL! GET HER TO ANSWER THE PHONE! SHE LIKES YOU!

daniel ricciardo baby holland! c'mon! he's getting impatient.

amelia holland sorry, tom and his friend were being annoying.

lando norris what friend?

amelia holland harrison.

oscar piastri i'm sensing some tension with harrison.

lando norris OH MY GOD! HE'S THE INSPIRATION!

oscar piastri oh.

oscar piastri you fell in love with your brother's best friend.

amelia holland i had a crush on him.

daniel ricciardo well fuck harrison.

daniel ricciardo actually don't fuck harrison. but you know what i mean

lando norris TELL ME YOUR LOVE SONGS WEREN'T ABOUT HIM. AMELIA I'M BEGGING!

amelia holland they weren't about him?

daniel ricciardo we're finding you a new muse. i'm making it my mission.

you good?

peachy.

bullshit but okay.

i'm fine oscar. i swear.

you called me oscar, that's never happened. what happened to kangaroo? koala? pastry boy?

maybe i'm not fine. how am i supposed to be fine when the dickhead won't understand that i want nothing to do with him? he strung me along for months making me think that one day we could be something more. so i start releasing songs and he still won't get it.

have you i don't know, tried talking to him?

jeez oscar why didn't i think of that? the only time he ever seems to speak to me is when we're in a group setting. he has a girlfriend.

amelia please tell me he didn't.

cheat on his girlfriend with me? not physically. but emotionally yes.

that guy is a piece of work.

he wasn't always like this.

you’re not seriously defending the guy who cheated on his girlfriend?

i’m defending the guy i used to know. the harrison who was sweet and kind to me. he snuck me candy when my mum didn't allow me to have any. he took me to the movies when my brothers didn't want to hang out with me.

okay. whatever.

why are you getting mad at me?

i’m not mad. i just-

forget it. i have to go.

lando’s insisting i follow him to the club to celebrate

have fun.

i'm sorry

i think i like her...

¡leclerc-s speaks! this series was always meant to be a short series so if it seems like it's a little fast paced, i'm sorry. but i am also doing a lot of time jumps, so realistically it's not moving that fast.

¡disclaimer! this is in no way making assumptions about the people involved in this story, this is all fake. it is a fanfiction please don't take any of what is said seriously. this is all for entertainment purposes and as a creative outlet for me. enjoy!

[punkeropercyjackson]

Jason Todd's Marvel counterpart isn't The Punisher,Deadpool or Bucky Barnes-It's Miles Morales:By someone who's read every single comic Jason's ever been in and watched/played almost all his adaptions and is working on the same for Miles

Miles Morales is an altruistic,peppy optimistic sunshine boy who's a huge nerd in both meanings of the word and a paragon of soft,positive masculinity but also has a physical incapability of not running his mouth and snark off the charts with the never misses sense of humor to back it up,repressed anger issues from his trauma and isn't afraid to not hold back on people who deserve it because he may be soft but that dosen't make him a doormat.That's Robin!Jason Todd too and anybody who tells you otherwise is gross asf,because the only reason he was retconned to be 'a bad kid' was classist propaganda to demonize poor people,including his parents Catherine and Willis who pre-reboot were going through hard times but were good parents nonetheless

Miles is also the second mantleholder for one of the most well-known and influental superhero titles ever and was widely hated out of being a minority but is now widely beloved,a mama's boy who's mom is a brown haired woc with cultural roots when the writers aren't being clowns and is humanized instead of only existing for her kids,has a black and red theme and can't socialize normally nor does he flirt typically or have mainstream interests which combined with the rest of him makes a strong case for him being audhd but undiagnosed and also unable to mask.This isn't quite the same thing but a nice contrast is that Miles' canonical animal variant is a cat while Jason's is a wolf and in both Spiderverse movies,Miles has a red hoodie as a key motif of his.In Itsv,Miles meets Peter B when Peter B approches him from behind while he's grieving Ripeter and shocks him in self-defense and it's followed up by them having unconventional bonding and i can't help but think of it as another,bigger contrasting parallel to Jason meeting Bruce because he was stealing the tires from the Batmobile and hitting him with a tire iron and that is followed up by him finding Jason grieving his parents at his apartment and them unconventionally bonding.Both these leadup to them getting that mantle(Spiderman/Robin)

When Miles was 15,he went to a far off place to find himself at the manipulation of an important woman in his life(though to Gwen's credit,she was a manipulated and gaslight teenager by adults instead of a gaslighting adult like Sheila)and it caused a major shift in his narrative because of a Canon Event Death.Police Chiefs and in Jason's case,himself.Miles G is strikingly similar to a fresh out of A Death In The Family and Lost Days Era Jason.He's a 15 year old boy who went from a shining sunflower to a wilted sunflower because his light was killed and he's resorted to coping by being an emotionally constipated asshole(but absolutely not abusive!!)with edgy tastes and a vigilante at the mentorship of an important figure from his dad's past he was also close to growing up,Aaron a Talia to his Jason,and Miles G even has green eyes like Jason does.Miles G is quite literally a Red Hood Variant Miles Morales

If we're doing timeline graphs,Into and The Spider Within=80s Batman,Across=A Death In The Family,Miles G becoming The Prowler=Lost Days,Beyond=Under The Red Hood,Spidey and His Amazing Friends:Wayne Family Adventures if it slayed,Kid Arachnid=Teen Titans Go!Jason(It's a good show and better than Gabriel Picolo's Teen Titans-they look like fuckin' racist instagram people💀)and Spiderman and Venom:Double Troubled=Tiny Titans.Zero Lego Miles media though and that's a hate crime,give us SOMETHING but actually everything we deserve a whole Lego Miles Morales franchise

One must also look at Miles' love interests,because him and Jason have the same types-Ghost Girls and Black Girls:Gwen Stacy,Rose Wilson,Kamala Khan,Dana Harlowe,Margo Kess,Artemis Grace,Tiana Toomes,Hailey Cooper and in an alternative universe from the 90s Young Justice run back when Jason was still dead,Anita Fite.And the male character they're closest to in their best continuity:Hobie Brown and Duke Thomas.The 'dystopian punk black teen boys on a mantle sharing team who're proffessional instigators and sweethearts with insane ass street cred who had their childhoods taken from them but only let that make them stay kind,optimistic and anarchistic' duo!Two inverses of their relathionships that makes them all the more fun and interesting-Duke and Jason are eachother's Robin and found/adoptive brothers,Miles and Hobie also share a title but are best friends and possibly in love considering how much wholesome chemistry they have and Jason is the one with the 'I see a black boy in trouble and imma help him' typa beat towards Duke by constantly saying he's a real Robin,Batkid AND Batboy to combat the antiblack narrative bullshit by stupid posers who think Robin means 'black haired pasty ass blue eyed male' when it means 'Gotham's light in the darkness' and Duke embodies it as The Signal and brought Jason back to the Batfam without even trying.You can also make a Siblings!Ghost Flower comparison with the 'sunny black boy and moody iconic ghost' dynamic and 'Sunflower' is a total Jason to Duke vibe

In Conclusion:Miles Morales is Jason Todd and he deserves to have it aknowledged rather than Jason being compared to 1.Someone who's like Flashpoint Thomas Wayne way more than him,2.Someone who's his opposite in multiple ways and 3.Someone who's only very shallowly similar to him and Miles being ignored and not even being given crossovers to boot

[wayfayrr]

just got home from work lol - a dq worker. i had an idea of Time reacting to someone who worked as a fast food worker, specifically dairy queen cause of the potential for a funny interaction: "oh yeah i worked for Dairy Queen™" "you worked for lon lon ranch?"

"no there is literally a company named Dairy Queen.. i sold ice cream.." and then starts a whole conversation on what the hell ice-cream is lmao.

gonna be very honest with you dq-anon hope you don't mind me calling you that I've only really heard of dairy queen through that one girl's tiktoks because they don't exist in the UK dvjcedfc one of my wives (@angry-trashcan) told me more about what they're like and I focused more on the ice cream/ customer service voice part of it - I hope you like it!

“So you've mentioned needing to get back to your own world for the sake of your job, if it's alright may I ask what just what it is?"

"hmm? Sure? it's not really private, the only reason I haven't talked about it is because it hasn't come up in conversation yet."

"I work at a place called Dairy Queen™ or at least I did, they might have fired me…"

Time looks like he's about to ask me a question, not that I can blame him. Our worlds are very different. I doubt he's heard of it ever before. Well, I know that because it doesn’t exist here.

"I don't think I've ever seen you at lon lon ranch before, well and the fact that you've already said you're not from Hyrule."

"... There's a company called Dairy Queen in my world. we sell ice cream."

There’s the look I expected from him, utter confusion. Hyrule really doesn't have anything in common with my own world, nothing I could compare to the chains anyway. How could the post-industrial era even hope to compare to a mediaeval land where magic actually exists?

“...Ice cream?”

Yeah, I shouldn’t have expected him to know what that was. Really though does Hyrule not have ice cream at all? It’s not hard to make; with magic, it can’t be too hard to make a freezer. 

“It’s well, it’s frozen cream with sugar and flavour? Honestly, I’m not sure the best way to describe it when I can't just show you. For now, I’ll just say that it tastes amazing and that you’re missing out.”

“Maybe you could show me some time then, we should be able to find the correct ingredients at some of the villages here and Wild has a spare ice rod or two to freeze it.”

“Keep the money for more important supplies Time,  it’s not that big of a deal.”

Here’s where I’d happily take bets with the others for if he was going to drop it or not, what with how he rarely drops lectures it wouldn’t surprise me if he didn’t drop it until I agreed with him. But he seems to have more respect for things that people don’t want to talk about with their past than accidents so who knows?

“Aside from that then, what is your work like?”

"It's work..? I mean the only real skills I picked up are accidentally tipping drinks on people and my 'service voice'."

Most of this is just going to be him all confused, isn't it? what I wouldn't do at this point to show him exactly what I mean…

"You haven't got any more questions have you?"

"... what was that?"

"well I can't show you most things are like where I work, but I can show you how I act around customers. So how can I help you sir?"

Laughing at his face was so easy at this point, the fear in his eyes at how much I can change my voice so easily, worse than it's been towards any monster he's faced on this journey. 

He’s more worked up about my voice than the shadow… 

“...please don’t do that again [name].”

“Come on Time, it can’t be that bad can it?”

“You - you can stop pulling that face Old man.”

He really does live up to that name, now I can’t help but wonder if ‘old man’ is Hyrule’s equivalent of boomer, from how they use it? How mean would it be to teach wind and wild what that means? Introduce Hyrule to ‘Ok boomer’. I’d just have to make sure time never learns what it means or that it's from my world.

“Can we just… just go back to explaining what ice cream is?”

“I think I would prefer to tease you more. But fine I can go back to trying to explain it better for you.”

[tgmsunmontue]

More than movie magic... 24/24

Hangster AU. Explicit (Chapter 16). Jake is a Hollywood actor and Bradley is a stunt coordinator. Jake's about to make a few self-discoveries. So is Bradley.

ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN EIGHT NINE TEN ELEVEN TWELVE THIRTEEN FOURTEEN FIFTEEN SIXTEEN SEVENTEEN EIGHTEEN NINETEEN TWENTY TWENTYONE TWENTYTWO TWENTYTHREE

EPILOGUE

              Their thumb-kiss becomes a whole thing, caught on camera a couple of days later when Bradley once again refuses to kiss him once he’s been through makeup. It’s shared with the world and Jake’s a little annoyed that such a private gesture is suddenly public property. Except for the fact that it’s apparently appropriately romantic and sweet, with public opinion of Bradley and therefore Jake’s relationship with him garnering all sorts of approval from even the most critical of corners. It does help that everyone finding out the Bradley’s been raised by Tom Kazansky and Pete Mitchell after being orphaned makes him somewhat of a tragic romantic hero, with people wondering if Jake is good enough for him. He tries to ignore those comments and articles as much as possible, and Bradley’s constant presence and reassurance helps.

              When filming finishes they move back to LA and he keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop. Waits for Bradley to get sick of him, or bored, or fed up with the constant trail of photographers and paparazzi who shout questions. He’s good at a lot of things, Jake knows this, and ignoring paparazzi and photographers is on the list. He’s so wretchedly grateful and he says something along those lines in passing and Bradley catches his hand, draws him in close.

              “I’m not ignoring them, ignoring them means I have to know where they are and what they’re doing. It’s more that I refuse to give them any attention or engage with them. I know they’re there. I just don’t care about them anywhere near as much as I care about you.”

              “God you’re a complete and utter romantic sap,” Jake mutters, but his heart swells.

              “Yep. Told you Hollywood has some amazing love stories.”

…           …           …

              Brigham is an organizational genius. Combined with Karina Bradley’s diary and work commitments are meshed seamlessly with Jake’s. When they’re not working together, but it’s another of Bradley’s teams, he’s apparently justified in checking in on them, especially if Brigham plans it that way. He doesn’t miss the fact that Brigham has him in the office more, or training others rather than on far-flung sets when Jake is based in Hollywood.

              He doesn’t manage to be there for every red carpet, but he tries. Not only because Jake seems to find him irresistible in a suit and seems to need to get his hands on him at the earliest opportunity. They’ve not managed to make it through a single movie screening and it’s very apparent to everyone else, Jake’s skin a literal red flag to everyone around them what they’ve been up to.

              “You know, we aren’t going to be able to get married if you can’t deal with the sight of me in a suit for longer than an hour or two…”

              “Easily solved. We don’t wear suits.”

              “Is this you proposing?” Bradley jokes, because there has been a lot of discussion around appropriate ways to propose since Pete and Tom got engaged, and he doubts he or Tom are ever going to hear the end of it, with the non-existent wedding already having been called off twice with Tom refusing to give in to Pete’s dramatics.

              “No. You won’t need to ask if I’m proposing when I propose. You’ll just have to say yes.”

              “And if I propose to you first?”

              “Well, as long as I don’t have to clarify that you’re proposing, I’d say yes.”

              Bradley smiles and kisses him.

              “Good to know.”

…           …           …

              Jake doesn’t think he’s ever been happier in his adult life. There are frequent moments of sheer unadulterated joy, bubbling inside him and as their first anniversary comes and goes with a week spent on the ranch. Some of his friends make comments about how he could have gone away to an island, but that’s not what he wants. Bradley seems to understand that and Jake stops second guessing it all.

              He’s been enveloped in the family dynamic between Pete and Tom, and he starts to feel a little more at home in Hollywood as well, the four of them sequestered away in Tom’s fortress of solitude that Pete calls it. His parents still visit, but now rather than staying with him they more often than not stay with Tom and Pete instead, telling him that they have more in common with them anyway and enjoy each other’s company. Also, his mom adds, they don’t want to intrude on him and Bradley.

              What he thinks helps is that Bradley is consistent. He’s steady, isn’t afraid of telling Jake what he wants, asks Jake what he’s feeling and what he wants and then… they make it work. He never makes Jake second guess his feelings, when he’s angry Jake knows about it, but the anger itself is never directed at Jake, instead toward something else, usually human stupidity

              He buys a ring, takes it out and stares at it every few weeks, his mind trying to come up with a way that he can propose. He knows what he doesn’t want to do, and that’s while either of them is hungover or drunk. Pete will make some comment about it becoming a family tradition and that’s the last thing he wants. He’s just not sure what he does want, other than Bradley, forever.

…           …           …

              “What are we doing here?”

              “Your mom said this is one of your favorite spots.”

              “Yeah, it is. The sky is amazing, like there’s no light pollution when the sun goes down, the house is too far away and…” He looks around and Bradley is shaking out a blanket. “Are we having a picnic? It’s one of my favorite spots in summer. It’s the middle of winter.”

              “Winter in Texas. It’s not even below fifty. Come on, I brought hot chocolate. And blankets… we can cuddle.”

              “We could have brought the truck and left the heater going,” Jake says, not really sure why they decided to ride horses out here, although he guesses it is nice to do a night ride, opportunities few and far between, and they’re spending Christmas with his entire family, Tom and Pete joining them, and there are kids everywhere and actually, the peace and quiet is really nice. He lets himself be pulled down onto the blanket, between the v of Bradley’s legs, his arms going around him, holding a blanket in place around them both and it’s so nice, feels so sweet and normal and he leans back into Bradley’s body, a single flask of hot chocolate just being passed between them as they enjoy the silence.

              “I love you.”

              “Love you too. You dealing with being around all your family okay?”

              “Are you?” Jake replies, feels Bradley’s smile against his neck.

              “Your family love me.”

              “Yeah, they do.”

              “Jake.”

              “Hmm?”

              “Will you marry me?”

              “I – yes. Oh my god. Yes.”

…           …           …

              Bradley peers at Jake through the screen, the fact that he’s on location in South Africa the furthest and longest they’ve been apart, but he’s had to get Brigham to delay his visit, wanting to get something done before he leaves.

              “What did you do to your thumb?” Jake asks and Bradley looks at his thumb, just shakes his head, tucks it away from the view of the camera.

              “Just a scratch.”

…           …           …

              “Hi.”

              “Hi. God I’ve missed you.”

              “Missed you too. You want to see something?”

              “Always. Wait. Is it something other than you naked?”

              “Well, it is a part of me, and it is naked…”

              Jake glances down to where Bradley is still, unfortunately, wearing jeans, makes a face to indicate his disapproval of the current state of dress. Bradley is laughing at him, leaning back and pressing his thumb to Jake’s lips, and he kisses it dutifully, a practiced ritual now, but Bradley doesn’t pull it away, and Jake starts going cross-eyed as he tries to focus on the pad of his thumb, pulling back to allow his focus to settle.

              “Did you… draw on yourself?” Jake asks, taking in the little love heart and JS initials that are inside it.

              “Nope. It’s a tattoo.”

              “You… got a tattoo?”

              “Yep. Just a little one, because I feel like you don’t want to set a date and well, I’m impatient about having a ring on my finger, but I thought this was a good compromise.”

              “Holy shit, you got a tattoo.”

…           …           …

              They allow his mom and Pete full reign on the wedding when they finally settle on a date, which they decide to mark their engagement anniversary. It’s the large blowout party that Pete apparently wanted for his own wedding, which instead was a tiny ceremony with only about twenty people in attendance. Bradley is laid back, insisting he really doesn’t care about the wedding itself; that it is simply one day and as long as he’s married to Jake at the end of the day then he will consider it the best day of his life. When he tells Jake he’s much more excited about everything that comes after Jake can’t help but agree with him.

[generalluxun]

different anon but if anyone's closer to the Gary Stu/Mary Su type it's Marinette, cause they keep insisting that she's so special (the time she had on all the miraculouses), the best Ladybug ever (Tikki constantly says this despite the fact that she's lost the miraculouses at least two times), and was ultimately the one that beat Hawkmoth on her own (Gabe stole the miraculouses from her AND got his wish, so she didn't actually win). Not to mention all the people who were crushing on her? Nino, Nathaniel, Luka, Zoe, and however many others? Adrien was over there in his white prison room talking about how HE'S not worthy of MARINETTE'S love? Yeah no...

Okay, we need some definitions. For myself I absolutely love what OSP has for this. *Note* I will use the term Mary Sue so I'm not constantly typing both out, but I honestly consider it gender neutral. You can have a Male(or ace, or whichever) Mary Sue, it's a lot easier than bothering with 'Gary Stu'

With this framework we find that people are often talking cross definitions. Some people latch onto the G1 definition of Mary Sue as someone who is 'perfect' and the fact that Thomas/Marinette(Don't hate on Marinette here, Thomas's words in her mouth) declare Adrien is 'perfect', but those aren't the same definitions.

G1 Mary Sue perfect is 'without flaws' Can do everything better and at range, everyone loves them instantly, etc etc.

Thomas means 'a thing to be kept and admired' like a perfect diamond. It's quite clear Adrien has flaws in the series. It would take a heavy level of self-delusion to miss them. I *like* Adrien, I write for him a lot! But yeah, look at Lies, he treated Adrien like garbage and the narrative punished him for it, pretty bog standard.

Now Marinette- She's an interesting case. She didn't START out a G1 Mary Sue, but she has always been a *type* of Mary Sue. You see after the initial blowback to G1 Mary Sues writers began to throw flaws onto their characters to try and dodge the label. Yet, a lot of the FUNCTION of a Mary Sue remained. So a new definition was formed. This one relies simply on the narrative warping power that a Mary Sue possesses. They are the only *real* person in a world of extras. They have flaws, but those flaws are simply backstory or window dressing.

Marinette's Clumsiness is a prime example of this. She's Clumsy! Except... never when it matters. Imagine how much more of a dynamic we would have if she were *actually* clumsy. She's the thinker/leader who is still functional in a fight, but when it comes down to anything precise, she needs her Olympic-Level trained Partner.

When bad things happen to a Mary Sue, it's only for sympathy points, and they come out on top. S3 She had to be the Guardian- And then we get a series of things that were only solvable because she was the guardian. Her ability to make charms is literally 'Just believe you can' Su-Han shows up and she mocks him. etc etc. Gabriel beats her in S5! -and his wish gives her everything she wants. She is tormented in Derision! -And all it does is make Adrien even more on her side, she's already won and they used her 'trauma' for comedy for 4 seasons.

The biggest thing though is how almost nothing ever progresses without Marinette's attention(a little changes in S5, but that's just because Felix is even MORE of a Mary Sue when he shows up, his localized Sueness defeats her general Sueness) Even when you have a protagonist centered story, most narratives will have a world that lives and breathes and side characters with lives outside the main. The world they live in feels alive. With a Mary Sue(and ML) the world stops completely and almost ceases to exist if the Sue is not present to influence things.

Now I'm gonna blow your mind- A Mary Sue isn't always bad! You *can* write a strong narrative around a Mary Sue- as long as you recognize it.

Marinette is a fun character!

If the show ran with 'Marinette is amazing and multi talented and a paragon, capable in every situation' then you know, that works! Your hero can be blessed! People loved *Superman* to pieces for decades while he was basically invincible. Doc Savage was a thing in the Pulp Era.

The problem is they want to try and run this 'normal girl! oh so clumsy. Oh put upon, pity her, poor girl.' Line, and yet... she just wins, and wins, and always wins, and never stops winning. She is always considered morally by the end of every episode. She wins without even trying (her victory vs Lila was handed to her. She got her power upgrades basically out of the blue each time) So these two disparate things don't click. They create cognitive dissonance that aware viewers pick up on, and it makes things far less satisfying.

I just want to reiterate though. A Mary Sue is not who Marinette is, it is how the narrative *handles* her. Don't hate on Marinette. Wish she was in a better executed story.

[thelioncourts]

I've been real absent online the last couple of months, but I can't miss out on @iwtvfanevents 'a meal to remember' because we are so incredibly blessed with beautifully creative and talented people in this fandom who constantly inspire and allow me to forever-wander in the world of Louis de Pointe du Lac, my most darling and favorite character ❤️ this won't be nearly as organized as I'd like it to be, won't say all I want to say, and I will inevitably miss somebody and/or some fic, but just know that there is so much wonderful content out there, especially by so many of the people on this list that anyone can check out at any point:

twelve days/nine months by @devotiondroid & @weather-mood daniel/louis/armand modern human au quite literally the fic that saved the holiday season for me. when new chapters of 'twelve days' would post, I would drop everything to go read it and would count down the days until the next update was set to happen. 'nine months' is a wip in the same verse and just as stunning. it's no surprise it's amazing; it's toni and it's bri, two people shining with so much talent it's blinding. and their powers combined?? oh my god. (there's also a one-shot in this verse called 'saint valentine' and my brain broke reading it, idk) now, just a list of @devotiondroid fics that changed me as a person: daniel/louis (and a little louis/armand as of now) human au quicksilver/mercury a danlou noir au that I reread a couple of weeks ago just to feel something again and then toni up and posted its prequel 'mercury' and I simply couldn't cope. the noir vibes paired with the gorgeously yearning story is just !!! everything.

daniel/louis modern human au

baby, I'm your man

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WOULD READ 1000000k of this world. the idea of it, the complete ache of this story, has stuck with me, buried somewhere between my ribs, and I'll forget about it for a second then remember and it'll hit me like truck how wonderful it is. toni................m o r e lestat/louis human au my neck, her rope solar plexus hit of a fic. oh, oh the loustat dynamics....it's gorgeous and the concept is !!!!!!!!!! everything to me and now, my list of @weather-mood fics that, when posted, I quite literally become/became a dragon needing to hoard the newfound treasure immediately: armand/louis (armand/louis/REAL RASHID) canon-verse instruction real rashid, my beloved ;;;; no but, honestly, bri has made real rashid so important to me and to loumand, she's why he exists in my first (unfinished) loumand fic 'facio ut facias' because he's just that important. but bri also just always puts into her fics the gorgeous way that loumand are so perfect together, the way they are consumed with one another's existence. armand/louis canon-verse-esque rumpelstiltskin

FAIRY TALE AU. bri is also the inspiration behind my unposted and ongoing fairy tale au because no one does it like her and this one is......oh god, the way armand is the only character that could have ever been in this, the way he fits into louis' life to be this exact character.......don't talk to me lestat/louis; armand/louis; armand/louis/daniel siren au THE ENTIRE PART OF YOUR WORLD (ONCE UPON A WINE DARK SEA) VERSE y'all don't need me to tell you how perfect it all is. I think about it constantly, I've told real life friends about it, it's everything, every single fic of it is everything. lily/lestat pirouette by @weather-mood and @nlbv/@ouizaya

it's so interesting thinking about lestat in those weeks and months of hunting louis, of how he found out things about him from others, how he got lily so involved, how she died because of it all, and the way bri and zaya took all of that and then showed the mental state of lily throughout it all, how much lestat's vampiric control ruined her....................amazing. it's everything.

lestat/louis canon-verse tides by @nlbv/@ouizaya

zaya, my love, she takes some of the sexiest loustat scenes and makes them even sexier before gut-punching you with something insane and devastating and it reminds me so much of the show's writing, the way you'll be like 'look at my family <3' and then suddenly their conversation has gotten dark, the room looks cold, and you wonder how they'll ever truly come back from it......... god shallows by @nlbv/@ouizaya

REPEAT ALL THAT I SAID ABOVE AND THEN SOME. like???? the episode 6 elaboration???????????? oh my god. it's real. it's what happened. we all know it.

roadkill by @nlbv/@ouizaya and baberainbow I think about this fic so often. the car wreck, lestat and claudia being so in-tune with one another hunting because they're the same, the way they're both aware of louis, the way the family works and fits in, the gore and beauty of it. obsessed. TIME TO TALK ABOUT BABE. lestat/louis canon-verse glass the capturing of louis during those earliest vampiric days, paired with lestat's doting as he tried to solidify his wooing, and then just -- everything else, it's all so good.

disruptions that scene in ep 7 where the entire family teams up on that poor man at their door is crazy and this fic takes that concept and just runs with it in the best way

lestat/louis non-traditional a/b/o verse lioness listen.............i'm such a sucker for a good a/b/o fic and we have a severe lack of them in iwtv, thank you, babe, for writing a beautiful one armand/louis canon-verse luna the way that loumand have been together through some of the most insane historical events will haunt me and also I'm in love with the idea of it, thank you, babe, I want every single year and something they experienced together

armand/louis; lestat/louis; louis/others canon-verse catacomb a required read leading into season 2. that's all you need to know.

armand/louis/lestat cannibalistic modern au cleave/tie by @kittyldpdl

a couple of years ago, I went through this obsessive body horror phase where all I watched and read was something that had some kind of body horror and it would make me nauseous but also I was so intrigued, so fascinated, I couldn't stop. this is that. oh my god.

armand/louis; lestat/louis modern au capillary by @kittyldpdl and @salmoncakepls

WIP. I think about it once a week. falling in love with louis while dressing him??????????? oh my god, the concept, the idea, I want to drown in it armand/louis; lestat/louis robot&android au design; intricate by @salmoncakepls

every time I see concepts for this fic my brain short circuits and every time I read it I just !!!!!!!!!!!!! the brain behind this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the most brilliant

goat goat goat time <3 <3 <3 armand/louis prey drive by @iwtvdramacd18

HI I THINK ABOUT PREY DRIVE EVERY TWO DAYS AND FEEL FAINT. like idk what else to say, it just sticks with you and you're like 'wow they're just like that and it's insane and beautiful and raw' and goat just writes it perfectly, always lestat/louis exposure by @iwtvdramacd18

I've never actually heard of this fic, but if I had, I would assume it was the most batshit crazy thing I'd ever read......full compliments lestat/louis WIP lunacy by @iwtvdramacd18

I seriously always admire people who can write the 'monster' so well. I struggle so much with actual horror/monsters/suspense and so to read it so well done always makes me a little crazy armand/louis/daniel canon-verse after s1 gathering dust by @knifeeater

non-linear narrative !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

armand/louis canon-verse esque alluvium by @knifeeater

I see the tag service dom armand and my brain blacks out, comes back, and is forever changed. that's all. armand/louis/lestat perpetuum mobile by @knifeeater

sometimes you read a fic and the opening is the most insane thing you've ever read that you're like 'how can they keep this up?' and then they do and you're like 'oh so you're that kind of talented....okay' that's this fic.

armand/louis canon-verse

dirges by @dictee

'He had told Louis once, a lifetime ago, as a kind of bedtime story, about his work with cadavers in the nineteenth century, in the catacombs under the Parisian graveyards. Louis, half asleep, made some comment about Mary Shelley, but in his mind it was his skin under Armand’s scalpel, as loving a part of Armand as any. Shuddering and offering up the red jewels of his insides. ' please read it. oh my god.

MORE DANLOU NOIR THAT IS JUST i'll let you win by @diasdelfuego

danlou prophet. daniel just being so overcome by louis...........daniel just being so enraptured, so in love. the noIR. ily. need to reread asap actually oh my god.

daniel/louis post s1 nothing left to give you now by @diasdelfuego

'When he turns back around, Louis is still facing away from him, eyeing the coffee table as he shrugs off his coat. It slides gracefully off Louis' elegant frame to reveal a deep burgundy button-down underneath. In Daniel's mind, he thinks as he takes in the sight, Louis is always wearing black —mourning black, the writer in his brain supplies. Daniel takes stock of him while Louis stands at the edge of the carpet and looks over Daniel's apartment. The vampire is just as preternaturally young as he was half a century ago, just as beautiful, looking entirely out of place in Daniel's mundane, chaotic environment.' like imagine the whole fic being this beautifully written................................w h a t

lestat/louis; armand/louis murdery mystery au WIP overlords by @diasdelfuego and @shewhomustbecalledking I'm behind on this (work is the worst, let's all quit our jobs) but what I've read is just !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO INSANE. cannot wait to catch up, I have spring break in three weeks and honestly just want to read the entire time, catching up on this and drowning in its beauty

lestat/louis a/b/o verse WIP house of gold by @shewhomustbecalledking I think this was the first a/b/o fic I read for this fandom and it's the blueprint, it's the reason, it's everything. the way lestat is so perfectly lestat in this is everything to me. I love an in-character lestat so much.

armand/louis; lestat/louis AU gothic horror WIP rhodedendron by @blueiight

'Let the Devil tempt me not, Louis thought, as he crawled to the mirror. Hollowed out eyes stared back at him, light-brown mawkish physique barely visible, swallowed up by loose pajamas, twists slightly askew but still meticulously sectioned off.

You look a fucking mess, bruh. Hardly fit to carry on the Du Lac name, what lady would want troubles such as yours? His Mother’s voice blended in with his own. But alas he could not be, could not sit in his sorrow and forever laud the man he was not.' true southern gothic horror. the last two chapters changed everything for me.

lestat/louis modern human au dreaming put to shame by @downstairsbar

I read this every single weekend. the beginning??? louis classing lestat?????????????? louis knowing lestat's eyes are on him but not understanding it???????????? the way I'd give anything for a million more words about how they got to the last part, about what all follows.

lestat/louis canon-verse modern era WIP

murmur by proval the way these are still our louis and our lestat, reunited after everything, still so the same, still so not..............this author seems to have such a good hold of these characters, I can't wait to see where this fic goes

armand/louis; lestat/antoinette; lestat/louis modern succession inspired au WIP dirty, sexy money by thevintage I've never seen succession but I love a business au and these first three chapters are so good. lestat and louis are divorced, they have claudia to tie them together, lestat is marrying his mistress, and louis has just met armand who is business rival of lestat's and the sparks are already flying and ohmygodohmygodohmygod

[footnoteinhistory]

Finished TJLS today here are my random thoughts on the last two seasons and things that I saved as drafts but didn't post

I watched the last two seasons in the span of about 48 hours, which probably contributed to my burnout towards the show (I was ready for it to END), but also. LOL. I know they were caught between a rock and a hard place but. the tail end of TJLS makes the final seasons of Night Court look like prestige TV

Which pisses me offfffff because it was SUCH an amazing show. Genuinely the first season (and even much of s2) was, as most people who've watched it say, some of the best television I've ever seen. So raw and blunt and dark. Look at how they massacred my boy!! More thoughts on that at the end

TJLS season 3 episode 9 Hem says something rude and I thought “oh that shouldn’t be as hot as it is” and he proceeds to say it another dozen times as a recurring bit the whole scene. Literally perked up when he said it then felt embarrassed bc I do not like when men use that word but. Then he said it over and over and over again

His fake beard in s3ep19 sorry for moaning. daddy. sorry

Society if The John Larroquette Show didn’t force us to suffer through Catherine for three seasons. STOP trying to make their relationship happen it's not going to happen!!!

However her begging him to get her pregnant is kind of #real. Shoutout to the TJLS rawdogging episode

My least favorite TJLS episode turning out to be a Pynchon homage… who is surprised. No one can make me like his stories!

I abhor violence of course but I think Carly should’ve been allowed to kill Catherine with a gun (I think I wrote this during when Catherine waltzed in during their wedding)

She really became insufferable like at times I willed myself to like Catherine and tolerate her but her last few episodes... girl move on

Omg Hem calling himself “John nomiddlename Hemingway” during his vows is an obvious homage to how I always say Carl middlename Sack or Alan middlename Shore… a reference to me in TJLS wow <3

I love John Hemingway more than the moon and the stars but I do think he should be isolated from the rest of the human population in solitary confinement for his and our sakes (I think I wrote this when he suggested he and Carly and Catherine all live together but I could've written it at any point of late s3 to all of s4)

Hem was so sensitive and introspective and determined in the first season but by the end he was just. any sitcom dumb guy :( He could be a real jerk in ways I know season 1 Hemingway wouldn't be 🥺

Back to general thoughts: I'm just trying to wrap my mind around how they fumbled it so bad. The biggest (of many) problems was John/Catherine/Carly and how long it was dragged out. And even when Catherine was finally out of the picture (mostly?) they couldn't let John and Carly be happy together!!!! Not for a fucking moment!!

Also I think the episodes are out of order (even on IMDb) or something is missing because certain things in season 4 did not line up at ALL, which I noticed with an earlier season too. And since their relationships were so messy anyway, it was hard to figure out

Also still haven't been able to find s4ep12 which doesn't seem to exist anywhere. Maybe I'll have to risk buying a bootleg and hoping it's on there :|

Once we FINALLY got past the love triangle stuff we thankfully returned to more bus station hijinks, only so many of them were dumb and poorly written. Womp womp

I DID love all the fourth wall breaks and other references that hit back at NBC/network execs/the changes they were forced to make. Sitcom guerrilla warfare

TLDR John you are so sexy I'm sorry they did your show so dirty. Maybe if you didn't dye your hair this wouldn't have happened

[mandiemegatron]

•]••´º´•» 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 ; «•´º´••[•

Afab & Named Reader x Shachi

Rated: 18+, porn with minor plot, first time sex, pussy eating, whimpering needy Shachi, smut smut smut ♡

A birthday fic for my bestie Venus [@buggyandthebartoclub ]!! She asked for something Shachi and I was more than happy to deliver 🤭🤭🤭💖💖💖 I am so blessed and overjoyed to have one of the world's most amazing people as a bestie, I am so happy you exist my lovely Venus. Thank you for coming into my life and fueling my selfship craziness and for supporting my life's journey. You are such a wonderful person and I'm so happy I get to be a part of your life. I hope you enjoy this little treat, my love!!

HAPPY MUDDAFUCKIN BIRTHDAY !!! 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊

A HUGE thank you to my beta @moss-woods , I am nothing without you, thank you for everything 😭😭😭😭💖💖💖💖💖

Songs to listen to while reading ; one , two

You'd been living on the Polar Tang for nearly a year when your birthday came round, almost missing it if it weren't for Ikkaku saying something as you two were getting dressed for a boiler room shift.

“Is it February already?” You murmured absent-mindedly, zipping up your suit and turning to face her. Your best friend shook her head with a laugh of disbelief, nearly shocked that you'd forget what day it was.

“Your birthday is literally tomorrow, dude.”

You frowned slightly, giving a soft hum before slipping into your boots, tying them tight. While you knew Christmas had already passed, it did not feel like it was already February.

“Time passes so weird on the sub,” you commented as you both left your shared room, closing the door behind you.

“You get used to it,” She replied, tugging you down the hallways towards the kitchen area. You both waved and said your good mornings to Uni and Penguin, who sat at the bartop eating breakfast.

“There's coffee brewed if you want it,” Penguin commented to you, nodding his head at you in a form of acknowledgement. You grinned in response and poured yourself a cup, giving a soft, delighted hum as you took a long sip.

“Well, if it isn't the most gorgeous thing to ever grace this little ship!”

You raised an eyebrow in jest at Shachi who rounded the corner, a grin of his own already cracking his face as he closed in towards you. He leaned down slightly to smack a loud kiss to your cheek, ignoring your grunt of protest before gently snatching your coffee from your hands.

You gawked at him as he chugged it back, giving a loud, content sigh as he placed the mug down. There was a moment of bewildered silence before all four of you jumped him, shouting swears and beating the redhead into a lump in the corner.

Cradling a new cup of Joe in your hands, you followed Ikkaku down to the boiler room, giving a cranky groan as you sat at the table containing the ship's blueprints. Ikkaku sat across from you, picking up one of the sheets from the table and giving a groan of her own as she did her morning checklist.

“You wanna check gauges for me when you're ready?”

You gave a tired grunt in response, taking another few sips before making your way to the first boiler tank. Picking up the clipboard hanging on the side, you checked the gauges and wrote down the numbers, just like you'd done hundreds of times. After documenting them all and signing off with your initials, you moved onto the second and did the exact same, humming along to the snail-radio that sat off to the side of the room.

“Hey Vee, so uh,”

You glanced over your shoulder at Ikkaku, a questioning look on your face as you waited for her to continue. She opened her mouth and you both jumped as the boilers turned on with loud groans and clanks, the heat coming off them immediately causing you both to begin sweating.

You both groaned at the same time, knowing they only did that when it got too cold outside the sub, which could freeze the mechanics inside the ship if the temperature dropped too low.

“We must be getting close to a winter island,” You commented as you unzipped the top half of your suit, tying it around your waist comfortably, glad you had put on a proper tank top underneath. Ikkaku followed suit, giving a slight cough as she finally continued,

“So… you uh, you and Shachi, huh?”

Your face burst into bright reds at her question, your answer catching in your throat as you sign off on the second boiler.

“You got me fucked up, what are you going on about?”

Your bestie gave a loud laugh in reply, reaching closer and whacking your shoulder with a friendly punch.

“You can't hide shit from me, you dumb bitch. Try again.”

An anxious groan escaped you as you moved onto the third boiler, picking up the clipboard before giving your best friend a long sigh. You stared at the ceiling for a second before finally admitting,

“Yeah, okay, me and Shachi are um, interested in each other?”

Ikkaku gave a cackle of triumph, clinging to you and shaking you by your shoulders.

“Oh, I fuckin’ knew it! The way you didn't immediately punch him when he smooched your cheek and stole your coffee earlier-”

You quickly shushed her, looking around nervously before looking back to her with an anxious reply of,

“We just don't want to get in trouble. We don't even know if we're allowed to date, so we're just… trying to keep it on the down low, you know?”

Ikkaku gave you a pointed stare, crossing her arms over her chest as she questioned,

“You guys really think the Captain wouldn't let you guys be happy together? I don't think he'd be like that, especially with it being your birthday tomorrow.”

You sighed heavily and tapped the clipboard against your forehead a few times before explaining,

“It's not that, it's just, you know, a professionalism thing. We live together, we work together, it's a bit of a dangerous thing, honestly.” you chewed your bottom lip for a moment before continuing softly, “At least, to me it feels like that.”

Ikkaku thought over your words for a second before giving you a solid nod, her expression understanding as she patted your shoulder.

“Alright … I get it. I won't say anything.”

Feeling like a weight was lifted from you, you gave her a nod of your own, a small smile on your face as you thanked her. As she walked away to do her own work, you finished up your readings and initialed off, going back to the table and finishing off your now lukewarm coffee.

“Venus-ya.”

You turned and gave Law a wave, to which he returned with a nod of his hatted head.

“Are you done here?”

You looked to Ikkaku who gave a nod, sipping her own coffee as she waved you both off.

“I can handle it from here, thanks for your help!”

Your Captain looked down to you and quietly asked,

“A moment of your time?”

Anxious gnawing ate away at your stomach at his words, giving him a wide eyed look before nodding slowly. You asked in the same tone,

“... am I in trouble?”

Your Captain gave you a cheeky, raised eyebrow in return, not verbally replying as he turned and began walking out of the boiler room. You and Ikkaku shared a look before you took off after him.

You caught up quickly, grateful that he slowed slightly as you walked side by side. Worry washed over your skin at the silence, wanting to ask him literally anything to rid the buzz that rang in your ears, but nothing came out.

You followed behind as he led you into his office, though you froze at the doorway as you take in Shachi sitting in one of the chairs in front of Law's desk. Both your faces turned white as you made eye contact, slowly finding your way to your chair and sitting down.

There was a heavy silence in the office as Law sat down, rubbing at his face for a few moments before giving a sigh, leaning back in his chair as he stared at the two of you.

“So.”

You clasped your hands together tightly in your lap, your nails digging into the backs of your hands as you waited for him to continue, unable to look over and see if Shachi was just as nervous.

“Is there something you two want to tell me?”

There was another heavy silence that weighed over the three of you until Shachi finally spoke up, his voice quiet but honest.

“... I'm in love with her.”

You whipped your head to the side, staring at him with wide, teary eyes as your heart leapt into your throat. He only stared at Law, his gaze dark and serious behind his shades which his Captain could almost physically feel.

“And you?”

You turned back to Law as a few tears slipped down your cheeks, causing your Captain to stiffen at seeing them. He went to say something when you cut him off, your voice shaky as you replied,

“I love him.”

Shachi reached over and gripped your clasped hands in one of his, his touch warm and grounding though his palm was slightly sweaty. You flashed him a quick, watery grin before you both looked back to Law.

The Heart Pirate Captain was silent, watching you both with a hawk eyed expression, mulling over his words as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“... I'm happy for you two.”

Excitement washed over the both of you as you visibly relaxed, your hands peeling apart to cling to Shachi's. Law watched you two for a moment more before continuing,

“While I can accept this, I expect you both to be respectful of those around you and also of each other. I don't want my ship falling apart due to you having a fight or anything. I expect work to be completed as usual, I expect nothing but the best from either of you, am I understood?”

You and Shachi nodded eagerly at his words, grins washing over both your faces as Law continued,

“You have my blessing. All I ask is that you be safe with this decision,” he made a point to look at you, causing your face to burn red. “I know you're on birth control but things can happen. I expect you both to be incredibly careful about this.”

You sniffled softly and wiped at your face with one hand, the other still clinging to Shachi's as you murmured out gratefully,

“Thank you, Captain.”

Law simply nods in response before going back to his books on his desk.

“You're dismissed. Back to work, both of you.”

You and Shachi rise from your chairs and make quick work of leaving his office, only getting a few steps away from his door before Shachi scoops you up into his arms, pressing hot kisses to your face as he holds you close. You cling to him in response, catching his lips against yours a few times as a delighted laugh leaves you.

“I'm so in love with you, Venus,” he barely gets out, his fingers digging into the suit wrapped around your waist. “You have seriously made me the happiest guy on the Grand Line.”

You can't help but grin up at him, an ecstatic and loving look spread across your face as you replied,

“I feel the same, Shachi. I love you so much.”

You both spend a few more moments holding each other, not wanting to separate just yet and a desperate thought comes to Shachi as he asks in a soft purr,

“Can I have you before we go back? I can't wait, I need you-”

You cut him off with a heavy kiss, one hand clinging to the back of his head, fingers tangled into his fiery locks. He accepts that as your answer and picks you up, his strong hands under your ass as your legs wrap around his waist.

“Our room is closer, go there,” you whisper breathlessly, holding tight to him as he walks around the corner and opens the door to you and Ikkaku's room. He locks the door behind him and lays you on the bed, your legs untangling from him.

There's nothing but the sounds of you both breathing, your gazes locked as Shachi slowly rips his suit from his body, his black tank top clinging to his skin. You watch with loving eyes as he rips his shades and hat from his head, setting them on your dresser before removing the rest of his clothes.

You begin removing the rest of your suit and in a flash, you're both naked, his body covering yours as your tongues fight for dominance. Your hands scratched over his back, angry red lines covering his gorgeous skin as his sharp teeth grazed over your throat, desperate to sink into your skin.

“Please let me eat that pussy, babe, I need to taste you so bad.”

You clenched around nothing, already soaked and wanting as he whines and pants in your ear. You give a shaky nod, unable to reply in anything other than gasps and soft moans as he slowly makes his way down. He gives a needy groan at the sight of your cunt, already glistening and ready for him as he descends down.

Your eyes fall shut as his mouth meets your clit, immediately sucking on the small bud for a bit before his long tongue swipes over and into your entrance, licking up all your slick with a delighted moan. You cover your face with a heavy hand, huffing and whimpering as he devours you inside and out. His tongue dances over your clit again, moving up and down as he slides two of his fingers into you.

You can't bite back the groan that leaves you, the pads of his fingers pressing up and into the soft spot that makes you see stars. He's muttering every once in a while, his hips grinding the tip of his strained cock against the bed as he fucks his fingers into you, his tongue licking and pressing roughly against your tender and swollen bud.

You feel it rush through you, creeping up like a tingling flame over your skin as you moan out,

“Shachi, o-oh Shachi please, I'm so close, I'm so close,” and that's when you finally hear it, what he's been begging the whole time.

“Cum on my face, please cum on my face, I need to taste you, I need you to cum all over me, God, please Venus, please cum on my face-”

His words send you over the edge, a gasping moan catching in your throat as you go blind for a second, your body shaking and twitching as he continues to finger fuck you. He gives a delighted gasp and whine as you squirt a bit, coating his hand, forearm, and face with your essence.

When he finally relents, you catch your breath and let your hand fall away from your face, your eyes catching his as he sucks every drop of you from his hand, making sure to keep your gaze as he does it.

“I'm glad I thought of this,” he quips, his tone cheery as he moves to cover your body with his once more. You tiredly pull him to you and he's quick to lift your already aching legs to your chest, the tip of his fat cock pressing against your still throbbing entrance. He gives you a pointed look, which you wave off with a lightheaded grin, running a lazy hand through his hair.

“I love you, Shachi,” you moan out breathlessly, causing the redhead to stutter slightly before he begins to press into you, pulling a ragged gasp from your already sore throat.

“I love you,” he returns, his own voice catching in his chest as he thrusts gently once, twice and finally fills you with a third, a whining gasp leaving him as he barely gets out,

“You feel like heaven, your pussy is paradise, I love you, I love you-”

You whimper as he finally begins moving, your cunt pulsing around his cock as his tip presses against the tip of your cervix, the pain washing away as pleasure quickly overtakes your senses. His hands on your hips are tight, bruising as he leans down to clamp his teeth around the space between your neck and shoulder, a low groan rumbling in his chest at the way you clench around his cock.

“You feel so good, you're so good, oh fuck, fuck, fuck,”

His hips are relentless, pounding his cock into you over and over, not stopping even as your second orgasm slams into you from nowhere, your cunt fluttering and milking him for everything he has. His eyes rolled back as he lost his pace for a moment, the feeling of being inside you making him lose all sense of logic.

“Please let me cum inside you, I need to fill you, I want to fill you so badly, I want everyone to know you're mine, please let me cum inside you, please babe please,” Shachi begs, his voice climbing higher and higher as he nears his end. You simply nod, moving your legs to wrap around his waist and keeping him to you as you barely get out,

“Please fill me, Shachi,”

At those words, Shachi loses it, a guttural moan leaving him as he presses into you a few more times, thrusting one last time and filling you with his hot seed. You whimper at the feeling, the heat and slick slipping out of your cunt and staining your bedsheets.

You cling to each other, both of your highs seeming to never end as you take in each other. It feels like forever when he finally pulls away, picking his weight off you and staring down at you with the softest, most loving expression you'd ever seen on his beautiful face.

“... I love you,” he whispers. Your heart overflows with love for him, your hands moving to cup his cheeks as you reply, “I love you so much.”

He grins weakly down at you before catching your lips with his, his love for you pouring into this one kiss. After a few more moments, he finally moves away from you and gathers his clothes, quickly getting dressed and helping you into your own. You wince as your shoulder aches, his bite mark throbbing though you touch it with prideful fingertips, your cheeks burning as just thinking about it.

“Now everyone will know you're my hot, sexy girlfriend,” he teases, pinching your buttcheek and laughing when you whack the back of your hand against his chest.

Gathering a change of underwear, a different tank top, sports bra and your bath towel, you sigh and groan out,

“Well, I'm going to shower before I head to the kitchen. Lunch prep, yay,” you waved a hand in pretend excitement, your dull tone causing Shachi to burst into laughter.

“I think you need to simmer down there babe, you are way too excited for this,” he jokes, following you out of the room while sliding his hat back on.

“Sorry, let me just,” you give him a deadpan expression and in the most boring tone you could pull, you bit out,

“Woo. Hoo.”

Peels of laughter left your boyfriend, his arms slinging around your shoulder as he led you down to the showers.

“I love you,” he murmurs again, pressing a quick kiss to your temple as Penguin and Bepo come around the corner.

“There you are! Dude, you've been missing for almost two hours!”

Shachi gives a shrug at Penguins complaining, lowering his shades just enough to throw you a wink before he walks on with his fellow men.

“Ah, sorry guys, I just had to help Venus with something, that's all.”

You shake your head, face burning bright as you walk into the showers, ready to let the hot water wash away the remnants of your moment with your lover.

As the water scalds your skin, you let your head fall back and rest against the cool wall of the shower, a wide grin in your face as the spray washed over your body.

You felt like you were on cloud nine. Truly, there was nothing better than getting a boyfriend for your birthday.

[thesparklingwriter]

@zhongrin | Zhongli + Itto = crystalise

“Gods, demons, vision bearers, the visionless… We’re all the same, really, aren’t we?”

tags: zhongli and itto are fighting for your affections, female reader, it's Lantern Rite but i forgot how it works in canon, reader lives in liyue, literally pure fluff, itto knows Zhongli is an archon

If there’s anything your life doesn’t lack, it’s drama.

Travelling across Teyvat does nothing but provide you with new companions to meet, and oftentimes it also leads to violent clashings of character. You thought you’d seen the worst of it when you accidentally reunited the Ragvindr brothers, but the most dramatic encounter was yet to come. Right now, though, you're enjoying the brief period of peace, as you walk alone through the bustling Liyue streets.

“Hey Sunshine!” Itto creeps up beside you, the smile on his face reflecting the smile blossoming in his heart. Yes, it's taken him a good few days to get to Liyue, and yes, everyone on board the ship really, really really loved beans, but he didn’t really mind. He gets to see you, so the sickness is worth it.

You spin around to see your favourite oni, his long white hair combed and braided to perfection, and his fanged smile wider than you’ve ever seen before.

“Was that supposed to make me jump?” You chuckle as he falls into step beside you.

“What? No. It was supposed to make you smile.” he grins. “And that it did.”

How is anyone not supposed to smile around him? He exudes energy and an optimistic naivety that you’ve not seen in anyone for a long time. His cheerfulness is even more impressive when you knew the things he’d experienced. He’d seen hell in person, but he chose to live every day pretending it didn’t exist.

“How was the trip?" you ask. "I wasn’t expecting you to get here so soon.”

“You knew I was coming?"

“Mmm,” you reply, watching as stalls begin to pop up for the upcoming Lantern Rite—undoubtedly your favourite festival of the year. “You put a sign on the message board saying that Liyue better be ready for The One and Oni Arataki Itto to show them how a real festival is done. I couldn't have missed it.”

Itto laughs heartily. “That means my work was done perfectly, as always. I should thank Shinobu. If I remember.”

“I’ll send her something on your behalf, don’t worry. I’ll grab something from the Lantern Rite stalls.”

“You would? You’re amazing. Seriously.” Itto grins. “So when’s Lantern Rite? Can I come? Do I get to set up a stall or something?”

“You put that message up on the board without even planning anything in advance?” You ask. His response sends you into a fit of giggles—one that pricks the ears of the retired geo archon.

It’s not like he’s jealous. You’re not his property, and never will be. But he is intrigued by this…demon who makes you giggle like that. You’d never laughed so heartily whenever you spent time with him. Maybe he'd get a slight chuckle at him and his antics, but nothing more. Not that he cared.

You didn't even notice you’d walked past the funeral parlour in the midst of your laughter—and you always noticed.

He’s not upset. At all. That would be absurd of him. He’s simply curious. You associate with people from all over Teyvat, a quality of yours that he’s always loved, so he’s not surprised. Either way, he decides to find out who this man is for himself—by bumping into you guys by chance.

“So are you going to let me come or not?” Itto huffs. You’d been talking about the history of the Lantern Rite for so long that he’d nearly forgotten his original question.

“A friend of mine has agreed to take me around this year, so you should definitely come with. He’s great with the history, and he knows where all the good food spots are.” Itto’s steps slow down almost comically.

“I’m going to have to share you?”

“Yes…?”

“Can I at least meet the guy?” he pouts. He came all this way to see you, and he's going to have to share your attention with another guy? He’s not a fan. He’s also not a fan of the creepy old man watching him from across the street, with his fancy jacket and tailored trousers and lean frame. What is he doing, staring at you?

“Sunshine, some weird guy over there is staring at you.” he nudges your side slightly. “You need me to tell him off or something?”

You glance over at the guilty party, who its watching you with an almost forced placidity. “Oh, that’s just my friend. Come on, I’ll introduce you.”

Itto tilts his head to the side slightly. He knows that in order for someone to get along with him they’d have to be a certain kind of fearless and non-judgemental, but this is something new. Instead of being afraid of the weird dude making eyes at you, you call him your friend?

“Are you sure? I can deal with him if you like. You don’t need to be so chill.”

“Itto, it’s fine.” You grin, taking his hand and dragging him along with you. “Hi Zhongli!”

The man's blank expression breaks into a slight smile. “Hello, yn. It’s a pleasure to see you.”

“How many times have I told you to quit it with the formalities?” you giggle, squeezing his arm.

“Plenty of times.” Zhongli says. He glances at your hand—the one holding Itto’s—and his smile drops imperceptibly. “It’s impolite to not introduce your acquaintances, you know.”

“Hey, old man, don’t stick your big words on me. Me and yn are bona fide buddies. None of this acquaintance business. You make us sound like we work together.” He scowls. Admitting that he and you were friends was kind of…irritating. He liked being your friend, but he wanted more than that. He wanted you to light up his day with that smile of yours all the time. He wanted to you to be his. But he also wanted you to want that—and he doesn’t know where you stand on that front.

“Itto. Manners.” You poke his stomach lightly. “He’s my friend from when I went to visit Inazuma. He may not look it or sound it, but he’s a bit of a cynic.”

“Hmm.” Zhongli hums. “And a demon.”

Itto scowls. “An Oni. Look at the horns.”

“They’re almost shiner than mora. There’s no way I could miss them.” Zhongli retorts. Itto beams, not aware that Zhongli’s comment wasn’t exactly a compliment.

“Thanks, dude. Anyway, Sunshine here says that you’re taking her to the Latern Rite. I myself have an affinity for festivals and music and all that jazz, and she said I could tag along. That alright with you?”

Zhongli hums. “I suppose.” He doesn’t want Itto there. Inviting you to Lantern Rite was his attempt to get you on your own, to talk to you and see whether you share the same feelings, and now it’s been foiled. He can’t even be mad, because the the demon beside you makes you smile. He loves the sound of your laugh, and so, he has to appreciate anyone who makes you do that. “Do you know much about Lantern Rite?”

“Nope. But I am good with festivals. I held a drum-along in Inazuma. The drum was dirt cheap so we made a massive profit. So many people showed up, it was awesome.”

Zhongli raises an eyebrow. “The drum-along? I was told that was a menace to all involved.”

“Li,” You hiss. “Drop it. That’s a sensitive subject.”

“No, no, Sunshine. Let the man speak.” Itto smiles amicably. “I like to know what people are saying about me.”

Zhongli’s eyes flash amber for a second. “I heard nothing else. I do apologise for speaking out of turn, you’re more than welcome to join us tomorrow, Itto. And on that note, would you mind terribly if I stole yn from you?”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Itto shrugs. Zhongli nods and turns to walk away.

“Hey Itto,” You grin, chucking your house keys at him. “You know where I live. Make yourself comfortable, I’ll take you out for dinner when I get back.” You wink at him before turning around to catch up with Zhongli. “My treat!”

Itto wants to complain, but you looked so happy at the thought of going out for dinner that he chokes down his disappointment at your being stolen and traipses to your house. How has an old man with creaky knees and a vocabulary straight out of the archon war period managed to fill up your time so thoroughly that you would pick him over Itto?

Zhongli is boring and quiet and judgemental. The sheer opposite of what he is. But at the same time, that makes him the opposite to you, and opposites attract, right? And then he decides to stop himself falling down the self hating wormhole he’s skirting, and makes himself at home in your living room.

“So, Sunshine,” Zhongli chuckles as you walk to the nearest tea shop.

You grin at him, chuckling lightly. “Why did you say it like that?”

“I’m just intrigued by the company you keep,” Zhongli hums. “I never would have expected you to get along so well with a demon.”

“Gods, demons, vision bearers, the visionless… We’re all the same, really, aren’t we?”

“I would argue that gods are a little higher on that pyramid.” He mutters as he pulls out a chair for you to sit on.

“You’re such a jealous little man,” You chuckle. “You can’t even bear to see me with my friend.”

“I am also your friend, and I admit that I often have ulterior motives for wanting to be around you. It’s perfectly natural for me to be suspicious.” he shrugs.

“I’m pretending I didn’t hear that.” You smile. “Anyway, what did you want to show me?”

~~~

Allowing Zhongli and itto to come with you to Lantern Rite was a mistake.

Itto wants to check out all the fun stalls, which you want to do. But Zhongli wants to tell you about the history of the festival, which you also want to do. Watching them try to subtly fight for dominance is too funny for you to keep a straight face throughout.

“Oh come on, old man, Why should I listen to you talk when we could be getting street food? Sunshine, what do you want?”

You cover your mouth to try and stop yourself from laughing at Zhongli’s expression. He looks hilarious. The archon is the picture of placidity, the only giveaway that he’s three seconds away from slicing Itto’s prized horns off being the slight clenching of his jaw.

“I’ll take a kebab, please.” You smile. Itto runs off to get you something to snack on and you turn back to Zhongli, whose eyes soften slightly. “You may continue.”

“I’m struggling to understand why you’ve invited both of us,” He hums. “You clearly know our personalities clash. Why subject yourself to this?”

You don’t answer him straight away. You’re not an idiot—you’re aware that both of them like you, and you might even admit to being guilty of egging them on slightly today. But all in all, you enjoy both of their company. Sure, you could separate them, but you're greedy.

“You’re both hilarious.” You reply finally, turning to look back at the sky.

“We both know you’re a lot smarter than you’d like most to believe.” Zhongli pushes. “You’re fully aware of what’s happening here. Why not put us all out of our collective misery?”

“You want to be put out of your misery?” You ask innocently, turning back to face him properly. He hums lightly. “Then fight for it.” Zhongli clenches his jaw slightly, lost for words. Never in his life has he been told what to do in a way that makes him want to obey, but he supposes there's a first time for everything.

Itto returns with the the kebabs and you take them excitedly, gushing over how fresh they were. “How did you get these so quickly?”

“Trick of the trade. I saw a firework stall thingy. Wanna try it out?”

“Sure!” You beam. You look behind you to check if Zhongli is coming along, but’s he’s disappeared, and you let him go. If that’s the kind of man he is, maybe you're better off not bothering. “Let’s go.”

You go around the stalls, dancing with the musicians and trying out all the delicacies on your way to make the fireworks. By the time you make it there, the sun is beginning to set, and Zhongli still isn’t back. You genuinely didn’t think he’d just give up.

“What colour should I pick?” you mutter to yourself. “Oh, I can’t decide. Where’s Ushi? He always has the answers.”

“I left him in Inazuma. He doesn’t like boats very much.”

“I still can’t believe you took a boat. There are teleport waypoints all across Teyvat.”

“Seeing you after such a long time isn’t the same without a gruelling journey to make me miss you more,” He jokes, patting your head lightly. “Anyway, knowing him, he’d probably suggest brown. You know how he is.”

“Then brown it is,” you smile, pouring the relevant chemicals into the tube. You have zero clue how this works, and neither does Itto. He asks the lady at the stall to explain it, but once she starts bringing up chemicals, his eyes glaze over, and you realise he’s just nodding every twenty five seconds. “Thank you!” he says, once she’s finished. “That was super interesting. I understood every word.”

You swipe away the tear that began to form as a result of how hard you were trying to not burst into laughter. He's trying his best, he really is.

“Come on, come on, I want to see how these look in the air.” He takes your hand. “There’s a spot up there.”

You cross your arms, looking up at the big cliff. “Uh uh. No way. I am not walking all the way up there.”

“What? Why? I’ll carry you. C’mon!”

You shake you head. “My feet hurt and I really cannot be asked. And I know you, you’ll fall asleep at some point and then I will have to drag you back down.”

Itto scratches his head, his face taken over by a thought ful expression. “Okay, new idea. I’ll go up there. Set them off, and then come back down.”

“Or you can just leave her with me, and we can partake in an activity that does not involve cliffs.” Zhongli huffs, holding a lantern in each of his hands. Itto looks at him with scathing disdain.

“Not you again! What is it with you and just swooping in to steal my friend?” Itto stomps his foot in frustration, and once again, you find yourself holding back a laugh. He can be so cute sometimes.

“I simply find activities that yn will enjoy. That is all.” Zhongli crosses his arms, the lanterns before him hovering in the air with a faint golden glow—a subtle reminder of the power he holds.

Itto almost pouts. “Yn, were you enjoying yourself with me?”

“I enjoyed myself plenty.” You quip. “But I really don’t want to go up the cliff. Sorry.”

“Hey, no sweat! Don’t apologise.” He roughs your hair up. “I get it.”

“Well, if you’re done being so gracious, yn and I will be on our way.”

“Now, when did she say you could take her?” Itto scowls, crossing his arms. “You do realise she’s like a whole human and everything. Being a demoted god or whatever doesn't give you the right to boss her around.”

“I didn’t expect you to stoop so low as to start throwing insults.” Zhongli sighs. “Be honest with yourself, demon. Did you really—”

“I’m plenty honest! More honest than you and your big fancy words that mean nothing.”

You retreat slightly, watching as the two men argue. Or rather, watching as Itto argues. Zhongli’s face is as passive as ever, retaliating with calmly spoken facts that only seem to infuriate him further.

“Are you going to tell him where to get off?” Itto says to you finally, and you snap out of your own, peaceful, thoughts.

“No.” You sigh. “And frankly, this has gone past the point of being funny. I really just wanted to enjoy my festival with both of you, becasue I enjoy your company. The bickering was kind of entertaining at first, but now it’s just boring. Go home or something. Both of you.”

And with that, you leave them in the dust, making your way back home. You’d been too greedy, you decide. They both deserve better than this weird limbo you’ve left them in. So on your way home, you try to make a decision between the two men. Either would have the decency to accept being your friend, so which would you rather be stuck with?

You can’t make up your mind.

When you get home, you flop onto your bed, leaving your decision to wait until the morning. And whilst your dreams are plagued with the dilemma you face in the real world, you wake up with a beautiful clarity that leaves you feeling bright and cheerful.

You get dressed, ready for another day of Lantern Rite festivities, but as you leave your house, you notice two bouquets of flowers at the front door. One is bright and colourful, full of Inazuman flowers and spilling out of its vase, whilst the other is a lot less vivid and put together with slightly more precision.

You chuckle lightly to yourself as you take one of the vases and display it in your front window. And although you feel bad about the arrangement that you leave seated on your porch, you know it’s a decision that you would have had to make eventually.

a/n i am actually proud of myself for getting this done in time, i actually checked this before(!!) i posted it so if there are any errors someone tell me before rin reblogs and then the incorrect version is left to be seen by the world

i tried to make the ending ambiguous but we all know i chose Zhongli right? cause i picked Zhongli. I don't know about you but Zhongli is my favourite. Literally i love h

[amazing-spider-man-book-club]

The Amazing Spider-Man #3

Published: July 1963

Containing: "The Strangest Foe of All Time...Doctor Octopus"

Introducing: Doctor Octopus/Otto Octavius

Synopsis: Peter grows overconfident in his prowess as a fighter as soon as he must contend with a new opponent, Doctor Octopus, who proves to be his superior in brains and brawn.

Read alongside us here:

@frankendykes-monster : We all know that Doctor Octopus is just a normal guy right? When he lifts someone up using all of his metal arms, his legs have to support their body weight. He can't just slap Spider-Man and it actually hurt Peter. At least at the end of this story Peter knocks him out with a single punch.

Anyhow, Peter, having bested two supervillains at this point, now has a new mini character arc of wanting a genuine challenge from his adversaries. Be careful what you wish for... It doesn't come up in this issue specifically but Peter is definitely a "wishes they were the bully" type if there was ever an example of that, and him just having a ball taking out petty thieves is an extant manifestation of that. There's something mildly humorous about Peter being so dejected about losing a first fight against Doctor Octopus, he didn't have an easy time initially going up against The Chameleon or The Vulture, but I guess being slapped across the face and tossed out the window because you're not worth the effort is particularly humiliating.

Slowly the world becomes more accustomed to Spider-Man existing. His run-ins with the police and military are on his terms (he flees the scene and doesn't have to worry about being pursued) and people like Flash Thompson regard him as a true hero. Once again we are thrust into another guest star appearance by The Human Torch as the Fantastic Four are called in first to deal with Doctor Octopus. It's a quaint scenario that, while in this run alone there will be enough characters and concepts introduced (this issue also gives our first use of the Spider-Signal hidden on Peter's belt) to support the fact that Spider-Man can be an entirely solo act, his standing as the "little guy" who's operating under the scope of most other Marvel characters is well established here.

Doctor Octopus is a step up in the big leagues. Even at this early stage (let me remind everyone that this is only #3 and we already have an arch-enemy) we see that the super-villains are fitting into neat little thematically complementary compartments that really attach themselves to Spider-Man. We again have a villain with an animal motif, this one was also created by a freak accident, and in ten more issues or so we'll have a new niche where villains are popping literally in response to Spider-Man creating an environment where they're allowed to exist; not necessarily a concept exclusive to Spider-Man, but it's being executed here better than any Batman comic I can think of.

Anyone expecting any sympathy for Otto Octavius might be surprised to see there is absolutely nothing here, which is fine by me, I personally prefer villains who don't have much going on internally beyond evillll. Lee's dialogue tells us that the nuclear meltdown that Otto was trapped in gave him brain damage, but earlier in the story where he proclaims to himself that he is the master of radiation indicates to me at least that he was going to go ballistic at some point.

It has to be mentioned that Ditko's art again reaches new heights. He is the master of three-dimensional space with panels like Otto being rescued from the debree or any of the stalking in and around the atomic research center having a surprising amount of death. The more abstracted lighting such as that seen in the atomic explosion or the security camera light engulfing Otto are also nice touches. I'm gonna miss Otto controlling his arms with little dials on his chest, as they're immediately switched over to being an extension of his body. Doctor Octopus won't be getting a proper costume this run, just various lab suits. I love how Ditko's figures frequently resemble puppets without the strings, it's just the perfect style to realize such unconventional characters.

Finally, we get our first pin-up, nothing too special, just one of Spider-Man, but also, our first letters page! Comics were required to have two text pages to qualify for mail shipment under traditional distribution models, but I don't think using that space for the letters page became frequent until the 1960's. I'm not sure how much we'll delve into the letters page, unless we get a solid showcase of "wow comics fans were always like this", and also because since it took three months for letters to come in and be processed, an issue from that long ago will be yesterday's post as far as this blog is concerned. For right now, it's clear Spider-Man was beloved out the gate, as he should be.

@duel1971 : This issue was so exciting to read again. I’d completely forgotten Doc Ock got introduced so early. It’s an iconic first appearance – Ditko completely outdid himself with Ock’s design and nearly every panel the character appears in oozes with style. He’s referred to in this issue exclusively as Doctor Octopus, with no mention of his real name [editor's note: Otto Octavius is said in narration one time] or his eventual nickname. Otherwise he’s basically the character he would be for decades to come. As is so often the case with these early stories, they got him right the first time.

Dr. Octopus is physically and mentally the strongest foe Spider-Man has faced yet. In their first confrontation, Ock rips Peter’s web in half (a first) and tosses him out a window. To add insult to injury, Peter isn’t even able to get any pictures of the fight so he can pay the bills. He slips into a funk, unsure if he can even continue as Spider-Man at all after such a defeat.

While this isn’t the first time Johnny Storm has appeared in this comic, his presence here feels like the foundation for the rich history these characters would eventually share together. Peter’s earnest admiration for The Human Torch inspires him to take on Ock again, this time fighting smarter instead of harder. Peter Parker the young inventor facing off against Dr. Octopus the mad scientist is a brilliant escalation of the science-based problems Peter has faced in previous stories.

In the end, Peter wins and pays a visit as Spider-Man to offer thanks to Johnny, who isn’t in on the secret identity and has no idea what’s going on. The last panel features the Human Torch wishing Spider-Man had stuck around longer. Oh, boys.

Other things that excite me: our first pin-up and our first letters column!

[variousqueerthings]

i went and read through all the scorecards and commentary you’ve written so far, and i just have to comment that i think you’ll have a much better time rewatching twelve’s era - it’s got its own problems, of course, but it’s such a breath of fresh air. i think m*ffat actually took some of people’s biggest criticisms of s5-7 to heart - the hamfisted sexiness is toned way down, and he did away with the whole “the doctor is the center of the universe and the most specialest guy ever” angle almost entirely. honestly, i almost have a hard time believing both eras were written by the same person.

hahaaa thank you, and idk why the below got so long, when your ask was relatively simple, blame it on the hyperfixation!

I acknowledge I tend to write m*ffat (mainly because im not trying to put stuff in tags to be a buzzkill but also as a joke about censoring him), but I do think he got... better

in the sense that he was overall less sexist and more character-driven later on and seems to have really run with a lot of what people wanted set up in terms of genderbending Timelords and queer lead characters, although I am finding s6 has some really good stuff... not.... his episodes so much lol...... but I'm liking it more than s5 which runs contrary with my assumptions/memory of his era, which is pleasantly surprising

I don't think he's egregious in the way writers like, say, Joss Whedon were, I've not heard stories of him being an asshole on set (except for that one story about him throwing a hissyfit about not getting the horse through the mirror in GitF back in s2), which may just be me missing stuff, so can let me know, BUT... nothing I know of. and while he's said some... Highly Dubious Shit About Women Especially and also asexuality, I genuinely think he's been working on some of those biases and fucking nonsense

we went from the Doctor kissing a lesbian without her consent to Bill Potts (who has some flaws -- the fat joke I've been seeing mentioned on Tumbls, the somewhat off-centre flirtation with the one-night stand she doesn't get to have that seems more like it comes from girl-on-girl porn than like a way lesbians might speak with one another)

from writing Rants about the dullness of asexuality that assumed a cis- and heteronormative perspective of the Doctor (he's a bloke of course he'd want to have sex was a lot of the Vibes of it) to in a "confused but got some of the spirit" writing about how the Doctor wouldn't understand human definitions of sexuality and monogamous relationship structures (there's a post about that somewhere in the depths of my blog @fabiansociety made some excellent points)

from describing the original first casting for Amy as "wee and dumpy" to... well, actually can we have some clarification there sir, also the shit you said about Karen Gillen basically just being cast because she was hot (I'm not saying I am super Yay Moffat after all), but at least toning down the sexy sexy talk on the show from what you say!

also maybe a smallish thing, and idk how much power he had and and and, buuut I appreciate how he went from the way he talked in GiTF about how Reinette was "worthy" of the Doctor because she was cultured and educated and whatnot... when Rose is literally the companion of the season and semi-textually Created Ten (regardless of youknow, reads of the relationship and all that, definitely important to the narrative and the Doctor), to having Rose appear as The Bad Wolf in the 50th anniversary special... haunting the naaarrative baybey

and I remember feeling like "Missy" when introduced was just a rehash of River Song rehash of Irene Adler (or whatever way around those characters existed) but then Gomez is actually amazing as The Master, to the point that she's the Number One thing I remember from that era of the show

and he's not an asshole about trans people, which, low bar perhaps, but not in this flipping country, especially not saying so out loud, which, like... Doctor Who is a big deal in this country and RTD is obviously a big ol' queer who's been yelling from the rooftops from Day One, but to not just have it be him, to have a cultural institution firmly in our corner, it's good feeling-wise, and Moffat is a part of that too

and what you're saying, which I cannot quite remember the details of but will eventually reach, the pivot from how the Doctor is portrayed in the Eleven arc vs the Twelve arc, and what the core of that story is, and the glory of Capaldi!

the limitations of this praise then come in the fact that he was learning this stuff while running two of the biggest British institutions, a version of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Who, and so the above Things that he was a dick about, alongside the mocking of fandom during Sherlock and the weird "queer but not queer" stuff with Sherlock/Watson (look, the fucking... BBC marketed it through the lens of a ship, and then there was a whole idk... campaign to make fandom seem weird and over-invested, and then of course Sherlock actually sucked as a show for so many reasons...) means that he's managed to be a prat in real time and it's meant that what should have been fun engagement in storytelling wasn't so much for many of us wincing through the shit he was saying and writing in his shows

... that time he was like "people are accusing me of being sexist, but I love strong, sexually confident women who can step on me, and having a dominatrix kink that I'm projecting onto my female characters onscreen is the opposite of sexism actually Check Mate" (that paraphrasing was mean, sorry not sorry, but also.... I could find the quote or just a handful of handy videos that have aaaaalll of the quotes... because they were happening.... in national newspapers and in interviews and panels and twitter and.... like.... not in private... there's more I'm vaguely remembering but not sure enough to just throw out there, so yeah... but he did not shut up!)

also I will never think he's a good writer so much as Very good at thinking up cool concepts that others might be able to run with or work with him on, and he should never ever be left to his own devices and encouraged to do whatever he wants (... Sherlock..... Jekyll.... from what I've heard, Inside Man....) AND I think generally and hope that RTD2 is going to be about heralding in the next gen of creators, including perhaps... a future showrunner who didn't grow up when Classic!Who was in its infancy (I don't mean that as a diss, I just mean that we've had three of those showrunners so far), and perchance isn't a cis man, because I think a lot of cool shit that could have been better might have been if moffat wasn't learning the ABC's of third wave feminism at the same time

Gosh and he's the least sexy writer I have ever come across... maybe not ever, but considering how confident he was being about allosexual alloromantic Doctor, that man is as sexy as getting slapped by a wet fish (unless you're into that, in which case insert something else here)

ALL OF THIS TO SAY... yeah, I'm excited for Twelve. and I'm enjoying Eleven more by watching the way I'm watching and being able to set criteria for worse and for better!

[chasedawg2]

8 Shows To Get To Know Me

Tagged by no one, seen from a few, suggested by one

1. RWBY

The only reason I use this app is to see content on the two dorks above that I love so much and thank for the several hours of total brainrot. What literally started in like volume 2 as a "I envy my gf having ships in shows we watch and they work out, I need to find a ship to enjoy" to literally wanting to scream for joy when they're in the general vicinity of one another begging for any social interaction.

If that doesn't show well who I am idk what will.

2. RWBY Ice Queendom

....except maybe basically putting RWBY twice. Showcases my obsessive tendencies (I used 2 of 8 spots on a list to talk about White Rose)? Check. Shows my petty side (I loved it mostly for having juicy White Rose content I haven't gotten much of in recent volumes)? Yup. Yeah that works. Don't let me fool you though, I loved the show for the show too. Good plot, loved the animation, all of it fine and dandy. But yeah.... I just needed a WR infusion and this show gave it to me.

3. Succession

(for those of you who have not seen Succession, this is not Succession, this is one of the top GIF results for "business meeting")

Business people doing business things saying business words for an hour every week and yet it still stresses me out in a good way. Cinema.

4. Wizards of Waverly Place

Don't let the fact that I literally fell in love with Selena Gomez because of this show fool you. I loved this show for the show..... as well. Were there shows I watched more? Yeah. Were there shows I liked more? Probably. But this list is about shows that help you learn about me, not my top 8 shows of all time (although this is a weird one to say that on because this in fact would be in my top 8 favorite shows all time probably) and this teaches you the type of thing I was into in my younger years and how I learned about my biggest celebrity crush ever. Plus the transitions are all timers.

5. Once Upon A Time

^one of my favorite TV characters based on vibes

But that's not why it's here. It's here because it was one of, if not the first, major length show I ever binged with my girlfriend so it will always hold a special place in my heart. Plus everything besides the last season was very VERY good so it started things on a good note and has been good ever since 😁😂

6. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

God I fuckin miss this show. I miss this show so bad. That's what you're learning about me from this, that I miss these two dorky lesbians so fuckin bad. I regret hopping in the bandwagon the second they became canon. I should've latched on for the ride. GOD I miss them so bad. Are they still making a movie? I wish they made funkos but we are definitely past a point of no return there. UGHHHHHH COME BACK.

7. Game of Thrones

Yes yes, I know. I know. Relax. I too think the last season completely ruined the vibes of the whole show and severely reduces interest in potential rewatches if I have nothing else to watch. HOWEVER it makes the learn about me list because this is how I discovered that I love Richard Madden as an actor. I thought it was just that I loved Robb Stark the character, because before this I was never one to be like "oh so and so is my favorite actor I love their work" besides Selena Gomez because I was shameless in my youth and Harrison Ford because I liked Han Solo in my Star Wars days. But no, I watched him for like 4 minutes in 1917 and was like hey I know him, then I saw him in Eternals and he was great in Eternals, and now I'm seeing him in Medici and I like him in that too! I need to see Bodyguard at some point. Everyone says his performance was amazing in that.

8. The Boys

I was never a big comic/superhero guy growing up. I knew about various superheroes, I knew the MCU existed, hell I was Team Iron Man without watching a single MCU movie until 2019 (and I'm still that way). But, I've gotten into it. Up to date on MCU movies, seen most of the MCU shows (haven't seen only one of them yet, but I won't say which so it doesn't start anything because I just haven't felt like starting it yet and that's the only reason), and like I liked it. The Boys (followed soon by Eternals and then Moon Knight) showed me there was ways I could LOVE superhero stuff and now I make it my mission to see Marvel content because I've become interested in it so I guess it's a good thing I started late because I've yet to get burnout but that's only because I've been consuming content for like 4 years while some (if you count the Tobey Spiderman movies as the first mainstream superhero movies although I'm sure theres others that were also mainstream, probably batman but I'm getting into DC soon I swear I just dont know as much yet but I will get into it) have been consuming it for 20+ so I get why people complain about superhero burnout but I haven't reached it yet, and amazing content like The Boys is why.

Anyways that's it you can do it now @dragongirl180 and anyone else who happens to see this it's an open invitation to also do it so go ahead and share and stuff

[capybaraonabicycle]

Kiss 38 for Mels and Fugitive💔

Thank you so much for making me write for my AU the first time in half a year, love!

I had a blast coming up with a scene I hadn't planned on, because I had actually already written the grand final kiss with time running out in an earlier part of the AU. So, for context, this is the night before that part, when the Doctor already knows what will happen the next day but Mels remains oblivious (in order to improve the chances of their escape working). If you have more questions, just ask, I'll be very glad to talk about the whole situation more :)

But yeah, in a nutshell: The Doctor and Lee are planning to fake all of their deaths and flee Division with Mels and Karvanista (leaving Gat behind). The Doctor will turn herself human and hide on Earth with Lee. Mels and Karvanista are supposed to be sent to Leadworth where she will be instructed to wait on the bowtie!Doctor to be ready to kill him, should he ever come into existence. (Which is what they are trying to prevent by running away - the Doctor believes the Bowtie (who she knows about from Mels' tales) to be herself under Tecteun's influence.)

I hope you like it!

A kiss because time is running out

Rating: Teen

Genre: Angst that I somehow managed to weave some fluff into

Warnings: Necromancy, mentions of a siege, carelessness in regard to alcohol abuse, some swearing

Words: ~3500

The Doctor had seen many a beautiful sight in her life. Meteor showers were always a vision, or fogbows that stretched across the sky in milky glory, or a swarm of these tiny insects they had had on Mondas that shimmered in whatever colour contrasted the background the most, or – the point was, she could name a thousand beautiful things off the top of her head if asked. But the most beautiful thing in all of the universe, she found, were the traces of amazement blooming on a face. The innocent joy, the pleasant surprise, the immediate love for something you didn't quite understand yet – there was nothing that beat the sight of someone being hit by unexpected wonder.

So, when Lee asked her if there was anything else he could get her, there was really only one answer she could think of.

“Where are we going?” Mels was trailing behind and inadvertedly pulling at her hand, ever incapable of simply following, be it an order or literally walking after the Doctor.

The Doctor looked back for a second to smile at her fondly: “On a date.”

“At Division headquarters?” Mels frowned, but she did press her hand in silent gratitude. “Can't we sneak out?”

“Not tonight” the Doctor said.

'Not anymore' she thought. Not that they had managed to sneak out much at all in their time together; she could count the precious few times on one hand, actually. So many missed opportunities, so much lost time that they should have stolen back from Tecteun.

"We're going to need our energy resources for tomorrow" the Doctor said. Which was true, in a way, but mainly they needed to stay under the radar more than ever.

"Yeah right" Mels scoffed. "For a siege."

The Doctor frowned at her.

"There are people starving during that seige" she reminded her. "Nevermind the casualties when a shot does get through the defences."

A tender expression crossed Mels' face for a second, then she shook her head.

"You're as sentimental as they come" she claimed. "But even you can't deny that a siege is rather boring compared to what Tecteun usually throws us in."

"Which is why we need to be on guard" the Doctor said, and Mels' eyes lit up.

"Do you believe she has an ace up her sleeve?" she asked eagerly. "That there will be an unexpected twist and it won't be a pure stealth mission after all?"

"You sound awfully excited at the prospect" the Doctor snorted.

"Course I do, honey, you know me" Mels grinned and the Doctor grinned back.

"That I do" she agreed, stopping next to a door. "In here, love."

"The kitchen?" Mels asked in surprise when they entered and a pleased and teasing smile grew on her face. "Doctor, you haven't cooked for me, have you?"

"No" the Doctor flinched.

Of course! That was what she should have done, wasn't it? What was the romantic thing to do? What she wouldn't have given for a little more time now. Just so she could make a mental note to cook for Mels another time, to live up to her, be the partner she deserved.

She made the mental note anyway and it felt like defying her fate. Maybe she would remember, eventually. Maybe they would meet again, someday. Maybe then she would be able to fulfil the unspoken promise. It was about as likely as Tecteun suddenly deciding to sent her into retirement and springing for a pension. But, as Mels would have pointed out if the Doctor had been able to tell her any of this, minuscule chances literally were their daily bread. So who knew? Maybe this would actually all end well. Now she only needed to find the hope she had lost somewhere and to start believing in that.

"Maybe for the best" Mels teased. "I doubt you can make an omelett without burning down the kitchen."

The Doctor huffed. "You're one to talk. I remember when you tried mixing Gat a drink and she said it tasted like pure absinthe."

"Who says that wasn't by design?" Mels smirked. "She was the most fun I have ever experienced with her that night."

"The drink was literally burning" the Doctor pointed out. "I don't believe that was by design."

"It's called a 'flaming drink', darling" Mels deadpanned. "It's totally a thing, my grandpa even orders those."

"Brian orders flaming drinks?" the Doctor echoed. It didn't quite fit the image she had formed of the man from the memories she had seen in Mels' mind.

Mels groaned. "Okay, fine, his mates do. The point is, I am a legit cocktail-connaisseur. And I could also cook an omelett. Probably. Possibly. If I had to."

The Doctor's mouth twitched amusedly. "Let's just stay away from the stove, maybe, what do you think?"

"Good call" Mels pressed her hand, curiously peering around her back when the Doctor approached the fridge. "What are we doing instead?"

"I'll blow your mind" the Doctor boasted, taking a glassbowl with a translucent liquid out the fridge.

Mels' eyes grew wide.

"Is that vodka?" she asked. "Are you actually getting drunk with me, honey?"

"I should not have mentioned the Gat incidence" the Doctor winced. "Now your mind is set on booze, isn't it?"

"I could go with ginger tea instead" Mels grinned, obediently taking the bowl that the Doctor handed her.

"Now there's a thought" the Doctor hummed.

If desperation clawed any harder at her hearts, she might let herself be convinced to go for ginger; hangovers were hell but she much preferred getting drunk on the root than the disgusting drinks that went for 'alcohol' around the galaxy. Not that she had planned on getting wasted on her last night with Mels, but forgetting what she was about to do the next day did sound tempting. Then again, it might increase the probability of spilling the beans and she could not, should not, had not to do that. Not this close to achieving their aim.

"So?" Mels was looking at her expectantly over the rim of the bowl, one eyebrow raised and instantly, the Doctor lost her track again, staring at that achingly familiar face.

How could she think she would be able to bid her goodbye? Mels had become a constant in her life, one of the few gleams bringing light into existence under the Division. For the last years, the Doctor had been leaning on her, more than she cared to admit. Separating from her would feel like giving up a part of herself. Except that it wouldn't, not instantly at least. Couldn't feel like losing a part of yourself when you weren't yourself anymore.

"Follow me." The Doctor pushed past Mels to hide her troubled face from clever eyes with eyebrows that threated pulling together.

She didn't look back, knowing that Mels was bound to be on her heels. Maybe she was excellent at following orders after all – the truth was of course that she always knew which orders were necessary. Or maybe it was that the orders Mels deemed necessary inadvertedly became the important ones. It didn't matter. It was all over now anyway.

The dining room of Division headquarters had a balcony protected by an airbubble. It wasn't like the Doctor had a key, but she had a Lee and that was basically the same thing.

"Sneaking out after all, are we?" Mels hummed, when they stepped outside and the Doctor shrugged and sat down on the stone floor.

"Just a bit."

"You're pulling out all the stops, I see." Mels sat down next to her, their shoulders brushing.

"Always for you" she couldn't help that her voice sounded way more serious than the banter demanded.

Mels cocked her head and the Doctor could tell she was slowly but surely growing concerned. And who could blame her, really? "Are you alright, Doctor?"

"Of course I am" she lied. "You know me, I am always alright!"

Which was precisely the wrong thing to say to Mels, of course, but the Doctor distracted her before she could argue. She tapped the bowl that Mels had set down in front of her knees. "Any idea why I gave you that?"

"Some" Mels smirked. "It's not vodka, I've smelled it."

"It's Polarfreyan oil" the Doctor explained. "Mind you, it's not actually from Polarfrey. No one knows where it comes from, but since it appeared to have come from far away, ancient Gallifreyans called it after the most distant planet they were aware of."

"If no one knows where it comes from, how come you have a whole bowl of the stuff?" Mels pointed out and the Doctor grinned.

"You can buy it at any good gift shop on Reave."

"Of course." Mels rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Nothing as irresistable as a gift shop, is there?"

"I love a little shop!" the Doctor said defiantly. "There's no need to tease me about it."

"Aw, but it's too easy" Mels cooed, leaning over to press a kiss to her cheek. "I'm so glad you spent your money on something as valuable as a bucket of oil, honey."

It hurt terribly to be mocked by her like this, when her voice slipped into that tender undertone and her eyes twinkled merrily, that cheeky smile pulling at her lips that always seemed to be reserved for the Doctor. It hurt when she knew that it meant Mels loved her, when she knew that it was all but over, when she knew that she was lying to her by not warning her of what awaited them the next day, when she knew that she was about to hurt her and she had been planning to do it for a while. The fact that there was no other way did not make it any better.

The Doctor swallowed all of those thoughts in one big gulp and managed to smile at Mels.

"You know, everytime you mock me like this" she started, "I suspect you are trying to get a rise out of me, dear, just so I give in and kiss you to shut you up."

"Oh no, my ulterior motives have been discovered" Mels hummed contentedly.

"I have been called a genius before" the Doctor said, righting her lapels.

Mels' hand wound around her neck, tipping her face into her direction from behind.

"Go on then, you genius" she taunted. "Shut me up."

Their faces were so close now that the Doctor thought she could see the stars reflect in Mels' eyes. Or maybe that was just the light from the kitchen. She tried imprinting the image into her memory, never to lose. Oh, but you know you can't keep your memory anyway, not where you are going, Doctor.

"Shut you up?" she echoed, her voice soft and husky. "And miss out on all the remarkable things you say? Why would I do that?"

"Of for fucks –"Mels hauled her in, guiding their lips together and pressing herself against the Doctor's body. Automatically, the Doctor's hands wandered to her back, holding her tightly and she let herself get lost in the familiar feel of how their bodies fit together.

She tried to blend it all out, just be in the moment, just enjoy the kiss and it worked surprisingly well. Apparently, it was difficult thinking of disaster when Mels Zucker kissed you, slowly, lavishly, like she didn't have a care in the world, like they had all the time in the universe at their disposal.

All too soon, Mels pulled back. Of course it was for a smug remark, what else would have distracted her?

"Want something done, do it yourself" she commented and made a move to dive back in.

The Doctor wanted to let her, too, it was incredibly tempting. But she had had plans for tonight and if they kissed any longer, she knew they would end up postponed. And as things were, they couldn't very much allow themselves any postponing, now could they?

So she caught Mel's jaw in her hand, tenderly cupping her cheek. Mels pulled an adorably cross face, but it softened, when the Doctor brushed her thumb over her cheek.

"Let's have your surprise first, love, what do you say?" she offered.

A smirk curled around Mel's lips. "I thought that was that pretty bowl of mysterious oil you got me?"

"Shut up" the Doctor said fondly and Mels' eyes lit up.

"Make me? This time?"

The Doctor ignored her in hope of getting somewhere tonight. Before their time ran out.

"It's not just any oil" she explained, picking the bowl back up from in front of Mel's knees. She held it out to her again and Mels' fingers deliberately brushed against hers when accepting the glass. "They also call it 'the oil of life'."

"Because...?" Mels indulged her, not without taunt.

With great flourish, the Doctor produced a stone from her pocket. "I have got something else for you."

Mels shifted the bowl into her lap in order to take the stone from her. With a frown, she regarded the gift, but it gave way to a smile when she recognised the fish skeleton that had been caught in the mineral.

"It's a fossil!" she realised.

"Thought you might like that" the Doctor teased. "Archeologist."

"Paleontologist" Mels corrected, eyes still on the fossil. "Paleontology is the study of fossils. Archeologists care about humans exclusively, or intelligent alien lifeforms eventually, I assume. Whatever, you secretly love my passion for archeology."

"I do" the Doctor admitted softly. "It is beautiful to see you passionate."

Now Mels looked up, slightly confused. "No arguing, really?"

"You will become an excellent archeologist some day" the Doctor said earnestly, not letting herself be discouraged. "People will be lining up for your talks."

"Yeah, right" Mels snorted. "Hate to inform you, love, that I can scarcely study archeology, stuck as I am with you at our beloved Division."

That, at least, was a pleasant secret the Doctor was keeping from her. That she wouldn't be stuck for much longer, that she would get to study archeology. The hard part was that she wasn't stuck with the Doctor either, much as both of them wanted that. It was quite the contrary, really.

The Doctor forced yet a new smile onto her face. "Would you like to see what the fish looked like, before it got fossilised?"

"Sure" Mels nodded. She looked expectantly at her, like she waited for the Doctor to produce a photo.

So, this was where the good part started, then. Suddenly, the Doctor's smile felt genuine again.

"Drop the stone into the oil" she ordered and the understanding and hopeful anticipation in Mels' eyes was already gorgeous enough to take her breath away.

Gingerly, Mels lowever the fossil above the oil.

"Maybe don't touch it with your bare skin" the Doctor said hurriedly. "I'm not sure what it would do to a living being."

Mels raised an eyebrow at her, stopping mid air. Then she gently let go of the fossil, pulling her hand away from the small splash of oil that the impact produced.

The stone sunk slowly into the liquid and Mels watched with fascination, how the skeleton started glossing over, colourful scales growing over bare bones, sprouting wavy fins and a sparkling eye, until, all of a sudden, the fish started moving. Mels gasped in delight, when with a decided flick of its tail, it shoved its encasing stone away and started swimming through the oil. The feeble light reflected off its scales in hues of brilliant purple and blue as it wound itself towards the surface of the bowl in tight circles.

"What's it doing?" Mels whispered excitedly, when already, the fish brust through the surface, swimming up into the air as easily as it had traversed the oil.

Mels let out another soft gasp and watched with a bedazzled smile how the fish swam up to her face. It hovered there for a while, looking like it admired itself in the reflection of her eyes. Or maybe it admired Mels herself, just like the Doctor had been doing the whole time. She had been correct: No wonders of the universe could measure up to the sight of bliss on her face.

Mels reached out with her hand, as if to let the fish sniff it – did fish have noses? - and immediately it turned around and took off, flying away in the direction of the stars. There was a soft 'plop' when it crossed the air bubble and then they were watching how it quickly disappeared in the dark depths of the night sky.

Mels' gaze dropped to the rest of the fossil, taking in how the bones had disappeared.

"How is this possible?" she muttered. "Did we turn it alive again? And how can it swim in air? How can it breathe in the vacuum? This is bonkers!"

"They don't call it 'oil of life' for nothing, dear" the Doctor quipped smugly.

"Nothing like a bit of necromancy to brighten up the evening" Mels snorted.

"That wasn't just any fossil" the Doctor told her, leaning over and dropping her voice so Mels understood the gravity of the tale. "It came across the Karax Rift from an alternate universe a few thousand years ago, and it is supposed that the corresponding fish species must have died out wherever it came from. That fish had been extinct for thousand of years in another universe! And now it is crossing our sky."

She smiled in awe at Mels, but for some reason, Mels was looking thoughtful.

"What will happen to it now? Will it ever die?" she asked and there was a strange strain to her voice.

The Doctor frowned. "I don't actually know. I suppose it must, some time. Everybody dies eventually."

"So, it will continue travelling the universe all alone" Mels concluded. "Perhaps indefinitely. The last, the only one of its species. And it doesn't even know whether there's hope it can ever find the way home."

It sounded like she wasn't talking about the fish anymore.

"Mels -" the Doctor started. I will take you home. I can't bring your people to you, but I will bring you back to your parents. Sooner than you can imagine. So much sooner.

She couldn't tell her. Couldn't tell her that travelling the universe was over for her now. Couldn't tell her that they would have to part. Couldn't even think of what she'd have to ask of her. How she would hurt her. And she couldn't say goodbye either.

"Betcha it's seeing some beautiful stars though, on its way" Mels tried a smile, when the Doctor couldn't go on. Her eyes were looking very shiny now, tears waiting to fall when she cupped the Doctor's cheek. "And visiting new worlds, making new friends. I bet it is making the most of its freedom."

"I'm sure of it" the Doctor promised.

"And at least it got to fly away" Mels mused. "What wouldn't I give if I could just – take your hand and go. Away from here, towards everything. Just you and me and the whole universe."

The Doctor had to gulp. "Now that would be something."

And it could be so good. Their imminent escape. It could be so liberating, it could be a reason for celebration. If only they got to stay together. If only this wasn't their last evening of knowing each other. If only time wasn't running out.

"Doctor?" Mels' voice sounded very far away, but the Doctor managed to return to her, when her other hand came up to her cheek as well, cradling her face from both sides. There was concern evident in her eyes, stronger now, but she soldiered on, like she always did, reassuring the Doctor. "Honey, hey. Don't give up on me now. We will get out of here someday. I promise."

Too soon. It's too soon.

Mels was wrong. And she herself was wrong as well: She did not kiss Mels to shut her up, she kissed her to shut up that desperate voice inside her head. Maybe it would content itself if she allowed herself to be as close to her love as possible.

Maybe, when Mels lips slotted against her own, soft and alive and insatiable and when her hands wandered from the Doctor's cheeks to her neck and the fabric of her shirt to pull her ever so much closer, maybe then the voice would finally stop reminding her of the end. Maybe, if she focused strongly enough, on the warmth growing in her stomach, the silk of Mels' skin against her own, on her smell permeating the air, her taste on her lips and tongue, maybe then she could stop time, just for a second, call it back one last time while passing the exit, make it stop in its tracks for just a moment, before it was gone. At least she would try her very best.

Thank you so much for reading!

[gachagon]

I saw the Barbie Movie yesterday here's my thoughts on Ken as a character and concept as a whole because I've seen a lot of different interpretations of his character that I think are cool.

A lot of people think Ken is supposed to be this silly little himbo guy who is too dumb and stupid to understand anything like Barbie can. And in the movie he is a silly little guy, but I think Ken is supposed to be a literal manifestation of how patriarchal structures in society can also impact men in a negative way.

Obviously the patriarchy is terrible for everyone, especially women, but it's also bad for men. Ken doesn't realize this though, because when he learns about it after going to the real world, he sees people like him getting "respect" and admiration purely for existing. Ken is the kind of person who knows what he wants in life, and who is constantly frustrated when he doesn't get that or isn't allowed to have it.

He's sad because Barbie doesn't pursue him, he's upset when the rest of the Barbie's take back Barbieland, he feels left to the wayside when he's with Barbie because he likes her in a romantic sense and she just doesn't like him in that way.

But what Ken doesn't realize is that Barbie is only so amazing because she's worked harder than anyone to do all of the amazing things she's done. Barbie wasn't just handed all of these occupations (well she was because you know she was a doll but meh that's besides the point they're ALL dolls lol) she worked hard to even get those positions of power. And we even see this in the real world with the REAL Barbie toyline.

The real woman who made Barbie had to work hard as HELL to get Barbie to where she is now. Barbie wasn't an overnight sensation, a lot of kids didn't even like Barbie when she first appeared! It was a gradual effort of marketing, and understanding what appeals most to little girls, and then keeping up with multiple generations so multiple little girls of different ethnicity's and nationalities and culture could all connect with the same woman.

And Ken is just Ken. He gets to be next to Barbie and they didn't even have to truly make him nearly as popular or keep him around as long because he floats by just fine by being paired up with her. Ken is literally a man who is getting by off the success of a hard working woman who did all of these amazing things by herself, and then getting upset when he also isn't as popular as she is, or even MORE SO because he takes her work for granted and doesn't understand what she had to do in order to even get there. You know...he's like a REAL man. Which is ironic because he spends the whole movie trying to be like a "real man" and hanging onto all these arbitrary ideas of manhood, when he was already doing the "man" thing just fine.

By doing nothing, and coasting by in life thanks to the achievements of all the women in his life. His solution to feeling valued is to LITERALLY just take credit for everything Barbie ever did. He steals Barbieland and turns it into Kendom, he takes her house and renames it, he pushes all her clothes out, and what's worse is he actively takes all the Barbie's who were accomplished women and just have them serve him as his personal "BrideWife Long Distance low commitment Girlfriend" LMAO.

Ken, the one we follow in the movie, doesn't even have a job. And he still gets to live in a pink glittery paradise where all he has to do is just stand there and look pretty on a beach. The man has no prospects in his life and gets so upset and blames WOMEN for this throughout the whole movie because he believes the thing he's missing is a "Barbie" when what he was missing was the feeling of accomplishment that comes from actually doing something with your life.

Which is why Barbie tells him he can just be himself, and that he really doesn't have to tie his self worth to the things he does. Because Barbie had to realize that she didn't have to do that either, and that it's fine to just exist as someone who's mundane.

[whichuniverseisthis]

To @kanjirumonos and @pikatrainer99 that commented on the last chapter. Yes. Yes, I agree. Beware of spoilers!

First - Vs Lopunny

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Next - Final dimentional duel I

Last - Final dimentional duel XI

Chapter 14 / Chapter 430

We're back to the boys! Pearl is already so done with the chairman and Mr. Footstep, I missed them so much. Regigigas in his emo era. Though the fact that Dia wants to understand what it's thinking at all costs is so cute.

Phione completely ignored. Though it's fair, I guess they didn't know about it until Manaphy gave it birth. Chairman is being very positive, by the way. I don't know how did he imagine to visit them all with just four people.

Oh my god I missed them so badly. If you're wondering: yes, this chapter will be long, no, it's not because I analyze anything, it's just me screaming my love for these characters.

I get that they didn't know it's ability, but why did Dia use a Normal type move when he literally just read Rotom's a Ghost type in the notes?

The most random finding ever. It was literally just there on the floor. I guess Rotom could have willingly dropped it there too because it wanted them to follow it.

Oh my god, I missed the double act so much. But question, doesn't this take place two/three weeks after DP? How did they do a whole new building just like that? Or is it another building separate from the one in DP? But I remember to have read in another translation that it was the same, I don't know.

Dia, I love you so much.

Okay but why didn't they read the notes before meeting Rotom? Babies I love you, but you need to learn something from Platinum too.

The greatest piece of art to ever exist.

Only Dia could befriend a Rotom, or any Pokémon at that, by having it offer you food and wash your clothes. I love him.

Another question: if she is on the route that brings to Shaymin, why is there the portal to the Distortion World? It shouldn't be even close.

This looks amazing. It gives a great idea of what a chaos this world is.

Uji and Paka! I missed you too! I spent this whole chapter almost on the verge of tears for all the comebacks I got while reading.

And there it is, the coolest panel I've ever seen. Giratina getting its revenge, destroying Dialga and Palkia's statue, recreating its own statue that once characterized the Celestica Temple in all its glory.

Oh my god, why is this volume over already?? Didn't I start it, like, a couple days ago?? And as you've seen, next chapter the final battle begins, which means THAT moment is coming. Start to prepare the tissues if you know what I'm talking about.